The Israelites as a Type of the Church

We understand from Scripture that Israel is a type of the Church. Let's look at those passages to better understand them.

The experiences the Israelites had were examples for us. The apostle Paul wrote:

Israaelites worshiping the golden calf

"For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ."

"Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.' Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall." (1Co 10:1-12)

First, Paul used the word examples in this passage, when he said, "These things happened as examples for us..." The Greek word for examples here is tupos. According to Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, tupos means :"a sampler ('type'), that is, a model (for imitation) or instance (for warning): - en- (ex-) ample, fashion, figure, form, manner, pattern, print." This means that the experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness were types or examples for us. Some of those things that happened to them were either models for us to imitate or instances to warn us. In some cases, they were patterns for us to follow.

Likewise, Israel itself was a type of the Church. By knowing and understanding that, we can learn many lessons for our lives from what they went through. That was exactly what Paul was saying here. He admonishes us not to be idolaters as some of them were, so that we don't suffer the same fate. He warns us not to be immoral as some of them were, so that the same thing doesn't happen to us that happened to them.  He warns us not to grumble either, for the same reason, so that we are not destroyed as they were. He warns us not to crave the evil things they craved. It's all quite plain and simple.

Once again, the apostle uses the same approach to warn the Church, citing the people of Israel as an example:

"Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, 'As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,' although His works were finished from the foundation of the world." (Heb 4:1-3)

"Therefore...it remains for some to enter [that rest], and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience..." (Heb 4:6)

In this passage, we learn that the Israelites had the good news preached to them, but they did not combine the Word of God with faith, so it was of no benefit to them. As a result, they did not inherit the Promised Land. They did not possess what God had promised them, because they didn't believe what He had said. Their unbelief resulted in their disobedience, so they failed to enter.

Likewise, if we do not believe the gospel when we hear it, then it will be of no benefit to us. If we do not combine the Word of God with faith when we hear it, then we will not receive the promises written in it. Just as the Israelites had the promise of entering His rest in the Promised Land, but did not enter that rest due to their unbelief, which resulted in disobedience, in the same way we have the promise of entering His rest during our earthly pilgrimage as well as eternally afterward up in heaven, but we could fail to enter that rest because of disobedience resulting from unbelief. That is a sobering truth.

There are other insights that we can gain from understanding that the Israelites were a type of the Church. For example, consider the fact that the Israelites were commanded to be separate from their worldly neighbors. But they actually failed to be separate, and instead they compromised with the nations, mingled together with them, and adopted their customs and practices, including their idolatry. Likewise, the Church is called to be separate, as I have written in my article called Separation from the World. Yet much of the Church today has become polluted by The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness. Let's come out from among them and be separate, as the Lord commands us in His Word. He says:

Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." And, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (2Co 6:17-18).

When the Israelites sinned, God sent prophets to warn them to turn from their sin or face His punishment. He does the same today when the Church sins. One example would be the apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church. Another example would be the letters the apostle John wrote to the seven churches of Asia. Out of the seven churches, the Lord warned five of them to repent (Rev 2:1 - 3:22).

When the Israelites refused to listen to the warning God sent through His prophets, He allowed them to become oppressed by their enemies and ultimately they were taken into captivity in a foreign land called Babylon. The same thing happens when God's people in the Church refuse to heed the warnings He gives them to repent. He allows them to become oppressed and eventually they fall captive to the enemy. Do some research and see whether those seven churches of Asia are still there today. You will find that those areas are now dominated by Islam.

After the Israelites' captivity in Babylon was completed, only a remnant of them returned from captivity. In the same way, we understand from New Testament Scriptures that just as few people will be saved (Mt 7:14).

Closing Words
In this study we learned that the Israelites were a type of the Church, and their experiences were examples for us in both positive and negative ways. Knowing and understanding this will help us gain insights that we may otherwise have missed. It will teach us good patterns to follow, such as faith and obedience. It will also warn us about bad examples to avoid, such as unbelief and disobedience. It's quite simple actually. You are not wasting your time reading the Old Testament, because the Lord can teach you many practical lessons of life that will enable you to walk in victory, inherit the promises, keep you from going down to the pit, and save your soul.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2Ti 3:16-17).

The apostle's conclusion from all this is the following: "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall." There are many ways that you as a Christian can fall, as we see from the example of the Israelites. That includes grumbling, craving evil things, immorality, idolatry, testing the Lord, and many more. If anyone thinks he stands, let him beware lest he fall.

Studying types of Christ like this can help us grow in our love and knowledge of the Lord. I trust this has helped to accomplish that very goal in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image of second temple may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note:  Also see What Does it Mean to be Hebrew?, The High Priest as a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, Manna as a Type of Christ, Moses as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Hagar and Sarah as Types, and The Mysteries of the Faith. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

__________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Cornerstone as a Type of Christ

As I mentioned in my previous article about The Rock as a Type of Christ, there are many references to the Lord as a rock in Scripture. One of those pertains to the cornerstone.

Paul spoke of the Church "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone..." (Eph 2:20). Christ is the Rock (Gr., petra) upon which the Church is built (Mt 16:18), even the Chief Cornerstone. So while Peter (Gr., Petros), whose name means "rock," was one of the apostles and prophets upon whom the Lord has built His Church, Jesus Himself is the corner stone.

Just imagine the builders of the temple out in a quarry looking for the best stones from which to build the temple. As they consider one particular stone, they determine after examining it that it is not fit to be used at all in the temple, so they reject it. This is what the psalmist wrote:

"The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes." (Ps 118:22-23, NIV).

This is what they did with Christ, the stone they rejected. He is the Stone the builders rejected, which has become the Cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. It is interesting to note that Psalm 118 is part of The Great Hallel, which spans from Psalm 113 to 118 with Psalm 118 being the Passover Hymn, which Jesus would have sung after the Last Supper with His disciples on the night He was betrayed. Scripture says that after they ate the bread and drank the cup, when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives (Mt 26:30). Therefore, they probably sang about Christ the cornerstone being rejected by the builders, which was the Lord's doing, as He was being betrayed by Judas perhaps even while they sang it.

The Lord Himself quoted this psalm to the chief priests, elders, and Pharisees who came out Him to question Him (Mt 21:23). Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures? ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’" (Mt 21:42, NIV). Hallelujah! He is that Stone, who has become the very Cornerstone of God's temple.

The cornerstone is the most important stone in the entire building. It must be true in the sense that it is perfectly aligned, exactly upright and level. In order for the cornerstone to be true, it must be plumb, which means that it is perfectly vertical and straight. Since it is used as a central point of reference, all other walls must align with it, so if it is not true, then the whole building will be lopsided or leaning like the Tower of Pisa. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Him (Jn 14:6). Therefore, we know that He is perfectly true and the only One worthy to be the Cornerstone of God's holy temple.

Peter "the little rock" apostle wrote about the living Stone in his first epistle:

"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

'See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.'

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

'The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,'

and,

'A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.'

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for." (1 Pe 2:4-8, NIV)

Closing Words
While we who are in Him are like living stones being built into a spiritual house, we must align ourselves perfectly with our Chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ. There is no other way for it to work. Others rejected Him and still reject Him to this day, but we love Him and fully embrace Him as our Cornerstone and the foundation upon which our lives are built. Do you know this perfect Cornerstone?

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. Other Scripture quotations taken from the NASB copyright The Lockman Foundation, all rights reserved, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note:  Also see The Rock as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, and Hagar and Sarah as Types. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Hagar and Sarah as Types

According to the apostle Paul, Hagar and Sarah are types of bondage and freedom respectively. He said, "For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman." (Gal 4:22).

Historical Background
Let's begin with the historical background. Sarah was Abraham's wife, but Hagar was Sarah's slave, which Sarah gave to Abraham to sleep with, so that she might conceive and bear him a son, since Sarah was barren. Sarah knew that God had promised to bless Abraham and make him a great nation, and that his descendants would outnumber the stars in the heavens, so she took matters into her own hands and did this, rather than believe God's promise.

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, 'Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. And Sarai said to Abram, 'May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me.'"(Gen 16:1-5)

Since Abraham made the mistake of listening to his wife and laying with Hagar, it brought about a great deal of trouble for him and Sarah, as well as for Isaac later when he was born. While Hagar was pregnant, she ran away from Sarah, who had been mistreating her. But God sent his angel to bring her back to Sarah:

"The angel of the Lord also said to her: 'You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward[a] all his brothers...So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.” (Gen 16:11-12, 15, NIV)

So before Ishmael was even born, he was destined to be a wild donkey of a man, whose hand would be against everyone, and against whom everyone else's hand would be. Later the Lord appeared to Abraham and told him that the heir of promise, through whom He would establish His everlasting covenant with his descendants, would be born to Sarah, and that his name would be Isaac. Here is the account:

"Then God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.' Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, 'Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?' And Abraham said to God, 'Oh that Ishmael might live before You!' But God said, 'No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year." (Gen 17:15-21)

The Lord later appeared again and repeated His promise that Sarah would bear him a son.

"He said, 'I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.' And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself, saying, 'After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?' And the LORD said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, saying, "Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?" Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.'"(Gen 18:10-14)

She did conceive miraculously, even though she had been barren, and she bore him a son, whom he named Isaac. 

"Then the LORD took note of Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac." (Gen 21:1-3)

"By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore." (Heb 11:11-12)

As it turned out, in the course of time as the boy grew, trouble arose between the two boys as the angel had foretold.

"The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. Therefore she said to Abraham, 'Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.' The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. But God said to Abraham, 'Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named." (Gen 21:8-12)

So Abraham did send Hagar and Ishmael away with a skin of water, and they wandered in the wilderness, where the Lord met them and sustained them. Ever since then there has been trouble between the descendant of Ishmael, which are the Arabs, and the Jews, who are descendants of Isaac.

Apostolic Teaching on the Typology
The apostle teaches us the typology of these two sons:

"But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise."  (Gal 4:23)

Since Abraham and Sarah had sought to bring about the promise the Lord made to them by having him sleep with Hagar, her child represents the flesh, which always wants to do it our way, not God's way. But since Isaac was conceived supernaturally in fulfillment of God's promise to this couple, then he is a type of all those who are born free through the promise of God in Christ. Here is how Paul explained the typology of these two women:

"This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar." (Gal 4:24)

In that verse, Paul specifically taught that Hagar represents the Mosaic covenant that God established on Mount Sinai. Even though we know that the Arabs as descendants of Ishmael do not follow the law of Moses, nor are they Jewish, we must understand that Paul is speaking allegorically. Hagar was sent into the wilderness with Ishmael, and he lived to the east of Isaac. Therefore, Paul is simply using this to teach that all those who live under the Mosaic covenant given at Mount Sinai are slaves, just as the descendants of the slave woman Hagar were. But all those who are born again in Christ through the promise given by God in the New Covenant are children of the free women like Isaac was.

"Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother."  (Gal 4:25-26)

Here Paul compared Hagar allegorically to Mount Sinai in Arabia and Sarah to Mount Zion in heaven. He said that Hagar corresponds to the earthly Jerusalem while Sarah corresponds to the New Jerusalem above. All those in Christ are children of the Jerusalem above, which is free, and all those who are not in Christ and living under the law are children of the earthly Jerusalem, which is in slavery with all her offspring of Mount Sinai.

Paul wrote: "And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise." (Gal 4:28). This teaches that Isaac was a type of the Church in the sense that we are children of promise as he was.

Unfortunately the initial persecution between Ishmael and Isaac has continued to this day, as we can see the constant conflict between Arabs and Jews. But Paul uses this, too, to teach us.

"But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also." (Gal 4:29)

Here Paul is showing that those who are born again according to the Spirit will be persecuted by those born of the slave woman, who are living under the Mosaic covenant. The Galatians in Christ whom Paul was writing to were being persuaded by Judaizers that they could not be saved unless they were circumcised, and he was seeking to correct that. They had returned to observing the Law, keeping days and months and years, and observing dietary restrictions, but he was trying to use Hagar and Sarah as types to teach them that they were free from all that.

He wrote: "But what does the Scripture say? 'CAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN.' So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman."(Gal 4:30-31)

Side by Side Comparison
Let's summarize what we've just read by comparing the two women and their two sons side by side using Scripture in the following chart:

Hagar and Ishmael	Sarah and Isaac
"bondwoman"	"free woman"
"son of the bondwoman"	"Son of the free woman"
"Law"	"promise"
"Mosaic covenant"	New Covenant in Christ
"the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the free woman" (Gal 4:30)	God established His everlasting covenant with Isaac the son of promise and his descendants
those under the Law are children of the slave woman like Ishmael	followers of Chris are children of promise "like Isaac" (Gal 4:28)
"he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit" (Gal 4:29)	"cast out the bondwoman and her son" (Gal 4:30
Mount Sinai	Mount Zion
earthly Jerusalem (Gal 4:25-26)	New Jerusalem in heaven (Gal 4:25-26)
in slavery	free
"born according to the flesh" (Gal 4:23, 29)	"born according to the Spirit...through the promise."  (Gal 4:23, 29)

Which Mountain Have you Come To?
The apostle wrote to the Hebrews who had come to know Christ, telling them that they had come to Mount Zion and not to Mount Sinai. He described Mount Sinai like this:

"For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, 'If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.' And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, 'I am full of fear and trembling.'" (Heb 12:18-21)

Then he went on to describe Mount Zion in this way:

"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel." (Heb 12:22-24).

Mount Zion is clearly a better mountain than Mount Sinai. Which mountain have you come to?

Closing Words
Through the Scriptures, we have learned that Hagar was clearly a type of Mount Sinai and the Law, while Sarah was a type of Mount Zion and the New Covenant promise in Christ. All those under the law were typified by Ishmael the son of the slave woman, while those in Christ were typified by Isaac, the son of the free woman. As the apostle said, "if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise." (Gal 3:29). We who are in Christ have been born of the free woman above, which is the New Jerusalem in heaven, so we should not seek to go back to the bondage of living under the law, as if we were children of the slave woman.

Through our study of this subject, we can learn many truths that strengthen our faith in Christ. I trust this has helped to accomplish that objective in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible

[a] Gen 16:12 "live to the east of"

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  Also see Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, and Moses as a Type of Christ. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Temple as a Type of Christ's Body

Did you realize that even the temple is a type of Christ? Let's examine the Scriptures to see what they teach us about this wonderful truth.

"Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' The Jews then said, 'It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?' But He was speaking of the temple of His body. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken." (Joh 2:19-22)

Since we who believe in Him as our Lord and Savior are the Body of Christ, we, too, are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The temple was not only a type of Christ's physical body, which was destroyed and then raised again on the third day, but it is a type of the entire Body of Christ, which is the temple where God's Spirit dwells. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

"Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?" (1Co 6:14-15a)

"Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it." (1Co 12:27)

"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1Co 3:16)

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (1Co 6:19-20)

"Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, 'I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.' Therefore, 'COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,' says the Lord. 'AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you.'" (2Co 6:16-17).

Therefore, we know that the Church is indeed the temple of the Holy Spirit, and as such it must be kept pure, holy, and free from idols. According to these verse, holiness and separation from the world are necessary in order for God to dwell among us and walk among us.

Paul also said to the people of Athens, "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands..." (Act 17:24). But as I said in my article Adam as a Type of Christ, God made man in His own image, according to His likeness (Gen 1:26-27). Therefore, man is perfectly suited to be be the temple in which His Holy Spirit dwells, provided it is pure and holy. We were made for this!

In the first-century Jerusalem Council, as they were considering whether to require Gentiles that were coming to Christ to be circumcised as some were insisting they be, James quoted from the words the Lord spoke through Amos the prophet:

"[Simon Peter] has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 'AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,' SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles..." (Act 15:14-19)

Here are the original words the Lord spoke through Amos: “In that day I will restore the fallen tent of David. I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old..." (Am 9:11, Berean Study Bible).

James interpreted this passage from Amos about the rebuilding of David's fallen tabernacle as referring to the Church, which includes Gentiles as well as Jews, indeed all who believe in Christ. Jesus promised that He would build His Church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Mt 16:18), and according to James, the Church that He is building is in fact the fallen tabernacle of David that He is restoring. The purpose of this is so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who are called by His name. Consequently, based on this interpretation of the tabernacle as a type of the Church, Gentiles are not required to observe the Law of Moses or be circumcised. 

Closing Words
Through the Scriptures, we have learned that the temple is a type of Christ's body, which was destroyed by crucifixion on Calvary and raised again on the third day by God's power. His Body is the temple in which God's Holy Spirit dwells, and it has been raised from the dead. We have also learned that the Church is the Body of Christ and thus also the temple of the Holy Spirit as well. We must keep ourselves holy, pure, and separated from the world as God requires, in order for Him to dwell among us and walk among us as He desires to do.

Through our study of this subject, we can learn many truths that strengthen our faith in Christ. I trust this has helped to accomplish that objective in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image of second temple may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note:  Also see The Typology of the Tabernacle, The High Priest as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Moses as a Type of Christ, and Noah's Ark a Type of Christ. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.