Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
One major allegory we have failed to mention is Lee's elaborate equating of the Babylonian captivity and subsequent return to Jerusalem with the Church being "captive" in Christianity and triumphantly returning to the local ground.
One basic problem with this kind of allegorization is that it makes it very easy to prompt the Bible to echo what you already believe.
Returning to Jerusalem could just as easily be equated to returned to "spirit and truth" since that's where Jesus said the "place" God approved of would be.
The problem with any potentially allegorical passage is since the allegorical meaning is so removed from the actual words if the interpretation seems to "work" then those predisposed to believe it are going to run with it, whether it is correct or not.
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I note that God's command to the Israelites to settle-down was so complete that many ultimately did not go back.
I have recently heard a discussion in which it was suggested that the Babylonian exile did two things. First, blatant idolatry was eliminated. We can argue about the "in the heart" kinds of things, but there was never another ashteroth (sp?) pole again.
The second was that the exile served as a way to disperse the Jews all over the world. If they were to "bless" everyone, then they needed to meet them. Recall that when whichever prophet it was spoke for God to say "settle down and have a business, have sons and daughters, give them in marriage" etc., he also told them to pray for the prosperity of the heathen around them because their prosperity relied on it. And Babylon prospered. And the world prospered as they went out.
And there were synagogues all over the Roman empire into which Paul could bring the gospel as a kindling for the next church of gentiles.
I also recall that it was Nehemiah (I think) that left Babylon/Persia to build the walls and was given a time to do it and a requirement to return to his post as cup bearer for the king. No indication that he asked for asylum in Jerusalem.
In fact, based on this reading, Lee's "ground of oneness" seems to be contradictory to the basic premise of the original covenant. That was to be a blessing to the world. That may have been most clearly/ultimately realized in Christ, but it began with Jews in Babylon.
And consistent with that first exile, the destruction of Jerusalem pushed the Jews further into the world. Until 1948 they had no choice but to be among the nations. And there is no command even now for every good, orthodox Jew to return to Israel. It just doesn't exist. It is a declaration of a false prophet. All those rants about the number of Jews in NYC being more than in Israel are meaningless.