Further on, we see in the book of Numbers that the Israelites passed through forty-two stations after their exodus from Egypt prior to their entry into Canaan. Every station has its significance. In reading the names of the stations we get a picture of man’s sojourning as well the condition for his entry into Canaan.
The offerings, feasts, and ordinances regarding cleansing are all types, and we have to study them.
The book of Joshua is a book with profound types. I am not saying that all the types in this book are profound. I am saying that there are many profound things in the book of Joshua. In order to understand the significance of the Israelites entering Canaan and the warfare in Canaan, we must first know what Canaan typifies. Some think that Canaan typifies heaven. But if Canaan typifies heaven, will there be warfare in heaven? If we are careful in our reading, we will conclude that Canaan cannot be a type of heaven. It is a type of our heavenly position. It is the equivalent of the heavenlies spoken of in Ephesians. On the one hand, we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. On the other hand, we wrestle against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies (Eph. 6:12). In studying this typology, we must not stop with the book of Joshua; we must also study Ephesians. In fact, Joshua must be read not only with Ephesians but with Hebrews as well. The entrance into Canaan in the book of Joshua typifies two things: spiritual warfare (in Ephesians) and rest (in Hebrews). The rest here clearly refers to the kingdom. Hence, Canaan is not a type of heaven but a type of the kingdom rest. Not everyone who passed under the blood of the lamb or ate of the Passover lamb entered Canaan; only two entered. The rest died in the wilderness. Many are called but few are chosen. Hence, Canaan is a type of the kingdom. The entrance into Canaan typifies our reigning in the kingdom. Once we are clear about this fundamental point, we will see which part of Joshua is a type of a Christian’s position in the heavenlies today and which part is a type of his reward in the future.
The many lawless acts in the book of Judges typify man’s self-willed life which results in all kinds of confusion.
In Samuel we see man’s reign and God’s entrusting of His authority to man. Before a man after God’s heart was raised up, a man after man’s heart stepped in. David was a man after God’s heart, but before him, a man after man’s heart, Saul, came. It is clear that Saul typifies the reign of antichrist. We see how the king after God’s choice went into battle and how he enjoyed peace. We see the battles of David and the glory of Solomon. The reign of Saul typifies the condition during the great tribulation, the reign of David typifies the condition after the tribulation, and the reign of Solomon typifies the millennium. All of these are clear types.
Solomon’s building of the temple is again a type of Christ building the church. The temple was in Jerusalem, typifying the church meeting and worshipping in the Lord’s name, because God placed His name in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the only place which God recognized and in which He put His own name (1 Kings 14:21). When Jeroboam rose up, he set up altars in Bethel and Dan for worship, and God condemned this. God wants man to worship only at the place where His name is established. He does not want man to worship anywhere else. During times of revival, the kings removed the altars. But some kings did not remove them. This is a type of the many revivals that have taken place in the church. Later, the temple was destroyed; this is a type of the church becoming desolated. Afterwards, Nehemiah, Zechariah, and Zerubbabel returned to rebuild the temple. Although the rebuilt temple was not as glorious as the one that had been destroyed, there was a beginning of recovery back to the original ground. This is a type of the recovery of the church. This recovery will be completed at the Lord’s second coming. Then the church will be a glorious church.
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