“The second ‘zone’ we need to think about concerning gnostic tendencies is the sacraments. God’s affirmation of the material world is seen in the fact that He uses physical water to introduce people into His kingdom; and by the fact that we eat Christ’s flesh and drink His blood in the Lord’s supper. Many Christians, however, cannot embrace such physical ideas. Water baptism is thus reduced to a mere symbol instead of a powerful communication from God. And so are the bread and wine of the supper.

Such a reduction is not the view of the Protestant Reformers who sought to correct the magical view of the Papal church without denying the fact that God really acts through such material means. By the 19th Century, however, the heirs of the Reformers were no longer willing to abide the Reformers’ starkly materialistic views…

God created the universe in such a way that it is designed by Him as His means to communicate with man… These are the means that God has appointed to bring us near to Him. God’s Spirit uses these physical things. Therefore, if God also uses water, oil, bread and wine to communicate His presence to us, what’s so strange about that?…

But what do we get? Instead of a nice shower of water from above in baptism, we get a few drops. Instead of a good, munchable piece of bread, we get a tiny bit of cracker. Instead of a good slug of alcohol, which makes a peace-inducing impact on the body and also puts fire inside of you, we get a sip of insipid grapejuice. And anointing the sick with oil, which puts them back into the olive tree, as commanded by James 5:14, has largely disappeared.”

James B. Jordan, Preterism vs. Gnosticism, Biblical Horizons Conference 2007. Available from www.wordmp3.com WEPOW

“How is the land, is it fat or lean? Are there trees in it or not? Make an effort then to get some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes… Then they came to the valley of Eshcol and from there cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men. (from Numbers 13)

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)

The Tabernacle is an architectural model of the world. Each of the seven speeches of the Lord (Exodus 25-31) is introduced with a variant of the phrase “Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.” The seven speeches follow the pattern of the seven days of the Creation week, and also the seven feasts in Leviticus 23.

The Table of Showbread corresponds to both the grain and fruit created on Day 3, the Feast of Firstfruits and to the Asension of Moses.

This pattern began in the garden, when after Adam’s “Red Sea” death and resurrection, he was united to his bride by Covenant. He “ascended” as covenant head of a new family, with God’s one Law.

On the table in the Holy Place were twelve loaves of bread and jugs of beer (from grain), and later, wine. Like the manna and the grapes of Eshcol, these were a promise of rest and rule with God on a future Sabbath as priest and king. Here is the last supper. As with Adam and Moses, this initial promise of wine was followed by exposure to the serpent for testing under the Law – Pentecost.

Just as the marriage covenant of Adam and Eve at Firstfruits is really a betrothal of their united marriage to God on Day 7, so this Table of Israel was a promise of future glory to the whole world at the final Sabbath feast, Tabernacles.

To use Doug Wilson’s phrase, human marriage is “manifest glory.” It is a Day 3 picture of the Day 7 rest to come at the union of heaven and earth.