Shadow and Substance

In speaking of the relation between the types of the Old Testament and the gospel they prefigured Paul calls the former a shadow and the latter the body or substance (Col. 2:17). Having thus linked type and antitype it follows that the gospel must have existed in the mind of Jehovah at the time he set the type. We reason that without reality there can be no shadow. In harmony with this thought it is recorded that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). The necessity of giving attention to typical teaching arises from the fact that the types were written for our admonition (1 Cor. 10:11). As a part of the Jewish Scriptures their design was to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15). With that in mind this volume is intended to assist the reader in his effort to acquire knowledge of divine wisdom in order to enter into its enjoyment through practice. The material for these studies has been used by the author in the classroom for a number of years. --From the Preface