The Gospel of Sacrificial Atonement & Spiritual Baptism

One must zoom out to see the full picture of the Gospel. One must comprehend the divinely authored Names of God that are associated with every single instance of salvation by faith in the Gospel. One must discover the operation of the Gospel in all the Ways that God enables and inspires sinners to believe and be saved. Therefore, in considering the Exodus Generation, or their of age Children, let us look before and after their conversion by faith in the Gospel of Sacrifice in a quest for Jesus Christ. Or, let us look beyond the message of the Atonement in the Passover to discover the full message of the Gospel – searching for it being presented in the bonafide equivalents: the Names & Ways of God. In the same manner, let us comprehensively survey the rapid succession of Gospel Messages that led up to Kadesh-barnea: the Baptism, the Manna, the Living Water, the Kingdom, and the Promised Land. Only then will we have eyes to see all that is brought to light in the Theater of the Law, as it is the birthplace of many everlasting doctrines.

Apparently, a remnant of believers in Genesis were able to trace their spiritual descent through the ages back to Eber, a time when God made himself famous among sinners by the name Elohim. A considerable portrait of God took shape through all that was divinely revealed to the Patriarchs: in Genesis 14:18-20, God is revealed as El-Elyon (the Most High God); in Genesis 16:13, God is revealed as El-Roi (God that Seest); in Genesis 17:1, God is revealed as El-Shaddai (God Almighty or God All-Sufficient); in Genesis 21:33, God is revealed as El-Olam (the Everlasting God); in Genesis 22:14, God is revealed as Jehovah-jireh (the Lord Sees & Provides); in Genesis 33:20, God is revealed as El-Elohe-Israel (God the God of Israel). All these names ascribe to God and demonstrate to man various attributes in God: namely, that God is most high over all kings, nations, and armies (Gen. 14:18-20); He sees when and where no one else is looking (Gen. 16:13); He is sufficient to perform mighty and otherwise impossible miracles in fulfillment of covenant promises (Gen. 17:1); He outlives and outlasts men like trees do the withering grass of the field (Gen. 21:33); He provides atoning mercy for the undeserving (Gen. 22:14); and He will be further revealed through Israel and his seed throughout their generations in a special way, for He is once and for all the mighty God of Israel (Gen. 33:20).

However, in Exodus, a striking shift takes place in the Theater of divine things being revealed. In a whole new era of redemption, “the LORD God of the Hebrews” (Jehovah Elohe Ha-Ibriyim; Ex. 3:18, 5:3, 7:16, 9:1, 13) revealed Himself in the salvation of Israel by the name Jehovah (Ex. 3:13-15, 6:2-4); and, hereby, God became Jehovah Elohe-Israel (the LORD God of Israel - Ex. 5:1, 24:10, 32:27, 34:23; Gen. 33:20). This was the stated purpose of God from the beginning.

“And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Jehovah: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of El-Shaddai, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established My Covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My Covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.” – Ex. 6:2-8

Not only is this the first time God said, “I will redeem you” (Ex. 6:6); this is the first time redemption is displayed in the form of “great judgments” (Ex. 6:6). Statedly, in how God will judge Egypt in the redemption of Israel, the Israelite people will come to know God. This means that the judgment of Egypt is a means to an end. The end goal of everything was that Israel would personally become the people of God by adoption in fulfillment of the promise, “…I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God” (Ex. 6:7). However, in the course of things, that’s not to say that Egypt didn’t come to know that God is Jehovah in a different sense. Herein, the sculpture of divine personality becomes more glorious in detail.

In the forthcoming display of mighty signs and wonders (Neh. 8:7, Isa. 9:6), the LORD said, “the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah” (Ex. 7:5). This was repeatedly stated by God to Pharaoh in prophecy through Moses in Exodus 7:5, 7:17, 8:10, 8:22, 9:13-16, 9:29, 14:4, 14:18. Why? Because the Egyptians were the target of Jehovah. As stated in Exodus 9:13-16 & Exodus 10:1-2, what God did to Egypt was for the proclamation, declaration, and glorification of the Name of Jehovah (Rom. 9:17). The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart to set the stage for a grand scale revelation. Therefore, in causing Egypt to know that Jehovah is God through a punishing display of wrath and judgment, Israel came to know that Jehovah is God through a merciful display of grace and redemption (Rom. 9:16-23). The glory of God in these acts does still resound in this late hour of human history! Therefore, in beholding the condemnation of Egypt, we observe the salvation of Israel!

Severance Miracle #1: “And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen…to the end thou mayest know that I am the Jehovah in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between My people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.” – Ex. 8:22-23

Severance Miracle #2: “And the Jehovah shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt…” – Ex. 9:4-6

Severance Miracle #3: “And the magicians could not stand before Moses…for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.” – Ex. 9:11

Severance Miracle #4: “…Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.” – Ex. 9:25-26

Severance Miracle #5: “…and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.” – Ex. 10:15

Severance Miracle #6: “…and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: …but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” – Ex. 10:22-23

Severance Miracle #7: “…And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt…but against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that Jehovah doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” – Ex. 11:6-7 [Justification by Faith in the Sacrificial Atonement of the Passover: Ex. 12:10-11, 23-28, 39, 13:7, 19, 20-22, Ps. 78:51, 81:6, 105:36-38, Heb. 11:28, 1 Cor. 5:5, 7-8, 11:25-26, 2 Pet. 3:12; A Genuine Atonement of Real Forgiveness: Num. 14:19, Prov. 21:27, 15:8, 28:9, 15:25-26, 28, Gen. 18:25, Deut. 32:4]

Severance Miracle #8: “…and Jehovah overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.” – Ex. 14:27-31 [Ex. 13:20-22, Ps. 114:1-7, Hab. 3:8-9, 15, Ex. 14:4, 13, 14, 17-18, 27-31 | Spiritual Baptism by Faith in the Red Sea: Ex. 14:30-31, 15:1-2, Ps. 77:14-20 (Ps. 77:7-9, Hab. 3:2, Isa. 63:7-9, 11-15, Jer. 2:6, 8), Ps. 78:13, 52-53, 106:8-12, (Ex. 14:10, Ps. 81:7, 77:18, 106:13), Hos. 2:15, Ps. 66:6, 68:3-4, 1 Cor. 10:1-2, 12:13, Acts 22:16, Isa. 63:14, Heb. 11:29; (Hab. 3:1-19, Rev. 15:1-4)]

In the beginning, the vast majority of Israel was idolatrously loyal to the gods of Egypt (Ezek. 20:5-8). Clearly, neither the Egyptians nor the Israelites knew that Jehovah was God (Ezek. 16:1-6); and, whatever faith the Israelites did have in Jehovah, it proved to be superficial and transient at the onset of divine exploits (Ex. 4:29-31, 5:20-21, Jn. 8:30-34). Therefore, in order to save Israel from their misplaced faith in strange gods, the LORD had to break their apostate faith and cause them to spiritually defect from Egypt. El-elohi-Israel was jealous for the heart of Israel. Therefore, in targeting Egypt with judgment the LORD redeemed Israel from all her troubles. Through a total of 8 Severance Miracles the LORD poured out wrath upon the Egyptians and grace upon the Israelites. Hereby, Jehovah confounded the Egyptians and became the confidence of Israel! This is the science of Jehovah-Nakah. These are the wonderful works of El-Peley.

“And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.” - Ex. 3:19-20

Through a divine smiting of Egypt, Jehovah won the heart of the Israelites in the Exodus Generation! Strategically, in a sequential process of divine smiting, Israel came to know Jehovah-Nakah, even as Ezekiel said in a reawakened operation in a much later time, speaking to the Jews, “…and ye shall know that I am the LORD that Smiteth” (Ezek. 7:9, 20:33-38).

“And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay My hand upon Egpt, and bring forth Mine armies, and My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. ” – Ex. 7:3-4

“Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.” – Deut. 4:34-35 [Ex. 7:3, Deut. 4:34, 6:22, 7:19, 26:8, 34:11]

Wondrously, through bloody waters, frogs, and lice, Jehovah got everyone’s attention. Then, signally, through flies, pestilence, boils, hail-fire, locusts, darkness, and death, Jehovah-Nakah extracted Israel from Egypt. The Israelites watched as Egypt suffocated in dense swarms of flies while Goshen’s air was free; all of Egypt’s cattle died and Goshen’s roamed undisturbed; boils paralyzed Egyptian society and the Israelite slaves walked at large; hail mingled with fire fell upon Egypt and extensively slew or destroyed everything and everyone that was unsheltered in the mighty storm (herbs, trees, animals, & men!) while Goshen’s skies were clear and her inhabitants unharmed; locusts devoured everything green in Egypt while Goshen’s greenery was untouched; and, darkness froze the Egyptians in their places while Israelite captives went about their business with light in their homes. All this was visibly shown to Israel, Moses said, “that thou mightest know that Jehovah He is God” (Deut. 4:35), which is to say that there is a real science to this operation that makes it winsome to elect souls.

By design, this winsome experience was simply irresistible to the Jews. The same people who were so easily turned aside from faith in Jehovah at the unsettling results of the first miracle (Ex. 5:1-23), were won to God by the last miracle. The unrelenting appeals of El-Elohe-Israel alongside the increasing display of miracles that matched and far exceeded the magic of Egypt spoke volumes about the love of God for the Israelite People (Ex. 4:22-23, Hos. 11:1). Five Severance Miracles were exploits of mercy to endear the heart of the Jewish People to Jehovah (Prov. 11:30). Then, as a result, Jehovah-Shaphat expected the Jewish People to act in faith by cooperating with the latter Severance Miracles that would finalize the plan of redemption. In these Severance Miracles (#4 – Ex. 9:18-21, 24-26; #7 – Ex. 11:6-7, 12:27-30, Heb. 11:28; #8 – Ex. 14:22-23, Heb. 11:29), even the Egyptians had ample opportunity to respond by faith and join the Jews through conversion and thus escape the wrath of God, which explains why there was a mixed multitude that went up with the Jews at their liberation (Ex. 12:37-51).

The early Severance Miracles in Egypt were remarkably unconditional to any real presence of faith in the Jews, while the later ones were conditional to faith and conclusively salvific in nature. Therefore, contrastingly, when the freshly liberated Israelites journeyed into the Wilderness they were cleaving to God, while the Egyptians clung to the dead carcasses of their firstborn children in bitter remorse at their loss (Deut. 4:4, Jer. 2:2-3). By this shall iniquity stop her mouth (Ps. 107:42-43). This is the science of Jehovah-Nakah.

“Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his Name. He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.” – Deut. 10:20-22

What Jehovah acted to accomplish in reality, Moses and Aaron foretold and demonstrated prophetically, until all the onlooking Israelites became believers in actuality (Deut. 33:2-3). This is a storyline of love and redemption that can be mapped out precisely by following the hand of Jehovah-Nakah, as follows:

“a mighty hand…I will stretch out My hand, and smite Egypt” – Ex. 3:19-20

“a strong hand…with a stretched out arm” – Ex. 6:1-6

“…I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt” – Ex. 7:5

“…I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand” – Ex. 7:17

“…take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand” – Ex. 7:19

“…he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters” – Ex. 7:20

“…after that the LORD had smitten the river.” – Ex. 7:25

“…I will smite all thy borders” – Ex. 8:2

“…Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams” – Ex. 8:5

“…Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters” – Ex. 8:6

“…Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land” – Ex. 8:16

“…Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth” – Ex. 8:17

“…the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle” – Ex. 9:3

“For now I will stretch out My hand, that I may smite thee and thy people…” – Ex. 9:15

“…Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven” – Ex. 9:22

“And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven…” – Ex. 9:23

“And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt…” – Ex. 9:25

“…the flax and the barley was smitten:” – Ex. 9:31-32

“…Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt” – Ex. 10:12

“And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt…” – Ex. 10:13

“…Stretch out thine hand toward heaven” – Ex. 10:21

“And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven…” – Ex. 10:22

“For I…will smite all the firstborn in the land” – Ex. 12:12-13

“For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians…and will not suffer the Destroyer to come into your houses to smite you.” – Ex. 12:23

“…He smote the Egyptians” – Ex. 12:27

“…at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land” – Ex. 12:29

“…Stretch out thine hand over the sea” – Ex. 14:26

“And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea” – Ex. 14:27

In the Theater of this operation (Ps. 78:43-54, 105:26-38), Jehovah-Nakah revealed Himself to Israel as a Redeemer (Ex. 6:1-8) whose acts and counsels are Wonderful (Ex. 3:20, 4:21, 7:3, 11:9-10, 15:11; Isa. 9:6). All hail the mighty power of Jehovah-Goalek! The smiting of Jehovah was Israel’s redemption in a series of calculated judgments (Ex. 6:6, 7:4, 12:12). All hail the wisdom of Jehovah-Shaphat! The relentless onslaught of signs and wonders collapsed the borders of Egypt (Ex. 8:2) and liberated the Israelites, proving to all men that “there is none like unto Jehovah our God” (Ex. 8:10, 9:14). All hail the holiness of Jehovah-Ehad! Striking fear in the hearts of all men, God revealed Himself as “The LORD in the Midst of the Earth” (Ex. 8:22-23, 9:13-16, 20-21, 29-30, 19:5). All hail the enormity and inescapableness of Jehovah B’Kerev Harets! In the first ever explicitly stated demonstration of salvation, wherein Moses said to the people, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day” (Ex. 14:13), Jehovah-Nakah revealed Himself as the Savior of Israel through divine war (Salvation: Ex. 14:13-14, 30-31, 15:2, Hab. 3:7; the Man of War: Ex. 14:14, 21-28, 15:1-21). All hail the violent fury of Jehovah-Oshea! “Behold your God!” (Isa. 40:9)!

“Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his Holy Spirit within him? That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting Name? That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make Thyself a glorious Name.” - Isaiah 63:11-14

Marvelously, without coming to know the love of Jehovah-Nakah, the Gospel of Sacrifice presented at the Passover would have been totally unbelievable to the people. Remarkably, not just any realization of love in God would prepare the heart of Israel and enable saving faith in the Gospel. The people needed to behold the mighty judgments of Jehovah-Shaphat upon Egypt, and, the wonderous mercy of El-Peley upon Israel in severance miracles, in order to savingly believe the Gospel being presented in typology at the Passover & Israel’s subsequent Baptism.

Evidently, this Theater of redemption is a birthplace of many everlasting doctrines that are essentially connected to the Gospel, because these doctrines are the definitive Ways by which God makes possible faith in the transactional presentations of the Gospel that are communicated in typology or prophecy all throughout time. In other words, only those beholden to God are enabled to believe in the Gospel of God! Why? Because seeing the true nature of God allows for faith in the Gospel. Our knowledge of the former makes possible faith in the latter. The two are essentially connected howbeit unequal status. The Person of God precedes the Gospel – the superior preceding the inferior – inasmuch as the Gospel proceeds forth from God as an operation of His Hands according to the mighty working of His Arm (Ps. 28:5, Isa. 5:12, Col. 2:12; Isa. 40:9-11, 50:2, 51:5, 9, 52:10, 53:1, 59:16, 63:5).

The Person of God is superior to all the processes of redemption. The Trinity is greater than all the transactions of reconciliation. For, the transactional aspects of the Gospel point to the transcendent Person responsible for it all. Therefore, I say, the knowledge of the superior allows for faith in the inferior. Furthermore, this is precisely why all the momentous occasions of redemption throughout Scripture are adorned with divine Names. The Nature of God is chiefly responsible for all divine actions; and, the Nature of God is definitively revealed in Scripture through the Names & Ways of God. Of course, this is why the LORD jealously guards and pitifully loves the Name of God above all else (Isa. 48:9-11, Ezek. 36:20-23; Ps. 106:8, Ezek. 20:9, 14, 22, 44, 39:25). The Names & Ways of God are chiefly to be remembered - first and foremost by God Himself, and how much more by redeemed mankind? Meanwhile, famous expositors totally overlook the importance of this doctrine while the people generally disregard it.

Evidently, with the name Jehovah, like Elohim before it, God was in the process of immortalizing the identity of His holy Person before the eyes of all mankind. The LORD performed mighty exploits to accomplish the Exodus “to make Himself an Everlasting Name” (Isa. 63:12). Literally, in the ways that Jehovah chose to save, the chosen people were enabled to comprehend the personality of God. Therefore, to perpetuate this newly formed relationship with God, these ways were immortally crystalized in Divine Names before the people of God. In these Ways the LORD enabled the people to believe in the atoning grace of the Passover, and in these Ways the LORD will continue to enable the Church in the Wilderness to believe with perseverance (Acts 7:38), even as they come to understand that “His Ways are Everlasting” (Hab. 3:6)! For, it is impossible to personally walk with God without knowing the Person of God; likewise, it is impossible to walk in God, without acting in agreement with the ways of God (Amos 3:3), because the LORD has ordained that the two would walk together in the beauties of holiness (Deut. 30:19-20, Acts 11:22-24, Deut. 10:12-13, Micah 6:6-8; 2 Cor. 6:16).