A White Stone – 1
Why do we put one-eyed, colour-blind pencil pushers in charge of the kaleidoscope?
The white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 was always a mystery to me. There are plenty of commentators who make lame suggestions as to its meaning (they sound a bit like a student making up answers during an exam!), but James Jordan got me thinking about it along the lines of its subtle use in the Old Testament. I intend to cover this in a few posts, and consequently may ramble even a little more than usual, but everything is connected in the Bible’s symbol language. This is a bit of a journey, but I am sure we will find it rewarding. Oh, and you will need to switch off your modernistic mind and use your imagination. You know, that thing you only use when you read or watch fiction? You can use it to understand the Bible as well. I know, scholars most often don’t. To cover their inability to make much sense of texts such as the one we are about to inhale, they pretend the writings are a bit primitive. Why do we put one-eyed, colour-blind pencil pushers in charge of the kaleidoscope?
I’ll start with the structure of Zechariah 3, and you let the significance of the Tabernacle speeches (Ex. 25-31) and the annual feasts (Lev. 23) make more sense of what’s going on here as the Lord restores Israel with mere words (liturgy):
Sabbath – Genesis – Light (Ark)
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.Passover – Exodus – Waters (Laver & Veil)
And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you [Laver], and I will clothe you with rich robes [Veil].”Firstfruits – Leviticus (new priesthood) – Land & Sea (Jew & Gentile divide)
And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by.Pentecost – Numbers (law revealed) – Ruling Lights
Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘If you will walk in My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here.Trumpets – Deuteronomy (next generation army) - Swarms of Birds and Fish
‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.Day of Atonement (“Covering”) – Joshua – Land Animals & Man
For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.Tabernacles (“ingathering”) – Judges – A Wedding Feast at God’s Table
In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘Everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree.’ “
In his lectures on Zechariah, James Jordan explains that the Hebrew phrase “Holy to the Lord” is seven letters, seven engravings, and that the Hebrew for eye, opening and engraving are the same word. The stone has the same engravings as the ones on the High Priest’s golden forehead. But why?
WHITSTON1
May 15th, 2009 at 1:59 am
wow, someone who likes James Jordan stuff, incredible
Through New Eyes is one of my favs. I always loved Jordan’t Chronology paper amongst others. Interestingly, I love his theological stuff but when he delved into the day to day life stuff found myself at extreme odds. One of the worst articles I ever read and full of incomprehensible stuff to me was his article called prolifism an attack on Mary Pride which made and still makes no sense to me whatsoever. At the time North was publishing his stuff and evidently when I told North about the article (in person) he said, He wrote that????
Anyway, I loved the time Jordan wrote the article on the Jews in Romans 11 (I think it was) where he clearly said it was “speculative” or as you put it “using the imagination” and a week or two later we had Steve Schlissel at our church who practically was exploding over Jordan’s excellent speculative article. Anyway, I thought it was funny (but only in a way) to see Schlissel explode!
Glad to see someone out there that takes the Bible seriously enough to see the importance of Biblical symbolism.
In Christ,
John Cummins
New Market, Tennessee
May 15th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Thanks for your comment, John. The article you are referring to is most likely “Israel’s Future Re-examined.” I think it is possibly one of the most important articles written in the 20th century. I wish more people would read it and discuss it. In my study for my book I found that his interpretation (a first century fulfilment) is actually pre-echoed many times in the Old Testament.
The article is on my site on ‘The Last Days’ page in three parts (see under Links).
Thanks for reading.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Another article of Jordan’s I think was an addition to Sutton’s 5 point covenental structure called by Jordan 5+2. Wasn’t that Jordan? He added, as you might like, art and beauty or something like that to it. Whether it be 5 or 5 + 2, I think that the “discovery” by Sutton is an even more exciting find than the above mentioned Jewish article by Jordan, though I like Jordan’s additonal + 2 to the covenant. North later wrote an article on how to preach the perfect sermon based on the 5 point covenental structure. Anyway, I think about that a lot and have taught on THEOS at several times. Who knows, it might be a key to composing music, doing art, who knows. Maybe the 5 + 2 structure has very wide application. I know it can’t hurt in a sermon, though today maybe 1 point is enough in a sermon, see the book Why Men Hate Church as a reference.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Also wondering where the heck are North, Grant, DeMar, Gentry and those fellows on your cloud of knowing???????? How can you at least not have George Grant when speaking about culture, beauty, etc.??? Just wondering?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Hi John
Grant’s name is familiar – I’ll look him up. Sadly the cloud software has a limit to how many tags are displayed. I do have DeMar and Gentry (and a little North) on my Last Days page: see Last Days under the Links.
Re the Covenant structure, in my book I propose that the central point (theory) is split into three in practice. So you have the law given to Moses at Sinai (head), then given by Moses in Deuteronomy to a new generation (body). The same pattern is in Moses’ two sets of tablets. A second chance makes it a perfect seven.
Jordan relates the 7 eyes to the Lampstand flames, watching over the priestly Table nation.
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:12 am
oh and Chilton, of course!!!!
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:14 am
No, per above, that’s not the 5+2 covenental structure I was refereing to and I am 90% sure it WAS Jordan.