When one teaches a child to read, you first show
him blocks with letters on. Then you make the sound of the letter so the
child can identify the one with the other. You can put the blocks together
to form words linked with a picture of the object. It is a bit like "Show
and Tell."
God used exactly the same method in the Old Testament: He used "blocks"
to show and tell His people the truths that they needed to grasp. These
truths became clearer in the New Testament. The Old Testament is full of
these "blocks" that form pictures or types and shadows. The substance of the
truth is in the New Testament, but we find its shadow in the Old.
In order to understand the New Testament truth fully, we need to study
the shadow or type in detail. The Tabernacle is such a block with pictures
on it: a type and shadow of the ministry of Jesus on the Cross. By studying
the Old Testament truths about the Tabernacle, we can get a better grasp of
the redeeming work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dr. Meyer J. van Rensburg uses these "blocks" to explain the truths
revealed by the Tabernacle. He was born again in 1982 and has been studying
God’s Word ever since. He attended Bible School in South Africa in 1985/6
and then continued his studies to obtain four degrees: Bachelor of Theology,
Master of Christian Counselling, Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry
from Christian International in Florida, USA. He is a teacher of the Word
and was founder and president of Covenant Bible Training Centre in
Johannesburg, South Africa, before relocating to Bristol in the UK, where he
now lectures as Senior Lecturer at Carmel Bible College.
