"This Is the Way You Approved"

A SIMPLER EXPLANATION OF BIBLE ACCOUNTS

If you have been serving Jehovah for many years, you have likely noticed a change in the way our literature explains some Bible accounts. In the past, it was common to say that some accounts represented something greater in the future. The account itself was called the type. What the type represented was called the anti-type. Are there good reasons for explaining Bible accounts in this way?  Yes. For example, Jesus referred  to "the sign of Jonah the prophet." (Read Matthew 12:39, 40) Jesus explained that the time Jonah spent in the belly of the fish represented the time that Jesus would spend in the grave. 

There are other Bible accounts that represented something greater in the future.  The apostle Paul described several of them. For example, Abraham's relationship with Hagar and Sarah represented Jehovah's relationship;  with the nation of Israel and the heavenly part of God's organization.  (Galatians 4:22-26) In  a similar way, the tabernacle, the temple, Atonement Day, the high priest, and other elements of the Law were "a shadow of the good things to come." (Hebrews 9:23-25; 10:1)  It strengthens our faith when we study these Bible accounts and what they represent.  But does that mean that every person, event, and object described in the Bible represents someone or something? 

In the past, our literature often explained that each person, event, or object in some accounts represented someone or something. For example, wicked Queen Jezebel had Naboth executed so that her husband, Ahab, could take Naboth's  vineyard.  (1 Kings 21:1-16) In 1932, The Watchtower explained that Ahab and Jezebel represented Satan and his organization, that Naboth represented Jesus, and that Naboth's death represented Jesus' execution. However,in 1961, the book "Let Your Name Be Sanctified" said that Naboth represented the anointed and Jezebel represented Christendom. Also, Naboth's persecution of the anointed during the last days. For many years, these explanations have strengthened the faith of God's people. So why are we explaining things differently now? 

Next time: Conclusion of A SIMPLER EXPLANATION OF BIBLE ACCOUNTS

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015