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Showing posts with label Antiochus Epiphanes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Antiochus Epiphanes. Show all posts

Friday, December 20, 2019

Typical Principle

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!


Typical Principle
            This is a divinely appointed illustration of a spiritual truth.  The Greek word has the meaning of an impression or stamp, mark, pattern, form, or mold.  A Type is a person or object that will be a pattern for a person or object in the near or distant future. 
             There is no such thing as a perfect type.  By their very nature they are not perfect.  A type is like a shadow, we can see an outline of our body on a sunny day, but there are no details.  A type is a shadow of the future fact.  The type must have a genuine resemblance to the point that it is obvious. [1]
            Types are prophetic symbols. They are a fusion of the temporal and the eternal, the Old and the New.  So, to have any hope of understanding them, we must have rules to find them in the text and to properly interpret them.  Rules for their interpretation are then:
            1.  Commence with a thorough New Testament study and find out what it teaches on typology.  This is the absolute starting point in any work on typology.
            2.  From the study of the New Testament locate the great typical areas of the Old Testament.
             3.  Locate in any given type the typical and the accidental.  What is typical will be guided by the study of the New Testament which will indicate especially what sort of things are typical, and what areas are typical in the Old Testament.  Therefore, the good interpreter will refrain from pressing his interpretation into too much detail, realizing that in any type there is a dissimilar element.
            4.  Keep within the bounds of good sense.  There is the temptation to suggest a new interpretation for the sheer sake of its novelty.
             5.  Do not prove doctrine from types unless there is clear New Testament authority.  Hebrews very plainly proves theology from types, but we may not do the same since we are not inspired.  Types, for the most part, illustrate truth.  The central rod of the construction of the wall of the tabernacle proper cannot be used to prove the unity or security of the believer, but it may be used to illustrate the same.
             6.  Clothe your interpretations with humility.  What is clearly taught in the New Testament may be asserted with confidence, but beyond that humility should clothe our efforts.  Typology is a kind of double-sense interpretation, and in all double-sense interpretation there is the two-fold danger of going beyond the evidence of Scripture, and of the unbridled use of the imagination.  Humility must be our spirit in those territories that cannot be treated with the finesse of literal exegesis.  To do otherwise is to obscure the Word of God.[2]
             There are six kinds of symbols that are Typical:
             1.  Persons may be as typical as Adam, the federal head of a race; Abraham, the pioneer of by-faith justification; Elijah, the prefigurement of John the Baptist; Joseph, the rejected kinsman, yet future savior; David, the great king; Solomon, the chosen son; and Zerubbabel, the head of a new society.
             2.  Institutions:  The sacrifices look forward to the cross, the Sabbath to the salvation rest, the Passover to redemption, and the theocracy to the coming kingdom.  3.  Offices:  The Old Testament offices of prophet, priest, and king are all typical of Christ, who is prophet, priest, and king.
            4.  EventsThe exodus is a pattern of deliverance, and the wilderness journey has many events of typical significance.
            5.  Actions:  The lifting up of the brazen serpent is a type of the crucifixion, and the ministry of the high priest on the day of atonement is typical.
       6.  Things:  The ark of the tabernacle is a type of the incarnation; the incense a type of prayer; and the curtains express principles of access to God.[3]
            As you can clearly see there are many types in Scripture.   There are so many that a entire book could easily be written on them.  I will only give a few examples here in this chapter so that you can get a basic idea of them.  Not only do we have six different typical symbols, but we have innate and inferred types as well.
            An innate type is one that has been mentioned in the New Testament.  The inspired Word of God has declared it a type.  An example of a innate type would be the brazen serpent that was lifted up by Moses in the wilderness.  Jesus said that He would be lifted up so that all men could have eternal life (John 3:14-15; 12:32).  There are many others.
             An inferred type is one that is not specifically mentioned in the New Testament, but is justified as a type by the New Testament and historical references that line up to the rules of Typology.  We are allowed this by the fact that Jesus Himself commanded us to search out the Scriptures (Old Testament) because they spoke about Him (John 5:39-44).  The most popular inferred type is Joseph being a type of Christ.  There are many others, and as you read and study Scripture, try to find them.
             Here I will give some of my personnel favorite types found in God’s Word.  You will see how they enlighten the Bible stories.[4]
            Joseph as a Type of Christ:  This is an inferred Type.  To begin with he (Joseph) was the father’s well-beloved son.  He was set apart from his brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh, by his coat of many colors, the garb of a chieftain or a priest.  His brothers envied him and could not speak peaceably to him.  They resented his favored relationship with the father.  His dreams, which spoke of his coming glory and power, moved them to murderous rage.  When his father sent him to his brothers, they conspired against him and sold him for the price of a slave.  Handed thus over to the Gentiles, he was falsely accused and made to suffer for sins not his own.
            In the person of Pharaoh, he “preached” to others who were there awaiting their final sentence.  For the chief butler he had a message of life; for the chief baker he had a message of a second and worse death.  Brought out of prison, Joseph was given a position second only to that of Pharaoh, exalted to the right hand of majesty, and thus became a ruler in the land of Egypt before whom everyone would bow.
             Exalted -- taken from obscurity and raised up to share his place on high -- Joseph was given a Gentile bride, and thereafter began to deal faithfully with his natural brethren, the children of Israel.  He brought them to the place where, in deep contrition, they confessed their long rejection of him.  Finally, “all nations” came to him.
            Antiochus Epiphanes as a Type of the anti-Christ- Daniel 8:9:  This is an inferred type.  The “little horn” in Daniel 8 is a Type of the future anti-Christ.  “This ‘little horn’ is correctly identified with Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.) …. There is common agreement on this identification, because this man brought extreme suffering on the Jews in Palestine.  This suffering was of a nature corresponding to the descriptions, of atrocities wrought by this ’little horn.’  Antiochus Epiphanes wanted to force the Jews to become Grecian in their thinking and practices, especially in matters of religion.  He had spent time in Athens, prior to becoming king of Syria, and apparently had become enamored with the Grecian way of life.  He wanted the Jews to change their Mosaic practices and devised laws to this end.  When the people resisted, they were made to suffer, with large numbers paying with their lives.  The Temple was desecrated and the alter and/or statue of Zeus Olympius was erected, later referred to by Christ as the ’abomination of desolation’ (Matthew 24:15).
             In view of these matters, the reason Daniel used the same term, ’little horn,’ for this man of ancient history as for the Antichrist of the future becomes discernable.  The later little horn will be like the earlier little horn in bringing suffering on the Jews.  Antiochus did this to a degree much greater than any other person of ancient time; the Antichrist will do the same to a degree much greater than any other person of future time.  He was, then, a kind of antichrist of ancient time, and, therefore, appropriately called by the same term.  The use of this term thus had a prophetic function.  By designating this person of history as the antichrist of ancient time, Daniel was predicting the character and deeds of the Antichrist of future time.  Those who would live after the period of Antiochus Epiphanes could know the general pattern of the final Antichrist by studying the life of the former one.
             Thus, we can learn the following information about the Antichrist.  He will have the same interest as Antiochus Epiphanes in changing the religious beliefs and practices of the Jews.  This is also suggested by his causing ’the sacrifice and the oblation to cease’ at the Temple, as noted in Daniel 9:27.  He will carry out this interest to the extent of employing great force, even to the slaughter of all who oppose him.  And he will desecrate the Temple (which will have been restored at least by the midpoint of the tribulation) through the erection of another ’abomination of desolation’ (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15).[5]
             The Passover Lamb: This is an innate type “…For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7).  This is typical of Christ and it is divinely authorized.  This takes us back to Exodus 12.  It is a most remarkable chapter and contains one of the most astounding types of the Bible.  Israel is in Egypt and in bondage.  Here we have the judgment on the land, and the deliverance of Israel by the Passover Lamb.  That night Israel was led out of bondage.
             From Exodus 12 we go to John 19:36. “A bone of him shall not be broken.”  John the Baptist had it revealed to him that Christ was the lamb.  No one is ever called the Lamb of God except Christ, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29).  God never had in mind any lamb saves the one Lamb.  In spite of slaying of thousands of lambs, you never read of Passover lambs, but “the Passover Lamb.”  On the night of the Passover, there were possibly thousands of lambs slain, but God did not say “Kill them,” but, “Kill it.”  All divine sacrifices are embodied only in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  Calvary culminates, down to the minutest detail, the slaughter of innumerable lambs. [6]
            One thing that stands out in Exodus 12 is the fact that Israel was in bondage, in slavery.  Their burdens had become so great that they were almost unbearable, “…and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage…” (Exodus 2:23).  They were in sin.  We are inclined to think of these people as martyrs, but they deserved just what they endured.  They were not only slaves, but also sinners as well.  They were as sinful as the Egyptians; in fact, they were worse than the Egyptians, for they had light that the Egyptians did not have.  They had contact with God and had such promises and enlightenment as the Egyptians had never had.  Israel was worshiping the gods of the Egyptians, “ye pollute yourself with all your idols…” (Ezekiel 20:27-32).  Israel was so contaminated, and so headstrong in her idolatry, that God thought to destroy her.  This is a picture of man outside of Christ.
             They were delivered through the Lamb.  It was God’s purpose to bring these people out of Egypt, to deliver them.  But, before He could set them free, before they could know the blessing of Jehovah dwelling in their midst, before they could walk with God, the sin question must be taken care of.
             God will not associate Himself with sin; God is Holy.  It was God’s plan to deliver them after the question of their sin was settled.  God settled that question by passing the sentence of death against the first-born in the land of Egypt, “And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die…” (Exodus 11:4-5).  That included the firstborn in the Hebrew homes as well as the firstborn in the homes of the Egyptians.  God brought the judgments against the gods of the Egyptians, and so against those who worshiped the gods.  God singled out in every case, the household’s pride, the firstborn, the heir of the family, the one in whom the hopes of the house were centered.  This firstborn is representative of the family and of the family’s guilt.  The whole family is under condemnation that rests upon Jew and Gentile.  “All have sinned,” and “The wages of sin is death.”  That is what Christ received on the cross, the wages of sin.  They were wages He had not earned, because He was sinless; but He received them anyway.
            The condition then, is this:  Here is a people, sinful slaves under condemnation.  When God said, “I am will come down to deliver them,” that is grace.  Moses was not going to deliver them, but was merely an instrument in the hands of God.  God was the Deliverer.  Another Deliverer came 1900 years ago; Christ, the same “I AM,” came down to deliver men, that is grace.  God came down, incarnate in Christ, in order that slaves might be delivered.  What has been said concerning the people of Israel is true of man today, “…There is none righteous, no, not one…” (Romans 3).  There is no difference.  All have not committed the same kind or the same number of sins, but all have sinned.  There was no difference between Israel and Egypt, but God put a difference between them, there was the lamb between.
            One lamb is always sufficient, and Christ is always sufficient.  The lamb must be a perfect specimen, a firstborn male, without outer defilement and inner wrong, (1 Peter 1:19; Hebrews 7:26).  The lamb must be slain.  A live lamb would not save the firstborn in the home.  The blood must be sprinkled on the two sides and above the door.  Something must be done with the blood.  Some say that if Jesus died for the world, the world must be saved.  They forget that the blood must be applied.  It takes more than the shedding of blood to save a sinner.  There must be a personal appropriation.  The blood must be put on the door in the form of a cross.  Christ living cannot save.  “Except the Son of Man to be lifted up,” (John 3:14).
       Blood in the Lamb-Incarnation
      Blood in the basin- Death
      Blood on the door- Application
             The lamb must be put into the fire.  It not only had to be slain, but it also had to be roasted as well.  There might be some crosspieces to hold the limbs apart.  Thus, the lamb was literally crucified.  This gives us a picture of Christ crucified.  He was hung before the open fire of God’s wrath, and the flames of God’s wrath enveloped Him.
            It must not be eaten raw.  The carcass had to endure the fire until the roasting was complete or until the action of the fire was complete.  Christ said, “It is finished.”  He had endured it all.  The lamb must not be soaked with water, because water would resist the action of the fire.  Nothing was to be done to alleviate the sufferings of Christ on the cross.
             They were to eat the lamb.  The eating of the lamb would strengthen them for their journey.  There are Christians today who haven’t feed on the lamb, and so have not strength to get out of the land of Egypt.  What was left must be burned.  If any of the flesh of the lamb was not eaten, it would spoil and decay, and become corrupt.  But this lamb is typical of Christ, and anything that savors of corruption must be destroyed.
            Concerning the blood.  The blood was sprinkled for God.  It was for God’s eye, not for the eye of the firstborn.  The blood spilt on Calvary we have never seen, but God saw it.
             Result of the Passover.  When the Passover was over, there was death in every home in the land of Egypt.  In the homes of the Egyptians it was the death of the firstborn.  In the homes of the Israelite's it was the death of the firstborn lamb.  There was a firstborn death in every home.
            The feast of unleavened bread (Exodus 12:15).  This was instituted also.  They were to put leaven out of their homes, and for seven days were to eat unleavened bread.
            The time of the Passover.  The lamb was slain at three o’clock in the afternoon; judgment came at midnight.  Between three and midnight there was time for the sprinkling of blood, but after midnight no blood could be sprinkled; it was too late.  Christ was crucified 1900 years ago.  That was at three in the afternoon.  There is a midnight of God’s judgment coming, but before that time men must come under the blood, to be saved.
            The New Year.  In Exodus 12 we read that God changed the calendar of the Israelite's.  They were at the beginning of the seventh month, but God changed it to the first month.  Six is the number of man, failure and sin.  Six months had passed, and the seventh had come, and the seventh was to be the new beginning based on the Passover.  The old six is blotted out.
             The Offerings or Sacrifices- Leviticus 1:5: There are five of them:  Burnt, meat, peace, sin, and trespass.  It takes all five to present Christ’s work.  The first three are sweet savior.  The last two are non-sweet savior; they have to do with sin- that is, they picture Christ as the sinner’s substitute.
            Types of sacrifices used.  There were three kinds of four-footed beasts- oxen, sheep, and goats.  There also were two birds of sacrifice- turtle-doves and young pigeons.
             All sacrifices were either such as were offered on the ground of communication with God (Burnt and Peace), or else they were intended to restore that communication when it had been dimmed (Sin and Trespass). [7]
             The burnt offering- Leviticus 1:  Entire surrender unto God whether of the individual or the congregation. Thus, it could not be offered without the shedding of blood.  This portrays our Lord’s perfect submission to the Father.  He was obedient unto death.  The sacrifice was always a male animal- indicating strength and energy.  The blood was sprinkled on the alter.  The animal was cut in pieces and wholly burned.  Through Christ’s finished work we come into the presence of God for worship.  Man is unworthy and needs to be identified with a Worthy One.
             The meat offering- Leviticus 2:  Really a meal offering since there is no flesh in it.  It comes from the vegetable kingdom.  No blood.  It brings before us the products of the soil- that which represents the sweat of man’s brow and labor.  There are three varieties of the sacrifice and all speak of Christ.  The meat offering is human perfection.  It speaks of His unblemished manhood.  Man, fallen and depraved, needs a substitute.
            Fine flour.  Ground and sifted.  Speaks of evenness and balance of Christ.  No excess or lack of any quality.  The grain, ground between the millstones and exposed to fire, speaks of Christ’s sacrifice.  Frankincense.  Frank means whiteness and speaks of purity.  Incense speaks of prayer- “He ever liveth to make intercession.”  The fragrance speaks of the fragrance of His life.  He is the lily of the Valley.
             Baked loaves.  They are cakes mixed with oil.  No leaven permitted.  No decay or corruption in our Lord.  No honey.  Honey is a natural sweetness which stands for natural sweetness apart from grace.  Honey causes and promotes fermentation.  Salt was to be used, preserving against corruption.
            Green corn.  Dried by fire and beaten, pictures suffering of Christ.  Full ears- excellence and perfection.  The first fruits of the harvest.  The best, full, first, and finest ears.
             The peace offering- Leviticus 3:  It speaks of a happy fellowship.  It followed other feasts.  It was either public or private.  It could be male or female.  Leviticus 7 tells us that the “inwards” were waved before the Lord, along with “the breast” and “right shoulder.”  The purpose of the waving was to present the sacrifice to the Lord and then receive it back to Him.  This offering is typical of Christ in relation to the believer’s peace.  Colossians 1:20. Christ is our peace.  Man has a heart alienated from God and needs reconciliation.
             The sin offering- Leviticus 4:  Not like the trespass offering, which only atoned for one special offense.  The sin offering symbolized general redemption.  This is the most important of all sacrifices.  Every spot of blood from a sin offering on a garment conveyed defilement.  Christ was made sin for us.  Man is a sinner and needs atoning sacrifice.
           The trespass offering- Leviticus 5:  It provided for certain transgressions committed through ignorance.  Demands confession.  It was prescribed in the cases of healed lepers- Leviticus 14:12. Blood was thrown on the corners of the alters.  The trespass offering shown how Christ would settle the question of sin; confession then the application of the blood of Christ.  Man is a guilty transgressor and needs forgiveness.
            The High Priest and his Garments: This is all found in Exodus 28.
            The High Priest:  Apart from the High Priest the tabernacle would be inaccessible.  He was the mediator between God and man.  There are two lines of priesthood:  Aaron and Melchizedek.  Aaron was a type or contrast.  Aaron was a priest on earth:  Christ never was a priest on earth.  Aaron ceased to be a priest when he died; Christ never ceases to be a priest.  The work of the High Priest didn’t begin until after the death of the sacrifice took place.  The priesthood had to do with Israel- God’s own people.  All believers are in heaven in Christ.  Christ is our confessor in heaven.  The priesthood was in behalf of the people.  Christ our Righteousness is in heaven.  There is finality to His work.
             The garments of the High Priest:  They were made of purple, scarlet, fine linen, gold, and precious stones.  They were holy garments for glory and beauty- God designed.  There was a coat with a long skirt and fine linen breeches.  The breeches were undergarments that reached from the loins to the thigh.  They speak of righteousness and purity.  Aaron needed cleansing.  The anti-type needed one.  There was a linen girdle.  This is not the girdle of the ephod.  It was wound around the body.  It is a symbol of service- Phil. 2:7; John 13:4- servant.  After regeneration there is need of daily cleansing.  The robes of the ephod were blue from shoulder to the feet.  One piece woven without seam.  There was a habergeon with two holes for arms, and one for the head.  The skirt was trimmed with pomegranates and embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet.  There were pomegranates and bells on the hems.  Blue was the heavenly color showing the heavenly character of His ministry.  Bells speak of the tongue, showing the perfect speech of the Son of God.  The bells speak of testimony. Pomegranates speak of fruitfulness- fruit of many seeds.  Whenever there is testimony there is fruit.  Whenever the priest went into the Holy of Holies, the people could hear the bells and so knew he was alive.  How do we know Jesus lives in heaven?  Because of the bells.  On the day of Pentecost, there was a fulfillment of the ringing of the bells.  Bells and pomegranates are never separated.  Whenever there is testimony you find a fruitfulness of the Spirit.
            Ephod.  It was an outer garment made of blue, purple, scarlet, fine-twined linen and gold.  They were joined with gold.  There was an onyx-stone on each shoulder.  On each stone were the names of the six tribes of Israel.  The typical significance is that He bore all Israel on His shoulder before God.  So, Christ bears us before God.  The shoulder is the place of strength.
             Breastplate:  It is of the same material as the ephod.  It is foursquare.  There were twelve stones for the twelve tribes, on the breast.  The High Priest bore them on his heart as well as on his shoulder.  The typical significance is we are always in the place of affection.
            Mitre:  It is the head covering and shows obedience toward God.
            Golden plate:  It was the crowning piece.  It was fastened to the mitre with laces of blue.  On it was “Holiness to the Lord.”  Our holiness is in the presence of God.
            Urim and Thummim:  For wisdom.  God spoke to His people through these.  Probably they were two precious stones carried in the pouch of the breastplate.  The words are Hebrew words meaning lights and perfection.



     [1] A. B. Davidson.  Old Testament Prophecy., p. 210.


[2] Bernard Ramm.  Protestant Biblical Interpretation.  W. A. Wilde Company, Boston, MA.  1950, p. 146-7.


[3] Ramm., p. 147.


[4] John Phillips.  Bible Explorer’s Guide.  p. 110-111.


[5] Leon J. Wood.  “The Bible and Future Events.”  Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI.  1973; pgs. 101-102.


William J. Roop, M.A.B.S.

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Apostolic Theological Seminary