C
David typifies the suffering Christ, and Solomon typifies the Christ glorified in the kingdom of God and its splendor—1 Kings 2:11-12.
D
The temple typifies Christ and the church as the unique building of God in the universe—Matt. 12:6; 16:18.
E
The prophet Elisha represents God’s New Testament economy in typology; he is a type in the Old Testament who typifies the real things in the New Testament—2 Kings 4:9.
F
Jezebel, a most hateful person, the pagan wife of Ahab, is a type of who Jezebel is in the New Testament reality—a type of the apostate church—1 Kings 16:31; 19:1-2; 21:23; Rev. 2:20-23.
G
In typology the king’s palaces and God’s temple were separate, whereas in the New Testament reality these two are one building—1 Kings 9:15; Eph. 2:21-22:
１
On the one hand, we, the New Testament believers, are priests to serve and worship God—1 Pet. 2:9.
２
On the other hand, we are God’s kings to reign for God—Rev. 1:6, 9; 5:10.
H
The kings are types of the New Testament believers, because all the New Testament believers are saved by God to be kings—Rev. 1:6, 9; 5:10:
１
The believers in the New Testament should be the fulfillment of the typology of the kings in God’s economy—Rom. 5:17, 21.
２
In the New Testament all the believers are saved to be kings and priests—1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 2 Tim. 2:12:
ａ
God rules, but He does not rule directly; He rules through us, the believers, as kings—Rev. 20:4, 6; 3:21.
ｂ
We were regenerated with a divine, spiritual, heavenly, kingly, and royal life; this enthrones us to reign as kings over all things—John 1:12-13; 3:3, 5; Rev. 5:10; Rom. 5:17, 21.
Ⅴ
The history books were put into the Holy Scriptures because, in typology, they give us a vivid view of God’s economy; the essence of the typology of the Old Testament is God’s economy with Christ and His Body as the center and reality—Eph. 1:9; 3:9; 5:32.
Morning Nourishment
Rom. 5:17 For if, by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation...
The first two kings, David and Solomon, are important types of Christ in two aspects. The first aspect is that of His suffering on earth, before His resurrection. From the time of His birth. He suffered. His life began in a manger in the lowest estate and ended in His being crucified on the cross... David typifies this suffering Christ. David also suffered from his youth. Yet his suffering was for the conquering of the usurping enemies and the gaining of the good land, the ground for God’s building. Solomon typifies the Christ glorified in the kingdom of God and its splendor, ... [which] is a prefigure of Christ in the millennium. These two types are strong evidences that the history of the kings of Israel is related to God’s eternal economy, which concerns Christ as the embodiment of God and the church as the organic Body of Christ. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, p. 3)
Today’s Reading
Israel was mainly enjoying the good land ...The top ones, who were enjoying the good land on the top level, were the kings. These kings are types of the New Testament believers because all the New Testament believers were saved by God to be kings. Every New Testament believer is to be a king and a priest (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 2 Tim. 2:12).Both the kings and the priests are the deputy authority of God. The deputy authority of God is composed of God’s oracle to speak and God’s authority to rule. When the priests speak for God, they become God’s spokesmen, God’s mouthpiece, and these are the prophets. So in the New Testament we believers are kings, priests, and prophets. The kings of the Old Testament are a type, and this type is fulfilled by the New Testament believers being kings. These are the people who enjoy Christ to the uttermost.
Romans 5:17 says that “those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life.” John 1 says that when God came in His incarnation, grace came (vv. 14, 17). When God came to be a man, that was grace coming. Grace is the Triune God as our enjoyment. We all have received this grace in abundance. It is not just abundant grace but abounding grace, which is increasing all the time. We have received this grace, and we have received a gift from God, which is also abounding. This gift is God’s righteousness for our redemption judicially. Thus, we have received these two things: grace and righteousness. These are for us to reign in life, to be kings in life.
If we have not reached the level of a king in our Christian life, we are still below the proper standard ...Our enjoyment of Christ may be only “one inch high,” but Christ is unlimited. Our enjoyment of Christ should come up to the kingship level. As the God-ordained prophets and priests, we are also kings to rule over all the enemies of God. God rules, but He does not rule directly. God rules through us, through the believers, as kings. The believers in the New Testament should be the fulfillment of the typology of the kings in God’s economy.
We can be such kings only by being men regenerated with God and transformed with God as the element so that we live not by our own life, by ourselves, by our natural man, or by our flesh. Instead, we live by God who is now mingling Himself with us as one. The believers’ life is to live such a human yet divine life. It is in this life that we can be kings to enjoy our God-ordained portion, which is Christ as our good land. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Living a Life according to the High Peak of God’s Revelation,” pp. 181-182)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 1-2, 14-16, 189, 230