The Spiritual Significance of Metals in Scripture Copper (part 3) Copper's Positive Application by Mike Vinson Introduction Once again we will begin our study of base metals by remembering that even those who hear the words "Depart from me, I never knew you," are represented by metals which must endure the flames of the furnace of purification. When Israel came out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, they were as carnal as when they were in Egypt: Hos 11:1 When Israel [was] a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. Hos 11:2 As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. And yet the scriptures refer to this experience as an iron furnace: Deu 4:20 But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as [ye are] this day. 1Ki 8:51 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: Jer 11:4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day [that] I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, 1
Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: But this week we want to concentrate of the positive application of copper in the walk of God's elect. The Sockets of the Door of the Tabernacle are Cast of Copper We mentioned in passing that the only copper in the whole of the tabernacle was the sockets in the threshold of the door of the tabernacle and in the door of the temple: Exo 26:37 And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars [of] shittim [wood], and overlay them with gold, [and] their hooks [shall be of] gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them. All the sockets for all the boards of the tabernacle were to be made of silver. All the boards, including the five pillars of the door of the holy place and the four pillars of the door of the holy of holies, were to be covered with pure gold. only the sockets of the five gold covered pillars for the door of the tabernacle were to be cast of copper. So our entry into the presence of God is through the copper in our walk. We cannot get there without going through the copper sockets which hold the gold covered pillars of the door of the tabernacle. The Copper Seraph Heals Us of the Bite of the Serpent Num 21:1 And [when] king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took [some] of them prisoners. Num 21:2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 2
Num 21:3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah. Num 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. Num 21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for [there is] no bread, neither [is there any] water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. Num 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Num 21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. Num 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. Num 21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. This is exactly what Christ told Nicodemus, would happen to those who believed on Him. It is Christ who likens belief in Him to looking upon the copper serpent in the wilderness: Joh 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, [even] the Son of man which is in heaven. Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 3
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. [if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived]. Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" Heavenly things like these: Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the LORD of hosts: the whole earth [is] full of his glory. Isa 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. The seraph was made of copper. Here we see seraphims around the throne of God, crying Holy, Holy, Holy... And these seraphims have six wings. What do these "heavenly things" mean? Here is what they signify: Rev 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. Rev 4:7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 4
Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and [hey were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. These "four beasts are just another symbol of what the seraphims symbolize. Both are around the throne of God, both have six wings, and both cry out Holy, holy, holy." Both are one and the same. The serpent, the beasts, and the six wings all signify the copper that were those who these symbolize. Who do these all symbolize? Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. Rev 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? Rev 5:3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. Rev 5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. Rev 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. Rev 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast 5
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. Who is 'us?' Who is 'we?' Who will "reign on earth?" Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. These seraphims and beasts are God's overcomer elect. They are associated through the seraph, with the metal copper. Christ does all that He does through these, His elect. Christ's Feet are Copper Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. Rev 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; Why are Christ's feet said to be "like unto fine brass?" Why are they not fine silver, or fine gold? The reason Christ's feet are brass instead of silver or gold is that we are being told that Christ goes where He goes and does what He does through His saints who are still in bodies of corruptible flesh and blood. What we are being told is that it is through this flesh and blood and through death to that corruptible flesh and blood, through copper that we are perfected: 6
Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh [copper in the threshold of the tabernacle, and the temple, and the feet of Christ, the "sockets of the pillars"] through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; This "death," as with all things involving Christ, is both inward and outward. It Is, Was, And Will Be, going on, to the end of the aion. We "die daily," till we eventually relinquish this vessel of clay. So the feet of Christ are His work in His saints who are still in vessels of clay, flesh, typified by copper. Conclusion In conclusion, of the four base metals mentioned in scripture, lead, tin, iron, and copper, copper is used by God and is therefore mentioned in scripture, far more than any of the other base metals. Copper is mentioned 148 times in scripture in 125 verses. 141 of the 148 times, are in the Old Testament. It is mentioned 141 times in the Old Testament in 119 verses. Iron is mentioned 76 times in all of scripture. Almost half as many times as copper. Tin is mentioned but 5 times and lead is mentioned but 9. Copper is obviously, by far, the best of the base. It represents that part of our walk which is near God but not with God. It represents the service we perform in God's name in the court of the temple of God. Knowing what is that temple tells us where copper is in our walk. We must be 7
copper before we can be gold or silver. We must live by every word of God. But the seraphims around the throne of God and Christ's copper feet and the brass sockets holding the golden pillars in the door of the tabernacle and temple, tell us that we will always be aware of our origins as copper, beasts, redeemed from the nations of this earth. Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 8