Taking us in

The Bible has pictures and prototypes; computers call them “macros.” God says, “It’s going to be like this so let me preform it.” That’s what’s going on with Exodus.

Jordan explains, “The Israelites come out (they’re the sons) and now they need to go in, but because of unbelief they don’t, and when they finally do they’ve got to come to Jordan.

“The Red Sea is the Cross. You come out of Egyptian bondage into the new life God has for this new nation; the new creature that He’s made here. They didn’t have to wait all those years; they could have gone right in into the possessions for which God created them.

“The first five books of Romans demonstrate how you get out of Egypt into new life ground. Romans 6-8, that’s Canaan. There’s possessing your possessions, and your identity in Christ, and who God has made you living in you. You’re not supposed to have that big Romans 7 wilderness thing—it’s unbelief that puts you there.

“In Joshua 4, when they finally get to go in, there’s a fascinating bunch of stuff that happens. In the Red Sea, Moses, the law man, leads them, but when you come to the Jordan, the Ark of the Covenant is going to lead, so it’s going to be a different kind of a thing. It’s the Lord of all the earth who is going in to possess the land. Joshua 3 is wonderful picture of ‘here comes Jehovah to possess His inheritance.’ ”

Joshua 3:14-17 says, [14] And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
[15] And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
[16] That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
[17] And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.”

Jordan says, “Look at the symbolism there. From a city named Adam flows a river named Jordan. The name Jordan means ‘descender.’ Another name for the Salt Sea is the Dead Sea. From a man named Adam there’s a life descending that ends in death and what he did, he didn’t open up like the Red Sea; he literally cut off that life. When they went across that Jordan River there was no water within 30 miles for them to even see; that’s how fully God put away the life that comes from Adam to deliver them into the land! I look at that and say, ‘That’s a super thing!’

“It gets even better in chapter 5 because you get this quirky little thing about how they’re not circumcised but they’ve got to be. Oooh. And then they go in and eat the old corn of the land. Moses delivered the circumcision (the nation Israel) from bondage. You remember Moses’ son wasn’t circumcised and he had to circumcise him?

“God works with an uncircumcised people for a whole long time and then God goes back to working with the circumcision people and they have to get circumcised here. All that time in the wilderness they weren’t circumcised. I read that and I say, ‘Now that is a weird thing. You couldn’t have known any of this until you come over to Paul’s ministry and yet there’s a picture of it in Joshua 5. Whoever orchestrated the events back in Joshua really knew some things about the future. He knew how to draw Paul’s right division timeline.’

“The point is when they go across Jordan into Canaan what they’re doing is going across into the possessions that God had for them and now they’re to go and possess what was their inheritance. And the conflict and the possession was their responsibility.

“There is a comparison between the Book of Ephesians and the Book of Joshua. Oftentimes Joshua is described as Israel going in and possessing their possessions. But that’s what Ephesians is about. It’s about entering into a full understanding of your Sonship; what it is God chose you for and bringing those things into your experience and you being in them.

“There are five times in Ephesians that Paul talks about the ‘heavenly places.’ And there’s a fascinating comparison between those five things and things in the Book of Joshua.

“The point I’m making is if we’re going to be functioning in the Spirit, walking in the identity God’s given us in Christ and have an appreciation of it, we’re going to have Romans as a foundation and Ephesians and so forth as our understanding.

“We’re oriented to His grace and the reason He has the Body of Christ and we need to bring that into our experience; not just have it in our head but have it in our life. It needs to be our life. That’s exactly what God was demonstrating through the nation Israel was their opportunity to be sons.

“In Ephesians 1 we’re told we’ve been predestinated to an inheritance and the spiritual blessings in heavenly places is an inheritance God has given to a CHOSEN group of people. It’s ‘according as he hath chosen us (the Body of Christ) in him before the foundation of the world.’ Notice He didn’t say He chose you to be in Him.

“So the parallel is Israel is going into an earthly possession that God gave to them and we’re going to go into a heavenly realm that God gave to us. It’s all His plan. He’s got a plan for Israel and a plan for us. Israel is blessed with material blessings in earthly places in Abraham. We’re blessed with spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You got to be careful to focus on your calling.

“You know who’s going to open up the heavenly places? Who’s the head of all things in the heavenly places? Christ. God opens this stuff up for us through Christ. He’s the leader. Nobody’s going to take us there but Him.

“Now there’s an interesting thing. Who took Israel into the Promised Land? Joshua. Who couldn’t take them in to the Promised Land? The Law man, Moses. Joshua 1:6. Notice its Joshua’s responsibility to divide the land; divide the inheritance. In verse 11:23 you see Joshua took the whole land according to all that the Lord said to Moses.

“Talking about that, Hebrews 4 says, ‘Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

“Drop down to verse 8: ‘For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.’ Who’s He talking about there historically? He’s actually talking about Joshua. Now why would He call him Jesus? Well, the Hebrew name Joshua means ‘Jehovah Savior.’ The Greek name is Jesus. My name is Richard and in Spanish it’s Ricardo. By the way, did you know Jacob is James in English? Isn’t it interesting that it was when James was on the throne that your Bible was finished?

“Joshua leading Israel in is a type of the resurrected Christ who’s going to divide the inheritance to the nation Israel one day in the future and bring them out for their planting in the land. How are they going to get their blessings? Joshua’s a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ taking them into the land.”