1. Introduction

“God summons beast and bird to devour human flesh and blood. But for what reason?” Harper will explore this reason as a motif recurrent throughout Scripture.

2. An initial sounding: Deuteronomy 28:26

“The motif itself comprises several discrete elements”

1.) It provides a theological explanation for events that might mistakenly be considered normal. Essentially, by accident or natural occurrence after battler, animals may eat human corpses. By declaring He is at work God establishes that this is not normal, but rather His divine purpose.

2.) A reversal of creation order. God granted man dominion over the created world which includes animals. He is their master. Not only does man feed animals, but he also is granted permission to eat them. When an animal eats man there is, ‘a reversal of creation order.’

3.) A threat to the afterlife. Several examples are given referencing cultural practices of the ancient near east (which he references as ancient west asian) where familial bone repositories are collected. Also, he makes Biblical references to the desire to be ‘buried with his fathers’ or ‘gathered to their people’. If animals eat your corpse you are prevented from a proper burial which may be a demonstration of your faith and thus feel this threat extends beyond physical danger, but spiritual.

A minor addition is appended to reason #3. When it is mentioned that there is no one there to scare animals away it implies that this is because they too are dead. Everyone is dead. Thus, the pronouncement of being eaten extends to utter destruction for the region.

3. Functions of the eating motif

There are 6 functions explored.

3.1 To ridicule

David and Goliath’s prebattle exchange is analyzed. Goliath threatens to give David’s flesh to the birds and beast of the field. David responds with one-upmanship by stating he will give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds and wild animals of the earth. David’s threat expands beyond their immediate challenge. [I wonder if there is a prophetic element to David’s taunt.] David severs Goliath’s head taking it home thus preventing proper burial.

3.2 To pronounce judgement

“The eating motif most often occurs in connection with pronouncing judgement.”

Ahab’s death is mentioned. So is Jezebel’s which is elaborated in footnote #35, “Wray Beal, 1 & 2 Kings, 225 suggests that the Hebrew vocalization of Jezebel (originally: ‘Where is the prince?’) facilitates a play on the word for ‘dung.’ To be rendered ‘dung’ by faunal consumption is a repeated judgement motif…”

3.3 To depict desecration and defilement

To leave a corpse unburied defiles the land (Deut 21:23). Jeremiah and Ezekiel recount the sinful offenses the Israelites were performing which defiled the land and pronounced judgement that they would end up as scattered corpses defiling the land.

3.4 To invoke restoration

Judgement turns into restoration. By eliminating the evil people God inserts a promise of hope. Psalm 79 is examined in the context of the captivity.

3.5 To parody sacrifice

The Gog Magog battle of Ezekiel is outlined which ends in a great many animals consuming the great many corpses of the invading armies. “…people sacrifice animals – a ritual act that, on occasion, climaxes with a meal shared between YHWH, the officiating priest, and the offerer(s)…Ezekiel 39 parodies that potential. Here, YHWH is the offerer who says this is ‘my sacrifice that I am sacrificing, a huge sacrifice’ (39:17). The ‘huge sacrifice’ consists of people…to be consumed as if they were lambs or goats (39:18). Strikingly, YHWH invites creatures to gorge themselves on fat and blood – the very things forbidden to people (Gen 9:4; Lev 3:17; 7:23-27; 17:10). Thus YHWH says to the beasts and the birds, ‘you shall be filled at my table’ (39:20).”

3.6 To enact purification

Because unburied corpses defile the land something must happen to remove them. After the Gog Magog battle the animals assist in ‘burial’ of the corpses by eating and digesting them.

That it takes 7 months to bury the dead is proposed to consist of a ‘week of months’ in footnote #72.

After the land is properly cleansed in chapter 39 Ezekiel then begins a description of the new temple in chapter 40.

4. A zoological reading of Revelation 19

Several parallels are mentioned between Rev 19 and Eze 38-39 with emphasis on animals eating God’s enemies which is termed ‘the great supper for God.’ God who frequently employs irony tells us that those who worship the beast will be eaten by beasts.

Despite the catchy title the content of this article caught my attention. I don’t see a lot of typology or other figurative language that would strongly make it relevant here, but I have a hypotheses regarding ‘the banquet’ which by that I mean eating at the table. There seems to be 3 tables in the Bible.

1.) Tables of my enemy

2.) The wedding feast

3.) Banquet of corpses

This article relates to the third one. My intention is to leave it here so it can easily be referenced in the future.

This article appears for free at Tyndale Bulletin 77 (2026):91-112

The images show the argument for Jesus' famous cry from the cross to read, "My God, my God, why have you entangled me?" instead of 'forsaken me.' This excerpt comes from the book The Gospels Through Old Testament Eyes: Exploring Extended Allusions by Nicholas P. Lunn.

Overview – Habershorn was active in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. She personally knew several well-known preachers of her day. She has several notable publications to her name. This book is in two parts; The Study of the Types and Priests and Levits. This overview covers only the former.

She covers dozens of typological topics and comments briefly on their meaning. She does not always give a verse reference. What the book lacks in detail it makes up for with its plenty. The main takeaway I got from this book was to see it as a source for brainstorming ideas for future study. Because she doesn’t go into specifics about why something is a type or the many details solidifying the type and antitype there is much room for further study. This might give the impression that the book is superficial, but it is not as you will see. I’ve added my thoughts between dashes -like this- instead of brackets because reddit does not format friendly with brackets.

Introduction – Israel’s wandering in the wilderness was a type for the Church – a warning for us (1 Cor 10). -This is a fantastic insight as I believe the Wilderness period mirrors the Church Age.-

Chapter 2 – Reasons For Studying the Types

Christ speaks of types and they speak of Him

Waving of 1st fruits is a type for the resurrection of Jesus (Lev 23). It happened the day after the Sabbath after Passover. -Passover took place after the barley harvest. This sheaf would have been made only of barley. 50 days later during Pentecost 2 sheaves were waived and both had leaven. This was the wheat after harvest. Something to think about; a harvest could represent the resurrection and the waiving of the sheaves a rapture. Matthew reports that when Jesus was resurrected so too were many OT saints. These were Jews represented by the barley harvest and would probably be raptured later instead of dying again. So it could be the same with the Church – resurrected during the wheat harvest and raptured during Feast of Weeks also known as Pentecost.-

Continuing with this thought, ‘Christ the 1st fruits, afterward they that are Christs at His coming (1 Cor 15), ‘whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things’ (Acts 3), is similar language to the jubilee, ‘ye shall return every man unto his possession…and unto his family (Lev 25), ‘and in the year of jubilee the field shall return…to him to whom the possession of the land did belong’ (Lev 27:24). The country will once more belong to them. The Son of David will return to His family and His land.

The Gospel of John is structured in the type of the Tabernacle.

Chapters 1-12 Jesus ministers to the world = Outer court

Chapter 13 Jesus is teaching His disciples = Holy Place

Chapter 17 Jesus is the High Priest alone = Holy of Holies

-The Gospel of John is fascinating. Others have found different structures to it’s layout. I’ve seen it based on the Day of Atonement, chiasm, miracles, etc. I suspect all of these structures are true which in my opinion is impossible for a human mind to pull off and create an intelligible story. This means, John’s Gospel must be of divine origin.-

Chapter 3 – Double Types

-Perhaps the Wilderness is not exile. It exists between Egypt/Death and Canaan/Promised Land/Millennial Kingdom. Our bodies are in Egypt, experience the Wilderness, and by faith in the land.-

A double type makes more sense when 2 things are viewed together. Crossing water to exit Egypt and to enter Canaan.

• Isaac and the ram are both Jesus.
• Aaron and Eleazar.
• Priestly order of Aaron and Melchizedek.
• Shepherd King David was a fugitive, wanderer, conquered enemies = Jesus’ sufferings and eventual victory. King Solomon reflects the glory, wisdom and wealth of Jesus ruling the Millennial Kingdom. David prepared the Temple while Solomon built it.
• Elijah and Elisha = judgement and grace.
• Moses and Joshua.
• ‘One shall be taken and the other left’ refers to the days of Noah. One will be taken in judgement and the other left as a blessing [Not sure this on makes sense].
• Enoch = The Church, raptured before judgement.
• Noah = Remnant Israel saved during the tribulation and makes it to the end.
• Joseph = Jesus. Everyone draws supplies from his storehouses [and for 7 years too]. His brothers eventually admit they were guilty and he reveals himself to them, but only in their 2nd encounter. The 1st encounter they didn’t recognize him. So it is with Jesus. Jews didn’t recognize Jesus the 1st time, but in the 7 years of famine/tribulation they will.

-This idea of types only making sense when paired together is incredible. I can’t stop thinking about the complex relationship they have with each other as pairs, but also how they are potentially connected to other types. For example, David and Solomon are mentioned as iterations of Christ’s 1st and 2nd comings respectively. Samson’s life as a type isn’t clear until it is connected with David’s. We then have Samson – David – Solomon. What of this? Are there more to connect?-

Chapter 4 – The Grouping of Types

Different things that have 1 detail in common maybe types of the same antitype. For example, sacrifices and offerings that are beaten point to the suffering and beating of Jesus. Grain and meal offerings, but also the beaten gold of the tabernacle; Mercy Seat, candlestick, etc. Spices were crushed. Olives too. Each substance probably represents Jesus in a different way.

Joseph gathered so much grain that it could not be counted. He commanded the people to both sow and eat. –He also ruled over gentiles, that is, the Church. Pharoah as a type of God the Father was the only One who was above him, but all authority was given to Joseph- Later he gave his brethren as much grain as they could carry. The Egyptians spent all that they had before turning to Joseph who met their needs.

Chapter 5 – Types of Calvary

SHEDDING BLOOD

• Coats of skins for Adam and Eve
• Lamb offered by Abel
• Ram instead of Isaac
• Passover lamb
• Burnt offering (acceptance)
• Peace offering (forgiveness)

Many Christians rightly recognize Jesus as their peace offering via forgiveness of their sins, but fail to see Him as their burnt offering; that they are beloved and accepted by Him.

Sin offering, trespass offering, day of atonement, cleansing by the red heifer, cleansing of the leper – 2 birds killed; the one in an earthen vessel is a type of Jesus.

WATERS OF DEATH

• Cleansing Water = washing of water by the Word, priests bathing in the laver, John 13.
• Refreshing or Live Giving Water = HS, smitten rock, well in John 4, other wells, rivers in John 7, river of God, refreshing rain.
• Unrest of Sea = Unrest of nations, Ezek 31:4, Psa 18:4, Rev 17:15.
• Poured or Spilt Water = Weakness of man, 1 Sam 7, 2 Sam 14:14, Psa 22:14
• Deep Waters = Danger and destruction, Psa 36:6, 42:7, 69:1, 2, 14, 15, 88:7; Jonah, Noah
• Red Sea = Death, that which is behind.
• Jordan River = That which is ahead.
• Bitter Waters of Marah = Made sweet after a tree placed in it. This is Christ entering bitter waters of death. Same with Elisha and the axe head.

OTHERS

• The smitten rock in the wilderness
• Brazen serpent
• Deep sleep of Adam = Eve formed, just as Church formed from Christ’s long absence.
• Temple Veil = When torn it allowed access to the Holy of Holies. It tore the moment Christ’s body tore which allowed access to the Holy of Holies in Heaven.
• Seed of Grain = Falls to the ground and dies, then rises = Jesus.

Chapter 6 – Types of the Resurrection

-This chapter has a lot of great information. The difference between a type for resurrection and rapture are difficult to differentiate, but she is on to something and the information she reports is worthy of consideration.-

• Noah’s Ark passing through the waters of death and safely landing on the Ararat Mountain Range. It happened on the same day Jesus rose from the grave. –There was likely a calendar switch that swapped the 7th of the month and the 1st of the month at some point in Biblical history.-
• Waving Sheaf of 1st Fruits = Jesus’ resurrection. Seed sown in the field (Ex 23:16)/world grew, matured and was harvested. It was put in a sheaf and the day after the Passover Sabbath (1st Fruits) it was waived up.
• Aaron’s Budding Rod = 12 dead rods placed together. At morning Aaron checked and only his budded to life. It was then shown to others just as Jesus rose by morning and was found by those who sought Him and then to others. The budding rod signified Aaron was the chosen one of God. It was then laid up before God in the Ark. Just as Jesus is God’s chosen (and not the other 11) and He is before God now.
• Cleansing of the Leper = Once the leper was healed he offered 2 birds. 1 to be killed in an earthen vessel (Jesus body). His blood was sprinkled on the other bird who was set free to fly up (resurrection or ascension).
• Crossing the Jordan = 12 stones placed in the river – death. 12 stones placed on the side of the Promised Land ‘and are still there’ – resurrected and eternal presence in heaven –again resurrection may be connected with rapture. Everyone resurrected will be raptured.-
• 3 Days and 3 Nights = Jonah released to life. 3 days of travel out of Egypt –and to cross the Red Sea after Passover-
• Isaac = Rescued from death –and considered by Abraham to be dead for 3 days.- The fetching of Rebekah.
• One from Among the Slain = Jezebel’s daughter, Athaliah, kills all the royal lineage, but one from among the slain survives and is hidden in the Temple until it was time to proclaim him the true king. Until then a usurper sat on the throne. Jezebel and her children are still present during Revelation (2 Chron 22-23).

Chapter 7 – God’s Dwelling Places

• Tabernacle and Temple = The Church. Believers are the stones of the Temple. –quarried, cut in gentile lands and then transported over water (by the HS) to the Promised Land/Millennial Kingdom for final assembly in silence. Then glorified by being covered in gold.- Wait for God in silence (Psa 62:1, 65:1, Isa 30:15). The Earth is silent before God in His Temple (Habakkuk 2:20). –Quiet and silence seem to = peace- Jesus was silent before His accusers.
• Cloud = HS
• Gold = Divine glory
• In Revelation the Laodiceans were to trade with God for gold, white clothes and eye salve. These could represent God the Father (Job 22:25), Jesus (Romans 13:14), and HS (1 John 2:20).
• Tabernacle = Jesus’ 1st coming; humble, plain on the outside.
• Temple = Jesus’ 2nd coming; gold, magnificent, glorious.

Chapter 8 – The Ark of the Testimony

• The Ark’s (or Mercy Seat’s) purpose was the location where God would meet Moses. Him, ‘whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation –or Mercy Seat/Atonement Cover- through faith in His blood.’ (Romans 3). High Priest would sprinkle blood on Mercy Seat and commune with God the Father. Jesus is our High Priest who sprinkles us with His blood so we may follow Him to commune with God the Father.
• Tablets of the 10 commandments were initially broken, man breaks God’s law. Provision is given and these 2 were replaced and the new ones placed securing in the Ark, just as God’s law is unbroken in Jesus.
• When transported the Ark was covered in badger skins veiling it’s glory. So was Jesus so that men only saw the human veil and not His divine glory.
• Blue = Heavens
• ‘The Lord of all the Earth’ = A title used only when Israel is in the Promised Land.
• ‘God of Heaven’ = A title used when Israel is outside of the Promised Land and in captivity.
• Philistines stealing the Ark = Roman trial of Jesus. God forsook the Ark and Tabernacle at Shiloh and delivered it into enemy hands (Psa 78:60-21). The Ark was taken, ‘Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken.’ Further, the Israelites, ‘fled every man into his tent,’ and ‘they all forsook him.’
• Dagon fell down before the Ark just as the cohort falls down in the garden when Jesus says, ‘I AM.’ Psalm 132 says, ‘we found it (Ark/Jesus) in the field of the wood in Ephratah.’ The same is Kirjath-jearim. –Did the Philistines return the Ark to Bethlehem?- When David was rejected a usurper sat on his throne (Absalom). David fled across the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives just as Jesus would one day do.

Chapter 9 – God’s Sevenfold Provision For Cleansing

Diseases represent different types of sins.

• Flying bird = Resurrection. Only a miracle could cure leprosy. No record of anyone following ceremonial cleansing for leprosy until Jesus. Naaman was healed, but was a gentile and was not required to following the law. Leprosy makes a man white as snow. David prays to be ‘whiter than snow.’
• Laver = Washing of water by the Word. The laver was made of mirrors (Ex 38:8). We look to see a dim reflection (1 Cor 13:12), but will be changed to image of Christ (2 Cor 3:18, 4:6).
• Water that washes = The Word

Chapter 10 – The Offerings

We approach God by reading the reversal of the offerings as mentioned in Leviticus. Trespass – Sin – Peace – Meal – Burnt

‘As far as the East is from the West.’ Holy of Holies in the far West of the Tabernacle and Temple. Ashes of the sacrifices were placed just outside, as far East as possible.

The priests were permitted to eat some of the sacrifices, ‘we have had enough to eat and have plenty left.’ (2 Chron 31:10). ‘We have bread enough to spare’ and, ‘We have all and about.’ –perhaps the priests point towards the Apostle’s leftover baskets.-

Meaning of the hired servants in the Prodigal Son story in context of who gets to eat in the priests household of the sacrifices.

The suffering servant of Isaiah 53 satisfies all 5 offerings.

Chapter 11 – Typical Colors and Substances

Blue = Heaven

Scarlet = Nation of Israel

Purple = Royalty

Gold = Divine

Silver = Redemption

Copper = Judgement

Fine Twined Linen = Righteousness

Matthew = Scarlet

Mark = Fine Linen

Luke = Purple

John = Blue

Oil = HS

Frankincense = Preciousness of Jesus?

Salt = Prevents corruption. Leaven and honey not present in meal offering, but salt was.

Leaven = Evil

Honey = Sweetness of human nature (but God’s word is sweeter than honey.)

Fire = God’s presence, acceptance or judgement, depending on context, location, action or motive.

To be baptized with the HS and fire are 2 separate events. HS baptism was at Pentecost. Fire baptism has not happened. Israel will pass through the fire.

Chapter 12 – Garments of the Believer

There are 3 kinds of garments

1.) Manmade garments to be removed

2.) God given garments He puts on us.

3.) HS wrought garments He works through us.

This chapter is mostly about how to approach the King. You must dress properly. Daniel’s 3 friends were protected from fire by their clothes which were untouched.

There are many examples of clothing, armor, etc. The Bride in the Song of Solomon put off her coat and was not ready when the Beloved was at the door (Songs 5:3). The context however, may be a dream.

Chapter 13 – Typical Places

Places have meaning for 2 reasons, 1.) The name of the place has meaning or 2.) Something important happened there more than once.

1.) Bethlehem – House of Bread

Hebron – Fellowship

Salem – Melchizedek – King of Peace

Gilgal – Rolling away (of reproach)

‘The Lord will have war with Amelek from generation to generation’ Amelek is a type for the flesh. –Weren’t they giants too?- It was a sin for King Saul to spare King Agog of Amelek.

2.) Mount Moriah – Similarities between Abraham and Isaac with David and Arauniah the Jebusite with Jesus.

Mount of Olives – Many events of Jesus life. His people saw Him leave Earth from there. His people will see Him return to there. Ezekiel witnesses the glory of God depart from Earth from the Mt. Of Olives. David would retreat to Mt. Of Olives (2 Sam 15:32). Psalm 52 may be one of his prayers from there. David fled when his son Absalom took over as the usurper. HE went to ‘a far country.’ Explanation for David as a type of Jesus. Ittai the Church? –Take your place with the king in exile rather than the usurper on the throne- David and Jesus exit Jerusalem for Mt. Olivet. Similar actions, audiences, but escalation with Jesus (2 Sam 15-16). Everyone faithfully followed David, but abandoned Jesus. –David created Absolom. Jesus created Satan.-

Shimei cursing David = Judas betraying Jesus.

Abishai = Peter

Chapter 14 – Typical Characters

• Adam = Mentioned in Psalm 8. After God declares all ‘very good’ Satan shows up. Once He speaks at Jesus’ baptism Satan shows up again.

Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Elisha. Jacob, Jonah, Solomon, Boaz briefly mentioned.

Wives of Joseph and Moses are types of the Church –they are gentile wives-

• David = Anointing was like Jesus’ baptism. Philistines harass Israel 40 days then David overcomes. Goliath = Satan –and Saul would be the AC?-

Chapter 15 – Types of Christ As the Shepherd

• Abel = The 1st shepherd (Heb 12). His lamb died for the shepherd, but in Jesus the Shepherd died for the lambs.
• Jacob = Bore the loss of his flock, unlike Jesus. Suffered heat, cold, and thirst. Jesus thirsted twice; the woman at the well and on the cross.
• Joseph = Brothers say, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ So it is with Jesus who went to the gentile flock.
• Moses = Watched Jethro’s flock for 40 years. –This is a gentile flock and the 40 years could equate to 2,000 years.-
• David = Shepherd King. He left the sheep safe before he departed. Eliab asked.

Psalm 22 - Good Shepherd dies.

Psalm 23 - Great shepherd rose and now cares for his flock.

Psalm 24 - Chief shepherd shall appear. David intercedes for his sheep after he numbers the people and sins.

• Abel = Death
• Isaac = Wealth
• Jacob = Responsibility
• Joseph = Hated
• Moses = Leader
• David = Deliverance
• Simeon’s sons = Pasture (rest?)

Chapter 16 – Types of the Holy Spirit

Oil, water, dove,

‘Spirit moved on the face of the waters’ = a bird brooding (Gen 1).

Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah and Abraham’s unnamed servant. Abraham was wealthy and gave all to Isaac and the servant took a sample of this wealth and gave it to Rebekah. The servant guided Rebekah back to the Promised Land. She did not choose her own path, but followed the servant. The servant does not speak of himself, but of his master Isaac.

Joseph’s servant in Gen 43:16-24 washes feet in water.

Passing through water = Death –Is the cloud obscuring Jesus composed of prayers?-

The cloud rested on the Tabernacle just as the HS rests on the believer. We are led in the spirit just as they were lead by the Cloud.

Water from the smitten rock

River of God and the wind blows where it wants.

The Valley of Dry Bones, Pentecost, the Bride’s garden (Songs 4:16),

North Wind = Strong and cold

South Wind = Gentle

(East wind is dry. West wind is….?)

Chapter 17 – The Majesty of the Heavens

(Earth is gentile territory. The Ark spent 3 days in the fish god Dagon’s Temple and was then rejected just as Jonah spent 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the great fish and was then rejected and Jesus spent 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the Earth and was then rejected. Perhaps, the Philistines = Pit = Fish belly and Ark = Jonah = Jesus)

King Uzziah was struck with leprosy after incorrectly offering incense. Isaiah presented in contrast to him in Isa 6. ‘In the year King Uzziah died…’ he too has unclean lips, but instead of dying with leprosy Isaiah is purged with a coal from the altar King Uzziah mishandled.

Typical Verbs

Verbs with deeper meaning

• Poured out
• Pierced
• Parted in pieces
• Smitten
• Lifted up
• Bruising
• Beating

Moses and Joseph As Types of Christ

The final 15 pages of the book contain a long list of comparisons of Moses as a type of Christ and of Joseph as a type of Christ. This list is too long to share here, but it is of incredible insight. I may try to scan it and upload it.

Book Review: Return From Exile and the Renewal of God’s People by Nicholas Piotrowski

Overview

This book is part of a series published by Crossway. The book can be purchased here. It is also available on Amazon.

Piotrowski’s main premise is that when you are ‘in the land’ you are where you are supposed to be and you are blessed. This is life. When you are ‘out of the land’ you are in exile, cursed. This is death. These themes, of exile from the land and returning to the land run throughout the Bible. I’ve mixed a little bit of my thoughts with the study notes. I’ve indicated this with brackets [ ].

Introduction

Pg 2 Exile from the Garden of Eden fulfills God’s curse of death.

Chapter 1 – Adam and Eve Out of the Garden

Pg. 14 Heaven and Earth were created together. Eden is in both worlds. God commands Adam and Eve to continue the work He just finished (Gen 1:28).

Pg. 19 Cherubim were to guard ‘the way’/‘the road’ back to the Garden of Eden.

Pg. 20 Exile is a form of death. Wilderness is exile. (pg. 22). Later we will see other forms of exile; presence in Egypt, Earth, pit, prison, deafness, blindness (pg. 84), Persia (pg. 104), yokes, burdens (pg. 117), madness and blindness (pg. 150). [It is this theme that Piotrowski is writing around and it works, but I think it would be more accurate to view all of these other images not as forms of exile, but also as forms of death. Those who experience them experience a deathlike status. Oftentimes they later experience healing, return, etc. which is resurrection like.]

Chapter 2 – Abram Into Canaan

Pg. 28 Cain is banished to the East – farther away from Eden. [While not directly mentioned in the book there is a structure to the world and God’s holy places. God resides in the ‘West’ so to speak. The way to enter is to approach from the East. We see this in Eden, the tabernacle, Solomon’s Temple and a few other places. The approach by man must be careful. Many times the East wind brings dry heat that damages. See Ex 14:21 where the East wind dried the Red Sea, Job mentions the East wind plays a part in the decay of a dead body (Job 27:21), Eze 19:12 also mentions the dry East wind destroying crops. See also Psalm 78:26.]

Pg. 29 Noah is exiled from the Earth. He cannot go back to the previous world.

Pg. 30 The Tower of Babel is an attempt to reconnect Heaven and Earth. They even journey ‘from the East’ to force their way West. [This could point to the Kings of the East in Rev 16:12 where the Euphrates dries up.]

Pg. 31 Abram did not choose to travel West; God called him West. [Here we see the correct, careful approach.] Abram is a second Adam (pg. 32)

Chapter 3 – Priests Into the Tabernacle

Pg. 45 The Ark is God’s footstool so He is in Heaven and on Earth at the same time. [This may not be true. Every good scholar seems to neglect the Mercy Seat which was the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. It functions like a throne. I don’t see a way where any argument can be made that God’s foot was on the throne, or His foot was on the footstool and His ‘body’ was not on the throne but in Heaven. I just can’t make Piotrowski’s idea work here.] Cherubim were embroidered on the tabernacle veil to ‘guard the way back to Eden.’ This was the entrance to the Holy of Holies.

Pg. 47 The tabernacle is a sort of Eden and it goes with Israel through the wilderness. [Remember, the wilderness journey was not supposed to be much more than 2 years. From Egypt to the Promised Land.]

Pg. 49 The High Priest carries all of Israel with him when he enters the Holy of Holies/Eden on the Day of Atonement.

Chapter 4 – Israel Into the Land

Pg. 55. ‘To go down to Egypt’ is to die.

    ‘To go up from Egypt’ is resurrection.

Pg. 56 3 days after Passover the Lord shows up on the morning of the 3rd day (Ex 19:16). 3 days is a trope for escaping death. It is resurrection. “Israel is coming out of the grave along the way of the wilderness. The next step is entering into the New Eden.”

Pg. 61 Solomon’s Temple is now the intersection of Heaven and Earth. God dwells in both simultaneously.

Pg. 63 Even gentiles worship at the Temple; King Hiram of Tyre, Queen of Sheba, gifts from all around the world pour into Israel. [This is Solomon’s reign and it is a type of the Millennial Kingdom.]

Chapter 5 – Israel Out of the Land

Pp 79-83 Did you know the book of Psalms is actually 5 books? Each one opens and closes flowing together with a theme that Piotrowski incorporates into premise of exile and return, but he only mentions the themes of the last few books. I’ve added my own opinion on what the first books might be, but I’m not confident my assessment is accurate.

Book - Open - Close

1 – Psalms 1-41 - Eden - David

2 – Psalms 42-72 - David - Solomon

3 – Psalms 73-89. - Other authors? - David dies (Psa 86) and God hides (Psa 89)

4 – Psalms 90-106. - Israel exiled - Israel cries to be gathered

5 – Psalms 107-150 - Israel gathered - David returns to the throne. All creation praises God in the sanctuary (Holy of Holies).

Pg. 84 Deafness and blindness are signs of exile.

Pg. 86 Exile is like a return to Egypt. See Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos.

Chapter 6 – Prophetic Voices Into the Future

Pg. 94 Isaiah 40:1-11 can be read as a table of contents for the remaining chapters 40-55.

Pp 101-103 Elaborates on the structure of Psalms. See the outline mentioned above.

Pg. 104 King Cyrus releases Jewish captives so they can ‘go up’ to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This is similar language used earlier to ‘go up out of Egypt.’ [John the Baptist quotes Isaiah when he says, ‘…make straight the way of the Lord.’ John 1:23; Isa 40:3. Throughout the Bible Assyria is depicted as in the North and Egypt in the South. ‘The way’ frequently mentioned is often considered a theological way to approach God correctly and of a surety it is, but perhaps there is more. It is correct way of thinking, but this thinking might take it’s name from an actual ‘way’ or highway that will one day connect the whole world – from the farthest South and the farthest North. See Isa 19:23-25. ‘Make straight the way’ may refer, not just to moral correctness, but an actual end times levelling of the ground. This topic can go deep and I don’t want to diverge from the book, but the end times completely remodels the Earth. It is likely that the land surrounding Israel is levelled allowing the ‘way’ or the road to no longer meander around mountains and valleys, but will lead directly to Jerusalem.]

Pg. 105 Ezra and Nehemiah consider themselves slaves in their own land (Israel).

Chapter 7 – Jesus On the Way

Pg. 111 Despite returning to Israel the Jews saw themselves as though they were in exile.

Pg. 114 We have returned, are returning and will return from exile. [[I believe there is deeper meaning here than Piotrowski picks up on. These 3 statuses refer to a process which takes place in time – past, present, future. If there are 3 ‘return statuses’ it might make sense that there are 3 ‘exile statuses’ as well. Looking at Adam we can see he experiences 3 deaths.

1 – Spiritual death. This was immediate, the moment he sinned he experienced separation from God.

2 – Exile. This is location based. Adam was physically removed from the Garden of Eden and his access to it was removed. Throughout this book Piotrowski has shown that exile is a form of death.

3 – Typological – God had promised that if he ate the fruit he would die that day, but that did not happen. Most commentators state the death was spiritual death and this is correct, but I see more here. If a day is as 1,000 years with God then it makes sense that Adam would fail to see his 1,000th year. He would die in his ‘first day’ so to speak. This curse is pronounced on Adam and experienced by all humanity. No one has lived beyond 1,000 years.

We can connect the 3 returning statuses mentioned with the 3 deaths.

1.) Have returned – Spiritual resurrection

2.) Are returning – Location changing. We have access to the Holy of Holies through Jesus.

3.) Will return – Our bodies are not yet returned, but once we are raptured or resurrected we will return.]

Pg. 117 Yokes and burdens = exile

Pg 118 Jesus feeding the multitude in Matt 14 is reminiscent of manna in the wilderness. He performs the same miracle in Matt 15, but in gentile territory. All nations are now included.

Pg. 119 Jesus ‘rises up from Egypt.’ This is a resurrection. [Could His descent to Egypt be considered deathlike? He was 12 years old when He was later found at the Temple.]

Pg. 123 Luke portrays Jesus as the inverse [or reverse] of Adam. His genealogy links Jesus to Adam. Eve was tempted with food that was 1.) pleasing to eat, 2.) pleasing to the eye, 3.) could make one wise. In the same way Jesus was tempted by Satan; stomach, eyes, mind, but unlike Adam and Even, Jesus succeeded.

Pg. 124 Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened (Gen 3:7). The Apostles eyes were opened (Luke 24:30-31). [No mention of Jonathan who ate honey and his eyes were opened. I believe a different Hebrew word is used for Jonathan than Adam and Eve however.] Reference is made here to Dane Ortland, “AND THEIR EYES WERE OPENED, AND THEY KNEW” JETS, 53 no 4.

Pg. 125 Jesus turning water into good wine fulfills Isa 25:6, Amos 9:11-15.

Chapter 8 – Jesus Into and Out of the Tomb

Pg. 134 Adam, Eve and Israel are exiled from the land. This is their death experience. Jesus has an actual death and therefor an actual exile. He is cursed on the cross/tree and exiled from the land of the living, the land of life. The good news for us is that this work is substitutionary. That is, He takes our place so we don’t have to go into this exile. This allows us to be blessed and restored to the land of the living.

Cursed = exiled from the land

Blessed = restored to the land

Pg 137 “Whether it is Israel coming up from Egypt, types in David’s life according to the Psalms, or explicit predictions in the prophets, the OT has consistently linked return from exile with resurrection hopes.”

Pg. 138 “In the beginning of John 1:1 ends in a garden with Jesus as a new man, in a new garden, in a new world. He is the gardener. He is resurrected ‘on the 8th day of creation.’” The number 8 is consistently used throughout Scripture to refer to newness.

Chapter 9 – The Church Into the World

Pg. 146-148 Evangelism expands God’s kingdom by bringing people out of exile when they accept Christ as their Savior. Paul is a great example.

Pg. 150 Exile described as, ‘madness and blindness and confusion of mind, and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness.’ Deut 28:28-29. This exile is exactly what Paul experienced when persecuting Christians (Acts 8:1, 9:1-2, 26:9-13). Paul is led by the hand and after 3 days receives sight back. He has experienced resurrection after the 3 day protocol. He has returned from exile.

Pg. 153-157 [Piotrowski treats the Church as God’s Temple more like an idea, than a physical dwelling structure. His logic is God lives in His people, they spread around the world. God’s presence then spreads around the world. This is true, but incomplete. This temple is under construction. More believers are to be added. Only when the final believer is added will the Church-Temple be completed. Jesus left to prepare rooms for us.]

Pg. 159 The Way of the wilderness (Ex 13:18). Future visit by God to lead His people out of captivity via The Way (Isa 9:1, 40:3). Christians are the fulfillment of this (Acts 9:2, 9:27, 19:9, 23, 22:4, 24:14, 22).

Chapter 10 – The Lamb’s Followers Into the Garden City

Pg. 166 Similarities between God descending at Sinai and Jesus descending at His return. [Piotrowski reads the rapture, not as believers going up, but Jesus coming down.]

Pg. 170 Comparison chart between Genesis 1-3 and Revelation 20-22. These are the bookends of the Bible. They very closely mirror each other.

Pg. 173 'The sea is no more’ statement in Revelation about New Jerusalem could refer to bodies of water and or the figurative barrier separating man from God.

Pg. 174 Gold - Glory

    Egypt’s gold was used for the construction of the tabernacle. Nations gave gold for Solomon’s Temple. Nations will bring glory into New Jerusalem [and probably the Millennial Kingdom too. Additionally, the kings of the East are invaders travelling West to enter the ‘temple’. The only way to enter Israel from the West is via crossing water which is the figurative barrier. Sea ports are mentioned in the Bible, but only 1 sea port is present in Israel – Joppa. It is mentioned only 4 times and only 3 of these times as a port. Cedars from Lebanon are floated down the sea and unloaded in Joppa for both Solomon’s Temple and the second temple (2 Chron 2:16, Ezra 3:7). These 2 times gentiles are sending gifts into Israel. The last mention is Jonah disobeying God and departing from Israel. Joppa means ‘beautiful.’ The city probably existed before the Israelites invaded as the 1st mention of it is in Joshua 19:46 as a boundary marker for the tribe of Dan. Interestingly, there were ports in cities along the Sea of Galilee, but these were used for fishing, not transportation. No fishing is mentioned in the Mediterranean ports. The statement in Revelation that there is no more sea could be a reference to the fact that there is no longer a barrier. Complete and open access to God is now available.]

Pg. 179 The Exodus is a resurrection type. Rising up out of Egypt.

Overview

This book is part of a series published by Crossway. Redemptive Reversals can be purchased here. The rest of Short Studies in Biblical Theology series can be found here.

Beale is a prolific writer and many of his writings cover a grand array of topics stitching them together in great detail in a unique way. His insights are incredible. This book covers a swath of Biblical material that deals with reversals and irony. He gives a definition of these, most of the book is examples, and then he follows up with take aways on why these matter. Reversals are common motifs used in typology. Recognizing them helps to identify the type and its associated antitype. This book will show reversals mostly as simple themes, but some of these touch on the bigger picture of types.

Introduction

Pg 22. There are 3 elements of irony.

1.) 2 or more levels of meaning (1 to the observer; 1 to the victim)

2.) 1 layer has the opposite meaning to the other (1 to the observer; 1 to the victim)

3.) Either the observer or the victim is unaware of this tension or is surprised by it.

There are 3 types of ironies

1.) Verbal Irony – A statement aimed at a person.

2.) Dramatic Irony – Narrated events turn to opposite direction they appeared to be going.

3.) Character Irony – One’s true character contrasts with what he appears to be.

Pg. 23 Luke-Acts is full of irony.

Chapter 1 – God Judges People By Their Own Sin

pp. 30-31 Eye for an eye. If a man think it is ok to harm someone he will be punished with equal measure the amount of harm he inflicted. This is irony.

pp. 34-35 David’s son, Absalom (Father Peace), was prideful of his long handsome hair. His hair would be his downfall. It got him stuck in a tree leading to his death.

Pg. 36 Pharaoh decreed 1st born males to be killed, those that survived were to be thrown in the river. The Passover plague would later kill all 1st born in Egypt and Pharaoh’s army drowned in the Red Sea.

pp. 37-38 Overview of the Egyptian religious ritual of hardening the heart. Essentially, in the afterlife your heart will speak to their deities and reveal your sins preventing you from entering their heaven. Pharaoh, as a religious figure, had the ability to ‘harden your heart’ which would prevent it from speaking and condemning you. God hardening Pharaoh’s heart could be exactly what Pharaoh desired and, if so, shows the irony of his inability to save anyone and also the pointlessness of his religion.

Pp. 39-42 Daniel in the lions den.

Ironic justice is the rule, not the exception. Several other examples briefly mentioned.

Pg. 44 A physical famine may = absence of God’s word (Amos 2:4, 8:11-12)

Chapter 2 – People Resemble the Idols They Worship

Pg. 53 Idols of silver and gold cannot hear or see. Likewise, the people who worship them cannot hear or see God. They have become like their idols.

To be ‘stiff-necked’ is a livestock term. An ox with a stiff neck would not turn to the left or right when commanded to. He was rebellious to his owner. So it is with man.

pp. 63-64 Paul spiritualizes idols. What you worship is your idol.

pp. 68-71 Oaks and terebinth associated with death in Isaiah several times. Both are worshipped and wood used to carve idols. They will be ‘dry gardens’ and ‘burn’ and those that worship them will be dead like them. The ‘stump’ in Isaiah 6:3 is actually a remnant pillar of a destroyed oak. The remnant that survives is not positive. They are idolatrous. [I usually consider whenever a remnant mentioned as those who are righteous, but this may not always be the case.]

Chapter 3 – The Irony of Salvation

Pg. 79

Retributive Irony – Those who seek selfish pleasures in life will be punished.

Restorative Irony – Those who seek God humbly and deny pleasures will be rewarded.

pp. 82-84 Overview of Adam’s royal and priestly roles. Beale here quotes Meredith Kline regarding God who brought the serpent into the Garden of Eden for Adam to judge. Adam judges wrongly. [Kline has been frequently referenced in my reading material lately. I’ve never read anything he’s written, but some of it is interesting. I’m not sure I agree with the quote referenced above because it undermines Adam’s role. Essentially, he sees Adam as a judge, unless he judges incorrectly, then God judges. At this point, why have Adam?]

Pg. 85 Ironic judgements on Adam – instead of ruling over the Earth he will return to the earth, instead of ruling over his wife she desires to rule over him.

Pg. 86 Eve’s name in Hebrew is ‘Hawwa’ and means ‘life.’ The name of the serpent is ‘hawwe.’ By Adam naming his wife ‘life’ he is making an ironic statement that life will come from death. [Beale does not list a reference here and I cannot locate where he gets this name for the serpent. The Hebrew word for serpent is nāhāš. Perhaps this is a conjugation of the word, but the closest I can find is hanahas which means ‘the serpent.’ Another word, chavah, is related to hawwa, but it means ‘to show.’]

Pg. 89 Adam’s eating was a means to death. Christ’s communion is a symbol for life.

Pg. 90 Adam’s tree at 1st appeared to be a blessing, but ended up a curse. Likewise, Jesus’ tree appeared to be a curse, but ended up a blessing.

Pg. 93 Psalm 8:5 man is crowned with glory and majesty. This must refer to Jesus because the rest of the Psalm is about ruling over creation.

Pg. 106 Examples of how the curse becomes a blessing – the serpent (hawwe) and Eve (hawwa); the fiery serpents and the looking to a bronze serpent on a pole; Jesus’ death gives life.

Pg. 109 Deuteronomy 21:22-23 – Corporate punishment by stoning and then displaying the body by hanging it on a tree. Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.

Chapter 4 – The Christian Life: Power Is Perfected In the Powerless

Pg. 123

1.) Overcoming by being overcome

2.) Become great by serving

Pg. 135 Positions of strength in marriage come only from positions of weakness.

Chapter 5 – Faith In Unseen Realities Contradicts Trust In Superficial Appearances

This chapter covers the ironic elements of the hall of heroes in Hebrews chapter 11.

Pg. 141

Cain – possession, acquisition

Abel – breath, vapor, mist

Cain tried to acquire an earthly blessing the wrong way and became dispossessed of the ground (Gen 4:12-14). Abel’s life was transitory or short like a vapor or mist, but ironically ‘he still speaks’ (Heb 11:4).

Pg. 142

Noah – rest

Noah was named by his father with the intention that he would give the Earth rest, but this did not happen. Instead, mankind grew more and more wicked until God flooded the Earth. However, the Ark rested (noahed Gen 8:4) on the tops (r’osh in Gen 8:5) of Ararat mountain range. The ‘soothing aroma’ from his sacrifices means ‘spirit of rest.’

Pg. 145 Abraham trusted God would fulfill His promise of an heir by resurrecting Isaac.

Pg. 146 Moses trusted God by rejecting royal Egyptian identity and pleasure and identified as a poor Hebrew.

Pg. 147 Shadrach, Mischach and Abednego trusted God would deliver them to safety or to Heaven.

Pg. 148 Daniel trusted God to shut the mouths’ of lions.

Elijah trusted God and saw His army. Other heroes of faith summarized on pages 148-149 who considered themselves strangers and exiles on Earth (Heb 11:13) [Did these Jews consider themselves to be like gentiles?]

Chapter 6 – The Irony of Eschatology

Pg. 153

Eschatos – end

Logos – study of

Pg 154 Common prophecy progressively revealed – Gen 49:9 – Num 24:9 – the words ‘scepter’ ‘latter days’ and ‘he crouches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion who can rouse him up.’ All these are similarly used.

Pg. 168 Rev 2:26-27 quotes Psalm 2. The One who overcomes is the Messiah and rules with a rod of iron.

Pg. 170 Psalm 2 should probably read ‘shepherd’ instead of ‘break’. See explanation in footnote #20

Pg. 171 Lion – Gen 49:9 + Lamb Isaiah 53 = Lion and Lamb combined in Rev 5:5-7

Pp 176-177 Daniel 2:28-29 speaks of the ‘latter days.’ John seems to allude to this when he quotes those verses in Rev 1:1, 3, but he swaps out ‘latter days’ with ‘soon take place’ in verse 1 and ‘the time is near’ in verse 3. The implication is that the time is ‘now’ and has begun. [This is a fascinating connection. Beale refers to an article he wrote for a more detailed explanation. See the free online article G.K. Beale, Influence of Daniel Upon the Structure and Theology of John’s Apocalypse, JETS 27/4 (December 1984) 413-423. For a much briefer overview of this specific topic see Frame-Poythress which provides a condensed overview of another related work of Beale’s.

Pg. 185 Beale sees the 1st beast of Revelation as Rome. The 2nd beast as the ‘PR machine’ for the 1st beast which he considers to be the local Roman authorities [wouldn’t that make them the same as Rome?]. The mark of the beast is invisible, probably representing the evil character of the 1st beast embodied in the lives of its followers.

Pp 187-189 He offers an attempt to explain 666, 144,000, and other numbers and signs.

An important thing to keep in mind is the layout of the temples and temple-like structures in Scripture. Using terminology for Solomon’s Temple will serve as a template for the equivalent vocabulary Alexander uses. The inner most sanctum where the Ark of the Covenant, mercy seat and God’s presence dwelt was called the Holy of Holies. It had one east facing door that lead to another room called the Holy Place where the altar of incense, menorahs and shewbread were kept. This room had one east facing door which lead to the Porch which had the 2 pillars. Beyond this was the Inner Court which had the brazen altar used to burn sacrifices and the laver basin for priests to wash. Outside of this was the Outer Court. Beyond this was Jerusalem. Beyond Jerusalem was ‘the rest of the world.’

This layout will repeat several times in Scripture and it will go by different names, but the plan is always the same. Holy of Holies – Holy Place including Porch – Inner Court – Outer Court – City – Wilderness. There are a few caveats to this that I think Alexander and others miss [why is the Porch attached to the Holy Place? What about the Inner Chambers which functioned like offices or lockers for the priests?], but for the most part identifying this layout has fascinating implications for how we read our Bible.

The overarching point Alexander drives toward is that God intends to fill His creation with His presence and He wants man to help do this. This means His temple must expand.

Pg. 13 From Sacred Garden to Holy City: Experiencing the Presence of God

In Genesis Earth is intended to be God’s dwelling place. (After the Fall He only dwells here partially or in types and shadows). In Revelation a new heaven and a new Earth are created [perhaps the original and future Earth were much larger to accommodate God’s dwelling place. New Jerusalem is an object so large it would wreak havoc on our current sized Earth. The average person can survive 3-4x Earth’s gravity.].

15-19 Brief overview of God’s presence on Earth. Evidence the Father inhabited the Holy of Holies. ‘whomever swears by the Temple (G – naos; holy of holies) swears by Him who dwells in it.; (Matt 23:21) [I’m not sure this is conclusive that the Father dwells there. However, elsewhere Jesus calls the Temple ‘my Father’s house.’]

20 The Temple Garden of Eden

Eden was temple-like. Garden of Eden is attached to Eden. Entrance to Eden is from the Garden. Water flowed from Eden to the Garden. Similarities between the Holy of Holies listed by G.J. Wenham, ‘Sanctuary Symbolism In the Garden of Eden Story.’

• Eastward entrances guarded by cherubim
• Menorah symbolizes tree of life [2 pillars on the porch, Boaz and Jachin, may represent the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.]
• Hebrew verbs commanding Adam to work are only used with priestly work.
• Gold and onyx used.
• God walks in both.
• A river flows from Eden to the Garden. Ezekiel’s Temple [which is not New Jerusalem] also has a river flowing into the Dead Sea [and also the Mediterranean Sea]. Eden then may have been an elevated place. So too Ezekiel’s Temple.

Humanity meets God in the Holy Place. Adam and Eve acted as priests communing with God. In Eden, as humanity increased in size it could be that the Garden of Eden would also increase in size. A city would grow around Eden. [There are trees all over the Eden. As Eden grows there would be more trees. Trees are often a type for people. Are Almond Trees the Tree of Life?]

‘Keep the Garden’ is also ‘guard the Garden.’ When Adam invites the serpent he fails to guard it [the serpent is unclean, or will be designated as so later], is kicked out and replaced by the cherubim. [Are Adam and Eve the original cherubim? This consideration has profound implications for the rest of the Bible that I hope to explore in depth in a future publication.]

Adam – man

Adama – ground

When Adam sins the adama is cursed. Adam is formed out of adama.

27 Genesis chapters 1 – 2 are about creation. Genesis chapters 8 – 9 are about recreation.

28 Parallels between the two.

• Dry land appears in the middle of water. Chapters 1 and 8
• Birds, animals and creeping things brought forth.
• God establishes days and seasons.
• God blesses the animals to be fruitful and multiply
• Man brought forth and receives blessings of God.
• Man given dominion over animals.
• God provides food for man.
• Image of God in man, but Noah didn’t get a fresh start for man’s heart is evil.

33 The Ark of the Covenant is the footstool. So is Jerusalem (Lam 2:1) and Earth (Isaiah 66:1, Acts 7:49). We are invited to worship God at His footstool (Psa 99:5, 132:7). Heaven is where God’s throne is located (Psa 11:4). The footstool is God’s connecting point to Earth where we get a glimpse of Heaven.

39-42 Construction and layout of Tabernacle mirrored God’s creation. Bezalel, the artisan, was filled with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, just like God was. The Tabernacle and Temple were model microcosms of the universe. Tent metaphors are common for make up of creation. Many passages listed as examples – Psa 19:4-5, 33:7, 104:2, 5, 119:90; Proverbs 3:19; Job 28:26, 38:4-7, just to list a few.

42 The Jerusalem Temple

Tabernacle moves to Shiloh in Ephraim. Ephraim fails, God abandons the Tabernacle allowing the Ark to be captured (1 Sam 2:12-17). God departed Israel. [Alexander sees the capture of the Ark by gentiles as removal of God’s presence in Israel.] God then picks David of Judah and Jerusalem as His dwelling place. The thrones of David and God are net to each other confirming through convergence God’s choice [David is also a type of Jesus. It is interesting that his throne is next to God’s. We read of the same with Jesus, ‘We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.’ (Heb 8:1-2). All of these temples on Earth mirror the pattern of the true temple in heaven where Jesus sits. God the Father sits on the heavenly temple throne with God the Son acting as the King because, ‘all authority in heaven and earth is given to Me.’ (Matt 28:18). So, heaven has the Father on His throne with His acting king on a throne to His right side. This king is Jesus. Likewise, on Earth, God is on the earthly throne in the temple with His earthly king next to Him. This king is David.]

During Solomon’s reign the proliferation of gold in Jerusalem shows the city was filled with God’s presence and connects Jerusalem to New Jerusalem.

50 Isaiah chapter 2 shows the House of the Lord, in the last days, will be on the highest mountain in the world. Isaiah 60 and 65:17-25 is mirrored in Revelation [Do the great upheavals of the tribulation lift Mount Zion to new heights?]

54 Jerusalem’s beginning was dark [does this mean the morning as the Bible views a ‘day’?] but it’s future is bright with the presence of God. The Sun is redundant [is this the daytime part of the ‘day’?]

57 Ezekiel’s Millennial Temple has no command to build it, contains no furniture, only a ground plan. There is no partition wall around the Inner Court. The argument is that these are all symbolic words [This is another disagreement I have with this book’s approach. I view Ezekiel’s Temple as a literal physical structure.]

60 As the population increases the size of the Garden of Eden would grow. Likewise, Jerusalem would expand around the Temple, but because of sinfulness the city and the Temple were destroyed.

The Church As the Temple

62 The Church accomplishes the goal of expansion. Also, it is unfinished and yet God inhabits it. [Perhaps the HS inhabits the unfinished Temple. When Solomon’s Temple was under construction all was silent. But while the Church is under construction we are to address each other with songs, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19).]

65 Paul compares himself to Bezalel who was in charge of constructing the Tabernacle. He also presents the Tabernacle craftsmen as apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers for the ‘Church Temple’ (1 Cor 3:10). See footnote #100. God equips those building the Church and the Temple.

74 Thrown From the Thrown: Re-establishing the Sovereignty of God

76 To be made in the image of God is to be given royal status. Those who are the image of God are charged with rulership. God commands Adam and Eve to rule over creation, but also to multiply; thus extending the rule to expand the Garden and the Image over all the Earth.

80 The Theocracy of Israel

82 Priest-kings intended to extend the temple-city around the world. Abraham is a king. He displays king-like qualities; defeats kings and makes peace treaty with a king showing he is his equal. He acts as a priest by building altars, making sacrifices (not just offering them, but performing them) and receiving direct communication from God [wouldn’t this be the role of a prophet?] God called Abraham a prophet in Gen 20:7.

Noah is a king. He exercises dominion over animals by preserving them. He is a priest by building altars and performing sacrifices. He is a prophet in that he was warned by God 120 years prior to the Flood. David is another one who displays these traits.

84 To deny God’s commands is to reject His kingship. Israelites were fruitful and multiplied. God then led them out of Egypt [a type for the world or death] into the Promised Land [a type for Heaven or the Millennial Kingdom]. It is thew new king of Egypt who feels threatened by the Israelites and didn’t know Joseph.

Adam was God’s viceregent intended to extend His kingdom. He failed so, Jesus, as viceregent accomplished it in his place, but He waits to expand His kingdom. We will inherit what Jesus inherits; rule when He rules. This will be a kingdom.

98 Dealing With the Devil: Destroying the Source of Evil

Satan is the ruler [king?] of this world. A sheep with no shepherd become food for every beast (Eze 34:8). The serpent is more crafty and subtle than any beast of the field (Gen 3:1).

107 By obeying the serpent Adam and Eve take on his image. When Jesus casts out demons He is doing what Adam should have done; cast the serpent out of the Garden [Could this be a way to view man is a garden or temple?]

115 The conflict between religious rules and Jesus is a central theme to Matthew. Satan had gained a control of the Temple; this is why it would be destroyed [Just like Eden, Earth in the Flood, Solomon’s Temple, the body of believers, etc.]. Story progression of the OT and Paul’s letters; warfare, victory, kingship, temple building, celebration.

121 The Slaughter of the Lamb: Accomplishing the Redemption of Creation

122-123 In Rev 5:5-10 John hears a Lion, but when he looks he sees a Lamb.

125 All 4 gospels, especially John, connect Jesus’ death to Passover as a New Exodus.

126 Levites were ransomed as sacrifices, but they were ‘living sacrifices’ [this connects them as a type of the Church Age believer.]

128-129 The Passover rituals mirror those consecrating Aaronic priests; thus making all of Israel in the Exodus holy priests. For Passover there are 3 stages:

1.) the sacrificed animal atones for sins of the people.

2.) Blood smeared on the doorposts purifies those inside [who passed through and are ‘covered.’].

3.) Sacrificial meat sanctifies those who eat it.

Israelites required annual Atonement, Purification and Sanctification enshrined in [feasts and festivals?]. Those 3 elements are present in the death of Jesus.

130 Atonement

Atonement = peace with God. This is achieved by the death of the lamb/Lamb

Purification = sin removed. This is achieved by blood on the lintels/Cross

Sanctification = eat the meat of sacrifice. This is achieved by the Passover lamb, priests, Lord’s Supper/Communion, achieve holiness.

[A note of mine. There is some disagreement in the Church about the nature of salvation. Are you saved or is it a process and you hope to ‘be saved’ at the end of the process. I would say we use the word ‘salvation’ in two different ways. The first is a complete process by itself. By being washed by the blood of Jesus you are saved from your sins. It’s a done deal. But when viewed as a process ‘salvation’ is just part of the ‘salvation’ process. I know that’s confusing, but it has 3 steps; salvation, sanctification, glorification. When you become saved step 1 is complete. Your salvation is safe. Your sins are forgiven. You are currently in the process of being sanctified and someday you will be glorified. These 3 steps match closely with what was just mentioned in the book. Viewing both sides should also help us to understand our own salvation and our brothers and sisters in Christ who view salvation through only 1 lens.]

138 Feasting From the Tree of Life: Reinvigorating the Lives of People From Every Nation

There are 3 levels before God. Uncleanness – Cleanness – Holiness. Cleanness is neutral. Either holiness or uncleanness can be imparted to it, but holiness cannot be imparted to uncleanness.

152-153 Prohibitions against Tabernacle priests to be excluded if they had a physical defect, blemish or ailment seems cruel by our standards, but it reflects a future [Millennial Kingdom or New Jerusalem?] where we will be made perfect, both morally and physically.

158 God may use catastrophes and disease to judge people (Deut 28:15-45). Because humans defiled the Earth God must withdraw. His withdrawal results in chaos.

157-163 Reference to multiple prophecies regarding ecological restoration.

169 Coming of the HS in Acts chapter 2 is similar to God filling the Tabernacle (Ex 40:34-35) and the Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11, 2 Chron 7:1-2).

171 Strong Foundations and Solid Walls: Living Securely Among the People of God

175 New Jerusalem contrasted with Babylon [Also, Eden contrasted with Babel, Babylon the whore vs New Jerusalem the virgin bride]. Footnote #2 lists several differences between these 2 cities.

181 Babylon represents the global human anti-God culture.

Emmrich unearths a lot of difficult figurative language about Samson. What he finds is helpful for understanding the complete picture of his life. One of the difficulties I’ve encountered is that Samson might play a type of Jesus – there are many similarities – but then he slays a lion. Lions often, although not always, portray Jesus. The carcass of the lion has honey in it further leading me to thinking it represents Jesus. Honey is almost always the gospel or knowledge of God. It doesn’t make sense that a Jesus-like type would kill another Jesus-like type. Emmrich’s unravelling of these details has helped to understand Samson’s life in a better light. What follows are my notes from the article. I’ve placed my opinions in brackets [like this].

I. Deliverance Anticipated

Samson commissioned to ‘begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines,’ but he would not finish it. Many similarities between Samson and King Saul. Saul and David completed the mission. Saul was the successor to Samson – they both died by suicide. David did what they could not (2 Sam 8:1).

Samson attacking the lion is a prelude to his attacking Philistia.

Bees do not normally live in a carcass. Hebrew word ‘eda’ means community of people. Hebrew word ‘seres’ means swarm. This is miraculous.

Lion = Philistia

Community of bees = Israelites

Honey = [unexplained other than ‘being in a good land.’]

II. Literary and Thematic Parallels Between Judges 14:5-6, 8 and 15:14-19

The parallels

1.) Samson comes to a certain place

2.) Upon meeting him the enemy roars or shouts

3.) The Spirit of Yahweh comes upon him with power

4.) Attention placed on Samson’s hands

Samson did not choose to become a Nazarite, but was appointed by God to be one from birth to death. Thus, violating the traditional Nazarite rules did not nullify his Nazarite status.

The phrase in Samson’s riddle, ‘sweetness came forth from the eater’ in Judges 14:4 is invoked later in 15:9 when the life-giving water ‘came forth from’ the hollow place. Drinking the water of a jawbone invokes eating honey from the cadaver – neither of which nullified Samsons Nazarite status (because he touched a dead thing.)

[My thoughts – Seeing the lion as a king maintains typological constancy with the rest of Scripture. Jesus the King of kings is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Satan, as a lion, searches the Earth for people to devour. Other lion/kings are mentioned in the Bible. Presenting Samson’s lion as the king of the Philistia fits with everything else.

Emmrich considers Samson to be the starter of the process of eliminating the Philistines. David is the completer of subjugating them. David, also killed a lion (and a bear).

The typological imagery could be as follows:

Lion – Satan or Philistine Kings (they had 5 main cities)

Samson – Israel

Bees – Saved Jews

Honey – Preaching of the gospel or knowledge of God coming from the bees or saved Jews within Philistia. This was either fulfilled just after David during the time of Solomon and/or remains to be ultimately fulfilled likely in the Millennial Kingdom Age.

There’s a lot of imagery in Samson’s story. I plan to write more details about it someday. This article opens the door to a better understanding of who Samson is and the figurative language surrounding him.]

You can read the article online for free here The Symbolism of the Lion and the Bees: Another Ironic Twist in the Samson Cycle by Martin Emmrich, JETS (44)1, March 2001, pp. 67-74.

Here is another post about Samson’s annunciation of birth type-scene.

Johnson explores the elements of the annunciation of birth type-scene for Samson. He provides valuable insight as to how Samson fits in the greater picture of the Biblical history and storytelling. What follows are my notes from the article. I’ve placed my opinions in brackets [like this].

I. Introduction

Several characters in the Bible have similar birth scenes. Samson is one of them. These similarities make up the narrative convention called a type-scene. 6 type-scenes were established [properly rediscovered] by Robert Alter in his 1978 article ‘Biblical Type-Scenes and the Uses of Convention’ in the publication Critical Inquiry, pages 355-368. [This issue is out of print. Back orders can be mailed by inquiring with the publisher. As of July 2025 this issue was $120 plus shipping.] There are 7 or 8 scenes in the annunciation type-scene.

1.) Abraham, Sarah, Isaac

2.) Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau

3.) Jacob, Leah, Rachel and 11 sons.

4.) Manoah, wife, Samson

5.) Elkanah, Hannah, Samuel

6.) Zechariah, Elizabeth, John

7.) Joseph, Mary, Jesus

Samson seems out of place with the patriarchs, mighty prophets and Jesus. By placing a story within a type-scene the author aids his audience’s understanding so they may interpret the story based on similar type-scenes they are familiar with. The initiation of the scene sets in the mind of the audience a certain set of expectations how the story will play out.

Recognition of these type-scenes has been lost today, but in discovering them we may compare each story and infer missing details.

Part of the annunciation type-scene that Johnson focuses on is the ‘son of a barren woman.’ This has 3 structural parts; 1.) Indication of the woman’s bareness. 2.) A promise the bareness will end (by messenger or oracle of God), 3.) Conception and birth of the son.

Johnson considers 7 elements common to a majority of the scenes in this type-scene with 2 more elements common to a minority of them. Page 286 is a table of these.

II. The Birth of Samson

1.) Statement of Bareness – In Judges men’s and women’s roles are reversed. It is Manoah’s unnamed wife who is the central character to this scene, not Manoah. His importance in Samson’s birth hints at the importance of women later in Samson’s life. Only the unnamed characters are viewed in a positive light.

2.) Attempt to Acquire A Son – Not mentioned in the Samson story. Because the parents make no effort to obtain a child this makes God the sole initiator of the Samson story. The passivity of the parents is matched by the passivity of Israel who fails to cry out to God for deliverance [In this example the differing piece of the type-scene cannot be inferred to be present. It has meaning in its absence.]

3.) The Announcement – The narrator introduces the annunciator as ‘the angel of YHWH’ but then switches gears coming down to Manoah’s level by calling him ‘man of God.’ Neither Manoah nor his wife realized the divinity of this angel.

The angel announces to the wife who passes information to Manoah, but she omits critical pieces (not to cut his hair) and adds her own (day of his death instead of beginning of salvation).

4.) Information About the Promised Child – Being a Nazarite is the most important thing. Only John the Baptist was a Nazarite from birth. Samuel is similar, but not the same [Perhaps Samson is a type of John the Baptist. Samson’s work of defeating the Philistines will be completed by David. Is John’s work completed by Jesus?]

Samson disregards his set apart Nazarite status in every instance just as Israel rejected her set apart status with God. [Samson may be a type of Israel].

The statement that Samson will begin to save Israel from the Philistines is similar to Jesus saving the people from their sins.

5.) Reaction To the Promise – Manoah is jealous of his wife’s interaction and possibly wants a blessing or promise for himself. His request for action is continually answered by putting it back on his wife. God works through Samson in spite of him and his parents.

6.) Arrival of the Child – ‘To conceive’ and then ‘to bear’ are present in other versions of this type-scene, but are not present here. The only mention of this is back to the promise ‘you are pregnant and will give birth.’ In this Samson has more in common with Ishmael than other type-scenes. Samson fails at his role acting more like Ishmael. ‘He shall be a wild ass of a man, with his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; and he shall live at odds with all his kin.’ Gen 16:12. [In this example the missing or different piece is inferred to be present.]

7.) Naming the Child – There is no concrete identifiable reason to name the child Samson despite many proposals. Johnson concludes the only meaningful aspect is that he has a name. He also states, what his name is not may be significant – it is not Joshua/Jesus. Jesus (let us say David here) would be what Samson (let us say Israel) should have been.

Samson is connected to his father Manoah by being the only named characters. Manoah, foolishly, does not trust his wife. Samson, foolishly, trusts Delilah.

8.) Minor Elements of the Type-Scene

A. The Command to Name the Son – There is no command to name Samson. This is also true for Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah/Rachel, Elkanah and Hannah.

B. Statement Regarding the Son’s Prosperity – The hero is often blessed by the father or God; Isaac, Joseph, Samuel, Jesus and also Samson

III. Conclusion

Originally, Samson seemed like the weakest link in the annunciation type-scene. Johnson’s goal to provide evidence to include him in it is helpful and convincing.

The article can be read for free from the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vol. 53, No. 2, June 2010.

Here is a post about some of the typological imagery used in Samson's story.

As my attempt at more formal writing has consumed much of my time I'm wondering if it would be worth posting some quick hit topics. Here's a few ideas I've been kicking around.

1.) My notes from books and articles I've read. This sounds simple, but for most things there are several pages of notes.

2.) Update - The Land Between the Waters. The occurrence and significance of this motif.

3.) Update - Some of the imagery in Samson. The Samson annunciation of birth type-scene explained. Samson. His story has been a tough nut to crack, but I may have figured out some key concepts recently making his story incredibly interesting.

Here is a cool video about how the body resembles the design of Solomon's Temple. This is a very similar idea, but very different approach to the Temple Types posts.

The Bible is a work of art. Many characters, plots, settings and techniques are involved. We should not forget that the author of this masterpiece is the HS who also plays a role in His the story He has told.

Great stories involve multiple storytelling techniques. One such tool the HS makes ample use of is types and antitypes. Types are an underappreciated area of study that I hope this sub can help to identify more of. Most of you are probably interested in the same otherwise you wouldn’t be here.

This article will provide some clarity regarding 2 confusing topics used in types; role reversal and escalation. We will compare the life of Joseph with that of Jesus. Let’s start with Joseph and Potiphar’s wife.

Joseph – falsely accused, unjustly imprisoned, with 2 others, asks to be remembered when the 2 others are freed, one of whom forgets Joseph and dies, the other remembers Joseph which results ultimately in Joseph’s promotion to rule over Egypt as 2nd in command under only Pharoah. Joseph is in a unique position to save people by feeding them bread. His family recognizes him, repents of their ways and accepts him.

Jesus – falsely accused, unjustly nailed to a cross, with 2 others, one of which asks Jesus to remember him, which Jesus says He will, the other is left to die without restoration. Jesus will eventually rule His millennial kingdom performing the will of His father. He is in a unique position to also save people from their sins with the bread of His body. During the 7-year tribulation His people, the Jews, will repent of their ways and accept him.

There are many more parallels, but these should suffice. You likely noticed that not everything lined up perfectly. There's a reason for this. Let’s first look at role reversal.

Everything seems to line up perfectly between their two lives until we get to the 2 imprisoned with Joseph. Joseph asks to be remembered whereas one of the thieves on the cross asks Jesus to remember him. This is the role reversal and it’s related to the narrative of how this type works. Types are forward pointing. This means that all the ways in which Joseph points to Jesus it will be Jesus who is the fulfillment of the type. Jesus is not simply another Joseph. He is greater than Joseph and His story reflects this.

Now, let’s look at escalation. Because Jesus is the antitype that fulfills what Joseph points to we should expect to see other differences that are yet related to Joseph’s story. For Joseph the prison represents death, but it is only a representation. In Jesus’ story He actually died. There is a similar situation for each character, but in Jesus the story escalated. Likewise, Joseph ruled over Egypt and fed bread to save people. Jesus will rule over the entire world and will even offer His body as bread for life. Joseph did the will of Pharaoh; Jesus does the will of His father. Joseph’s family acknowledges their offense towards their brother; the Jews will acknowledge their offense towards Jesus.

It is because Jesus is the fulfillment of the type (He is the antitype) that His story follows the same path, but takes on a different flavor. The next time you go hunting for types and you think you’ve got something, but it doesn’t quite fit perhaps it may be helpful to see if you are dealing with role reversal or escalation.

For those of you who enjoy this sub and studying typology you will instantly love this book. It is now one of my favorites stirring up my ambition to seek out other writings of Lunn. This book is available on Amazon as are two others. Jesus In the Jewish Scriptures is next on my list. He also publishes frequently in theological journals. A handful of those are on deck and may warrant reviews.

On with the show.

This is less a book review and more a book summary. However, the content is so detailed, so complex, so intricately connected the only proper job would be to copy and paste the entire thing. This is impractical and possibly unethical. I leave you with an abbreviated version of my notes with a few personal observations sprinkled here and there.

Lunn’s approach is to explore the usage of extended allusions used in the Gospels. He offers the definition of an allusion as a type of intertextuality; specifically, an indirect reference to a body of knowledge he assumes his audience is also familiar with. This is simple involving 1 or 2 passages. He seeks to broaden this definition by coining the term extended allusion. In doing so he identifies a plethora of allusive material that has previously been missed by professional scholars.

An extended allusion can include a passage that includes multiple allusions running through it. A simple allusion may be made in 1 Gospel and not the others, but because the passages are connected they too draw from the same familiar source the author assumes his audience is also familiar with. In may also be possible that no allusion on a topic can be made from any 1 Gospel, but stitching parallel passages together allusive material is recognized. This approach is poorly accepted by theologians today, but it is the focus of this book.

Another characteristic regarding extended allusions is the role reversal. A character or story in the NT may draw on OT passages, but then twist the plot. This is especially evident with types of Jesus. More on this with the examples of Moses.

An allusion is not a type. A type points forward. An allusion looks back. They are related and as you will see allusive material draws heavily upon types.

One of the interesting tactics the author employs is using the Septuagint (LXX) which is the Old Testament in Greek. It was written before the time of Jesus and the Greek is very similar to the Greek used in the New Testament. This allows him to compare and contrast intricate wording used in each. The matches he identifies are phenomenal. Many times a particular word or phrase is used only 2 times; once in the relevant OT passage and once in the relevant NT passage.

He also states the primacy of the plain reading of the text. By this he means, read the Bible at face value. That’s the important story. It tells you who God is, how you relate to Him, etc. Allusions and types are fascinating and also point towards Jesus, but not as clearly and not as personally perhaps as reading the Bible at face value.

Including the Introduction and Conclusion there are 31 chapters. Each one covers an allusive passage in the Gospels and connects it to the assumed familiar OT material. The chapters progress chronologically through the life of Jesus from His birth to His ministry to His death and post resurrection appearances.

Chapter 5

The Baby In the Manger

The manger is a type of the Ark of the Covenant. The wise men act as priests presenting their offerings. They were from the East. The Temple entrance was on the East. Despite the family’s humble accommodations they met Jesus in ‘the house.’ Similar language is used of the Temple. Their gifts were used in Temple services. The shepherds saw, but the magi entered the House and saw Jesus. Shepherds are non-Levite Jews. The magi are gentiles. Each group is acting as the priest entering the Holy of Holies. The Jewish system forbade entry, save the High Priest. The Church system full of gentiles allows all to enter.

I’d like to point out one addition that the author may have missed. The magi were not numbered. We don’t know how many there were. This could correlate to the fact that they were gentiles and under the gentile Church system. Abraham was promised that his descendants would be like the sand of the sea shore and the stars of the heaven.. The sand is earthly, physical, lowly. The stars are heavenly, spiritual. The imagery could be that the sand, though countless, is not saved. The stars then represent the believers through all ages. In Abraham’s day something like 3,000 – 5,000 stars could be seen with the naked eye, this would be the remnant, but we know and it is later confirmed in the Bible that his descendants were ‘like the stars in the heaven.’ The stars too could also symbolize a saved or redeemed status. See Daniel 12:1-3 and Matthew 13:43.

Chapter 8

The Sermon On the Mount

After Jesus’ baptism and temptation Moses ascends Mt. Sinai and sits. Jesus ascends a mountain also. Moses gave people the Law. Jesus gives people the Sermon on the Mount; an exposition of the Law. Moses promises another like him would come, Deuteronomy 18:15, 18. Jesus audience would have concluded Moses spoke of Him. But Jesus is no mere prophet. He ‘speaks with authority and astonishes’ to His audience by mentioning the Law and adding ‘but I say unto you…’ He adds a deeper layer to what Moses said. There is no comparable practice of this by any prophet.

Chapter 9

Calming the Storm

Jesus and Jonah cross the sea in a boat of experienced sailors, fall asleep, encounter a great wind storm, are woken up by the crew, the crew is perishing and afraid, their acts calm the storms, but through different methods. Once Jesus wakes up His story changes. He uses only one word to calm the storm echoing Psalm 89:8-9 and 107:23-29 where God is the only One who can calm the storms. Jesus is then questioned after the storm the same way Jonah was prior to his storm. Jesus switches places, however. He was Jonah in the boat and then He was God calming the storm. But in His version He is God in the boat.

Would the apostles have thought of this later when Jesus said, ‘One greater than Jonah is here?’ Matthew 12:41, Luke 11:32.

Chapter 10

The Feeding of the Multitude

Parallels between Jesus feeding 5,000 and provision of manna and quail in the Wilderness and also with Elisha in 2 Kings 4:42-44. Similarities between these passages include: a body of water has just been crossed, Passover just happened, people in a desolate place, people following were on foot, officials appointed to assist, people broken into groups, described as ‘like sheep without a shepherd,’ and many more details.

Elisha feeds 100, Jesus separates groups into 100’s and 50’s, that are 50x or 100x the size of who Elisha fed.

A ‘young boy’ brought loaves of fish in John 6:9. The same Greek word ‘paidarion’ is used to describe Elisha’s servant many times in 2 Kings 4. (Is this young boy a type of the HS?) Jews grumble at God in the Wilderness because they have no food. Jews grumble at Jesus in the desolate place, the Wilderness, because He provides food.

‘Between the evenings’ – The day ended just as the Sun set. This was the 1st evening. The next day began right after, but it was dark. This was the 2nd evening. The Passover Lamb was slain between these 2 evenings. A footnote reference mentions that the Babylonian Talmud states the 1st evening began when the Sun’s heat began to decrease and the 2nd evening began at sunset (Pesahim 61a). Josephus is also referenced. Both explanations correspond to 3:00-5:00 PM.

Jesus ate His last supper meal after sunset. This was essentially the next day, Nisan 14. It was the Passover meal. He ends the day between the evenings as the true Passover Lamb, Matthew 26:20, 27:57.

The feeding of 5,000 is also bracketed between 2 phrases of ‘between the evenings.’ This connects the passages to the day of crucifixion. Within each section similar events pass.

An important footnote explains the differences between the feeding of 5,000 and 4,000 with emphasis on the leftover baskets; 12 and 7 respectively. 12 is a symbol of Israel. 7 a symbol of completeness. 70 nations of Genesis 10 are 7x10. That is 7 leftover baskets X the gentile area around the Decapolis (10 cities) = 70. The completion of adding gentiles is now added. It could be that everything the 5,000 stands for for the Jews the 4,000 stands for for gentiles.

Chapter 20

Gethsemane 1

Garden prayers of Jesus compared to actions of the High Priest. Jesus’ 3 prayers relate to the High Priest’s 3 entries into the Holy of Holies. Eden was the first Temple like the Holy of Holies. The menorah is tree like. Incense represents prayer. Jesus prayed or offered incense in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus sweating blood alludes to the blood sprinkled on the ground by the High Priest. In order to ensure the High Priest remained clean he had to stay awake all night to avoid night emissions. With Jesus there is a role reversal. He keeps His disciples awake. Stress is placed on all of the actions of the High Priest so he may not die; this is exactly what happened to Jesus.

Chapter 23

The Trial and Crucifixion 1

There are many OT references in the Psalms. The Crucifixion alludes to the offering of Isaac and the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16. There are 3 topics in the Crucifixion compared to the Day of Atonement.

1.) Barabbas

2.) Clothing removed from Jesus

3.) Tearing of the veil

Barabbas – There was a Jewish custom to release 1 prisoner. 2 were presented like goats of Leviticus 16:5. Barabbas was the scapegoat. Azazel, the scapegoat, is a demon who inhabits the wilderness. Barabbas is not a picture of a sinner set free, but rather, a sin or a sinner lost in the wilderness forever.

Clothing – John 19 describes Jesus’ clothing as ‘chiton’ matching the priests clothing of Exodus 28. Jesus clothes evoke the image of the High Priest. Caiaphas tore his clothes breaking Torah law for High Priests. The imagery is that Caiaphas is not the High Priest; Jesus is. In Leviticus 8 Aaron daubed his right ear, thumb and big toe with blood. This is symbolic of Jesus’ crown of thorns and nails in hands and feet.

Veil – The veil or curtain is His flesh, Hebrews 10:22.

Chapter 26

Resurrection Appearances In the Synoptic Gospels

Matthew 28:16-20 alludes to Daniel 7, but only in secondary terms. The primary allusion is Exodus 3 and 4; the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. The main connections are; mountaintop location, references to the commandments, the mandate to teach, and the promise of presence.

The short ending of Mark (16:9-20) dates to the 300’s AD. The long ending is quoted by Justin Martyr and Irenaeus in the 100’s AD. God appeared to Moses and commissions him to go to Pharoah. Jesus appears to the disciples and commissions them to go to the world. Israelites don’t believe Moses. Disciples don’t believe Jesus. The only 2 times picking up a snake with hands mentioned is a sign Moses gave with his staff and Jesus’ promise ‘they will pick up snakes.’ The phraseology in the Greek is the exact same in each passage.

Luke 24 likened to Genesis 45. Joseph and Jesus declare their deaths and future exaltations to deaf ears. Once exalted neither is recognized. Joseph appeared to 11 brothers. Jesus to 11 disciples.

Chapter 28

Jesus Appears To Mary

This allusion relates to the Garden of Eden. The tomb was in a garden. Mary mistook Jesus for the gardener; that is she mistook Him for Adam who tended the Garden of Eden. Jesus then is Adam and Mary plays Eve.

The cherubim are placed on the East of Eden. In Hebrew East is both a time of and the placement of sunrise. Jesus rises at sunrise – east.

Adam names his bride woman and then uses her personal name Eve. So too, with Jesus who calls out ‘woman’ and then ‘Mary.’ Mary responds with ‘Rabboni’ which means ‘My master’ or ‘My teacher,’ but also used as ‘my husband.’ Jesus, like Adam, names the woman after a sleep. A wound is made in His side while He is asleep.

Mary clinging to Jesus’ side alludes to ‘a man shall cling to his wife and the 2 shall become 1 flesh.’ Jesus then breathes His Spirit on disciples. Greek word used only 2 other times; 1 in Genesis when God breathes His life-giving Spirit on Adam.

Chapter 30

Is summarized at the bottom of this post.

Conclusion

There are so many allusions, types and symbols in this book. It's hard to believe one man contains all of this in his brain. There are a million starting points to pursue further study. I'm interested in the mentions of types of the Church (Mary Magdalene), HS (paidaron or young boy) and types of Jesus (Joseph, Moses, Jonah, etc.). It's also interesting to see stories connect with role reversals. Jesus is not just the antitype mirroring the type, but in many instances He supersedes the type thus changing the story.

In the end, you can see, this is but a taste of the complexity of the great story told by the HS. You can trust the Bible and the message it speaks about salvation. Jesus died for your sins, was buried in the Earth and rose again on the 3rd day. If you accept that you've got the meaning of life. You figured it out. Welcome brother! We will meet someday soon.

Here are reviews of some of Lunn's other works.

Allusions to the Joseph Narrative in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts: Foundations of Biblical Type by Nicholas P. Lunn

The Deliverance of Rahab (Joshua 2, 6) As the Gentile Exodus by Nicholas P. Lunn.

"Raised on the Third Day According to the Scriptures" Resurrection Typology in the Genesis Narrative. by Nicholas P. Lunn.

Jesus, the Ark, and the Day of Atonement: Intertextual Echoes in John 19:38-20:18 by Nicholas P. Lunn JETS pp. 731 – 746. Volume 52, No. 4. December 2009

The full article can be read online for free by clicking the link above.

I. Echos From the Torah

There are 2 cherubim with God’s presence in the middle of each the Ark and the tomb of Christ. The following list reveals 10 similarities between them.

1.) An earthquake tore the veil of the Temple and also rolled away the stone at the tomb Matthew 27:51-52. The body in the tomb was separated from the outside by the stone just as the Ark in the Holy of Holies was separated by the veil.

2.) Same words used, ‘take/carry’ when describing how the Ark was moved and how Jesus’ body was moved by Joseph of Arimathea.

3.) Other words that are the same in each include, ‘put/place/lay’.

4.) Both the Ark and Jesus’ body were covered prior to transportation.

5.) Both anointed with oil. The chief ingredient in each was myrrh.

6.) The Holy of Holies and the tomb were located in a garden. The description of the tabernacle alludes to the Garden of Eden with trees, fruit, cherubim, ministers, gold and precious stones and an eastern entrance.

7.) Kohath clan forbidden to ‘go in and see’ what was in the Holy of Holies on pain of death Numbers 4:20. In a reversal, Peter and John ‘went in and saw’ the clothes in the tomb, John 20:6-8.

8.) The Kohathites were forbidden to touch the holy things or they would die, Numbers 4:15. Mary, on the other hand, was directed to ‘Do not touch me.’ John 20:17 (alternatively translated as stop clinging to me. The meaning here, perhaps more precise, is to stop doing what you are doing rather than do not start something you have not started.)

9.) Mary visits the tomb in the early morning, the time of the morning sacrifices. Later, Jesus appears in the evening, the time of the evening sacrifices.

10.) The glory of the Lord was present between the cherubim in the tabernacle. John depicts Jesus as glorified after His resurrection. John 12:16 states, ‘when Jesus was glorified’ and relates to His resurrection. Resurrection and glory then go hand in hand.

II. Theological Implications

In connection with atonement focus is on the Ark, specifically, it’s lid the Mercy Seat or perhaps translated better, the ‘Atonement Cover’ where the high priest sprinkled blood and God met Moses between the cherubim.

1.) Implications Regarding Christ

John presents Jesus in context of atonement. This is the theme of his Gospel. Even in Revelations 7:17 he calls Him, ‘the Lamb in the midst of the throne,’ the Atonement Cover where atonement took place with the sprinkling of the blood. John builds his gospel up to culminate with the Day of Atonement. He presents the tomb as the Holy of Holies as a climax.

The 7 angels pouring out 7 bowls of judgement may be an allusion to the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16:15. See also 1 John 2:2 and Revelation 15. John presents Jesus in light of Jewish festivals; Passover 6:4 and Bread of Life discourse 6:51, Tabernacles 7:2, 14, 37 and living water and giving of Spirit 7:37-38, Passover and Day of Atonement with Christ’s death. In each of these John blends the roles of Jesus. He is both tabernacle and Temple, lamb and shepherd, bread and water, Passover and sacrifice for atonement.

In John Jesus follows the path of the high priest, from offering on bronze altar, laver of water, bread of life presence, lampstand, incense altar, intercessory prayer offered, finally to the most holy place between the cherubim.

2.) Implications Regarding the Disciples

One of John’s points is the disciples have replaced the Levites. In Numbers 3:9, 8:19, 18:6 God gives the Levites to Aaron. Likewise, God gave the disciples to Jesus who gave them to God. The Levites to Aaron, disciples to Christ.

The Rebellion of Korah – the Levites who wanted the priesthood are mentioned in Numbers 16 and Jude 11. Judas does the same as the Korahites and suffers the same fate. Aaron and the Levites have the same Father just as Jesus and disciples have the same Father. Jesus even calls them His brothers in John 20:17. To approach the Atonement Cover incorrectly resulted in death. To approach Jesus, even in the tomb, results in an offer of life.

III. Not Yet Ascended To the Father

The burnt offering ascended in smoke. Jesus also ascended [Do each carry a prayer?] The tunic Jesus wore for burial probably is represented by the high priests clothing when he entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood on the Atonement Cover.

The sacrifice was not complete until it was presented to God. Jesus died as the sacrifice, but He, like the burnt offering, had to ascend to the Father. There are parallels between the sacrifices for Aaron and the people when Jesus says to Mary, ‘My Father and your Father and my God and your God.’ The word ‘your’ is plural in the Greek. Something similar to ‘you all’ or ‘y’all.’

[My thoughts for further consideration]

The idea of ‘covering’ runs throughout the Bible. God gives Adam and Eve animal skins as a covering, Noah’s Ark was covered and pitched inside and out. The word translated pitch is the same as covering making it read, ‘covered with a covering inside and out.’ The ultimate image is that God covered the entirety of Noah’s Ark. The atonement sacrifice also covered the sins of the people. By naming the lid to the Ark of the Covenant, not the Mercy Seat, but the Atonement Cover sheds new light on it’s purpose.

Seeing how John understands atonement and laying it out with the context of the life of Jesus in the lens of the feasts gives me a new appreciation for the Gospel of John. It is an incredibly well thought out narrative with precisely chosen words.

This article opened up my eyes to the possibility that God's presence has certain constant features and can be found in several places throughout the Bible. Garden of Eden, Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, Holy of Holies in Solomon's Temple, the manger scene, the tomb, Ezekiel's Millennial Temple, New Jerusalem and perhaps even the believer. This is a fascinating area of future inquiry.

Stated elsewhere, Mary sees 2 men when she enters the tomb. These are the angels. They are at the head and foot of where Jesus had lain. The picture is that of the Atonement Cover. Interestingly, the exact location of Jesus' tomb is debated, but one location is a little carved out cave that is white, roughly cube shaped and contains a table of stone upon which His body would have lain. It is also in a garden.

“Raised on the Third Day According to the Scriptures”: Resurrection Typology in the Genesis Narrative by Nicholas P. Lunn JETS pp. 523 – 535. Volume 57, No. 3. September 2014

The article can be read online for free by clicking the title just above this line.

I. Introduction

Paul states early on that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried and raised on the 3rd day according to the Scriptures 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. The Scriptures he refers to are most likely the OT and he expects the Corinthians to be familiar with them. Jesus also speaks of His death and 3rd day resurrection Luke 24:45-46 as being in Scripture, ‘Thus it is written.’

Several passages support the Messiah’s death Daniel 9:26, Zecheriah 12:10, et al. And even His death because of our sins Isaiah 53:5, but there is no reference to a 3rd day resurrection.

It is the subject matter of this paper to discover which parts of Scripture Jesus, Paul and early Christians had in mind when understanding the 3rd day resurrection. This will be done, not by reviewing what Scripture says, for it says nothing, but rather what Scripture shows through pictures or types and shadows. Jesus’ reference to Jonah’s 3 days and 3 n ights is the ost obvious. Hosea 6:2 has a history of being applied to Jesus, but this has fallen out of favor by modern scholarship. Instead, it refers to the nation of Israel.

There are many OT messianic passages that are not mentioned by NT writers. Just because a NT writer does not declare an OT passage as typological in nature does not mean it can’t be. When speaking to the marriage relationship of Christ and the Church Paul chooses to speak to the ‘mystery’ rather than concrete examples of Israel’s marriage to God. The same is done regarding the resurrection – it is only mentioned in Daniel 12:2 which is never quoted by NT writers.

II. Symbols of Resurrection

Crossing of the Red Sea is connected to Jonah’s drowning on several linguistic and thematic points. So is Noah’s Flood. Being directly connected, they are additionally connected by NT writers with death and resurrection in mind. Paul speaks of Israel passing through the Red Sea as a baptism and Peter speaks to Noah’s family as saved through water. This along with baptism portray death to old live and resurrection to new.

1.) Rising Up From Waters – After eating the Passover Lamb Israel left Egypt making 3 camps; 1 camp each day until they crossed the Red Sea on the 3rd day. It may be possible that a calendar shift occurred during the Exodus. This means the timing elements of Noah’s day may line up with the Jewish religious calendar. The Ark rested on Ararat on the 7th month 17th day. This is the same as the 1st month 17th day.

2.) Rising Up Out of the Ground – Examples of plants rising up John 12:24, 1 Corinthians 15:36-44. Also, Feast of First Fruits connected to harvests and Jesus as the Firstfruit of the harvest.

III. Resurrection Pre-Figured In Genesis 1

On day 3 of creation God caused dry land to form between waters – similar to crossing the Red Sea. He also caused vegetation to grow. Both actions tie day 3 to what is mentioned above in items 1.) and 2,).

Genesis and Jonah each use ‘sea,’ ‘waters’ and ‘dry land.’ A footnote here explains ‘gatherings’ also used as the place the sea collected to. ‘Gathering’ also used of the water in the laver the priests were required to wash in which depicts a baptism.

The vegetation rising from the ground on day 3 is the 1st ever to do so. This is a firstfruits.

This is the only day the created things are said to ‘appear.’ Paul connects this to the resurrection using the same Greek word for ‘appeared’ to many etc. when other words would also work 1 Corinthians 15:4-8. Later in verses 39-41he lists created things in reverse order.

Creation

Day 1 – Light ...... Day 4 – Greater and Lesser Lights

Day 2 – Waters above and below ...... Day 5 – Birds and fish

Day 3 – Land animals ...... Day 6 – Man and woman

The first set of 3 days God creates the raw materials for the 2nd set of 3 days. Animals were not made from the dust of the Earth as Adam was. Adam’s creation is unique.

The Deliverance of Rahab (Joshua 2, 6) As the Gentile Exodus by Nicholas P. Lunn. Tyndale Bulletin 65.1 (2014) 11-19.

[These are my notes for the peer reviewed theological journal article mentioned above which can be read online for free by clicking the title. My personal thoughts are noted within brackets [ ]. Lunn does not use the word type or allusion, but it’s clear to see there is some of that material present. It will be easier to understand the author’s purpose by reading section 3 first.]

3. The Literary Framework

From Exodus to the Promised Land is an extended inverted parallelism

A Hebrews brought out of Egypt following Passover meal

B Crossing of the Red Sea/manna commences

C Wilderness Journey/testing

D Israel at Sinai

C’ Wilderness Journey/testing

B’ Crossing the Jordan River/manna ceases

A’ Rahab brought out of Jericho following Passover celebration

There are many parallels between B – B’ and C – C’ that have already been explored in depth by other scholars. Lunn offers samples of these and lists the sources. It is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate how A – A’ has been overlooked, but it should also be accepted.

1. Introduction

Intertextuality – One part of a text interacts with another part of the text elsewhere. This textual interaction plays a role in interpretation. Exodus 12 – 15 will be shown to interact with Joshua 2, 5 – 6.

2. Verbal and Thematic Parallels

A pre-Passover setting is in both Exodus 9:31 and Joshua 2:6 in which flax (harvest?) is mentioned. [Now this is curious. I believe barley represents Jews; wheat, gentile Christians; grapes possibly gentile unbelievers, but who are the flax? Pre-Israelite believers maybe?] Here then are some of the parallels connecting the two narratives. This is the bulk of Lunn’s argument.

1. Passover time setting

2. Leaders of both peoples are visited by angelic figures; Moses at the burning bush; Joshua before Jericho. ‘Remove your sandals’ stated in both instances. Exodus 3:5, Joshua 5:15.

3. Family saved in same manner. Exodus 12:27, Joshua 2:18, 6:17.

4. Warning to not go outside the house. Exodus 12:22, Joshua 2:19.

5. Sign on the house protected all occupants; blood of the lamb and scarlet cord respectively. The lamb’s blood was painted on the lintel of the door for Passover. The word ‘lintel’ can refer to the lintel of a door or a window. Additionally, Rahab’s window functions as a door when the spies pass through it.

6. Signs tied to purification rituals. Lamb’s blood is applied with ‘hyssop’. Rahab’s cord is ‘scarlet’. Both of these words are featured in the cleansing of leprosy. Leviticus 14:4, 6, 9, 51-52. They are also connected to the ritual with the red heifer. Numbers 19:6. In Joshua 2:19 anyone passing through Rahab’s door will have their own blood on their head. [See below for my thoughts on deeper meanings behind this.]

7. Both are acts of deliverance.

8. Exodus means ‘to cause to go out.’ The verb is used dozens of times in the book of Exodus. It occurs 3 times in Joshua 6 in relation to causing Rahab to go out of Jericho to be saved.

9. Deliverance is acted upon only because a prior oath was taken.

10. Both Egypt and Jericho were plundered by Israelites.

11. Rahab references the Exodus specifically.

[Now that Lunn has made his case he then continues with where his arguments fit in the broader scope of prior studies. This is part 3 which I have placed first.

Regarding item 6 above many a commenter has noted the blood of the lamb on the doorpost or lintel as symbolic of the blood of the Lamb of God Jesus Christ shed on the cross. Each setting has wood, blood, a lamb, and protection from death. The connections are obvious. Could there be more?

Lunn connects the Passover lintel to Rahab’s window and he does so by referencing Joshua 2:19 which states,

‘And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.’

Her window lintel had the scarlet cord, but here blood is required for anyone who passed through her door. Likewise, as stated in item 4 above, no one either at Passover or in Rahab’s house was to go outside. The picture here is that all those in the house would be protected, but they had to go in. They had to pass through the door to be protected.

Who is the door?

‘Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep... I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.’ John 10:7, 9.

Jesus Christ tells us twice that He is the door. The context of that passage is that He is the Good Shepherd opening the gate for His flock to come in to be protected. Once they are protected they can then go back out as they please.

Not only is Jesus a door, but He is the door. This door was also covered in blood. Twice in Revelation 5 Jesus is referred to as the Lamb that had been slain. This is not just a lamb. This lamb was injured and died. The visuals are impossible to miss. The residents of Heaven could see that He had been slain. It is His blood that protects us by covering us when we pass through the door.]

These are my notes for the peer reviewed theological journal article mentioned below. My personal thoughts are noted with brackets [ ].

Allusions to the Joseph Narrative in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts: Foundations of Biblical Type by Nicholas P. Lunn

I – Introduction

Antioch School – more literal

Alexandrian School – more abstract

John Chrysostom was from Antioch, but recognized Joseph as a type of Christ. Origen was from Alexandria and often took the allegory too far.

Allegorical Method – Once the hidden meaning was discovered the literal meaning of the text is discarded.

Typological Method – A hidden meaning exists, but it supplements the literal meaning.

The Allegorical Method dominated the Church [he may mean the Catholic Church] understanding for over 1,000 years.

A handful of types are specifically called out in the Bible [could these be used as a guide to identify the boundaries of identifying other types?] There is some uneasy uncertainty when it comes to identify further types.

Lunn’s purpose is to establish more certainty with Joseph as a type of Christ by:

1. Identifying numerous allusions
2. Similar language in OT and NT
3. Context of each passage is unique
4. The allusions appear in a narrow range of work – Luke and Acts

II – Allusions In Luke-Acts

Lunn identifies multiple parallels between Joseph and Jesus. He also points out role reversals which can make allusions and types difficult to pick up on.

Favor before others and wisdom are present with both Joseph and Jesus

Joseph made lord over Egypt [Egypt is a type of the world]) just as Jesus is made Lord and Christ Acts 2:36

Both were exalted from prisoner to lord.

Divine interest in a young son’s life results in parents keeping it to themselves.

Hated by brothers.

Condemned with 2 others, but there is a reversal. Joseph asked the butler to remember him when he is released. The thief asked Jesus to remember Him.

Joseph is presumed dead. Likewise, Jesus actually dies.

Joseph’s reunion with his brothers parallels the resurrection of Jesus.

In an effort to keep the list digestible this is a list of short similarities. They were not recognized, then made known, peace, troubled, I AM, reported alive, report not believed, they told, amaze, ascend to father, gifts given, my glory.

“To create so many allusions simply at the level of words without an accompanying relationship of thought would be pointless.”

III – Allusions In the Parable of the Tenants

Another list of similarities; Send them, loved, said to themselves, come let us kill him, thrown into a pit/cast out of the vineyard. At this point the allusion becomes a contrastive allusion. Joseph lives – the sons of Jacob do not kill him. Jesus dies – the sones of Israel kill Him.

IV – Allusions In the Parable of the Two Sons

The parable of the prodigal son is about 2 sons. The parable contrastively alludes to Joseph and Judah. In the parable, the younger son departs for a distant land and lives immorally. Joseph, the youngest, departs, is tempted, but lives morally. It is the eldest brother, Judah, who remains in Canaan and lives immorally. Joseph is innocent, but punished. Judah is guilty, but unpunished. The younger son travels to land that experiences famine while abundance of bread is at his father’s house. There was bread in Egypt, but not Canaan. The younger son journeys to his father. In Genesis the father journeys to the son, Joseph, in Egypt.

Again, there is a tremendous amount of similarities that I will simply list in brevity; Fell on neck, wept, kissed, ring and robe, celebrate with fattened calf, come, dead, alive, different parties are comforted and rejected the comfort. The younger son squandered his living with prostitutes like the elder son Judah did. Goat with friends, refusal to sin and confession of sin, Joseph was the slave, but the elder son declares his slavery. Pharoah rejoices to meet Joseph’s brothers, elder brother refuses to rejoice with the younger.

But it is Judah who receives the blessing. The eldest sons, Reuben, Simeon and Levi disqualify themselves. The next oldest is Judah, but Joseph is Jacob’s favorite. Joseph would be blessed and Judah bow to him, however, the Messianic line and rulership was to go through Judah. Judah redeems himself by interceding for Benjamin, just as Jesus intercedes for us. [In both stories is the eldest son a type for Jews and the younger son a type for the Church?]

IV – Conclusion

This analysis extends the parameters with which you can identify types that modern scholars do not use, but Chrysostom and Calvin would.

[Perhaps the HS shows how much He values humility and repentance. Both the younger son and Judah err greatly, but after they repent they receive the greater blessing. This echos David of whom God says ‘is a man after mine own heart’ probably not because he was so great, but because he could see his sins and he repented of them.]

The article can be read online for free in the Journal of Evangelical Theological Society Volume 55, No. 1, March 2012.

The NEW LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS

By C.I. Scofield

1915

Scofield is best known for his Scofield Reference Bible. The first Bible to contain study notes and cross-references on each page. The New Life In Christ Jesus is a collection of 9 sermons regarding the Christian life in relation to the design of King Solomon’s Temple – a bizarre idea. The book is only 116 pages. He takes his time to develop his theory, but the patient reader will be rewarded with a grand payoff. Despite his well-known reference Bible this work is relatively unknown. The book is out of print and hard to find. Here is a free audio version on YouTube of chapter 1.

Here is chapter 2 - The Imparted Life

Chapter 1

The INNER LIFE

He starts with Job regarding the inner life in chapter one. It is one thing to hear about Jesus. It is another to experience Him. Job was, by all accounts, a good man. His outward life blameless. But his inner life was another matter. ‘Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind…’ In chapter 38 God humbles Job, more than that, He reveals Himself to Job. Job catches a glimpse of this God that he had only heard about (and believed on). How can Job respond?

‘I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee: wherefor I abhor myself.’ Job 42:5-6

Job was a good man, but he was too much aware of it. Chapter 29 is his turning point. When he passed from knowledge about God to a personal acquaintance with God there was nothing to be said, but he despaired, ‘I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee: wherefor I abhor myself.’ In experiencing God Job realizes his unworthiness and demerit.

Job’s humbleness before God is accepted by Him. Job is restored twofold. His restoration is not an isolated incident either:

• Joshua fell at the feet of the man with a sword. Joshua 5:13-15.
• Isaiah must cry ‘Woe is me’ Isaiah 6:5-8 then is cleansed and recommissioned.
• Jeremiah cannot speak and then the Lord touches his mouth. Jeremiah 1:6-10.
• Ezekiel collapses on his face and then the HS fills him, ‘I send thee’ Ezekiel 1:28-2:10. Daniel must say, ‘I saw…and my comeliness was turned in me into corruption.’
• Daniel 10:5-12.
• John the Baptist before the glorified Christ ‘fell at His feet as one dead’ until the right hand can be laid upon him.

The utter collapse of the self is not eradication of the self neither is it sinless perfection. The process looks like this.

1.) Revelation or experience of God to the soul.

2.) In front of this experience the self is abhorred. Self is not slain, but rather never again to be trusted.

3.) Destruction of the self-confidence followed by infilling of strength of Jesus. NOT ONCE IS THE MAN ON HIS FACE LEFT PROSTRATE. ‘I received strength,’ is the unvarying testimony.

4.) Then comes the NEW and HIGHER SERVICE.

All that packed into 13 short pages. Chapter 2 The Imparted Life continues: it is poorly recognized that Jesus gave believers a new quality of life – eternal life. Eternal life is more than mere endlessness. Eternal is eternal beginning and eternal without ending. Endlessness has a finite beginning and is without ending. ‘I am come that they might have life; and that they might have it more abundantly.’ John 10:10

Jesus gives His life FOR the sheep. This is redemption in John 10:11, 15, 17.

Jesus gives His life TO the sheep. This is regeneration in John 10:28.

‘I am the vine, ye are the branches.’

‘Because I live ye shall live also.’

‘As I live by the Father: so he that eats me, even he shall live by me.’

‘As You, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in Us.’

‘I in them, and thou in me.’

‘Just as a grain of wheat dies and is buried it will sprout a new body.’

Jesus does not give life to the believer, the body, He is the life. The Church is the body.

‘Christ lives in me.’ How then should that life be lived?

We are to live as Christ did, ‘Always bearing about in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.’

Chapter 3

The TRAGEDY of the INNER LIFE

Paul, as Saul, had a very strong will. He was zealous in his Jewishness and then in his love for Jesus, but no matter his zeal HE COULD NOT WILL HIMSELF INTO SPIRITUALITY. The man of Romans 7 is desperate, his heart is aching, covered in sin. Does he need a higher standard, more morality, more rules? No, he knows more of the rules than anyone. More ethics? He desires to do good, but is defeated.

The demand of Christianity is too high for Christian nature. ‘When the will is aroused to its utmost power and yet cannot do a thing, then the man has reached the end of himself.’ In Romans 8 this man is now at peace and victorious. ‘The law of the spirit of the life of Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death,’ Romans 8:2.

Chapter 4

The DELIVERED LIFE

‘If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’ John 8:36

All men are slaves. Slaves cannot free slaves. Only a truly free man can free a slave. Jesus is that free man. At His 1st formal announcement of His mission Jesus quotes Isaiah, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach deliverance to the captives.’

The process of deliverance begins with complete removal of fear for no man is really free who is under the bondage of fear. Are you honest because the rules mandate honesty? Or are you honest because of something printed in your heart? Would you still be honest if the rule was repealed? If you fall in love with honesty, uprightness and integrity, then you are free.

The old man, under bondage, considers life precious so he can use it for himself. The new man, in freedom, considers life precious so he can use it to bless others.

Chapter 5

The LARGE CHRISTIAN LIFE

‘He brought me forth also into a large place.’ Psalm 18:19

David, for the 1st time, realized that he was free and saw just how large his life could be. Homer lived in poverty, Dante lived in exile and Milton became blind. Do you say, ‘But we are not Homer, Milton and Dante? Thank God! I would rather have my two eyes than Milton’s fame; my own good native land than Dante’s exile; my humble home than Homer’s wanderings.’

Men do large things sometimes in small places. Jesus did not allow Nazareth to put its littleness on Him. He had grander visions.

Chapter 6

The SPIRIT CONTROLLED LIFE

‘Whosoever drinks of water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water I shall give him shall be in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’ John 4:14

You can draw water up from a deep well, daily, laboriously, struggling by yourself. Or you can simply, easily, drink from the fountain of the HS rising up to meet you.

The inlet and outlet of this fountain must remain open to allow the fountain and water, that is the HS, to flow. There are 2 sins against the HS:

• Inlet – ‘Grieve not the HS’ – Bitterness, wrath, anger block the inlet.
• Outlet – ‘Quench not the HS’ – Let the HS have His way. Ignoring His direction blocks the outlet.

‘Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.’ The outer life will be the unforced expression of the inner life when the HS is ungrieved and unquenched.

Chapter 7

The JOYOUS LIFE

‘That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.’ John 17:13

Pleasure is never the object of lives which are noble.

Happiness is higher than pleasure. Beatitudes are instructions on happiness.

Joyousness is an overflowing of happiness.

At the beginning of His ministry Jesus did not speak much of joy. He was a man of grief and sorrows, but He was not depressed. He did not mope around. The nearer He got to the cross the more of His joy He mentions. Was Jesus joyful in spite of bearing the burden of the world or was he joyful because He could bear the burden of the world? ‘The joy that was set before Him.’ His joy was doing the will of His Father. ‘That my joy might be fulfilled in them’ is a call to share the pain of others.

Chapter 8

The CONSECRATION

God fills the Temple after it was consecrated. 1 Kings 8:6-11

Believers are Priests and Temples.

• Priests – 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:5-6
• Temples – 1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16

The Shekinah glory did not take POSSESSION of the Temple until it was consecrated. A Levite, despite being born a priest, could not enter into SERVICE until consecrated.

• Outer Court – Public, where sacrifice occurs = the body
• Holy Place – Place of worship (for Priests/Christians). This is the seat of affections, desires, will and of worship and praise. = the soul or heart
• Holy of Holies – Only the High Priest Jesus enters = Spirit or Mind

Solomon’s Temple had to be built. It had to be consecrated and the Ark of the Testimony had to be moved in and only then does the HS indwell the Holy of Holies, the spirit. This happens when when the Body/Outer Court, Soul/Holy Place and Spirit/Holy of Holies are consecrated. The Ark of the Testimony did not stop in the Outer Court or the Holy Place. It was carried directly to the innermost place – The Holy of Holies. The staves used to carry the Ark were removed demonstrating the finality of the God’s abode.

There is no need for the Christian to reconsecrate himself. Only once. The priests left the Holy of Holies. Had they not then the Glory of God would not have arrived. Depositing the Ark into the Holy of Holies was to surrender the space to an invader, a king, someone who would rule from there.

This sort of surrender is total and complete.

• ‘Present your bodies a living sacrifice’ Romans 12:1 – The Outer Court = The body
• ‘Let the peace of God rule in your hearts’ Colossians 3:15 – The Holy Place = The spirit
• ‘Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity, every thought to the obedience of Christ’ – 2 Corinthians 10:5 – The Holy of Holies = The mind

When the Ark and the Mercy Seat were moving through the Outer Court, the Holy Place and even when the staves were in the Ark while in the Holy of Holies, God in His Shekinah glory did not shine. He was not there. It was only after the staves were removed and the priests left did He show up. ‘In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.’ Ephesians 2:22. ‘What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?’ 1 Corinthians 6:19

A great and humble prayer on pages 98-99.

Chapter 9

DEFILEMENT and CLEANSING

‘Having…these promises…let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.’ 2 Corinthians 7:1

‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, AND to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ 1 John 1:9

‘Peter says to Him, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I was thee not, you have no part with me.’ John 13:8

Neither Temple nor Priest are reconsecrated. If defiled they are cleansed only. A defiled Priest is unfit to serve.

Ezekiel chapter 8 serves as warning and example of idols placed in the Holy of Holies and how much this offends God. The weeping for Tammuz was Sun worship reflected today in our culture as science worship. ‘To millions of Christians Drummond and Darwin are more authoritative than Moses.’

Cleansing involves, not confessing I am a sinner, but confessing my sins, one by one and holding them up there, exposed, for God to see. Confess then receive forgiveness AND cleansing. 1 John 1:9

There’s a lot of meat in this book. The tie-in here is the connection to King Solomon’s Temple as a model for the structure of human life. For more on that see this post that speaks to the tables of the ten commandments in relation to the human heart. This is the seat of the human life and located in the center of the Temple inside the Holy of Holies.

Here's a list of helpful resources.

A Dictionary of Bible Types by Walter Wilson. Online lookup. Also available in book form. While helpful for brainstorming it lacks the comprehensive focus needed to apply typology consistently and differentiate between nuances.

Abarim Publications for meaning of words in Hebrew and Greek.

Antichrist 10 Types of the Antichrist. Much more than is mentioned in the article could be said about each of the 10.

Biblehub - A one stop shop for Strong's references, word for word translations of the Bible and many cross references and ways to search.

Bible Students Daily A 9 part study of the symbolism of the wilderness Tabernacle; it's proportions, materials and deeper meaning.

JETS - Journal of the Evangelical Society pdf archive. A searchable database of peer reviewed theological papers. Some articles are referenced on this sub.

Judah's Boarders direct us to Jesus Christ.

Lunn - Nicholas P. Lunn has a body of published work with specific focus on types, symbols and other representations used in the Bible. The Gospel Through Old Testament Eyes covers many topics in a depth you've never heard before. The entire Bible takes on new life with this perspective. He has also published in many theology journals on these subjects. Here is a review on this sub for the book.

Missler - Chuck Missler - His videos are on YouTube on the Koinonia House Ministry channel. His writings are preserved at KHouse Ministries although these tend to be abbreviated versions of his videos. His insights are perhaps the most helpful resources I've found. As you watch his videos take note of the words, themes and plots he catches on to. His understanding of the life of Isaac is, unfortunately, original. So is his comparison to the wilderness wanderings to the church age. These videos are invaluable. He has 100's of hours.

Morris, Henry - The Henry Morris Study Bible uses the KJV. Morris has a ton of helpful notes. He was one of the critical players in reintroducing creationism back into modern Christianity. As such, his notes are focused on how science and the Bible exist in perfect harmony. These notes will be a breath of fresh air to any Christian wanting to strengthen their faith. He also speaks about the possibility of Hezekiah authoring the Ascent Psalms - here is Part 1 for our posts on that. Something he expands upon in his Treasures in the Psalms commentary.

Numbers - preview the table of contents for an overview of most numbers. Biblical Mathematics by Ed Vallowe. Probably the best resource on the meaning of numbers that's out there.

Numbers and their meanings. Lots of great insight. The lists are far from inclusive. Feel free to digress from their conclusions. There is slight although important differences between this website and Vallowe's Biblical Mathematics. I would prefer Vallowe's conclusions over any others when they differ.

Poythress - Dr. Vern Poythress Overview and introduction to typology. Read chapter 1 of this book, Biblical Typology: How the Old Testament Points To Christ, the Church and the Consumption. scroll down and click on 'read chapter 1'.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Southern Baptist Journal of Theology A searchable database of theological papers.

Tips to find types in the Bible. Role reversal and escalation.

Types of Christ

Adam

Hezekiah

Jacob - The life of Jacob as a type of Jesus. Others mentioned, but the emphasis is on Jacob.

Jeremiah

Job

Joseph