Crystallization-Study of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth
Message Two
Possessing the Land of Canaan by Defeating the Satanic Forces
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Eph. 6:10-12 Finally, be empowered in the Lord and in the might of His strength. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil, for our wrestling is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.
Josh. 6:5 And when they give off the blast of the ram’s horn and you hear the trumpet sound, all the people shall shout with a great shout. And the wall of the city will fall down flat.
Word of Appetizer
Which two aspects does Canaan have in the typology of the Old Testament?
In the typology of the Old Testament, Canaan has two aspects: on the positive side, Canaan, a land of riches…, typifies the all-inclusive Christ with His unsearchable riches, and 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; Canaan cannot be a type of heaven; it is a type of our heavenly position; it is the equivalent of the heavenlies spoken of in Ephesians; on the one hand, we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies; on the other hand, we wrestle against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.
Spiritual Burden
We need to know that the land of Canaan has a twofold significance in typology: on the positive side, Canaan typifies the all-inclusive Christ with His unsearchable riches, and on the negative side, Canaan signifies the heavenly part of the dark kingdom of Satan with its satanic forces.
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; 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.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
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; the book of Joshua is a book with profound types; the intrinsic significance of the book of Joshua is the taking of the land.
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.
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; in order to engage in spiritual warfare, we need to see the vision that unveils Christ as the Captain of Jehovah’s army.
We need to know the vital factors that enabled the people of Israel to be victorious in their first warfare.
The Experience of Life
As soon as we enjoy Christ in such a way, we realize in our spirit the reality of the evil forces in the heavenlies; these evil forces are veiling the all-inclusiveness of Christ from the Lord’s children; very few of the Lord’s people can realize the all-inclusiveness of Christ simply because of the accusations of the evil powers in the heavenlies; to this very day the evil forces are still veiling the all-inclusiveness of Christ; therefore, we must fight the battle; there is an exceedingly real spiritual warfare in which we must engage.
Practice and Application
In the spiritual warfare the first thing we should do is exalt Christ, giving Him the first place, the preeminence, in all things; 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.
Spiritual victory does not depend on warfare—it depends on praise; we need to learn to overcome Satan …not only by prayer but also by praise.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1: The book of Joshua is a book with profound types (Josh. 1:13; 2:18; 3:3).
(Please illustrate with verses that the book of Joshua is a book with profound types.)
T2: The entrance into Canaan in the book of Joshua typifies two things (Eph. 1:3; 2:6).
(Please explain that the entrance into Canaan in the book of Joshua typifies two things: spiritual warfare and rest.)
Day 2
T1: The good land is a type of the all-inclusive Christ (Gen. 1:9; Deut. 8:7-9).
(Please explain that in the Bible the land is a figure, a symbol, of Christ.)
T2: The good land provided whatever the children of Israel needed (Deut. 8:7-9).
(Please explain that all these itemsof the good land are types of Christ.)
Day 3
T1: The two aspects of the significance of Canaan in typology (Josh. 5:12; Eph. 3:8; 6:12).
(In what sense the book of Joshua in the Old Testament is comparable to Ephesians?)
T2: This illegal marriage between fallen angels and the human race produced Nephilim (Gen. 6:4; Deut. 7:2).
(Why did God command the children of Israel to take over the land of Canaan and to destroy every living being there so that the human race could be cleared up?)
Day 4
T1: Without the book of Joshua we cannot fully understand the spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20 (Eph. 6:12).
(Please explain that whether or not we can enjoy Christ as the all-inclusive land depends on whether or not we defeat the enemies typified by the Canaanites.)
T2: To engage in spiritual warfare to defeat the satanic forces (Eph. 6:21).
(Why should we engage in spiritual warfare if we would possess the good land?)
Day 5
T1: To see the vision that unveils Christ as the Captain of Jehovah’s army (Josh. 5:14).
(Please explain that whereas Joshua was the visible captain of Jehovah’s army, Christ was the invisible Captain.)
T2: Our enemy is not on the earth but in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:21).
(Please explain that we are not fighting with people but with the evil forces behind the people.)
Day 6
T1: We need to know the vital factors that enabled the people of Israel to be victorious in their first warfare (Josh. 6:4; Col. 1:18).
(What are the vital factors that enabled the people of Israel to be victorious in their first warfare?)
T2: We need to learn to overcome Satan by praise (2 Chron. 20:20-22).
(Please explain with your own experiences that spiritual victory does not depend on warfare but on praise.)
