The Holy Nation
Today’s Focus: Type, Shadow and Reality Part 1
Scripture: Colossians 2:16,17; Romans 1:20
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
How can we relate or advance in the eternal in the realm of time? God knew that after the fall man would have a difficult time understanding and could not comprehend revelation from the eternal in the natural due to the lack of Holy Spirit abiding in man. Look at what God does:
Romans 1:20: For the invisible things of Him (God) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His (God) eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
So what God does is by the things that He made and placed in the earth, there is a symbolic meaning of a eternal reality that God is trying to speak to man. Now these symbolic representations is what the scripture calls types and shadows. If you have not seen this let me show you in this scripture in Colossians 2:17:
Colossians 2:17:” Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: WHICH ARE A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME; BUT THE BODY IS OF CHRIST
So in this scripture we see Paul letting the Galatians know NOT TO GET CAUGHT UP in these holy days and Sabbath days because they are just a type and shadow OF THINGS TO COME. Hence that means all of these people who observe these days and do these ritualistic things are living on the type and shadow and not the reality because they have not allowed the reality to come to them. Paul says that the Body is of Christ and that is the reality because after Jesus ascended and the apostles were endowed with power from the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The church is born and now everyone desiring entrance into the House and Kingdom of God has that invitation extended to them. The problem we are having is understanding what is the type and shadow and what is the reality. You can only live by the type and shadow if the reality has not come, but when it comes, the type and shadow becomes null and void to the one receiving the reality and the grace is in living in the present day reality.
The types and shadows of things are not sufficient to explain the eternal. The eternal is more complex than the natural so the type and shadow is limited to convey the fullness of what the eternal is all about.
In the next few messages we will look at some examples of how God takes the natural and then brings the eternal reality to life and subdue the type and shadow.
At Our Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun, Jr.
