Boaz as a Type of Christ

One very interesting character to study is Boaz, and what makes him  particularly interesting is that he was a type of Christ. Let's examine the Scriptures about him together.

Historical Background
For the historical context, you should read the book of Ruth, which is a beautiful love story. It's a short, easy read of only four chapters. But essentially it is about a Jewish woman named Naomi who leaves Israel with her husband Elimelech and two sons during a time of famine. They move to Moab and settle there, where her two sons each marry Moabite women, one of which was Ruth. In the course of time, her husband and two sons die, leaving her and her two daughters-in-law as widows.

Naomi eventually decides to move back to Israel. Although both of her daughters-in-law begin to follow her, she tries to persuade them to stay in Moab, but Ruth insists on following her. Ruth says to Naomi, "Where you go I will go. Where you lodge I will lodge. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God." (Ruth 1:16).

Back home in Bethlehem in the land of Israel, Naomi and Ruth struggle in poverty to survive without a man to provide for them. Ruth gleans out in the fields, walking behind the servant girls as they reap the barley harvest. She picks up the gleanings that the servant girls have dropped on the ground.

The owner of the field is a very wealthy man named Boaz, who falls in love with Ruth when he sees her. He gives special instructions to his servants to let her glean behind them, and he orders the men not to touch her. When Naomi finds out from Ruth whose field she was gleaning in, she tells Ruth that Boaz is a close relative and coaches Ruth on how to win his heart.

After Ruth follows Naomi's instructions, she ends up sleeping on the threshing floor at the feet of Boaz. During the night he awakes and finds her there. No impropriety takes place between them, but at her request, he simply covers her with the corner of his blanket. Then he also promises to redeem her and Naomi, after he first gives a chance for another relative to redeem them, who is closer in relation to Naomi than he is. In the morning, he gives her a load of barley to take back home for herself and her mother-in-law Naomi.

He and the other kinsman have a public discussion together about the opportunity, where Boaz gives him a chance to redeem them if he wants. But the other kinsman backs out of the opportunity when he finds out he would have to redeem the old widow Naomi along with the estate of her husband. Thus Boaz ends up being the one to buy the field that belonged to Naomi's late husband, and he obtains Naomi and Ruth along with it.

Boaz then marries Ruth and together they have a baby named Obed, who ends up being the grandfather of King David. Naomi is able to rejoice once again and loves baby Obed like her own child.

Boaz as Kinsman-Redeemer
Now that we've got the essential background information, let's see how Boaz actually typifies Christ. There are several references to Boaz as a kinsman of Naomi's husband. For example, in the second chapter of Ruth it states:

"Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz." (Ruth 2:1)

Amazingly Boaz was not related to Naomi by blood, but by marriage. Boaz was only related by blood to Naomi's late husband Elimelech. Later in the same chapter, Naomi refers to Boaz as a kinsman-redeemer:

“The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers." (Ruth 2:20, NIV)

The Hebrew word for kinsman-redeemer is a legal term for one who has the obligation to redeem a relative in serious difficulty (see Lev. 25:25-55). The following verse sums up the Lord's command regarding the responsibility of a kinsman-redeemer:

"If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold." (Lev 25:25).

This essentially teaches that a kinsman-redeemer was required to come and redeem the property his poor relative had sold, if that relative had done so out of necessity because of being destitute. More detail about the role of a kinsman-redeemer is found in the following passage in Numbers:

"Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 'If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 'If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 'If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be a statutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.'" (Num 27:8-11).

One key fact in this last passage is that if there was no other relative eligible to receive someone's inheritance, then ultimately the person's inheritance would be given to the next of kin or nearest relative in his own family.

Here is another verse, in which Naomi once again told Ruth that Boaz, in whose field she had been gleaning, was their kinsman redeemer:

"Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight." (Ruth 3:2).

Notice how she referred to Boaz as "our kinsman," showing that she considered him to be Ruth's kinsman now through marriage, just as much as he was her own kinsman.

When Boaz discovered Ruth at his feet on the threshing floor at night, He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative." (Ruth 3:9). This is another example that identifies Boaz as a kinsman.

After Boaz and Ruth were married and she gave birth to Obed, it was a time of great rejoicing. "Then the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel.'" (Ruth 4:14).

Initially one would assume the women were referring to Boaz as Noami's redeemer, but they were actually referring to the baby Obed that Ruth bore to Boaz. And he did become famous as they said he would, too. Moreover, they viewed the baby as if it were Naomi's own child. Here is the proof of this fact in the verses that immediately follow that one, where the neighbor women referred to Obed as a a restorer of life:

"'May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.' Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, 'A son has been born to Naomi!' So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David." (Ruth 4:15-17).

So not only was Boaz a type of Christ as our kinsman-redeemer, but even Obed his son was a type of Christ as our Redeemer and a restorer of life. So how does all of this point to Christ?

Christ as Kinsman-Redeemer
Scripture tells us that we have redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ, who is a descendant of David, Obed, and Boaz. The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace..." (Eph 1:7)

Just as Boaz was the one responsible to redeem the property of his deceased relative Elimelech, along with his widow Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, likewise, Jesus Christ was the One chosen by God to redeem His people to God. Just as Boaz was motivated by love when he redeemed Naomi and Ruth, Christ too was motivated by love for lost humanity when he purchased redemption on the cross. Just as Naomi and Ruth were destitute without anyone to help them until Boaz came along and redeemed them, likewise, we are all helpless and destitute spiritually with no one else except Christ who alone can redeem us. It's only by His perfect, sinless blood that was shed for us that anyone can be redeemed to God. For this is what it says in the song they sing in heaven:

And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." (Rev 5:9, NKJV)

Only Jesus Christ the Son of God could redeem us to God. He is not only our blessed Redeemer, but He is our Kinsman, because He became one of us through His incarnation, when He took upon Himself the form of a man (Phil 2:7; Jn 1:14; Mat 1:18; Gal 4:4). He became closely related to us by being born into Adam's race through the virgin Mary. The apostle explains it to the Hebrews like this:

"In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says,

'I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
    in the assembly I will sing your praises.'”

"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Heb 2:10-15, NIV).

Therefore, it was by design that Jesus shared in our humanity, becoming part of our family, and then redeemed His brothers and sisters as our Kinsman-Redeemer. Both the Lord Jesus, who is holy, and those of us whom He has made holy, are of the same family, and He is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Praise the Lord.

Closing Words
As a result of Ruth's unwavering commitment to the Lord and the family she had married into, she was honored to give birth to David's grandfather. What an honor it was for her, since the Lord Jesus Christ came from the line of David. Boaz and Ruth are listed in the genealogy of Christ given in the gospel of Matthew as the parents of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David (Mat 1:5-6). And amazingly, Boaz was the son of Rahab, the former harlot from Jericho, who was saved by the Israelites for her faith in Jehovah (Mat 1:5; Jos 2:1, 10-14; 6:25; Heb 11:31).

May we all be committed to our family. May we also be ready to leave our natural family to go wherever God leads us, so that we can help propagate the family of God as Ruth did.

But the main point of this article is to show that Boaz was a type of Christ as our Kinsman-Redeemer. As our close relative, He purchased our redemption with his own blood in order to bring us to God. Just like Naomi and Ruth, we are all poor, destitute and hopeless without Christ our Kinsman-Redeemer, who is also our Restorer of life. I trust this has helped to give you a greater love and appreciation for Him, as well as new insights into the rich meaning of the redemption He purchased for us with His blood at Calvary. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible to help you grow in your love and knowledge of the Lord. 

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.

Author's note:  Also see David as a Type of Christ, David's Mighty Men as Types of Christ, David -- A Man After God's Own Heart, The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type, Adam as a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, The Typology of the Jewish Feasts, 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.

David as a Type of Christ

All throughout the Hebrew Scriptures we see David as a type of Christ in his various roles as shepherd, giant slayer, warrior, and king. Many of the psalms that he wrote prophetically point to Christ and speak of Him:

"For David says of Him, 'I saw the Lord always in my presence; for He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. 'Therefore My heart was glad and My tongue exulted; moreover My flesh also will live in hope; because You will not abandon My soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. 'You have made known to Me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with your presence.'"

"Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on His throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh suffer decay."

"This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for your feet."' Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified." (Act 2:25-36)

Moreover, the Holy Spirit foretold through the prophet Micah, seven hundred years before Christ, that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the town of David. He said:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.” (Mic 5:2, NIV)

This effectively narrowed down the birthplace of Messiah to one specific town, and the Jews knew this, which is one reason many of them did not believe in Christ, because they knew he was from Nazareth in Galilee. According to John's gospel:

"Others said, 'He is the Messiah.' Still others asked, 'How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?' Thus the people were divided because of Jesus." (Jn 7:41-43, NIV).

What those people didn't realize was that although Jesus was raised in Nazareth, He was actually born in Bethlehem of Judea, in precise fulfillment of prophecy (Mt 2:1; Lk 2:4-7). He was born in the same town as David, and His mother Mary was a direct descendant of David, as was Mary's husband Joseph, who was supposed to be the father of Jesus (Mt 1:1-17; Lk 3:23-38).

In addition to being a type of Christ, David was a type of those believers and ministers who are men and women after God's own heart. For more on that, see my article David -- A Man After God's Own Heart.  

Side by Side Comparison
Let's look at the striking similarities between David and Christ in the following chart:

David	Christ
A king (1 Sa 16)	The King of kings (Re 19:16)
A shepherd (1 Sa 16:11; 17:34; 2 Sa 7:8)	The Good Shepherd (Ps 23; Jn 10:11)
Born in Bethlehem (1 Sa 17:12)	Born in Bethlehem (Mt 2:1; Lk 2:4-7; Mic 5:2)
When Absalom rebelled, David went up the Mount of Olives weeping as he went into exile (2 Sam 15:30)	On the night that Jesus was betrayed by Judas, He went up onto the Mount of Olives. His soul was deeply grieved to the point of death, and being in agony He was praying very fervently with loud cries and tears (Mt 26:38; Lk 22:44; He 5:7)
A mighty man of valor, a warrior (1 Sa 16:18)	A mighty man of valor, a warrior (Is 9:6)
Conquered Goliath the giant (1 Sam 17:50-51)	Conquered the devil, triumphing over him through the cross (Col 2:15)
He was the anointed of the God of Jacob (1 Sa 16:11; 2 Sa 23:1)	He is the Anointed One, the Messiah (Mt 16:16, 20; 26:63-64)
He was David son of Jesse (1 Sa 17:12)	The son of David (Mat 1:1, 20; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30, 31; 21:9, 15; 22:42; Mar 10:47-48; 12:35; Luk 3:31; 18:38-39; Re 22:16)
David's son was to build a house for God (2 Sa 7:13)	He is restoring the fallen tent of David, building His Church (Mt 16:18; Ac 15:16)
Merciful to his enemies (2 Sa 16:5-11)	Merciful to his enemies (Lk 23:34)
God swore to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants after him on His throne and to establish His kingdom (2 Sa 7:12)	When He entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, they hailed Him as King, shouting, "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David." (Mk 11:10).
The Lord spoke through Isaiah the prophet about the One on whose shoulder He would set the key of the house of David (Is 22:22)	He holds the key of David (Re 3:7)
David was persecuted by his enemies	Jesus was persecuted by His enemies
David prophesied of the Lord telling the Lord to sit at His right hand (Ps 110:1)	He has been exalted to the right hand of God as both Lord and Christ (Mk 16:19; Ac 2:33)

Closing Words
In our study of David as a type of Christ, we have seen the parallels between their lives in so many ways. Among other things, they were both kings, shepherds, born in Bethlehem, anointed ones, warriors, mighty men, and conquerors of giants. Both were persecuted and both were merciful to their enemies. Many of the Psalms are Messianic, meaning that they look forward to the coming of Christ, such as Psalms 2, 22, 69, 72, 89, 100, 110, etc. There are perhaps more connections between David and Christ than any other character in the Hebrew Scriptures.

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, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.

Author's note:  Also see Moses as a Type of Christ, David's Mighty Men as Types of Christ, David -- A Man After God's Own Heart, Boaz as a Type of Christ, The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type, Adam as a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, The Typology of the Jewish Feasts, Daniel as 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.

David's Mighty Men as Types of Christ

While, of course, David was a type of Christ, his mighty men were also a type of Christ. As a former infantry soldier myself, these men always inspire me. They are listed in the second book Samuel, where it says, "These are the names of the mighty men whom David had:"

Josheb-basshebeth
"Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains, he was called Adino the Eznite, because of eight hundred slain by him at one time;" (2 Sam 23:8).

That's pretty amazing for one man to kill eight hundred men of the enemy's army in one encounter. Only through the Lord could he do so.

Eleazar 
"And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had withdrawn. He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain." (2 Sam 23:9-10)

Now there's a courageous man! They taunted the Philistines who were gathered for battle. Though all the other Israeli soldiers had withdrawn in fear, and were likely taking cover from the enemy, he arose and struck down the Philistines until his hand froze to his sword. That's carrying out the wrath of the Lord with great zeal. Later the others came out from their hiding places, but only to strip the dead and not to fight the Philistines. Notice how the Scripture gives God the glory for it saying, "the LORD brought about a great victory that day." It was supernatural, and not by Eleazar's own strength.

Shammah 
"Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory." (2 Sam 23:11-12)

He was another courageous soldier. He took his stand against the enemy in a field. He defended it and struck the Philistines. Once again it says, "the LORD brought about a great victory," so that God and not man gets the glory for what He did

Three of the Thirty Chief Men
"Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem."

"David had a craving and said, 'Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!' So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD; and he said, 'Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?' Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did." (2 Sam 23:13-17)

David merely expressed out loud a longing for water, and although he did not give an order to someone to bring him that water, it seems as though for these three of the Thirty chief men, David's wish was their command. They went behind enemy lines into the Philistine stronghold at Bethlehem, drew out the water, passed back though the enemy with it, and took it to David.

However, as far as David was concerned, that water was as if it were the blood of those men who fetched it for him at the risk of their lives. He would not dare to drink that water any more than he would drink their blood. Instead he poured it out before the Lord. Those were real mighty men to do such a thing, and David recognized that.

Abishai
"Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name as well as the three. He was most honored of the thirty, therefore he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three." (2 Sam 23:18-19).

Scripture says Abishai was the most honored of the Thirty mighty men. He single-handedly killed three hundred men with a spear.

Benaiah
"Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.." (2Sa 23:8-23).

Benaiah was truly another mighty man. He struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors. He also struck down a huge Egyptian by snatching the spear from his hand and killing him with it, though he himself had only been armed with a mere club. How did he get the spear from that huge Egyptian and kill him with it? It was by the power of God. Likewise he went down into that pit on a snowy day and killed a lion that was perhaps posing a threat to him and his fellow soldiers. He alone was brave and strong enough to kill it. Although he was as famous as the Three mighty warriors, he was not included among them. But he did get put in charge of David's personal bodyguard, which is a great honor.

The Thirty
David's mighty men were known as The Thirty, even though there were actually a total of thirty-seven in all, including Uriah the Hittite, the husband of Bathsheba, and all the men named above. Their names are listed at the end of 2 Samuel 23 as a memorial to their faith, strength, and courage. Let me say once again that it was not by their own strength that they did these great exploits, but by the mighty power of God.

"It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You loved them...I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but You give us victory over our enemies, You put our adversaries to shame." (Ps 44:3,6-7, NIV).

Types of Christ
I have no doubt these men were types of Christ, and I'll explain to you why. The prophet Isaiah prophesied of a male child being born to a virgin, who would be called Immanuel, which means "God with us." (Is 7:14). Here is the description Isaiah gave of this male child:

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this."  (Isa 9:6-7)

The virgin's Son would be called "Mighty God," which is "El Gibor" in Hebrew.  The word "El" literally means God. This name, El Gibor, may also be translated, "God-man," "Mighty Man of war," or "Mighty Warrior."  I like all of them, and I think they all describe the Lord Jesus Christ well. But the two translations I want to focus on here are "Mighty Man of war" and "Mighty Warrior."

The Holy Spirit spoke through the psalmist describing Christ like this:

"Gird Your sword on your side, O Mighty One;
    clothe Yourself with splendor and majesty.
  In Your majesty ride forth victoriously
    in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
    let Your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
  Let Your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
    let the nations fall beneath Your feet." (Ps 45:3-5, NIV)

The apostle confirmed in his letter to the Hebrews that this psalm is Messianic (cf., Ps 45:6-7; Heb 1:8-9), so we are on solid ground to understand that the above verses refer to Christ. In fact, in Psalm 45:3, the title by which He is addressed as "Mighty One" is the same Hebrew word "Gibor" that was used in the ninth chapter of Isaiah, which I mentioned earlier. Therefore, Jesus is a Mighty Man of war like David and his mighty men were, but in a much greater way.

Triumph Over the Devil and His Angels
You see, He took on the devil and defeated him. "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him" by the cross (Col 2:15). He made a public spectacle of the devil and his angels. He now holds the keys of death and hell (Rev 1:18). Just when it looked to the devil like he had won the battle by having his agents nail Jesus to the cross, the devil must have really gotten very scared when Jesus uttered those last words, "It is finished," and gave up his spirit, which was immediately followed by the veil of the temple being torn in two from top to bottom, a great earthquake, rocks being split, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep being raised (Mt 27:51-52). Hallelujah! He's a mighty warrior.

Triumph Over the Beast, False Prophet, and Kings of the Earth

"Behold, He Comes" by Danny Hahlbohm, Inspired Art

The apostle John saw our Mighty Man of War leading the armies of heaven in His future return to earth, and here is how he described it:

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'" (Rev 19:11-16)

If there was still any question in your mind that Jesus is a man of war, I trust it has vanished, and that you can now see it plainly. Scripture says that with eyes like a flame of fire He makes war, riding on a white horse with a sharp sword proceeding from His mouth, with which He will strike down the nations.

John also saw how the beast and kings of the earth as agents of satan would make war against the Lamb in the last days. But notice how the birds of the air are going to be called in advance to come feast on their flesh, because they are doomed to lose before the battle even begins.

"Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, 'Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.'"

"And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh." (Rev 19:17-21)

Here you have the beast who has been given authority to make war against the saints and to conquer them, which is the same beast who rules the whole world during the Great Tribulation in the final three and a half years of this age, and the same beast of whom they will say, "Who can make war against the beast?" And men will worship him. But even though he will gather all the kings of the earth with all their armies full of mighty men, which will number in the millions, led by their great commanders, they will be no match for Jesus Christ the Mighty Warrior.

Their fate is sealed before the battle begins, and notice how effortlessly the Lord defeats them. Scripture says it so nonchalantly, so calmly as a matter of fact that the beast and the false prophet were seized and thrown alive into the lake of fire. It's so easy for the Lord to do this. He won't even bother to kill them but throw them directly into the lake of fire while they are still alive. Defeating the largest army the world has ever known will be equally as easy for the Mighty Man of War, who will kill them all with the sword which comes from His mouth. He can do all that without even breaking a sweat! Hallelujah! It's just as easy for Him as taking a ride through the park on His horse. How foolish of them to think they can make war against the Lamb and have even a remote chance of winning.

Final Defeat of Satan
The devil is destined to go through so much humiliation at the hands of Jesus. He is the loser in every single instance. I have already discussed how he was defeated at the cross, how his beast and false prophet will be defeated along with all of the kings of the earth and their armies. Then Scripture speaks of the devil being locked up in the bottomless pit for a thousands years, at the end of which he must be released for a short time (Rev 20:1-3). That's more humiliation for him. But prison won't reform him, and as soon as he is let out, he'll be back to his same rebellion against the Lamb.

"When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Rev 20:7-10)

The devil will gather the nations together for war and they will surround the camp of the saints in Jerusalem, the city the Lord loves. In number they will be like the sand of the seashore, but once again quite effortlessly the Lord will burn them all up with fire that will come down from heaven. Then He will have the devil thrown into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. That is their final, humiliating defeat, which will continue all throughout eternity. Hallelujah!

Types of the Saints

Not only are David's mighty men types of Christ, they are also types of the saints, specifically the Spirit-filled disciples of Christ who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. We are to be mighty men and women of God. We are soldiers of Christ (2 Tim 2:3). 

You see, we are in a battle, too, against the forces of darkness, except they are not flesh and blood, which is why we must be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:10-12, NIV). 

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor 10:3-5).

God always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession, so that we are victorious, if we are born of God (2 Co 2:14). "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 Jn 5:4-5, NIV)

Perhaps you may be wondering if you could ever do the kind of exploits that David's mighty men did. Of course you can -- by faith! Remember, you can to do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil 4:13). When you are crucified with Christ, you no longer live but Christ the Mighty Warrior lives in you (Gal 2:20; Jn 17:26; 2 Co 13:5; Col 1:27). He said you shall do the works that He did and even greater works than those (Jn 14:12). He has "given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Lk 10:19, NIV). If you are an obedient disciple of Christ, "the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom 16:19-20, NIV).

Closing Words

I hope this little study has helped you to see that David's mighty men were types of Christ the Mighty Man of war, who will come back soon, riding on a white horse, leading the armies of heaven. We worship Him, El Gibor, our Mighty Warrior, who conquers all our enemies. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor 15:26).

David's mighty men are also types of us the saints. Being a mighty man or woman of God is not easy, but it's possible through Christ. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God. Exercise your faith in the Son of God, discipline yourself through prayer, fasting, and the reading of the Word, then put the Word of God into practice.

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: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. David's Mighty Men painting by James Tissot, 1836-1902. The "Behold, He Comes" painting © 2012 is by Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note:  Also see David as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, and Hagar and Sarah as Types. My daughter Charity has written a beautiful poem about The Rider on the white horse. 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.

Moses as a Type of Christ

Moses is also a type of Christ. Let's see what the Scriptures say about their many similarities.

Faithful
Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house, just as Jesus was faithful as a Son over His house. The apostle wrote:

"He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end." (Heb 3:2-6)

A Prophet to Give Heed To
Moses said that God would raise up for His people Israel a Prophet like him from among them, and that they must give heed to everything He says to them, or else they would be utterly destroyed. The apostle Peter said to the Jews:

"Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'" (Act 3:22-23; cf., Dt 18:15).

We know that Peter was referring to Christ on this occasion, because it is clear from the immediate context that he was speaking about Jesus:

"But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time." (Act 3:18-21).

I am also reminded of the account of what happened on the sacred mount:

"Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, 'This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!' All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone." (Mar 9:7-8)

Spared from Attempted Infanticide
Moses was spared from death as a baby as Jesus was, while all the other male babies were killed. Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew boys be killed (Ex 1:15-22; 2:1-9), and Herod ordered that all baby boys be killed (Mt 2:12-13, 16).

Forty Days of Fasting Alone
Moses went up on a mountain for forty days and nights, without having food or water, when he received the Ten Commandments (Ex 34:28), just as Jesus fasted alone in the desert for forty days and forty nights at the beginning of His ministry (Mt 4:1-11).

Not Recognized By His Own
Moses' own people did not recognize him (Ex 2:13-14; 6:9; Act 7:25-28), just as the world did not recognize Jesus and His own did not receive Him ( Jn 1:10-11).

Object of People's Grumbling and Complaints
Moses suffered the complaints and grumblings of the Israelites against him (Ex 15:24; 16:2; Nu 14:2). Likewise, the Jews grumbled about Jesus (Jn 6:41).

Object of People's Jealousy
Other people were jealous of Moses, such as Dathan, Abiram, and the two hundred fifty rebels (Ps 106:16-17; Num 16). Likewise, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were jealous of Jesus. For it was out of envy that they handed Him over to Pilate (Mt 27:18).

Humble
The Bible says, "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." (Nu 12:3, NIV). Likewise, Jesus was meek and lowly, too.  He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Mt 11:29, NIV). He "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mk 10:45, NIV). Perhaps the apostle Paul described the Lord's humility best when he wrote of Him saying:

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Php 2:5-8)

Intercessor and Mediator
Moses was an intercessor and mediator for the people before God (Deu 5:5, 22; 9:8-9, 18-20, 25-29; 10:10; Psa 106:23). Moses was willing to have his own name blotted out of the book of life on behalf of the Israelites, and to take the punishment for their sins, if God was unwilling to forgive their sins (Ex 32:32). Likewise, Jesus was willing to take the punishment for our sins and to give his life in place of everyone else. Jesus is both our Intercessor and Mediator, always living to make intercession for us as our only Mediator between God and man (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; 1 Tim 2:5).

Deliverer
Moses led the people up out of slavery from Egypt (Ex 6:6-8; 7:16; 8:1; 9:1; 12:50-51; 14:1-22). Jesus led the prisoners up from the underworld (Eph 4:8-10), and He also delivers us from the slavery and oppression of our sin (Ro 6:6-7). He is the one who sets us free from sin and death (Ro 8:2; He 9:15).

"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.' They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, "You will become free"? Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.'" (Joh 8:31-36)

Suffered Disgrace
Although Moses was brought up in Pharaoh's household by a princess (Ex 2:10), he suffered disgrace by standing up for the people of God. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Heb 11:24-26, NIV). Likewise, Jesus gladly bore our shame and reproach in order to deliver God's people. "For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:2b, NIV).

Did Not Fear the King
Moses wasn't afraid of the king. "By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen." (Heb 11:27). Likewise, Jesus was not afraid of the king, and did not allow Herod to deter Him from going to the cross and delivering His people.

"Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, 'Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.' And He said to them, 'Go and tell that fox, "Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal." Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.'" (Luk 13:31-33)

Jesus was not the least bit afraid when He stood before King Herod; nor was He intimidated by the governor, but made a good confession before Pontius Pilate (Mt 27:11-14; Lk 23:8-11; Jn 19:8-11; 1 Tim 6:13).

Marked by Signs and Wonders
Moses' ministry was marked by many miraculous signs and wonders like the ten plagues, the water from the rock, the manna, the quail, and the parting of the Red Sea. The Bible said, "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land." (Dt 34:10-11, NIV).

Jesus' ministry was also marked by many miraculous signs and wonders like turning water into wine, multiplying the bread to feed the multitudes, walking on water, calming the storm, raising the dead, casting out demons, healing all kinds of diseases, making the lame to walk, the blind to see, the mute to talk, and the deaf to hear.

Knew the Lord Face to Face
The Lord knew Moses face to face, according to the Scriptures (Dt 34:10). This was quite evident from the way God spoke to him at the burning bush, on Mount Sinai, and throughout his journey in the dessert with the Israelites for forty years.  Likewise, Jesus had a face to face relationship with the Father. This was evidenced on many occasions like at His baptism, when the Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17b, NIV), as well as on the sacred mount, which I mentioned earlier (Mar 9:7-8). Jesus was one with the Father (Jn 10:30), only saying what He heard the Father saying and only doing what He saw the Father doing (Jn 5:19; 8:28; 12:49).

Closing Words
In our study of Moses as a type of Christ, we have seen the parallels between their lives in so many ways. They were both spared from infanticide, both were very humble, both spent forty days fasting, both were intercessors and mediators, both were known by the Lord face to face, both were objects of people's grumbling and jealousy, both suffered disgrace for the people of God, both were prophets of God to be heeded, whose ministries were marked by miraculous signs and wonders; both were called by God and used as mighty deliverers, neither of them was recognized by his own people, neither of them feared the king, and both were faithful  -- Moses as a servant in God's house and Jesus as a Son over God's house. Christ is that Prophet like Moses that God promised to send. Therefore, every soul that does not heed what Christ says and put it into practice shall be utterly destroyed from among the people (Ac 3:23; Mt 7:26-27).

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 Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Other Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.

Author's note:  Also see The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type, Adam as a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, David as a Type of Christ, Daniel as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, The Typology of the Jewish Feasts, 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.

Jonah as a Type of Christ

"I can't believe in God unless I see some kind of sign that He exists." I've heard people say things similar to this before. Maybe you have heard this from someone you love or even said it yourself. This is what the religious people wanted to see from Jesus -- some sort of sign to prove his divinity.

Jesus said, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them and went away. (Mat 16:4) Also see Luke 11:29, 30.

In fact, Jesus compared himself to Jonah, and said that the sign of the prophet Jonah would be given to this adulterous generation. This study examines that sign, comparing and contrasting the experiences of Jonah as a type of Christ, and Jesus on the sea. I'll put these comparisons side by side, so you can see them one by one, first about Jesus, and then about Jonah. (All references to the book of Jonah will be abbreviated Jon)

Jesus	Jonah
Son of God gave the order to go across the lake to the other side (Mat 8:18)	God told Jonah to go to Nineveh (Jon 1:2)
Jesus got into the boat to cross over and the disciples followed him (Mat 8:23)	Jonah got into a boat and fled from the Lord’s presence. He disobeyed God, heading away from Nineveh (Jon 1:3)
Without warning, a furious storm came up on the sea. (Mat 8:24)	There was a great storm on the sea (Jon 1:5)
The waves swept over the boat (Mat 8:23)	The ship was about to break up (Jon 1:4)
Jesus was sleeping in the boat (Mat 8:24)	Jonah was sleeping in the boat (Jon 1:5)
The disciples in the boat cried out in fear for their lives to the Son of God (Mat 8:25)	The sailors in the boat became afraid and every man cried to his god (Jon 1:5, 10)
The disciples went and woke Jesus (Mat 8:25)	The captain approached Jonah and woke him (Jon 1:6)
The disciples expected the Son of God to save them from the storm (Mat 8:25)	The captain expected the God of Jonah to save him and his crew from the storm. The sailors called on the Lord to save them. (Jon 1:6, 14)
Jesus is the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land (John 1:1-3)	Jonah feared the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land (Jon 1:9)
Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves of the sea (Mat 8:26)	Jonah was thrown into the sea (Jon 1:15)
The sea became perfectly calm	The sea stopped its raging (Jon 1:15)
The key to the sea becoming calm again was Jesus being in the boat	The key to the sea becoming calm again was getting Jonah out of the boat (Jon 1:11, 12)
The disciples were amazed at the power and authority of the Son of God. They took note that the winds and waves obeyed Him. (Mat 8:27)	The sailors feared the Lord greatly after the sea became calm, and they offered sacrifices to Him and made vows (Jon 1:16)
A fish has represented Jesus for centuries, because of the Greek Ikhthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ) acronym (Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior) that means fish. The Lord ordained that Jesus would be crucified and die on a cross. (Mat 20:18,19 and Luk 9:22)	The LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah (Jon 1:17 and Is 53:10)
Jesus died to save us from God's wrath. Yet, unlike Jonah, He never sinned, and the wrath was on account of our own sins. (Rom 5:91 and Thes 1:10)	When Jonah asked them to throw him into the sea, he was willing to die to save them from the wrath of God. (Jon 1:12) Jonah seems to have died of drowning before the sea creature swallowed him (Jon 2:5-7).
Jesus was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. (Mat 12:39, 40)	Jonah's body was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jon 1:17)
Jesus went down to the dead. In 180 AD, Irenaeus of Lyons wrote, “…the Lord went away into the midst of the shadow of death where the souls of the dead were…” In 350 AD, Cyril of Jerusalem wrote, "(Christ) descended into the subterranean regions so that He might ransom from there the just...” (1 Pet 3:19 and Ac 10:40)	When Jonah died, he cried to the Lord from Sheol (the subterranean world of the dead). (Jon 2:2)
Many people repented at the preaching of Jesus (Mat 12:41)	The men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah (Jon 3:1-10)
After three days in the heart of the earth, Jesus rose from the dead. (Luke 24 and John 20, and 1 Cor 15:3-5)	After three days in the belly of the sea monster, the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. He was raised back to life again by the Lord. (Jon 2:6, 10)

My friend, you've got your sign.  Jesus, One Who is greater than Jonah, has come and walked among us (Mat 12:41, Luke 11:32).  He Himself is a sign, as Simeon said of Him to Mary, His mother, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against..." (Lk 2:34).

After Jesus rose from the dead, he manifested himself (appeared) to the disciples by the sea where they were fishing. There he was by the seaside, cooking a piece of fish on the charcoal fire. He gave them some of the fish and they ate breakfast together. John 21:9

"The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. (Luk 11:32)

The IKTHUS Fish
The Greek word for fish, ikhthus (ichthys in borrowed words), spelled, in Greek characters, Iota-Chi-Theta-Upsilon-Sigma (ΙΧΘΥΣ looks like IXOYE in Roman alphabet characters) is regarded as an acronym for Ιησως Χριστος Θεου `Υιος Σωτερ (or, in Roman alphabet characters, Iesou (Jesus) Christos (anointed) Theou (of God) Uios (son) Soter (saviour)), which means Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour.

According to "Knowledge Rush" encyclopedia, "One of the signs for Christianity is the fish. The reason for this dates from some early societies of Christians who protected themselves and their congregations by keeping their meetings secret. In order to point the way to ever-changing meeting places, they developed a symbol which adherents would readily recognize, and which they could scratch on rocks, walls and the like, in advance of a meeting. The fish was chosen as eminently apropos." 

What's Your Response to the Sign
When you are driving your car and see a road sign warning that there's danger ahead, you heed the road signs, because you know you could die if we don’t respond properly to the sign.

Jesus has given us in Himself the sign of Jonah. What should our response be at this sign?

First, we should repent with the same wholehearted fervor as the men of Nineveh.  If we do turn from our wicked way, then God will relent concerning the calamity that He had declared He would send on us and we will not perish. If we don’t repent, the men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment and condemn us.

Second, we should believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and receive forgiveness for our sins. Remember that Jesus said the sign he would show was that he would be in the belly of the earth for only three days and three nights, as Jonah was temporarily in the belly of the great fish. Just as it was a miracle that Jonah made it out of the fish alive, it was a miracle that Jesus came back out of the grave. This is the most remarkable aspect of the sign Jesus gave to the world.

The apostle Paul wrote: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (Rom 10:9). This means that there are two very important things you must do to be saved. The first is to confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. That means you say out loud that He is Lord over your life personally and Lord of the Universe. And the second thing you need to do is to believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.

This takes us back to the sign Jesus gave us. He is no longer in the grave. After three days, He rose again. What will be your response to this sign? Let me encourage you today to repent of your own sin and believe on Jesus Christ. Confess that He is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. And as the Scriptures say, “You will be saved.”

Will you repent of your sins, and put your trust in Jesus today to save you?

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: I recommend my other posts called, Adam as a Type of Christ, The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Joseph as a Type of Christ, and The Tree of Life as a Type of Christ. You may also visit the Home page of this blog, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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 Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ

The bronze serpent that God commanded Moses to make in the wilderness was a type of Christ.

Historical Background
First, let's begin with the historical context of the serpent. Scripture says:

"The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.' And Moses interceded for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.' And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived." (Num 21:6-9, NIV).

Let's break that down into smaller parts, so we can digest it:

The problem: The people sinned by speaking against the Lord and against Moses.

The consequences: Fiery serpents came and bit the people, so that they died.

The source of the serpents: The Lord sent the fiery serpents.

The people's response: The people confessed their sin to Moses and asked him to pray for the Lord to remove the serpents.

Moses' response: He interceded for the people.

The solution: The Lord commanded Moses to make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard.

The outcome: Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard.

The process:  If a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

A Type of Christ
The apostle John tells us in his gospel that the bronze serpent was a type of Christ. He says: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life." (Jn 3:14-15, NIV). This is plainly and simply set forth to us to understand: As Moses lifted up the bronze serpent, even so Christ was lifted up on the cross. Let's break it down even further, so that we can better see the truth of that statement.

The problem: All people have sinned.

The consequences: The wages of sin is death, so that men die as a result of it.

The solution: God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16).

The outcome: Jesus was lifted up and crucified on a cross, similar to the standard upon which Moses set the bronze serpent.

The process:  Whoever believes and looks to Jesus Christ on the cross for salvation from sin and its deadly consequences shall have eternal life.

A Word of Caution
The bronze serpent later became a snare to the Israelites and they worshiped it by burning incense to it. It became known as Nehushtan as recorded in 2 Kings 18:4. Likewise, many turn the crucifix into an idol and worship it, but it is just a symbol. Yet in the Roman Catholic Church, to which I used to belong, they have a ceremony known as the Veneration of the Cross, in which I used to participate before I came to know Christ. It is typically done on Good Friday. During this ceremony, church members approach the cross, kneel before it, and kiss it. In fact, I believe some crosses have been kissed so many times that the feet of Jesus on it are probably worn off. This is simply idolatry, which God forbids in the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:4-6).

Closing Words
Just as the bronze serpent was a model of the poisonous snakes that were biting the people who sinned, so also the Lord came in the likeness of men who were fallen in sin (Phil 2:7). He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 5:21). He hung upon that cross as if He were a sinner, though He Himself was not, and thereby identified Himself with us and our sin problem. Just as the serpent was set upon a standard, so that it could be lifted up for all those who were bitten to see, likewise Jesus was lifted up on a cross, so that all those who realize they are dying in their sin may look to Him and live. Have you looked to Jesus?

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, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image of Christ on the Tree of Life may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  Also see Adam as a type of Christ, Manna as a Type of Christ, The Tree of Life as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Moses as a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, 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.

A Black Hole as a Type

Scientists have captured the first image of a
black hole, using Event Horizon Telescope 
observations of the center of galaxy M87. 
Image credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration 

There are many types found in God’s creation. For example, the stars are types of the saints (Phil 2:15), and the sun is a type of Christ, as I have written about in Light of the World (Ps 19:4b-6; Mal 4:2). The bright morning star is another type of Christ (2 Pe 1:19; Rev 22:16), and gold is a type of God’s glory (Ps 19:4b-10; Job 23:10), which is why it is found in so many things in the temple. The heavens are also a type of God’s glory, or at least a messenger that declares His glory (Ps 19:1), and sheep are a type of God’s people (Ps 95:7).

The stars are also types of the angels (Job 38:7). In the book of Revelation the red dragon, which is the devil, swept a third of the stars from the sky with its tail and flung them to the earth (Rev 12:4). Many believe this is a symbolic representation of satan leading a third of the holy angels to rebel against God, and thus to become fallen angels. This is further substantiated by the following passage:

“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Rev 12:7-9)

The morning Star is also a type of Lucifer or satan:

“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” (Is 14:12).

I have written about this in my articles The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music and The Rise and Fall of Lucifer the Musician. I suggest reading those if you want more detail.

Having said all that by way of introduction, let’s now consider the black hole of stellar mass. A black hole is formed in space by the collapse or death of a giant star. Since stars have mass, and mass causes a gravitational pull, smaller objects tend to gravitate toward and orbit around larger objects. Hence we find our planets revolving around the sun and our moon orbiting the earth, accompanied by millions of other objects, including man-made satellites. This gravitational pull in the universe is also the reason for spiral galaxies ¹. Thus when a super-massive star collapses, experiencing a supernova, whereby its central core implodes, it forms a black hole. Then as other smaller stars are drawn into it, the black hole develops and grows. As stars, planets, dust, and other matter, as well as antimatter and radiation, cross the event horizon, they fall down into the central singularity, growing the black hole and adding to its mass. They are pulled into it at the speed of light, and they never come out. In fact, not even light can escape from the black hole, hence the reason for its name. Initially objects drawn close to a black hole orbit it, but if they get too close to the precipice, they reach a point of no return. Then the super-heated gases get pulled by gravity into the powerful black hole, and become 100-billion-degree-hot plasma, never to be seen again.

Incidentally, this same phenomenon can occur when any large collection of matter, such as a massive cloud of contracting gas — collapses down directly to a black hole. It is not only the collapse of super-massive stars that can produce black holes. Moreover, the intense gravitational force that black holes exert is extremely powerful due to their enormous mass.

Scientists recently captured the first ever photos of a black hole, which helped to confirm what they previously understood. For many people, a black hole may have seemed like nothing more than a scientific theory. Since no one had ever seen a black hole, one may have questioned whether such things really existed. In fact, even Einstein himself was skeptical of their existence. Without ever having seen a black hole, astrophysicists could only theorize based on observations of circumstantial evidence like the motion of stars that seemed to orbit some sort of bizarre unseen object, as well as jets of particles found in space, or radiation that they detected from matter swirling into them. But how could they prove that these were actually black holes?

Now that they’ve photographed a black hole, we have the visual evidence of their existence beyond the shadow of a doubt. We have now seen what we thought was invisible. It took two hundred committed scientists, long-term development, international cooperation, innovation, a lot of money, numerous telescopes and antennae at multiple locations on earth, computers, and wisdom to actually capture a photo of a black hole ². But just as the Lord gave man wisdom how to put a man on the moon, He also gave this team of scientists the wisdom and a planet large enough from which to photograph a black hole. And He did so at this particular time in history for a specific purpose. I believe it is a sign of the times, and the main purpose for it is to illustrate something that is very important for every person on earth to know.

A Type of Hell
Since a black hole is a type of hell, God wanted us all to have this visual image of a black hole to help us realize that it definitely exists, and to better understand that terrible place called hell, of which it is a sort of pattern, so that we would not go there. For just as there are many people who don't believe that black holes exist, there are many who don't believe that hell exists either. But that doesn't make it any less real.

Initially, there was a giant star, Lucifer, who was one of the most powerful angels in heaven. He was an anointed guardian cherub. But he fell into sin and led many other angels in a rebellion against God. Some believe that a third of the holy angels actually fell with him, based on John's revelation of the dragon sweeping a third of the stars from the sky (Rev 12:4). His fall was like the death of a giant star, and the fall of those angels were like other stars being pulled into a black hole. The devil and his angels lost their place in heaven, and God prepared the eternal fire of hell for them (Mt 25:41).

Hell is the place where satan has his throne and he pretends to be God. Like a collapsed super-massive star, he exerts a powerful, dark, invisible force. Like stars drawn into a black hole, people in this world feel drawn toward evil as they experience a sort of gravitational pull that satan has. As they go through life, they are doing his bidding, whether they realize it or not, and descending toward hell with each step (Pr 2:18; 5:5; 7:27; Ps 9:7). They cannot seem to break free of their sinful habits, no matter how hard they may try (Pr 4:14-17, 19). They are foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. They live in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another (Tit 3:3). When they die, they fall down a great shaft and end up down in the pit with satan and his fallen angels, which is sometimes referred to as the bottomless pit, the infernal pit, or simply the Abyss (Rev 9:1-2). Although there are flames there, it is a place of utter darkness, where the light of the flames does not illuminate that place. Just like a black hole, the light cannot escape from that place, and no one can escape.

Hell is much like a very active black hole. Every minute there are thousands of souls falling into it to their eternal destruction, like grains of sand pouring through an hourglass. This brings great pain to the heart of God, since He is not willing for any to perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pe 3:9; Mt 18:14). In the same way that black holes grow by consuming stars and other matter insatiably, likewise hell has grown larger by the sheer number of souls falling into it. As the Scripture says, "So hell has enlarged itself, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pride, and he who rejoices in her, shall go down into it." (Isa 5:14). And it's no wonder, since the Lord declared, "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." (Mat 7:13).

Avoiding a Black Hole
Of course, the best way to avoid a black hole in the first place is to stay as far away from it as possible. However, since humans have already been drawn closer to hell to one extent or another, then we need another solution. If you have already been drawn close to a black hole, and find yourself circling it, then there is one way to avoid falling into it before you reach the point of no return, and that is to move away from it at the speed of light. The speed of light is represented by the letter c, which is the initial letter of celeritas, the Latin word meaning speed. As I wrote in a previous article, Christ is the Light of the World. He is the C that you need in order to avoid falling into hell. Let me explain how to move away from that type of "black hole" at C, the speed of Light.

The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory (Ro 3:23), so sin is a universal problem common to all people. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good, not even one (Ps 14:1, 3). We all, like sheep, have gone astray (Is 53:6). Scripture also says that the wages of sin is death (Ro 6:23a), and hell is the eternal punishment for those who die in that state (Mt 25:41, 46; Rev 20:12-14).

But God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16). Jesus Christ gave His life for you and me on the cross and took the punishment that we deserved. He died in our place. Then He rose again on the third day, and He lives forever as King of kings and Lord of lords. The gift of God to you is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord (Ro 6:23b). The only way to receive this free gift is to repent of your sin, believe on Jesus Christ, receive His forgiveness, and accept His gift of salvation (Ac 2:38). That is how you move away from hell and satan at the speed of Light.

You cannot repent after you die. Mercy is only available while you are still alive on earth. It is appointed to every man to die once and then comes the judgment (Heb 9:27). Don't wait until it's too late and you have passed the point of no return. Give your life to Jesus now while you are still able to. Now is the time of God's favor. Today is the day of salvation.

The Message of the Accretion Disk
The Event Horizon of a black hole is defined in Wikipedia as the invisible "shell" containing "points of no return", i.e., the boundary at which the gravitational pull of a massive object becomes so great as to make escape impossible. Through the recent image of the M87* black hole, scientists discovered that super-heated gases are circling the Event Horizon ("points of no return") in a clockwise pattern, known as the Accretion Disk. They believe these gases are moving close to the speed of light due to the intense gravitational pull. Nothing that crosses over the Event Horizon can escape from falling into the black hole's pit (known as its singularity). For all matter that passes over the Event Horizon, there is no turning back.

Hence, in the image of the black hole that was captured by scientists recently, what we are seeing is the light being emitted from (radio waves produced by) those super-heated, swirling gases in the Accretion Disk before they fell into the hole forever. In order to make that visual image possible, it was necessary for the tiny particles of light -- known as photons -- emitted from the Accretion Disk, to travel 53.5 million light years to earth and reach our telescopes ³.

The Accretion Disk, as part of the heavens, actually declares the glory of God, according to Psalm 19:1. So what is the message that the Accretion Disk declares to us that brings glory to God? The photons traveled all the way to earth to tell us of Christ’s salvation. Their message to all mankind is, "Repent! Hell is real! Don't go to that terrible place! Jesus saves!"

The Photo is a Type, Too
The image of the black hole, which provides definitive proof that black holes exist, is a type of all the evidence we find in Scripture that hell really exists. There is an abundance of evidence, including the testimony of the rich man in hell that Jesus spoke about in Luke 16:19-31. The photo of the black hole is also a type of the many testimonies of those whom God has allowed to temporarily experience hell and live to tell about it. They have returned with a message for mankind. I have published many of those testimonies on my Eternal Destinations blog, which I encourage you to check out.

Side by Side Comparison
Let's take a look at all of this in a side by side comparison:

Black Hole	Hell
May originate with collapse of super-massive star	Prepared by God due to the fall of a guardian cherub known as Lucifer, which means "star of the morning" (Is 14:12; Mt 25:41)
Grows and develops as it consumes stars, dust, planets, and other matter	Lucifer led a rebellion of heavenly angels, signified by stars. Once God prepared hell for the devil and his angels, it has grown and developed by being populated with fallen humans (Mt 25:41; Rev 12:4, 7-9; Isa 5:14).
Characterized by utter darkness inside	Characterized by utter darkness inside (Mt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30)
Billions of degrees hot temperature	Intense heat from eternal fire (Mt 25:41; Mk 9:43, 48)
Infinite density inside	Heavy oppression that grips all within
Exerts intense gravitational pull	Devil and his angels exert a strong pull on people that attracts them through temptations and overtakes them
Insatiable	Insatiable (Pr 30:15-16; Isa 5:14)
Nothing that enters can escape	Nobody condemned to that place can escape
Many people skeptical of its existence	Many people skeptical of its existence
Image of it now proves it is real	Scriptures, as well as testimonies, prove it is real
Avoid it by staying far from it	Avoid it at all costs
When being drawn close to it escape by moving away at the speed of light	Move away at the speed of Light by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ, accepting His free gift of salvation (Mk 1:15; Rom 10:9-13; Ac 2:38)

Closing Words
In this study, we have learned that just as many other parts of God's creation are types of Christ, the saints, and the angels, likewise black holes are a type of hell. There is no way out of hell, just as there is no way out of a black hole. Those who go to that place when they die are doomed to remain there forever, and never return. But Christ has made a way for us to avoid going to that place by moving away from it right now at the speed of Light.

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.

Footnotes:
¹ It is generally accepted that there is a super-massive black hole at the centers of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way galaxy.

² The M87* black hole that scientists recently photographed at the center of a giant, elliptical galaxy called Messier 87 (M87) is 6.5 billion times the mass of our sun. The actual size of its shadow (black part in the center) is nearly the size of our entire solar system. It is located 53.5 million light years away. The image above shows a bright ring formed as light bends in the intense gravity surrounding the black hole. Due to the fact that nothing can escape from a black hole once it falls into it, not even light, this is the first ever image of its kind. In order to accomplish such a breakthrough scientific discovery, it required a telescope at least the size of planet earth, which would have been impractical. So scientists created a virtual one that size by connecting six telescopes around the world, which were synchronized using an atomic clock that only loses one second every 50 billion years. And just to show how God made it all possible, it turns out that He made planet earth big enough for scientists to view black holes using these synchronized telescopes, ensuring our planet met the minimum size requirement, because it would have been impossible to do from a smaller planet. You see, due to the relatively tiny size of M87* in our sky from earth's perspective, it is at the very technological limits of what we are capable of viewing from earth. This video further explains it.

³ The photo that scientists captured of the M87* black hole is actually an image of radio waves. But radio waves come in photons too - it’s all "light" (i.e. electromagnetic radiation), just different wavelengths.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Image credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  Also see Light of the World, Where will you go when you die?, Is Jesus God?, The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ, Adam as a type of Christ, The Tree of Life as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, The Kingdom of Darkness, and The Mysteries of the Faith. You can find many testimonies of people who have received revelations of hell in my blog Eternal Destinations. 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.