or Why Are We Baptizing the Dead?
Peter Leithart writes concerning baptism:
“In Genesis 9:11, Yahweh promises not to “cut off flesh” by water. That is the covenant with Noah.
A few chapters later, Yahweh tells Abram that he must cut off the flesh of all male children of Israel, not by water but by a knife.
I just noticed that the passage concerning the slain Lamb (Rev. 5) and the passage concerning the victory of the church (in 9-11) correspond chiastically.
The first is the Adam conquering Herod’s Egypt and moving out through a bloody door (Passover/Circumcision)
SCROLL: Word – Most Holy Place – Garden
……LAMB: Sacrament – Holy Place – Land
…………NATIONS: Government – Courts – World
These cover the three territories corrupted by Adam, Cain and the ‘sons of God’. Between this ‘first generation’ (head) and the ‘next generation’ (body), there is a battle in the first century ‘wilderness’.
………………WILDERNESS BATTLE: Gospel as Pentecost Law
Later, there is the redeemed Eve conquering Herod’s Jericho and crossing the river into a heavenly country over the corpse (Atonement/Baptism)
…………SUNRISE ARMY of 200 million Jew/Gentile saints:
…………Government – Courts - World……CHRIST the true brother/High Priest with the little scroll:
……Sacrament – Holy Place - Land (and Sea)TWO WITNESSES, saints as the Ark cherubim: Word – Most Holy Place - Garden
Not only does this pattern follow the seven feasts of Leviticus 23 (if we include the central wilderness), each of these seven points contains the same sevenfold structure within itself. It is like Zechariah’s Lampstand with 49 lights. And this is just another overlay on the already manifold structures in Revelation. There really is no bottom to this book.
“There were hangings of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones.” Esther 1:6 [NASB]
In his Esther lectures, James Jordan observes that Ahasuerus is pictured as being enthroned over his very own crystal sea.
Nero was the first ruler in history to be buried in porphyry. For this ‘bad Ahasuerus’ who exercised false judgment, the crystal sea became a laver of fire. We know from Revelation 14:10 that the lake was before the heavenly throne.
“Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Revelation 19:20
Herod’s Temple was covered in marble. Revelation shows it replaced with a crystal city. The church is now the Laver. Baptism symbolises the gospel as walls to the wicked and gates to the righteous: fire and ice. Jesus’ kingdom is the fifth empire and His judgment is righteous and uncompromising.
“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” Revelation 3:16
It might look like I’m colouring outside the lines, but it’s in line with a very consistent Biblical symbolism.
Why is baptism for both males and females, when circumcision was only for males?
I have been following the Exodus pattern through the Bible, and an offshoot of that was an ‘accidental’ application to baptism. I’ll let you decide whether or not you think it holds water.
There are two ‘waters’ in the exodus pattern, the Red Sea (death) and the Jordan (resurrection).
Both are ‘baptisms’, but circumcision pertains to the Passover, the 2nd feast (unleavened bread). It is exit from the world and entry into a new people. There is blood and then water.
With Jordan, there is water, then blood – Jericho, the first conquest. This second baptism pertains to Atonement, the sixth feast. It is entry into, not a people, but an army. (The order of feasts comes from Lev. 23.)
Sabbath – God’s word through Moses (a single mediator for the people – Adam)
000PASSOVER – a baptism (death) that removes Adam’s sin. A ‘people’ assembled
000000FIRSTFRUITS – Moses ascends to receive the Law
000000000Pentecost – the Law given, the people tested
000000Trumpets – the ‘army’ is assembled and the Law repeated (Deut)
000Atonement - baptism (resurrection) and blood shed that removes ‘Eve’ from sin
BOOTHS – the army makes the Promised Land home (a corporate mediator for the nations – Eve).
Israelite males presented themselves before God at Passover/Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Booths. (Exodus 23:14-17) picturing the death, resurrection and marriage of the “bridegroom.” Trumpets summoned the people to prepare for Atonement, making ready the “bride.”
WEPOW
Passover versus Atonement = Circumcision versus Baptism
With that background, the entire Bible follows this pattern:
Sabbath - Creation to Abraham
000Passover - Circumcision divides humanity in two
>000000Firstfruits - Under Moses, a priesthood ascends before God,
>000000and draws near over blood sacrifices
000000000Pentecost - In the biblical pattern, this central point is always
000000000testing in the wilderness. This is the life of Christ,
000000000who is tested in the way all men are, but who does not sin
000000Trumpets - Christ assembles the New Covenant church,
000000making out of Jew and Gentile one new man in the first century
000Atonement - A corrupted Judaism is destroyed as Jericho, vindicating
000the words of Christ. This is the first conquest of the age
000in which we now live
Booths - the final coming of Christ and the judgment, after which the saints live with Him in glory
Now, to get to the point…
The sign of the Covenant has progressed from the removal of Adam’s sin (Passover) to Eve’s removal from sin (Atonement).
Circumcision was only for males, because Israel’s history concerned the coming of the Adam. Baptism, however, is for both males and females, imaging the resurrection for war of a corporate Eve—the body (Trumpets).
Circumcision brought near those who could not stand on their own (Isaac). Baptism brings near the mature (Esther), who present themselves before God’s ministers as plunder from the nations, submitting to church government to be enrobed, washed, and seated in the royal priesthood.
Obeying the gospel identified us with Greater Adam (circumcision – death), a circumcision “made without hands” (Colossians 2:11).
Submitting to baptism, however, identifies us with Greater Eve and her government over us—the Saturnine sword of the Covenant (resurrection).
Circumcision and Passover looked forward to Christ’s death. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are Covenant memorials, but also look forward to the final Conquest cleansing and resurrection.
A New Covenant believer’s baptism is a knighthood, or “Nazirite-hood.” One mature enough to publicly testify to his faith bows before his Captain and is symbolically beheaded by the sword of Conquest, smashed by the rod of iron—the church. We must be dominated before we can dominate. He rises and stands on the Laver (“Arise a knight!”) – the Jordan, picturing the crystal sea before the Throne. After access to the “marriage feast” he rides into battle as an authorised emissary. Only he who has submitted to the sword is enabled to carry it. As an image it certainly communicates the gravity of the responsibility.
As far as the world is concerned, the Christian has hoisted the Jolly Roger. As far as Christ is concerned, he has nailed the colours of Eve to the mast and deliberately, publicly, joined the brotherhood.
Infant baptism dims the glory of this New Covenant sacrament of corporate maturity.
Israelite males presented themselves before God at Passover/Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Booths. (Exodus 23:14-17) picturing the death, resurrection and marriage of the “bridegroom.” Trumpets summoned the people to prepare for Atonement, making ready the “bride.”
Sabbath - God’s Word initiates the pattern in Adam
000Passover - Adam is summoned and dies (Israel’s circumcision – Red Sea)
000000Firstfruits - Adam is resurrected
000000000Pentecost - Eve is tested in the wilderness
000000Trumpets - Eve is summoned and dies
000Atonement - Eve is resurrected (Christian baptism – Jordan)
Booths - Marriage feast of the Lamb
WEPOW
“Can it really be so simple?” That is the feeling we have about the church. She has been given a mission of global conquest. As Rudolf Schnackenburg has explained, “Through the Church, Christ wins increasingly his dominion over all things and draws them ever more powerfully and completely beneath himself as head… the Church’s mission is necessary and willed by Christ to bring the world of men and with this the whole of creation under his rule.” One cannot conceive of a more astounding project. Continue reading
The New Testament knows of no Christians who are not accountable members of local churches in the sense that we have just seen. “Lone-Ranger Christians” are a contradiction because becoming a Christian means being united to Christ, and union with Christ expresses itself in union with a local body of believers. It seems to us that in the New Testament, to be excluded from the local church was to be excluded from Christ. This is why the issue of membership is so important.
Are you an accountable member of a local church? Not just: Is your name somewhere? But, are you committed to discipline and being disciplined according to biblical standards? Have you publicly declared your willingness to be shepherded and to be led by the leaders of a local church? Do you see yourself and your gifts as part of an organic ministering body? Do you show by your firm attachment to Christ’s body that you are attached to Christ?
Church membership is a blood-bought gift of God’s grace. More than most of us realize, it is a life-sustaining, faith-strengthening, joy-preserving means of God’s mercy to us. I urge you not to cut yourself off from this blessing.
John Piper, How Important Is Church Membership?
Sermon July 13, 2008
Read or listen at www.desiringgod.org
No Jordan means no Canaan. The Lord’s supper (feast) table is for the faithful who obediently follow our Joshua across the river.
Typologically, we dine with Moses and the elders of Israel above the crystal sea (Exodus 24:10), the Laver that washes us before we, as a church, ascend to the Holy Place.
Why are females baptized?
The Bible begins with the entire physical creation in view and works its way down through a Covenantal ‘world’—Adam-Israel (the blood of circumcision)—to Jesus, in whom the entire old world is slain and resurrected. The Bible then works its way out again through a Covenantal ‘world’—Eve-Israel (the water of baptism)—to a totally redeemed physical creation at its end.
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