comparing a fish with a serpent.

In Matt.12:39-40 Jesus shows them that a great fish swallowed Jonah. He then tells them it was a sign of his being 3 days in heart of the earth. That had not happened yet. I don't believe that the fish was the issue. The issue was 3 days in burial. The types in the O.T. were pictures meant to convey a understanding of a point that would reveal a revelation of Jesus Christ. once the point was made we were not expected to add more. it would be silly to add something like Jesus is a big fish. The point was made ,he would be buried 3 days. in Num. 21:8-9 we have another type. In Jn.3:14 The emphesis is not the serpent-- the type was pointing to Jesus to be lifted upon a cross that was the revelation of Jesus Christ. He doesn't identify with the serpent. The serpent always identified with satan. Rev.12:9 We must be prayerful to not add to the shadows and types more than what they are saying to us. Many are afraid to even study these types because of fear of wrong interpretation. The truth of a type is clear when it points to the righteousness and not to darkness. We must remember that the pointing to Jesus is to bless us with a understanding of who he is and how God revealed him before he ever came to do his wonderful work. it is not the type but what the type points to that matters. Jesus must be seen only in glorious light for in him was no darkness at all. Jude 1:3-8

brodav9 wrote:
He doesn't identify with the serpent.

The serpent always identified with satan.

When the children of Israel looked upon their judgment, they were acknowledging their guilt.
Just as when one looks upont the crucified Chirst, he is looking upon his judgment, he were acknowledging his guilt.

When the serpents were sent as judgment upon the children of Israel, the cure was to look upon the serpent that was hung on the pole. The cure for our sin was having Christ who knew no sin to become sin for us. He was hung on a cross. I am not so sure you brodav9 and Logic are not coming at this from both sides and arriving at the same location. Could it be that the serpent on the pole is a type of sin being nailed to the cross? Christ knew no sin, was sinless, yet he became sin for us and bore that sin on the cross. I don't think that the serpent in this case is typical of Satan, but rather typical of the sin born on the cross for our justification.

twayneb wrote:
When the serpents were sent as judgment upon the children of Israel, the cure was to look upon the serpent that was hung on the pole.

The cure for our sin was having Christ who knew no sin to become sin for us.

He was hung on a cross.

I am not so sure you brodav9 and Logic are not coming at this from both sides and arriving at the same location. Could it be that the serpent on the pole is a type of sin being nailed to the cross?

As for Jesus hanging on the cross; That death is our judgment, as we look at our judgment, we are we are acknowledging our guilt.

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

I am not interested in a theological debate. I simply believe what I read, and that I speak.

Blessings Brother!

Travis.

twayneb wrote:
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

I am not interested in a theological debate. I simply believe what I read, and that I speak.

I am so adamant about this because it is disturbing that someone would consider Jesus to be actual sin, which is nonsence.

Oh, I see what you are getting at. Brother, I think you have missed the point of the metaphor. I simply repeated the words of Paul. Paul was not saying that Jesus became sin in the sense that we might say the water became wine. Paul is making use of metaphor, not speaking about one thing literally becoming another. He is saying, in a sense,that Jesus bore upon Himself the sins of the whole world. See 1 Peter 2:24 and 1 John 2:2, In that sense He did become sin for us.

In Deut.21:22-23 Jesus was considered to be sin by those who hanged him. Thereby he was made to be sin who knew no sin. God used man ,but he is the one who sent his son to the cross. Jesus prays for this but ends with not my will but thine be done. v.23 the law which Jesus was still under and completely obeyed, said that if a person is hanged on the tree he is accursed of God. He in that respect was made to be sin for us. As our substitute taking our place and punishment, he was looked upon as sin for us. but we know he was without sin and just fulfilling the will of God to redeem mankind. remember our sins if commited now can't go back in history and be put on him. So it has to be that he made the payment God required (pay in advance) for sins of all who would come to him in the future also.by faith we believe in that payment. meaning purchase our salvation.

broadav9: You said that very well brother.

thank you twayneb. I thought I would pray about some things, and a interesting thing came to mind. The rod of Moses. In Ex. 7:9-15 Moses brings the rod of God to Pharoah. He was told by God at the bush it would turn into a serpent. When he did this it happened and the serpent even ate up the magicians serpents. In Ex.17:9 Moses tells Joshua that it is the rod of God. In Num. 21:7 The people say we have sinned against God and you.(Moses). The rod and serpent were a reminder to the people that God can do a miracle. When they looked at it they remembered that a miracle was done before ,and it could be done for them by healing them. What it represented was forgiveness and to remember that God had given Moses the leadership under God. it was a act of mercy for Pharoah but he laughed at it. But for God's people it was a mercy that they could believe in. Jesus when he was on the cross was also a reminder of all the miracles that he did before. And in Jn.3:2 Nicodemus recognises a man cannot do these miracles unless God is with him. Jn. 3:13 Jesus here reveals that he is God and in v.14 He reveals the repetition of v.13 son of man. the son of man v.13 is from heaven and v.14 the son of man must be lifted up. So we have the comparison that Moses who gave a sign with God with him. Now will be the anti-type the real God who does these miracles will be lifted up on a pole (cross) and all who look on him shall be healed, including full salvation. Nicodemus can now see it is very God and not a man who will be on the cross to bring salvation and healing to the world Jn.3:16.

I had never thought about any connection between the rod turning into a serpent and the serpent on the pole in the wilderness. Definitely something to think about.

It is interesting to see the types in the OT and the picture they painted of things to come under the new covenant.

Heb 10:1-2
(1) For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
(2) For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

Remember what eventually happened to the golden serpent? Israel began to worship the type as though it was the thing it typified.

2Ki 18:1-5
(1) Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
(2) Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.
(3) And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.
(4) He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
(5) He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.

I am so thankful for the savior! Praise God the anti-type came. It is so wonderful to look to Him, to know Him, to receive the atoning work of Christ so we can dwell in the very presence of God, in the Holy of Holies as it were.

That reminds of the very thing we're dealing with here. They were going to use the brass pole and serpent for a evil purpose, so the king had it destroyed. Today they use it as a evil purpose by saying Jesus is a serpent on the cross full of the sins of the people. They even say he had to be born again. Jesus was way ahead of that prophetically and used the shadow-type to get glory and it pointed to him as a savior and holy spotless Lamb. The false teachers today remind of the Matt.4:8-10 account They are blasphemers who want the money of people to build multi-million dollar homes and jet planes etc. They hide behind a false prosperity message.