Deuteronomy 21:23

Out of the Deep “In Afternoon”


In Part Four, Paul, I quoted Jonathan Edwards, p. 197f,

“The resurrection of Christ from the dead, is in Scripture represented by his coming up out of deep waters. So it is in Christ’s resurrection, as represented by Jonah’s coming out of the sea; Matt. xii. 40. It is also compared to a deliverance out of deep waters, Psalm lxix, 1, 2, 3, and verse 14, 15. These things are spoken of Christ, as is evident from this, that many things in this Psalm are in the New Testament expressly applied to Christ, (Compare verse 4 with John xv. 25. and ver. 9. with John ii. 17. and ver.2 with Matt xxvii. 34, 48. and Mark xv. 23. and John xix. 29. and ver. 2 with Rom.xi.9, 10, and ver.25 with Acts 1:20.) – Therefore, as the Jewish Sabbath was appointed on the day on which the pillar of cloud and fire rose out of the Red sea, and on which Moses and the church, the mystical body of Christ, came up out of the same sea, which is a type of the resurrection of Christ; it is a great confirmation that the Christian Sabbath should be kept on the day of the rising of the real body of Christ from the grave, which is the anti-type. For surely the Scriptures have taught us, that the type should give way to the anti-type, and that the shadow should give way to the substance.”


Christ was that Substance, and the Sabbath pointed to Him that Substance and awaited Him for the fulfilment of its substance – not the First Day of the week or of its substance.


On p. 300f there, I have said,

Seeing it cannot be denied the day of the entering into God’s Rest is the Day of the Sabbath, one further objection must be considered. It is the problem of the time of Jesus’ entering into Rest through Resurrection from the dead. As says Edwards, “… that the shadow should give way to the substance.”

First, let it be observed the moment creates the Day, not the day the moment. We talk of “Resurrection Day”, not of Resurrection Morning” or whatever portion of the day. The Event – Resurrection – makes of it the Day-of-Resurrection. Thus Edwards also sees things. Says he, “But the day that the children of Israel were delivered from their task-masters and had rest from them, was the day when the children of Israel came up out of the Red sea. They had no rest from them till then. For though they were before come forth on their journey to go out of the land of Egypt; yet they were pursued by the Egyptians, and were exceedingly perplexed and distressed.” Edwards immediately goes on, speaking of this “day”, as the “morning”: “But on the morning that they came up out of the Red sea, they had complete and fina1 deliverance; then they had full rest from their task-masters.” Again he immediately continues, “Then God said to them, "The Egyptians which ye have seen this day, ye shall see no more for ever ;" Exod. xiv, 13. Then they enjoyed a joyful day of rest, a day of refreshment. Then they sang the song of Moses ; and on that day was their Sabbath of rest.” “They enjoyed a joyful day of rest”, says Edwards, but half of it they spent in crossing the deep!

“This coming up of the children of Israel out of the Red sea, was only a type of the resurrection of Christ. … On that morning Christ, in this pillar of cloud and fire, rose out of the Red sea, as out of great waters; which was a type of Christ’s rising from a state of death, and from that great humiliation which he suffered in death.” But Edwards in the next paragraph describes this “morning” as follows, “Therefore, as the Jewish Sabbath was appointed on the day on which the pillar of cloud and fire rose out of the Red sea, and on which Moses and the church, the mystical body of Christ, came up out of the same sea, which is a type of the resurrection of Christ”.


“It is a great confirmation that the Christian Sabbath should be kept on the day of the rising of the real body of Christ from the grave, which is the antitype. For surely the Scriptures have taught us, that the type should give way to the antitype, and that the shadow should give way to the substance.”