What Canaan Represents

Probably the major shift in our thinking has to do with what Canaan represents.

The idea that Canaan is a type of Heaven, the spirit Paradise, has a long, venerable history. But if you think about it, Canaan as a type of Heaven, of the land of promise, does not make sense.

Is Heaven occupied by the enemy? Will we enter Heaven by a long, drawn-out war, entering city by city as we drive out the inhabitants?

Does the Scripture in any passage point to Heaven as our inheritance, our rest, our land of promise?

If it does not, then our fundamental understanding of the Christian salvation is incomplete and misleading.

If Heaven is not our land of promise, our inheritance, what is?

Our land of promise is the earth and its inhabitants. This is why salvation for the royal priesthood is moral change and union with God through Christ. Apart from such transformation and union we are neither competent nor eligible to serve as a ruling priest over the saved nations of the earth.

I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son, today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." (Psalms 2:7,8—NIV)

The inheritance of Jesus Christ is the nations and the ends of the earth.

We are coheirs with Christ. Therefore our inheritance includes the nations and the ends of the earth.

The entrance of Israel into the land of promise is a picture of Jesus Christ and His coheirs invading and occupying the earth in a long, drawn-out battle.

Until we understand clearly what Canaan represents we have a false vision of the future and of our destiny. Also we do not understand what it means to be saved because we picture being saved as being admitted to Heaven to live forever.

Since this thought may be new to you I suggest you now turn to the Scriptures and read every relevant passage. I think you will come to the same conclusion that I have. Heaven is a holding area while the army of the Lord is preparing to invade the earth. We will be raised from the dead in order that we may live once again on the earth. The earth is a large part of our land of promise.

Viewing the earth as our final destination represents a considerable change in our thinking, in the way we envision our salvation. Since we are drawing near to the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth, it probably is well that we begin to gain a true understanding of what is taking place. Otherwise we will be living in a fantasy, and the result will be spiritual weakness instead of the conquering strength we will need in order to participate with Jesus Christ in establishing the Kingdom of God on the earth.

"Your Kingdom come. Your will be done in the earth as it is in Heaven." Let this be our continuing prayer.

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