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Scripture Reading: Num. 21:1-3, 21-35
In this message we will begin to consider the fighting of the children of Israel.
Numbers 21:1-3, 21-35 reveals that the children of Israel defeated the kings of Arad, of the Amorites, and of Bashan. These kings were gate guards of the good land; their territory was east of the Jordan. In order for the children of Israel to enter into the good land, they had to pass through the territory controlled by these kings who were guarding the land of Canaan for Satan. These kings, therefore, were gate guards of the kingdom of darkness, and they had to be defeated before the children of Israel could enter into the land usurped and occupied by Satan.
What does Canaan signify in typology? A common, shallow understanding is that Canaan signifies heaven. Certain hymns speak of crossing "the cold waves of Jordan" on the way to heaven. This understanding of the spiritual significance of Canaan surely is not accurate. In the land of Canaan there were all kinds of enemies. If Canaan signifies heaven, this would mean that there are enemies in heaven. If this were the situation, heaven would not be a pleasant place, and no one would want to go there.
In typology, Canaan signifies the aerial part, the heavenly part, of the dark kingdom of Satan. Matthew 12:26 indicates that Satan has a kingdom. As the ruler of this world (John 12:31) and as the ruler of the authority of the air (Eph. 2:2), Satan has his authority (Acts 26:18) and his angels (Matt. 25:41), who are his subordinates as principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph. 6:12). Hence, he has his kingdom, the authority of darkness (Col. 1:13). Satan and his kingdom are at war, at enmity, with God and His kingdom. Formerly, we were in the kingdom of Satan, but God's salvation has brought us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of God's love (Col. 1:13). Now we are no longer in the kingdom of Satan but are in the kingdom of God.
The point we would emphasize here is that Canaan does not signify heaven in a positive sense; on the contrary, Canaan typifies the main part, the leading part, the aerial part, of Satan's kingdom, with its authorities and rulers. In typology, the giants in the land of Canaan signify the evil angels, the rebellious angels who follow Satan (Rev. 12:4, 7).
During the past twenty-five years, we have stressed the fact that Canaan, the good land, is a type of Christ. Now we are saying that Canaan is a type of the kingdom of Satan, with its evil spirits. This may seem contradictory, but actually it is not. If we study the typology carefully, we will see that Canaan has two features. On the one hand, Canaan is a land of riches, as revealed in Deuteronomy 8. Using this portion of the Word as the basis, we released the messages that have been printed in the book The All-inclusive Christ. On the other hand, Canaan was a land full of evil persons and enemies, all of whom were to be eradicated by the children of Israel. This feature, or aspect, of Canaan signifies the most evil part of Satan's dark kingdom. As we consider these two features of Canaan, we see that whether or not we can enjoy Christ as the all-inclusive land depends on whether or not we defeat the enemies typified by the Canaanites. This indicates that the church as a whole, including all the members, should engage in the spiritual warfare revealed in Ephesians 6.
Ephesians is a book on the all-inclusive Christ. Ephesians 3:8 tells us that the riches of Christ are untraceable. In order to enjoy such a Christ, we need to fight against the spiritual enemies, against "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies" (Eph. 6:12). We must defeat and crush the enemies signified by the king of Arad, Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan. We all need to keep in mind that the Canaanites typify the fallen angels, who have become the powers, rulers, and authorities in Satan's kingdom, and that a war is raging between these evil spirits and the church. The typology in Numbers 21 shows us how to fight in this war. The slaughtering of the gate guards in this chapter indicates our need to defeat the evil spirits in the kingdom of Satan. It is helpful to have this view as we now consider 21:1-3, 21-35.
In 21:1-3 the children of Israel defeated the king of Arad.
"When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive" (v. 1). This portrays an aspect of the history of the church. Some saints in the church have been taken captive by the evil spirits.
"Israel vowed a vow to Jehovah, and said, If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities" (v. 2). Israel vowed to destroy not only the people of Arad but also their cities. This indicates that we need to fight against the evil spirits, defeat them, and take over their territory. We need to exercise our Christ-given authority over the aerial powers.
"Jehovah hearkened to the voice of Israel, and gave over the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities" (v. 3). This indicates that Arad, the first of the gate guards, was defeated by the children of Israel. I hope that the scene here will help us to see the vision of the church's warfare against the evil spirits in the air.
In 21:21-32 the children of Israel defeated Sihon king of the Amorites (Gen. 15:16).
"Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into field or vineyard; we will not drink the water of a well; we will go by the king's highway, until we have passed through your territory" (Num. 21:21-22). Since Sihon is a type of the evil spirits, these verses indicate that sometimes we may ask the evil spirits to give us a way through their territory.
"Sihon would not grant Israel to pass through his territory. And he gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel to the wilderness, and came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel" (v. 23). This portrays something that actually may take place in the spiritual realm. We may speak to the evil spirits, asking them to give us a way through their territory, but this stirs them to fight against us.
Israel slew Sihon, took possession of his land, and dwelt in the land of the Amorites (vv. 24-32). This indicates that after we engage in spiritual warfare against the evil spirits, part of the territory of Satan in the air becomes ours. Throughout the centuries, some of the saints have fought in such a way against the evil powers in the air.
According to 21:33-35, the children of Israel also defeated Og, the king of Bashan. Bashan, which is mentioned several times in the Psalms, is a mountain standing in opposition to God's dwelling place. Thus, Bashan is a type of the satanic authority in the air.
King Og and all his people came to do battle against Israel at Edrei (v. 33). Jehovah said to Moses, "Do not fear him; for I have given him into your hand, as well as all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon" (v. 34). Therefore, Israel slew Og, his sons, and all his people, until there was none left, and possessed his land (v. 35).
If we understand these verses regarding the three gate guards as typifying the church's spiritual warfare against the evil spirits in the air, we will obtain much that is profitable from these verses. Today we must fight against the evil spirits and defeat them so that we may gain more territory for God's kingdom.
In our Christian experience we may not have much realization concerning the spiritual warfare about which we have been speaking. When we think of spiritual warfare, we may have in mind the warfare between our spirit and our flesh or the struggle against sin and worldliness. However, the war against sin, the world, and the flesh is the lower part of the spiritual warfare. The higher part of the spiritual warfare is the fighting in the spiritual realm against evil spirits and demons.
In the spiritual world there is a territory usurped and occupied by Satan and his followers. Paul had an excellent understanding of this and spoke much concerning it. Now we need to learn about this spiritual reality, which is Satan's kingdom, the kingdom of darkness. Within this kingdom there are the fallen angels and the demons. Whereas the fallen angels are in the air, the demons are in the water. Both the angels and the demons, as followers of Satan, are working on fallen human beings to make them subjects in Satan's kingdom. The fallen angels in the air — the rulers, powers, and authorities of the kingdom of Satan — rule the entire world, and the demons are their helpers, helping the fallen angels to usurp human beings. Thus, the kingdom of Satan comprises evil angels, demons, and fallen human beings.
The New Testament tells us that God has appointed His people to fight against the kingdom of Satan. He has assigned them the responsibility of engaging in spiritual warfare. The history of Israel's fighting against the Canaanites is a type, a picture, of the warfare raging today between us and the fallen angels and the demons. If we read Numbers 21 from this perspective, we will see a vision concerning spiritual warfare.
