So then we see the pattern:

Israel was in bondage to Egypt / We were in bondage to the world

Israel was helpless under Pharaoh�s power/ We were helpless under Satan�s power

Israel was loved of God despite their bondage/ We were loved of God despite our bondage

God sent Israel a prophet named Moses/ God sent to us His only begotten Son

Moses preached Jesus to the people (Deut.18:18)/ Someone preached Jesus to us

God wrecked Pharaoh�s kingdom by plagues before destroying him/ Jesus wrecked Satan's kingdom by healing the sick, raising the dead, and said I beheld Satan fall as lightning before destroying him.

Israel was saved through the Passover/ We are saved by THE PASSOVER, Jesus Christ

The blood was only applied to the lintel of the door, and the two sides/ This is where Jesus bled on the cross.

The shedding of the Passover lamb led to Pharaoh�s own demise/ The shedding of the blood of THE LAMB led to Satan�s own demise

(There�s more...)

So here is what the Bible says about this comparison: Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Hebrews 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself like wise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Galatians 4:3-5 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Romans 10:14-15 How then shall they call upon him in whom that have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hat in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; So we see then, that God sending Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt was a mirror image, or "type and shadow" of what Jesus did for the Church. What happened next? Moses brought out Israel to the Red Sea, and there was no where to go. Pharaoh was on their tracks. He had determined to rid the earth of Israel once and for all. Moses stretched forth his rod, and the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea to safety. Meanwhile, Pharaoh and his armies followed hard after them. You know what happened. The Red Sea closed up on them, and destroyed Pharaoh, and his power. This Red Sea was not red by coincidence. It represents the blood of Jesus Christ. It is the only passage by which we can find escape from the world. Everything that the Red Sea did for Israel, the blood of Jesus Christ does for us. These are a few:

1. The Red Sea saved Israel from their enemy. Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Colossians 1:12-13 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us in to the kingdom of his dear Son: Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission (of sins).

2. The Red Sea separated them from their past. Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

3. The Red Sea gave them power over their (new) enemies. Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Mark 16:17-18 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Notice this. God delivered Israel out of the hand of Pharaoh. He destroyed Pharaoh, and his power that he held over Israel. Yet there were more enemies to face. In fact this is one reason that Canaan does not represent heaven, because there are no enemies left in heaven. The Bible says that this was the land of the Canaanites, the Hivittes, Perizites, and so forth with the -ite�s. What did God command them to do? He commanded them to defeat the enemy, but not fight to win; they already had the victory. God had given it to them. They were enforcing what God had just done at the Red Sea. They were not fighting TO win; they were fighting to take what was already theirs. Canaan was their inheritance given to them by God. God said to go into the Promised Land, defeat the enemy, take possession of that land, and advance your kingdom. And everywhere the sole of your foot touches, I have given unto you as an inheritance. God has done the same for us. We are not fighting Satan TO win, but because we have already won. We are maintaining what Jesus obtained.

Now watch this, it gets gooder. God gave Israel Canaan to inherit. He has in the exact same way, given us the earth. The Bible says that we are to now go into the world, or the earth, defeat the enemy, take possession of the land for our inheritance, and advance the kingdom. Israel was doing on a small scale what God intended for His church to do on the large scale. Now we will see how this works. Ready? Here we go: Israel was inheriting Canaan. What are we inheriting? Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. If we are joint-heirs with Christ, that means that Christ also has an inheritance, right? So that means to receive His inheritance with Him, does it not? We have already received the earnest of our inheritance, the Holy Spirit. We already have it. The Bible also says that we shall receive the fullness of it in the end. Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: However, this is OUR inheritance. Jesus ALREADY HAS THE KINGDOM. In fact, HE IS the kingdom. Rather, I�m talking about the inheritance that Jesus receives Himself from His father, not our inheritance. We are heirs AND joint-heirs. Thus there is more than one inheritance. This means that we receive an inheritance from our Father, but we also are partakers of Christ�s own inheritance, thus, heirs AND joint-heirs. What is Jesus� inheritance that we are partakers of with Him? The answer is near: Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance IN THE SAINTS, This scripture reads two ways. First, there is our inheritance in Him, but that isn�t what it really says. It says HIS inheritance IN US! How can this be? The answer is in Psalms. God spoke to Christ when He came into the world. He made a covenant with His Son. He gave Him an inheritance that was His for the asking. Psalm 2:7-8 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee THE HEATHEN FOR THINE INHERITANCE, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. What is Christ�s inheritance? It is the world, the nations, the heathen, the uttermost parts of the earth. Now Jesus comes along and speaks not of an eschatological happening, but of His covenant with His father and says in Matthew: Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Jesus was not talking about the end of time, he was talking about us being joint-heirs in His covenant to inherit the heathen, �even the uttermost parts of the earth� as his possession. Then in Acts 1:8 Jesus said: Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. What did He mean by that statement? He was telling us that we were to be partakers of His inheritance, but how? The same way that Israel received theirs. Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Defeat the enemy, take possession of the land, and claim it as yours, and advance the kingdom. You see, Canaan now has no borders. For wherever the gospel is preached and people are saved, that becomes part of the inheritance. It is the same thing that God told Abraham, Every place the sole of your foot touches, that have I given you as an inheritance. So as we advance the kingdom of God, we are actually walking out our inheritance! We are heirs of the kingdom and joint-heirs of the Saints.

Now what happened next? Moses and the entire generation that came out of Egypt died in the wilderness. You see, it�s interesting that even though they had passed through the "blood", and were saved, they were not yet in Canaan. It is the same for us. When we were in the world, our Adamic nature, or our old man ruled. This man that came out of Egypt, could not enter the promise. He had to die. When we are born again, there is not only a birth that takes place in us, but also a death. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet, not I, but Christ that liveth in me. For the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Moses represents the old man. The one that died when we came out of the world. Why didn�t Moses get to go into the Promised Land? Remember that he was playing a part, actually more than one role. As the old man, he could not enter in. So God raises up a new man named Joshua. Now Joshua, and the new generation of Israel, or the new man actually inherits the kingdom. The Bible says: Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; You see, this is the first resurrection. We were dead, but now brought back to life a new creature. Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Colossians 3:9-10 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Now Israel comes to the Jordan River. If one looks at a map, one will find that it is a straight shot from the wilderness to Canaan. However, Israel was not allowed to go this way because Edom refused them to pass through their borders. So they had to go around, and through the Jordan River. Now we have another body of water, the Jordan River. John had this in mind when he referred to the blood and water of Jesus� side: 1 John 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. Israel could not pass through one, but they had to pass through both. Although they were saved through the Red Sea, they had yet to cross fully in to Canaan. The Jordan River represents the sin of Adam, and the judgment of God upon that sin. It represents the way that leads to death. In fact, (and this is no accident either), the Jordan flows from a city called Adam to the Dead Sea. So from Adam came sin, and from sin comes death. When God parted these waters, the Bible doesn�t say that they were just standing on either side, but rather that He parted them all the way back to Adam. The act of passing through the Jordan is a symbol of water baptism. How? In Joshua chapter 4, it reads thus: Joshua 4:1-9 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests� feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. Now here is the picture. Joshua commands the people to pass over Jordan, and then he takes twelve men, one from each tribe. These twelve men represent the entire nation of Israel. Each man takes a stone and from the midst of Jordan sets them up on the Canaan side of Jordan. They were for a memorial. What of? So that when their children asked what they were for, they would tell them the story of how God brought them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and now through Jordan. Each one of these stones represented the totality of the nation of Israel. However, it doesn�t stop there. Joshua also takes twelve stones from the wilderness side of Jordan, and places them in the midst of Jordan so that when the river overflowed its banks again, these stones were buried under the water. For us, this is what water baptism means: Romans 6:3-11 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raides from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So Joshua buries twelve stones, which represent the old man, or the old generation of Israel which had died. He then commands that twelve new stones representing the new man or the new generation of Israel that were alive. So these stones all represented people. In another glance we see something even further. The twelve stones, which are buried, represent the generation that rejected Christ, and lost their intended inheritance. The new stones represented those among that generation that did accept Christ. Peter says this in his sermon on Pentecost: Acts 2:39 For this promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Notice the first group that Peter refers to. He says �this promise is unto you...� This does not include you, unless you were there when Peter preached. If you weren�t then that doesn�t include you. Then he says � and to your children...� This also doesn�t include you, unless you are Jewish by descent. So where are we? The last group �all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call�. That is most of us. Now we have seen the you because the ones that Peter was preaching to were the very ones who had crucified Him. These were the old stones under the water, for many of them never received Jesus. Then we see your children. These were the new stones. In fact it was the children of the generation that died in the wilderness who entered in. So where are we? Joshua led the children of Israel against Jericho. Again these new enemies were not to be defeated, they were already defeated. They had begun to walk out their inheritance. Then Joshua led the children to defeat the city of Ai. Ai is interesting because it literally means heap of ruins. It stood directly opposite of Bethel, which means "house of God". So when facing the "house of God", one had to turn his back on Ai, or the "heap of ruins", which is what our old life in the world was. After defeating Ai, Joshua and Israel went to Mt. Ebal, and THERE is where we find the last group! Joshua 8:30-32 Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal. As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron; and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. And he wrote there upon the (same) stones a copy of the Law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. What was the significance of these stones? For part of the answer, we must turn to where Moses actually commanded Joshua to do this. Deuteronomy 27:1-8 And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day. And it shall be, on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister; And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth the, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee. Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaister them with plaister. And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God: And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God. And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.

The first thing that we see is that Joshua is commanded to take stones, whole stones, not cut ones. Why? The answer is simple. When we are born again, we are made truly in the image of God in our spirit: Colossians 3:9-10 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: How could His image be connected to a stone? Glad you asked! Daniel 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Who was this STONE cut out without hands? It was none other than Jesus Christ Himself! So it makes perfect sense then that these stones were ALSO to be whole stones that had not been cut with hands. The next thing we notice is that Joshua covered these stones with plaster. What color is plaster? White! Is this not what Jesus did for us when he washed us in His blood? Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Next, Joshua builds an altar with these stones: Genesis 28:18, 19, 22 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for this pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first." "And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God�s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. Notice he called the STONE, not the place the house of God. Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. 1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. As he builds the altar, he writes upon them the law: Romans 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. 2 Corinthians 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. Hebrews 10:16-17 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Now comes the grand finale. Joshua is building an altar of whole stones, which he picks and makes white. He writes the law upon them, and adds them to the altar to offer sacrifices to God. Joshua in the Hebrew language is Yeshua, or salvation. In the Greek, this word translates in to nothing else but JESUS, which means Savior. In fact, the Bible calls Joshua of the Old Testament JESUS in Hebrews 4:8! So there is a Jesus of the Old Testament, and a Jesus of the New Testament. Remember what the OT saints were doing? They were playing a part! So as the Jesus of the Old Testament builds an altar, so then the Jesus of the New Testament, our High Priest and only mediator is building an altar too! He takes sinners, makes them white in His own blood, writes the law upon their hearts, writes His name in their foreheads, writes their new name upon them, and adds them to the altar. Isn�t it interesting where John saw the persecuted saints in the book of Revelation? They were under the altar, almost if they were a part of the altar. So what does this mean for you and I? When we get to heaven there will no longer be a need for intercession: 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. When we get to heaven, and all is said and done, God will call the role from his great Book of Life. As He calls the role, my name will be called. As our names are called, Jesus will begin to dismantle that altar. When He calls my name, Jesus will find my stone in the altar, and give it to me. I can imagine what He might say: