Theology-Biblical Typology - By Randy Nelsen

Theology- Biblical Typology - By Randy Nelsen

Biblical Typology is the study of the symbols or types that link together the Natural  and Spiritual Truths represented within the Holy Bible.Typology teaches people to link the carnal realm of this world with the spiritual realm of heaven, and  it is also one of the reasons why Jesus used the Parable as a method of teaching his disciples.The definition of the Greek word for parable παραβολή (parabolē) is this, to set something beside something. It is to set one thing or concept beside another so that a comparison can be made.A Parable is a analogy,illustration or comparison The parable is a linking form of typology that connects the natural truth with  the greater Spiritual truth. This is a scriptural example, Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?Luke 13:18 . Typology is a symbol for a spiritual truth,and  biblical Typology is the actual example within the scripture. I will use a well known illustration

"An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Mt 12:40)

In this scriptural reference we see that Jesus is making a comparison and linking two different events together; one in the Old Testament and one that Jesus Christ would soon fulfill. The first is a prophetic event foreshadowed in the story of Jonah because as Jonah was in the whales belly three days so was Christ in heart of the earth.

  What we see in the story of Jonah is a beautiful metaphor  a linking Messianic Typology which is a shadow of what was to be fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus went to the heart of the earth and preached to the Old Testament Saints who had died before the dispensation of  his Grace which he provided on the cross. The story of Jonah is a symbol and metaphor for what Christ did for us when he was three days in the heart of the earth, in other words the whales belly. The whales belly is a symbol or type of death from which Christ freed us, and and it was also called a sign which is a type. The story of Jonah is a  prophetic Type and shadow cast on the pages of the old Testament of what the coming messiah would do on the cross. What is important to understand is that typology and particularly messianic typology is like a fine thread woven within the pages of the Bible; you just need to identify the thread. The Old testament contains many types, types of the flesh, typological events and also people and things that are types. The bronze serpent that Moses raised was a type of Christ.The bronze serpent was symbolic of Jesus victory over sin and death.The people were bitten by serpents and were dying, so they were told to create a  bronze serpent and raise it on a pole. The Bronze serpent a picture of what Jesus Christ did for us. The bronze serpent represents sin and death but more importantly it symbolizes Jesus Christs death for sin. Jesus became our salvation by crucifying sin and death, that is why when the Israelites looked to the raised bronze serpent death became the solution for death. The death of Christ became the final solution for the death of sin. Another Typological example was when Abraham was going to sacrifice his only son Isaac on the stone as a sacrifice. This event was a messianic prophetic type fulfilled in the man Jesus Christ, just as Abraham was willing to give his only son,our Father in heaven actually offered his only son as a sacrifice and everlasting atonement for our sins.The tabernacle is another type, all of the things that are contained within the tabernacle are  spiritual types or shadows of the heavenly representatives.
Hebrews 8:5 says this They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. 
This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
Sometimes there is a veiled message that the Holy Spirit is trying to convey within the scripture, it is the picture of Christ behind the story in the bible. This does not mean that we take things to an extreme, or completely disregard the historical and cultural context of the narrative; that would be foolish. What we do is ask the Lord to reveal to us the hidden treasure, in other words to open the eyes of our understanding, and to give us greater insight and spiritual revelation. Typology is a fascinating study and method of biblical interpretation;nevertheless it must be done responsibly,  with a proper motive, and a sincere desire for accuracy and truth above all else.