Jesus Christ in the Old Testament

I have heard it said that one can turn to any page of the Bible, and there, within the words, they will find Jesus Christ. Most of us will agree with this statement when in reference to the New Testament, but we will pause at the thought that such a statement could apply to the Old Testament. However, I will put it to the reader that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, can truly be found on every page of the Old Testament. We read in the book of Hebrews, in reference to the Old Testament, “Therefore, when He [Jesus Christ] came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come--in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.’” (NKJ: Hebrews 10:5-7) The “book” being referred to in this passage, since the New Testament was not even in existence at that time, is the Old Testament, and we are told that the major theme throughout the entire Old Testament is Jesus Christ. In this study, we will skim through the pages of the Old Testament and survey a sample of the passages that speak of the then yet future Messiah that would come into this world to willingly give his life that those of us who would believe and have faith in Him would inherit eternal life. By no means will we even scratch the surface of all the messianic references contained in the Old Testament, but the purpose of this study will be to acquaint the reader, tempt their pallet so to speak, with the various forms in which Jesus Christ is spoken of in the Old Testament Scriptures. For purposes of organization, this study has been divided into the following sections: I. Messianic Prophecies in the Old Testament II. ”Types” of Christ in the Old Testament 1) Types of Christ in biblical characters 2) Types of Christ in Jewish ceremonies 3) Types of Christ in objects and events III. Christophany (actual appearance or manifestation of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament) IV. Jesus Christ hidden in the names of the lineage of Noah V. Messianic Prophecies regarding the Second Coming in the Old Testament VI. The exact date given for the Triumphal Entry of the Messiah in the Old Testament After reading this study, I leave it to the reader to embark on their own journey in search of the Messiah in the Old Testament. I. Messianic Prophecies in the Old Testament Jesus, after His resurrection, spoke with the disciples, “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’” (NKJ: Luke 24:44-47) The New Testament gospel message is entirely based on the fact that Jesus Christ fulfilled all of the messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. The purpose of the Old Testament messianic prophecies was to identify, without a doubt, the Messiah and Savior of the world when He came. For only one man would be able to, and has, fulfilled all of these prophecies. If one were to properly study all of the Messianic prophecies in the Bible with an open heart seeking the truth, there would be only one possible conclusion, and that would be that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world foretold of in the Old Testament Scriptures. The following is a selection of some of the Messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament along with their New Testament fulfillments: Genesis 12:3 - All nations blessed through Abraham’s Seed-Messiah to be in the lineage of Abraham “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (NKJ: Genesis 12:3) New Testament Fulfillment “You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” (NKJ: Acts 3:25-26) Deuteronomy 18:18 – Messiah to speak as a Prophet from God “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” (NKJ: Deuteronomy 18:18) New Testament Fulfillment “For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’” (NKJ: Acts 3:22-23) II Samuel 7:14 – Messiah to be God’s Son “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” (NKJ: Psalm 2:7) New Testament Fulfillment “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (NKJ: Matthew 3:17) Psalm 22 – The Messiah on the Cross Psalm 22:1 – Messiah to be forsaken by God “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?” (NKJ: Psalm 22:1) New Testament Fulfillment “…about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (NKJ: Matthew 27:46) Psalm 22:7-8 – The Messiah mocked by the crowd “All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” (NKJ: Psalm 22:7-8) New Testament Fulfillment “…they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!....Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.” (NKJ: Matthew 27:29,41-44) Psalm 22:14 – Messiah’s bones become out of joint “ I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint…” (NKJ: Psalm 22:14) New Testament Fulfillment The process of crucifixion causes one’s bones to come out of joint. Psalm 22:15 – Messiah’s thirst “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws…” (NKJ: Psalm 22:15) New Testament Fulfillment “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’” (NKJ: John 19:28) Psalm 22:16 – Messiah’s hands and feet are pierced “ They pierced My hands and My feet…” New Testament Fulfillment Referring the putting nails through His hands and feet for crucifixion. Psalm 22:17 – Messiah’s bones are visible “I can count all My bones…” (NKJ: Psalm 22:17) New Testament Fulfillment “…and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.” (NKJ: Matthew 27:26) The process of scouraging consists of whipping one with a whip fashioned from leather strands with pieces of metal and glass interwoven within the strands. Each strike of the whip would remove portions of flesh and muscle to the point where a person’s actual bones would be visible. Psalm 22:18 - Lots are cast for the Messiah’s clothing “They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” (NKJ: Psalm 22:18) New Testament Fulfillment “Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” (NKJ: Matthew 27:35) Psalm 34:20 – Messiah to have no broken bones (on the Cross) “He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.” (NKJ: Psalm 34:20) New Testament Fulfillment “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs…. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” (NKJ: John 19:31-33, 36) Psalm 41:9 – Messiah to be betrayed by a friend “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” (NKJ: Psalm 41:9) New Testament Fulfillment “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’” (NKJ: John 13:18) Psalm 69:9 – Messiah to have a zeal for God’s house “Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.” (NKJ: Psalm 69:9) New Testament Fulfillment “His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (NKJ: John 2:17) Psalm 69:21 – Messiah given vinegar for his thirst (on the Cross) “They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” (NKJ: Psalm 69:21) New Testament Fulfillment “…a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.” (NKJ: John 19:29) Psalm 69:25,109:8 – The desolation and replacement of the Messiah’s betrayer “Let their dwelling place be desolate; Let no one live in their tents.” (NKJ: Psalm 69:25)) “Let his days be few, and let another take his office.” (NKJ: Psalm 109:8) New Testament Fulfillment “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.” Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and,‘Let another take his office.’ Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection. And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” (NKJ: Acts 1:15-26) Psalm 78:2 – The Messiah to speak in parables “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,…” (NKJ: Psalm 78:2) New Testament Fulfillment “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” (NKJ: Matthew 13:34-35) Isaiah 7:14 – The Messiah to be born of a virgin “…the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (NKJ: Isaiah 7:14) New Testament Fulfillment “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (NKJ: Matthew 1:18-23) Isaiah 8:14,28:16 – The Messiah will be a cornerstone and a rock to stumble over regarding faith “He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” (NKJ: Isaiah 8:14) “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.” (NKJ: Isaiah 28:16) New Testament Fulfillment “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (NKJ: Romans 9:30-33) Isaiah 9:6-7 – The Messiah to be in the lineage of King David “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (NKJ: Isaiah 9:6-7) New Testament Fulfillment “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (NKJ: Luke 1:31-33) Isaiah 11:10 – Messiah will come from the lineage of Jesse (King David’s father) and the Gentiles will follow Him “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.” (NKJ: Isaiah 11:10) New Testament Fulfillment “And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.” (NKJ: Romans 15:12) Isaiah 35:5-6 – The Messiah will heal the blind and the deaf “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.6Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” (NKJ: Isaiah 35:5-6) New Testament Fulfillment “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (NKJ: Matthew 11:4-6) Isaiah 49:6 – The Messiah will be the light of the Gentiles “Indeed He says,‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” (NKJ: Isaiah 49:6) New Testament Fulfillment “Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (NKJ: Acts 13:46-47) Isaiah 50:6 – The Messiah will be beaten and spit upon “I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” (NKJ: Isaiah 50:6) New Testament Fulfillment “Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.” (NKJ: Matthew 27:26-30) Isaiah 52:13-53:12 – The rejection and crucifixion of the Lord Isaiah 52:14 – The Messiah will be severely beaten almost beyond recognition “Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men…” (NKJ: Isaiah 52:14) New Testament Fulfillment “So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers….struck Him with their hands.” (NKJ: 19:1-3) Jesus was scourged and beaten. Isaiah 53:1 – Reports of the Messiah will not be believed--“Who has believed our report?” “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (NKJ: Isaiah 53:1) New Testament Fulfillment “But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (NKJ: John 12:37-38) Isaiah 53:3 – The Messiah to be rejected “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (NKJ: Isaiah 53:3) New Testament Fulfillment “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (NKJ: John 1:11) Isaiah 53:4-5 – The Messiah will have a healing ministry “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (NKJ: Isaiah 53:4-5) New Testament Fulfillment “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” (NKJ: Matthew 8:16-17) Isaiah 53:7-8 – The Messiah will suffer as the Lamb of God “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.” (NKJ: Isaiah 53:7-8) New Testament Fulfillment “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!.... Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” (NKJ: John 1:29,36) Isaiah 53:9 – The Messiah will be buried in a rich man’s grave “And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.” (NKJ: Isaiah 53:9) New Testament Fulfillment “Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.” (NKJ: Matthew 27:57-60) Isaiah 53:10 – The Messiah’s death was God’s plan as atonement for our sins “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.” (NKJ: Isaiah 53:10) New Testament Fulfillment “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJ: John 3:16) “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (NKJ: Colossians 1:19-20) Isaiah 53:12 – The Messiah will be numbered with transgressors “Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (NKJ: Isaiah 53:12) New Testament Fulfillment “Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.” (NKJ: Matthew 27:38) _________________________________________________________________________________ Jeremiah 31:15 - Rachel weeping for slain children “Thus says the Lord: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.” (NKJ: Jeremiah 31:15) New Testament Fulfillment “Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.” (NKJ: Matthew 2:16-18) Jeremiah 31:31-32 – The Messiah will bring about a new covenant “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt...” (NKJ: Jeremiah 31:31-32) New Testament Fulfillment “Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (NKJ: Luke 22:20) Ezekiel 37:24-25; Micah 5:4 – The Messiah to be the shepherd of His followers “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.” (NKJ: Ezekiel 37:24) “And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth;” (NKJ: Micah 5:4) New Testament Fulfillment “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep….am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” (NKJ: John 10:11,14) Hosea 11:1 – The Messiah to return from Egypt “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.” (NKJ: Hosea 11:1) New Testament Fulfillment “When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.’” (NKJ: Matthew 2:14-15) Jonah 1:17 – The Messiah to be dead for three days and nights “Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (NKJ: Jonah 1:17) New Testament Fulfillment “But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’” (NKJ: Matthew 12:39-40) Micah 5:2 – The Messiah to be born in Bethlehem “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” (NKJ: Micah 5:2) New Testament Fulfillment “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’’” (NKJ: Matthew 2:1-6) Zechariah 9:9 – The Messiah to come riding a donkey “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” (NKJ: Zechariah 9:9) New Testament Fulfillment “Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.’ All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!’” (NKJ: Matthew 21:1-9) Zechariah 11:12-13 – The Messiah to be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver “Then I said to them, ‘If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.’ So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.” (NKJ: Zechariah 11:12-13) New Testament Fulfillment “When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ And they said, ‘What is that to us? You see to it!’ Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.’ And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.’” (NKJ: Matthew 27:1-10) Zechariah 12:10 – The piercings (from His crucifixion) of the Messiah to be looked upon “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” (NKJ: Zechariah 12:10) New Testament Fulfillment “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken. And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’” (NKJ: John 19:31-37) Zechariah 13:7 – Striking the shepherd (the Messiah) will cause the sheep (His followers) to flee “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.” (NKJ: Zechariah 13:7) New Testament Fulfillment “Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’….In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.” (NKJ: Matthew 26:31,55-56) Malachi 3:1 - The messenger – John the Baptist -- foretold “’Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” (NKJ: Malachi 3:1) New Testament Fulfillment “As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’” (NKJ: 11:7-10) II. “Types” of Christ in the Old Testament In the book of Hosea we read, “ I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.” (NKJ: Hosea 12:10) In this verse, God is telling us that throughout the Old Testament He has given prophetic “symbols” of future people and events--the most prolific of these symbols being of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. These symbols are referred to as “types.” A type is a bible-study concept in which a person, place, event, or object becomes a pattern by which later persons or places are interpreted due to the unity of events within biblically-related history. In other words, Old Testament persons, places, and things are at times used as foreshadowings of the future. In this section, we will take a look at three groups of “types”: 1) Types of Christ in biblical characters 2) Types of Christ in Jewish ceremonies 3) Types of Christ in objects and events 1) Types of Christ in Biblical Characters a) Adam and Christ “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (NKJ: I Corinthians 15:45) Adam was created by God (cf. Genesis 1:27). He was created perfect and good, but was also given a free will to choose for himself. Unfortunately, he chose to sin and disobey God (Genesis 3). Through his disobedient act, sin entered into the world, and was inherited by all of us in that we all are born with a sin nature. This sin nature created a chasm between us and God, for God is a righteous God, and cannot tolerate sin. But, because of God’s love for us, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to be born a man. Jesus Christ, through His sinless life, death on the Cross, and resurrection on the third day, would provide for us a way to permanently wash away all our sins, and to become perfect in God’s sight. As we read in the book of Romans, “Therefore, as through one man’s [Adam} offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s [Jesus Christ] righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” (NKJ: Romans 5:18-19) Both Adam and Jesus Christ stood as representatives for all of us. Through Adam’s act we were all condemned, but through the act of Jesus Christ we all have a means of redemption. b) Abel and Christ Abel was the second born to Adam and Eve, and had an older brother Cain. Because of his jealousy of God’s favor towards Abel, Cain killed Abel, “Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell….Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” (NKJ: Genesis 4:4-5,8) Abel was a righteous man, and his blood was shed because of his righteousness, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” (NKJ: Hebrews 11:4) However, another righteous man would ultimately come into the world, who’s death and spilling of blood would bring the way of salvation to all men, “to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” (NKJ: Hebrews 12:24) Abel’s death and spilling of blood was the first in a long line of righteous men giving their lives for God (cf. Matthew 23:34-35), up until the ultimate shedding of blood, which was that given willingly by Jesus Christ, our Lord, c) Isaac and Christ Isaac was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ in various ways, but the most predominant was when his father, Abraham, in obeying God’s command was willing to give up his only son as a sacrificial lamb to God: “Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (NKJ: Genesis 22:1-12) In this scene we have Abraham willing to give up his one and only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God, just as God would be willing to give up his one and only Son as a sacrifice for all of humankind’s sin, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJ: John 3:16) d) Melchizedek and Christ Abraham, after rescuing his nephew Lot, has a mysterious encounter with a man who is identified as both a king and a priest, “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.” (NKJ: Genesis 14:18-20) Of special note here is the fact that he was both a king and a priest of God, which were too offices that one man was not eligible to hold because of Levitical law. The only exception to this is Jesus Christ, who is both our King (cf. I Timothy 1:17,6:15;Revelation 15:3,17:14,19:16) and our High Priest (cf. Hebrews 2:17,4:14-15,6:20,8:1)). We read in the book of Hebrews that Jesus Christ came “in the likeness” of Melchizedek, “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually….For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (NKJ: Hebrews 7:1-3,14-17) Melchizedek is a type of Christ in that he was both a king and a priest, of which there was only one other that held both positions of title, that being Jesus Christ. The description of Melchizedek is a mystery unto itself in that it is said of him, “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.” Because of these mysterious words, some scholars even point to Melchizedek as being more than just a type of Christ, but being an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ referred to as a Christophany—see further in our Bible study the discussion on “Christophanies.” Of one final note here is the fact that through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we have also become kings and priests ourselves, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (NKJ: Revelation 1:5-6) e) Joseph and Christ To most conservative scholars, there is no other Old Testament figure in the Scriptures that compares to Joseph as a type of Jesus when it comes to parallels to Him. And by no means would I attempt to cover all of these parallels in this study, which by some are numbered at over one hundred. Rather, I shall give a selection of these parallels as examples: Began their ministries at age 30 Joseph: “Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt…” (NKJ: Genesis 41:46) Jesus: “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age,…” (NKJ: Luke 3:23) Hated by their brethren Joseph: “when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.” (NKJ: Genesis 37:4) Jesus: “world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.” (NKJ: John 7:7) Sent forth by their Father Joseph: “Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” (NKJ: Genesis 37:13) Jesus: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (NKJ: I John 4:10) Mission from the Father was to seek after the welfare of their brethren Joseph: “Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.” (NKJ: Genesis 37:14) Jesus: “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (NKJ: John 3:17) Conspired against by their brethren Joseph: “Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.” (NKJ: Genesis 37:18) Jesus: “Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.” (NKJ: Matthew 12:14) Sold for a price Joseph: “Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver.” (NKJ: Genesis 37:28) Jesus: “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.” (NKJ: Matthew 26:14-16) Stripped of clothing Joseph: “So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him.” (NKJ: Genesis 37:23) Jesus: “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic.” (NKJ: John 19:23) Became servants Joseph: “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.” (NKJ: Genesis 39:1) Jesus: “Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” (NKJ: Philippians 2:5-7) Extremely tempted, but did not sin Joseph: “And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.’ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside,that she caught him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me.’ But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.” (NKJ: Genesis 39:7-12) Jesus: Luke 4 – Jesus tempted by the devil Falsely accused Joseph: “So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.” (NKJ: Genesis 39:16-18) Jesus: “Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward…” (NKJ: Matthew 26:59-60) Numbered with the transgressors (two) Joseph: “It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.” (NKJ: Genesis 40:1-3) Jesus: “Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.” (NKJ: Matthew 27:38) f) Aaron and Christ “Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.” (NKJ: Numbers 16:47-48) “Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” (NKJ: Hebrews 5:3-5) Aaron was the High Priest for the people, and would make atonement before God for the sinful actions of the Israelites. Likewise, Jesus Christ is our High Priest, “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.” (NKJ: Hebrews 9:14) However, Jesus Christ Himself is the atoning sacrifice for all of our sins, “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” (NKJ: I John 2:1-2) With Aaron, he was required to continually make atoning sacrifices before God for the sins of Israel; whereas, with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, He made one sacrifice atoning sacrifice that is sufficient to cover all of our sins forever, “And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man (Jesus Christ), after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God…” (NKJ: Hebrews 10:11-12) g) Joshua and Christ “So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan.” (NKJ: Joshua 3:14-16) The Hebrew word for “Joshua” is the Greek equivalent of “Jesus.” In many ways, Joshua is a type of Jesus. One of those ways is exemplified in how he lead his people out of the wilderness into the promised land, that is, Israel. The above passage is a treasure trove of types and symbols. In this passage, we have Joshua, a type of Jesus, leading his people from the wilderness, symbolic of the state we are in without Jesus, into the promised land, symbolic of God’s promise of salvation to those who accept His Son as their Lord and Savior. For Israel to pass over to the promised land, the high waters in the river needed to be taken out of the way, just as our sins must be taken out of the way for us to inherit salvation, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (NKJ: Colossians 2:13-14) And, it is interesting to note that we are told in the above passage from the book of Joshua that, “the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam,” which is symbolic of how Jesus died for all of mankind’s sins all the way back to Adam. Finally, note that the waters did not subside, and then the priests stepped into the waters, but first, in faith, the priests stepped into the waters and then the waters were taken back. This is symbolic of how we come to our Lord and Savior through our faith, and not based on something tangible that we first see with our eyes before believing. h) Boaz and Christ Probably one of the most beautiful pictures of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is found in the book of Ruth in the character of Boaz. In the book of Ruth, we have Naomi, a Jewess, living in the country of Moab with her husband and two sons. After the death of her husband and two sons, she returns to Israel along with one of her daughter-in-laws named Ruth, a Moabite woman. Shortly after returning to Israel, Boaz, a wealthy land owner and a relative of Naomi’s, takes a liking to Ruth. This works out well for Naomi, since she desires to regain her family land, but, having no money, must look to one of her relatives, or kinsmen, to redeem it for her, and Boaz turns out to be one of her relatives. In this Old Testament process of regaining family land through a relative, the redeeming relative is referred to in Hebrew as the “goel”, or “kinsman redeemer.” This biblical law is stated for us in the following passage: “‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land. ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative (Hebrew: “goel”) comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold.’” (NKJ: Exodus 25:23-25) Therefore, Boaz agrees to reclaim the land on behalf of Naomi, and, as part of the transaction, also takes Ruth as his bride. In taking Ruth as his bride as part of the transaction, Boaz is following, in a broad sense, the law in Deuteronomy that states, “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.” (NKJ: Deuteronomy 25:5-6) Though Boaz is not the brother of Ruth’s deceased husband, he is the next willing and eligible kinsman to perform this duty. In this story, we have a wonderful symbolic depiction of God’s redemptive process. For in this story, we have Naomi as a “type” of Israel, having left her land, but now desiring to have her inheritance redeemed, and Ruth as a “type” representing Gentiles, since she is a Moabite, a non-Jew. Boaz then represents, as a “type,” our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To better understand the concept of Boaz as a “type” of Jesus Christ, let’s take a step back and look at the role of Jesus Christ as our kinsman redeemer. When Adam sinned and disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, he condemned humankind to be separated from God because of that sin. In Adam’s seed, from generation to generation, that sin nature was passed on, creating a impassable chasm between sinful man and a righteous God. Jesus Christ came down to earth as our kinsman redeemer, to purchase us out of the hands of sin through his death on the Cross. We read in the book of Hebrews, “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (NKJ: Hebrews 2:17) To pay the price for our sins, Jesus Christ must be our kinsman, that is, he came to earth as a man, not as God. Furthermore, after the nation of Israel rejected Him, thus temporarily rejecting their inheritance in Him, Jesus turned to the Gentiles, His Church, of which the Bible refers to as the bride or wife of Christ (cf. Revelation 19:7-8, Ephesians 5:22-32). But our Lord also has not forsaken Israel, and will also redeem them when they acknowledge Him in the last days. Based on the role of Jesus Christ as our ultimate kinsman redeemer, we see in Boaz a type of Jesus in that he took as his Gentile bride Ruth, representing the Church, and redeemed the inheritance for Naomi, representing Israel. 2) Types of Christ in Jewish Ceremonies a) Jesus Christ as our Passover Lamb Pharoah would not let the Israelites leave Egypt, so God brought a series of ten plagues upon the land of Egypt. The tenth and final plague was that the first born of each household, both human and animal, would die in one night. But God provided a way of protection for His people, “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” (NKJ: Exodus 12:21-27) But note that God did not automatically protect each and every Israelite, but they were required to believe in the Word of God and act upon it in faith. For even a Jewish family would lose the first born in their family if they did not heed the Word of God. The Passover lamb is symbolic of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His sacrificial death and shedding of blood on the Cross for our sins: - “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (NKJ: I Corinthians 5:7) - “but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (NKJ: I Peter 1:19) Even in the placing of the blood on the doorpost we have the image of the Cross in that the three points of the cross are marked on the door. Through His sacrifice on the Cross, we are provided the way for salvation. But, just as the Israelites were required to have an active faith in the Word of God to be saved, so must we place our faith in the blood of Jesus Christ given on the Cross for us. b) Jesus Christ as The Sin Offering “If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish. Then he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it as a sin offering at the place where they kill the burnt offering. The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar.” (NKJ: Leviticus 4:32-34) “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (NKJ: I John 1:29) To atone for the sins of the people, the High Priest would make a sacrifice of a lamb (also used could be a goat or bull). The lamb would be required to have no blemish on its body, symbolizing being sinless. The hand of the priest would be laid upon the innocent animal to symbolize transferring of the sins of the people onto the lamb. Then the lamb would be slain, and its blood offered to God for atonement. So it was with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who, being sinless and innocent, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and gave His own blood on the Cross as a sacrifice for us. c) Jesus Christ as The Annual Atonement “the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” (NKJ: Leviticus 16:32-34) “But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience--concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” (NKJ: Hebrews 9:7-15) During the days before Christ, the high priest would annually enter into the innermost chamber of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, and offer sacrificial blood to God as atonement for the sins of the people. Each year this ceremony was to be performed, for its redemptive quality was only temporal. This annual ceremony was symbolic and prophetic of the future single blood sacrifice that would provide a means of eternal redemption for all. That sacrifice, and that blood, was given on the Cross by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. d) Jesus Christ as The Red Heifer “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin. And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them.” (NKJ: Numbers 19:1-10) “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (NKJ: Hebrews 9:13-14) The sacrifice of a Red Heifer, without blemish, was another ceremony performed by the high priest to symbolically purify the people of Israel from their sins. Again, this was a perpetual ceremony with temporal effect that was symbolically looking forward to the once-for-all permanent and eternal sacrifice to be made by Jesus Christ on the Cross. 3) Types of Christ in Objects and Events a) Jesus Christ as The Rock in The Wilderness “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.’” (NKJ: Exodus 7:5-6) “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (NKJ: I Corinthians 10:4) In the book of John, we read about a time when Jesus came upon a Samaritan woman at a well. He asks her for a drink of water, and then we read, “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?’ Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’” (NKJ: John 4:10-14) In the desert, the nation of Israel was thirsty, and God provided water from a rock for them to drink and sustain themselves. Unfortunately, that water would only sustain them for a temporary amount of time, and then they would thirst again. However, this water was a symbol of the yet future spiritual water that would be provided by Jesus Christ that would wash us clean of all our sins, and provide for us eternal life In the New Testament we can see this water as the Word of God, “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word..” (NKJ: Ephesians 5:26), that is, our Bible, through which we have the living words of salvation through Jesus Christ. This water can also be seen as representative of the Holy Spirit, which each and every Christian receives in their heart when they heed the Word of God, and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (NKJ: John 7:37-39) b) Jesus Christ as The Levitical Cities in Joshua “The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand. And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the slayer may return and come to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.’’” (NKJ: Joshua 20:1-6) After Joshua and the Israelites conquered all of the land that would become Israel, God instructed them to designate six cities throughout the land to become “cities of refuge.” The purpose of these cities was that when an individual accidentally killed someone, they could flee to one of these cities and be safe from the avenging kinsman of the person who was killed. These cities are considered by various conservative biblical scholars as a type of Jesus Christ based on their attributes. We are all sinners, and because of our sin we have killed our own souls, just as the man who has slain another. Because of our sin, we must take refuge in our Lord to be protected from our adversary (the avenger) who is Satan, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (NKJ: I Peter 5:8) And our safety was secured upon the death of our High Priest, Jesus Christ, when He died on the Cross for our sins, and then rose again the third day. The following is a summary of the parallel attributes between the cities of refuge and Jesus Christ: 1) The cities were appointed by God and not by men, just as God appointed His Son to die for our sins (Hebrews 1:2) 2) Given to provide shelter from the avenger (Satan), just as Jesus Christ is our shelter and protection 3) The road to the city was plainly marked (Deuteronomy 19:2-3), just as the road to salvation is clearly marked 4) There was easy access to the cities (Deuteronomy 19:2-3), just as there is the most easiest of access to our Lord 5) The city of refuge provided protection only for the homicide, and not the deliberate murder in that those who repent of their sins are saved, but those who willfully continue in their sins are not (I John 3:9) 6) One must abide in the city for protection, just as we must abide in Christ (John 15:5) 7) The cities were available to both Jews and Gentiles (Numbers 35:15) 8) Death of the High Priest secured full and final deliverance (Colossians 2:13-14) We read in the book of Hebrews, “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” (NKJ: Hebrews 6:17-18) Jesus Christ truly is our refuge unto salvation, and may we all be found dwelling in Him, “…that I may gain Christ and be found in Him…” (NKJ: Philippians 3:8-9) c) Jesus Christ as The Brass Serpent “And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” (NKJ: Numbers 21:5-9) “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up (“lifted up” speaking of His coming crucifixion), that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (NKJ: John 3:14-15) God was very faithful to the Israelites during their time in the wilderness, but the people were not grateful for the care that God showed them. And during one of their rebellious moments they, “spoke against God and against Moses.” For this sin, God disciplined them by sending fiery serpents into their camp whose bite would cause death. But, because of God’s ultimate love for His people, He provided a means of salvation from death in the form a bronze serpent placed upon a pole, and those who looked upon the raised bronze serpent would be saved and not die. We are told by Jesus, in the book of John, that this raised bronze serpent was a symbol or type of Himself. For as those who believed in the saving power of the serpent and looked upon it were saved from death, so shall we who believe in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior be saved from eternal spiritual death in hell. d) Jesus Christ as The Bread from Heaven (Manna) in The Wilderness “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.” (NKJ: Exodus 16:4) “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’” (NKJ: John 6:31-33) During the forty years that the Israelites were in the wilderness, God provided them daily food that would fall from heaven. Therefore God saw to their earthly need of food to sustain their lives. So is it with Jesus Christ. For our Lord came down from heaven to give His life that through His blood we may receive spiritual nourishment to sustain us for eternity, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” (NKJ: John 6:53-58) e) Jesus Christ in The Rent Veil of The Temple “And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy.” (NKJ: Exodus 26:33) “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,…” (NKJ: Hebrews 10:19-20) In the Temple, a veil was placed between the Holy of Holies and the rest of the Temple. In the Holy of Holies resided the Ark of the Covenant, symbolic of God’s presence. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter this special area, and then only once a year (cf. Hebrews 9:6-8). The veil represented the impassable chasm between an all-righteous God and sinful man. There existed no means for us to have direct fellowship with God. However, when Jesus Christ died on the Cross, at that very moment after He took His last breath and uttered His final words on the Cross, “It is finished” (NKJ: John 19:30), we read that, “Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (NKJ: Mark 15:38) The veil that stood between the Holy of Holies, keeping man outside of God’s presence, was torn in half. And note that it was not torn from bottom to top, which would represent how a man standing on the ground would reach up and tear the veil, but from “top to bottom” symbolizing God literally reaching down and tearing down the wall that previously stood between God and man. For now, through Jesus Christ, we have direct access and fellowship with God, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,…” (NKJ: I Timothy 2:5) III. Christophany (actual appearance or manifestation of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament) A theological term is used, “theophany”, to describe any temporary and normally visible appearance of God in the Bible. An example of a theophany would be when the Lord appeared to Abraham with two angels right before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18). But there are also appearances in the Old Testament of Jesus Christ, and such an event is sometimes referred to as a “Christophany.” One such event is found in the book of Joshua: “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You for us or for our adversaries?’ So He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’ Then the Commander of the Lord’S army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” (NKJ: Joshua 5:13-15) In this passage, the “Commander of the Lord’s army” is none other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We can determine that this is our Jesus, and not just an angel, from the fact that Joshua “fell on his fact to the earth and worshipped (Him).” Only the Father and Son are to be worshipped, and whenever anyone in the Bible attempts to either worship men (cf. Acts 10:25) or angels(cf. Revelation 19:10,22:8-9), they are rebuked. However, we see in this passage that this divine entity does not rebuke Joshua’s worship, but receives it. Further, we have this Man telling Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy,” which is reminiscent of the scene with Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3:5). Only the divine presence of God or His Son would make a place holy. IV. Jesus Christ Hidden in the Names in the Lineage of Noah “This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created… And Adam...begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth…Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh… Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan… Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel...Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared...Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch...Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah… Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech,,,Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. And he called his name Noah…” (NKJ: Genesis 5:1-29) In the book of Genesis, we are given the lineage of Noah starting back to the first man, Adam. At first glance, this would appear to be just a simple list of the forefathers of Noah dating back to the very beginning. However, a closer examination of these names will yield a very marvelous and awesome discovery. To begin with, every Hebrew name in the Old Testament has an actual meaning, and the following is a list of the names in Noah’s lineage, in chronological order, with their related meaning: Adam – Man Seth - Appointed Enosh – Mortal Cainan – Sorrow Mahalalel – The Blessed God Jared- Shall Come Down Enoch – Teaching Methusaleh – His Death Shall Bring Lamech – The Despairing Noah – Comfort or Rest When the meaning of each of the names is strung together, we find a glorious message hidden within: Man was appointed to mortal sorrow. The Blessed God shall come down teaching. His death shall bring the despairing comfort (or rest). Hidden within the lineage of Noah is the Messianic prophesy pointing to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His purpose for coming down to this earth. Throughout the Old Testament, hidden within the names of both people and places, are assorted foreshadowings of the then yet future Messiah that would come into the world to provide a way of salvation for each and every one of us who would choose to believe in Him as their personal Lord and Savior. V. Messianic Prophecies Regarding the Second Coming in the Old Testament Most of the Messianic prophesies point to the first coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but there are those that look past the first coming, farther into the future, to His second coming. The following are some of these passages. Daniel 7:13-14 – Messiah will come as the Son of Man to reign over the earth “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.” (NKJ: Daniel 7:13-14) “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” (NKJ: Zechariah 12:10) New Testament Fulfillment “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (NKJ: Matthew 24:30) Daniel 7:27 – Messiah’s rule will be everlasting “Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’” (NKJ: Daniel 7:27) “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE Lord OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (NKJ: Jeremiah 23:5-6) New Testament Fulfillment “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” (NKJ: Revelation 11:15) II Samuel 7:16 – Messiah will rule on the throne of David “And your (David’s) house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.’” (NKJ: II Samuel 7:16) New Testament: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (NKJ: Luke 1:32-33) VI. The Exact Date Given for The Triumphal Entry of The Messiah in The Old Testament In the Gospel of Luke we read, “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’” (NKJ: Luke 19:41-44) In this passage, we have Jesus holding the nation of Israel accountable for knowing the time in which He, the prophesied Messiah, would come into the world. He refers to that time as “in this your day,” referring to the day in which their Messiah, the one for whom they were so eagerly waiting, would come into the world. Then He convicts them by saying that grievous times would come upon them, “because you did not know the time of your visitation,” that is, the visitation of their Messiah. Though there are hundreds of Messianic passages describing the attributes of the Messiah, there is one passage in the Old Testament, found in the book of Daniel, that pinpoints the exact day that the Messiah would present Himself: “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself…” (NKJ: Daniel 9:24-26) This prophecy, received by Daniel from the angel Gabriel, gives the exact day on which the Messiah would come, or, more specifically, when the Messiah would be presented to the people. A synopsis of this prophecy is as follows: 1) The Hebrew word translated “weeks” means “weeks of years,” that is, each week consists of seven years. 2) The prophecy is stating that there will be sixty-nine weeks, or 481 years, from the day that “the command to restore and build Jerusalem” is made to the day that the “Messiah the Prince” comes. 3) Prophetical years consist of 360 days both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Therefore, 481 years for this prophecy is 173,880 days (481 years x 360 days). 4) The decree to rebuild Jerusalem (not to be confused with rebuilding the Temple) was made by Artaxerxes Longimanus, King of the Medo-Persian empire, on March 14, 445 B.C. 5) Calculation of the date of the coming of the Messiah: March 14, 445 B.C. to March 14, 32 A.D. is 476 years (note: there is no year “0”) 476 years x 365 days per year = 173,740 days Add for leap years = 116 days March 14 to April 6 = 24 days Total days = 173,880 days The question is then, “what happened on April 6, 32 A.D.?” Based on calculations done by some conservative scholars, on that day a lowly carpenter rode into Jerusalem riding atop a donkey, and being proclaimed by all the people as Messiah the King—referred to as “Palm Sunday” (cf. Matthew 21:6-9; John 12:12-15). Up until that day, Jesus would not allow His disciples to proclaim who He was in public. But, on this day, the appointed day, our Lord allowed his followers to proclaim Him as their Messiah. The above is only a brief synopsis of this marvelous prophecy. I would encourage the readers to more fully study this prophecy in depth. For an extremely detailed explanation, it is recommended to read the book “The Coming Prince” by Sir Robert Anderson. For a less voluminous review, but with still great details, one should read “The Search for Messiah” (chapter 6 – The Time of Messiah’s Coming) by Mark Eastman and Chuck Smith. Final Comments After His resurrection, Jesus Christ appeared to many people. On one of these occasions, He appeared to two of His disciples while they were traveling to a village called Emmaus. He inquired of them on what they were discussing, and they explained that they were speaking about the recent events concerning this Jesus of Nazareth, and how they were confused. Then we read, “Then He (Jesus) said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?’ And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (NKJ: Luke 24:25-27) What an awesome Bible study this would have been. However, the key note in this passage is the fact that Jesus, “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” In this passage we told that the Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is all throughout the pages of the Scriptures, and it is for us to seek and find these precious pearls. My hope is that this study will give the reader a glimpse into the revelations of Jesus Christ that are throughout the Old Testament, and will inspire the reader to do their own personal study. God Bless