Christ tells the people that when they see the abomination of desolation, they are to flee to the mountains. Hes not just telling them to get out. Instead, hes playing into a long-running biblical theme about the exodus and the holy mountain. After Noah experienced his exodus from the old creation into a new world, he landed on a mountain and drank wine in Sabbath Rest. After Lot bakes unleavened bread and experiences his exodus out of Sodom, he is told to go to THE mountain but disobeys- heading instead under the earth (the opposite of a holy mountain) and drinking wine unto incest, an anti-Sabbath. When Israel comes out of Egypt, she comes to the holy mountain, where she meets the Amalekites, a mixture of un-covenanted Abrahamic seed and Gentiles. When the Church comes out of fallen Jerusalem, she flees to the mountain (Har Magedon, the Mount of Assembly) to prepare for the conquest of the world with the gospel. This was all prophesied in Zechariah 13-14 where God sorts the remnant of Israel out from the wicked, destroys the wicked, and brings His people to a holy mountain. Then the river of life flows out of the mountain and brings all nations streaming to the God of Israel. The flight to the holy mountain constitutes the beginning of the Churchs war against spiritual Amalek. I noted that Amalek is a mixture of Gentiles and false Abrahamic seed. Likewise, the Church is engaged in a battle with both heretics and pagans. The Churchs early history saw her war against both Jewish and Roman persecution. After the Church experienced her exodus out of the Diocletianic persecutions (Constantine crosses a river into the city, Maxentius army drowns in the river), she warred both with false seed (Arianism) and with straight paganism. This pattern repeats again and again throughout the history of the Church. This constitutes the fulfillment of the words of God: The Lord will war against Amalek from generation to generation. That war began at Mt. Sinai, continued under Saul and David, went on through the book of Esther (Haman the Agagite, the name of the Amalekite king) and reaches its climax in the Battle of Gog and Magog, which is the Churchs worldwide war against the enemies of the gospel. Ultimately, the Church is victorious. Jesus Christ, leading her in battle, as the New Joshua devotes the whole world to complete destruction. Not one thing is left breathing. For many, their death is followed by resurrection in Baptism and the Second Coming. For others, their death is simply unto the second death.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:47:52 +0000
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