So what can we learn from the type of Canaan as being symbolic of the heavenly rest. A prophecy laboratory for us. A place to learn how types work.

Heaven is a real country, a real land.

God is telling us that this is a “real” country, a “real” land. One of our modern day problems is that we have been so conditioned by Gnostic foolishness about the after life, that many, perhaps most, do not think of heaven as anything that is real. Gnostic false teaching has caused us to think of this world as “real” and “heaven” as some sort of mist that is both there, and not there. Thus our views, or rather our apprehensions about the future life are not very satisfying.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Heaven, or rather what Scripture calls “the new heavens and the new earth” (Isa 65:17, Isa 66:22, 2Pe 3:13), is really a new universe, but one in which death and decay are NOT operating principles.

Heaven is a land of milk and honey.

It is a good land, a prosperous land. Some of the Old Testament parables of it are instructive. The Christ is described as “Shiloh” in Jacob’s prophecy in Genesis 49. It says of Him,

“11 Binding his foal to the vine,
His donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
He has washed his garments in wine,
His robes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes will be red with wine,
His teeth white with milk.”
Gen 49:11-12 WEB

How prosperous will He be? He can tie is donkey to the best vine in His vineyard and not worry about how much he will east. He has plenty of wine, and is the picture of health. His teeth are white as milk. A picture of abundant prosperity.

We will inherit houses we did not build.

No, not just houses.

“10 It shall be, when Yahweh your God shall bring you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities, which you didn’t build, 11 and houses full of all good things, which you didn’t fill, and cisterns dug out, which you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive trees, which you didn’t plant, and you shall eat and be full;”
Deut 6:10-11 WEB

We will not plant but another get the fruit, or build and another take over what we have built, Isa 65:21-22. It will be an earth of peace and prosperity and safety, Isa 11:6-9. There is more to tell than there is space in this post, but it will be wonderful beyond what we can imagine. It will be heaven.

Heaven is won by conquest.

There is a war going on now. We put on the full armor of God and fight the good fight of faith. He that overcomes will inherit these blessing, Rev 3:5 and many more verses.

KJV is the King James Version of 1611

WEB is the World English Bible, is a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901