typology in scripture
A type is an illustration by God of
some Scriptural truth.| Type |
Antitype |
Comments |
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| Abraham |
God the
Father, faithful Christian |
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| Adam |
Jesus |
Adam is a
type of Jesus Christ who took the
sin nature of his bride upon himself.
Adam's body is a type of the Church, and his bride comes from a small
portion of his body that is closest to his heart.
Eve was made up of Adam's rib and a small portion of his flesh and
blood. Eve was bone of his bone, and flesh
of his flesh. She came out of his body,
but the whole body of Adam was not his bride. Neither
will
the
whole Church or body of Christ make up Christ's bride. |
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| Animal
skins, leather |
Atonement,
redemption, grace of God |
God slew the animals that provided the animal skins for the salvation of Adam and Eve. Animal skins represent the shedding of blood, which is necessary for salvation. Fig leaves represent the works of the flesh, which was not sufficient for the atonement of sin. Atonement simply means a covering for sin. | ||
| Antiochus Epiphanes | Antichrist | |||
| bald | defiled | |||
| baptism | repentance, dying to self, living the exchanged life | The Red Sea crossing by Israel was the initial event that proclaimed baptism. Baptism represents dying to the old self, old man, or old nature, and living according to the new self, new man or new nature, which comes from Christ. Repentance is necessary for soul salvation. Man's spirit is saved by the death of Christ, but his soul is saved by the life of Christ. "In Christ" is spirit salvation, while "Christ in You" is soul salvation. The literal act of water baptism is only the symbolic act. True baptism occurs when the believer truly repents and lives according to his new spirit nature, which is controlled by the Holy Spirit. | ||
| barley | firstfruits of the Church | Barley typifies the Firstfruits of the Church, while wheat typifies the Main Body of the Church. | ||
| bath | spirit salvation | Spirit
salvation occurs the moment we believe that Jesus died for our
sins. The righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer, and
he becomes totally spotless before God Almighty. The brazen altar
and the cross are also types of spirit salvation. Both symbolize
the death of Christ, which was the payment or atonement for the sin of
the elect. The brass of the altar represents the judgment upon
sin, which was born by Jesus Christ on the cross. The wood of the
cross represented the human nature of Jesus Christ. When Jesus told the 12 disciples at the Last Supper that they had all been bathed except one, He meant that all had been saved spiritually except one, and Judas was the one who was not saved. |
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|
birds |
spirit beings, angels (good & bad) |
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| blindness | lack of spiritual understanding | |||
| blood | atonement | The blood is the evidence of the death of Christ, so blood represents the atonement or covering for sin. | ||
| Boaz | Jesus Christ | |||
| brass | judgment | Brass is a picture of God's judgment upon sin. It is seen in the brazen altar and brazen laver in the Old Testament, and the feet of Jesus like burnished bronze in the book of Revelation. | ||
| brazen altar | cross, death of Christ | The brazen altar symbolizes spirit salvation. Brass pictures judgment and the altar pictures death. The bull slain on the brazen altar pictures the death of Christ on the Cross. It pictures God's judgment of death upon Jesus Christ as the substitutute for the death of the elect. This judgment upon sin is a one time act that is imputed or credited to the believer at the moment that he believes that Jesus died for his sins. Repentance and baptism are unnecessary for this salvation to take place, but repentance and baptism will ultimately take place. Either the believer will repent and be baptized in this life, thereby saving his soul, or he will do it at the Judgment Seat of Christ, whereby his soul will be lost or destroyed. | ||
| brazen laver | confession of sin | Washing at the brazen laver was a literal act that pictured the cleansing from sin that comes from confession. The brass symbolized the judgment upon sin, and the water pictures the Holy Spirit, Who cleanses us from our sin. Every time the Christian confesses his sin according to 1 John 1:9, he washes at the brazen laver. It is the same type as having one's feet washed by Jesus Christ. | ||
| bride | faithful of the Church | |||
| brook, moving or living water | Holy Spirit in action, filling of the Holy Spirit | |||
| Christ's body | Word of God | |||
| clothes | works | |||
| crystal | God's innate righteousness | Typifies the fixed, innate righteousness of God. Crystal is a homogeneous solid, formed by a repeating three-dimensional pattern of atoms, ions or molecules having fixed distances between the parts. It is transparent and clear with no impurities. Unlike glass, it is naturally pure and it is not formed by the addition of heat and pressure. We see the natural, innate, purity of God in the Trinity with all three Persons coequal with each other. | ||
| defiled garments | sin in life of the believer | Defiled garments represent the Christian who is living in the world, and he has not received the cleansing that is necessary for sanctification. The church of Sardis in Revelation 3 had defiled garments at the time of the separation in Revelation 4:1, but they were cleansed by the time of the Main Harvest Rapture in Revelation 7:9-17. | ||
| donkey | humility | |||
| Door | Jesus Christ | |||
| earth | Israel | |||
| field |
the world |
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| fig tree | Jewish nation | |||
| fire |
judgment of God |
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| fruit | good works | |||
| giant, Goliath | flesh nature, old nature, old man, Antichrist | Goliah
represents Antichrist warring against God's people. He also
typifies the old flesh nature that wars against and destroys the souls
of the people of God. Giants are also typical of the old flesh
nature in operation against the people of God. The old flesh
nature is placed in a position where it can be crucified or slain when
the Stone, a type of Jesus Christ, is applied by the leather sling, a
type of the grace of God (i.e., faith), to the forehead, the place
where thinking or reasoning takes place, of the old flesh nature.
It is a mental process to set out to destroy the old flesh
nature. Many Christians never purpose in their hearts to do this,
so they are destroyed by the super strength and size of the old flesh
nature. Saul did not go out and purposefully set out to destroy
the old flesh nature. He later lost his life (i.e., the soul) and
his crown. He was still one of God' elect. David used the
leather slingshot of faith to apply the Stone of Jesus Christ to the
forehead of logic and reason of the old flesh nature. This
stunned the giant of the old flesh nature and placed him face down upon
the earth, a picture of weakness, so that David could take the sword of
the spirit, the Word of God, and slay the old flesh nature by cutting
off his head. David first tried on the armor of Saul, which
represents man's own strength against the flesh nature, but David
immediately saw that this was only a hindrance, so he discarded
it. David slew the old flesh nature by using the leather sling of
faith to embrace the Rock of Jesus Christ to place the giant of the old
flesh nature in a position of weakness so it can be slain by the sword
of the spirit, which is the Bible. Most Christians do not do this
because it takes exercising our faith in Jesus Christ against the logic
and reason of the old flesh nature, and studying our Bibles. The
five stones came out of the brook or stream of water, which typifies
the Holy Spirit. Our faith in Jesus Christ to slay the old flesh
nature must come to us via the Holy Spirit, and we must face up to the
old flesh nature in the power of the spirit. Goliath's armor was completely made of brass, which symbolizes judgment. His helmet, coat of mail, back shield, and shin guards were all made of brass, which typifies God's judgment against the old flesh. The old flesh nature must be slain or destroyed. It cannot be reformed as so many Christians think. Either we as Christians slay the old flesh nature now and save out souls (i.e., lives), or Jesus will slay it at the Judgment Seat of Christ, and our souls or lives will also perish along with the old flesh nature. If we do not destroy the old flesh nature, then our soul and the old flesh nature are one and the same. This is why our souls will perish if we do not exercise our faith and study the Bible for the purpose of destroying the old flesh nature--die to self--so that the life of Christ can live in us. Christ in us is the hope of the salvation of our souls. There is no hope in the reforming of the old flesh nature. |
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| glassy sea | God's righteousness in man | Glass
represents the fixed imputed
righteousness of God in the tripartite being of man.
It pictures man in his perfect righteous state, after he
has been completely and perfectly sanctified in all three parts of his
being. The glassy sea is a picture of man
after he has been sanctified in body, soul and spirit.
Glass is not innately pure, but it is made clear and pure
by the addition of heat by fire and pressure. Fire
is
the
judgment of God, and the pressure represents tribulation.
Man must either judge and cleanse himself in
this life, or be judged and cleansed at the Judgment Seat of Christ,
before he reaches the fixed state of holiness in heaven.
Sand is brown or dirty looking disintegrated rock. It is made up of the earth.
Sand becomes glass with the application of fire or heat
and pressure. |
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| gold | deity | Gold symbolizes the divine nature of Jesus Christ. | ||
| hand and feet washing |
confession of sins, repentance |
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| Hannah | Israel | |||
| hyssop | faith | This plant springs up out of apparently solid rock, and flourishes in apparently barren places. In Old Testament rituals, the blood of the sacrificed animals must be applied with hyssop. The blood of Christ must be applied to our hearts by faith. | ||
| incense | prayers | |||
| iron | wealth, strength, threat of judgment | |||
| Israel's land | kingdom | |||
| Jacob | Jesus Christ | |||
| Jacob's ladder, stairway | access to, mediator, bridge, Christ | Jesus Christ is the mediator who provides the access to or the bridge to God the Father. No man is able to come to God the Father unless he comes via Jesus Christ who is Jacob's ladder. Jesus Christ is the ladder whereby God came down to man, and He is the ladder whereby man went up to God or heaven. | ||
| Jericho | tithe | |||
| Jordan river | death, entering kingdom, entering spirit filled life | |||
| Joseph | Jesus | |||
| lamb | Jesus Christ | |||
| lampstand | outward profession of faith | |||
| Leah | Church | |||
| leaven |
sin, false doctrine or anything that corrupts | |||
| leaves | Man's works | |||
| leprosy | sin | No one could cure leprosy but God. God is also the only cure for sin. | ||
| Lot | carnal Christian | |||
| manna | Word of God | |||
| measure something |
take possession |
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| midnight | time of separation | |||
| morning | end of tribulation | |||
| morning star | time of rapture | |||
| mountain | kingdom, heaven | |||
| naked |
no good works |
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| Naomi | Israel | |||
| oil | Holy Spirit | |||
| olive tree | Jewish nation | |||
| Orpah | unfaithful Church | |||
| pearl | Church | |||
| Peninah | Church | |||
| pitch | atonement | |||
| Rachael |
bride of Christ |
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| rainbow | covenant, promise | |||
| red heifer | Jesus Christ | The ashes of the red heifer represent cleansing from sin for the purpose of fellowship with God. Ashes represent that which has been completely consumed. The ashes of the red heifer represent the body of Jesus Christ consumed, which represents sanctification. Sanctification is necessary for fellowship with God. | ||
| red sea crossing | baptism | |||
| Rock | Jesus Christ | |||
| Ruth |
bride of Christ |
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| Saul's armor | man's natural efforts against flesh nature | |||
| scarlet string |
blood atonement |
The blood
atonement runs like an unbroken
string through a garment through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. |
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| sea |
Gentile nations |
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| seed | children of the kingdom | The seed sown by the sower represent Christians, or the children of the kingdom | ||
| silver | blood atonement, redemption | Silver symbolizes the blood atonement of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament tabernacle had silver as its foundation. Each post in the fence of the tabernacle was inserted into a socket of silver that weighed a talent or about 90 pounds of silver. | ||
| soil | conditions for spiritual maturity | Good soil represents good conditions for spiritual growth while no soil or shallow soil represent poor conditions for spiritual growth. There can be good conditions for spiritual growth, but the influence of the world can be too great for the child of God to bear fruit. (See weeds) | ||
| Sower | Jesus Christ | |||
| sword | Word of God, Bible | |||
| threshing floor | time of tribulation | The threshing floor is the time for the separation of the wheat from the chaff. It begins at midnight when the strong winds blow away the chaff when the grain is thrown up into the air. The tribulum is the rod that is used to strike the grain to separate the kernals from the stalk. We get our word tribulation from the tribulum. The threshing floor is not the separation of the saved from the unsaved, but the separation of the fruit from that which is worthless. It takes place for the Church during the first half of the tribulation period. The bride will be in heaven at the feet of Jesus when the majority of the Church is undergoing the threshing of the wheat. (See Ruth) | ||
| treasure | Israel | The treasure hidden in the field represents the nation of Israel hidden in the world. | ||
| tree | nation | A tree represents a national or earthly power. The olive tree and the fig tree have particular reference to the nation of Israel. The mustard bush that became a tree represents the Church that has become a world power with worldwide influence. The Church was to be a spiritual power and not an earthly power. | ||
| unleavened bread | body of Christ, Word of God | Eating unleavened bread typifies our partaking of the body of Christ. His life becomes our life, and our souls are saved in this manner. Our spirits are saved or regenerated by his death, but our souls are saved by his life. In order to partake of his body, we must do so by studying the Bible, which is the written Word. Jesus is the Living Word or Incarnate Word. We partake of his body when we study the Bible and allow it to become engrafted into our lives. It is the engrafted Word that is able to save our souls (James 1:21). | ||
| valleys |
difficulties of life |
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| veil | separation from God | |||
| water, living water, or water of life | Holy Spirit, cleansing | Water symbolizes the Holy Spirit who cleanses us from our sin when we confess our sin and ask forgiveness. Living water is the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives. To partake of the water of life is to be filled with the spirit (i.e., to be controlled by the Holy Spirit). | ||
| weeds | influence of the world | The influence of the world can be so great that a Christian can get caught up in the cares of the world and fail to bear fruit. This can happen even though the spiritual conditions are good for spiritual growth. (See soil) | ||
| wheat | Christian, Church | |||
| white horse | conqueror | |||
| white linen | righteousnesses or good works of man | White linen is made by man from cotton, which comes from the earth. Cotton comes from the earth, but it requires sunshine, which represents Jesus Christ, and water, which represents the indwelling, cleansing, and control of the Holy Spirit. The cotton can be made into fine linen by man, but it takes effort on the part of man. | ||
| wife | Israel | |||
| wind or breath | Holy Spirit | The Hebrew and Greek words for spirit are the words for wind or breath. | ||
| wine | blood of Jesus Christ | Drinking the wine of communion is a picture of our being cleansed from our sin by the blood of Jesus Christ. This is a continuous cleansing action and not just a one time event. | ||
| wood (acacia) | humanity | Wood symbolizes the human nature of Jesus Christ. | ||
| wool | righteousness of God | Wool represents the righteous character of God. It is seen in the woolen mantle worn by the prophets, and in the hair of Jesus, which was like white wool. It is contrasted to the white linen that pictures the righteous acts or righteousnesses of the saints. | ||
| yoke | control | The yoke represents that which controls. It can represent the sin nature of man, which controls him, or it can represent the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus said that His yoke was easy, He meant the control of the Holy Spirit was not a burdensome thing to the believer like the yoke of sin. The red heifer that has never worn a yoke represents Jesus Christ who never had a sin nature that controlled Him. |