Yes! There is Good News! 4.8.17

Continuing from the last article, let’s begin with a few examples of figures of speech. The simile: a comparison using the words “like,” or “as.” The book of Revelations can be called “the book of similes;” there are somewhere near 60 uses of the words like or as. One example: “His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing water (Rev. 1:15).

A metaphor is an implied comparison, such as “all the world’s a stage.” In scripture we read, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). An analogy is the likening of one thing to another, “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5).

The allegory is a story where people, things, or happenings hold a hidden or symbolic meaning. The entire book of Ruth is an example of allegory; where Ruth is a type of church and Boaz is a type of Jesus Christ.

I believe we are all familiar with the use of parables in the Bible (see Matthew 13).

Then we have “types.” In the book of Genesis, chapters 37 - 50. One example is in chapter 45, where Joseph makes himself known to his brothers and he tells them not to be distressed for having sold him into slavery for God was actually sending Joseph ahead of the family in order to prepare a place for them. This is what Jesus tells the disciples in John 14: 1-2 where He tells them not to be troubled because He was “going to prepare a place for you.” The Old Testament gives us many “types” that point us to our Savior. We see in Genesis 22 where God tells Abraham to “take your son, your only son. Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Isaac is a type of the Messiah who was God’s Son, His only Son whom He loved. We learn later in the Bible that this Mount Moriah is found to be at the spot where Jerusalem was to be and where Jesus was sacrificed as the “Lamb of God (see 2 Chron. 3:1).

Last of all we have what I call “a template.” The template is used for forming an accurate copy of an object that will appear in the future. In one sense this figure of speech overlaps with some of the others we have looked at, but it also stands out in regard to something Peter saw and tells us about.  Sometime ago I was speaking to a group of believers and asked them what, in their opinion, was the greatest template in the Bible. We had some very good answers and after some discussion I mentioned that we have one of the disciples, Peter, tell us in his second letter, of his answer to this question. Perhaps we would do well to pay attention to it!  It is found in 2 Peter 1:16 - 18. God willing we will take a closer look at this “type” in our next article. It holds for us some very good news.