Cees en Anneke Noordzij — Doctrine of God
b6 — From Passover to Tabernacles
God’s Glory and Accompanying Presence
Noordzij explicitly links God’s glory to the guiding pillar of cloud from Exodus:
“The cloud of God’s glory led them from one place to another (Ex.13:21-22).”
— Cees en Anneke Noordzij, From Passover to Tabernacles, section “The Passover”
The same cloud continues as a present principle:
“The cloud of God’s blessing presence moves on.”
— ibid., section “The Feast of Unleavened Bread”
Interpretation: God’s glory here is not static-transcendent but dynamic and accompanying. The pillar of cloud typifies God’s immanent presence that moves along with those who follow Him.
God’s Universal Plan of Reconciliation
The most direct doctrine-of-God passage in this source is the treatment of Col.1:20 in the context of the Day of Atonement:
“God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood (Col.1:20).”
— ibid., section “The Day of Atonement”
Noordzij adds:
“This great work of atonement has far from fully become manifest in the church of Christ, let alone outside it.”
— ibid.
And describes the eschatological completion:
“Full reconciliation between God and His people comes about through the blood of the Lamb AND through the testimony of His own (Rev.12:11). It comes to pass through His Son AND through the ministries of the sons. Thus ‘the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ’ appears (Rev.12:10).”
— ibid.
Interpretation: God’s plan of reconciliation encompasses “all things” (universal scope via Col.1:20), but is a processual unfolding that still awaits full manifestation. God’s kingship is the endpoint of this reconciliation process.
God’s Kingship and the Kingdom of Heaven
Noordzij speaks explicitly about the kingdom of heaven as an actual earthly reality:
“Instead of heat and barrenness on ‘earth’ there will be abundant life in the kingdom of heaven on earth (Matt.6:10). Break camp! We have delayed long enough.”
— ibid., section “The Blowing of the Trumpets”
The kingdom is typologized through the leaven image:
“Jesus tells this parable: ‘The kingdom of God is like leaven that a woman (=the ekklesia) took and hid in three measures of flour (=in spirit, soul and body), until it was all leavened’ (Matt.13:33, Luke 13:20-21).”
— ibid., section “The Feast of Pentecost”
And as pastoral appeal:
“Open yourself to the coming of His kingship! Let the life of Jesus grow in you to full maturity. This is the life of (and not knowledge about) the kingdom of heaven.”
— ibid., section “The Day of Atonement”
Interpretation: God’s kingship in Noordzij is an internally-transformative reality: the kingdom of heaven is not primarily a political or futuristic category, but an inward reality that permeates spirit, soul and body.
God’s Protective Grace (Passover Typology)
The Passover section contains an explicit statement about God’s protective action:
“The text says: ‘I will come over you protectively and will prevent the destroyer from entering your houses’ (Ex.12:13,23).”
— ibid., section “The Passover”
Noordzij applies this typologically:
“Thus the Lord is also for us like a protective shadow, when we ‘take the Lamb into the house’ for ‘five days’, apply the ‘blood’ of the slaughtered Lamb and eat it ‘inside the house’ ‘in the night’ (Ps.91:1-10, 1Cor.5:7, John 6:51,53,54,57,58).”
— ibid.
Interpretation: God’s grace and protection in Noordzij are conditionally-typological: they take effect when the believer receives and eats the Lamb “inside the house.” God as protective shadow (Ps.91) is here an expression of immanence coupled to personal appropriation.