Discovering Types Of Christ In The Old Testament

By Carolyn Graham


Some Christians think the only place you will find Jesus is in the New Testament. This is certainly the place to go to learn about the life, teaching, death and resurrection of God's Son. The books Jesus referred to however are all the Old Testament. It is not a physical recounting, but a glimpse in pictures, prophecies, and shadows that show us various types of Christ.

The tree of life is referenced in Genesis. We are given a picture of the tree that God planted within the midst of the Garden of Eden, just as much later He transplanted His Son in the midst of His people. In Revelations Jesus is depicted as the tree of life bearing twelve fruits, the apostles, with the leaves of the tree spreading to heal the nations.

The Ark represented salvation to Noah and his family. Once they had all the animals on deck they shut the door behind them and were safe. In the same way Jesus is man's salvation. Just as Noah believed the Ark would keep them safe from destruction, Christians believe that Jesus will never 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 tells us He is the bread of Life, and anyone who comes to Him will never hunger. In the Old Testament the children of Israel wandered in the desert for forty years. During that time they had nothing but manna, or bread, to eat. In the New Testament Jesus says we have to come to Him, and believe, in order to be fed spiritually.

In Exodus God tells Moses to take the elders and go to Horeb where he will find a rock. Moses is to strike the rock and water will come forth for the people to drink. Paul recounts to the Corinthians, in his first letter to them, the same story of Moses and the rock. This time though Paul refers to the water as spiritual drink and the rock as a spiritual representation of Jesus.

When God told King David he could not build the temple, he turned the job over to his son, Solomon. The temple that resulted became God's dwelling place. Only believers entered. At the end of His life, Jesus warns His enemies that destroying the temple, Himself, will only result in the resurrection of it in three days.

Today a lot of Christians find Old Testament readings difficult. It contains the books that Jesus read and studied however. He continually refers to Himself in terms the people of the Old Testament would have understood. In order to fully understand Him today, we need to become more familiar with His Bible.




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