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Apokatastasis.wiki

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Stephen Jones — Christology

b4 — The Laws of the Second Coming

The Two Works of Christ

Jones’ central thesis: Christ had to come to the earth twice to accomplish two distinct works, foreshadowed by the two birds of Lev. 14 and the two goats of Lev. 16. The first work is a death work (Passover); the second is a living work (Tabernacles).

  • “This portion of our study deals with the reason Jesus was to come twice to the earth. It seems fitting to refer to these two comings as two ‘works,’ because in both of His appearances He has a work to do as part of the divine plan of salvation in the earth. In His first appearance, Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts. The autumn feasts, which have yet to be fulfilled, give us the timing and purpose of His second appearance.” — Ch. 10

  • “The law shows that the ‘finished work of Christ’ is in two stages, foreshadowed by the two birds of Leviticus 14 (as well as the two goats of Leviticus 16). The first work was His death work, and this was ‘finished’ in the sense that He no longer needs to die. His second appearance, however, will be a living work, as we will see shortly. It will be a work that will establish a righteous people on the earth who are capable of properly manifesting the character of Jesus Christ to the rest of the world.” — Ch. 10

  • “While His first work was a death work, the second work is a living work by which ‘The Word’ (both the Person and message) is preached to the world. He died once for our sins and will not need to die again. Yet the second work is based upon the first.” — Ch. 10

  • “Passover imputes righteousness to us by covering us with the blood of the Lamb; Tabernacles brings us actual righteousness by removing sin from us altogether.” — Ch. 10

  • “When Jesus said on the cross, ‘It is finished,’ He did not mean that there was no more work to be done to establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth. He meant that the work of Passover was finished, for He was crucified on Passover, and this was the purpose of His first coming.” — Ch. 10

Scripture references: Lev. 14; Lev. 16; John 19:30.

Atonement and Substitution

  • “The first goat (Christ) was killed in order to atone for (cover) our sin by His blood.” — Ch. 10

  • “God has made provision by His first work on the Cross to cover our unrighteousness by His blood, so that legally speaking God could call us righteous.” — Ch. 10

  • “Again, there are two stages by which our sin is eradicated. The first goat covered our sin; the second will remove it. We will show that the first goat (Christ) was killed in order to atone for (cover) our sin by His blood. The second goat was different in that it removed all sin to a land not inhabited.” — Ch. 10

  • “The first bird was killed to provide a blood covering for the second bird. The first bird’s death imputed life to us, while the second bird, when released into the ‘field’ (i.e., the world), will infuse us with inherent immortality and life.” — Ch. 10

Scripture references: Rom. 4:22–24; Heb. 9:12; Lev. 16:21–22.

Priestly Office and Heavenly Intercession

  • “After the crucifixion, Jesus entered the Holy of Holies in heaven with His own blood to sprinkle on the heavenly mercy seat. This fulfilled the law of the first goat.” — Ch. 10

  • “Then, instead of immediately fulfilling the law of the second goat, He sat down at the right hand of the Father. Hebrews 10:12 and 13 says, ‘{Hebrews 10:12} But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, {Hebrews 10:13} waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.’ Jesus Christ did not immediately fulfill the work of the second dove or the second goat. Instead, He sat down at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for us for the Pentecostal Age.” — Ch. 10

Scripture references: Heb. 9:12; Heb. 10:12–13.

Incarnation — Born of Judah

  • “We know from the genealogical record in the first chapter of Matthew that Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah and specifically of the house of David. He came the first time of this particular lineage in order to be eligible to receive the Sceptre to rule the earth.” — Ch. 11

  • “He was born in Bethlehem of Judea, the City of David. […] The lion had to die to receive the rulership. Genesis 49:10–11 pictures Judah as a lion in a crouching position and covered with blood. This is a prophetic picture of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Messiah by birth, who earned His throne through death and resurrection.” — Ch. 11

  • “Micah prophesied that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2). These two names are a marvelous prophecy of the two works of Christ. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea (Matthew 2:1). That is, His first coming was a Judah work. However, His second work will be a Joseph work, and Ephratah is simply the singular form of the name Ephraim. So Micah’s prophecy actually contains within it both comings of Christ—the first in Judea (Judah) and the second in Joseph (Ephraim).” — Ch. 11

Scripture references: Matt. 1; Matt. 2:1; Mic. 5:2; Gen. 49:8–11.

Christ as Type of Judah and Joseph

Jones’ distinctive contribution: Christ’s two comings correspond to the two heir-sons — Judah (scepter/kingship) for the first coming, Joseph (birthright/kingdom) for the second.

  • “What is not generally understood is that Christ must come the second time as Joseph in order to secure His birthright. This is the subject of our present chapter.” — Ch. 11

  • “The second work of Christ, depicted in the law by the second bird and the second goat, is a Joseph work. This is in contrast with His first work, which was a Judah work. The Judah work was to bring forth the Messiah as the suffering Servant, who would die for our sins; the Joseph work was to save the world through the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom throughout all nations.” — Ch. 11

  • “Jacob prophesied over Judah the death work and rulership to be fulfilled in Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. […] ‘{Genesis 49:8} Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you. {Genesis 49:9} Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up? {Genesis 49:10} The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.‘” — Ch. 11

  • “He sold all that He had—that is, He set aside His glory in heaven and came to earth as a humble man, and finally gave His very life to save His people from their sins.” — Ch. 11

Scripture references: Gen. 49:8–11; 1 Chron. 5:1–2; Matt. 15:24; Rev. 19:11–13.

Resurrection and Ascension

  • “Joseph was then taken to Egypt, where he eventually rose to power above all, second only to Pharaoh. In this Joseph was a type of Christ who, after his death and resurrection, ascended to the Father and was given a name far above every name.” — Ch. 11

  • “However, Jacob called his son Benjamin, which means ‘son of my right hand’ (Genesis 35:16–18). This speaks of the second work, because after Jesus came as a man of sorrows, He ascended to heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19).” — Ch. 11

Scripture references: Isa. 53:3; Mark 16:19; Gen. 35:16–18; Heb. 1:3.

The Sign of Jonah

Jones develops Matt. 12:38–40 as proof of Christ’s death and resurrection, and as type of the two works of Christ (Jonah = dove).

  • ”‘{Matthew 12:38} Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, Teacher, we want to see a sign from You. {Matthew 12:39} But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; {Matthew 12:40} for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.‘” — cited in Ch. 12

  • “This clearly identifies Jonah as a type of Christ in His death work on the Cross as the Passover Lamb.” — Ch. 12

  • “Even as Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish, so also did Jesus spend three days in the heart of the earth. Even as Jonah was vomited out of the belly of the fish to picture resurrection from the dead, so also was Jesus raised from the dead.” — Ch. 12

  • “Christ’s first work on the cross (Passover) gave us an imputed righteousness by covering sin, while the second work under Tabernacles makes us actually righteous by removing all sin.” — Ch. 12

Scripture references: Matt. 12:38–40; Jonah 1:17.

Christ as Towla (Scarlet Worm)

Jones uses the towla-worm in Jonah 4:7 as an additional type of Christ’s crucifixion, linked to Ps. 22:6.

  • “This was no ordinary worm. The Hebrew text calls it a towla, which is a worm from which crimson dye was extracted in ancient times. […] ‘When the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and permanently that she would never leave again. The eggs deposited beneath her body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to enter their own life cycle. As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body and the surrounding wood.’ […] Is this not a perfect picture of Christ, who gave His life to bring many sons into glory? Psalm 22:6 prophesies of Jesus Christ in His death on the cross, saying, ‘I am a worm [Heb. towla], and not a man, a reproach of men, and despised by the people.‘” — Ch. 12

Scripture references: Ps. 22:6; Jonah 4:7.

Jubilee — Christ as Restorer and Liberator

Jones connects the Day of Atonement with the Jubilee as a christological type: Christ’s atoning work makes the Jubilee possible; its fulfillment requires the Cross.

  • “The prophet tells us that the true underlying purpose for the Day of Atonement is not to be so much a day of fasting from food, but a day of setting people free and feeding the hungry. In other words, it is the Jubilee, to set the captives free.” — Ch. 3

  • ”‘{Leviticus 25:9} You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. {Leviticus 25:10} You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.‘” — cited in Ch. 3

  • “Such events could never take place apart from the Cross. That is why the real fulfillment of the feasts had to wait for a later time.” — Ch. 3

  • “The Jubilee is not only about forgiveness of monetary debts, but also of sins.” — Ch. 3

  • ”‘{Revelation 5:13} And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. {Revelation 5:14} And the four beasts said, Amen.’ This is the Jubilee, and these are the Jubilee people. They are forgivers.” — Ch. 3

Scripture references: Isa. 58; Lev. 25:8–13; Matt. 6:12; Rev. 5:13–14.

Second Coming

  • “Then and only then will He stand up and come as the dove from heaven. Then and only then will He come forth as the second goat from the temple of His body on earth to remove all sin from their hearts.” — Ch. 10

  • “The second dove must come, as depicted in Revelation 19:13, as the Word coming on the white horse. His robe is said to be dipped in blood, even as the second dove was dipped in the blood of the first dove. This event signifies the complete removal of death from us.” — Ch. 10

  • ”‘{Revelation 19:11} And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. {Revelation 19:12} And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems. {Revelation 19:13} And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.‘” — cited in Ch. 10

  • “When Jesus Christ appears again, pictured in Revelation 19 as coming on a white horse, His robe is dipped in blood. He comes as the Son of Joseph, whose birthright robe was dipped in blood.” — Ch. 11

  • “The message of the second work of Christ is summarized in 2 Cor. 5:18–20: ‘{2 Corinthians 5:18} Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, {2 Corinthians 5:19} namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. {2 Corinthians 5:20} Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.‘” — Ch. 12

Scripture references: Rev. 19:11–13; 2 Cor. 5:18–20; Isa. 2:2–4.

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