Saturday, September 1, 2018

Discovering Types Of Christ In The Old Testament

By Carolyn Graham


Many Christians believe that the facts of Jesus are all contained in the New Testament. These are the books, after all, that describe how He lived, taught, died, and was resurrected. Jesus Himself refers repeatedly to Old Testament teachings when He is speaking to His believers. Old Testament references that Jesus takes for Himself are not physical but rather prophecies, pictures, and shadows that give allusions to the different types of Christ.

The first reference to the tree of life is found in Genesis. God plants it in the middle of the Garden of Eden along with the tree of knowledge. The tree of life relates to Jesus in that His Father set Him down in the midst of the Israelites, God's chosen people. Jesus is described as the tree of life in Revelations. This tree bears twelve fruits, representing the twelve apostles. The purpose of the leaves on the tree is to heal the nations.

Noah listened to God and built an Ark when everyone else thought he was crazy. He gathered the animals together, herded them onto the boat and shut the door. In this way he saved himself and the animal kingdom. Jesus saved man in much the same way. Noah knew the ark would shelter his flock from destruction. Believers know that Jesus will not let them perish.

In the Old Testament Jacob dreamed about a ladder that reached to heaven with angels ascending and descending from it. The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the ladder between God and man. We will see God and angels through Him. Most Christians are familiar with references in their New Testament to Jesus as the Lamb of God. This goes back to the Passover Lamb described in Exodus.

Jesus describes Himself to the believers as their bread of Life. He says anyone who comes to Him will be fed. The children of Israel in the Old Testament had to wander on dry ground for 40 years. During that time, they didn't have anything but manna, bread, to keep them alive. The New Testament assures us that Jesus will feed us spiritually if we submit to Him and believe.

There is a story in Exodus in which God commands Moses to go to Horeb with the elders. There he'll find a rock that he must strike in order to release the water inside that the people can drink. Paul tells the Corinthians, in the first letter he wrote to them, about this story, but with a twist. In Paul's recounting the drink is spiritual and the rock represents the spirit of Jesus.

When God told King David that he would not be the one building the temple, the job was turned over to Solomon. This will become the house where God resides. Only those willing to repent will be allowed to enter. Jesus says that He is the temple and if His enemies attempt to destroy the temple, He will rebuilt it in three days.

A lot of today's believers avoid reading the Old Testament. These are the books Jesus read and learned from however. He refers to Himself on numerous occasions in ways that the Israelites would have understood. If we want to really understand Jesus today, we have to read what He read.




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