2/24/03
PARALLEL HISTORIES :
THE OLD
TESTAMENT CHURCH, THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH, AND JESUS CHRIST
By
J. Parnell McCarter
Puritan News Service
In
my book Let My People Go, I wrote
this:
“In
reading commentaries on the book of Revelation, in sources ranging from Matthew
Henry to Patrick Fairbairn, I became impressed with how frequently they noted
the connection between elements in ancient Israel’s past and elements in the
account of the church’s history as it is related in the book of
Revelation. It then hit me how
remarkably the history of the church outlined in the book of Revelation
retraces the history of ancient Israel, not only in its elements, but also in
its chronological order. So we read of
earthly Jerusalem equated with Egypt (Revelation 11:8) which the church
escapes, we read of a wilderness experience of the church (Revelation
12:6) [lasting 1260 "days" and
beginning in 70 AD when the earthly Jerusalem was trodden under foot
(Revelation 11:2)] , we read of a "Promised Land" experience at the
completion of the wilderness years (Revelation 11:15), we read of a
"Babylonian" oppression on God's people (Revelation 17:5), we read of
a Beastial kingdom that destroys this “Babylon”
(Revelation 17:16), we read of a restoration period after the church comes out
of its “Babylonian” captivity (Revelation 20:3), we read of a foreign attack on
God's people from a Gentile “Magog” (Revelation 20:8), and we read of an Advent
of Christ when Christ comes down to earth to be with man (Revelation
21:3). These elements in this order
most certainly re-traces the history of ancient Israel. And since ancient Israel’s history in many respects
fore-shadowed the life of Christ during His First Advent, this means the
church’s history corresponds not only with ancient Israel’s history but
Christ’s incarnate life as well. In
considering this fact, I realized how very consistent it is with scriptural
principle that the new Israel of the church should walk in the footsteps of old
Israel and with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
I
believe right now we are still in the era of “Babylonian” oppression, but I am
optimistic that God will bring down the “Babylonian” oppressor, and eventually
deliver His people into the millennial restoration. This will be a renewed Protestant
Reformation, but grander in scale and more thorough in effect.
In
order to assist in showing the parallel nature of the histories of the Old and
New Testament church, as well as the life of Jesus Christ, I have provided the
table below:
|
Event |
Old Testament Church |
New Testament Church |
Life of Jesus Christ, in His First and Second Advents on Earth |
|
Humble Birth and Stay in
an Egypt |
The beginnings of the
church are in Egypt, where it is in an oppressive and humble condition
(Exodus 1). |
The church began with few
in number under difficult and oppressed conditions in Jerusalem (Acts 1),
which Revelation 11:8 calls “Egypt”.
The earthly Jerusalem is described as a place of bondage (Galatians
4:25), even as ancient Egypt had been a place of bondage for the people of
God in Moses’ day. |
Jesus was born in the
humble setting of a stable in a family of humble means (Luke 2:1-38), and in
His infancy His family had to flee the oppression of Herod (Matthew 2:13),
residing then in Egypt (Matthew 2:14-15) |
|
Escape from an Egypt |
The church leaves Egypt,
crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 13-14).
The army of the Egyptian pharaoh is destroyed. |
The church flees from its
“Egypt” of earthly Jerusalem, before Jerusalem is destroyed by the Roman army
in 70 A.D. (Luke 21:20-21; Revelation 11:8b, 12:14) |
Jesus and His family leave
Egypt (Matthew 2:19-20) and settle in the Galilee region of Israel (Matthew
2:21-23). Jesus began his public ministry by being baptized (Matthew 3:16),
baptism being comparable to crossing the Red Sea according to I Corinthians
10:2. |
|
A Wilderness Experience |
The church endures 40
years in the wilderness (each year for a day the spies were in Canaan
[Numbers 14:34]), before they may enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:28-38) |
The church endures 1260
years in the “wilderness” (Revelation 11:3), according to the year-day
principle of a day representing a year in prophetic time. |
Jesus is tempted in the
wilderness for 40 days by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13) |
|
Time of Great Spiritual
Prosperity and Blessing |
Entry and establishment in
the Promised Land (Joshua 3:1-4:24, 11:23, 22:4) |
Protestant Reformation at
the end of the 1260 year “wilderness” experience commences with the birth of
John Wyckliffe 1260 years after 70 A.D. His public ministry began 1290 years after
70 A.D. (Daniel 12:11). The Protestant
Reformation is marked by many nations turning to Christ according to the true
gospel which is preached (Revelation 11:15, 14:6-8) |
At the height of His
public ministry Jesus has multitudes of followers (John 7:31), especially
owing to the miracles they see Jesus perform (John 10:41-42). |
|
Spiritual Decline |
Despite the many blessings
it has known, Israel forsakes true religion, becoming corrupted by false and
idolatrous worship (Isaiah 1, Jeremiah 2). |
Many nations and people
fall away from the reformed Protestant faith, enticed by the whoredom of a
mysterious “Babylon” who rides upon the Romish Beast (Revelation
17:1b-3). This mysterious “Babylon”,
which I believe is Washington, DC and its Federal “global nation” empire, is
profane as well as wealthy (Revelation 18).
|
Many disciples abandon
Jesus Christ as they consider the harder doctrines taught by Him (John 12:37-38 ) . |
|
“Babylonian” Oppression of
God’s People |
Ancient Babylon destroys
Jerusalem and oppresses the Jewish people, taking them captive to Babylon
(Jeremiah 39). |
This mysterious “Babylon” oppresses
God’s people (Revelation 17:4-6). |
Satan enters into Judas
Iscariot (Luke 22:3). Jesus is
apprehended through the treacherous machinations of Judas Iscariot- the Son
of Perdition- with the Jewish leaders (Matthew 26:14-16), and He is
crucified. |
|
Defeat of the “Babylonian”
Oppressor by another wicked Beast |
Ancient Babylon was
destroyed, just as the prophets had foretold (Isaiah 47, Jeremiah 50). It is another Beast (Medo-Persia)
that destroys her, and takes her place. |
The mysterious “Babylon”
is destroyed by the Romish Beast in alliance with the nations (Revelation
17:16, Revelation 18:2,19). The Romish
Beast takes her place (Revelation 17:17). |
Judas Iscariot commits
suicide due to Satan’s destructive influence over him (Matthew 27:3-5). |
|
Restoration / Resurrection |
The Jews are restored to
Israel during Persian rule (Isaiah 44:24-45, Jeremiah 50-51), in what is
compared to the rising of dry bones from the dead (Ezekiel 37). |
The church enjoys a
“millennial” restoration (Revelation 20:1-3), following the overthrow of the
Romish Beast (Revelation 19:20). |
Jesus rises from the dead
(Luke 24) and ascends to sit at the right hand of the Father in power
(Ephesians 1:20). |
|
Attack by a Satanic Beast |
Antiochus Epiphanes
attacks Jerusalem, as prophesied in Daniel 8:9-14. |
Satan attacks Jerusalem
and the church on earth (Revelation 20:7-9a) |
As Satan attacks, he is
confronted and cast to hell by Jesus (Revelation 20:9-10) |
|
Advent of Jesus Christ |
Jesus Christ’s Coming to Israel
(His First Advent), which had been prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27, and
elsewhere in the Old Testament. |
Jesus Christ’s Coming to
administer the Day of Judgment, as prophesied in Revelation 20, and elsewhere
in the New Testament. |
Jesus Christ’s Judgment of
the world (Revelation 20:11-15) and His eternal reign on the New Earth
(Revelation 21) |