JESUS FULFILLED THE OLD TESTAMENT (4)

LIBERTY AND LOVE #55

Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament pictures. The Old Testament teaches many lessons about Christ and His role as sacrifice, High Priest, lamb of God, mediator, prophet, king, shepherd, etc., through Old Testament pictures.

A picture, or “type” as it is most often called, was a person, place, event or thing through which God revealed some truth about something in the future (Colossians 2:17; Romans 5:14; Hebrews 8:5; 9:9-24).

Following are some examples of Old Testament pictures that Christ fulfilled.

Person: Moses was a type of Christ. The Israelites were in bondage to Egypt and God raised up a deliverer to lead them from slavery to the promised land. This is a picture of Jesus leading us out of our slavery to sin into eternal life. Moses was the lawgiver for God’s people. The people were to listen to him. Jesus is now the lawgiver for God’s people. We are to listen to him.

Romans 5:14 tells us that Adam was a type of Christ. Adam was the first man and the whole human family came from him. Jesus Christ is the first born from the dead (Colossians 1:18). He is the first in a long line of those who will triumph over the grave. Also, what Adam did got the whole world in a mess. What Jesus did got the whole world straightened out.

Joseph is a type of Christ. He was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery but God exalted him to be the right hand man of the pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth at the time. Jesus was betrayed and forsaken by his brother. He was given up to death on the cross but God exalted him to his right hand.

Other examples could be given of people who were types of Jesus Christ.

Place: The six cities of refuge were given to the Levites as places where those who had killed in self-defense could flee (Numbers 35:6-11). The cities typify Christ and the refuge from judgment that Christians have in Him (Hebrews 6:17-20). The Garden of Eden is a type of Christ. As long as Adam and Eve were in the garden, they had all of their needs met and were in a right relationship with God. As long as we are in Christ all of our spiritual needs are met and we have a right relationship with God. We are complete in him (Colossians 2:10).

Event: The Passover feast was a Jewish festival which was kept in commemoration of the Israelite’s exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:3-28). This event was a picture of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7). The account of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 is a picture of God giving his son to does for us. The scapegoat ceremony of Leviticus 16 was a type of Christ as the sins of the people were transferred to the goat. The Day of Atonement and many other events could be mentioned.

Thing: The ark of Noah’s day was a type of Christ. Everyone who was in the ark was saved from the judgment and wrath of God. Everyone today who is in Christ will be saved from the judgment and wrath of God.

The priesthood of Aaron was initiated so that the people of Israel could be represented before God (Exodus 29:9-44). Christ’s ministry testifies to the pictorial nature of the priesthood (Hebrews 9:11). It is important to understand that without animal sacrifices you cannot have the law of Moses. If there are no animal sacrifices being made by Levitical priests today, then the old law is no longer in effect. Christ was the ultimate, complete and final sacrifice to be made. He took away animal sacrifices by the sacrifice of himself (Hebrews 10:1-10).

Old Testament types are invaluable in their revelation of Jesus and what He did.