Broad meadows

I love the more simple symbolism in the book of Genesis because it’s fairly straightforward once you understand how to do it. The book of Exodus is much more complicated when you begin to contemplate the things written about the temple materials to be used, the furnishings and how they were to be built and of what, etc. it becomes overwhelming. Truly, the only way to gain any insight into what’s being spoken of prophetically is by connecting them to other places in the Bible where those symbols are used. But when you take a step back from all of the details listed, the Exodus, when used as a template fits perfectly over Revelation 20-22.

In Mediterranean cultures around this time, crossing a body of water was a common symbol for death. This also comports with Paul’s writing in Romans 6:4, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” He reaffirms this idea in 1 Corinthians 10:2, “They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”

So if we think of getting to the other side of the Red Sea as the rapture and the first resurrection spoken of in Revelation 20, we can then see the significance of the time in the desert as the Millennial Reign of Christ, the time where they ate manna (John 6) and were taught by God through Moses as Christ reigning on the earth, we come to another step. Crossing the Jordan. The rest of the dead that don’t come to life are still part of the first resurrection spoken of in Revelation 20, because they still only died once.

Crossing the Jordan is the second resurrection, that is, entering the new heaven and new earth. When you look at who is outside the new city, the new Jerusalem that comes down from the new heaven, you see much of the same list that was once in the lake of fire. How did they get there? The church has no answer and I think this is why they cling to the myth of eternal hell. They have no doctrine on how Elijah is meant to restore all things as Jesus has said. They have little on what the angel Michael is meant to do and what role he might play beyond physically ejecting satan from heaven. All the mechanisms that are meant to be understood are found in the symbolism contained in scripture, but also is specifically stated. He, God, is mighty to save, slow to anger and abounding in love and compassion. He doesn’t leave sin unpunished, but his sun rises on the evil and the good (think sun/goat series).

If you haven’t had a chance to read the series on Following the cup through the Bible “ and the “Following the sun/goat through the Bible “ series, I would highly recommend it as a way of understanding how to distill prophecy in scripture to gain prophetic information from the symbols presented, sometimes very specific information. But start at the beginning of each because jumping around makes it much harder to understand.The idea of connecting symbols across the spectrum of the Bible is fascinating in its approach to biblical understanding and interpretation and I believe more accurately describes God’s plan and purpose for humanity than is currently being discussed in the church and the world at large.