TYPICAL ISRAEL’S EXPERIENCES WERE PROPHETIC.

(2) Take another line of prophecy, concealed, and yet very simple and easy of appreciation when once the mind grasps it. The Scriptures show us that the fleshly house of Israel and all of its institutions and affairs were typical fore-shadowing’s of the spiritual house of Israel and its higher institutions, better sacrifices, etc. It need not, therefore, surprise us to find that the length of the Jewish age – the length of the divine favor to fleshly Israel, – was typical also, and that it gives us the exact measurement of the Gospel age, – God’s dealings with, and favor toward spiritual Israel.

Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which signifies “A Prince with God,” and his descendants were therefore termed Israelites – the people of the Prince with God. But the antitype of Jacob is Christ, the true Prince with God; not after the flesh, but after the spirit; and his house is spiritual Israel. Jacob’s twelve sons first inherited his name and blessing, and through them it descended to all the fleshly house of Israel; Christ’s twelve Apostles inherited his name and blessing, and through them it has descended to all the spiritual house of Israel. As the typical house had a high priest, Aaron, so the antitypical house has a greater high priest, Christ Jesus our Lord, the high priest of our profession. As the fleshly house had a priesthood under Aaron, so the spiritual house has “a royal priesthood” under Christ, to whom the promise is made that they shall be kings and priests unto God, who shall reign on the earth, after their present time of sacrificing is ended.

So, we might proceed with everything that fleshly Israel had and find its duplicate on a higher plane, in spiritual Israel, but we will not go into details here: suffice it to notice further that the Jewish age or period of fleshly Israel’s favor ended with a “harvest” period of forty years. This began with our Lord’s baptism, lasted three and a half years, as a national test, and when that nation was rejected at the time of our Lord’s crucifixion, the harvest work proper began – a separation of the wheat from the chaff – a time of gathering out of that rejected nation such as were “Israelites indeed,” previous to the great time of trouble which came upon the nation, and which utterly destroyed their national polity A.D. 70. All of this is likened to a “harvest” season, and its first garnering of the wheat, and subsequent burning of the chaff. And our Lord gives instructions to us (Matt 13) that this Gospel age of spiritual Israel’s favor will likewise end with a time of harvest, gathering the wheat together, and ultimately destroying the tares. In the harvesting of the fleshly house our Lord (present), in the flesh, was the Chief-Reaper, and his Apostles were co-laborers; in the harvesting of the spiritual house our Lord, a spirit being, is to be present as the Chief-Reaper, and members of the spiritual house are also to be reapers, – some on each side of the vail.

ISRAEL’S PARALLELS.

Now note the time correspondences.

The Jewish age, from the death of Jacob to the death of Christ, was 1845 years long – to the beginning of our Lord’s ministry 1841½ years long, and to the time of the utter destruction of their nation, in A.D. 70, 1881½ years long.

Notice how the Gospel age corresponds to this.

The Gospel age did not begin with our Lord’s birth: it began after our Lord’s death and resurrection, when he commissioned his disciples to “preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Our Lord’s previous work during the three and a half years of his ministry was the offering of the Kingdom to the fleshly house, to test them, and to prove that they were unready to receive the true Kingdom.)

Applying the foregoing measurements of the Jewish age to the Gospel age, beginning at the time of our Lord’s death and resurrection and the Pentecostal blessing, in the Spring of A.D. 33, we find that the (parallel) period of 1841½ years from the death of Jacob to the beginning of our Lord’s ministry, would measure from the Spring of A.D. 33 to the Autumn of 1874.

And the 1845 years of the Jewish age, from the death of Jacob to the rejection of fleshly Israel, applied here, measuring from the Spring of A.D. 33, would reach to the Spring of 1878.

And the 1881½ years from the death of Jacob to the full destruction of Israel’s polity in A.D. 70, finds its correspondence in this Gospel age, by measuring 1881½ years from the Spring of A.D. 33, which would bring us exactly to (Autumn) 1914 A.D. – the very year and time shown us by Daniel’s prophecy to be the full end and limit of the “Gentile times.”

Can this be accidental? Nay; it is design. What stronger testimony could be asked by the eye and ear of faith?

Surely, anything plainer or clearer would be sight, and leave no room for faith.

We continue with our next post.