Adam, Eden and the Exodus

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nazarene
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Adam, Eden and the Exodus

Post by nazarene » Thu May 16, 2019 9:04 am

Adam, Eden and the Exodus

In Ezekiel 36:24-38 the theme of Adam and Eden is the strong undercurrent that moves the narrative of the promised greater Exodus. The Promise of a greater Exodus is expressed elsewhere in the Tanach [Jeremiah 16:14-15, Jeremiah 23:7-8, Jeremiah 31:8, Isaiah 35, etc], and the account of Adam in Genesis 1-3 serves as the narrative framework through which the nation is regathered and restored to an Eden-like Jerusalem.

In Genesis Adam is formed from the dust of Earth and given the breath of Life [Genesis 2:7] and then placed in the Garden [Genesis 2:8].

The pattern of;
formation outside of Eden ► reception of Spirit ► placing in Eden, forms the basic structure of the Exodus narrative in Ezekiel 36:24-38.

In Ezekiel 36:24 the gathering is spoken of, the 'reformation' of the nation, the Spirit is promised to be given [Ezekiel 36:26], the placing in the Land [Ezekiel 36:24, 28], the Land is compared to Eden [Ezekiel 36:35] and the nation in the Hebrew is called Adam [Ezekiel 36:37, 38].

This basic structure seems also to have been used for Ezekiel 37:1-14. The people are reconstituted from the bones [Ezekiel 37:8], the Spirit is given to them [Ezekiel 37:9], the people are then promised to be brought into the Land [Ezekiel 37:12]. Given that the Land was promised to be Eden-like in Ezekiel 36, we have the same basic imagery of what we see in Genesis 2.

That Jerusalem was to become the new Eden was also seen in Isaiah 51:3. There the hope that Jerusalem would be restored and that her 'desolations' and 'wilderness' would become like Eden. This hope of an Eden like Jerusalem is also seen in Revelation chapters 21 and 22, there is a mix of imagery of Jerusalem [Revelation 21:2] and imagery from Eden in the form of the tree of Life [Revelation 22:2].

The hope that the desolations and wilderness of Jerusalem would become like Eden is further reflected in Isaiah 61:4 as they shall “raise up former desolations” and restore the “waste cities”, when compared with the imagery from Ezekiel 36:35-36, these restorations are seen in light of Jerusalem being Eden. The Gospel then [Isaiah 61:1] must be read in light of “renewed Creation”, the Promise that the Most High will restore Jerusalem as Eden, regathering her children in their restored status as Adam, animated by the Spirit and regaining the former lost glory that Adam once had in Genesis 1-3.
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nazarene
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Joined:Tue Nov 07, 2017 3:52 pm

Re: Adam and the nation..

Post by nazarene » Thu May 16, 2019 10:59 am

Adam and the nation

That the nation was compared to Adam is expressed in Hosea, for Hosea 6:7 says והמה כאדם ; "They like Adam”, there is an intrinsic connection between the nation and Adam that is expressed in shared language for Adam was told to be “fruitful and multiple” [Genesis 1:28], where as the nation “were fruitful...and multiplied” [Exodus 1:7], Adam was to “fill” the earth [Genesis 1:28] and the nation “filled” the land [Exodus 1:7], Adam was to “subdue” [Genesis 1:28] and the land became “subdued” [Joshua 18:1] before the nation.

The nation was to be the Adam which Adam failed to be and this hope is expressed in Ezekiel 36:37 with the Hebrew כצאן אדם "as flock Adam” and again in Ezekiel 36:38 with the Hebrew צאן אדם "flock Adam”, the hope of a restored Adam had not faded like his glory but was still burning bright and through the Hope expressed in the Prophets, that faded glory would be transfigured once more so that once again, mankind, encapsulated in the nation, would have a restored relationship and position as there had been in the Beginning.

Adam was a son of 'Elohim [Luke 3:38], this “title” was then associated with Adam since the very beginning, and with its association comes and brings us to the idea of Eden, Creation and the original intent the Most High desired for mankind as told in Genesis 1-2. No wonder then that with the association of the nation to Adam in Exodus 1:7 they are then called “My son, My firstborn” [Exodus 4:22], to look upon the nation was to look upon Adam. Just as Adam was rested [Genesis 2:15] in the Garden, so too there is an expectation to be “rested” in the Land [Ezekiel 37:14], Adam being placed in a fruitful Garden which was “pleasant to the sight and good for food” [Genesis 2:9] as the nation was to be planted into a “very fruitful hill” [Isaiah 5:1].

The connection between the nation and Adam is an important association to grasp, as it sets the scene for renewed Creation, the Gospel, and Yeshua.
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nazarene
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Joined:Tue Nov 07, 2017 3:52 pm

Re: Fleshly hearts..

Post by nazarene » Thu May 16, 2019 11:45 am

Fleshly hearts

The Exodus of Ezekiel 36:24-38 is built upon the story of Adam in Genesis 1-2 and in Ezekiel 36 not only is Eden is restored back to His people, the renewed Adam, but His people are restored back to Eden.

With the giving of the Spirit they are given a “heart of flesh” [Ezekiel 36:26], and this promise reaffirms the promise of a “heart of flesh” in Ezekiel 11:19. Both contexts deal with the regathering of His people [Ezekiel 11:17, Ezekiel 36:24], the giving of the Spirit [Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:26] and the bringing back to the Land [Ezekiel 11:17, Ezekiel 36:28]. If the imagery of Adam drives the flow of Ezekiel 36 then Ezekiel 11 must be interpreted likewise.

Just as Ezekiel 36 has direct connection back to Eden, so too does Ezekiel 11, for the cherubim are spoken of [Ezekiel 11:22] imagery originally from Genesis 1-3. They then should be read in light of each other, a consistent promise of a 'heart of flesh' in the context of a restored Eden.

In 2 Corinthians 3:3 the apostle Paul speaks of “fleshly tables of heart”, where else could he derive such imagery except from Ezekiel 11 and Ezekiel 36? If the apostle noted the connections between the image of Adam, Ezekiel 36 and Ezekiel 11, would this not only explain his usage of “fleshly tables of heart” but also his phrase “new Creation” in 2 Corinthians 5:17 only two chapters away? A unified vision by the Prophets looking forward to a renewed Creation, complete with a restored Adam, Eden, and Jerusalem, with that interpretive grid in mind suddenly the reasoning of the apostle Paul becomes that little bit clearer.
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nazarene
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Re: Jerusalem as a Temple..

Post by nazarene » Thu May 16, 2019 2:40 pm

The Eden-Jerusalem as the Holy of Holies

In Revelation 22:2 the tree of life is spoken of bringing to mind Gan Eden, together with this imagery the Name will be “on their foreheads” of the servants [Revelation 22:4], the placing of the Name on the forehead would bring to mind the High Priest. In Exodus 28:36-38 the High Priest bears the Divine Name on his forehead. There is no other person in the Tanach who bears the Divine Name on their forehead. This would place the bearing of the Divine on the forehead solely within a High Priestly context. When Revelation 22:4 uses Name in connection to the forehead it would bring to mind not only the High Priest, but the status of Holiness associated with the High Priest and the location of the Holy of Holies. This would put Eden-Jerusalem at the same level of holiness as that of the Holy of Holies.

The people one Day will be called “Priests of YHWH” [Isaiah 61:6], and Revelation is tapping into that expectation, Zechariah also has an expectation that even the bells of the horses will be written “Holy to YHWH” signifying the extent of Holiness within Jerusalem. As there is a Jerusalem-Eden connection in the Prophets [Isaiah 51:3, Ezekiel 36:35], and a connection between Adam and the nation [Hosea 6:7, Ezekiel 36:37-38, Exodus 1:7, etc], this provides an interpretive grid by which to understand Adam in Eden in Genesis 1-3, that places him in a priestly context. A High Priestly context is indeed used in the book of Jubilees [Jubilees 8:18] calling Eden the Holy of Holies, further placing Adam in a High Priestly context.

If Adam, in Eden, is a priest, and Eden therefore a Temple, this opens the interpretive door to understand the Tabernacle/Temple as Eden.
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nazarene
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Re: The rule of Adam...

Post by nazarene » Fri May 17, 2019 6:17 am

The rule of Adam

Adam was to “rule” over the “fish of seas and over the birds of the heavens and over all beasts creeping on the earth” [Genesis 1:28]. Adam then was by implication to have authority in the seas [הים], the heavens [השׁמים], and the earth [הארץ]. Psalm 8:3 says the heavens are called “the work your fingers” the same Psalm then goes on to say that “man” was made to rule “over the works of your Hands”, as the Heavens had already been defined in verse 3 as the work of the Most High, Adam was then also intended to have authority in the heavens. How could Adams dominion over the birds be complete if he did not have authority in the very place where they spend their time? The same goes for the fish of the sea and the animals of the land. This type of rule over the earth is reflected in Psalms 2, where the son was to have possession of the “utter most parts of the earth” and again in the kingship Psalm of chapter 72 verse 8 where the king would rule “from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth”. This type of rule is also linked to king David in Psalms 89:25 where the Most High would "set his hand in the sea". The main idea behind this is that Adam being the image bearer of the Most High, reflects the authority of the Most High, and so has authority over the heavens, earth and seas, which ultimately would come to be expressed by the king of the nation.

Psalms 72 is attributed to king Shlomo and we see that Shlomo had wisdom concerning animals in that “he spoke also of beasts and birds, and of creeping things, and of fish” [1 Kings 4:33] bringing to mind the wisdom and authority of Adam [Genesis 2:19-20]. Shlomo acts as another Adam, having wisdom and authority, Shlomo builds a Temple containing cherubim with flowery imagery inside bringing to mind the Garden of Eden in Genesis 1-3, the stage being set for a new Adam within a new Eden. However, just like the first Adam sinned through his wife, this 'new Adam' sins through his wives.

These connections set up some of the expectations that One would arise to fulfil the mandate given to Adam and obtain dominion over the earth. That a mashiach would arise and have authority over the heavens and the earth is seen in the dead sea scrolls (DSS 4q521 F.2 + F.4 col.2 ). Although late, Genesis Rabbah 25:2 teaches that Adam had a full range of authority even over the earth. When it comes to the Gospels we do see Yeshua having authority over the sea [Matthew 8:26] and even over fish [John 21:6] and ability to traverse the heavens [Luke 24:51] and having authority on the earth [Mark 11:13-14]. In agreement with the conception of the dead sea scrolls Mashiach Yeshua claims all authority in heaven and on earth [Matthew 28:18].

The High Priest was considered to be a microcosm of the universe (see; viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7 ), all of Creation is contained within his garments, Yeshua as High Priest would then not only represent all Creation, by gathering “together in one all things” which are “in heaven and which are on earth, in him” [Ephesians 1:10] but have complete authority over it having “all under his feet” [Ephesians 1:22]. Psalms 8 and 110 were being connected together in 1 Corinthians 15:25-27, which bring us to the Hebrew word radah (רדה), radah was used in Genesis 1:28 to indicate what type of rule Adam would have, and this word is used in Psalms 110, describing the rule of the priest-king, this word is further used in Psalms 72:8 linking it with kingship, all of which brings us back to the original priest-king Adam.

When the nation in the Torah becomes the new Adam [i.e. Exodus 1:7], one of the blessings is that there would be no wild beasts among them to harm them [Leviticus 26:22], bringing to mind the harmony and authority that Adam had with the animals in the Garden, no wonder then that Yeshua, the last Adam, when going into the wilderness was 'with the wild beasts' and no harm came to him [Mark 1:13].
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