The 430-Year Pattern of Redemption
We have seen that for 400 years, God was silent, with no prophetic word between the Old Testament and New Testament times.
This period of silence relates to a significant pattern in Israel’s history. How many years were the Israelites in slavery in Egypt? 430 years.
After 400 years of prophetic silence (after the book of Malachi), God sent His angels to give the message of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of the Lord Jesus. Following their births, it took another 30 years for them to grow up and be manifested before the people, as Jesus started preaching when He was 30 years old. This means that after the silence of Malachi, it took totally 430 years before John started preaching, and a few months later, the Lord Jesus started preaching.
This mirrors the history recorded in Exodus 12, which clearly mentions that the Israelites were in slavery for 430 years, after which God redeemed them. This is not a mere coincidence or just random timing. God is showing His people that He is working in a specific pattern, reminding them of the times that they should care about.
Wilderness: A Reminder of God's Faithfulness
After 430 years in Egypt, the Israelites were redeemed and led into the wilderness by Moses. Now, John the Baptist started preaching in the wilderness. In other words, God is calling the Israelites back into the wilderness, reminding them of their olden days of wilderness.
The wilderness should remind them of three things:
- The past 430 years of slavery.
- The faithfulness of God right now in the wilderness.
- The promise of the Promised Land they are going to inherit in the near future.
Looking at these three things, they had to respond to God in thankfulness and faithfulness. Now again, John the Baptist is preaching in the wilderness, or God is calling the people of Israel into the wilderness, reminding them of the past 430 years and also the future promise that He is going to bless the whole world through the promised seed of Abraham.
The Promise of True Canaan
Jesus is that seed. Time has been fulfilled, as seen in Galatians 4:4. Jesus is the one who is going to fulfill that promise; He is the one who is going to give the true Canaan or the true rest.
I want to pause here a moment. When we say Canaan, Canaan is not heaven for us as New Testament believers.
If you see the life of the Israelites in the wilderness, initially they were not supposed to spend 40 years there. That was not God's original intention. Just after two years, God told them to send spies, and once they returned with information, they could get ready for the battle. Because they failed in that matter (due to unbelief and disobedience), they had to spend 40 years in the wilderness. Otherwise, just after two years, they were supposed to enter into Canaan. God was ready to fulfill His promise immediately had they faith and had they obeyed. It was lack of faith and disobedience that caused the delay.
In our life also, we can enjoy the abundance of the Lord Jesus that God has promised only if we have faith and obedience. All our life need not be the life of wilderness.
When John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus were preaching to them, the Israelites were supposed to know that God was working among them. Just like God worked after 430 years of slavery, He was now working and was going to bring true redemption and true salvation unto them. They had to understand that God had a clear pattern of working among them. He did not leave them in darkness; He did not leave them without any clues or hints. That is why a few people could understand that, though many of them missed it. That is why in Luke’s Gospel 12:56, Jesus said to them, "How can you not understand the times?". They had to understand how God was working in their times.
Dear brothers and sisters, we need to understand how God is working in our times, and we have to respond to that. If we have that heart of responding, God always leaves clues for us to understand.
The Four Gospels: A 360-Degree View of Christ
We will quickly see a few things how God revealed Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospels.
The life of Jesus is written in four Gospels. Why would we need four Gospels? Why just one Gospel is not sufficient?. He is not just a man; He is a divine man. It is God Himself who came in the form of man. For Him, even 360 Gospels would not be sufficient. But God thought it is sufficient for us if four people write Gospels. These four people give us a picture of the Lord Jesus in four different angles. This is sufficient for our salvation.
Let us see what Matthew tries to portray.
1. Matthew: The New Genesis and the New Moses
Matthew is not the first Gospel written, but it is placed as the first Gospel in the New Testament. There is a reason for that.
Let us see Matthew 1:1 (ESV): "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham".
The phrase "the book of the genealogy" in Greek is bibliogenasio. This is important because the Bible available to them in those times was the Greek version Old Testament, or the Septuagint, where the phrase bibliogenasio appears more often in the book of Genesis. This is the exact phrase that was used in the book of Genesis ten times. Matthew picked up that word that was used in Genesis ten times and used it here.
Genesis is the book of the beginnings. Matthew, when he says this is the book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, is saying here: Jesus Christ is starting a new beginning, a new Genesis. This Jesus Christ is the new Adam. He is the new creator and in His is the new creation. With Him, the new creation is starting. That is what Matthew is trying to say, and that is why Matthew’s Gospel is kept as the first book in the New Testament just as Genesis is the first book in the Old Testament.
Furthermore, after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the book of Exodus, chapters 19 and 20, God gave them the Law from Mount Sinai. The Lord Jesus, in Matthew’s Gospel chapter 5, 6, and 7, explains and expounds on the Law and says what is the real intention of the Law. This again happens on a mountain; that is why we call it the Sermon on the Mount.
In this way, the book of Matthew itself can be divided into five parts, and that completely resembles the five books written by Moses (Genesis to Deuteronomy). This number five is very significant for Jews; for example, the book of Psalms is divided into five books. When David goes to face Goliath, he picks up five stones. The reason is that these five always represent the five books that God has given to them in the form of Law through Moses.
What Matthew is trying to say is this Lord Jesus, whom he is portraying in His gospel, is none other than new Moses, or the one who is going to give you the new Law. He is the one they have been waiting for, the Prophet like Moses.
If we read the Gospels with this understanding and context, we can very well understand God’s word. All these Gospel writers are linking with the Old Testament. If you don't understand this overall picture, we can't understand the Gospels very well.
2. Mark: The Lord Passing By
Let us see one incident in the gospel of Mark. In fact, the book of Mark was the first Gospel written and, according to research and history, Mark got all this information from Peter. Mark’s Gospel is a very fast moving gospel; it is like watching a video at two times speed. When we read the book of Mark, many times we see the word "immediately, immediately, immediately" (Perhaps it's because Peter was like that).
Let us turn to Mark 6:48 (ESV): "And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them".
Here, the disciples were trying to cross the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus came walking on the water. Their journey was very tough. Jesus was supposed to come and meet them. But here we see that last phrase: "He meant to pass by them". Only Mark writes this thing. Mark was not there when this incident was happening, so one of the disciples, mostly Peter, should have seen it in a different way and then dictated it to Mark. Jesus did not come into the boat immediately; He was trying to "pass by" them. Why? Why couldn't He immediately come into the boat?.
Let us turn to Exodus 33. After the Israelites fell into idolatry and God was angry, He said to Moses that Moses had found favor, but He would destroy the people. After interceding for the people, Moses said, "If I found favor in your sight, please show me your ways".
- Exodus 33:22 (ESV): "And while my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by".
God promised Moses, "I will pass by. You cannot see my face, but you will see my back". Exodus 34:6 (KJV) says that the Lord passed before him.
Now let us come back to Mark chapter 6. Just before coming here, Jesus fed 5,000 people with just five loaves and two fish. Five loaves and two fish is nothing for 5,000 people. The Creator God Himself is doing the work of creation out of "nothing" there before their eyes. These 12 disciples, who were watching that miracle—the creation itself taking place—could not understand that it was the Creator God Himself sitting before them.
Because they did not understand, God is now taking them through another incident. Jesus, who is walking on the water and trying to pass by, is now resembling that Lord Jehovah in the Old Testament - Exodus 33, who passed by Moses. Jesus is trying to teach these disciples: "If you have not understood from the incident of the loaves, at least try to understand that I am that God Himself, the Lord Jehovah, before you". Because they all knew the Old Testament very well, they could very well relate to the Old Testament incidents. This is what Mark is trying to portray: This Jesus who is now among us, He who was among us is none other than the God Himself who was in the Old Testament.
3. John: The Gate of Heaven
The Book of John, chapter 1, links with the Old Testament very often.
Let us see John’s Gospel 1:51 (ESV): "And he said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man'".
Here Jesus is talking to Nathanael, saying, "You will see heaven opened, angels going up and down on the Son of Man".
If we turn to Genesis chapter 11, we know the incident of the Tower of Babel. We will read Genesis 11:4 (ESV): "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth'".
They were planning to build two things: a city and a tower. This tower was not like a clock tower but a temple tower. They thought that gods (not God, but gods) would go up and down to earth from heaven using the stairs of this tower. The original name for the word tower used here means "the gate of heaven". God later called this place Babel(confusion) after confusing their languages.
Now let us come to Genesis 28:12 (ESV): "And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it".
When Jacob was fleeing and sleeping at a place called Luz, God gave him a dream in which there was a ladder. God was on the top of it. Those people in Genesis 11 tried to bring God down, but God did not come down by their efforts. But here, God is showing Jacob that He will be reachable to people through this ladder, and on this ladder, angels will be ascending and descending.
Jacob called that place gate of heaven, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17). In Genesis 11, heaven did not open, but here God is promising, "I'm going to open the heaven".
In John’s Gospel 1:51, Jesus is saying, "You will see heavens opened, and angels will be ascending and descending". What is the ladder? The ladder is the Son of Man. Jesus is saying, "I am that ladder that Jacob was promised in a prophetic vision when he was at Luz". What man failed to accomplish through all his efforts and all his wisdom in Genesis 11, God promised that He will accomplish to Jacob in Genesis 28. But here, Jesus is saying, "I am that fulfillment".
See how clearly the Gospels are showing the fulfillment of the revelation of God in the Lord Jesus Christ in the light of the Old Testament. If we try to read God's word in this way, with paying attention, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to understand the real picture of God through His word. Otherwise, we will misunderstand, misquote, and mislead others also. May God help us to have a right understanding of God's word.
(to be continued...)
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