Landslide at Adam, in Zaretan (Pierced)

“And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho” (Joshua 4:19).

This text refers to the crossing of Jordan by Israel at the close of the 40 year wilderness wandering. Moses had been taken by God, Joshua was the new leader, and for the first time, Israel collectively was crossing the Jordan into the land of promise. The 40 years of wilderness wandering in this respect represents the Gospel Age, prior to the Kingdom. Now the flow of the Jordan River was stopped by God, the Israelites passed over, and the long awaited Kingdom is pictured.

The Jordan River flows from highlands in the north, to lowlands in the south, ending at the Dead Sea, which is a picture of mankind dead in sin. As Ezekiel 47 refers to the Dead Sea as someday future teeming with life, so mankind, dead in sin, will be renewed to life in the Kingdom (Ezekiel 47:8-10).

Meanwhile, the Jordan River pictures the downward drift of mankind into death, which they have been experiencing for 6000 years. Thus, withdrawing the Jordan flow, allowing the Israelites to cross into the new land of promise, is a good picture of the opening of the Kingdom. When the ransom is applied to remove the curse, the downward flow of mankind into death will be interrupted.

Notice that in this experience of Joshua, the date is the 10th of the first month, which today is termed Nisan (Abib in earlier times). This is the date every year when Israel was to select their Passover lamb. This experience of Joshua’s day points to the time Israel will begin to recognize their Messiah, Jesus.

In Ezekiel 37, Israel is depicted as a nation reconstituted in four stages. The bones, then sinews, then muscles, and then skin represent four periods in the recovery of Israel nationally. That is, 1878 with Petah Tikvah, 1896 with the Zionist Movement of Theodore Herzl, 1917 with the Balfour Declaration, and 1948 when Israel reached national independence.

However, as yet Israel does not collectively embrace faith in Christ. They are not yet aware that Jesus, their Messiah, is responsible for their recovery. A number of Israelis today do embrace Jesus and are Christian. But they are a small number relative to the whole. When will the nation, as a whole, recognize Christ?

Micah 5:5-7

Two passages that seem relevant to this are Micah 5:5-7 and Zechariah 12:9, 10. In both cases Israel is delivered from a final threat, and a remarkable national change follows.

In the first passage, the enemy of Israel in Micah’s day was Assyria. However, the context of the narrative shows that a deeper meaning is intended, far in the future from Micah’s day. Micah 5:1 refers to the end of Zedekiah’s rule, “the judge of Israel” smitten “with a rod upon the cheek.” Verse 2 points to his successor, the next king of Israel, Jesus, who would be born at Bethlehem. Verse 3 explains that God will give Israel up to unpleasant circumstances “until the time that she [Israel] which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.” The travail intended is referred to earlier in Micah 4:10, the pain of Israel in bondage to Babylon of old literally, to spiritual Babylon of the Gospel Age in the deeper meaning. Verse 4 says that meanwhile Jesus “shall stand and rule [margin] in the strength of the LORD.” This Jesus has done during the Gospel Age, with Christianity spreading “unto the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4).

Micah 5:5 then takes us to the close of the age, and speaks of Israel’s final deliverance. “This shall be the peace: when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we [through earnest prayer to God] raise against him seven shepherds [kings], and eight princes of men [margin].” The seven kings will be the church beyond the veil, saving Israel from their final challenge. The eight princes are the Ancient Worthies who will point Israel to Jesus, the source of their deliverance.

Micah 5:6 says that the enemy will be reduced, while Israel “shall he [Jesus] deliver” from the oppressor, and Israel will be protected. Micah 5:7 then speaks of Israel’s condition subsequent to their deliverance. “The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass.” Israel will become a refreshing influence toward mankind, as the Kingdom opens its opportunities for the world.

Zechariah 12:9, 10

Zechariah lived long after Micah. By this time both the Assyrian Empire, and its successor the Babylonian Empire, had been subdued. Zechariah lived during the time of the Persian Empire, and his prophecy in chapter 11 looks forward to Jesus, who would be sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:13). Because Israel as a nation did not receive him, they would be cast off through the Gospel Age (Zechariah 1:14-17). Zechariah 12 then begins a prophecy of the restoration of Israel at the end of the age.

Verses 6 through 8 of Zechariah 12 refer to conflicts Israel has endured since they were restored as a nation. But a final conflict is still pending. Deliverance from that is addressed in Zechariah 12:9. “It shall come to pass … that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” This refers to God’s final deliverance of Israel, also described in the well-known Ezekiel chapter 38.

Then, Zechariah 12:10 says, “I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (ASV). Verses 11-14 continue to express Israel’s intense repentance for having rejected Jesus for so long.

It will be apparent to Israel that God has delivered them from disaster. But how will Israel know that deliverance has come through Christ? The Ancient Worthies, the “princes” of Micah 5:5, will be at hand to explain it to them. Perhaps at first there will be some uncertainty by Israel, whether the risen Ancient Worthies are indeed who they claim to be. But the remarkable deliverance will make it apparent that they are indeed ancient people of faith, raised again to direct Israel to Messiah.

Joshua 4:19

Israel’s recognition of Jesus is suggested by the date mentioned in Joshua 4:19, when the downward flow of the Jordan was interrupted. “The people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho” (Joshua 4:19). Notice the date of the crossing — the 10th of Nisan — the very date that Exodus 12:3 identifies as the time Israel was to identify their Passover lambs.

After crossing the Jordan on the 10th of Nisan, it came to the attention of the Israelites that they had not been circumcised during their wandering in the wilderness — just as Israel during the Gospel Age has not done well at circumcision of the heart. As Jeremiah 4:4 advises, “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart.” Joshua 5:2-5 then describes that the men of Israel were circumcised, picturing for us that after recognizing Messiah, there will be a national reformation of heart. This will prepare Israel for the new circumstances of the Kingdom, including their leading role in it.

After a few days of healing, Israel was ready to enter into the Passover observance completely. This is something they had not observed for the previous 39 years while in the wilderness. Numbers chapter 9 does record a Passover one year after the Exodus. But thereafter Israel refused God’s direction to enter the land of promise, they wandered another 39 years, and there is no record in those years of any Passover observance.

Similarly, early in the Gospel Age, there were a good number of Jewish believers who appreciated Jesus as the Passover lamb. But for the remainder of the Gospel Age, most of Israel refused to recognize Jesus as their redeeming lamb.

Soon, in the Kingdom, after they recognize Jesus and enter a full hearted national repentance, they will appreciate that Jesus was offered for their sin. He will be recognized and celebrated. In this way, they will observe Passover antitypically. Joshua 5:10, “And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.”

The next texts, Joshua 5:11, 12, say “And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan.” Israel then, in the Kingdom, will enter a new arrangement, full of faith, and be strengthened by the nourishment of Christ’s Kingdom.

How the River Jordan Was Stopped

Joshua 3:16 provides the explanation. “The waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those [waters] that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.” The word “Adam” of course reminds us that the curse, represented in the downward flow of the Jordan, began at Adam. When the Kingdom begins, the curse will be lifted by the application of the merit of Jesus. That will allow the raising of the Ancient Worthies, who will point out to Israel that Jesus, their redeemer, died for the sin of Adam.

The location of the city of Adam is said to be “beside Zaretan.” The word Zaretan, per Strong’s Concordance, means “pierced.” What an engaging connection to the time when Israel will “look unto me whom they have pierced.”

As Israel under Joshua gradually expanded thereafter, for the next six years, Israel under Jesus will expand their influence in the world. They will conquer by conversion. The problems of 6000 years of the Adamic curse will be overcome. “The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also” (Zechariah 8:21). Then, antitypically, “there shall be no more … Canaanite” (Zechariah 14:21).