Wednesday, 12 September 2018

Comparing Types Of Christ In Old And New Testament Books

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.

Some believe it starts with God's tree of life. When God was creating the Garden of Eden He placed the tree of life squarely in the middle. Many years later He would set His Son down in the middle of the Israelites, who were His chosen people. Revelations tells us that Jesus is the tree of life that bears twelve fruits, representing the apostles. The leaves on the tree are there to cure 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.

Jacob dreamed he saw a ladder to heaven in the Old Testament. He saw angels using it to ascend and descend from heaven. Christians believe that Jesus is the gateway to heaven and God. We can only see angels and God through Him. Jesus is depicted as the Lamb of God in the New Testament.

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.

In one of the conversations Moses has with God, he is instructed to call the elders and travel to Horeb. He will see a rock there that he is to strike. Water will emanate from the rock and give the Israelites sustenance. Paul tells the same story with a twist in his 1st letter to his Corinthian followers. In it he refers to the rock as representing Jesus in a spiritual sense dispensing spiritual sustenance.

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.

A lot of Christians have issues with the Old Testament. Jesus used it to teach His followers because that is what He read. The people of the Old Testament would have recognized the stories He told. Understanding Jesus completely must include the teachings He read.




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