Micah (Program #3) – The Greatness of the Prophets in Their Speaking Concerning Christ

Genuine lovers of God’s word have learned that the Old Testament reveals Christ in types and figures and in many places. In fact the Prophets of the Old Testament are particularly rich in the detailed aspects of Christ’s earthly and heavenly ministry revealed in their pages.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, often what they wrote prophetically had both application to their own situations in their time, as well as a clear reference to the coming One, our dear Lord Jesus. Other passages seen uniquely focus on Christ.  Micah 5:2 is such a passage, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, So little to be among the thousands of Judah, From you there will come forth to Me, He who is to be Ruler in Israel; And His goings forth are from ancient times, From the days of eternity.”

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Ezekiel (Program #7) – The High and Dreadful Wheels

Ezekiel chapter 1 with its detailed description of the four living creatures is arranged marvelously. Once we begin to see the spiritual application of all of the details associated with the four living creatures, we realize how significant this sequence is. For example, it begins with the wind, the cloud, the fire and the electrum – all figures or pictures of our progressive experience of God. Then out of these four come the four living creatures, each with four faces depicting aspects of Christ from His humanity, to His kingship, to His being a slave to come to serve God and man, and finally, to His divine transcendency. From this point, we progress to the coordination between and among the four living creatures. A coordination very much necessary if we are to enter into the next main point of God’s move on the earth for the accomplishment of His purpose.

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Ezekiel (Program #5) – Eagle’s Wings, Man’s Hands, and Calf’s Hoofs

Ezekiel, like the books of Daniel which is also in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament, is a book of signs and figures typifying important spiritual realities. It begins with a storm wind and a cloud with a fire out from which is a golden silver glowing called the electrum. And out of these four comes an indelible image – an image of four living creatures joined together to produce one corporate expression. The details of these four living creatures occupy much of Ezekiel chapter 1; and each of the details is worth our examination because each aspect of this mysterious image reveals much about God’s purpose as well as about our genuine experience of Him in the Christian walk and life. Let’s remember from our previous program that in each of these four living creatures itself has four faces – here’s Ezekiel 1:10 “As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four of them had the face of an eagle.”

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Ezekiel (Program #4) – The Four Living Creatures

Ezekiel is a book of figures or pictures that portrays spiritual things. For example in the beginning of the book, in the first 4 verses it says, “The word of Jehovah came expressly to Ezekiel the priest…And I looked, and there came a storm wind from the north, a great cloud and a fire flashing incessantly; and there was a brightness around it, and from the midst of it, there was something like the sight of electrum, from the midst of the fire.” These four items, the wind, the cloud, the fire and the electrum actually depict various aspects of how we experience God. God is like a wind to us, He overshadows and broods over us like a cloud; At times He’s a burning refining fire to purify us; and He’s also like a shining glowing electrum of gold and silver depicting His divine nature and Christ’s redemption. But if we genuinely experience God in these aspects, it will also produce something which we also come to today in verse 5, “And from the midst of it there came a likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had the likeness of a man.”

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Jeremiah (Program #12) – God’s Economy with His Dispensing in Jeremiah (1)

The Bible consummates with the revelation of the city of New Jerusalem. This indicates that the New Jerusalem is God’s goal. In fact every book in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is in some way related to the New Jerusalem as God’s goal. And as the ultimate goal of His plan and purpose with man, the New Jerusalem is just too wonderful for us to imagine. So God reveals this matter bit by bit. First by the Bible’s own words and then the stories, types, history, shadows and figures make it more and more clear to us. The Old Testament of Jeremiah is rich in the aspect of God’s economy that are revealed throughout. In Jeremiah, God’s goal of having a group of human beings that have been filled with Him and that bear His image and likeness to become His corporate expression for eternity is very much on display. And this vision unlocks all the riches and treasures in this book.

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Song of Songs (Program #7) – Called More Strongly to Live Within the Veil Through the Cross After Resurrection (1)

The fourth and final stage of the loving seeker’s experience as portrayed in the Song of Songs is to be called more strongly to live within the veil through the cross after resurrection.

This book Song of Songs is a marvelous book full of symbols or figures of spiritual things. All the physical things in this book symbolizes spiritual things. Solomon, as the great and wise king, is a picture of Christ. And this Shulamite country girl who, is attracted to him and pursues him and has a loving relationship with him, is a picture of individual believer in Christ who passes through a number of different stages in her experience of Christ.

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Song of Songs (Program #3) – Drawn to Pursue Christ for Satisfaction (2)

The Song of Songs contains a great picture of a seeking Christian’s pursuit of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the opening chapter, there is a description of this pursuit in verses four through eight:

“Draw me; we will run after you- The king has brought me into his chambers- We will be glad and rejoice in you; We will extol your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you. I am black but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. Do not look at me, because I am black, Because the sun has scorched me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept. Tell me you whom my soul loves. Where do you pasture your flock? Where do you make it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who is veiled beside the flocks of your companions? If you yourself do not know, You fairest among women, Go forth on the footsteps of the flock, And pasture your young goats by the shepherds’ tents.” (Song of Songs 1:4-8)

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Song of Songs (Program #2) – Drawn to Pursue Christ for Satisfaction (1)

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.” (Song of Songs 1:2)

This intimate and tender language might be thought to be from a great love sonnet from Shakespeare or Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Yet it’s actually from the opening lines of the book Song of Songs in the Old Testament. Why is a love poem given precious space in the pages of the Bible? There seems to be no way to understand such a book by studying in a doctrinal or theological perspective. It is purely a book of experience and to understand it properly we must learn to interpret the types and figures.

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Song of Songs (Program #1) – An Introductory Word and Drawn to Pursue Christ for Satisfaction (1)

“The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.
Your anointing oils have a pleasant fragrance;
Your name is like ointment poured forth;
Therefore the virgins love you.” (Song of Songs 1:1-3)

Thus opens one of the most remarkable and mysterious books of the entire Bible – The Song of Songs. It’s the third of three books composed by legendary King Solomon, the son of David and the builder of the first temple of God in Jerusalem. It is neither a book of history, law, prophecy or gospel as are nearly all of the other books of the Old Testament; rather, it is a book of poetry – a beautiful poetic story of the love and romance between a great and mighty king and a poor and lowly country maiden. How are we to understand such a book? The key is to realize that this book is a book of figures and symbols.

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Hebrews (Program #27) – A Great High Priest and the Throne of Grace

Our wonderful Jesus is our wonderful high priest, who is wearing us on His heart, bearing us on His strength and ministering God into us moment by moment, enabling us to live a heavenly life on this earth.  Hallelujah for such a High Priest!

The book of Hebrews presents Christ to us in many aspects and compares Him to so many great features and figures in the Old Testament.  The inescapable conclusion is that there is no comparison.   What a Christ we have!  We will see Him as our great High Priest.

Today, we have our fourth comparison of the Christ in the New Testament, compare to the many items in the Old Testament…

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