Paul talks the Wilderness wanderings as typifying
our trials and sins in this life.

Paul says that those Israelites ate the same spiritual food and drink which we as Christians eat and drink. That is to say that ancient Israel drank of the Christ which was to follow, 1Cor 10:4. However with many of them God was not well pleased, and so they died in wilderness without ever entering the promised land, 1Cor 10:5.

These things are examples for us, 1Cor 10:6.

These are warnings for us. The promised land symbolizes heaven.

We should not desire evil things as they did. Neither should we be idolaters, 1Cor 10:6-7. Of course Paul tells us that covetousness, strongly desiring something, is idolatry, Col 3:5. He says that we should not commit sexual immorality as ancient Israel did and 23,000 died in one day, 1Cor 10:7-8. We should not test God as many of them did, and were destroyed by snakes, 1Cor 10:9. Neither should we complain against the Lord, as many of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer, 1Cor 10:10.

These are all easy things to fall into in any age, and Paul says,

“Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. ”
1Cor 10:11

So Paul’s conclusion is,

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall.”
1Cor 10:12 WEB

What a picture of our present life in this world, as a life in a desolate place with all sorts of enticements around to draw us to our own destruction!

This symbolism suggest we could enter heaven sooner.

But our weaknesses in the flesh cause us to fall short and then aimlessly wander around for years in nothing but desolation. Of course there is other imagery that many have picked up on. The last river they crossed before entering the promised land was the river Jordan. Ours is the river of death. So we have many songs in our churches picturing death as the river Jordan, a river that parts for us cross on dry ground, even as it did for ancient Israel in Joshua chapter 3, if we are those chosen to enter that wonderful land.

And there is ONE MORE TIME in the wilderness.

Revelation is talking about those things yet to come in the Christian age, and Revelation 12 pictures the church as being pursued by that old dragon Satan, trying to destroy her.

“The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her …”
Rev 12:6 WEB

The woman, the church, is pictured as being protected by God in the wilderness for a critical period of “one thousand two hundred sixty days.”

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.”
Hos 2:14 KJV

There is to be one more time in the wilderness for God’s people, one more time for the ancient lessons to be pointedly relevant.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611

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