To rescue us from our dire predicament in the Valley of Tears, God built an escape route, defined it with holy places, made a map of them, established a Church and entrusted the map to the Church. The Church has the map and knows the way. The map is a treasure map for treasure hunters engaged in a treasure hunt. The new exodus is making its escape from holy place to holy place through the evils of the Valley of Tears, across the Red Sea of Death and into the promised land.
At that holy places that define the escape route of the new Exodus, close encounters with the living God takes place. During a close encounter with the living God, a connection is made between earth and heaven. Through the connection, the light of paradise illuminates the darkness of godlessness. No one walks away from a close encounter with the living God unchanged. No one walks away from a close encounter with the living God empty handed.
Only by moving from holy place to holy place that define the escape route can we be sure that we are heading in the right direction.
The movement of the new exodus is the needle of the compass that always points in the direction of God.
The job of the Church is to facilitate the escape not to frustrate it, filter it or foul it up (Isaiah 57:14). The escape of the new Exodus from godlessness to paradise is primary. Nothing else matters. Everything else is secondary. Anything that interferes is suspect (Matthew 23:13). “Nobody left behind" is the motto of the escape. "Neither saint nor sinner” (Luke 15).
