It is true that the Lord Jesus made an atonement for our sins and that through Him we are saved. There is no name other than that of Christ through which people can be saved.

But salvation is not directed primarily toward "going to Heaven" when we die. There indeed is a Heaven and the righteous do go to Jesus when they die; but going to Heaven is not the goal of the Divine redemption.

We are in a time of restoring understanding of the Scriptures. The seals are being removed from the Book. The Spirit is speaking to the churches. Let him who has ears to hear, stop and listen to the Lord. We are entering a great hour in the Kingdom of God.

Let us think for a moment. How could Heaven, the place where God, Christ, the elect angels, and the saints are abiding in the present hour, be the spiritual fulfillment of the land of promise, of Canaan, of the inheritance, of the goal of our pilgrimage?

In order for us to consider an event or place to be the spiritual fulfillment of a type, two conditions must be true: (1) the Old Testament type must portray physically (not in every detail) the spiritual fulfillment; and (2) there must be direct New Testament teaching of the spiritual truth being presented.

For example, the Lord Jesus on the cross is the spiritual fulfillment of the animals offered on the Altar of Burnt Offering of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. The offering of the animals prefigured the offering up of Jesus at Calvary. The animal offerings portrayed physically the spiritual fulfillment of the atonement made by the Lord on the cross.

Also, there is direct New Testament teaching to the effect that Jesus was slain for our sins in order to make an atonement for us in the sight of God.

The physical and the spiritual correspond and there is direct teaching in the New Testament. The spiritual application we are making is in agreement with and does not contradict New Testament doctrine.

But this is not true when we regard Canaan as a type of Heaven. The facts do not apply reasonably well, and there is no New Testament teaching that our goal is to go to Heaven or that Heaven is our rest, our inheritance, our land of promise.

Canaan was occupied by the enemies of the Lord. The Canaanites were worshipers of several demon gods.

When Israel came to Canaan the first time they were turned back into the wilderness because of their fear of the giants. How can this be interpreted as a type of the saint entering Heaven?

Israel was formed into an army while in the wilderness and then was required to fight its way into Canaan. The Hebrews never did conquer the land to the extent that the Lord commanded. Several areas were subjugated rather than destroyed. There was intermarrying with the Philistines. How, then, can Canaan be a type of going to Heaven when we die?

Also, as we have stated, there is no New Testament teaching that Heaven is the goal of the Christian life.

To be continued.