Apples Of Gold in pictures of silver

‘He shall purify the sons of Levi,...that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.’Mal3:3
This verse is part of a prophesy and it brings sure enough a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Since Jesus came and offered his body as a sacrifice hasn’t he replaced the Old Covenant with the New?
For this reason many scholars have found the chapters 43-46 of Ezekiel very puzzling.
Let us consider who is the refiner and purifier of silver. Messiah is the refiner. I would like to point out the metal Silver is used with particular reference to the Children of Israel. Two trumpets in silver mentioned in Nu 10:10 can be seen as a forerunner of the gospel. More on this anon.
Whereas gold is especially used in conjunction with the Church. First of all let me strike a word of caution that the relative value of silver and gold is not of any relevance but merely as a prophetic tag.( It is somewhat like rhymes in poetry to aid the memory of the bards of yore, a literary device.) The nation of Israel and the Church are like two eyes set wide apart on a face, both called to work as one. Better still I shall refer to the title of this post from Proverbs ‘of a word fitly spoken being like apples of gold in pictures of silver.’( 25:11 ).
Old and New Covenants need to converge not as scattered light but as laser.
‘Law had made nothing perfect.’ (Heb7:19).
Jesus shall bring both Old and the New into one. In the light of the above I think Jesus as a High Priest must reveal exclusively for the nation of Israel. Ezekiel must be referring to this phase in the history of the Children of the Covenant, and of the seed of Abraham, in the chapters 43-46.
Law shall be perfected in Him (Heb:7:26-28). In terms of the nation of Israel. Amen.
2.
Rev 21:15 ‘And he that talked with me had a golden reed..’ In the preceding verse we read of the foundations of the Holy Jerusalem being inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles. The significance of the Holy Jerusalem can only be revealed after Messiah ( who came as a Servant and was rejected by the nation of Israel) would supplant the temple worship of which the Law is its Holiest of the Holy. ‘I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are the temple of it(vs.22).’ The day of Pentecost was marked by outpouring of His Spirit and in the Book of Revelation we are told of a similar event where Holy Jerusalem shall descend out of heaven from God. In one we saw Grace at work and in the other we shall see Law in its perfect state. In one as St. Paul describes, the epistle of Christ being written in fleshly tablets of the heart.(2 Co 3:3) Here we see two strands of God’s mode of Redemption: for the Church and for the nation of Israel. Rather than entering into controversies should not the Church be built up according to what was revealed?
benny

In God's Time

'Behold, I will send my messenger,…even the messenger of the covenant…' Mal 3:1-3
Evidently the first part pertains to John the Baptist (Mt3:3)Prophet Isaiah prophesied ‘Prepare ye the way of the lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our lord.(Is 40:3)’
Getting back to our key text Malachi then goes on to point out a prophesy beyond the immediate, beyond the ministry of John or Jesus, that could only hold significance for the nation of Israel. Thus while studying a Biblical prophesy we need to fix in our minds time is more like a kangaroo word within Time or Day of the Lord. Many of the Biblical prophesies thus can be broken on the clue given by the Lord. I shall explain what I mean by kangaroo word. The word ‘nourished’ would also carry another word ‘nursed’ that may as well agree with the general meaning.Nursed is a kangaroo word.
Day of the Lord accommodates different time frames.
Those who tackle prophesies in the Scriptures ought to keep in mind on what slippery ground they stand on. What makes a scholar think he shall crack the code of God unless it is given from high? 'One day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day'.(2 Pe3:8)’
Problem of the interpretation is compounded by our concept of time. We are trying to unlock mysteries that is the prerogative of God, the father.(Mt 24:36)
Jesus referring himself as the son of man predicted a future event closely before his death. He said when he shall come to the Throne his disciples also shall sit upon 12 thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.(Mt 19:28.)

Mt.19: 28) Would it mean then that Judas Iscariot would also sit in judgment?
Peter on whom this charge fell as we read in the acts of the Apostles chose Mattias to replace Judas Iscariot (Ac.1: 15-26). Jesus said:‘Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.’(Mt18:18) Didn’t Peter have then the authority established by no less person than Son of man to induct a replacement for the betrayer?
From the clear evidences given by the Scriptures we ought to compare the like with the like. Thus we may conclude that Judas had forfeited his place as we have the verse 18 with which to underpin our interpretation. Spiritualizing some texts in order to get around some difficulties is often fraught with danger. Historical events with which we place the ministry of Jesus or of Israel nation fall according to time and place. In order to interpret some scholars resort to spiritualizing: these are clever by half. They compare apples with oranges.
benny