The title of this page will no doubt bring a sense of wonderment to the uninitiated, but the secret to the title can be found in the various shades of prophetic foreshadowing in the Old Testament of the things that would one day come to pass and be fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah. The most obvious way this was done was through direct prophecy and the recording of God's Word: the prophets spoke, it was written down at the time, and it formed with other writings, the Word of God. Often though, God sent prophetic foreshadowing and expressions of what would come to pass at a later time: any number of examples are replete throughout the Scriptures, such as the plague of the rivers turning to blood in Egypt, the blood on the wooden lintels of the door, or Jonah, delivered onto the shores of Nineveh, with his head wrapped in seaweed and his skin raw and bleeding, walking into the great pagan city to deliver a message of repentance. Other times, God sent in his people, his Kings, Prophets, Judges, and so forth 'types' of people who foreshadowed the coming Messiah: e.g. Joseph, rejected by his brothers, who saves Israel, or David, the King of Israel, pointing in many aspects of his life to the King of the Jews yet to come.
Some of the foreshadowings of future events were direct and descriptive, such as Isaiah 53's details of the Messiah or the other messianic prophesies. Others, hint as or have the fragrance of, partially or in whole of the work of God which would be accomplished by Jesus. The King's return appearing through the lattice in Song of Songs, or the betrothed woman [the bride, Israel and/or the church] desperately seeking the King in darkened streets at night, mistreated by those on watch. This partial revealing though are often discussed, but in reading again the accounts of the Cross, I chanced upon a search of the times in Scripture when the 'rocks rent', and found three major times:
_________________________________________________________
1. The splitting of the Rock at Meribah when Moses delivered water to the thirsty Israel in the drought following Miriam the prophet's death,
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also]. Num 20
2. The Cave of Elijah
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; [but] the LORD [was] not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; [but] the LORD [was] not in the earthquake: I Kings 19:11
3. The Cross of Christ
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; Mt 27 _________________________________________________________
The order of events is a little different with the three, but the parallel shows up more clearly between the cave of Elijah and the events of the cross than of Meribah. In Meribah, with a discontented and rebellious people, we see the water gushing out from the Rock which replenishes Israel, but the parallels below are worth noting:
| Cave of Elijah | Cross of the Messiah |
| 1. Stand forth on the Mountain | Jesus Crucified at Golgotha |
| 2. Lord passes by, Strong wind rents the Mountain | 2. A Loud Voice, Jesus gives up the ghost |
| 3. Earthquake | 3.Earthquake |
| 4. Fire | 4. The Vail rent |
| 5. Still Small Voice | Rocks Rent |
| 6. Elijah stands at the mouth of the Cave | The Resurrection |
No comments:
Post a Comment