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Types of Christ, Part 6, Joseph (2)

When Revelation 19:13 tells us that Christ’s robe was dipped in blood, it identified Him not only as Joseph but also as the second bird (or dove) in Leviticus 14:4. As you may know, it took two birds to cleanse lepers after God had healed them. The first was killed, and the second was dipped in the blood of the first bird and released into the open field (Leviticus 14:6, 7).

This prophesied that the first Messiah had to die, and in the second coming, the Messiah was to be released into the open field. Jesus said in Matthew 13:38, “the field is the world.” So this prophesied that the Messiah was to be released into the world, which is the second coming of Christ. Jesus came the first time as the Son of David (Judah), and He will come the second time as the Son of Joseph (or Ephraim).

David’s Suffering

Joseph suffered for about 12 years as a slave in Egypt and also during his imprisonment prior to His elevation to power. Yet the last 70 years of his life were spent as Pharaoh’s highest official, and nothing further is said about any suffering. Yet David suffered most of his life. Not only did he suffer persecution from Saul for about 12 years, but his psalms reflect much mental anguish at the hand of his enemies. Hence, Psalm 22, Psalm 69, and many others record David’s prayer for deliverance.

David’s biggest heartache occurred when his son Absalom usurped his throne. David had to flee across the Jordan to a land outside the borders of Israel. As he left Jerusalem, he offered a sacrifice on the Mount of Olives where the ashes of the red heifer were stored. 2 Samuel 15:30 KJV says,

³⁰ And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot; and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.

Verse 32 adds,

³² And it came to pass that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him….

Jesus followed the same pattern when He was crucified in the same location outside the city where the people were purified before entering Jerusalem. So Hebrews 13:10-13 says,

¹⁰ We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. ¹² Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. ¹³ So let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

The author of Hebrews interprets this to mean that Christians must come to Christ and have faith in His sacrifice outside Jerusalem. We worship God at an altar of the heavenly Jerusalem under a New Covenant. Those who consider the earthly Jerusalem to be their “mother” have no right to partake of His sacrifice.

David was also betrayed by his counselor and friend, Ahithophel, who was the grandfather of his wife, Bathsheba. This was also very painful to David, and he wrote about this often. Psalm 41:9 says,

⁹ Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Psalm 55:12-14 says,

¹² For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. ¹³ But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend; ¹⁴ we who had sweet fellowship together, walked in the house of God in the throng.

Ahithophel was a type of betrayer. He was David’s “Judas.” All the psalms about Ahithophel were fulfilled a thousand years later when Judas betrayed Jesus. This is why Jesus called him “friend” (Matthew 26:50). Enemies may kill you, but only a friend can betray you.

Just as Ahithophel later hanged himself (2 Samuel 17:23 KJV), so also did Judas hang himself (Matthew 27:5). In doing this, he helped to reveal the fact that Jesus was acting the part of David, and Judas was acting the part of Ahithophel. Caiaphas, who crucified Jesus and usurped His throne, played the role of Absalom.

When Absalom usurped David’s throne, and when Ahithophel betrayed him, it added to David’s sufferings and ultimately proved that it was Messiah ben David who was the suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. The priests in Jesus’ day, however, refused to acknowledge this, not wanting to admit that they had played the key role in the sufferings of the Messiah. I believe that this is also why they cannot admit that Messiah be David was the suffering Servant but make Joseph the one who suffers. Even so, Joseph too was betrayed by his brothers.

Joseph is Betrayed

Genesis 37:23-27 tells us,

²³ So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty without any water in it… ²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites…

We see here that this was Judah’s idea. The Greek form of Judah is Judas. It suggests that in the second coming of Christ (as Joseph), his brothers will betray Him once again in some manner, playing the role of Ahithophel and Judas.

The reason for this betrayal, however, is different from the New Testament betrayal. In Christ’s first appearance, He was betrayed and crucified over the issue of the scepter (Genesis 49:10). Jesus came as the Messiah ben Judah to claim the throne of His father David. The religious leaders disagreed with His claim and usurped the throne for themselves. See also Jesus’ parable in Matthew 21:37, 38, which tells us,

³⁷ But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” ³⁸ But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.”

Jesus was telling us plainly that those responsible to keep the vineyard knew that He was the Messiah and that this is why they killed Him. It was not done through ignorance, although most of the common people, of course, remained ignorant of their motive.

The controversy in the time of the second coming of Christ is over Joseph’s birthright (1 Chronicles 5:2). The birthright is the right to bring forth the sons of God. It is the Fruitfulness Mandate first stated in Genesis 1:28. That is why Genesis 49:22 says, “Joseph is a fruitful bough.” The Hebrew word for “bough” is ben, “a son, a branch on the family tree.” Again, Joseph’s son Ephraim, who received the birthright, was given a name that means “a double portion of fruit.” The tribe of Ephraim became the leading tribe of the northern House of Israel.

In the past century and a half, the controversy has arisen over who has the right to bring forth the sons of God. Who is “chosen?” John 1:11-13 says gives us the answer:

¹¹ He came to His own [tribe], and those who were His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³ which were born, not of blood [or bloodline] nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John says that only those who believe in Jesus Christ have the right to become the sons of God. Those who reject Him, even if they claim to be qualified by bloodline, do not carry the birthright. Messiah ben Joseph is the Head of the birthright company, those who are NOW the sons of God (1 John 3:2), but we are waiting to be manifested at the second coming of Christ.

But about 1850, the church began to move in a different direction, claiming that the Jews are God’s chosen people, attributing the birthright to them on account of bloodline, or genealogy. Not all believers subscribe to that teaching, of course, but it has become the dominant view among Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, and Pentecostals today--not unbelievers, but "friends" of Christ.

This teaching gave rise to Christian Zionism, which supports the claims of those who reject and hate Jesus Christ. Hence, Messiah ben Joseph has again been betrayed by His friends and brethren (Christians) who take the side of the Jews and assist them, even as Ahithophel assisted Absalom and as Judas assisted Caiaphas. The controversy has shifted its focus from Christ’s throne rights to His birthright, but in either case, the betrayal is real.