1 Corinthians 15:46
All the typology in the Bible bears this principle out. For example, the tabernacle furnishings, the priestly garments, the Feasts of Israel and etc are all natural items or events designed to carry and speak of a non-natural (spiritual/real) truth. When Paul enunciated this principle he was talking about how our natural earthly body is but a shadow/representation of the coming spiritual and eternal one. In all of God’s communication with us he speaks the language we understand—that of the natural world in which He put us, and uses its ‘paraphernalia’ as pointers to spiritual reality—what exists in His realm.
In almost every Biblical depiction of the dwelling place and the ‘throne’ of God in His realm, there is water—a stream that flows to bring life (For example Psalm 46:4; Ezekiel 47:5-9; Isaiah 8:6; Jeremiah 2:13; Zechariah 14:8; Joel 3:18b; Revelation 22:1)…not to mention what Jesus said about fountains of living water flowing out from those who would become His new residence, John 4:14 and 7:38!
Why then, when it comes to THE PLACE where Yahweh put His earthly temple, do so many want discard or ignore this principle of shadows and types? Why would God not be consistent when it comes to the place of His presence among His people of old, from which His life-giving water was to flow?
The first natural temple therefore, had a spring of living water to declare the spiritual truth of His life being made available and flowing to a thirsty world.
Can you see that we must get hold of both truths? How that which is presented in the natural world provides a picture of what exists in the world of the Spirit. Or...to put it the other way around, what exists as spiritual truth and reality, has its ‘type’ or shadow-picture in our material and natural realm. But from the believer’s ground-based view it is ‘first the natural, then the spiritual.’ The first is to point us to the second!
All the typology in the Bible bears this principle out. For example, the tabernacle furnishings, the priestly garments, the Feasts of Israel and etc are all natural items or events designed to carry and speak of a non-natural (spiritual/real) truth. When Paul enunciated this principle he was talking about how our natural earthly body is but a shadow/representation of the coming spiritual and eternal one. In all of God’s communication with us he speaks the language we understand—that of the natural world in which He put us, and uses its ‘paraphernalia’ as pointers to spiritual reality—what exists in His realm.
In almost every Biblical depiction of the dwelling place and the ‘throne’ of God in His realm, there is water—a stream that flows to bring life (For example Psalm 46:4; Ezekiel 47:5-9; Isaiah 8:6; Jeremiah 2:13; Zechariah 14:8; Joel 3:18b; Revelation 22:1)…not to mention what Jesus said about fountains of living water flowing out from those who would become His new residence, John 4:14 and 7:38!
Why then, when it comes to THE PLACE where Yahweh put His earthly temple, do so many want discard or ignore this principle of shadows and types? Why would God not be consistent when it comes to the place of His presence among His people of old, from which His life-giving water was to flow?
The first natural temple therefore, had a spring of living water to declare the spiritual truth of His life being made available and flowing to a thirsty world.
Can you see that we must get hold of both truths? How that which is presented in the natural world provides a picture of what exists in the world of the Spirit. Or...to put it the other way around, what exists as spiritual truth and reality, has its ‘type’ or shadow-picture in our material and natural realm. But from the believer’s ground-based view it is ‘first the natural, then the spiritual.’ The first is to point us to the second!
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