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In teaching children, we often first show them a picture and then give them a clear word. Without a picture it is difficult to explain things to them, but a clear picture makes things easy to understand. In His wisdom, before presenting the items of the New Testament, which are spiritual and abstract, God gave us a series of pictures in the Old Testament to show the real things that were to come. Sadly, however, throughout the centuries not many Christians, even Christian teachers, have paid adequate attention to all these pictures.
All Bible students agree that the experiences of the children of Israel are types. For example, the passover was a type. In that feast the children of Israel offered a lamb to God. When God saw the blood of the lamb sprinkled on the doorpost, He passed over them (Exo. 12:13). In 1 Corinthians 5:7 Paul says, “Our Passover, Christ, also has been sacrificed,” indicating that the passover was a prefigure of Christ. After celebrating the first passover, the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea and entered into the wilderness. According to 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, the crossing of the Red Sea was a prefigure of New Testament baptism. During their years in the wilderness, the children of Israel were nourished by manna. All students of the Scriptures agree that manna was a type of Christ as food for God’s people (John 6:31-35). Furthermore, God commanded the children of Israel to erect the tabernacle and to offer certain offerings, including the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. All Bible students admit that these offerings were types of various aspects of Christ. Actually, the whole tabernacle, including all its fixtures, was a type of Christ. The altar, the laver, the table of the bread of the Presence, the lampstand, the incense altar, and the Ark were all types of Christ. After the children of Israel entered into the good land, they built the temple, which was not only a type of Christ but also a type of the church.
The history of the children of Israel includes their dispersion. After the building of the temple, they were divided; and after they were divided, they were dispersed, being held in captivity seventy years. At the end of that period of captivity, God told them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Although nearly all Christian teachers have applied the types of the passover, the crossing of the Red Sea, the manna, and the tabernacle and its furniture to the New Testament reality, to my knowledge, hardly any have proceeded to apply the latter part of their history.
In Deuteronomy 12, 14, and 16 a number of critical points are covered. The first of these points is that God commanded the Israelites to worship Him in the place He had chosen (12:5, 11). When I studied the book of Deuteronomy as a young man, I wondered why God forbade the children of Israel to worship in the place of their choice. They were not permitted to worship God or to enjoy the offerings they presented to God in any place they liked. No, they had to go to one unique place. The choice was God’s, not theirs. This requirement did not make sense to me. Surely God is omnipresent. He is everywhere, whether it be north, south, east, or west. Since God is omnipresent, why did He require His people to travel to just one place? As far as I was concerned, God was unreasonable in making this demand. If I had been God, I would not have required this. I would have said, “My people, as the great God, I am omnipresent. I am with you wherever you may be. No matter where you are on the face of the earth, you can worship Me.” But God’s way is not our way. He has His own wise way. In chapter 12 of Deuteronomy God seemed to be saying, “After you enter into the good land, take heed that you do not present your burnt offerings at any place you see. You have no right to do this. You must go to the place I have chosen. It is not a matter of your sight but of My sight.” I wondered why He did not give His people liberty in this matter.
As we all know, God eventually chose Jerusalem. Those who lived near Jerusalem undoubtedly were happy to learn of this, and they might have said, “Hallelujah, we don’t need to travel very far.” However, those in the north, who had to travel a long way to Jerusalem, might have thought that God was unfair and demanding too much of them. Nevertheless, God seemed to say, “Children of Israel, you have no right to choose the place. The choice is mine. You must go to the place I have chosen.” This matter must have some significance in typology.
The passover lamb typifies Christ, the crossing of the Red Sea typifies baptism, and the manna typifies Christ as our food. But what does God’s choice of Jerusalem typify? During the years I was in Christianity, I read many books, but not one book told me the significance of this point in typology. In Deuteronomy 12, 14, and 16, “The place which Jehovah your God will choose” occurs fifteen times. Hence, it must be vitally significant. Yet it has been neglected or overlooked throughout the centuries.
God also commanded that the top portion of the produce of the good land be eaten in the place He had chosen. Regarding the enjoyment of the produce of the good land, God seemed to say, “When you enter into the land, you must keep aside the top portion of your crops and your herds. You have no right to eat this portion within your gates. You must bring it to the place I have chosen for My name and for My habitation. Three times a year you must bring the choice portion to this place.” As I read this as a young man, I was troubled and thought that it was not at all economical. Everything other than the top portion could be eaten either in the homes of the Israelites or in any other place of their choice, but the top portion could be enjoyed only in the place God had chosen for His name and for His habitation. To me, this requirement was very strange. Probably you have never heard a message telling you the significance of this in typology.
The good land is a type of the all-inclusive Christ, and all the rich produce of the land is a type of the riches of Christ. Moreover, as we have seen, all the offerings of the produce of the good land are also types of Christ. Based upon this principle, we may ask the following question: Is there a portion of Christ that we cannot enjoy in our private place but only in the place chosen by God? If you have seen that there is such a portion, I would ask if in your Christian life you have ever experienced Christ in the place He has chosen. If you have had this experience, I would like to hear you testify about it. You should be able to testify that wherever you are, you enjoy Christ by calling on His name. But you should also be able to testify that the top portion of the riches of Christ can be enjoyed only in the place of His choice. I can testify that I have not been able to enjoy the choicest aspect of the riches of Christ in my private fellowship with Him. In private I enjoy only the common portion of Christ, not the special portion. I can enjoy this choice portion of the riches of Christ only in the church, in the place chosen and appointed by the Lord.
Therefore, we have seen two important points: the chosen place and the special portion of the produce of the riches of the good land. I doubt that in Christianity you ever heard a message giving you the significance of these matters.
Based upon the principle that everything related to the history of the children of Israel has a significance in typology, we must now consider the significance of the Lord’s choosing the unique place of worship. Although I first thought that the Lord was unreasonable in this matter, later my eyes were opened to see how wise He was. He chose the unique place for His people to worship Him and to offer sacrifices to Him for the purpose of preserving the oneness of His people. Without this regulation, restriction, and limitation, dozens of worship centers would have been established throughout the land of Israel, and consequently the people would have been divided. The subtle people of Dan (who are likened to a serpent in Genesis 49:17) probably would have said, “We are not happy with those in Judah. We prefer to be by ourselves. Let us have a worship center here in Dan.” Other tribes might have said, “We are a long way from Jerusalem. Let us set up a center where we are.” If all the tribes had done this, they would have been divided and could never have sung Psalm 133, which was always sung in the three yearly feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. 16:16). As the children of Israel ascended Mount Zion, they sang these words: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is / For brothers to dwell in unity!” (Psa. 133:1). Suppose some Israelites from the different tribes had problems with one another. Three times a year, they still had to go to the chosen place to worship. One Israelite could not say, “I’m not happy with you. Because you are going to Zion to worship God, I refuse to go there.” If he had done that, he would have lost all the blessings. Although these Israelites might not forgive one another prior to the day of the feast, at least at the time of the feast they had to be reconciled to one another in order to sing Psalm 133. Here God’s wisdom is displayed.
The unique worship center chosen by God was a powerful uniting factor. Throughout the centuries the children of Israel have not presumed to build a temple for the Lord on any other site. They realize that on the whole earth there is only one site for God’s temple—Mount Zion. They may have different concepts, opinions, desires, and ambitions, but the site for the building of God’s temple is uniquely one. This unique site kills all their concepts, opinions, desires, and ambitions. God does not give them the opportunity to fulfill their ambitions. Certainly a good number of intelligent Jews throughout the centuries have been very ambitious. However, none of them has dared to construct a temple on any other site. Choosing a specific place as a worship center was God’s wisdom to maintain the oneness of His people.
After the death of Solomon, the kingdom of David was divided. Due to the degradation of Solomon, ten of the twelve tribes were lost to Jeroboam, who established another kingdom (1 Kings 11:29-37). From that time onward, the children of Israel were two separate kingdoms—the kingdom of Judah to the south and the kingdom of Israel to the north. The worship center chosen by God, however, was not divided; it was still one. The kingdom may have been divided, but the center of God’s testimony could not be divided. Jeroboam was very concerned about this matter. Probably deep in his heart, he said, “If these ten tribes continue going to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, they may be influenced to kill me and to return to the house of David.” Therefore, Jeroboam set up two other worship centers, one in Bethel and one in Dan, for the convenience of his people (12:26-33). Jeroboam seemed to be saying to the people in a subtle way, “It is too far for you to travel to Jerusalem. It is not at all convenient. I have set up two other worship centers for you. Now you don’t need to go to Jerusalem. You may go either to Dan or to Bethel to worship your God.” This also is very significant in typology.
The significance of Jeroboam’s sin can be seen in practice in today’s Christianity. Certain pastors and so-called Christian workers desire to have an empire under their control. In order to have their own kingdom, they, like Jeroboam, establish their own worship centers. Jeroboam did not have the real God. Having made two calves of gold, Jeroboam said, “Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” (v. 28). Perhaps you think that no one would have been so foolish as to follow such a blind guide, but many Christians are this foolish today. Just as Jeroboam had God only in name, some of the things that are called “God” in the worship centers today are simply God in name. Actually, it is not God—it is a calf.
Jeroboam surely had no heart for God; his heart was for himself and for his empire. He not only set up those two idols, but he also had the boldness to build a “house of high places” (v. 31). The Hebrew word for house in this verse is the same word for the house of Jehovah, referring to the temple (6:37). Thus, Jeroboam built a temple on the high places. Today there are many “high places” in Christianity upon which people build temples in the name of God. Actually, these temples are not built purely for God but are also for the ambition of those who build them. Many so-called Christian workers also treasure the particular names they keep. Because they want to maintain control over their empire, they do not call themselves by a common term but by a particular name. If they took a common name, their empire would be lost. Their names are unscriptural. You cannot find in the Bible the names they use. In principle, some of their deeds are the same as those of Jeroboam.
After the Babylonian captivity God told His people to return from Babylon to Jerusalem. He seemed to be saying, “Get out of your captivity and get into My recovery.” Although not all the children of Israel returned, a number did go back to Jerusalem. Ezra was a leader among those who had returned, and the book of Ezra is the book of return from Babylon to Jerusalem, from captivity to the Lord’s recovery. Those who returned to Jerusalem rebuilt the temple and later the wall of the city.
Do you know the significance of this point? Surely this matter is important. If we believe that Genesis 1:26 is God’s word, then we must also believe that this point is His word. The question is how to apply it. We apply the passover to Christ, the crossing of the Red Sea to baptism, the manna to Christ as our food, the tabernacle to Christ, the altar to the cross of Christ, and the furniture in the tabernacle and the temple to Christ. If we would apply all the points we have considered thus far in this chapter, we must be very sober and not listen to the superficial talk of today’s Christianity. Many critics say that it is not fair for us to claim that we are the church and that they are not the church. They say, “Is it fair for you to say that you are the church and that we are not? Are we not Christians? Have we not been saved? Don’t we love the Lord? Are we not here serving the Lord? Is not our work for the Lord? Then why do you call yourselves the church and say that we are not the church?” Do not presume that you cannot be misled by such superficial talk. Apparently, such talk is quite logical; actually, it is altogether unscriptural. I admit that there are many genuine Christians who truly love the Lord and have a heart to serve the Lord, but they are still in captivity and have not returned to the proper ground.
As you contact other Christians, you must be calm and sober and ask them two important questions. First, ask them why they have different names that cannot be found in the Bible. Ask them why they have chosen these names for themselves. Tell them that in reading the New Testament you find no trace of these names. Ask them what name they have. Since they consider themselves to be scriptural, why do they not forsake these unscriptural names? Instead of giving you a straight answer, they may twist things in an attempt to excuse themselves.
Second, since they claim to be the church, ask them how many churches there should be. No one would say that there should be more than one church. Rather, everyone would say that there should be just one church. But in saying this, they are caught. Then you should reply, “Since there is only one church, why are you here as a ‘church’ and someone else is over there as another ‘church’? You have so many so-called churches in one city. Since you are all in Anaheim and even in the same neighborhood, why don’t you all come together? You claim that you are the church and that there is only one church. Why then will you not be one? We all hold the same Bible, believe in the same Lord Jesus, and live in the same city. You all claim to be the church, yet you refuse to be one. What is this?” If any would say that it is not convenient to come together, you should reply, “In the early days in Jerusalem there were tens of thousands of believers who met in houses. But Acts 8:1 speaks of the church, not the churches, in Jerusalem. In the Bible there is only the city church, not the street church.” If any would attempt to justify the existence of denominations, we should point to the four divisions named in 1 Corinthians 1 and ask whether they are positive or negative, whether they are approved by the apostle Paul or condemned.
Thus, we must ask about two matters: unscriptural names and divisions. These questions need to be answered. We have no particular names, names that are not in the Bible. We are not divisive; we are prepared to be one with all believers in Christ. Thus, we are on the proper ground as the church. If we are not the church, then what are we?
If you bring all these matters to the Lord in prayer, you will clearly see that God has chosen only one ground, the ground of oneness. The principle is found in Deuteronomy 12, 14, and 16, where God charged His people again and again to care for the unique place chosen by Him. As far as the public worship of God’s people is concerned, none of us has the right to select the place of our choice. Deuteronomy 12:8 says, “You shall not do according to all that we do here today, each man doing all that is right in his own eyes.” In these chapters Moses charged the people to do what was right in the eyes of God, not to go any longer to the place of their choice and not to offer their burnt offerings in the place of their preference. Rather, they had to take heed to the place that God should choose. They had to learn how to worship God. They had no right to choose a place. The unique place is the ground chosen by God. This was true in typology, and it also must be true in reality.
We have seen that the people of God were degraded, and that furthermore they were scattered due to their degradation. During the captivity, they did not have the ground for the building of God’s temple. After the years of their captivity were ended, God called them to go back to Jerusalem, back to the old ground, back to the original site, the unique place God had chosen for the rebuilding of His temple. A number did return, and they rebuilt the temple. Due to this, God’s glory returned. Many of the children of Israel remained in the place of their captivity, unwilling to pay the price to return to Jerusalem. They had become settled in Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt. Those who went back could claim that they had God’s temple. In a very positive sense, they themselves were the temple of God.
Let us suppose that those who remained in Babylon, Egypt, and Assyria said, “You say that you are the temple of God and that we are not. But are we not the people of God?” Those who had returned to Jerusalem would reply, “Yes, you are the people of God just as much as we are, but there is a difference between us. We have returned to the land of our forefathers, but you still remain in captivity in the Gentile world. We have God’s presence in His temple, but you do not have it.” Yes, we admit that all real Christians throughout the world are truly the people of God. But so many of them are still in captivity and do not have the church life. Hence, they are not the temple with God’s presence and God’s glory. If we see this matter clearly, then we shall know where we are and what the Lord’s recovery is today. Hallelujah, we are in the Lord’s recovery! The Lord’s recovery is to bring us back to the original ground so that His temple may be built and we may have His presence in His glory for our enjoyment. Today we are enjoying this glory. We have the boldness to say that the church is here. You cannot find the church life in denominations and free groups because the Christians there have lost the ground and are still in captivity.
