Article 4
Types and Antitypes
The Old Testament has been called, “The Neglected Continent of the Bible.” Many know the Old Testament just for a few favorite chapters. Others think of it only as giving a few biographical sketches. But few realize that for every New Testament doctrine, there is a type in the Old Testa. ment. Historical events took place as recorded in the Old Testament in order to illustrate, typify, or symbolize New Testament truths. Note carefully I Cor. 10:11, “Now all these things happened unto them for en. samples (types): and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” The Old Testament contains the object lesson, and the New Testament contains the explanation of that object lesson. Prov. 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” The Old Testament is God’s picture book, His object lessons, His building blocks. In the New Testament these blocks are put together and they always spell out or point to some phase of the person or work of the Lord Jesus Christ and our relation to Him. The coats of skin with which God covered Adam and Eve; the sacrifices of Cain and Abel; the names of the Old Testament characters; Noah’s Ark; Egypt; Pharoah; the ten plagues; the Passover; the Red Sea; the wilderness; the manna; the Jordan River; the land of promise, etc.-ALL OF THESE ARE TYPES and are written for our admonition.Our Lord reproved the disciples on the road to Emmaus as “fools and slow of heart to believe ALL that the prophets had spoken.” The prophets spoke in type, symbol, materials, colors, animals, buildings, persons, events, and in divers manners concerning Christ. Just think for one minute-EVERYTHING in the Tabernacle, the shape, materials, col. ors-all that was in the Tabernacle portrays something about Christ and His ministry and work.
In the Book of Hebrews (5:10, 11), the Spirit of the Lord rebukes Chris. tians very sharply for their imperfect knowledge of Melchizedek as a type of Christ in His coming Kingdom when He shall be the Prince of Peace and King of kings; thus beyond any shadow of doubt, it is the DUTY and PRIVILEGE of Christians with the help of the Holy Spirit of God to search into the types of the Scripture and come to a correct understanding of them. In fact, the types of Scripture, especially those relating to the return, rule, judgment, kingdom, and the part Christians may have in His kingdom, and kindred subjects, are called by the Spirit of the Lord THE MEAT OF THE WORD. Christians are urged to leave the milk of the Word, the elementary things pertaining to salvation, and to go on to maturity by feeding on the meat, that is, the types of the Word of Righteousness-the Old Testament.
Though the word type does not occur in the King James Version, it does occur in the Greek text. In I Cor. 10:6-11 we have the word tupoi from the word tupos from which comes our English word type. In Heb. 9:24 and I Pet. 3:21 we have the words antitupa and antitupon from which comes our word antitype. A TYPE is a divine illustration of some truth or doctrine which is foreshadowed. For instance, the Passover lamb, its characteristics, blood shedding, application of the blood on the doorposts and lintel which brought deliverance to Israel-all these are types of the Lord Jesus Christ who brings salvation to all who will apply His shed blood through faith to their lost and undone condition. Again, Egypt is a type of the world from which we are delivered. The wilderness is a type of our pilgrimage from the time of salvation until we enter the promised land. Canaan, the promised land, is a type of the Millennial land and the reign of Christ and His saints who qualify to reign with Him.
JOSEPH-A TYPE OF CHRIST
Not only is First Corinthians ten verse eleven Scripture for studying Joseph as a type of Christ, but in Psalms 81:5 we read that Joseph was ordained by God as a testimony, or type, in all his Egyptian experiences, and I want to call your attention to about twenty-seven analogous and typical relations between Joseph and Christ.
1. Joseph was the son of his father’s old age (Gen. 37:3). Jesus was the Son of God the Father’s old age, that is, He was God’s Son of eternity-from eternity to eternity-no beginning and no ending (John 1:1).
2. Joseph was greatly beloved of his father, more so than all of the other children (Gen. 37:3). Jesus was the beloved Son of His Father (Matt. 3:17).
3. Joseph received from his father a coat of many colors (Gen. 37:3). This coat typified three things: First, that Joseph was the son and heir of his father (Jesus was the Son and Heir of God the Father-Heb. 1:2). Second, the coat of many colors revealed the exalted dignity bestowed upon Joseph by Israel his father (.Jesus was highly exalted by God the Father-Phil. 2:9-11). Third, the many colors depicted many offices which Joseph would hold (Jesus was the holder of many offices as signified by His many crowns,’ and He had many different names showing further the different aspects of His person and work-Rev. 19:12).
4. Joseph had two dreams prophesying his sovereignty over his brethren (Gen. 37:5-11). Jesus had a prophecy concerning His sovereignty over His brethren (Luke 1:33).
5. Joseph willingly accepted the commission to go unto his brethren and see about their welfare (Gen. 37:13). Jesus willingly obeyed the Father by laying aside His glory and coming to earth to see about His brethren and their welfare (Heb. 10:7).
6. Joseph sought only his brethren (Gen. 37:13). Jesus came only to His brethren, the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 15:24).
7. Joseph’s first contact with his brethren was while they were shepherds (Gen. 37:13, 16). Jesus’ first announcement was by the angels to the shepherds in the fields (Luke 2:15).
8. Joseph wandered around in the field when he sought his brethren (Gen. 37:15). Jesus was a wanderer in the field (the field is the world) while seeking His brethren, and He had no place to call His home (Luke 9:58; Matt. 13:38).
9. Joseph found his brethren in Dothan. Dothan means “bound by custom” or “under the law” (Gen. 37:17). Jesus found His brethren slaves to the traditions or customs of the Jews and the ritualism and formalism of the Judaistic worship.
10. Joseph’s brethren refused to receive him (Gen. 37:18, 19). Jesus came unto His own and His own received Him not (John 1:11).
11. Joseph’s brethren conspired to slay him (Gen. 37:18, 20). Jesus’ brethren took counsel against Him to put Him to death (Matt. 27:1).
12. Joseph’s brethren mocked and ridiculed him (Gen. 37:18, 19). Jesus was mocked and ridiculed by the chief priests and scribes, and Herod’s men (Luke 23:10, 11).
13. Joseph was sold by his brethren as a slave (Gen. 37:27). Jesus was sold by one of His brethren for the price of a slave (Matt. 26:14, 15).
14. Joseph was cast into the pit by his brethren (Gen. 37:24). Jesus was to descend into the pit also for three days and nights (Matt. 12:40).
15. Joseph was stripped of his coat (Gen. 37:23). Jesus was stripped of His coat (Matt. 27:35).
16. Joseph was taken out of the pit alive (Gen. 37:28). Jesus came out of the pit alive (Matt. 28:6).
17. Joseph was thought by one of his brethren, Reuben, to be dead because he did not find him in the pit and he did not know what had happend to him (Gen. 37:29). Jesus’ brethren, the Jews, think He is dead today, not knowing what has happened to Him.
18. Joseph’s coat, dipped in blood, was presented to his father-a goat’s kid dying in Joseph’s place (Gen. 37:31, 32). Jesus’ blood was presented to the Father as an atonement for the sins of others (Heb. 9:12).
19. Joseph, rejected by his brethren, became the saviour of the world while he was in Egypt. Jesus, rejected by the Jews, became the Saviour of the whole world (Rom. 11:15).
20. Joseph, rejected by his brethren, sat on the right hand of the throne of power in Egypt (Gen. 41:39-44). Jesus, rejected by the Jews, is seated on the right hand of the Throne of Power (Heb. 8:1).
21. Joseph, in his rejection, took unto himself a Gentile bride (Gen. 41:45). Jesus, in His rejection, is taking unto Himself a Gentile bride (Acts 15:14).
22. Joseph’s brethren, because of great tribulation, were forced to go to Joseph for help (Gen. 42:1-3). Jesus’ brethren, amid great tribulation, shall call upon Him who is the Lord (Deut. 30:1, 2).
23. Joseph’s brethren did not know him, but Joseph knew them (Gen. 42:8). Jesus knows His brethren but they do not know Him (Hos. 5:3).
24. Joseph punished his brethren before he revealed himself to them (Gen. 42:7). Jesus will punish His brethren before He reveals Himself to them (Matt. 24:21, 30).
25. Joseph revealed himself to his brethren on the third day (Gen. 42:18). Jesus will reveal Himself to His brethren on the third day (Hos. 6:1, 2).
26. Joseph’s brethren carried the proclamation that Joseph was alive and the ruler over all the land (Gen. 45:26). Jesus’ brethren will carry the proclamation to all the land that He is alive and their Messiah (John 4:22; Rev. 7; Matt. 24:14).
27. Joseph was in the place of God, not only for his brethren’s sake, but for the sake of the whole world (Gen. 50:19, 20). Jesus, as God, shall rule over all the earth (Isa. 9:6, 7). This brief study of Joseph as a type of Christ should be a revelation to one in his study of the Person and office work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
A PROPHET LIKE UNTO MOSES
“For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me,. him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among you” (Acts 3:22, 23).
This Scripture is a prophecy given by Moses in Deut. 18:15, 18 and 19. The Apostle Peter in quoting this in his second sermon makes it very clear that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Prophet to Whom Moses referred; therefore the subject of this article may be called “Christ, a Prophet like unto Moses.”
The Word of God is our authority for saying that Moses is a type of Christ. There are analogies between the lives and ministries of these two which are enlightening to the extent that Christ is far better understood and appreciated after a study like this one. We propose to set down some of the corresponding features between the two.
1. Moses was recognized by his parents as a goodly child and was greatly beloved of his parents.Jesus grew in favor with God and man and was greatly beloved of His Father.
2. At the time of Moses’ birth all the male children of Israel were being put to death by the head of the government, Pharaoh. Soon after the birth of Jesus, the male children of Bethlehem were put to death by the head of the government, Herod.
3. Moses was miraculously preserved by the power of God. Jesus was miraculously preserved by the power of God.
4. Moses found a haven of refuge in Egypt. Jesus found a haven of refuge in Egypt. (This came to pass that the prophecy-“out of Egypt have I called My Son” – might be fulfilled in Israel and the Lord Jesus Christ, both of whom are called God’s first-born Son.)
5. Moses grew into manhood in comparative silence. Jesus grew into manhood in comparative silence.
6. When Moses reached his majority he had to choose between his own will and that of doing the will of God for the people of God. Jesus, having obtained full manhood at the age of thirty, had to choose whether He would serve self or the Lord, and He chose to serve the Lord.
7. Moses aligned himself with the people of God when he forsook the palace and went to the children of Israel, a slave people. Jesus at His baptism identified Himself with a people who were slaves of sin.
8. Moses was rejected by his own brethren at his first appearance unto them. Jesus was rejected by His own brethren at His first appearance.
9. Moses’ life was jeopardized and he had to flee into a far country. Christ’s life was jeopardized and surrendered, but He arose from the dead and went into a far country (His ascension into Heaven).
10. Moses, while in the far country, married a Gentile bride. Christ, while in Heaven, is taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name.
11. Moses’ appearance to the people of Israel and their rejection of him intensified and aggravated their suffering as slaves. Jesus’ appearance unto His own and their rejection of Him intensified and aggravated their sinful condition.
12. The plight of the children of Israel became so severe during Moses’ absence that they cried out to the Lord. The plight of the Jews during Christ’s absence will become so severe (the Great Tribulation) that they will call upon the Lord.
13. The Lord heard the cry of Israel in Egypt and prepared to send Moses back to deliver them. The Lord will hear the cry of the Jews in the time of Jacob’s trouble and will prepare to send Jesus back.
NOTE: In this connection I want to call attention to a blessed and sublime truth. Moses’ wife Zipporah and Joseph’s wife Asenath, both of whom are types of the bride of Christ, do not have any part in the suffering of the children of Israel. This reveals to us that the church, the bride of Christ, will have no part in the suffering of the children of Israel, which is the Great Tribulation.
14. When Moses returned to the children of Israel the second time they accepted him as their deliverer. When Christ returns the second time, Israel as a nation will accept Him as her Deliverer.
15. When Moses delivered the children of Israel by blood and power, Pharaoh and his hosts were destroyed by the power of God. When Christ shall deliver the children of Israel by blood and power, the anti-Christ and his forces will be destroyed by the power of God.
16. The children of Israel were made a peculiar people of the Lord upon their deliverance by Moses. The children of Israel shall occupy a peculiar relationship to God upon their deliverance by the Lord Jesus Christ.
This brief but pertinent analogy reveals many things pertaining to our Lord, chief of which is the fact that He shall deliver His people Israel, and after that, the Lord Jesus and His bride will occupy a blessed relationship to Israel redeemed as a nation.
JONAH-A TYPE OF ISRAEL
“And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign,. and there shall be no sign given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation” (Luke 11:29, 30).
Here we are told that Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites; likewise, shall the Son of man be a sign to this generation. The specific reference is Matthew 12:40; however, when we begin to make a study of the Son of God and the Son of man, we find that Israel is also called the son of God: “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn” (Exodus 4:22, 23).
The Lord Jesus Christ was a sign to His and succeeding generations, and Israel is a sign to each generation; therefore, both our Lord and Israel are typified in Jonah.
A study of the book of Jonah will reveal many interesting angles of analogy between Jonah and the nation of Israel. Here are eleven such analogies:
1. In Jonah 1:2, God commissioned him to go to Nineveh, a great Gentile city, and cry out against it. This was most unusual in that the Lord called upon a Jewish prophet to go to the Gentiles and preach, when as yet the time of the Gentiles’ salvation was not at hand (cf. Eph. 2:11-13). In Abraham, God also called Israel to go to the Gentiles and give a witness (Gen. 12:1-3). Particularly note verse 3, where He says that ALL families of the earth are to be blessed in him. Intimation of Israel’s responsibility had already been noted in Gen. 9:27, where we are informed that all spiritual blessings which the Gentiles are to receive shall come to them through Shem, the progenitor of the Jews. Also in Isa. 43:9-12, we learn of the world-wide scope of Israel’s mission.
In a nutshell, the first analogy between Jonah and Israel is this: Jonah, commissioned to go to the Gentiles- Israel, commissioned to go to the Gentiles.
2. Jonah chose to disobey the Lord and refused to go to the Gentile city of Nineveh. He sought to flee from the presence of the Lord and tried to get away from the Lord’s will concerning his ministry.
We find also that Israel in her own conceit refused to carry the gospel to the Gentiles, choosing rather to gather her garments of complacent selfrighteousness around her, calling the Gentiles “dogs.”
3. Jonah’s disobedience caused much trouble to overtake him. As he sought to flee from the presence of the Lord, he sought passage on board a ship going to Tarshish, which was possibly the furthermost point to which ships sailed in those days. Tarshish appears to be identified in Scripture as the ancient maritime and island nation which we today call Great Britain. The point is, he was going as far away from Nineveh as he could.
The Jews also attempted to put as much space between them and the Gentiles as they could, and they too have become involved in great trouble. Jonah found himself on board a ship with a mighty storm at sea endangering the ship, its cargo and crew. Note in particular that Jonah, out of the will of the Lord, brought distress upon the Gentiles aboard ship. The Jews out of the will of God have brought distress, not only upon themselves but also upon the Gentiles of the world. Read Deut. 28 for a clear picture of the prophesied trouble to come upon Israel if she disobeyed the Lord.
4. There could be no relief for the ship, its cargo and crew with Jonah on board. There can be no relief for Israel out of the Lord’s will, though in her land. The only alternative for the crew and Jonah was for him to be cast overboard into the sea. The only alternative for Israel was for God to cast her out of the land into the sea of Gentile nations. With the scattering of Israel and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the Jews were cast into the sea of the Gentiles.
5. When Jonah was cast overboard, peace prevailed on the sea, and the Gentile crew was saved both physically and spiritually. In Jonah 1:16, we find that salvation came to the Gentiles. We also learn that when Israel was cast out of her land, scattered among the Gentile nations and set aside, salvation came to the Gentiles. (See Rom. 11:15-19.) Let us never forget that salvation to the Gentiles came through Israel’s rejection by God.
6. Though Jonah was cast into the sea, he was not cast off by God; He still had His purpose to be fulfilled in Jonah and He moved swiftly to preserve and keep him until such time as he would do His will. God’s preservation of Jonah was miraculous in that He prepared a great fish to swallow him. There need be no speculation concerning the identify of the fish, its dimension etc., because it was especially prepared by God for this specific purpose. How interesting it is to note that the fish did not digest, assimilate, amalgamate or integrate Jonah. He was preserved and protected by God while in the belly of the fish.
Now in regard to Israel: Has God cast her off because she has been cast out into the sea of Gentile nations? (See Rom. 11:1-6.) God has a purpose for Israel, and that is to carry the gospel to all the Gentiles on the face of the earth. Since she has not yet done this, He is preserving her until such a time when she will be submissive and obedient to His will – hence, the protecting care of Israel through the centuries.
The Gentiles have not been able to digest, assimilate, amalgamate or integrate the Jews. No matter what they do with them they will never integrate Israel. God is keeping her safe for the fulfilment of the purpose for which He brought her into existence, and that is to be His witnesses to all the Gentiles in the world. Many and futile, though tragic, have been the attempts of the Gentiles to do away with the Jewish people. For example, Pharaoh in Egypt; Haman in the days of Mordecai and Queen Esther; Antiochus Epiphanes in the days of the Maccabees, and of more recent date, Hitler’s purge in which he destroyed approximately one-third of the Jewish race.
But in and through all these experiences, God has preserved a remnant, just as He preserved Jonah while in the belly of the fish.
7. Affliction brought repentance. Jonah inside the whale’s belly died and went to hell or sheol (the Hebrew word for the place of departed spirits, irrespective of their condition, whether saved or lost). Jonah’s dying and resurrection was an integral part of his being a type of Christ. It might be well here for the reader to make a little study of hell, sheol, and hades. Read Luke 16:19-31 where we have both Lazarus and the rich man in hell (or shool or hades), the same place to which Jonah went.
It was because of Jonah’s affliction and realization of wasted opportunities that he turned to the Lord and called upon Him.
There is a day coming called the “day of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:5-7).
In the day of her affliction, Israel will call upon God. This is set forth in type in Ex. 3:7-12. After Moses had appeared unto the children of Israel the first time as their deliverer and they had refused to receive him, he went away into a distant country where he married a Gentile bride and became a shepherd.
Just so, our Lord came the first time, was rejected by Israel, and has gone away into a far country. He is now taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name. While Moses was in the desert the affliction of the children of Israel in Egypt was so intensified that they called out to God for help. The Lord heard their cry and sent Moses back the second time to deliver them, and they received Him.
When the day of Jacob’s trouble (also called the great tribulation) breaks upon Israel, they will call on the Lord (Matt. 23:39), and the Lord will return to deliver them, and they will receive Him.
As Jonah’s affliction caused him to call upon the Lord, so shall Israel’s coming affliction cause her to do the same.
8. Looking toward the temple: In Jonah 2:4, he affirms his conviction that he will yet look toward the holy temple, that is, he will be restored to his homeland and his place of worship in the temple. Israel in her dispersion continues to dream of the day when she too will again look to the holy temple. That is the day when Israel will be restored, the city and the temple be rebuilt, and Israel will once again be serving the Lord from His holy temple.
9. Resurrection and restoration: When Jonah called upon the Lord at the time of his affliction, God heard him and commanded the fish to put him on the dry land (Jonah 2:10). When Israel shall again cry out to the Lord, He will hear their cry and put them back in the land (Jer. 30:10,11).
10. Resurrection on the third day: In Jonah 1:17, we are told that he was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Matt. 12:40 tells us that Jesus was to be in the heart of the earth three days and nights.
Now as Jonah was raised on the third day and as Christ was raised on the third day, even so shall Israel be raised on the third day: “1 will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us,. he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight” (Hos. 5:15-6:2). In Hos. 6:2, we read that it is on the third day that He will raise Israel up. II Pet. 3:8 informs us that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day; so, Israel’s resurrection is to take place after 2,000 years, and during or in the third thousand-year period. How startling when we realize that Israel has been cast off for nearly 2,000 years and that the time of her resurrection is fast drawing nigh!
11. Jonah, placed on the land, was told the second time to go to Nineveh and preach. He hastened to obey the Lord; and the result .was that the whole city, from the king down to the lowest slave, as well as the animals, put on sackcloth and ashes in repentance in turning to the Lord.
When Israel is restored, the Lord will command her the second time to go to the ends of the earth and preach the gospel of the kingdom to every Gentile (Matt. 24:14; Rev. 7:1-8).
God preserved Jonah that he might preach to Nineveh as He had originally commanded him.
God is preserving Israel that she may yet preach the gospel to all the Gentiles.
When Jonah preached, unparalleled and supernatural results followed. When Israel carries the gospel of the Kingdom to the Gentiles of the world, unparalleled and supernatural results will follow. (See Rev. 7:9-17.) Thus we see God’s original purpose in Jonah fulfilled; and soon we shall see God’s original purpose in Israel fulfilled. Herein is Jonah a type of the nation of Israel.
CAIN-A TYPE OF ISRAEL
In the following paragraphs I want to draw an analogy between Cain, the slayer of his brother, and Israel, the slayer of her brother. Both Israel and Jesus are called the first-born of God, making Israel’s slaying of Christ fratricide, the same crime of which Cain was guilty.
1. Cain means “acquisition,” showing that much was expected of him; and Isaiah 5:1-7 shows how much was expected of Israel. Both Cain and Israel miserably failed.
2. Cain was the first-born with all the rights of primogeniture. Israel was also the first-born with the same rights (Ex. 4:22).
3. Cain worshipped in self-will rather than according to the will of God. Israel likewise refused to conform to God’s will in regard to worship and “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (See Judges 2:20-22; 4:1; 6:1.)
4. Cain refused the sacrifice of God’s substitutionary Lamb, which Abel offered. Likewise, Israel refused the substitutionary Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, choosing rather to offer her own good deeds in self-will.
5. Cain in a fit of anger slew his brother who was innocent of any crime toward Cain. Likewise, Israel slew her brother, Jesus, Who was guilty of no sin.
6. Cain was cursed because of his sin and made a vagabond and a fugitive upon the face of the earth. Israel was also cursed because of her great sin against Jesus and made a vagabond and a wanderer upon the face of the whole earth. (See Deut. 28:25.)
7. God put a mark upon Cain to distinguish him from all others and forbade anyone to kill him, under threat of vengeance (Gen. 4:15). God also put distinguishing marks on Israel (facial characteristics, etc.) so that they would be recognized no matter where they went. See Isa. 61:9 where the word “acknowledge” means “to recognize.” God also forbade anyone to attempt to exterminate them, under threat of dire punishment. (See Gen. 12:3.)
8. We have no record whatever of Cain’s death or end upon the earth. Neither do we have nor will we have any record of Israel’s extermination or extinction.
9. Cain’s portion was to be an entirely earthly portion. Likewise, the nation of Israel in the Millennium and in eternity will have only an earthly portion. The heavenly portion of God belongs to God’s heavenly people, namely, the Church, which is entirely separate and distinct from Jew and Gentile.
PAUL’S CONVERSION
A TYPE OF ISRAEL’S FUTURE NATIONAL CONVERSION
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (I Tim. 1:15, 16)
As Paul is discussing the purpose of Christ’s first advent into the world “to save sinners,” we call attention to the fact that his conversion was for a different purpose entirely; that is, he was not saved just to obtain mercy but that in his salvation Christ should outline the salvation of a group who would hereafter believe. The word pattern means an outline, type, or preview. Since there are just two groups to be reached with the gospel – the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and the Gentiles – we must first ascertain to which group Paul refers as being the antitype.
The primary force in Paul’s conversion was the personal, physical, visible, and literal prese;nce of the Lord Jesus Christ who appeared to him on the road to Damascus. We know from other Scriptures, as well as by experience and observation, that Gentiles are not to be saved as a nation but as individuals through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, such passages of Scripture as the following ones reveal the fact that there is a day coming when the nation of Israel (those who will be alive at that particular time) shall be saved, and a nation shall be born in a day: ‘Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isa. 66:8); “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people, and they shall say, The Lord is my God” (Zech. 13:8, 9); “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob” (Rom. 11:26).
So the evidence here is conclusive that the group of whom Paul speaks in I Tim. 1:16 is Israel. Of course, we always keep in mind the fact that individual Jews are being saved today, even as Gentiles, through a personal response to the gospel invitation; but God has never dealt with Gentiles as a nation – only with Israel has He so dealt. And what Paul is really saying in this sixteenth verse is that he was saved in order that his conversion and subsequent experiences would serve as a type for the conversion of the nation of Israel. In I Cor. 15:8, Paul speaks of himself as one born out of due time. The literal translation in the Greek and English of the words “born out of due time” is “abortion.” Paul being an Israelite thinks of himself as being born from above before the time for the conversion of national Israel.
Let us note some outstanding experiences in Paul’s conversion and life, and see the analogy between them and Israel’s coming conversion:
1. Saul was most zealous in his persecution of Christians. The Scriptures and history record the fact that apostate Israel is and will be most zealous in its persecution of Christians. We have not seen too much of that in recent years in this country because of the small minority of the Jews, but the names Christ and Christian have been words of hatred and enmity to the Jews, and they have never hesitated to make known their feelings in every way possible against those who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. During the great tribulation, Jewish hatred and persecution of Christians will reach its height, comparable to that of Saul of Tarsus as he hastened toward Damascus.
2. It was while Saul was on this mission of hate that the Lord Jesus Christ personally appeared to him, and when He asked, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Saul asked the question, “Who art thou, Lord?” It was then that Jesus revealed to him that He was the lowly Nazarene whom he hated, and he recognized Him then as the Christ.
When Christ appears in person to the nation of Israel at the close of the great tribulation, the Jews in astonishment will ask, “What are these wounds in thine hands?” and He will reveal to them that He is Jesus of Nazareth and also the Christ, their Messiah, when He answers, “Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends ” (Zech. 13:6). Then shall be fulfilled Rev. 1:7, “Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
We note in Paul’s conversion that all with him saw the glory of the Lord, but only he heard Him speak. Evidently all shall see the Lord when He returns with clouds, but only Israel will hear Him speak.
3. Immediately upon Paul’s conversion he asked, “Lord what wilt thou have me to do?” Jesus said for him to go into the city and it would be told him what to do. Following his baptism Paul went away into the desert where he was instructed personally by the Lord Jesus Christ. How often he called attention to the fact that the gospel which he preached was not learned from man nor by man, but from the personal revelation of Christ to him. After Israel’s conversion she, too, will be taught by the Lord Himself the gospel which she is to teach and preach (some eminent scholars notwithstanding; Isa. 11:1-9).
4. Up until the time of Paul’s conversion, the spread of Christianity had been practically nil. After his conversion and under his preaching, it spread to the four points of the compass, and all the world heard (Rom. 10:18; Col. 1:23). Today, after nearly two thousand years of Christian missions, over two-thirds of the earth’s population has not yet heard of Christ. It will continue to be practically the same until Israel is converted and then her experience will parallel that of Paul. Israel will again become Jehovah’s witnesses and will carry the gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth (Isa. 43:9-12; Rom. 11:15; John 4:22; Matt. 24:14).
5. Paul was the last apostle chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ, and his mission in the main was to be an apostle to the Gentiles. The nation of Israel will be the last group to be commissioned to preach the gospel, and their mission will be mostly to the Gentiles. One of the primary reasons our Lord has urged upon us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, to be zealous in calling out of the Gentiles a people for His name, and to pray for our Lord’s return is that His purposes concerning Israel shall be fulfilled and she, as a nation, shall be saved and then carry the gospel to all of the Gentile nations, during which time an innumerable host shall be saved.
So now we see that the salvation of the Gentiles under the preaching of the nation of Israel will be far greater than it ever has been or ever could be under the preaching of the church (Acts 15:13-18).
By way of conclusion, may we call attention to the fact that the Jew is the key to God’s plans and purposes as revealed in His Word. Apart from a knowledge of Israel’s place in these eternal plans and purposes of God, no one can understand the Scriptures as a whole. So important is the Jew and so dear is he to the heart of God the Father that He has promised special blessings upon those who minister to them, and He has also promised a curse upon those who refuse to do so (Gen. 12:3; Psa. 122:6; Isa. 54:17; Zech. 2:8, 9).
IS GOD DISPLEASED WITH YOU?
A truth often mentioned in the Word of God but overlooked by many Christians is that God is displeased when His children are disobedient. Many fundamental Christians seem to think that, after they have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, it is immaterial to God how they live. The following passage of Scripture sets forth in no uncertain terms God’s displeasure with His own people:
“Moreover, brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,’ and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea,’ and did all eat of the same spiritual meat,’ and did all drink of the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them,’ and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness” (I Cor. 10:1-5).
In directing your prayerful attention to this particular passage of Scripture we want to help you understand the eleventh verse of this same chapter: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. ” Here we are told explicitly that all these things which happened to the children of Israel happened as types and that they have been recorded for our edification and admonition. The fifth verse of this same chapter states that God was not well pleased with the children of Israel in the wilderness wanderings. Some commentators and teachers slip over this passage of Scripture with a misstatement that all who were overthrown in the wilderness were lost and consequently this has no particular meaning for us who name the name of Christ. The unfortunate chapter divisions between nine and ten separate the content of the closing verse of nine from the opening verses of ten, and this very pertinent truth of responsibility to the Lord is overlooked.
In 9:27 the Apostle Paul says he disciplines his body and keeps it in subjection lest that after he has preached to others he himself should be rejected or disapproved. Paul was not worried about being lost as a Christian, for he states very conclusively in Rom. 8:38, 39 that absolutely nothing past, present or future can cause him to lose his salvation. His concern is whether or not he shall have a place in our Lord’s coming Millennial reign. It is a fact of Scripture that Christians, though saved forever, may forfeit their right to rule and reign with Christ. To prove the possibility of a Christian being rejected or disapproved, Paul calls attention to the fact that the children of Israel in the wilderness were all children of God. Note the word ALL as it occurs five times in swift succession: ALL our fathers were under the cloud; ALL passed through the sea; ALL were baptized unto Moses; ALL ate of the Manna (which was Christ); ALL drank of the Rock (which was Christ). Now notice this in connection with these Israelites. Every single one of them was under the blood when the Passover was established the night of the exodus. The Lord God Almighty Himself led them personally in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It is interesting to note in this connection that after their disobedience and after their being sent back into the desert to wander aimlessly for forty years, God personally abode with them and directed their daily lives. Their clothes did not wear out and their shoes did not give ‘way. Every manifestation points to the fact that they were children of God. After eighteen months in the wilderness, God brought them to the border of Canaan, called KadeshBarnea. Here they were to enter the promised land and possess fields with crops which they had not planted, vineyards and orchards which they had not tended, enter into equipped homes which they had not built, and take complete possession of the promised land. They were to slay every living human being in the land. (See Deut. 7:1-5.) The land of Canaan, or the promised land, was typical of the Millenmal reign of Christ. When God told the children of Israel to enter into the land and possess it, their lack of faith in the promises of God manifested itself and they refused to enter. They desired spies to go into the land and see if they could do what God had told them to do. Even today, after God tells some of His children to do something, they say it cannot be done-as if God would command a child of His to do that which could not be done. The glory of Christianity is in the fact that with the commandments of the Lord also comes the power for those accomplishments. Because of the unbelief of the children of Israel, the Lord bowed to their demands and permitted them to send spies into the land. But the seeds of unbelief had already been sown and ten of the twelve spies returned saying they could not take the land. Only Joshua and Caleb, because of their faith in God, told the people they could do what the Lord required. Oh, that people today would believe the Lord and obey Him when He commands.
Because of their unbelief and failure to enter the promised land, God relayed the ultimatum, through Moses, that the children of Israel should turn around and go back into the desert. Here they wandered for about thirty-eight and a half years, conscious of the fact that they could not go into the land, but would be wanderers until the last one of the unbelievers had died. Now notice that they had come under the blood, but they were unbelievers in that they refused to follow the commands of the Lord after they were under the blood. With the deliverance of the ultimatum, the people then cried out to Moses that they would enter the promised land, but God ordered them to forget it and not to attempt it. Despite His protest, they sought to enter, but their attempt was thwarted by God with disastrous results (Num. 14:40-45). The results of their disobedience, according to the commandments of God, were seen in the fact that of all that generation only two entered the land of promise: namely, Joshua and Caleb.
The lesson God would teach us in this particular experience is that many, many Christians, saved by the blood of the Lamb and eternally secure in His hand, may fail to have a place in Christ’s coming kingdom because of their unbelief relative to their entrance into the kingdom and the glory to be enjoyed. Not long ago we heard an evangelist on the radio say that all the children of Israel were overthrown in the wilderness and of that entire generation only Joshua and Caleb were saved. Such is not the truth. He overlooked the fact that Moses also did not enter the promised land. One sin toward the close of his brilliant career resulted in his being forbidden to enter. God let Moses look over into the promised land but he could not go in. (See Deut. 34:1-8.) Notice these passages in the New Testament which are warnings to Christians: Rev. 3:11; 16:15; Heb. 12:14-17. These are warnings to be on the alert lest we forfeit or lose our kingdom inheritance and rewards.
Now in I Cor. 10:6-15, our Lord lists some of the particular things which ministered to the unbelief of the children of Israel and caused them to be overthrown in the wilderness. Note in this connection also that although millions did not enter the promised land THEY DID NOT RETURN TO EGYPT, which they must needs have done had they been lost. Their experience was just the same as many Christians will have-saved, but no place to rule and reign with Christ.
In studying the sins of which they were guilty, we note in verse 7, the first one mentioned is idolatry. Just because Christians do not have little idols made out of gold, silver or wood, and just because they do not worship the sun, moon and stars does not mean that they are not idol worshippers. Anything that comes between us and God constitutes an idol. In Eph. 5:5, the Word tells us that covetousness is idolatry. So often the Lord warns against love of money, stating specifically that a Christian cannot serve both God and mammon. But many a Christian has erred from the faith and brought many sorrows upon himself because of covetousness which is idolatry (I Tim. 6:10). God instituted the tithe to enable his creatures to overcome the love of money, which is covetousness. Many Christians will not rule and reign with Christ because they love money more than they love the Lord.
The second sin which led to Israel’s unbelief and failure to enter the promised land was fornication. Our Lord told us that in the closing days of this dispensation it would be as it was in the days of Lot. Those were days of gross immorality. Today with many of the commercialized amusements on the stage, screen, radio and television ministering to the carnal and sensuous appetites of the flesh, with near nudeness, bestial contortions, music which originated in Africa via the New Orleans jazz parlors, and with magazine stories that are lewd and obscene, it is no wonder that this present age has been characterized by the question and answer: “What time is it?” “It is sex o’clock.” And just as fornication kept many of the children of Israel from entering the promised land, sins of the flesh are going to keep many Christians from having a part in our Lord’s Millennial reign.
The third sin mentioned is in verse 9 where it speaks of the children of Israel tempting the Lord and many being destroyed by serpents (Numbers 21:5-9). They tempted the Lord by loathing “this light bread.” That was the manna which God gave them to eat in the wilderness. Its counterpart in the Christian’s experience is the Word of God. The manna in the wilderness contained everything necessary for the sustenance and upbuilding of the human body. The Word of God contains everything necessary for the sustenance and upbuilding of the spiritual life. Just as the children of Israel tired of the manna, so Christians tire of the Word. Just as the children of Israel murmured against God because of the manna, so do many Christians murmur against God because of His Word. The children of Israel tried to change the shape, looks and taste of the manna and adapt it to their desires (Num. 11:4-9); so do Christians today try to change, alter and rephrase the Word of God to make it adaptable to this present evil age. Living in this enlightened era, one would think that the Word of God would be prominent in the church life; but the Lord, knowing that the day was coming and now is in which the Word would not be taught in Sunday schools and churches, offered a crown of glory to Christians who would be faithful in feeding the flock of God. The only thing God has provided with which to feed the flock is the Word of the Lord. (See Matt. 4:4; John 6:48-58; I Pet. 5:1-4.) As we travel across the country, we find in every city and town consecrated men and women who have been relieved of their Sunday school classes because they taught the Bible instead of the denominational literature. We believe that the danger of the modern denominational movement (be it of any faith) . is that it keeps the people ignorant of the Word of God. In concluding this third sin, we note the children of Israel tempted God by loathing the manna. Christians today tempt the Lord by loathing His Word.
The fourth sin, verse 10, was murmuring against the Lord. Today Christians murmur against Him, against His Word, against teachers of His Word, against exponents of His eternal plans and purposes, against the chosen people of Israel, against the coming of the King in glory and against His righteous reign for a thousand years. In fact, they are murmuring against everything that pertains to the Kingship and kingdom of our Lord. Notice that these sins on the part of Israel did not cause them to be lost and go to hell-they just resulted in their being barred from the promised land.
Neither will these sins cause a Christian to be lost and go to hell, but they will result in such a one being barred from a place of honor and glory in His coming kingdom.
Again take note of I Cor. 10:11-“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples,’ and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. ”
BOUND FOR THE PROMISED LAND
Israel’s journeyings from Egypt to Canaan are typical of the Christian’s journey from the day of his salvation to the Millennial Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In the study of typology, Egypt typifies the world and the land of Canaan typifies the Millennial reign. The intervening wilderness and desert typify a Christian’s pilgrimage from the time of the new birth to death. Watch how this type develops.
The beginning of Israel’s journeyings was the institution of the Passover-the slaying of the lamb, the sprinkling of the blood upon the doorposts and lintel. After having their lives spared because of the blood, the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea and entered into the wilderness. An individual begins his journey toward the promised land by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. That puts such a one under the blood. The next step is that of baptism, which typifies resurrrection to walk in newness of life. The blood and the water place both Israel and the Christian on the road toward the promised land.
I must emphasize one special truth just now-while the blood and water are essential for the journey to the promised land, they alone are not sufficient. (I am not talking about salvation-that was cared for BY THE BLOOD.) The wilderness journeyings are a testing ground for Israel and Christians, to prove their ability to rule and reign with Christ. How significant that of all the responsible individuals who left Egypt, only two, Joshua and Caleb, entered the promised land. Not even Moses was allowed to enter.
The Jordan River typifies death and the promised land the Kingdom. Let me sum it up in four brief statements:
1. Both Israel and Christians start with equal providential and spiritual blessings.
2. Each has a title to the promise of a glorious land-God’s sworn possession for His children.
3. Each group has to persevere through their pilgrimage until they reach their goal.
4. Through faith in God’s promises and power to take them in, they may gain their inheritance.
All but Joshua and Caleb failed to inherit the promised land because: 1. They desired evil things.
2. They worshipped gods other than the one true God.
3. They committed sins of the flesh.
4. They provoked God by saying they wished they had never started.
5. They murmured against God’s judgments and against His leadership.
Just think of the large number of born-again Christians who are going to miss many blessings of the Kingdom because of the same sins as listed above.
A BRAND FROM THE BURNING
“And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, 0 Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head, So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by” (Zechariah 3:1-7).
A study of the life and experiences of Joshua, the high priest, is very timely for three reasons. First, it tells of the actual experiences of Joshua. Second, it typifies the experiences of the nation of Israel. And third, it is a very apt illustration of the experiences of a Christian from the time of his salvation until the day of his glorification.
Our interest just now is in the third point-that of an individual becoming a Christian and moving on toward the coming Kingdom of our Lord.
1. Joshua standing between God and Satan clothed in filthy garments is a picture of a poor, lost sinner clothed in his own unrighteousness. See Gen. 6:5; Mark 5:1-5; Luke 15:11-24. These are a few of many passages of Scripture which give the condition of an individual before he is saved.
2. The command in Zech. 3:4, “Take away the filthy garments from him” portrays the Lord Jesus Christ taking away our sins (see I Cor. 15:3; Heb. 9:26). Just as the filthy garments were removed from Joshua so does the Lord remove our sins and transgressions from us. Man does not do that for himself; only the Lord can remove a man’s sins and that through and by the power of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. In the latter part of Zech. 3:4 the Lord says, “I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” Not only does the Lord take away the filthy garments but the Lord puts the change of raiment on Joshua. How beautifully this pictures the Lord taking away our sins and clothing us with His own righteousness. This is illustrated also in Gen. 3:21 where in the word “make” we have the implication that the Lord slew and skinned the animals, dressed the skins, made coats out of them and then put these coats of skins on Adam and Eve. “But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet” (Luke 15:22).
4. Joshua, having been cleansed, robed and crowned is now ready to fulfill the purpose of God in his life, which fulfillment is conditioned by Joshua’s obedience. Likewise, after an individual has been forgiven of his sins, his iniquities removed from him and the righteousness of God imputed unto him, he is then ready to live for the Lord. The crown he will wear must be won; the rewards for the Kingdom must be earned; the separation from those raised from among the dead must be attained. In Zech. 3:7 we read that one must walk in the ways of the Lord and must keep the charge of the Lord if such a one is to have a position of authority and honor in the Kingdom. (A) Walking in the ways of the Lord refers to our personal relationship to Him. I mean by that, our personal holiness, our personal prayer and Bible study life, and our personal relationships in the home, out of the home, on the street, off the street. We are to be living examples of children of God. (B) Keeping His charge refers to our official relationship to the Lord: (1) we are to be His witnesses even to the ends of the earth-telling the story of Jesus to those who know it not; (2) we are ambassadors, being in the world but not of it; (3) we are to be teachers of the Word of the Lord; (4) we are to be living and praying for His return; (5) we are to be proclaiming the truth of His coming Kingdom.
If we walk in His ways and keep His charge then we are going to be judges in His house (that is, we shall rule and reign with Him). We will have positions of honor and glory in His court and preferred places of association with others who have qualified. It is one thing to be saved by grace and an entirely different thing to be rewarded according to works.
AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF LOT
“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded,’ but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30).
Lot is representative of faithless Christians-those who are saved but live for self; consequently, they have no rewards or works that endure. He represents those who will be saved but have no crowns. His uncle, Abraham, is representative of Christians who, being faithful, have earned for themselves crowns and places of honor and glory in the service of the Lord during His thousand-year reign. Let us look at Lot as he moved away from Abraham and trace his downward movements as he drifted away from the Lord and became a full-fledged carnal Christian. Ultimately he was saved but all his works were destroyed.
This is very important because Jesus Himself said that in the days just before His return, the actions of Christians would parallel those of Lot, with the logical result being that few will share in Christ’s rewards and in ruling with Him.
1. The first step in the life of Lot is found in Gen. 13:10, 11. There was strife between Abraham’s and Lot’s herdsmen, and Abraham magnanimously offered Lot his choice of the land so that the herds and herdsmen might be separated. This would bring about peace which Abraham wanted because they were brethren and there should be no strife between them. Lot knew nothing of walking by faith; so in this particular instance, he chose the well-watered plain of Jordan.
A Christian can become quickly involved in worldliness when he views things with the eyes of flesh rather than through faith in the living God. Too, often today there are Christians who judge things solely by appearance; without any regard to God’s estimate of them.
2. Having established the pattern of his life to live according to the principles of the world (walking by sight and not by faith), we find in Gen. 13:12 that Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom. Now a citizen of the world with all his hopes and ambitions centered on worldly things, it was only logical that he should move closer to the city of Sodom, the center of the world he had chosen. He was not yet in Sodom, but he was on his way.
There are Christians today who deviate from the pattern of a walk pleasing to the Lord as they move toward the world with all its allures. Though they are not yet in it, their thoughts, plans and hopes-in fact, their whole life is beginning to be centered there.
3. It was not long after this until Lot moved into Sodom. He was not walking according to the Spirit but according to the course of this world. Living in Sodom were all of his associates and all of his children’s companions. They were people who knew not God, having ambitions to soar to heights of worldly success, enjoyment and possessions. Such a life leaves little or no time for the Lord.
By way of contrast, Abraham was a pilgrim dwelling in tents. Instead of settling in Sodom, he looked for a city that had foundations whose builder and maker is God.
4. Lot then took office in Sodom (Gen. 19:1). The expression “sat in the gate of Sodom” is equal to our expression “held office and transacted business for the city.” The men who sat in the gate collected taxes from those who came in. They noted the ones leaving with their cargo, and handled many other phases of the city’s business.
This has its counterpart in contemporary Christians who seek office or try to place other Christians in office so that they may take over the rule of this present world. I Cor. 4:5 tells us that this is not the day for Christians to rule the world. This is the day of the Lord’s rejection by the world, and if we serve Him faithfully, it will reject us too. This is not the time for Christians to try to improve or reform the world. It is resting under the judgment of God and is moving on toward complete destruction. Dwight L. Moody expressed it in these words: “The world is a sinking ship. I am not called to save the ship. My mission is to save a few souls off the ship before it sinks.” If Satan can keep churches, ministers and Christian laymen busy trying to run the world or clean it up, he is very successful in hindering the spreading of the gospel. In studying the life of the Lord you will find that He devoted all His time in calling out individuals to serve Him. He spent no time at all in reform movements.
5. Because of Lot’s presence in Sodom, and because of his holding office and being a full-fledged citizen there, he lost his testimony for the Lord. In Gen. 19:14, we are told that his own sons-in-law looked upon him as one who was mentally incapacitated when he tried to tell them of the coming judgment on Sodom. We learn later in this chapter that Lot’s daughters and sons-in-law perished in Sodom because they would not believe the things Lot told them.
No greater tragedy can come to a Christian than to live in such a manner that he has no testimony at all among his friends and loved ones.
6. Even though Lot had no witness or testimony and no works that survived the testing of fire, he was delivered from the city before its destruction. “Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither” (Gen. 19:22a).
In this, Lot is a blessed illustration, or type, of the rapture of the saved before the tribulation. All this is possible because salvation is by grace plus nothing. One of the most precious truths in the Word of God is the fact that Christians have not been appointed to wrath and will be delivered before a single judgment of the Great Tribulation comes upon the earth.
7. All of Lot’s works were destroyed in the fire of Sodom. In Matt. 3:11, John the Baptist says, “I indeed baptize you in water. . . He (Jesus) shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and in fire.'” “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (I Cor. 3:13). Here the baptism in fire is the trying of our works. Just as all of Lot’s works were destroyed by fire, even so shall all of our works be destroyed which are not done for the glory of the Lord. It is clearly seen in I Cor. 3:15 that a man’s works can be of such a nature that they shall all be burned; or they can be done for the Lord and earn crowns and rewards. Many Christians today are so busy in church work that they have no time for the Lord. Remember that church work is not necessarily synonymous with service for the Lord.
8. Though all of Lot’s works were destroyed in Sodom, he himself was saved. “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (I Cor. 3:15). There is nothing that a man can do to cause him to lose his salvation after he has been saved; but he can fail to live for the Lord to the extent that he will appear before the judgment seat of Christ without a single good work to his credit.
Let us note the summation of Lot’s experience: He is a perfect illustration of a man who is saved but has no crown; a man who is saved but has no reward; a man who is saved but has no place of rulership in our Lord’s kingdom; a man who is saved but is a castaway as far as service in the kingdom is concerned.
Remember, beloved, salvation is by grace and rewards are according to works; and for the duration of the Millennium, there will be a difference between faithful and unfaithful Christians in the matter of rewards and service.
REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE
As Jesus was talking to His disciples concerning His appearing and the catching up of the New Testament saints to meet Him in the air according to Luke 17:22-37, He said in verse 32: “Remember Lot’s wife.” Notice first of all and never forget that He was speaking to His disciples and to them only (verse 22). The Pharisees had demanded of the Lord (verse 20) when the Kingdom should come. His answer is given in verses 26ff:” And as it was in the days of Noah. . . Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot. . . Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (vv. 26a, 28a, 30). To correctly understand the analogy which our Lord draws between His day and the days of Lot, you should study. . . carefully Gen. 19. Several things are apparent to which your attention is called.
1. Sodom and Gomorrah had filled their cup of iniquity, and now judgment must come. Despite all the world’s progress and advancement in so-called religious activities and organizations, the cup of iniquity of this sin-cursed world will soon be full.
2. God revealed the secret of judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah to His faithful servant,- Abraham. Knowing of this soon coming judgment, Abraham became an intercessor on the behalf of the saved in those two cities. The Lord reveals His plans to His faithful servants: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). This is in order that these servants may become intercessors on behalf of the saved, prior to the second coming of Christ.
3. The wickedness of Sodom reached a climax at the house of Lot; likewise, the wickedness of this present world will reach a climax at the house of many of the saved.
4. The angels of God smote the men of Sodom who were of the spirit of antichrist. So will the angels of the Lord smite the wicked in the day of the Lord.
5. Lot spoke to his sons-in-law of the approaching judgment, but he seemed to them as one who mocked. Today when one speaks of the coming judgments of the Lord and the establishment of His kingdom, he, too, is mocked. One says, “My Lord delays His coming.” Another says, “I have to go to my farm.” Another says, “I must go to my place of merchandise.” And yet another says, “I have just married and you will have to excuse me.”
6. Even Lot was slow about leaving the doomed cities, but the angels laid hold of him, his wife and his two virgin daughters, and forcibly removed them from the city. Even so today, how few Christians are really interested in the coming of the Lord, and at the time of the rapture they will be literally taken out by force against their will.
7. Judgment did not fall on Sodom and Gomorrah until after the righteous of those cities had been removed; likewise, the judgments of the great tribulation will not fall on this world until the saints are removed.
8. Lot’s wife, though delivered from the city by the angels of God, had a heart and love for the things in Sodom. She had two daughters with their husbands there; her friends and associates were there; her interest was there more than it was in the Lord; and when she turned with a longing look to gaze once again upon the cities of the plain, she was turned to a pillar of salt. Notice also in this connection that neither Lot nor his two virgin daughters wanted to go up into the mountain of which the Lord had spoken. They begged to stay in a city, even if it be a little one. They were permitted to do so, and Scripture records the depths to which they sank.
The deliverance of Lot, his wife and two daughters is typical of the saints who are raptured. After deliverance, or after the rapture, some will still forfeit many blessings which are only for the faithful. When Jesus told His disciples to remember Lot’s wife, He was holding before them the possibility of being raptured, yet falling far short of the rewards and glories of the faithful during the Millennial reign of Christ.
Lot’s wife is a monument, not of a wicked lost sinner, but of faint-hearted, unfaithful, disobedient Christians whose natural affections-whose soul life-keep them from going “all out ” in a life of obedience and conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Similar cases in the Scripture are: the children of Israel who turned back from Kadesh-Barnea; Orpah, who went part of the way with Naomi but turned back; the guest without the wedding garment; the servant of the Lord with one pound; the servant of the Lord with one talent; the five foolish virgins; the ones who have all their works burned. In everyone of these instances, as in the case of Lot’s wife, there is definite identification with the people of God, but their walk is that of unfaithfulness and disobedience, though all of them are saved as through fire.
Hear once again the admonition of the Lord given to HIS DISCIPLES: “Remember Lot’s wife!”
REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE (CONTINUED)
Luke 17:32 When our Lord told His disciples to “remember Lot’s wife,” He was warning them against a spirit of unwatchfulness. From the number of times our Lord admonished His disciples to watch, we know that He placed a premium on our being ready any moment for His return. The terrible experience of Lot’s wife is applied by Christ not to the world but to His own people. He commanded His earthly people, Israel, to flee and His heavenly people, Christians, to watch.
The danger which Lot’s wife faced was in not keeping her eye on heaven. She lost the upward look. That she was saved, I think is evident in the fact that she was delivered from Sodom and Gomorrah along with Lot and their two virign daughters. She was obedient up to a point. God said He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and she believed Him. God told her to flee and she fled. When God said stay not in the plain, she stayed not. She believed in the coming judgment and was anxious to escape. She had set her face toward heaven but disobeyed in one point in that she looked back. Luke 9:62: “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The incident of Lot’s wife has to do with the kingdom of the heavens and not with salvation. Moses disobeyed the Lord in one point and was not permitted to enter the Promised Land, though he was saved forevermore. The Lord had warned of the impending judgment; He had given ways and means of deliverance; He had sent His angels to deliver her; she was completely and absolutely removed from Sodom before the judgments of God began. She broke one condition of her deliverance and was brought into judgment after her deliverance from Sodom and before she reached the appointed destination. She was not an apostate for she never went back to Sodom. She was not a type of the lost for she was taken out before the judgment began. She simply was not faithful unto the end. Martin Luther said, “For her disobedience she must suffer temporary punishment. Nonetheless, she had everlasting life.”
Sodom’s destruction never touched her. She was not of the world; that doom was not for her. She had a judgment and punishment all of her own (the judgment seat of Christ). God has ways and knows how to punish His disobedient children without confounding them with the lost, Luke 12:47: “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.”
The fact that she was turned to a pillar of salt should stimulate thoughtful study. Salt is good and unless it has lost its savor, symbolizes good throughout the Scripture. What I say unto you, I say unto all, “WATCH.”
A PILLAR OF SALT
Is there any significance in Lot’s wife being changed to a pillar of salt? Every reference in the Bible I find pertaining to salt is good, except where the salt has lost its savor.
Since the beginning, salt has played an important part in the lives of people. It is a preservative, it makes food palatable, and man and beast instinctively seek it. Salt was a necessary ingredient in the Levitical sacrifices. Lev. 2:13: “And every oblation of thy meat-offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou sutfer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat-offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt otTer salt.” Among the Arabians the pledging of friendship and the confirming of compacts by eating food containing salt is still a custom.
The kingdom of Israel was covenanted to King David and his sons by a covenant of salt (II Chron. 13:5). This was a pledge and an unconditional promise from God that the kingdom would forever remain with a descendant from David’s line. Because salt is incorruptible, so were the promise and covenant. Salt symbolized an everlasting covenant, one that was enduring, incorruptible and perpetual. Salt is the opposite of leaven, which corrupts.
Lot’s wife being changed to a pillar of salt would seem to teach that she lost her life but not her spirit. The pillar of salt seems to typify the covenant of grace as far as her spirit was concerned, but she would suffer temporary loss because of her sin. In Luke 17:33, “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it,” we have loss of life attributed to Lot’s wife by the sudden judgment of being changed to a pillar of salt. She shrank back from what seemed to be an empty prospect that was suddenly set before her and Lot. As she turned back in heart to Sodom, though she knew the city was under the wrath of God, chastisement fell upon her.
The words of the Lord declare that if anyone seeks to preserve his life for himself, he shall lose it; but if anyone will lose his life in the Lord for His sake, he shall preserve it and receive rewards.
Lot’s wife typifies Christians who try to make the most of both worlds and therefore suffer loss of all their works (I Cor. 3:15) and gain no rewards in the coming kingdom of our Lord. For that reason Jesus said to His disciples, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
THE CHURCH – BODY OR BRIDE
In I Cor. 10:11 we have the following statement relative to types: “Now all these things happened unto them for types: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
I think the significance of this revelation is that everything which happened in the Old Testament constitutes a picture or type of some great spiritual truth in the New Testament.
Many scholars decry the study of types as being an exercise for untutored minds. Many harsh things have been said about types by purported scholars throughout the ages. Such an attitude can be assumed only by those in ignorance of much of the Word of the Lord. Everything that God does is according to a fixed plan or pattern which was established before the foundation of the world. His plans and purposes are called eternal plans and purposes. All numbers, measurements, weights, colors, materials possess spiritual significance and are used by God with that purpose in mind.
See for instance Heb. 8:5 and 9:23. The tabernacle built by Moses in the wilderness was an exact replica of the one in heaven, and God showed Moses a pattern or blueprint of the one in heaven that he might be able to construct the one here in the wilderness.
When God sets a pattern He makes it perfect in the beginning. He never changes it and it continues in existence all through the ages. These patterns are divine in origin and are as accurate as mathematics. When one says (as so many have) that he does not have a mind for the study of types, he is really saying he does not have a heart for types. Types, being divine in origin and spiritual in nature, are of necessity spiritually discerned. It is with the heart and not with the mind that a Christian understands and appreciates the types of Scripture.
Note for instance the typology in the following expressions: Jesus says, “I am the Door- I am the Bread.” He is called the Lamb of God; He is also called our Passover. Deut. 18:15-19 tells us that Moses is a type of Christ. Psalm 81:5 tells us that Joseph in Egypt was a testimony, that is, a type. The bride of Christ and the body of Christ are set forth in types, parables, illustrations throughout the whole of the Old Testament. An axiom of the study of types is that the first type used is the pattern after which all other instances are modeled. So to get an accurate beginning of the study of the bride and the body of Christ, we go to the first body and bride in the Bible, which is that of Eve as the body and bride of Adam.
God made Adam of the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life. Eve was created in Adam and their name was called Adam. Because it was not good for man to be alone, God made for him an helpmate. The helpmate God had made was in man, so this helpmate must be taken out of man. God did that by putting Adam to sleep, opening up his side and taking out a rib. Out of this rib taken from the side of Adam, God made Eve to be his bride, that is, his wife.
The bride then was given to Adam and the two of them, Adam and Eve, through the union of their bodies became one flesh; but Adam now has TWO BODIES. He has his original body made out of the dust, minus his bride which was taken out of his body. In the very highest sense Eve is Adam’s body as well as his bride, even though Adam still possesses all of his original body, less Eve, who is now his body selected out of his body.
Here is the inspired, infallible Word of God on how the bride of Adam was formed, which is also God Almighty’s infallible pattern or type as to how the bride of Christ is to be formed. The bride of Christ is to be an election out of an election, or a selection out of a selection, or a resurrection from among the resurrected.
Christ received an earthly body from Mary and this earthly body is named Jesus, so that Jesus the Christ is the God-Man. The God-Man was put to sleep on Calvary, His side was opened, and from His riven side flowed blood and water. From and by the blood and water the bride of Christ is formed. The word church means “called out of.” And contrary to popular opinion, the church is not called out of the world but out of the called (all of the saved). The church is a select group out of a selected group.
Matt. 22:14 states, “For many are called (the saved called out of the world), but few are called out (called out of the saved to constitute the bride of Christ).” As Eve is truly the second body of Adam, so is the church (that is, the bride) the second body of Christ. Adam had two bodies; Christ has two bodies.
II Cor. 11:2,3; I Cor. 7:4; I Pet. 3:1-7 reveal unto us that in the relationship between the bride and groom the groom’s body is not his own but his wife’s, and the wife’s body belongs to the husband. And in Eph. 5:23-28 the Spirit of the Lord reveals to Paul the Apostle that the relationship between Adam and Eve as to origin and purpose constitutes the mystery of Christ and His church, that is, His bride. One cannot help but appreciate the fact that there cannot be a true bride unless her body belongs to the groom.
My thought and conviction is that Christ has two spiritual bodies. Body number one is made up of all of the Christians. Body number two is His bride, which-though taken out of His body-nonetheless is also His body. Eve as the body of Adam was a very small part of his whole body; so the church is a part of the body of Christ but a very small portion of His complete body.
The bride of Christ is selected out of the body of Christ on the basis of works emanating from faithfulness (Luke 19:11-27; I Cor. 3:12-15). Those constituting the bride possess a double portion of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 25:1-13), and are not only hearers of the Word (saved), but are also doers (faithful workers).
Possibly the key to understanding the body and the bride of Christ is to be found in the fact that the body of Christ is composed of all of the Christians of the New Testament; whereas the bride of Christ is made up of the obedient, faithful, fruitful, sanctified Christians from among those who constitute the body. Therefore, in a real, literal, Scriptural sense, the church of Christ is both body and bride of Christ.
CHRIST AND HIS BRIDE
Adam and Eve, a Type of Christ and His Bride-the Church The sweetest relationship existing between man and woman is that of husband and wife. The sweetest relationship existing between God and man is that of husband and wife. Israel is God’s wife and the church is to become the wife of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many wives in the Old Testament, who, in relationship to their husbands, typify, symbolize or illustrate some particular phase of the relationship between Christ and His bride. In this article we want to consider Eve as a type of the church-the bride of Christ.
Our conviction, born of prayer and the study of the Word, is that while the expressions bride and church can well be synonymous, they are different, though in one respect, analogous to the body. Eve as the bride of Adam typifies the church-the bride of Christ- in two respects:
First, as the bride in predestination. When God created Adam and Eve they were one person. Eve was in Adam. Their name, while two persons in one, was Adam (singular). For Adam to be socially complete, Eve had to be taken out of him and made a separate and distinct personality and then brought back to him that he might have fellowship with her. Ephesians 1:4 speaks of the church as being in Christ before the foundation of the world. In order for Jesus, then, to be socially complete, the church had to be taken out of Him and made a distinct personality and presented to Him for fellowship throughout eternity.
God caused a deep sleep to come upon Adam, and during this period of time opened his side and took a portion of his body, out of which He made Eve, his bride. She was the converse and counterpart of Adam-his other self. Likewise, when Christ became dead His side was opened, and there came out that part of His body which brought into existence His bride-the church. Just as Adam was incomplete without Eve, so Christ was incomplete without His bride, the church, His body the fullness of Him that fills all in all. Through Adam, Eve received all her dignity, position and blessing. Through Christ the church receives all her dignity, position and blessing. The existence of the church in the mind of God as the bride of
Christ was predestinated and fore-ordained from eternity. Eve being in Adam from the day of his creation beautifully typifies and illustrates the church in predestination.
The second fact typified by Adam and Eve is relative to the composition or constituency of the church. Everything that God does is according to pattern, by number, by weight and by measure. When He forms a plan or pattern He never changes it but goes right on through the ages working according to His own pattern which is perfect from the beginning. It has become axiomatic among students of types that the first time a type occurs, the pattern is set. But in the instances of Adam and Eve, we have far more than just a type or illustration. Here is a divine and perfect rule which is never changed. Here is infallible proof substantiated by many other Scriptures that the chosen company which will form the bride of Christ is but a small part of the body of Christ. The bride is taken out of the body and is in the highest sense the body of Christ, just as Eve is Adam’s body BUT NOT ALL OF HIS BODY. Consider the proportionate relationship between one rib and the remainder of his body. When Eve was taken out of Adam’s body she was called isha which means, “taken out of man,” who was called ish. We have the same expression in English. She was called wo-man because she was “taken out of man.”
First Corinthians 15:23 calls to our attention that there are several orders or companies of individuals on earth. All of the saved of the Old and New Testaments do not constitute one group. There are different groups of the saved in the Old Testament and there are several different groups of saved in the New Testament. All of the New Testament saints make up the body of Christ, but a certain group (by their own choice to suffer with Christ, to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil, to maintain faithful obedience to His commands, to win certain crowns proffered by God), constitute those who will be taken out of the great body of New Testament saints and make up the bride of Christ. This follows the pattern of Eve being taken out of the body of Adam and becoming his bride.
Possibly no one misconception has resulted in such loose living or utter disregard for the commandments of the Lord than the teaching that every Christian, regardless of how he fives, is a member of the bride of Christ and will rule and reign with Him. Be instructed and know that while eternal life is a gift of the grace of God, rewards and rulership are based on fidelity to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
ADAM AND EVE-CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
The New Testament refers to the church as the bride of Christ, and many passages of Scripture speak of the marriage of the Lamb and the wedding feast. It is also noted that the antichrist is an imitation of Christ, and his bride is the apostate church. The Lord has emphasized in the Scripture several brides and their relationships to their husbands, and we come to appreciate the fact that each of these brides typify some particular aspect of the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. We are thinking of Eve, Rebekah, Rachel, Asenath, Zipporah, Ruth and Abigail.
For this particular study we want to consider Eve in her relationship to Adam as a type of the church, and the church’s relationship to Christ. In Gen. 2:18-25 and 3:1-24, we notice the following:
1. God saw it was not good for man to be alone. Of all the creatures of earth none provided the fellowship which man, in God’s image and likeness, desired. We note in this connection that God’s desire for fellowship led Him to create man in His own image and likeness in order that He might have fellowship, if and when man chose to commune with Him. God’s love for His Son led the Father to choose a bride for the Lord Jesus Christ. (See John 17; Eph. 1:3-5.)
2. The helpmate which God gave to Adam was made out of Adam’s own bone and flesh so that they too might be of the same nature and substance and thereby be capable of having fellowship one with the other. The bride of Christ must be made out of the same substance and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, else He cannot enjoy communion with her. For that reason the church is called the ekklesia, which means “called out of.” Just as Eve was taken out of the body of Adam, so the bride of Christ is taken out of the body of Christ. Many expositors go astray here. Their imagination leads them away from the Word and they teach that Eve was made out of the entire body of Adam and that he had no body for himself except Eve’s body. The fact of the matter is, Eve was made out of a very small portion of Adam’s body – namely, one rib, and the flesh adhering thereto. Since man normally has twelve pairs of ribs, taking one would leave twenty-three, still a part of Adam’s body but not a part of Eve’s. Then consider the rest of Adam’s body which is not constituted a part of Eve’s body; whereas, Eve is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, she is not all of his body.
Now when we come to the New Testament to study the church, the bride of Christ, we read that the church is His body (Eph. 5:23, 30-32)-more specifically members of His body-so that it does not say that the church is the complete body of Christ but only a part of the body. The church is that part of the body of Christ which is called out and separated from the body and constitutes the body of Christ. Instead of the church being called out of the world, she is called out of the family of God. One common error in teaching is that every Christian from Pentecost to the rapture is a member of the church and constitutes the bride of Christ. The truth of the matter is, the church constitutes a very small portion of the saved between Pentecost and the rapture.
3. God put Adam to sleep before He opened his side from which came his bride, Eve. Likewise, Christ was put to sleep (died on the cross) before His side was opened, from whence came the blood which was the foundation of the church.(See Matt. 16:16-18.)
4. God told Adam to cleave unto his wife; therefore, when Eve sinned and alienated herself from God, Adam, obedient to the command of God, remained with her. In order to do so he had to take her sin upon himself. The typical teaching is that after Christ’s bride, chosen before the foundation of the world, had sinned, Christ had to lay aside His glory in heaven, leave the fellowship of His Father, come to earth and take upon Himself the form of
His creature, take His bride’s sin upon Himself and die for her that He might lead her back to God.As Adam and Eve continued to share fellowship, so Christ and His church will enjoy fellowship throughout the ages of eternity.
Isaac and Rebekah, a Type of Christ and His Bride-the Church
Never forgetting I Cor. 10:11, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” We now look at Abraham, Sarah, Eliezer, Isaac and Rebekah for the typology of their experiences relative to securing a bride for Isaac. Abraham is a type of God the Father; Sarah, his wife, is a type of Israel; Isaac, his son, is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ; Eliezer, his servant, is a type of the Holy Spirit; Rebekah, the bride of Isaac, is a type of the church. Genesis 22, 23, 24 and 25 give a complete story of God, Israel, Jesus Christ and the church. The offering of Isaac pictures John 3:16. The return of Isaac from the mount after three days portrays the resurrection of Christ after three days. After Abraham and Isaac returned from the mount of sacrifice, Sarah died. This prefigures the setting aside of Israel after Christ’s burial and resurrection. After Sarah’s death Abraham sought a bride for Isaac; after Israel was set aside God then began to take out of the Gentiles a people for His Name to be joined to a remnant of election according to grace to constitute a bride for Christ. After Isaac and Rebekah were married Abraham married Keturah; after the raptu;-e and the marriage of the Lamb, God will restore Israel to Himself as a wife and Israel will again become the head of the nations.
Now we want to devote a little space to the work of the Spirit in calling out the bride as typified in the experience of Eliezer seeking and finding Rebekah.
1. Eliezer is not to take a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites, but from Abraham’s own kinsmen. This typifies the fact that the church, a “called out people,” is not called out of the world, but out of the family of God.
2. Eliezer’s journey is guided and prospered by the Lord. Likewise, the Holy Spirit in seeking out the bride of Christ does so according to the will of God.
3. Providential circumstances reveal God’s choice of a bride for Isaac. Likewise, providential circumstances will make possible the choice of an individual by God to become a part of that group called the bride of Christ.
4. Eliezer wastes no time in talking about himself, but talks about his master and the riches that are his to bestow upon her who is chosen to be his bride. Likewise, the Holy Spirit takes no time to speak of Himself, but staying in the background, points only and always to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the glories, honors and rewards that shall be to the ones who can qualify as the bride of Christ.
5. Rebekah’s family tries to detain her. Likewise, many of the family of God try to hinder and detain other Christians from a life of obedience and separation which results in one’s being chosen as a member of the bride of Christ.
6. Rebekah has to decide whether or not she wants to be the bride of Isaac. Likewise, a Christian has to decide for himself whether or not he wants to be a member of the body called the bride of Christ. Such a decision entails suffering, hardship, privation until one is sorely tempted to be satisfied to be saved by the skin of the teeth, suffering loss of all his works and receiving no rewards at all. (See I Cor. 3:11-15.)
7. Rebekah leaves home with Eliezer to go to meet the bridegroom. Likewise, the Spirit of God calls the church to leave the earth to go yonder to meet the Lord.
8. At about the same time, Isaac leaves his tent going out in the field toward the direction from which the bride is coming. In the same way the Lord descends from heaven with a shout.
9. As Rebekah and Isaac approach each other, Rebekah puts a veil over her face. I think this typifies the truth that the identity of the bride is not revealed until the marriage of the Lamb. As there were others in Rebekah’s party, so there will be others raptured besides the bride.
10. Isaac and Rebekah meet between his home and her home and then proceed to his home. The Lord Jesus Christ and the saints meet in the air bet. ween heaven and earth and then proceed into the heavens.
11. The wedding is consummated, and Isaac and Rebekah are happy. So, too, the Lord and His bride, the church, are married and happiness is the portion of both. After this Abraham remarries; and after the marriage of the Lamb, Israel is restored.
ISAAC AND REBEKAH-CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
We do well to keep in mind I Cor. 10:11, “Now all these things happened unto them for ens am pIes: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
So when we come to Genesis 24 we have something far more than a love story. We have here a picture in type of God choosing a bride for His Son, Jesus. Abraham typifies God the Father; Isaac, God the Son; Eliezer, the Holy Spirit; and Rebekah, the bride of Christ.
The detailed account of the choice and the going for and returning with the bride for Isaac can be followed in every detail if one has a heart for the study of types. I do not propose to give an exhaustive study of this passage but to point out some of the high lights that will enable the reader to launch a study of his own. Such a study will prove most profitable in considering the church as the bride of Christ.
1. Abraham was very old when he became interested in a bride for his son. This old age of Abraham typifies the old age of God, that is, the eternity of God. We know from many Scriptures that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are from eternity, and that the church was chosen in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. So we might say the first point in this study of the type is that the bride of Christ was in the mind of God from eternity.
2. Eliezer, the eldest servant of Abraham, typifies the Holy Spirit, the eldest servant of God the Father. He has many ministering angels to tend to lesser affairs than those committed to the Holy Spirit.
3. Abraham entered into a covenant with Eliezer that he would not take a bride for Isaac from the Canaanites (the lost) but from his own kindred (Christians). Here we learn at the very beginning that the bride of Christ is to be chosen from the family of God, not from the world. God made a cove. nant with the Holy Spirit to that effect.
4. Abraham sent Eliezer into a far country to get a bride for Isaac and return with her. Likewise, God the Father has sent the Holy Spirit into the world to callout a bride for Christ, and at the appointed time the Holy Spirit will bring her to meet Christ in the air.
5. Abraham did not seek a bride for Isaac until after Isaac had been placed on the altar as a burnt offering and had returned. Neither did God the Father begin to call out the church for a bride of Christ until after Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and ascension.
6. Eliezer journeyed unto the city of Nahor and was supernaturally brought in touch with the family of Abraham. Likewise, members of the bride of Christ are supernaturally chosen by God and sought out by the Holy Spirit and have the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to be part of the bride.
7. Eliezer met Rebekah by a well of water. And we learn in Isa. 12:3 that wells of water typify salvation; also, the water typifies the Word (Isa. 55:1, 2). This brings to our attention that members of the bride of Christ are saved people who through the study of the Word become interested in the deeper things of God which will lead them into a life that qualifies one to be a member of the bride of Christ. (Not all the family of God constitute the bride of Christ.)
8. Eliezer then went with Rebekah to Laban (fleshy man) and abode there for a while. This typifies the Holy Spirit’s coming into the world of the flesh and abiding for a while. That is the dispensation in which we are now living.
9. Eliezer opened his storehouse of treasure and showed to Rebekah and her family all the gifts and the glories of Isaac. Likewise, the Holy Spirit takes of the things of God the Father and God the Son and reveals them unto the Christian. Eliezer spoke not of himself, neither drew attention to himself. The Holy Spirit does not call attention to Himself, but magnifies only the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14; I Cor. 2:9, 10).
10. After Eliezer had shown Rebekah all of the gifts and glories of Isaac,he invited her to go with him to be the bride of his master. There is no force, no coercion-just a simple invitation. Rebekah had to make the choice herself as to whether or not she wanted to be the bride of Isaac. Likewise, individual Christians are invited to so live and obey the Lord that they will become a part of the bride of Christ. The Holy Spirit does not force a Christian; but having been saved by grace the Christian then must decide whether he wants to rule and reign with Christ or just be content to be a I subject in the coming kingdom.
11. After Rebekah accepted the invitation to become the bride of Isaac, Eliezer then led her on the journey toward Isaac’s home. So the Holy Spirit guides, leads and directs the Christian in the things he must do if he is to be a part of the bride of Christ. See John 16:13.
12. Rebekah’s family did their best to delay Rebekah’s departure for a while. Even so, the world, the flesh and the devil attempt to keep a Christian from living for the Lord in a way that will earn for him crowns necessary to ruling and reigning, and also to keep the Christian from overcoming and thereby qualifying as a sovereign or a member of the bride of Christ. See Revelation, chapters 2 and 3 for studies on overcoming.
13. Eliezer then took Rebekah from her home and they moved out toward the home of Isaac. This typifies the rapture of the saints as they leave the earth and go to meet the Lord in the air.
14. At about the same time, Isaac left his home and, wandering in the field, went in the direction from which Rebekah was coming to meet him.
15. Rebekah saw him coming. This is typified in Heb. 9:28, “Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
16. As Rebekah saw Isaac approaching, her caravan was stopped and she put on her veil. This typifies Christians putting on the wedding garment as they prepare to meet the Bridegroom. The wedding garment is made up of the righteous acts of the Christian. See Rev. 19:7,8. When Ruth, who is a type of the bride of Christ, went to meet Boaz, who is a type of Jesus Christ, she bathed herself (type of confession of sin); she anointed herself (type of extra filling of the Holy Spirit), and she put on her wedding raiment (type of the Christian’s good works). See Ruth 3:3.
17. Rebekah and Isaac met somewhere between her home and his home in the eventide. This typifies Christ and the church meeting in the heavens at the close of this dispensation.
18. When Rebekah and Isaac met they went then to his home to dwell. When Christ meets His church in the air they will go to His home in the heavens, which is to be their abode.
19. The marriage of Rebekah and Isaac took place in Isaac’s home, and you might say they’ ‘lived happily ever after.” This typifies the marriage of the Lamb taking place in heaven and our Lord’s joy being made complete. The point which I want to emphasize most of all in this study of types is that the bride of Isaac was taken out of the family of Abraham and not from among strangers or those who were not of his family. This has its fulfillment in the church, the bride of Christ, being called out of the family of God and in particular from those who constitute the body of Christ. I believe the Bible is at one in teaching that all Christians make up the body of Christ, but just a few are taken out of the body of Christ to form the bride. Matt. 22:14 says, “For many are called (saved), but few are called out” (to form the church, or the bride of Christ).
“Let him that hath an ear hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” And may God grant unto you to be in that number spoken of in Heb. 6:3.
CHRIST AND HIS BRIDE (CONTINUED)
Jacob and Leah and Rachel, a Type of Christ and His Bride-the Church
Thus far in our study of types of the Church we have seen Eve, a type of the Church-the Bride of Christ-being formed out of a rib of Adam to be his helpmate and to share his dominion. So Christ fell asleep in death on the cross, and the Church, His Bride, comes from His pierced side as a result of His atonement. The Church comes from the body of Christ and is in a sense His body, BUT NOT ALL of His body.
We next saw in Rebekah how the Bride is sought and won by the Holy Spirit, and how she is guided and protected by Him throughout the journey across the desert until she is presented to Isaac. When Rebekah saw Isaac she took a veil and covered herself. Likewise, when the saints are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, the corruptible must put on incorruption and the mortal must put on immortality. Here again we see the Bride is chosen from the family of the Bridegroom.
Now we consider Rachel and Leah for whom Jacob became a bondslave and labored for many years before he could take them to his home. This typifies Christ, becoming in the form of a bondslave and as one who serveth, winning to Himself His Bride (Phil. 2:5-8). I want you to notice first of all that Leah and Rachel are of the same family as Jacob. They were related to him. The Church is called out of the family of God to be the Bride of Christ.
In Jacob’s journeyings north he comes in contact with the daughters of Laban (who typify Israel) when the water supply is very scarce. When Jesus comes to His own He finds the presence of the Spirit and the power of the Word (both of which are symbolized by water) very scarce. As Jacob rolled away the stone from the well, so did Jesus Christ open up the wells of the Spirit and the Word that the water flowed freely.
Jacob became a shepherd of Laban’s sheep. Jesus came only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jacob wanted the younger daughter only but had to take the elder daughter first. Leah, who typifies the law, must come first while Rachel, who typifies the gospel, comes second. Leah, the law, was very fruitful but Rachel, the gospel, was unfruitful. After Israel was set aside and the law superseded, the gospel of Christ became very fruitful and was preached in all the world to every creature during the generation which lived when Christ was on the earth (Rom. 10:18; Col. 1:23).
After Jacob left Haran and started toward Bethel his family was united and became one. After Christ left the earth and returned to heaven the middle wall of partition between Israel and the Gentiles was broken down and the twain became one in the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Neither one type nor a combination of all types can fully typify the Lord Jesus Christ in His person, work and ministry; therefore, the Lord uses many different individuals as facets of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.)
JACOB AND RACHEL-CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
When Jacob left his home to go into a far country, his destination was the home of his mother’s people. In Gen. 28:6 and 29:10 he was told to take a bride out from among his own brethren and not to choose one from among any others. Once again this calls our attention to the fact that the bride of Christ is to be called out from among the people of God and not from among those who have not been saved.
Jacob learned of Rachel from other herdsmen and fell in love with her before she ever heard of him or knew him. Likewise, Christ knew, loved and gave Himself for the church long before she ever heard of Him.
After Rachel met Jacob she ran and told her own family of the arrival of Jacob, which typifies the telling of the story of Christ unto the family of Christ before it was ever told to any outside of His own people. Christ came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel only. He sent the twelve to the lost sheep of the house of Israel only. Not until Peter preached the gospel in the household of Cornelius was it “also to the Greek.” This experience calls to our attention that the gospel is to the Jew first.
This choosing a bride from His own people is described in Ephesians as the bride of Christ being bone of His bone, out of His body, and out of His flesh (Eph. 5:30; Gen. 2:23).
Jacob agreed with Laban to become a servant and work for Rachel, his betrothed. Philippians 2:7, 8 shows that Christ became a servant and was obedient even unto death, and that upon the cross, in order to win His bride, the church. However, Jacob had to marry Leah first because of the custom of the Jews, and she typifies the earthly people of our Lord, and Christ’s ministry of necessity was to the Jew first.
Rachel, typifying the heavenly people of God, came into relationship with Jacob after Israel’s recognition by our Lord. Rachel bore two children to Jacob, Joseph and Benjamin. As Rachel was loved the most by Jacob, so were Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel, typifying the bride of Christ, brings forth the truth that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it as well as those who are brought into a saved relationship with the Lord, as symbolized by Joseph and Benjamin.
After Jacob had completed his commitment to Laban for Rachel, then Rachel left her home and went with Jacob to his. This is a beautiful symbol of the rapture of the saints, going to meet the Lord and then back to His home in the heavens where the marriage of the Lamb takes place. In a sentence, Rachel typifies the bride of Christ being won after her Lover became a servant and worked for her.
CHRIST AND HIS BRIDE (CONTINUED) Joseph and Asenath, a Type of Christ and His Bride-the Church
Asenath typifies the Bride of Christ sharing His exaltation to the right hand of the Father during the time of His rejection by His brethren in the
flesh, Israel. In developing the typology of Asenath we must first review some of the typical teachings in the life of Joseph leading up to his taking a bride from among the Gentiles. The following points of analogy between Joseph and Christ are evident:
1. Both Joseph and Jesus were shepherds.
2. They were both beloved of their Fathers.
3. They were both hated by their brethren.
4. Both knew of their future reign over their brethren.
5. They were both sent by their Fathers to see about their brethren.
6. The death of both was plotted by their brothers.
7. They were both stripped of their glory-Christ, as described in Phil. 2:5-8, and Joseph, being stripped of his coat of many colors.
8. Both were cast into a pit in which there was no water.
9. Both were sold for the price of a slave.
10. Both became servants.
11. Both were exalted to the right hand of the ruler-Christ seated at the right hand of God the Father, Joseph at the right hand of Pharaoh.
Rejected by their brethren and exalted to the right hand of the ruler, each takes unto himself a bride of Gentile lineage. “And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets: as it is written. After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things” (Acts 15:13-17). Here is fulfilled the mystery described in Ephesians, how that God is taking some from among the Gentiles and uniting them with redeemed Jews, making out of the twain one new man.
Joseph-rejected by his brethren but exalted by Pharaoh, answering only to Pharaoh and possessing all ruling power under Pharoah-is comparable to Christ as He describes His power and authority in Matt. 28:18: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” While in this position of authority, Joseph marries a Gentile bride, Asenath. The main point of interest to note in the typology of Asenath is that she shares the glory, honor and prestige that belong to Joseph. Though rejected by man, Joseph and his bride are exalted by the chief ruler. This typifies Christ’s rejection today by the world and the subsequent rejection of the Church by the world, but the exaltation of both by the Lord God.
Another point of great interest, which needs to be emphasized today possibly as never before, is that during all of Joseph’s dealings with his brothers, his wife is never present and does not enter into any of these experiences whatsoever. This is a type of supreme interest to Christians which, in connection with countless other types and Scriptures, makes us to know that the Church, the Bride of Christ, will not enter into nor have any relationship whatever with Christ’s dealings with His brethren, the nation of Israel. As Asenath did not suffer with Joseph’s brethren, neither will the church suffer with Israel. As Asenath was not punished with Joseph’s brethren, neither will the church be punished with Israel. As Asenath was married and in a place of separation and safety from Joseph’s brethren, so will the Church, the Bride of Christ, be married and in a place of safety, completely separated from Christ’s brethren, Israel.
NO, THE CHURCH WILL NOT BE IN NOR HAVE ANY PART OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION.
CHRIST AND HIS BRIDE (CONTINUED) Moses and Zipporah, a Type of Christ and His Bride-the Church
“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken” (Deut. 18:15).
This is scriptural authority for studying closely the life of Moses as being a type of Christ. I want to call to your attention analogies between Moses and Christ with special emphasis upon Zipporah, the bride of Moses:
1. Both Moses and Jesus were born during the reign of kings who were having the male babies of Israel put to death.
2. The mothers of both Moses and Jesus appreciated the fact that their babies were different.
3. Both Moses and Jesus found refuge in Egypt.
4. Both Moses and Jesus were rejected by their brethren when they were sent to deliver the children of Israel.
5. Upon their rejection both Moses and Jesus go away into a far country.
6. While in a far country both take unto themselves a Gentile bride.
7. During the time that both minister among the Gentiles they are shepherds.
8. God sends both Moses and Jesus back the second time to deliver their brethren with the promise of their being received.
9. Moses’ bride does not come back to Egypt with Moses while the plagues are on Egypt. Neither does the bride of Christ return to the earth during the time that the judgments of God are here during the Great Tribulation.
10. Moses is reunited with his bride after they leave Egypt, and Christ is reunited with His bride in the New Jerusalem after the battle of Armageddon.
The particular teaching of the type of Moses and Zipporah is that in the days of Moses’ rejection by his own brethren he has a Gentile bride to share his rejection, to bring comfort and joy to him. This portrays to us a fact almost forgotten during these past months-that the church is to share Christ’s rejection at the hands of the world. The world has not received Jesus and the world will not receive His bride. Friendship with the world is enmity toward the Lord Jesus Christ, and whoever makes himself a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of the Lord. The bride of Joseph and the bride of Moses complement each other in that Joseph’s bride shares Joseph’s exaltation at the right hand of Pharaoh, revealing unto us that Christ’s bride shares His exaltation at the right hand of God, the Father, in the heavenlies; but on the earth, Christ’s bride suffers rejection at the hands of the world as typified by Zipporah’s being separated from and not received by either the Jews or the Egyptians. As Moses continues his journeyings with the children of Israel into the wilderness, his bride goes with him to share his joys and sorrows.
MOSES AND ZIPPORAH-CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
In Acts 3:22, Moses is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. At Moses’ first attempt to deliver the children of Israel, they refused to accept him and he was forced to flee into a far country. Even so, at our Lord’s first advent His own received Him not and He went into a far country; that is, He returned to heaven from whence He came (see Hosea 5:15).
While Moses was in this far country on the back side of the desert, he married a Gentile bride, Zipporah. While Christ is in heaven, awaiting acceptance on the part of the nation of Israel, He is taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name (see Acts 15:13-18). This Gentile group being chosen by our Lord is called the fullness of the Gentiles, when completed (see Rom. 11:25).
Moses met Zipporah by the well, which is the symbol of the living Word. And Christ’s bride comes out of those who dwell deeply in the written Word, which also corresponds to the living Word, that is, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
When Moses returned the second time to deliver the children of Israel, his bride Zipporah did not accompany him. I do not believe the Bible teaches that the bride of Christ will accompany Him when He comes to deliver the children of Israel at the time of the Great Tribulation. The ones accompanying our Lord at that time are spoken of as angels and as holy ones but never as the bride. He will tread the winepress of the wrath of God alone (see Isa. 63:1-6).
After Moses delivered the children of Israel from Egypt he was reunited with his bride, and so will our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be reunited with His bride after He has dealt with Israel.
CHRIST AND HIS BRIDE (CONTINUED)
Boaz and Ruth, a Type of Christ and His Bride-the Church
“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our adomonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (I Cor. 10:11). In the light of this verse of Scripture we appreciate the fact that everything which happened in the life of Ruth or in connection with Israel is a type, and the Lord used earthly brides to typify the heavenly Bride. So let us see what we find in the analogy between Ruth as the bride of Boaz and the Church as the bride of Christ.
First of all we see her typifying a lost sinner. She is a Moabitess and as such is barred from the house of the Lord even to the tenth generation. She is fruitless, unattractive, penniless and in debt and has given her first love to another. In this connection read Eph. 2:11-13.
Second, we see her typifying a repentent sinner. Because of the inherent character of her mother-in-law, Naomi, Ruth chooses to go with her and to let Naomi’s God and Naomi’s people be her God and her people. Being dissatisfied with what and where she is, she seeks a change.
In the third place we find her seeking one who can minister to her needs. Consequently she gleans in the field of Boaz, who is a near kinsman and as such can redeem her. As the near kinsman and redeemer, Boaz is a beautiful type or illustration of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Ruth gleans in this field, Boaz notices her and encourages her and she begins to ask questions which Boaz answers. This is a picture of the sinner, brought under conviction by the Holy Spirit, seeking the answers to his questions and the One Who can speak peace and forgiveness to his troubled sinful being.
In the fourth place we find Ruth as a believing sinner. She turns to Boaz; she seeks him out on the threshing floor where she finds him resting by his finished work. The lost sinner, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, turns to the Lord, receives the Lord as He, seated on the right hand of God, rests by His finished work on Calvary.
Fifth, we find her as a fruitful believing sinner. Ruth is married to Boaz and God blesses them with the birth of a son, Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. A Christian, having believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, can become fruitful-Christ working in him His eternal purposes and blessed will. Many are the Christians whose experiences parallel that of Ruth through all of her experiences until it comes to the part of bearing fruit. The tragedy of tragedies is that so many, having believed and received eternal life, do not bring honor and glory to the Lord by becoming fruitful.
Does it matter? Assuredly-since all rewards will be based upon fruitfulness.
CHRIST AND HIS BRIDE (CONTINUED)
David and Abigail, a Type of Christ and His Bride-the Church
To understand correctly and appreciate this type, one should read carefully I Samuel 25. Herein we find four different aspects of Abigail’s experience typifying that of one who becomes a member of the body of Christ and then a part of the Church, His bride.
I. Abigail typifies a lost sinner
She is married to Nabal, whose name means “fool.” The fool is one who says in his heart, “There is no God.” Nabal, as such, typifies the carnal man, which is the only nature a lost sinner possesses. Abigail is kept in ignorance of David’s presence and of the sacrifices which he offered. The carnal man seeks to keep the individual in ignorance concerning Christ’s first advent and His sacrifice. Abigail fears the carnal man, which we also designate as “the old man,” and would perish but for the warning of a servant.
II. Abigail typifies a sinner turning to the Lord
She is willing to listen to the servant as he tells of David’s sacrifices, of his ten young men, and of his expected coming to where they are. She disregards competely the wisdom of the carnal man and gathers what little possessions she has and makes haste to go and meet David. When she meets David, she takes the place of a repentant sinner and falls at his feet, confessing her sins and failures.
III. Abigail typifies one who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ
In verses 32 and 33 we find that her confession is acknowledged, her sins are forgiven and she is accepted by David. Resting on the word of David, she accepts his forgiveness and goes in peace (v. 35). Conditions with her seem to become more aggravated, but she has confidence in David and rests on his word.
IV. Abigail typifies the sanctified believer or faithful servant of the Lord
In verse 37 we find that she tells Nabal, “the old man,” what has happened and the state of affairs. “The old man” is smitten and gradually dies, Abigail responds to David’s invitiation to become his bride. And as she comes to David, she offers to be his servant and wash his feet, but David makes her queen.
Possibly in a more concise way, N abal pictures the old man sold under the law; but he dies, and the new man is free under grace to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.