This is my last volley on this topic and then I will keep my peace.
1. If I sound condescending. I'm not. I'm burned. Burned by a thousand eschatological trinkets. I either have to chuck to whole thing and say, "no one can know anything" or, I have to pay closer attention to what I have heard.
2. I'm not angry.
3. I don't need you to accept my position.
4. I'm very intense. And for a reason. We are standing on the threshold of the end of the age and the scriptures warn us to BE WISE because there are severe consequences if we are not wise. (A point your presentation presents brilliantly)
5. Western Christianity is a total disaster. Talking heads in the media swirl around their trove of favorite eschatological verses and I find the only people more wrong about the day of the rapture are the doomsday environmentalists predicting the weather!
6. Therefore, having been burned so many times, I'm forced to step back and ask why. Therefore, I've come to these convictions:
A. Understanding the types is a prerequisite to understanding eschatology. If it DOESN'T start in Genesis I'm not all that interested. (Your presentation certainly does start in Genesis. And I'm very interested!!)
B. First-mention principle. The bible establishes a theme and will not contradict it.
C. What does the text say and in what context is it said.
D. And lastly and most importantly, These hermeneutical principles are inherent to the Word itself. Which is to say, I got bamboozled because I wasn't interpreting the scripture in a way the scripture itself says to be interpreted. They are "reasoned' according to the types. And most "scholars" refuse to do this, but some do.
7. YES, I'm dogmatic. But not for the purpose of being rude, or a know-it-all, but because I'm NOT GETTING BURNED AGAIN! It has to pass the muster. I'm not being mean, but these issues are too important to simply be "nice"
8. So again.
A. "Shekels means 2030" still doesn't have a precedent nor does it have a hermeneutic and YOU are the one that are proving this to me. (I'm not yelling.) To get "2030" you are taking two numbers associated with the word Shekel and "smooshing" them together. "Smooshing". They are just being smooshed. And to prove this is O.K. you give me an example of NOT SMOOSHING. (And I'm still not yelling.)
YOU: This is not much different than Adam dying at 930 as a type of Yeshua and David dying at 70 as a type of Yeshua, equaling 1,000. Those are two different events and two different numbers connected by a Messianic theme. Even the ancient rabbis connected those two. There are hundreds more if you study the ancient writings.
ME: YES IT IS DIFFERENT. That's not a 'Smoosh' THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. (No. I'm not yelling.) That's addition. 20 + 30 = 50 (Signifying the jubilee.) THAT'S what you just proved. And THAT, by the way, would be a more believable interpretation of the shekel numbers. Otherwise "the smoosh" of Adam and David would be 93,070. Not to mention the missing principle by which you choose these two numbers associated with the shekel and not all the many others.
Don't take me as being a jerk here. We all HAVE to get things like this right. So, yes, I'm being a hard sell, but no, I'm NOT being a jerk.
GIVE ME ONE EXAMPLE OF A SMOOSH FROM THE RABBIS AND I"LL BE QUIET. Otherwise, there is no precedent. And without a precedent it logically follows there is no hermeneutic either. This smooshing is NOT done by Paul or anyone else. So, already it is extra-biblical, but I'll bite my tongue if you can find a SMOOSH among the rabbis.
YOU: While we understand your concern, we disagree with it. We would suggest that you should approach the scriptures more Hebraically, verses like a Greek, and we mean that kindly, as a Hebraic mindset is a rather helpful tool.
ME: Well, I'll take your criticism to heart; even though I don't think I know what you mean. But I would say this: If being more "Hebraically Minded" means i have to accept Smooshing, I may not be all that interested. (I laughed typing that line, so, no, I'm NOT yelling.)
YOU: Also, the scholarly minded are quite honestly quite lost as it comes to eschatology. Western eschatology is an embarrassment and does more harm than good.
ME: Couldn't agree more!
Extra credit:
I have two thing within the types that are bothering me. I cannot find the answers.
First: Adam is a type of Christ. Eve was separated from his body on the 6th day. It seems to follow that the Bride of Christ will be removed from His body during the 6th millennium. BUT the resurrection is on the 3rd and 7th day.
So. How is the bride separated from the body apart from resurrection?
Secondly: Joseph revealed himself to the VERY BROTHERS that sold him out. And this, in the 2nd year of the seven years of famine. It would seem that the Messiah would reveal himself to the very ones that sold him out in the same way. But this would require a resurrection; and that, 5 years prior to the end of the 7 years of famine.
If I didn't like you, I wouldn't bother you.
Come Lord, Jesus.