In addition, during the first half of the last century, in the late 1820s, the Lord raised up the Brethren in England. They had many Bible teachers; the first among them was John Nelson Darby. There were also C. H. Mackintosh and William Kelly. First, they unlocked many biblical principles; second, they unlocked the types; third, they unlocked the prophecies; fourth, they unlocked the dispensations; and fifth, they unlocked the proper knowledge concerning the Triune God and the Person of Christ. Finally, they also unlocked the truth concerning the church. These are the six conclusions we can obtain through their writings.
First, they unlocked the principles of the Bible. There is one set of principles for the books of the Old Testament and another set of principles for the books of the New Testament. The culmination of Darby’s writings was the five-volume commentary on the Bible called Synopsis of the Books of the Bible. He abstracted every book in the Bible and found the underlying principles in each book. This was his greatest strength; this was also where I received the most help.
Second, the Brethren dug out the types in the Bible. While reading the New Testament, they picked up all the related verses. For example, Romans 5:14 says that Adam is a type of Christ. Galatians 4 says that Abraham had a wife named Sarah and a concubine named Hagar. These two women signify two testaments, the new testament and the old testament. In the Gospels the Lord Jesus also said, “Behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matt. 12:42), “Have you not read what David did” (Matt. 12:3), and “A greater than Jonah is here” (Matt. 12:41). Solomon, David, and Jonah in the Old Testament are types of the Lord Jesus. When we read the New Testament in this way we will spontaneously realize that there are many shadows, types, and prophecies in the Old Testament describing the things in the New Testament. Generally speaking, it was the Brethren teachers who unlocked the types in the Old Testament. This was the greatest help which I received from meeting with them for seven and a half years.
Third, they unlocked the prophecies. The prophecies in the Bible can be divided into two categories. The first category consists of the prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus; these are the prophecies with promises. For example, Genesis 3:15 says that the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent’s head. This is a prophecy, but it is also a promise. Then, in Genesis 22, God said to Abraham, “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (v. 18). Here the word “seed” refers to one Person, Christ (Gal. 3:16). Later, this prophecy and promise were also used to refer to the seed of Isaac (Gen. 26:2-4), the seed of Jacob (Gen. 28:13-14), and the seed of Judah. Genesis 49 says that Judah is a lion who will reign and has gone up from the prey. This prefigures Christ. Then in 2 Samuel God promised that David would have a son who would reign as a king, and that His kingdom would last forever (7:12-13).
The book of Isaiah prophesies, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (7:14). “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given...his name shall be called...The mighty God, The everlasting Father...” (9:6). The entire fifty-third chapter of Isaiah is full of prophecies and promises. There is no place in the New Testament which gives as clear an account of the gospel of Christ as Isaiah 53. Then Jeremiah 33 prophesies that Christ as God’s righteousness will become our righteousness (vv. 15-16). The book of Daniel prophesies that Messiah will be cut off (9:26a); this refers to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. Then Hosea 11:1 says, “I...called my son out of Egypt”; this also refers to Christ. Micah 5:2 says “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Then we find more prophecies in Zechariah: Christ is referred to as the wounded One (13:6), the One the Jews have pierced (12:10), and the smitten Shepherd (13:7). In Haggai He is referred to as the desire of all nations (2:7). Finally, Malachi 4:2 prophesies that He will rise as the Sun of righteousness. In addition, the book of Psalms also has many prophecies concerning Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement.
The second kind of prophecy in the Old Testament is concerning the world situation, the people of the world, the Jews, the Gentiles, and the church. Pember wrote four volumes on the interpretation of prophecies. The first volume deals with the prophecies concerning the world; the second, with the prophecies concerning the Jews; the third, with the prophecies concerning the Gentiles; and the fourth, with the prophecies concerning the church. These prophecies are recorded in Daniel and Revelation. Some can also be found in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and other books.
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