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The Great Exchange

Part XII

The last installment of the Great Exchange continued our analysis of the spiritual powers which are identified via the characteristics of the various individuals and institutions recorded in Scripture.

The Scriptures speak of things in this world as a “shadow” of the “substance” in the spiritual realm where Christ is king (see Part VII of the present work for details of this profound truth).

“Meat…drink…holyday[s]…new moon[s]….sabbath days…are a shadow of things to come…ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance” (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:34).

Since the Word of God tells us the things of this world are a shadow which we can see, it follows that the spiritual influence that lurks behind the veil of physical existence can be identified by the characteristics of the shadow.

“The tree is known by his fruit” (Matthew 12:33).

Thus, we’ve been examining various Biblical accounts, to determine the identities of the substantive powers that generate the shadow seen in the historical accounts.

In Part XI, we moved from the account of Adam and Eve, through the generation of Cain and Abel, and subsequently revisited the story of Esau and Jacob. In the last two accounts (Cain and Abel, and Esau and Jacob), we saw the same dynamic, as the envy which impacted the offender in each story was related to a Hellish Hatred, which then summoned the presence of Death.

This cycle is invariably related to the twin spiritual terminals of Hell and Death, which always seek to destroy the power of Life. We’ve also learned that it is the power of “Hell” which inevitably seeks to lead those who harbor its influence, toward the power of “Death.”

The spiritual principalities of Death and Hell are periodically given an anthropomorphic description in the text, which indicates they are more than simple phenomena, as such Scriptures point towards a mystical identity.

Many have simply ignored the colorful text in Revelation where the rider of the Pale Horse actually carries the name of Death, along with a secondary entity named Hell.

“Behold a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him” (Revelation 6:8).

In several installments of the Great Exchange, we’ve shown additional similitudes wherein Sin equivocates with Hell, so we have an additional layer of Scripture which confirms that the power of Hell/Sin leads to Death.

“Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15).

In this chronological sequence, the imagery of the False Prophet, exhibiting the characteristics of Sin/Hell, is the catalyst for the emergence of Antichrist, which is another euphemism for Death.

“And [the False Prophet] deceiveth them that dwell on the earth….and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship [Death]” (Revelation 13:14, 12).

This sequence, wherein the power of Hell consistently moves the lost towards the entity of Death, is seen in prophetic metaphor throughout the various episodes.

For example, after the LORD responded favorably to Abel’s sacrificial blood offering, but rejected Cain’s offering from the vegetation of the earth, there is a crucial exchange. When Hell’s component of envy toward his brother Abel had achieved a foothold in the consciousness of Cain, the LORD interacted with Cain to warn him of the danger.

“And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door [is in the vicinity]”.

“And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou [must] rule over him” (Genesis 4:6, 7).

The statement that Sin “desires” to have Cain, is reminiscent of Christ’s later statement to Simon Peter, that Satan “desires” to have his way with the Apostle:

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).

The outline of the same spiritual cycle was also clearly seen in the case of Esau, whose jealousy of his brother Jacob, led him to conceive of a plan to kill Jacob:

“And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob” (Genesis 27:41).

In the account of Esau and Jacob, the LORD’s blessing of Jacob deflects the hatred of Esau, and Jacob survives his brother’s wrath, and continues to prosper.

Over many generations documented in the Scriptures, we see the very same cycle is continually repeated. Jacob (now identified as Israel) has twelve sons, and the youngest son Joseph, is his favorite. At the age of 17, Joseph was blessed with prophetic dreams, but in his youthful naiveté, he did not see the jealously which was developing in his brothers.

After relating a particularly provocative dream, he related it to his eleven brothers.

“And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And his brethren envied him” (Genesis 37:9, 11).

Sometime later, when the sons of Israel were out in the field tending the family flock, Israel dispatched young Joseph to see how they fared. The brother’s envy of Joseph had intensified into hatred, so they purposed to throw him into a pit, and leave him to die. Once again, the spirit of Hell had summoned the spirit of Death, and the wrath was directed at the innocent Life in the triune architecture.

In this account, Reuben, one of Joseph’s eleven brothers, shows the positive characteristic of intercession, as he urged his brothers not to kill Joseph, but to leave him in the pit. Reuben planned to rescue Joseph at a later time.

“And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again” (Genesis 37:21,22).

Another brother, Judah, suggested they instead sell him to a caravan of Arabs they had seen passing by.

“And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?” (Genesis 37:26).

The brothers agreed and, after selling Joseph to an entourage of Midianite traders, in order to explain Joseph’s absence to their father, they decided to tell their father that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. In order to convince their father Israel of the fraudulent account, they killed a goat and dipped Joseph’s coat in the blood.

In this account, not only do we see the LORD’s intervention to preserve Joseph via Reuben’s intercession, we also see a trio of references to the blood, which the spirit of Hell had sought to shed.

In the first mention, when Reuben initially urged his brothers not to kill Joseph, he referenced the bloody intent.

“And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood” (Genesis 37:22).

In the second mention of blood, Judah also mentioned the shedding of blood.

“What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?” (Genesis 37:26).

Finally, in a foreshadowing of the “third part” in the triune formula of redemption (in Zechariah 13’s epic equation in which “two parts” are cut off and die, but the “third part” is preserved), we see another instance of the innocent blood which was shed, as a substitute for the blood of Joseph.

“And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood” (Genesis 37:31).

The prophetic parallels between Joseph and Jesus are so obvious it’s difficult to see how anyone can miss them – but we will certainly mention at least a few of them.

Both Jesus and Joseph were envied by their brethren, and the identical dynamics of Death and Hell were at work. For instance, in but one of the astonishing story of Christ, our last chapter noted how Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who wielded the authority to order the death of Jesus, knew of the Jew’s envy of Christ.

“For [Pilate] knew that for envy [the Jewish priests] had delivered him” (Matthew 27:18).

Another interesting facet of these Prophetic Parallels is the fact that, just as Joseph was temporarily held in the pit but was then released, we see that Christ was temporarily in the tomb for three days, after which He rose from the dead.

“And they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit” (Genesis 37:28).

Because Joseph survived the ordeal, the Gentile nation of Egypt was preserved from the terrible death of the great famine which struck Egypt. Exhibiting the anointing of God, Joseph prophesied of the great famine which was to come, and the nation only survived because of his presence. Likewise, because of Jesus, salvation came to the nations, as the door of salvation was opened to the Gentiles through Christ.

“Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it” (Acts 28:28).

Manifesting the spirit of Hell that was clearly resident in the Jews, the priesthood vehemently urged the spirit of Death that was in the Romans to come forth, and insisted that they kill the Life of the LORD that was in JESUS CHRIST.

But Death and Hell were only able to kill the shadow, as the eternal substance of Christ saw the Father raise His precious body from the dead, where he is now installed in the heavenlies as the one mediator between our Holy God, and all mankind, which is still under the curse of Death.

-- James Lloyd

To Be Continued

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