The Kinsman-Redeemer

When God gave the law through Moses, He knew that the children of Israel would need mercy, so He instituted a series of statutes that would affect the social life of His people. One of those provisions was the law of the kinsman-redeemer. This law is vividly set forth in the Book of Leviticus.

“And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family:
“After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:
“Either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.
“And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile; and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time
of an hired servant shall it be with him.
“If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.
“And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubile, then he shall count with him, and according unto his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption.
“And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight.
“And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubile, both he, and his children with him.
“For unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they are My servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 25:47-55).

The average person today might read this passage and think, “What does that have to do with me? We are not under the law. Slavery has been abolished. We have no such practice today and this portion is the record of a custom which has long since died.”

Before we so easily dismiss any part of the Word of God as dead history or as not applicable for today, we would do well to consider the testimony of the Word to its own timelessness.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16,17).
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

The Details and Application

The law of the kinsman-redeemer is not only a record of God’s mercy to poor Jews under the law, but also a wonderful type or shadow of God’s present-day mercy to all the world through the great Kinsman-Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us glean some of the details of this law as to better appreciate its beauty and its fulfillment in Christ.

1. Hebrew brother could sell himself into slavery if poverty should overtake him.
2. After the brother became a slave, he could be redeemed (bought back) out of bondage by a member of his family and set free. (This was the “nigh of kin;” thus the term “kinsman-redeemer”). See the beautiful story of Ruth (Ruth 4:1-22).
3. He could also redeem himself out of slavery from accumulated pay, as he was to receive some wages for his work.
4. His master was not to rule over him with vigor (ruthlessly, severely, or brutally).
5. If he could not redeem himself or if a relative could not or was unwilling, he would go out free in the Year of Jubilee.
6. The Year of Jubilee, also known as the “year of liberty” (Ezek. 46:17), was every fiftieth year after seven cycles of seven years (Lev. 25:10).
7. The poor could also sell the land of their inheritance to another (Lev. 25:25-28), which could later be redeemed or returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee.
8. The price for the redemption of land or men was set according to the number of years from the Year of Jubilee. If the number of years was small, the redemption price was small. If the number of years was great, the redemption price was great.
9. The Year of Jubilee was a gracious provision from God because the sons of Israel were really His servants whom He brought out from the bondage of the Egyptians. The land of Israel belonged to God, which He gave to the Hebrews as their eternal inheritance.

Now that we know the details of the law, we can begin to see the spiritual interpretations based on subsequent Bible history and the reality of Jesus Christ as the Kinsman-Redeemer. While the primary interpretation is to Israel, I think we can legitimately make many precious applications for us Gentiles under the dispensation of grace.

The poverty of spirit caused by sin translates into a bondage to the master of darkness to which all men naturally belong (Eph. 2:1-3). Slavery to sin and Satan is the lot of all those born of Adam, and that results in a state of hopelessness from which all are helpless to extricate themselves (Rom. 5:6; Eph. 2:12). What comes next is where the reality is held in sharp contrast with the shadow. Unlike the law of the kinsman-redeemer in Leviticus 25, a slave, sold under sin, is powerless to redeem himself; neither is his kin able to do so.

“None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)” (Psa. 49:7-8).

The sense of the last part of the above “and it ceaseth for ever” is that kinsmen should halt forever the attempt to pay for their redemption. The abyss of man’s depravity is far too deep and the cost of the soul much too expensive to be purchased with silver or gold. The only answer, if there is an answer, must reside in God Himself. The brightness of the Lord’s voice pierces the darkness with a message of love and hope.

“Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go” (Isa. 48:17).

The title of “Redeemer” is used of God 18 times in the Old Testament (Job 19:25; Psa. 19:14; 78:35; Prov. 23:11; Isa. 41:14; 43:14; 44:6,24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7,26; 54:5,8; 59:20; 60:16; 63:16; Jer. 50:34) and is the English translation of the Hebrew word “Gaal.” It is the same word that is used in Leviticus concerning the kinsman-redeemer. It means simply to redeem, purchase, or ransom. The first occurrence of the word, and one of the most striking, is from a man whose patience in suffering is legendary.

“I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:25,26).

An Old Testament Riddle

One thing that must have puzzled the sages of old is how their Gaal (Redeemer), Who is the Lord God, could also be a blood relative. How could this be? Is it even possible? How would God do it? The chasm between the majesty of God and that of man was so great as to seem impossible to bridge. The making of a Kinsman-Redeemer for Israel would, of necessity, involve some kind of miracle in which God would take on human (Jewish) flesh and blood. Perhaps this was confirmed in their minds by passages such as this:

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emnanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:23 cf. Isa. 7:14).

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6,7).

A virgin conceiving a son who is “God with us” and a child being born who is called “The mighty God”? Is anything too hard for the Lord? Fast forward 800 years into the future and ear the words of God to the Hebrews of Christ’s day.

“For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren…” (Heb. 2:16,17).

Paul wrote to the Gentiles of the same necessity of God being made in the likeness of human flesh.

“[Christ Jesus] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6,7).

The Divine Recompense

We have seen the miracle of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ into a human body, but it still doesn’t answer the issue of payment. Jesus was a modest carpenter and had little of the world’s goods. What did He have that was so precious that it would purchase freedom for His brethren and satisfy the claims of justice for the sins of the whole world? The next verse from Philippians is the key.

“And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).

There was something in Christ’s death on the cross that God found supremely satisfying and which flung open the prison doors to all who would enter in by faith.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:18,19).

“…and without shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness]” (Heb. 9:22).

“And He is the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

Jesus Christ fulfilled His mission to be man’s Kinsman-Redeemer. He became a man without relinquishing His deity. He lived a perfect life without sin. He voluntarily laid down His life on the cross in obedience to the Father’s will. And the blood that flowed from His body became the precious payment for the sins of the world. This last statement should be unspeakably precious to us Gentiles, since the law of the kinsman-redeemer applied only to Israel. Paul confirmed the wideness of the merits of Christ’s redemption when he wrote to the Gentiles.

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).

“…Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us…redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).

“In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

Something More?

As wonderful as the redemption of our souls is, it does not stop there. The whole matter of inheritance comes into play, for another function of the kinsman-redeemer is to buy back the property rights of the poor and return them to the family. After Christ’s return, He will bring back the believing remnant of Israel to the land of promise and enlarge their borders far beyond that of Solomon. It will extend from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates (Gen. 15:18; Ex. 23:31; Deut. 1:7,8) and will be their everlasting possession (Amos 9:14,15). It will be a Jubilee, not for a year, but for a millennium (Rev. 20:4-6). The joy of the Lord will characterize the Kingdom of Christ and it will merge into the eternal state of God’s kingdom.

As for the Gentiles in the dispensation of grace, God has given us a heavenly inheritance which shall not be taken away (Eph. 1:11,18). We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). Or to use an earthly illustration: If our father loved us enough to buy us a new car, wouldn’t he also throw in the air-conditioning, power windows, cruise control, and adjustable seats? Our heavenly Father has sent His Son to purchase our redemption and with it all the privileges of inheritance. We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ and have a heavenly citizenship with all the rights and privileges (Eph. 1:3; Phil. 3:20). God has not left out anything that could diminish our enjoyment of spiritual life on earth or in heaven. Christ Himself is our inheritance as we are His.

“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).

The Final Offer

Are you weary of working a field of harvest that only brings disappointment? Do you long for a life worth living? Has your wise plan gone awry, and now you thirst for the fulfillment that only freedom in Christ can bring? We must be willing not only to recognize our bondage, but also have humility enough to receive the free gift of salvation by faith alone.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Our Kinsman-Redeemer is waiting with open arms to receive His brother. Your debt of sin has been fully paid with His life’s blood. Trust Him now and God’s family will be your family. Christ’s inheritance will be your inheritance, and you will eat at His table of all good things.

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15).

The appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ for His own Church is one of the most attested to revelations in all of Paul’s writings. Paul intended for this to be a purifying expectation and a comfort to those who are suffering. However, in recent years this blessed hope has been attacked from all sides as either a misunderstanding emanating from the dispensationalists or as a misguided illusion that has gained an audience among those who refuse to consider church history and tradition.

It has been well said that the pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church to heaven was the last truth recovered from the Bible by teachers who championed dispensational truth, and now, after a period of popularity, it is becoming the first recovered truth that is losing support among believers. Whether it is currently popular or supported by church history is immaterial in the end. The issue is this: Is it correct according to the Scriptures rightly divided? In Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church this short article we will review in a concise form some of the most convincing Scriptural reasons why we believe that the Rapture of the Church will happen before the coming Tribulation.

The Rapture of the Church is a Distinctive Pauline Truth

We do not read of the Rapture of the Church outside of Paul’s epistles. Paul taught by revelation that the Church, the Body of Christ, is a mystery (or secret) unknown to men of previous ages (Eph. 3:1-6; Col. 1:25-27). The Rapture is the blessed hope of this Church and the final act of God for our dispensation. Therefore, it cannot be a part of Israel’s program of prophecy outlined by the Old Testament prophets. Since those prophets foretold of the Tribulation (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21), the Body of Christ cannot be there without violating its distinctive character as a new creation separate and distinct from Israel (Eph. 2:14-17). Anyone who puts the Church through any part of the Tribulation must deal with the incongruity of a secret church participating in a prophesied era. Some pre-tribulationists have unwittingly weakened their position by claiming the Rapture was revealed by Christ in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25), which is most assuredly an integral part of Israel’s prophetic program. MidActs dispensationalism greatly strengthens the pre-Tribulation position. Where you begin the Church determines where you end it! It began with God’s revelation to Paul after Israel’s fall in unbelief and will end before God resumes His dealings with them as a nation.

Paul tells us that the Church has been delivered from the wrath to come (1 Thes. 1:10; 5:9; Rom. 5:9). The wrath of God covers the beginning, middle, and end of the Tribulation, as well as the Second Coming of Christ (Rev. 1:10; 6:16-17; 19:11-21; 2 Thes. 1:7-10; Isa. 63:1-6).

The dispensation of grace ends before the Tribulation begins. It is impossible to execute a program of grace and a program of judgment at the same time. They are mutually exclusive.

• There are different gospels proclaimed. Grace (Acts 20:24; Rom. 3:24) and Kingdom (Matt. 24:14). If the Church were in the Tribulation, we could not obey Paul’s command to fight against evil principalities and powers in heavenly places since they will have been cast down to earth (Rev. 12:7-9; Eph.6:12).
• There are different programs involved. Under grace, God is working a program of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-21). He is withholding judgment to administer His grace (Rom. 5:20-21). Compare Psalm 2 with Acts 7.

Daniel’s Seventieth Week Pertains to Israel, Not the Body of Christ

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Dan. 9:24-27).
“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jer. 30:7).

This should be a weighty argument for dispensationalists who make a stark distinction between Israel and the Church. The great object of Satanic attack during the last half of the Tribulation is the remnant of Israel, not the Body of Christ (Rev. 12:9-12). The two witnesses and the 144,000 will be the chief actors for God during this time. These are all Jewish (Rev. 7:1-8; 11:3-12).

Finally, it is the remnant of Israel who will be waiting for Christ’s return after the Tribulation, not the Church (Mal. 3:16-18; Ezek. 20:33-38; 37:11-28; Zech. 13:8-9; 12:10-14). The Gentiles who are saved during the Tribulation come to a knowledge of Christ through Israel’s testimony, not the Body of Christ.

Further Considerations

Paul spoke as though the Rapture was imminent: That is, as far as we know, it could happen at any time. Paul himself expected to be raptured but knew the Tribulation had not begun (1 Thes. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:51).

Members of the Body of Christ are never warned or prepared to go through the Tribulation. This omission is especially telling considering that Christ, in His ministry to the Jews, both warns and prepares them to go through it (see Matthew chapters 10, 24, 25; Mark 13; Luke 21).

None of the Second Coming passages mention the Rapture of believers being caught up in the clouds of the air. We can check out the Old Testament and see many prophecies of Christ’s Second Coming to Israel and the nations to bring in the Davidic Kingdom on earth, but none of them refer to the revelation of 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. This is also true of the Gospels, the Circumcision Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.

The last days of Israel’s prophetic program and the last days of the Body of Christ do not match: Jesus warned the Jews of His day to look for signs that would herald His coming (Luke 21:20-27). “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). They were not to began looking for the coming of the Lord until these signs begin to appear. In contrast, Paul gives no signs, only spiritual and moral trends that could be descriptive of any place in church history (1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-9; 4:3-4). As Pastor J.C. O’Hair used to say, “We are not looking for the signs of the times because this is not the time for the signs.”

The relation of church and government: Members of the Body of Christ are told to be subject to governmental authorities and to pray for them (Rom. 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Tim. 2:1-4). This will be out of place in the Tribulation as the government will be under the control of Satan and the Beast (Rev. 13:4).

The necessity of an interval: After the Rapture, the Judgment Seat of Christ must take place before believers enter the Kingdom (Rom. 14:10-12; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 4:5). This “meeting in the air” is not to determine salvation or damnation but reward or loss of reward for the believers. The interval of at least seven years between the Rapture and the Second Coming seems adequate to accommodate the many millions of saints for the “Bema Seat.” This would require a pre-Tribulation Rapture.

The argument of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: The Thessalonians were well schooled in God’s prophetic program (1 Thes. 5:1-3). If they believed, or if it was Paul’s intent to teach, that the living members of the Body of Christ would go through the tribulation before being “caught up,” they should have rejoiced for their “dead in Christ” rather than mourned. After all, they were with the Lord and had missed the persecution of the Man of Sin and the wrath of Satan. Instead, they were confused about the details of the Rapture (not the day of the Lord) and received instruction to comfort one another that they would all participate in the Rapture together and so miss this terrible time of trouble.

This passage presents three prophetic phrases:

• The times and seasons (Acts 1:7).
• The Day of the Lord (Zeph. 1:14-18).
• A thief in the night (Matt. 24:43; Rev. 3:3).

These three have to do exclusively with Israel’s prophetic program, not the Mystery of the Body of Christ or the dispensation of grace. These are set off from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 by the word “But” (v. 1), which shows the dis-relationship between these three and the Rapture. Paul taught by contrast.

According to the passage, the announcement of “Peace and safety” happens before the day of the Lord. If the day of the Lord refers only to the Second Coming of Christ after the Tribulation (as post-tribulationists say it does), then it will have them saying “Peace and safety” at the end of the Tribulation while in the midst of the Battle of Armageddon. Something is awry here!

Since the Tribulation gets worse in judgment (with the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials of God’s wrath), no one will be able to say peace and safety then. Therefore, the Rapture must come before the Tribulation.

The argument of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-7: Paul pleaded with the believers not to be “shaken” or “troubled” by false reports that they were in “the day of the Lord.” Such pleading he made in virtue of “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him” (v. 1). Again, Paul’s purpose was one of comfort and encouragement. They would not be subject to the day of God’s wrath because of the expectation of Christ’s coming. At this point, most post-tribulationists again make a sharp distinction between the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. The Tribulation (they say) is the wrath of men, the wrath of the Antichrist, and the wrath of Satan, while the Day of the Lord comes afterward and is the wrath of God.

The trouble with the Thessalonians was that while they were bravely enduring persecutions and tribulations (2 Thes. 1:4), the enemy had confused them with these false reports that they had actually entered the time of the Lord’s vengeance upon the world. Now if the distinction between the time of Tribulation and the Day of the Lord was as stark as post-tribulationists insist that it is, there would have been no better opportunity to clarify the issue than right here.

Here are the facts:

• The Thessalonian Christians knew they were being persecuted by the unbelievers.
• They thought this could be the Day of the Lord.
• This was contrary to what Paul had taught them previously.
• Paul had not changed his teaching on this.
• He made no attempt to correct the error by instructing them that they could not be in the Day of the Lord’s wrath since they were being persecuted by men (the wrath of men).
• Instead, he referred them to his original teaching while among them.

Before the Day of the Lord, there must be:

1. A falling away (KJV): Greek hee apostasia, literally “the departure.” Not just from Bible doctrine but the departure of the Church to heaven via the Rapture (2 Thes. 2:1; 1 Thes. 4:15-18).
2. Man of Sin revealed: This revelation will occur when “the prince that shall come” shall make a covenant with Israel for one week of years (Dan. 9:26-27). Since the wise will be able to identify the Antichrist at the beginning of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, it necessitates a pre-Tribulation Rapture.
3. The removal of the Restrainer: The expression “what withholdeth” is neuter, but its masculine equivalent is in verse 7, “until he be taken out of the way.” This is undoubtedly the Holy Spirit in the Church at the Rapture.

We have seen that the preTribulation Rapture of the church is well supported by Paul’s teaching in a variety of different ways. This truth is more than just academic or one in which we have been armed to win arguments. It should also make an impact on our faith and life as Christians. If it is really true that Christ could appear for us at any moment, how does that affect your attitude toward the work of Christ in your particular ministry? Does that give you a desire to be about the Master’s business seeing that the time could be short? Do you hold to the teaching of the pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church? Wonderful! Now does that truth hold you?

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:15-17).