First, can God use my autistic brain for His glory?
I may not quote a bunch of verses to support my points, but that is only because the Bible is stored in my mind like a book without verses and headings. I must believe that God can use the way I’m made to bring understanding and light to all those who are willing to hear.
I’m only asking you to consider some things.
You and I have two sections to our Bible. But we don’t have what happened between those two sections. Between those 400+ years between Malachi and Mathew, was there any development of language, interpretation of scripture, fulfillment of promises, and apocalyptic hopes? YES!
If you and I read the Old Testament without understanding the development of biblical interpretation, spiritual understanding, and Messianic hopes that were already there the day Jesus stepped on the scene, we will misinterpret many prophetic passages of the Old Testament regarding the last days and Israel.
The only solution to our lack of knowledge is to trust Jesus and His disciples, and the writers of the New Testament, for our ability to grasp prophetic things in the end times. What I’m trying to say is that if you are reading Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and other prophetic books, in order to understand “just how” end-time events will take place, INSTEAD OF using the New Testament’s INTERPRETATION of end-time events, you will misinterpret end-time events. This is because Jesus and His disciples did not read and interpret prophecy the same way you do. They were not reading from the same Old Testament version you are reading from. Therefore, we need to go to the New Testament to interpret the Old Testament. We cannot simply read the Old Testament and think we’ve got the end times figured out. Again, realize there were 400 years of development and insight into scripture that we don’t have in our Bibles. God prepared society, language, and spiritual expectation for the Messiah to arrive.
With all that, please understand that Old Testament passages that are literal and physical that have to do with end times events are translated into spiritual and heavenly many times by the New Testament. All those passages from Ezekiel and Zechariah that take place on planet earth become something taking place in heaven now. Mt Zion is “in heaven”. Jerusalem is “in heaven”. Jesus is sitting on David’s throne “in heaven.” I am NOT SAYING that Jesus Christ is not coming back to earth to judge the living and the dead at the end of time and to create a New Heaven and New Earth. What I’m saying is that we have a big gap in our Bibles when it comes to trying to use Old Testament passages to interpret end-time events, unless we use the New Testament’s understanding of the Old Testament.
There are many things I could address here. But for today, I just want to mention a few.
First, our Old Testament says that in the end, the LORD will return “to Zion.” Meaning He will return to Jerusalem. But the New Testament says that the LORD will come “from Zion.” Meaning that Jesus will come from Jerusalem when He returns. And in Acts chapter 15, we find an interesting interpretation regarding Christ sitting on King David’s throne, and what that means.
Regarding Zion, Paul says:
“And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will COME FROM Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; (Rom 11:26).
Regarding Christ sitting on David’s throne, Acts explains it like this:
“Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
“‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’ (Acts 15:14-18).
According to Acts, the day Jesus ascended to the right hand of God, He sat down on David’s throne in the heavenly Jerusalem, in the heavenly Zion. And in the present time, God is drawing all people to the throne of God in the heavenly Jerusalem. The moment someone receives Christ and His Holy Spirit, they enter the “Kingdom of David/Jesus/God.” David’s throne is in the Kingdom of God currently. You and I are in the Kingdom of God currently. We approach the throne of God when we worship the LORD.
Next:
The LORD promised that Abraham and his offspring would be blessed. And the LORD promised to bless those who bless him and his offspring, and to curse those who curse him and his offspring. I’m sure we are all familiar with this passage.
Regarding this, we find Paul saying:
“Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ” (Gal 3:16).
This is telling us that Abraham’s offspring are those “in Christ” whether Jew or Gentile.
The New Testament also says that ALL the promises from the Old Testament are “yes and amen for those in Christ Jesus.” I am NOT saying that the Gentiles replaced the Jews. I am simply saying what Paul repeatedly tells us in the New Testament: that Abraham and all the blessings associated with Abraham find their fulfillment in Christ and belong to those in Christ. They do not belong to Jews or Gentiles. They belong to the spiritual offspring of Abraham, whether they are “also” naturally born or “only” spiritual offspring. The promises of Abraham belong to Christ’s descendants, no matter their physical ancestry. The New Testament is SO CLEAR on this point. But if you need something crystal clear, just ask Jesus. For in the gospels, Jesus calls the physical offspring of Abraham who reject Christ “offspring of Satan, their father.” This alone tells us that it is not about physical descent but the spiritual heart of the individual.
So, use the New Testament’s interpretation of the Old Testament, and you will be seeing things through Jesus’ eyes.
Aletheia: Truth in the Darkness 