Bible Study Seattle

God was a husband to Israel:

“For your husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of all the earth.”  Isaiah 54:5

But he rejected her to chase a new husband:

“Contend with your mother, contend,
For she is not my wife, and I am not her husband;
And let her put away her harlotry from her face”  Hosea 2:2

“If then, you act with hostility against Me and are unwilling to obey Me, I will increase the plague on you seven times according to your sins.”  Leviticus 26:21

“I say then, they [Israel] did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their [Israel’s] transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”  Romans 11:11

God sought a bride out of the Gentiles to make natural Israel jealous.  Israel’s marriage was ended when Jesus died.  But he rose from the dead!  Thus he will come back to remarry Israel after he has taken a bride from the Gentiles.  Hosea’s marriage illustrates this:

“Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.”  So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley.  Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.”  For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols.  Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.”  Hosea 3

The ultimate expression of this reconstituted marriage is in Revelation:

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.”  Revelation 21:2-3

Today I was sad about some serious relationship challenges, but then my son asked me to read him a book.  It was the Charlie Brown Christmas book.  Just like the TV Special.  What a wonderful message!  I’m partial to the line about Christmas being just a racket run by an Eastern syndicate.  What a blessing!

Many Christians struggle with the question, “Am I really saved?”  Have I really demonstrated sufficient faith?  And what about the works question?  Many struggle because of doubts about the unforgivable sin:

“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.”  Luke 12:10

What if I’ve blasphemed the Holy Spirit?!?

Yet think on some of the Heros of the bible.  King David was an adulterer and a murderer, yet he will be resurrected to a position of supreme honor as the Prince of Israel, with a huge parcel of land set aside for he and his household specifically mentioned in Ezekiel 45.  Evidently, murder and adultery isn’t blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  Think about St. Paul.  He was also a murderer, yet he is one of the greatest Christians of all time.  Yet we fear that because of our timid faith we’ve blasphemed the Holy Spirit?

We fear because we don’t want to be abandoned.  Yet think of Jesus.  Not only was he abandoned by all friends and family, he was abandoned by God himself!!  It doesn’t get any worse than that.  And he didn’t do anything wrong!  Yet God only abandoned him for three days.  God will rescue us from the grave as well.  Think of Job.  He was severely tested by Satan himself, yet he knew that his redeemer lives.

Since we fear abandonment, and because we’re fuzzy on what exactly constitutes blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, we worry.  But God is not vague in his requirements.  When the test does come, it will be very, very clear what the rules are.  Consider Adam & Eve.  They were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  That was it.  Very specific.  No guesswork.  It will be the same for us in our second life.  Jesus’ sacrifice guarantees our resurrection.  After that, the test of faith that leads to eternal life will be very clear and simple.

“Oh that I had one to hear me!
Behold, here is my signature;
Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my adversary has written,
Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
I would bind it to myself like a crown.
“I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
Like a prince I would approach Him.”  Job 31:35-37

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,

“Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
“Now gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
“On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?”  Job 38:1-7

God didn’t tell Job why he suffered.  He added that no man has a right to question what God does.  But will Job never find out?  He didn’t find out then, but he will find out when he is resurrected.  He knew that,
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
“Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;” Job 19:25-26

Job also said, “Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book!”. Job 19:23

Job will awake to find his wish come true!  And he will learn about all the millions of people who have taken courage from his example.  But he may get an even more detailed explanation.  “Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with difficult questions.  So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.  Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king which he did not explain to her.”  1 Kings 10:1-3

Job’s hardest questions will be answered by Jesus, so he will realize that he did not suffer in vain.

“John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  Luke 3:16

The first baptism in the bible was with water: “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.  Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”  1 Peter 3:18-22

The water destroyed the ungodly, but lifted the righteous to safety.  Then the Exodus:

“But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.  The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.  As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.  Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”

The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.  So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.  The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.  Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea.  At the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians^]through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.  He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.”  So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.  The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained.  But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.”  Exodus 14:13-31

Again, the water destroyed the ungodly but protected the righteous.  Next John mentions the Holy Spirit.  The famous corporate version of this was at Pentecost, when Jews from every language were gathered at Jerusalem:

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”  Acts 2:1-4

Peter then states the even larger fulfillment yet to come:

“‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions,
And your old men shall dream dreams;
Even on My bondslaves, both men and women,
I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit
And they shall prophesy.”  Joel 2:28-29

Imagine a Pentecost experience for all mankind!  Lastly, John mentions baptism by fire.  Fire either purifies or destroys.  It will purify the faithful, but destroy the wicked.

“I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire and columns of smoke.
 “The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood
Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
 “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Will be delivered;
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who escape,
As the Lord has said,
Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”  Joel 2:30-32

“Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the day of the Lord is coming;
Surely it is near,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As the dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a great and mighty people;
There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
A fire consumes before them
And behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them
But a desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like war horses, so they run.
With a noise as of chariots
They leap on the tops of the mountains,
Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble,
Like a mighty people arranged for battle.
Before them the people are in anguish;
All faces turn pale.
They run like mighty men,
They climb the wall like soldiers;
And they each march in line,
Nor do they deviate from their paths.
They do not crowd each other,
They march everyone in his path;
When they burst through the defenses,
They do not break ranks.
They rush on the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They enter through the windows like a thief.
Before them the earth quakes,
The heavens tremble,
The sun and the moon grow dark
And the stars lose their brightness.
The Lord utters His voice before His army;
Surely His camp is very great,
For strong is he who carries out His word.
The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome,
And who can endure it?
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping and mourning;
And rend your heart and not your garments.”
Now return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
And relenting of evil.
Who knows whether He will not turn and relent
And leave a blessing behind Him,
Even a grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God?
Blow a trumpet in Zion,
Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,
Weep between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not make Your inheritance a reproach,
A byword among the nations.
Why should they among the peoples say,
‘Where is their God?’”  Joel 2:1-17

This heavenly army of Jesus will be a force to be reckoned with!  The army can march straight through walls!  This army will baptize with fire:

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.  His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.  He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.  And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”  Revelation 19:11-21

There is a naturally occurring fire in northern Iraq near Kirkuk that has been burning for 4000 years.  Some think it is the fire that Nebuchadnezzar threw Shadrach, Mechach, and Abed-nego into.  It was also an early major oil supply, first drilled in 1927.  Such fires as this and the garbage fires of the Kidron valley are images of the second death.  Evidently, there will be much fire at the battle of Armegeddon.  That’s why, “John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  Luke 3:16

“Then he stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands.  Now Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.  He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no god like You in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart; who has kept with Your servant David, my father, that which You have promised him; indeed You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. Now therefore, O Lord, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David, my father, that which You have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way, to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’  Now therefore, O Lord, the God of Israel, let Your word be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant David.

“But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.  Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You; that Your eye may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. Listen to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear from Your dwelling place, from heaven; hear and forgive.

“If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, then hear from heaven and act and judge Your servants, punishing the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

“If Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this house, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You have given to them and to their fathers.

“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them; then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.

“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, if there is locust or grasshopper, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is, whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own pain, and spreading his hands toward this house, then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men, that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.

“Also concerning the foreigner who is not from Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your great name’s sake and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray toward this house, then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, and fear You as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.”  2 Chronicles 6:12-33

Will this not take place?  Certainly there will be a complete fulfillment of this when Jesus is reigning.  As long as people repent there will be forgiveness.  “The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, “Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I will also go.”  So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.’  Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”  Zechariah 8:21-23

“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.  It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.  “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.  He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.  When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.  Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.  Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.  This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.”  John 21:1-14

The third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he rose from the dead, they miraculously caught 153 fish.  3X3X17 is 153.

“Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600.  He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.”  2 Chronicles 2:17-18

After Solomon was made king for the second time, he prayed for wisdom, and set about using the 153,600 foreigners to build the temple.  Does this picture the time after Jesus has revealed himself corporately to the Jews, and they start to build Ezekiel’s temple?  Does this have any relation to catching 153 after Jesus finished his ultimate sacrifice?  Maybe this is a stretch, but it’s fun to consider.

It is amazing to see what were the Messianic expectations of the first century.  Based on the 70 week prophecy of Daniel, many expected the Messiah to show up in the east in the first century.  They weren’t sure when the exact start date of Daniel’s 70 weeks were.  It’s even possible that the Jewish war of 66AD to 73AD was somewhat based on a Messiah that would emerge to throw off the Roman yoke.  Today there are similar expectations, again based on Daniel’s prophecy.  This time it’s that travel and knowledge would increase.  Everybody can see that that’s the case.  But it’s the same wrong idea that a strong man will show up to suddenly zap the bad guys.  That will not happen until Israel is in a desperate way.  It’s amazing how people continuiously want to make God in their own image.  We want to tell God our preferred scenario.  But God is in charge, not us.  Undoubtedly, just as people were severely disappointed that Jesus didn’t prove to be the strong man to boot out the Romans, they will also be dissappointed that he seemingly has shown up a second time and let bad things apparently continue.  For this reason their ideas of prophecy will be badly mistaken, and they will be like the unwise virgins who did not have enough oil when the bridegroom (Jesus) finally showed up.   It takes a great deal of faith and humility to see what most refuse to see.

“Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.  Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned.  The captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time.  Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation.  When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected.  He asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?”  Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.”

So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me; and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes.  Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”  Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer.  Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.  For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.”

When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, “I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head; and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”  Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.”

Thus it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.  He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand; but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them.  Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.”  Genesis 40

What does this mean?  If we take Joseph to represent Jesus, he has already been ‘killed’ by lowering him into a pit, then ‘raised from the dead’ by raising him out of the pit.  He was then taken to a far country (heaven).  He became a servant in a prominent home (God’s).  He does such a good job that Potiphar puts him in charge of his house.  But then he is tempted by Potiphar’s wife.  Here’s where the analogy seems to break down.  Was Jesus tempted in heaven even after he rose from the dead?  We can’t know; it seems a little far fetched.  Or does Joseph at this point represent the church still on earth?  The church was faithful after Jesus left.  But the church was also sorely tempted and tried.  It was in this temptation that Joseph was unjustly thrown in prison.  That matches the experience of the church.  But still the church is faithful.  Here the church comes into contact with two classes of people – the good and the bad.  The church prophecies that the good will be restored to fullness of life within three days – within three thousand years.  Likewise, the bad are prophecied to die within three days – three thousand years.  The feast when this happens is Pharaoh’s birthday.  Does God have a birthday?  Or is it the day he gave birth?  Perhaps the Day of Atonement is that day – the day of the Fall, and the day of Jubilee; complete restoration.  After two years in prison, Jospeh is made ruler of Egypt.  Now the interpretation returns to Joseph as Jesus, but also the church.  Within two thousand years of the crucifixion, Jesus is reigning, but the Israelites know it not.  And so it is now.  His revealing cannot take place until Israel has been returned from the dead, and they completely repent of their betrayal of Jesus.

Some interpret Joseph’s experience in prison with Jesus hanging between the two prisoners.  One is promised paradise, and the other is left for judgment.  This interpretation fits also.