GENERAL SUBJECT
CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF JOSHUA, JUDGES, RUTH
Message Two
Possessing the Land of Canaan by Defeating the Satanic Forces
Scripture Reading: Josh. 1:2, 6, 11; 5:13-15; 6:1
I. In the Old Testament there is a typology, a set of types, and in the New Testament there is a complete fulfillment of that typology concerning God's economy—1 Cor. 10:3-4, 1, 11.
II. The book of Joshua is a book with profound types—1:13; 2:18; 3:3, 10-11; 5:12; 6:6.
III. The intrinsic significance of the book of Joshua is the taking of the land—1:2, 6; 5:12.
IV. In order to understand the significance of the Israelites entering Canaan and the warfare in Canaan, we need to know that Canaan has a twofold significance in typology—Col. 1:12; Eph. 1:3; 2:2; 6:12:
A. On the positive side, Canaan, a land of riches, typifies the all-inclusive Christ with His unsearchable riches—Deut. 8:7-10; Col. 1:12; Eph. 3:8:
1. The good land is the ultimate type of Christ found in the Scriptures—Deut. 8:7.
2. The good land, the land of Canaan, is a type of the Christ who is all and in all and who is everything to us—Eph. 3:8.
3. In the Bible the land is a figure, a symbol, of Christ—Gen. 1:9; 2 Pet. 3:5:
a. The land that came out of the death water on the third day in Genesis 1:9-10 and 13 is a type of the resurrected Christ who came out of death on the third day.
b. Many different kinds of life in Genesis 1:11-12 and 24-25 came out of the land; this signifies that Christ is the source of all kinds of life.
c. God's intention revealed in the Scriptures is that Christ should be our land—Deut. 8:7-10.
4. Christ as the good land, the land that came out of the death water, is depicted by the land of Canaan—Gen. 1:9; Josh. 1:13.
B. On the negative side, Canaan signifies the aerial part, the heavenly part, of the dark kingdom of Satan, the heavenlies that are full of Satan's forces—Eph. 2:2; 6:12:
1. Satan has his authority and his angels, who are his subordinates as principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world; hence, he has his kingdom, the authority of darkness—Acts 26:18; Matt. 12:26; 25:41; Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:13.
2. Satan, the enemy of God, has been doing his utmost to hinder the people of God from enjoying the all-inclusive Christ as the good land; to this day, evil forces are veiling the all-inclusiveness of Christ from God's people—2:8, 18; 2 Cor. 4:3-4.
3. The book of Ephesians indicates that in the heavenlies there are different layers—1:3; 2:2; 6:12:
a. Christ is in the highest layer, the third heaven, to be our everything as our good land—Deut. 8:7-10.
b. There is a lower layer of the heavenlies—the air, where Satan as the ruler of the authority of the air is frustrating the people on earth from contacting God and receiving Christ; this is typified by the Canaanites, who were frustrating Israel from entering into the good land—Eph. 2:2.
4. The Canaanites typify the fallen angels, the rebellious angels who follow Satan, who have become the powers, rulers, and authorities in Satan's kingdom, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies—Rev. 12:4, 7; Eph. 6:12.
C. The two aspects of the significance of Canaan in typology are spoken of in Ephesians; in this sense, the book of Joshua in the Old Testament is comparable to Ephesians because both books are a record of "Canaan":
1. As soon as the children of Israel entered Canaan, they enjoyed the riches of Christ and engaged in warfare—Josh. 5:12; 6:1-21.
2. Ephesians 3:8 speaks of the riches of Christ, and 1:3; 2:6; and 6:12 speak of the heavenlies; this indicates that in the church we should enjoy the riches of Christ and engage in spiritual warfare.
3. Without the book of Joshua we cannot fully understand the spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20.
V. If we would possess the good land for the fulfillment of God's purpose, we must engage in spiritual warfare to defeat the satanic forces—Josh. 6:21:
A. We need to realize the necessity of spiritual warfare—a warfare between the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God—Matt. 6:10; 7:21; 12:26, 28; Isa. 14:12-14.
B. When Israel was ready to take possession of the land of Canaan, the land was filled with demon-possessed people, idol worshippers, and the Nephilim—Num. 13:33.
C. Because the Nephilim, a mixture of fallen angels and fallen man, dwelt in the land of Canaan, God commanded the children of Israel to take over this land and to destroy every living being there so that the human race could be cleared up—Deut. 7:1-2:
1. According to the divine thought, the nations in the land of Canaan had to be exterminated because they were devilish and mingled with demons—v. 2; Josh. 11:21-22; 14:6-14.
2. The Canaanites signify not only the fallen angels but also human beings who have joined themselves to the evil spirits, to the satanic power of darkness in the air—Num. 14:45.
D. Israel's fighting against the inhabitants of the land portrays the invisible spiritual warfare that is taking place behind the visible scene on earth—Dan. 10:10-21; Eph. 6:10-20:
1. It is crucial for us to see that behind the scene a spiritual struggle is taking place, a struggle not seen with human eyes.
2. In addition to the war on earth, there is a war between God and the satanic forces in the air—2:2; 6:12.
E. The fighting of the children of Israel against the Canaanites that they might possess and enjoy the good land typifies the spiritual warfare of the church as a whole, including all the members, against "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies" (v. 12) that the saints may enjoy Christ as the all-inclusive land.
F. Christ is our good land, and God wants us to gain Christ, but there is a layer of devilish, demonic forces between us and the good land; if we would take possession of the good land for our enjoyment, we must defeat these satanic forces—Col. 1:12-13; 2:15; Eph. 3:18; 6:11-12:
1. There is an exceedingly real spiritual warfare in which we must engage; we must fight the battle to gain the all-inclusive Christ for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ, the new man, and the kingdom of God—vv. 10-12; 1 Tim. 6:12a; 2 Tim. 2:3-4; Col. 1:13, 18; 2:19; 3:10-11.
2. If we would take possession of Christ for our enjoyment, we must be a corporate warrior, the church as the Body of Christ, fighting against and defeating the satanic forces so that we can gain more of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ, setting up and spreading the kingdom of God so that Christ can come back to inherit the earth—Eph. 3:8; 4:16; Matt. 24:14; Rev. 11:15.
VI. In order to engage in spiritual warfare, we need to see the vision that unveils Christ as the Captain of Jehovah's army—Josh. 5:13-14:
A. Whereas Joshua was the visible captain of Jehovah's army, Christ was the invisible Captain to fight against the seven tribes of Canaan for Israel—v. 14.
B. Because of the vision of Christ as the Captain of Jehovah's army, Joshua needed to stand on the position of sanctification (holiness) all the time—v. 15:
1. Holiness is the nature and quality of being holy—Rom. 1:2.
2. Sanctification (to God) is the practical effect, the character in activity, and the consummate state produced by being sanctified—6:19, 22.
VII. We need to know the vital factors that enabled the people of Israel to be victorious in their first warfare—Josh. 6:1-20:
A. The shutting up of Jericho, with no traffic coming in or going out, signifies that the powers of darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies, were bound—Matt. 12:29; Eph. 6:12.
B. God's people did not need to do anything to destroy Jericho.
C. They only needed to believe and trust in God, to listen to the instruction from the Captain of the army of Israel, and to exalt Christ by bearing the Ark—Josh. 6:3-11.
D. The bearing of the Ark here by the priests shows that in the spiritual warfare the first thing we should do is exalt Christ, giving Him the first place, the preeminence, in all things—vv. 4, 7-11; Col. 1:18:
1. When the people of Israel attacked Jericho, they did this under the commanding of Christ typified by the Ark—Josh. 5:14; 6:3-11.
2. The Ark, a type of Christ, who was their Commander in chief, took the lead to attack the enemies—v. 4.
E. To remain silent until the command was given to shout means to carry out the matter in the Lord's way without expressing any thought, opinion, or feeling—v. 10.
F. The victory over Jericho in Israel's first battle after crossing the Jordan was won not by Israel's fighting but by their blowing the trumpets and shouting, signifying the testifying and proclaiming of God with Christ (the Ark) through faith in God's word of instruction—vv. 2-5.
VIII. A unique principle is that spiritual victory does not depend on warfare—it depends on praise—2 Chron. 20:20-22:
A. We need to learn to overcome Satan by our praise.
B. A person who praises God transcends everything and overcomes continually by his praise; this is a principle, and this is a fact—Heb. 11:30, 33-34; 13:15.