Broad meadows

As I mentioned at the end of example three, each of those cases is a result of a process that I was able to discover by following a group of symbols through the Bible. Examples one and three involve a group of symbols that revolve around the Lord’s Supper (bread and wine) and I will be continuing with that group of symbols to a conclusion in Revelation that shocked me at the time.

Perhaps the most amazing attribute that I can point to in doing this has been just how specific you can get in this method. I was able to “see” that Jesus and only Jesus can be the promised messiah in each of these examples, but I could also see Islam, and hence Muhammad, in example two. You need only scripture, a concordance and a general knowledge of history to understand what is then being prophesied.

As I mentioned in an earlier writing, instead of giving a laundry list of guidelines that I use in one writing and why, I will introduce them as they are being used. Today’s example will introduce the idea that the first time a symbol is introduced is always very important. Most of the symbols that I have followed through scripture have their origin in Genesis, so if you’re wondering why God is always talking about things like sheep, goats, wells and wine, this is the reason.

I have termed this process as a horizontal reading of scripture. The only thing connecting each account to be followed are the common symbols in the accounts. One way I have thought about it is like that of a tapestry on a loom that has vertical strands (the context of each account) and horizontal strands that are connected only by a group of symbols and that give an overall account of their own. As each account is read, I take note to see if any other symbols has been added to the grouping. In example 3, the symbol that was added to bread and wine is the cup and it is in Genesis 44 where we begin to follow the cup horizontally through scripture.

Following the cup through scripture, part one.

In Genesis 44 we find the second entry of the symbol “cup”, the first being in Genesis 40 in example 3. In this account, Joseph’s brothers are returning to Egypt to buy more food from (unbeknownst to them) their brother Joseph. As they were parting, Joseph told one of his servants this, ““Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.”

In example three, we were able to identify the Messiah type as Joseph, so what is Joseph (Jesus) doing here? He is hiding a cup, something we haven’t defined yet, into something we can define, a sack of grain. So what is the sack of grain? What is grain used for? It is used to make bread. How is the symbol bread defined in the New Testament? As Jesus’ body, which is the church (Colossians 1:18&24). So the grain is the unformed church. Jesus puts the cup into play at the Last Supper, but to what end?

Genesis 44:4&5 says this, “They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’” So the cup is used for divination. What is divination? The practice of seeking knowledge of the future or unknown by supernatural means. Sounds like that’s what we’re doing with this study.