The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type

Daniel in the lions' den

Since the prophets participated in the sufferings of Christ, they, too, were a type of Him. There were many instances when what they said of themselves showed that they were identifying with Christ, and the same things they said of themselves could also be said of Christ. There are many such examples contained in the Psalms.

They were insulted, persecuted, and slandered because of Him:

"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Mat 5:11-12)

Every disciple who is insulted, persecuted, and against whom others falsely say all kinds of evil because of Christ, are experiencing what the prophets experienced.

They were hated by men, excluded, and their names were scorned as evil for Christ's sake:

"Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets." (Luk 6:22-23)

In fact, they were even murdered:

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets." (Mat 23:29-31)

This pattern continued from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah:

"Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.'" (Luk 11:47-51)

Some of them were stoned to death:

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!" (Luk 13:34; cf., Mat 23:37)

There wasn't a prophet that was not persecuted:

"Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;" (Act 7:52)

This goes for all the prophets, including Joseph, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jonah, and all the others. They prophesied of Christ and shared in His sufferings for it. Moses suffered disgrace before Pharaoh for the sake of Christ (He 11:26). Daniel was thrown into the lions' den (Dan 6), Ezekiel laid on his side for 430 days bearing the iniquity of Israel (Ez 4:4), and he was not allowed to mourn or weep when his wife was taken from him in death (Ez 24:15-27), Jeremiah was dropped into an empty cistern (Jer 38:6), Hosea was required to take a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry (Hos 1:2), and Elijah was threatened by evil Jezebel (1 Ki 19). The Talmud [Yevamot 49b] says that Isaiah suffered martyrdom by being sawn in two under the orders of evil King Manasseh. The apostle wrote to the Hebrews saying: "Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground." (Heb 11:35-38)

The same is true of all who seek to live godly lives in Christ:

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." (1 Pe 4:12-14, NIV).

"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted..." (2 Tim 3:12, NIV).

Closing Words
In this study, we have discovered that to the extent that the prophets participated in the sufferings of Christ, they were a type of Christ, who suffered and died for us. They were also a type of every disciple of Christ, who seeks to live a godly life in Him.

Studying types of Christ like this can help us grow in our love and knowledge of the Lord. I trust this has helped to accomplish that very goal in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible.

Attribution notice: Most Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Other Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. The painting of Daniel in the Lions' Den mezzotint is by J.B. Pratt, and is used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only. I would like to thank my wife Jennifer for giving me the idea of the theme of this article, which is captured in the opening paragraph.

Author's note:  Also see Joseph as a Type of Christ, Jonah as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, and Hagar and Sarah as Types. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.