THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
God’s Complete Salvation
Message Two—Various Types concerning the Redemption in the Old Testament
Scripture Reading: Gen. 3:21; 4:4; Exo. 12:1-36; Lev. 16:1; Isa. 53:1-12; Heb. 10:5-10
I. In addition to the plain prophetic words in the Old Testament, God also used many persons, matters and things in the Old Testament as types to declare, describe, reveal and speak forth the mysterious and glorious redemption that He had planned and ordained—Gen. 4:4; 12:7-8; 22:13; 26:25:
A. God also used the offerings of the forefathers to indicate that He would make it possible for fallen sinners to draw near to Him and be accepted by Him through His foreordained redemption—Heb. 10:5-7, Eph.1:7.
B. Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all communed with God and were acceptable to God through their offerings—12:7-8; 22:13; 26:25; 35:6-7; Gen. 4:4; 8:20-22.
II. In the book of Genesis chapter 3 the coats of skin that were used as a covering for Adam and Eve are the first indication in type of God’s promised redemption—Gen. 3:21; John 1:29; Rev. 13:8b; 1 Pet. 1:18-20; 3:18; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 3:24:
A. The killing of the lambs by God foreshadowed the substitutionary death of Christ as the Lamb of God, with the shedding of His precious blood for the accomplishing of redemption, based on which God justifies the believing sinners—Gen. 3:21.
B. In type, Abel offered Christ to God; according to Num. 18:17, the firstling of a cow or sheep or goat, a type of Christ, had to be offered to God; this offering included the sprinkling of the blood upon the altar for redemption and the burning of the fat as a satisfying fragrance to God—4:4.
C. In the book of Genesis chapter 21 Abraham redeemed the well at the cost of seven ewe lambs; in typology the seven ewe lambs signify the full redemption of Christ, indicating that the divine living water has been redeemed, bought back, by Christ’s full redemption—John 19:34.
D. The ram in Genesis chapter 21 killed in place of Abraham’s son, is a type of Christ as the Lamb of God provided by God to replace God’s chosen people, those who would inherit God’s promised inheritance, as the burnt offering for God’s satisfaction—John 1:29.
III. The book of Exodus chapters 1—18 portray God’s redemption and salvation—Exo. 19:3:
A. The Passover portrayed in Exodus chapter 12 is an all-inclusive type of Christ as our redemption to begin our experience of God’s salvation—v. 3.
B. The Passover is a full development of Christ’s redemption first indicated in Gen. 3:21.
C. The blood of the sacrifice in Exodus chapter 23 signifies the redemption of Christ, and leaven signifies our sinful life.
D. Silver signifies Christ’s redemption, which also involves termination and replacement—Exo. 26:19; 27:10.
E. Onyx stone having red in it, signifies Christ’s blood shed for redemption—25:7; 28:9-10.
F. The other precious stones signify the different aspects of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit based on Christ’s redemption—25:7; 28:17-20.
IV. In the book of Exodus chapter 27, the grating, the network of bronze, inside the altar signifies Christ Himself in His redemptive work—27:4.
V. In the book of Leviticus chapter 16 the expiation accomplished through the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament is a type pointing to the redemption accomplished by Christ in the New Testament:
A. On the Day of Expiation the blood of the sin offering was brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the expiation cover, the lid of the Ark, which covered the Ten Commandments within the Ark, signifying that the sin of the ones coming to contact God had been covered but not yet removed—Exo. 25:16.
B. In this way the situation of fallen man in relation to God was appeased but was not fully settled, until Christ came to accomplish redemption by offering Himself as the propitiatory sacrifice to take away man’s sin—Heb. 9:12; 2:17; 1Jo. 2:2; 4:10.
VI. In the book of Numbers chapter 6 the female lamb typifies Christ as our sin offering for our redemption—Num. 6:14:
A. Because we are still in the old creation, at the beginning of our Nazarite life we need God’s redemption, which has been completed in Christ—Heb. 9:12.
B. In their cooperating with God for His service, the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel offered twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, and twelve gold cups full of incense, signifying Christ in His redemption (silver) and His divine nature (gold) as a fragrant satisfaction (incense) to God—Num. 7:84-86.
C. Concerning the cleansing of the Levites, sprinkling the water of purification upon the Levites signifies the application of the effectiveness of the redemption of Christ upon the serving believers—8:7.
VII. In the book of Ezra chapter 1 the gold and silver vessels of the house of God typify the experiences of the various aspects of Christ in His redemption (silver) and in His divine nature (gold) —v. 7.
VIII. In the book of Isaiah Chapter 6 the ember from the altar signifies the effectiveness of Christ’s redemption accomplished on the cross—v. 6:
A. In the book of Isaiah Chapter 53 Christ is revealed as the crucified Redeemer, who sacrificed Himself for our trespasses (our sin) to accomplish Jehovah’s eternal redemption that the believers in Christ may be redeemed—vv. 1-12.
B. Sicknesses and sorrows, like transgressions and iniquities, come from sin; hence, they too need Christ’s redemption—v. 5; Matt. 8:17.
C. In His vicarious death for sinners, Christ was oppressed, afflicted, and led to the slaughter like a lamb and sheared before the shearers like a sheep, with no reaction —Acts 8:32; Matt. 26:62-63; 27:12, 14.
IX. In the book of Zechariah chapter 1 the red horse signifies Christ’s swift move in His redemption, accomplished through the shedding of His blood—v. 8; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19.
X. We have briefly explained the types in the Old Testament related to God’s mysterious redemption, which serve as a blueprint of the mysterious and glorious redemption that our wise Designer planned in eternity—Eph. 1:7; Heb. 10:1; Rev. 13:8b:
A. Before His redemption was manifested, God presented His plan of redemption to man through prophecies and types—Heb. 10:5-10; Luke 24:44.
B. Then at the appropriate time He accomplished His redemption according to these prophecies and types—John 1:29; 1 Pet. 1:18-20.
Ministry Excerpts:
ANTICIPATED REDEMPTION
The killing of the lambs by God foreshadowed the substitutionary death of Christ as the Lamb of God, with the shedding of His precious blood for the accomplishing of redemption, based on which God justifies the believing sinners (John 1:29; Rev. 13:8b; 1 Pet. 1:18-20; 3:18a; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 3:24).
God’s clothing Adam and his wife with the coats of skins means that God justified them through their faith (Rom. 3:28). The coats are a type of Christ as God’s righteousness to cover us that we might be justified by God (Jer. 23:6; 1 Cor. 1:30). They were made by God and replaced the coverings of fig leaves sown by Adam (v. 7). See note 225 in Luke 15. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Gen. 3:21 note 1)
Although Adam and Eve had the anticipated redemption, they did not yet have the actual redemption, which was accomplished by Christ on the cross. They were still sinful in nature. If they had eaten of the tree of life while in that condition, they would have lived forever with their sinful nature. God did not allow that. The tree of life, signifying God as life to man, must not be touched by sinful man. Thus, before the actual redemption was accomplished, God had to close the way to the tree of life. Once the actual redemption was completed to take away man’s sin (John 1:29) and terminate man’s sinful nature (John 3:14 and note; Rom. 8:3 and note 3), access to the tree of life would again be possible (Rev. 22:14). (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Gen. 3:22 note 1)
THE SPRINKLING OF THE BLOOD
UPON THE ALTAR FOR REDEMPTION
According to Heb. 11:4, Abel’s offering, a sacrifice, was offered to God by faith. Faith comes by hearing the word of the gospel (Rom. 10:17, 14). This indicates that Abel’s parents, Adam and Eve, must have proclaimed to their children the glad tidings that God had announced to them (3:15, 21). Like his father and mother, Abel believed the gospel and presented his offering to God according to God’s revelation in the word proclaimed by his parents. Thus, the first family on earth was a family of the gospel, a family of believers.
Abel was the first priest of God, representing all the believers in Christ (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). In type, Abel offered Christ to God. According to Num. 18:17, the firstling of a cow or sheep or goat, a type of Christ, had to be offered to God. This offering included the sprinkling of the blood upon the altar for redemption and the burning of the fat as a satisfying fragrance to God. Hence, Abel’s offering, corresponding exactly with what was later revealed in the Mosaic law, proves that his way of worshipping God was according to God’s divine revelation, not according to his own concept. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Gen. 4:4 note 1)
THE REDEMPTION ACCOMPLISHED BY CHRIST
The redemption in this verse looks forward to the redemption accomplished by Christ. According to His righteousness God should have judged the heavens and the earth immediately after the fall of Adam. However, in order to fulfill His purpose to have a dwelling place among men, God put the universe under the redemption of Christ, which in His eternal view was foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:19-20 and note 201; Heb. 2:9 and note 3). Hence, God has the freedom to either preserve the universe or to judge it and destroy it. Today, God extends His mercy by viewing all the people of the world under the redemption of Christ so that they might have the opportunity to repent and receive His redemption (cf. John 3:18). Pharaoh and the Egyptians rejected the redemption ordained by God and thus exposed themselves to God’s judgment (cf. 1 John 2:2 and note 2). Because God covered the children of Israel with Christ’s redemption, God’s judgment did not touch them (12:23). (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Exo. 8:23 note 1)
AN ALL-INCLUSIVE TYPE OF CHRIST AS OUR REDEMPTION
Exodus is a book of pictures that portray God’s salvation as revealed in the New Testament. The passover portrayed in this chapter is an all-inclusive type of Christ as our redemption to begin our experience of God’s salvation. It is a full development of Christ’s redemption first indicated in Gen. 3:21 (see notes there). The entire passover is a type of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7); Christ is not only the lamb of the passover (John 1:29) but also every aspect of the passover. See notes in this chapter and notes 41 in John 6 and 72 in 1 Cor. 5. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Exo. 12:3 note 1)
The houses in which the children of Israel ate the passover lamb typify Christ. The lamb was the means of redemption, and the house was the means of preserving the redeemed ones. As the redeeming one, Christ is the lamb, and as the keeping one, He is the house. The blood of the lamb was on the door, and the flesh of the lamb was in the house. The lamb, the house, and those who enjoyed the passover thus became one. This is a picture of the identification of the redeemed ones with Christ. See note 222. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Exo. 12:7 note 2)
THE PASSOVER LAMB WAS FOR REDEMPTION
The blood of the passover lamb was for redemption, to redeem the children of Israel out of God’s death-judgment, and the flesh of the lamb was for life supply, to strengthen the people to move out of Egypt. The flesh of the lamb signifies the crucified and resurrected life of Christ as the supply for God’s redeemed people. Through Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection His flesh has become the food of God’s redeemed. In the reality of the passover, Christ’s blood is drinkable, Christ’s flesh is eatable, and Christ in totality is eatable (John 6:51-57, 63 and notes). (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Exo. 12:8 note 1)
To participate in the passover, the children of Israel had to enter into and remain in the houses that had been sprinkled with the blood (vv. 13, 22-23). In the same principle, to participate in Christ and His redemption, we must be identified with Christ by entering into Him and remaining in Him (Eph. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:30; John 15:4; cf. Gal. 5:2, 4). The house and the blood were inseparable; likewise, Christ and His redemption are one. See notes 212 in Gen. 3, 143 in Gen. 6, and 181, par. 2, in Gen. 8. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Exo. 12:22 note 2)
THE NEED OF REDEMPTION
Because of the negative situation of God’s people, as portrayed in chs. 11—15, according to God’s concept and in His divine economy there is the need of redemption. Because the Old Testament time was not the time for redemption to take place, a type, a shadow, of the coming redemption was needed. This shadow is the expiation in this chapter. The expiation accomplished through the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament is a type pointing to the redemption accomplished by Christ in the New Testament.
The root of the Hebrew word translated expiation means to cover. The noun form of this word is rendered expiation cover in v. 2 and in Exo. 25:17. The root of the Greek word used in the Septuagint and in the New Testament, translated propitiation in Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; and 1 John 2:2 and 4:10, means to appease (the situation between two parties). On the Day of Expiation the blood of the sin offering was brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the expiation cover, the lid of the Ark (vv. 14-15), which covered the Ten Commandments within the Ark (Exo. 25:16), signifying that the sin of the ones coming to contact God had been covered but not yet removed (see note 33 in Heb. 1). In this way the situation of fallen man in relation to God was appeased but was not fully settled, until Christ came to accomplish redemption by offering Himself as the propitiatory sacrifice to take away man’s sin (Heb. 9:12; 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10; John 1:29). See notes 252 and 253 in Rom. 3, 174 in Heb. 2, 122 in Heb. 9, and 21 in 1 John 2. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Lev. 16:1 note 1)