[Taken from the Beginning Papers by Walter R. Dolen
 Copyright © 1977-2003 by Walter R. Dolen and/or BeComingOne Church]

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BP4: Duality Paper

Type and Antitype
Visible Projects Invisible
Examples
Look to Higher Meaning

For God speaks once, yet twice, though people do not perceive it. (Job 33:14)

¶ bp94» All of the papers in the BeComingOne Papers project the duality of the Bible. If there is a secret to understanding the Bible, it is the duality of the Bible or the type and antitype of the Bible. There are events and words in the Bible that have dual meanings. One meaning is the physical meaning; the other meaning is the spiritual meaning. The physical meaning is the typical rendition. The spiritual meaning is the antitypical rendition. By the time you read all the BeComingOne Papers you will understand, or should understand, what we mean when we say the Bible is dual. But in this short paper we will give you a beginning towards an understanding of the duality of the Bible.

Type and Antitype

¶ bp95» The duality of the Bible consists of "types" and "antitypes." A "type" is an event, person, thing, or symbol in the Bible that represents some Spiritual Truth. The Spiritual Truth is the antitype of the type. For example, in the Old Testament it describes the Passover lamb. In the New Testament it tells us the True or Real Passover lamb is Jesus Christ. (1Cor 5:7) The Old Testament's Passover lamb is a type of the New Testament's lamb Passover, which is Jesus Christ. (see "God's Appointed Times" paper [NM16]) The Old Testament's Passover foreshadowed the New Testament's Passover.

¶ bp96» Paul of the New Testament, in his letter called Hebrews, tried to explain the duality of the Bible. He didn't use the word "duality" when he tried to explain it, but nevertheless he was explaining the duality of the Bible. Paul in Hebrews speaks of a "sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything [in the tabernacle] according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.' " (Exod 25:9,40; Heb 8:5) Paul is saying that the tabernacle that Moses built was a pattern of the tabernacle in heaven. What does this mean?

¶ bp97» When you see the word "heaven" used in the Bible, you can think of it as spiritual, for both "heaven" and "spiritual" are used interchangeably in the Bible. (compare "heaven" and "spiritual" in 1Cor 15:44-49) Thus Paul is saying that Moses made his tabernacle (the physical one) according to the pattern of the heavenly or spiritual tabernacle.

¶ bp98» Paul explains that Christ didn't go into the physical tabernacle, but the "true tabernacle" or the "more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made," "for Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself [the spiritual dimension itself], now to appear for us in God's presence." (Heb 8:2, 9:11,24) The physical tabernacle built by Moses was merely a copy of the Real or True tabernacle. Paul tells us that "the law [much of the Old Testament is called the law] is only a shadow of the good things that are coming -- not the realities themselves." (Heb 10:1) The law and things of the Old Testament were merely shadows of the good things, the real things, to come. The Old Testament and the things in it are only the types of the antitypes. The antitype being the Real and True -- the Spiritual fulfillment of the type. Paul tells us that the things written in the Old Testament were types or examples for us, that is, types or examples for us Christians. (1Cor 10:11)

Visible Projects the Invisible

¶ bp99» Paul tells us that the invisible qualities of God can be understood by the things that God has made. (Rom 1:19-20) And in our papers you will see how many aspects of this world, like males and females, which God made, are types of the antitype. Marriage, being born, women, water, stars, and so forth all have higher meaning: they all point to the Spiritual plan of God; they are all types of the Real or True, which is the antitype. For example, "stars" are representative of angels. (see Rev 1:20) And even "water" foreshadows the Spirit. (John 7:38-39)

Examples

¶ bp100» Even New Testament rituals like water baptism are types of the antitypes. Water baptism represents spiritual baptism. (see "Baptism Paper" [NM4]) All of the Bible is dual: type and antitype. This includes the Old as well as the New Testament. Even the physical creation is representative of a higher or spiritual meanings. (Rom 1:20) The physical creation (the type) is representative of the spiritual creation (the antitype). For example the days of the week are seven. The week was instituted right after the creation. (see Genesis, chapter 1) But this week is a type. It represents the antitypical week. To God each day is 1000 years. (2Pet 3:8) God, Who is Spiritual, has a week that lasts seven 1000 year periods, for each of His days lasts 1000 years. Therefore the week (the type) is representative of the 7,000 year week (the antitype). The first seven days of creation, which are described in the book of Genesis, are the physical or typical rendition of the creation. But since the Bible is dual, we know that these seven days of creation have corresponding antitypical or Spiritual days. According to Peter a day of God is 1000 years. (2Pet 3:8) God being Spiritual has different days than us. God's days are each 1000 years. Therefore, with the awareness of duality, we know that the seven days in Genesis was speaking first of the typical seven physical days of creation, and second was speaking of the seven Spiritual days of creation, which are each 1000 years long.

¶ bp101» Thus, we see that from Peter's mentioning that a day to God was like 1000 years, we can ascertain the antitypical meaning or higher meaning of the week. This is duality. The typical week is our week of seven literal days. But the antitypical week has 1000 years to each day.

Look To The Higher Meaning

¶ bp102» Even such things as "salt" and "light" have higher or antitypical meaning. (Mat 5:13-16) "Clean" and "unclean" have a higher meaning. (Mat 15:2,11,15-20) "Yeast" has a higher meaning. (Mat 16:5-12) In fact, Christians are to look for the higher meanings. The enemies of Christ have their minds or thoughts on earthly things. (Phil 3:19) But Real Christians are to have their thoughts on the things above -- the heavenly or Spiritual thoughts and meanings. When Christ spoke to the "Satan" inside of Peter, He said: "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." (Mark 8:33) That is, Satan has in his mind the things of men -- the physical -- instead of the things of God, which are the Spiritual. Satan and his spiritual power look on the lower things instead of the higher things. But Christians are to look upon the higher, or Spiritual things, which are the antitypical things.

¶ bp103» Christians have in their mind the Real or True tabernacle when they read about the tabernacle in the Old Testament. Christians have in mind the Real or True water (the Spirit) when they read about the water baptism or living waters in the Bible. Christians have in mind the Real or True bread (Christ, His Spirit) when they read about the breaking of bread or the bread of life in the Bible. Christians think about the Real or True circumcision (being Spiritually circumcised) when they read about circumcision in the Bible. Christians think about the Real or True faith (Faith of the Spirit) when they read about faith in the Bible. Christians think about the Real or True light (God's Spirit) when they read about light in the Bible. Christians are those with the New Mind, which is called by some the Spirit of God, that is, they have the mind of God, they think like the God thinks. With this mind of God Christians look upon the higher meaning of people, events, and things they read about in the Bible. They just don't look to the physical things, they look upon the higher or Spiritual meaning of the physical things.

¶ bp104» Christians have the New Mind -- the Spirit of God leading them. As Paul said: "God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God . . .. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are Spiritually discerned." (1Cor 2:10,13-14) You have to have the Spirit of God to truly understand the higher meanings (the Spiritual meanings) that the Bible has hidden in its words. When you have the Spirit of God, you can see the type and antitype of the Bible. You can see the physical as well as the spiritual. You can see the duality of the Bible.

¶ bp105» Even prophecy is dual. As you can see by reading our Prophecy Papers, there is type and antitype in prophecy. All the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament have higher or Spiritual meaning. (see book of Hebrews) Even the things Christ did had dual meaning. Christ did most, if not all, of his healing on the Sabbath. The higher meaning of this is that Christ will do his True healing on the antitypical Sabbath, which is the 1000 years. Do read the rest of the papers we have to offer you. Look up the scriptures and begin to understand the duality of the Bible. If there is a secret to the Bible, it is the duality of the Bible.

Learn about our Premises for our belief by clicking on "next" and going to "Premises for Belief"

Index

BP1  Introduction
BP2  Mindset
BP3  Bible Paper
BP4  Duality Paper
BP5  Premises