PREPARATION FOR THE FULFILLMENT
OF THE DIVINE PROMISE TO ABRAHAM
"IN THY SEED SHALL ALL THE
FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED"
(1) Moses was the typical mediator between God and the people of Israel (who typified the world of mankind); undertook to bless them by mediating for them with God the Law Covenant. Under his mediation their past sins were ignored, provided they would keep perfectly the Divine Law. The arrangement failed because they could not abide in covenant relationship with God, being unable to keep the Law of God perfectly.
(1) Jesus by prophesy of Divine appointment is the Mediator "between God and men"—the world. He undertakes the satisfaction of Justice for all, and then to bless all under his Millennial Mediatorial Kingdom (through Israel represented by the Ancient Worthies) by affording all the opportunity to become Israelites indeed and thus ready for transfer to the Father anew under everlasting Law Covenant conditions.
(2) By Divine arrangement the typical mediator associated with himself the priestly tribe—Aaron and his sons and the entire tribe of Levi—"his house," by whom the sacrifices of mediation were offered.
(2) By Divine arrangement Christ, the real Mediator, during this age is associating with himself a priestly class—the Church—a "little flock," "the royal priesthood" and "a great company" or "household of faith," antitypical Levites.
(3) This house of Moses (the tribe of Levi) was specially chosen of the Lord as his "first-born." It alone represented the first-born of Israel spared in the Passover night, when the first-born of Egypt were slain, in that Passover night.
(3) This "household of faith," of which the "royal priesthood" is a part, is called by the Lord "the Church of the first-born." It includes all those passed over in the Gospel Age "night" preceding the Millennial Day of general deliverance.
(4) While Aaron was the chief of that house, he was subject to Moses, his brother. As the Lord declares, "I have given thee Aaron to be thy mouthpiece and thou shall be a god (ruler) unto him"—a superior.
(4) "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider Jesus Christ the high priest of our profession" or order. (Heb. 3:1.) Consecration as a priest preceded Kingship and its Mediatorial work for men.
(5) Aaron and the underpriests and Levites all assisted Moses—were his servants and under his direction in the mediating in the various services incidental to the satisfaction of Justice and the sprinkling of the people, "reconciling" them prior to the inauguration of the Law Covenant, which represented their harmony with God and his acceptance of them so long as they should keep his Law. Thus it is written, "Moses verily was faithful as a servant over all his house"—the Levitical tribe.
(5) "But Christ as a Son (is) over his own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence of our rejoicing firm unto the end." (Heb. 3:6.) This service includes the propitiation offerings and later the blessing and teaching of the world to prepare all for a renewal of covenant relations with God as before the fall. All agreeing, "All these things of Divine Law will we do!" as did Israel to Moses, will be blessed with Millennial opportunities—restitution—to enable them to do perfectly—for direct relationship with God.
(6) The priests participated in the offering of the "calves and goats" whose blood sprinkled the tables of the Law and subsequently sprinkled all the people. For was it not this same sin-offering which was repeated "year by year continually" and which could no more than typically cleanse from sin?—Heb. 9:19-21.
(6) The antitypical priests are invited to join with the High Priest in the work of sacrificing necessary to the inauguration of the Mediatorial Kingdom. "I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God (justifying you by faith) that ye present your bodies living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God and your reasonable service."—Rom. 12:1.
(7) The killing of the bullock and the goat for the sin-offering, whose blood propitiated for the sins of the house of the mediator and also for the sins of all the people, was efficacious for a year, and was "repeated year by year." Since it never really took away the sin, the blessings which came from it were merely temporary, as was indicated in the necessity for the annual repetition. (Heb. 10:1.) The two killings and the two sprinklings of the Mercy Seat foreshadowed plural antitypes.
(7) The antitypical bullock and goat, "the better sacrifices" of Jesus and his "members," his under-priesthood (all the merit proceeding from Jesus' sacrifice and through his under-priests) will be fully efficacious and need no repetition. The High Priest offered himself (the bullock) at Jordan and "finished" the sacrifice at Calvary. Following this he offered his Church (the goat) at Pentecost, and this sacrifice will finish with the death of his last "member" in the flesh.—Heb. 10:22,23.
(8) As a result of its sacrifices being only typical, the Law Covenant failed to give eternal life and blessing to Israel. Hence they did not attain their glorious hopes of participating with Messiah in the blessing and instruction of all the families of the earth—in line with the promise made to Abraham. But what they failed to attain as a whole the elect did attain to, and the remainder were "blinded" until all of the elect "members" of Spiritual Israel—the Antitypical Moses and his house—should first be delivered by the power of God in the First Resurrection.—John 1:13; Rom. 11:25-31.
No Jew can get eternal life under the terms of the Law Covenant except by one of two methods. (1) During this "acceptable time" he might become a "member" of the Anointed Priest, King, Mediator by becoming "dead to the Law and alive toward God through Jesus Christ." (Rom. 6:11; 7:4.) (2) In the Millennium the old Law Covenant will be supplanted by the new Law Covenant, and all under the old will then for a thousand years have the opportunity to come under the New Covenant—through its better Mediator, the Christ.
(8) As a result of "the better sacrifices" of the true Mediator—King and Priest—the Gospel Church, accepted by the Father as a sacrifice at Pentecost, progresses "until we all come to the full stature of a man in Christ"—Jesus being the head and we his "members." (Eph. 4:13; Acts 3:23.) Jesus and all his "members" are ministers (servants) of the New Covenant. (Mal. 3:1; 2 Cor. 3:6.) The first service is to sacrifice. At the end of this age the blood, "holy and acceptable" through Jesus' merit (Rom. 12:1), will be applied "for all the people." Then Messiah's Kingdom will at once restore to perfection the Ancient Worthies, who will at once be in New Covenant fellowship with God. These as the earthly seed will become the "princes" through whom the Millennial Kingdom blessings will extend to all mankind. The result will be glorious: All the families of the earth will be blest with knowledge and assistance out of sin and death conditions back to the renewed covenant conditions of eternal life upon terms of obedience. The rebellious will be utterly destroyed in the Second Death.