Satan as a "type of Christ"

HELL NO!... While I can see Martins typology, would you ever use that comparison in the pulpit?... If you did I can only say your congregation is more forgiving than the one I grew up in.. If you said that they would show you the door and you would NEVER preach in our church again... Brother Glen

 

I can well understand how one's traditions might prevent one from accepting this remarkable typology, but facts are facts. What was nailed to the pole and hoisted up in place was not a lamb, as one might expect, but a fiery serpent. Where have we seen a fiery serpent before? In Revelation 13. It's there. Everyone who looked at the serpent was healed from the penalty for their rebellion against God (Numbers 21:9). How can looking at a representation of Satan heal people in that way? But the Lord Jesus says, "And this is the will of Him who sent Me that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life" (John 6:40; c.f. also Isaiah 45:22).

It is a cardinal point about types that they cannot be pressed too far. If we say that Isaac or Joseph or David is a type of Christ, we do not mean that these people correspond exactly with our Lord in every way. Of course they don't. But we are able to see in the lives of these people a clear resemblance in certain respects to the Lord Jesus that is invaluable in preaching from the O.T.

So I would just encourage people to lay aside their traditions and preconceptions and look at the Scriptures to see that the brazen serpent is a representation of Satan and a clear type of Christ made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 

Innumerable force of Spirits arm'd
That durst dislike his reign, and me preferring,
His utmost power with adverse power oppos'd
In dubious Battel on the Plains of Heav'n,
And shook his throne. What though the field be lost?
All is not lost; the unconquerable Will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield:
And what is else not to be overcome?

from Paradise Lost by John Milton

 

There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean
O, be washed in the blood of the lamb

Zechariah 13:1 (KJV) In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

 

IMO, he is both the adversary of Jesus Christ the man ( he tried to get Him to fall down at his feet and worship him, Matthew 4:1-11 ) and the adversary of Christ's sheep ( Revelation 12:10 ).

The adversary of God the Father?
He cannot hope to oppose God or God's Spirit, but he tries to oppose God's work and he does oppose God's people.

Not by a long shot.

 

Find the 'Christ opposites' and Satan could be a type of Christ by contrast as Adam is:

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the likeness of Adam`s transgression, who is a figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the trespass, so also is the free gift. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto the many.
16 And not as through one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment came of one unto condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses unto justification.
17 For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ.
18 So then as through one trespass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification of life.
19 For as through the one man`s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.
20 And the law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly:
21 that, as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ro 5

Besides the fact that there's no 'pointer' in the scriptures that I know of alluding to it, Satan as a type of Christ is not appealing to me.

 

What does this 'pointer' mean, "Adam...who is a figure of him that was to come", if not a type?

And then the text immediately gets into the contrasts between Christ and Adam. "Not as", "so is".

Seems plain and clear to me. Adam is a type of Christ by contrast in this text.

He's also a type of Christ in the Garden story.

 

Most types/allegories are defined by similarities, "for as", "so is" John 3:14, Galatians 4:29. The type given in Ro 5 is defined by dissimilarities, "not as", "so is". I'm surprised you don't see this.

 

You are absolutely right.

This belief is closely aligned with masonic teachings concerning Christ and Lucifer. So some of this heresy is creeping into churches via the masons .

 

Are you a mason ?

 

Are you a mason ?

 

Well, FIGURE then: Adam...who is a figure of him that was to come. But not as the trespass, so also is the free gift...

Joseph as a type of Christ is defined by well over 100 similarities between the two. Adam as a FIGURE of Christ is defined by 7 dissimilarities in the text of Ro 5.

 

Defined by what, similarities? NO. Defined by dissimilarities.