Next, the book of Hebrews also tells us about the type of the good land of Canaan. Here we have to consider the history of the children of Israel, which was of three stages, or three periods, which transpired in three places—in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the good land of Canaan. If we consider carefully before the Lord, we will realize that Egypt corresponds to the outer court. In that outer court, the children of Israel enjoyed Christ as the sin offering and the Passover Lamb by offering Him on the altar. Then they entered into the wilderness, which was better than Egypt. In the wilderness they had freedom and enjoyed the heavenly manna, the living water, and even the tabernacle. The wilderness simply corresponds to the Holy Place. When they were in the wilderness, this means that they were in the Holy Place, not in the outer court nor in the Holy of Holies. They were not in Egypt, but neither were they in the good land of Canaan. They were in a place in between. The wilderness is better than Egypt but inferior to the good land of Canaan. So here we have three places corresponding to the three sections of the tabernacle. Egypt corresponds to the outer court; the wilderness, to the Holy Place; and the good land of Canaan, to the Holy of Holies. While this book encourages us to enter into the Holy of Holies, it also tells us that we have to enter into the rest of the good land. Thus, we have the Holy of Holies and the good land of Canaan.
Finally, Hebrews 4:12 indicates that we are tripartite beings, beings of three parts: the body, the soul, and the spirit. The body corresponds to the outer court and to Egypt. The soul corresponds to the Holy Place and to the wilderness. All the soulish Christians are wandering in the wilderness of their soul. No doubt, they are seeking the Lord, but they take a roundabout way. All the time they are going round and round in the wilderness, in the Holy Place, in the soul. They love the Lord, seek the Lord, and enjoy the Lord as the manna from heaven, yet they are in their soul and do not have the rest. As long as you are wandering, going round and round in your soul, you will not have the rest.
You may be better than the Christians who are in Egypt. They enjoy Christ merely as their Redeemer, the Passover Lamb, yet they are still in Egypt, in the world. They are still very much in the flesh, in the body. You are better than that. You gave up Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, and experienced an aspect of Christ's death. Furthermore, you love the Lord, seek the Lord, and are going on for the Lord. Yes, you are marching on, but you are marching round and round. All the time you are in your soulish life, in your soul. You have not entered into the spirit, which corresponds to the Holy of Holies and to the good land of Canaan. When you enter into the spirit, you are in the Holy of Holies where the ark is, that is, where Christ is. When you enter into the spirit, you are also in the good land, which is Christ Himself. Since the divine Spirit is in the human spirit, when you touch the human spirit, you touch the divine Spirit, who is Christ Himself.
Therefore, we have these three things with three parts: the tabernacle having three parts, the history of Israel having three parts, and our being having three parts. All these parts correspond to one another.