Bible Study Seattle

Joseph reigned during the seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Egypt.  It appears that the whole story is prophetic of Jesus’ return.  The seven years of plenty are probably the period of the completion of the church.  Then there is a period of two years, culminating in the exalting of Benjamin, among others things.  Benjamin probably represents the Levites, the Christian household of faith who are the brides’ attendants, whereas the true church is the equivalent of the priests.  At this point, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and father.  This is done with no effect on the Egyptians.  This probably equates to the resurrection of Israelites.  “ For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved;”  Romans 11:25-26  Notice that Paul says all Israel will be saved when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; i.e. when the church is complete. 

Apparently at this point the Israelites are given the best part of the land and start to multiply quickly.  Meanwhile the rest of the world is sinking further and further into desperation.  By the end of the seven year famine, all Egypt and surrounding nations are in complete servitude, having sold all property.  Does this relate to the dryness at the end of Noah’s flood?  Will the common people have died off in a famine in the future while Israel is populating the middle east?  Will then the resurrection of the rest of the world commence?  We can’t know for sure.  In Noah’s account, they can’t get off the ark to repopulate the earth until the earth is completely dry.  Will a similar thing happen in the future?  Will Israelites be the only people for a brief time?  It appears that the last five years of Joseph’s famine see Israel multiplying greatly while the rest of the world is reduced to slaves.  How will this manifest?  In any case, it doesn’t appear that an Armageddon event is possible at the end of the famine – the people are too desperate.  Could we have 185 years of plenty, followed by 53 years that the household of faith is completed, followed by 132 years of vastly multiplying Israelites – all the generations going back to at least Abraham.  Then we might have 157 years till Armageddon, those 157 years being the resurrection of tens of billions of people.  Seems impossible, but who knows?