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Someone once said that what is enfolded in the Old Testament is unfolded in the New Testament. The purpose of this blog is to fully unfold those rich truths buried like treasures in the Hebrew Scriptures, specifically the ones where we find types of Christ. Our goal is to get to know our wonderful Lord Jesus more. But there are also other types as well, and as the Lord leads, we will examine those, too.

As Paul the apostle said, "Now these things happened to them as types and were written for our admonition, to whom the ends of the ages are arrived." (1 Cor 10:11, BSB).

Some of the types we've covered already include Adam, the tree of life, Noah's Ark, the blood of the paschal lamb, the scapegoat, Isaac, Israel, Joseph, Jonah, Moses, Joshua, Boaz, King David, the temple, the tabernacle and its furnishings, the high priest, the rock from which water sprang, the bronze serpent, the cornerstone, the manna, and the Jewish Feasts, as well as Hagar and Sarah. We've even examined black holes a type, which is very interesting. Others that will be covered, Lord willing, include animal sacrifices, and Saul son of Kish, as well as kings and priests.

Adam as a Type of Christ	Noah's Ark a Type of Christ	Hagar and Sarah as Types
The Temple as a Type of Christ	The Typology of the Tabernacle	The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ
Isaac as a Type of Christ	The Rock as a Type of Christ	The Cornerstone as a Type of Christ
The Glorified Lamb of God	The High Priest as a Type of Christ	The Typology of the Jewish Feasts
Joseph as a Type of Christ	Manna as a Type of Christ	The Scapegoat as a Type of Christ
The Tree of Life as a Type of Christ	The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type	The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
The Black Hole as a Type	Jonah as a Type of Christ	Moses as a Type of Christ
David's Mighty Men as Types of Christ	David as a Type of Christ	Boaz as a Type of Christ
Joshua as a Type of Christ	The Israelites as a Type of the Church	Israel as a Type of Christ
Daniel as a Type of Christ	Egyptian Slavery a Type of Christ and His People

Attribution notice: Scripture quotation taken from  Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible, BSB. Copyright ©2016, 2018 by Bible Hub. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Author's note: I also recommend reading The Mysteries of the Faith. You can access 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?"

_______________________________________

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.

Egyptian Slavery a Type of Christ and His People

Have you ever wondered why God told Abraham in advance that his descendants would be slaves for four hundred years in Egypt, even before Abraham had a son?  

Although God had promised Abraham that he and his descendants after him would possess the land of Canaan, he did not give him personally any inheritance there, not even a foot of ground, as Stephen said (Ac 7:5). In fact, he lived in tents.

The apostle says, "By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise." (Heb 11:9).

“God spoke to him in this way: 'For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, 'and afterward they will come out of that country [with great possessions] and worship me in this place.'” (Act 7:6-7). These events were determined by God before Abraham even had a son.

God told Abraham that he would live to a good old age, die in peace, and rest with his ancestors (Ge 15:15). He said, “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." (Gen 15:16).

That was one reason the Israelites had to spend four hundred years in Egypt, because the sin of the Amorites had not yet reached full measure, so it was not yet time for God to drive them out in judgment, and give their land to Abraham’s descendants. Another reason is that Abraham’s descendant’s had to go through many hardships before they could enter the Promised Land, which is a type of Christ and His people. Just as Christ suffered for us, we also must suffer through many hardships in order to enter the kingdom of God (Ac 14:22). The descendants of Abraham -- the Israelites -- all had to become slaves and be oppressed, so that God could have mercy on them all. This, too, was a type of sin. “For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” (Rom 11:32). 

“The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country.” (Act 13:17). It was an impossible situation that needed to happen, so that God alone would receive all the glory for delivering them. Then He endured their conduct for forty years in the desert, testing and refining them, before bringing them into the Promised Land. At that time “He overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance.” (Act 13:19). 

Before the Lord could do that through them, He first had to allow them to go through the harsh conditions of Egypt that would serve as a refining process for them, in order to develop their character. That is why He later told them that He brought them out of the iron smelting furnace, out of Egypt (Dt 4:20; Jer 11:4). 

Consider the fact that if God knew the sin of the Amorites had not yet reached its full measure, He could have waited until it had reached its full measure before calling Abraham to go to Canaan. God could have changed the timing of Abraham's entire life and sojourn in Canaan in order to coincide with the point when the sin of the Amorites would have reached its full measure four hundred years later. 

But if He had done that, and did not allow them to become slaves in Egypt for four hundred years, then the offspring of Abraham would have simply become amalgamated into the polytheistic Canaanite society, adopting their customs and intermarrying with him, which were all things that they later did anyway. But if they had done so at the beginning, then they never would have become a separate, homogenous nation of their own.

By allowing them to become slaves in Egypt, He gave them the chance to multiply as a people into a great nation. Scripture says that the Hebrews multiplied during their time in Egypt, even though they were oppressed. It says that they were fruitful and increased abundantly. They multiplied in numbers and became very, very strong (Ex 1:7-22). And since they lived separately in the land of Goshen in Egypt, they were a distinct people from the Egyptians. 

Those are some of the high, macro-level reasons why God allowed them to become enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years. But at the micro level, the impetus for their going into Egypt was the jealousy of Joseph's brothers, who sold him into Egypt. God knew all of this before their grandfather Isaac was even born. They were jealous, because Joseph was their father's favorite, he was from another mother -- Rachel, whom their father loved more than their mother Leah, and God had given him dreams of his future greatness. They thought they could get rid of him this way, but that only set things up so that he could save them from famine later on. Their jealously led them to do something to him that they meant for evil, but that God meant for good, the saving of many lives.

Putting it All Together

This historical series of events is a type or pattern of the life of those who follow Jesus, and it is also a type of Christ Himself. Let me explain.

It is a type of Christ being called out of Egypt as a child, as it is written, "Out of Egypt I called my Son." (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15). He and his parents suffered oppression even during his infancy, which is why they fled to Egypt, and later were called out of that country back to the land of Israel. Yet even in Israel, Jesus suffered at the hands of sinful men, was crucified, and died on the cross for us all. Then He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the true Promised Land, where He is seated at the right hand of God.

But this is also a type of us, the saints who follow Christ, being delivered from sin by God, then tested and tried during our lives here on earth, often even while He makes us prosper, before He finally brings us into our promised eternal inheritance in heaven. 

Let this be an encouragement to you in your walk of faith to press on, stay the course, and not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering through 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."  (1Pe 4:13)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV. Image of Israelites in Egyptian bondage may be subject to copyright Sunday School Zone, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note:  Also see The Israelites as a Type of the Church, Israel as a Type of Christ, What Does it Mean to be Hebrew?, The High Priest as a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, Manna as a Type of Christ, Moses as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Hagar and Sarah as Types, and The Mysteries of the Faith. 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?"

__________________________________________

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.

Daniel as a Type of Christ

In this study, I'd like to show how the Hebrew prophet Daniel was a type of Christ. You can read the account of what happened to him in Daniel chapter six. It only takes three minutes to read the chapter, and it's very interesting, so let me encourage you to open your Bible and read it. But let me summarize it for you. (If you're already very familiar with the story, you may skip to the chart below).

During the time of God's judgment on Israel, when the Jews were taken into captivity in Babylon, it came to pass that the Babylonian kingdom was conquered by King Darius the Mede. Daniel had prophesied this event to the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar on the eve of the night it happened (Dan 5:17-31). Daniel was one of three administrators that Darius had appointed over his 120 satraps who ruled under him (Dan 6:1). Daniel had so distinguished himself with his exceptional qualities that the king had planned to set him over the whole kingdom, similar to the way Pharaoh set Joseph over his kingdom (Dan 6:3). That made the other two administrators and the satraps jealous of Daniel, so they tried to find grounds for charges against him in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so, because Daniel was neither corrupt nor negligent (Dan 6:4).   

Finally the administrators and satraps realized that they would never find any basis for charges against him that way, so they decided to try to drum up fake charges against him regarding the law of his God (Dan 6:5). They knew that Daniel was a man of prayer, who prayed to God on his knees three times a day (Dan 6:10). So they got the king to issue an edict and enforce a written decree, which could not be repealed, that anyone who would pray to any man or god except the king during the following thirty days would be thrown into the lions' den (Dan 6:7). 

Then when Daniel learned of the decree, he went home and prayed on his knees toward Jerusalem with the windows open, just as he usually did three times a day (Dan 6:10). So when these men found Daniel praying and asking God for help, they brought the charges against him to the king. Even though the king highly esteemed Daniel, was greatly distressed, and made every effort until sundown to save him (Dan 6:14), he was unable to repeal the decree, according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, so he reluctantly agreed to throw Daniel into the lions den (Dan 6:16). 

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, preventing the situation from being changed (Dan 6:17). But the king did not sleep or eat all night, and had no entertainment brought to him in his palace (Dan 6:18). 

At the crack of dawn, the king went to the lions' den and called out in anguish to Daniel, asking if his God -- the living God whom Daniel served continually -- was able to rescue him from the lions (Dan 6:20). Daniel responded to the king that his God had indeed sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions, who were unable to hurt him, since he was innocent in God's sight and had never done any wrong before the king (Dan 6:22). 

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to have Daniel lifted out of the den. When he was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God (Dan 6:23). The king then gave the orders for the men who had falsely accused him to be thrown into the lions' den with their wives and children, and before they could reach the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed their bones (Dan 6:24).

Now let me show you the parallels between Daniel and Christ in this chart below.

Daniel	Christ
Daniel had exceptional qualities and found favor with the king.	God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him (Ac 10:38).
The other administrators and the 120 satraps tried to find fault with Daniel in order to trap him legally, but they were unable to, because he was neither corrupt nor negligent (Dan 6:4).	The Pharisees, Sadducees, and the teachers of the law, along with their chief priests and elders, tried on numerous occasions to find some way to trap Jesus (Mt 22:15-46; Jn 8:6). They failed to find any legitimate grounds on which to accuse Him.
Daniel’s enemies had to come up with a legal scheme in order to shield themselves from blame for killing him, by using the king to do it for them through the law of his own kingdom, rather than assassinating him themselves.	Jesus’ enemies had to come up with a legal scheme in order to shield themselves from blame for killing Him, by using the Roman governor (Pilate) to do it for them, rather than assassinating him themselves.
Because the other administrators and the 120 satraps were jealous of Daniel, they brought charges against him before the king by trickery, regarding the law of his God (Dan 6:5, 13).	Because the Jews were jealous of Jesus, their chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, brought false charges against him before the governor, based on the law of His God (Mt 27:18; Mk 14:55-56). They told Pilate that, according to their law, since He claimed to be the Son of God, He must die (Jn 19:7).
Daniel’s enemies manipulated the king into issuing a Median-Persian decree that could not be annulled, and then forced him into obeying that decree in order to accomplish their goal (Dan 6:8, 12, 15). Thus they fashioned the king's own words around his feet like a snare.	Jesus’ enemies manipulated Governor Pilate into having Him crucified by claiming that if he let Jesus go free, then he was no friend of Caesar, since Jesus had claimed to be king. In this way they forced Pilate’s hand by threat of Roman law (Jn 19:12).
Daniel was a man of prayer, and when he heard of the decree, he went to his house, got down on his knees, and prayed three times a day to God, asking for help, just as He had done before (Dan 6:10).	Jesus was a man of prayer, and on the night He was betrayed, before he was arrested, he went to the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, got down on his knees, and prayed to God, asking for help (Matt 26:36-56; Lk 22:40-46; Mk 14:32-42).
Daniel trusted in his God (Dan 6:23) and remained faithful to Him, even when he knew it would cost him his life.	The Lord Jesus trusted in His God and remained faithful to Him, even when He knew it would cost Him His life. He ultimately prayed that the Father's will be done, not His own (Mt 26:39, 42).
King Darius knew Daniel hadn't actually done anything wrong, and tried to save him, but to no avail (Dan 6:14). He ultimately gave in to the demands of the Daniel's enemies, sentencing him to be thrown into the lions' den (Dan 6:16).	Governor Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, and had not done anything deserving death, so he tried to save Him, but to no avail. He ultimately gave in to the demands of the Jews, sentencing Jesus to be crucified (Mt 27:19, 24; Mk 15:9, 14; Lk 23:15, 20, 24).
On the night that Daniel was in the lions' den, Darius was so troubled that he could not sleep all night (Dan 6:18).	On the day of Jesus' trial, Pilate's wife suffered a great deal in a dream, in which she was shown that He was an innocent man (Mt 27:19).
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den (Dan 6:17).	They rolled a large stone to seal the entrance to the tomb where Jesus' body was placed (Mt 27:60).
King Darius sealed the stone with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed (Dan 6:17).	Pilate gave the order for a guard to be placed at the entrance to the tomb, and for them to make the tomb as secure as they knew how, thereby authorizing Jesus' enemies to place a seal on the stone (Mt 27:65-66).
At the first light of dawn, the king went to the lions’ den to see if Daniel's God had delivered him from the lions (Dan 6:19).	At daybreak, the women went to Jesus' tomb (Lk 24:1; Mk 16:1).
The king cried out with a troubled or anguished voice to Daniel, as he stood outside the den (Dan 6).	Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb crying (Jn 20:11).
Daniel came forth from the lions' den alive the morning after he was thrown into it (Dan 6:23).	Christ came forth alive from the tomb, very early in the morning, on the third day after he died on the cross (Mt 28:6-7).
No wound was found on Daniel, because he had trusted in his God (Dan 6:23).	When Christ rose from the dead, He was no longer covered in blood, nor did He still have all the wounds they had inflicted upon Him, except the nail marks in his hands and feet, and the hole in his side where they had pierced Him (Jn 20:27).
Because Daniel was found innocent in God's sight, his God had rescued him from the mouths of the lions (Dan 6:22). [NOTE: Daniel was blameless before God, but he was not sinless like Christ. Daniel confessed his sins to God and asked for forgiveness (Dan 9:4-10).]	Because Jesus Christ, God's Son, was sinless in God's sight, His God raised Him from the dead (Romans 6:4; Acts 2:32; 1 Pet 2:22; Is 53:9; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15).
God sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions, so that they didn't harm Daniel (Dan 6:22).	God sent His angel to roll the large stone away from the tomb (Mt 28:2; Mk 16:4-5).
The King was overjoyed when he heard Daniel’s voice and discovered him alive (Dan 6:23).	The women left the empty tomb quickly with fear and great joy that Jesus had risen (Mt 28:8).
Daniel was victorious over all his enemies, who were ultimately thrown into the lions' den where the lions crushed their bones (Dan 6:24).	Christ was victorious over all his enemies -- the devil and his demons (Col 2:15; Heb 2:14), as well as over death, hell, and the grave. He was also victorious over all His enemies who falsely accused Him, and over Judas His betrayer, who committed suicide (Mt 27:5).
When God rescued Daniel from the lions’ den, the king gave glory to God publicly in a new decree that he issued, requiring everyone in his kingdom to fear and reverence the God of Daniel (Dan 6:25-27).	When God raised Jesus from the dead, it brought glory to God. When His disciples saw Him, the worshipped Him (Mt 28:9; Jn 20:28).

Closing Words

As I have shown in the chart above, the prophet Daniel, who lived hundreds of years before Christ, was a type of Christ in many ways. Since there are twenty points of correlation, the parallels and similarities between them are too many to merely be coincidence. This should help the faith of anyone who reads the Bible, so that they may believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, accepting His perfect sacrifice on the cross as atonement for their sins.

Attribution notice: All Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.  

Author's note:  Also see The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type of Christ, 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?"

_______________________________________

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.

Israel as a Type of Christ

While it's true that Israel is a type of the Church in one sense, as I have already written about, yet in another sense it is also a type of Christ.

It is recorded in Matthew's gospel:

"Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.' So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called My Son.'" (Mat 2:13-15)

Have you ever wondered why Matthew said this was a fulfillment of that which was spoken through the prophet Hosea? The Lord said through the prophet, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." (Hos 11:1, NIV). In the original context, the Lord was speaking about Israel as a nation, because He went on to say, "But the more I called Israel, the further they went from Me. They sacrificed to Baals and they burned incense to images." (Hos 11:2, NIV78). In the original context, the Lord was speaking about how He called Israel out of slavery in Egypt, but how later on, the more He called to them the more they went away from Him into idolatry. Yet Matthew quotes the first part of this passage as being fulfilled when God called His Son Jesus out of Egypt, which was the place to which Joseph had fled with him for refuge from the evil king.

That is proof that Israel is a type of Christ, which gives us another avenue into more insights about Christ, as we study Israel, especially as we read prophecy concerning Israel. For example, there are prophecies about Israel that are actually referring to Christ, like the one I have already mentioned in Hosea. Some of those are found in the Servant Songs in the book of the prophet Isaiah. Take the following for example and notice how it is clearly speaking about Christ:

"Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother's womb he has spoken my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.' But I said, 'I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God.' And now the LORD says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength— he says: 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.'" (Isa 49:1-6, NIV)

For more on this, please see my article The Name Above All Names.

Closing Words
We have learned from this study that Israel is a type of Christ, which is important to know. For if we fail to understand this truth, then we will miss many of the insights the Lord has for us in His Word, and we will fail to understand the glorious prophecies about Christ, in which He is referred to as Israel.

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 Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image of second temple may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note:  Also see The Israelites as a Type of the Church, The Typology of the Tabernacle, The High Priest as a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, Manna as a Type of Christ, Moses as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Hagar and Sarah as Types, and The Mysteries of the Faith. 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?"

__________________________________________

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.

The Israelites as a Type of the Church

We understand from Scripture that Israel is a type of the Church. Let's look at those passages to better understand them.

The experiences the Israelites had were examples for us. The apostle Paul wrote:

Israaelites worshiping the golden calf

"For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ."

"Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.' Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall." (1Co 10:1-12)

First, Paul used the word examples in this passage, when he said, "These things happened as examples for us..." The Greek word for examples here is tupos. According to Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, tupos means :"a sampler ('type'), that is, a model (for imitation) or instance (for warning): - en- (ex-) ample, fashion, figure, form, manner, pattern, print." This means that the experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness were types or examples for us. Some of those things that happened to them were either models for us to imitate or instances to warn us. In some cases, they were patterns for us to follow.

Likewise, Israel itself was a type of the Church. By knowing and understanding that, we can learn many lessons for our lives from what they went through. That was exactly what Paul was saying here. He admonishes us not to be idolaters as some of them were, so that we don't suffer the same fate. He warns us not to be immoral as some of them were, so that the same thing doesn't happen to us that happened to them.  He warns us not to grumble either, for the same reason, so that we are not destroyed as they were. He warns us not to crave the evil things they craved. It's all quite plain and simple.

Once again, the apostle uses the same approach to warn the Church, citing the people of Israel as an example:

"Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, 'As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,' although His works were finished from the foundation of the world." (Heb 4:1-3)

"Therefore...it remains for some to enter [that rest], and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience..." (Heb 4:6)

In this passage, we learn that the Israelites had the good news preached to them, but they did not combine the Word of God with faith, so it was of no benefit to them. As a result, they did not inherit the Promised Land. They did not possess what God had promised them, because they didn't believe what He had said. Their unbelief resulted in their disobedience, so they failed to enter.

Likewise, if we do not believe the gospel when we hear it, then it will be of no benefit to us. If we do not combine the Word of God with faith when we hear it, then we will not receive the promises written in it. Just as the Israelites had the promise of entering His rest in the Promised Land, but did not enter that rest due to their unbelief, which resulted in disobedience, in the same way we have the promise of entering His rest during our earthly pilgrimage as well as eternally afterward up in heaven, but we could fail to enter that rest because of disobedience resulting from unbelief. That is a sobering truth.

There are other insights that we can gain from understanding that the Israelites were a type of the Church. For example, consider the fact that the Israelites were commanded to be separate from their worldly neighbors. But they actually failed to be separate, and instead they compromised with the nations, mingled together with them, and adopted their customs and practices, including their idolatry. Likewise, the Church is called to be separate, as I have written in my article called Separation from the World. Yet much of the Church today has become polluted by The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness. Let's come out from among them and be separate, as the Lord commands us in His Word. He says:

Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." And, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (2Co 6:17-18).

When the Israelites sinned, God sent prophets to warn them to turn from their sin or face His punishment. He does the same today when the Church sins. One example would be the apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church. Another example would be the letters the apostle John wrote to the seven churches of Asia. Out of the seven churches, the Lord warned five of them to repent (Rev 2:1 - 3:22).

When the Israelites refused to listen to the warning God sent through His prophets, He allowed them to become oppressed by their enemies and ultimately they were taken into captivity in a foreign land called Babylon. The same thing happens when God's people in the Church refuse to heed the warnings He gives them to repent. He allows them to become oppressed and eventually they fall captive to the enemy. Do some research and see whether those seven churches of Asia are still there today. You will find that those areas are now dominated by Islam.

After the Israelites' captivity in Babylon was completed, only a remnant of them returned from captivity. In the same way, we understand from New Testament Scriptures that just as few people will be saved (Mt 7:14).

Closing Words
In this study we learned that the Israelites were a type of the Church, and their experiences were examples for us in both positive and negative ways. Knowing and understanding this will help us gain insights that we may otherwise have missed. It will teach us good patterns to follow, such as faith and obedience. It will also warn us about bad examples to avoid, such as unbelief and disobedience. It's quite simple actually. You are not wasting your time reading the Old Testament, because the Lord can teach you many practical lessons of life that will enable you to walk in victory, inherit the promises, keep you from going down to the pit, and save your soul.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2Ti 3:16-17).

The apostle's conclusion from all this is the following: "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall." There are many ways that you as a Christian can fall, as we see from the example of the Israelites. That includes grumbling, craving evil things, immorality, idolatry, testing the Lord, and many more. If anyone thinks he stands, let him beware lest he fall.

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 Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image of second temple may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note:  Also see What Does it Mean to be Hebrew?, The High Priest as a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, Manna as a Type of Christ, Moses as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Hagar and Sarah as Types, and The Mysteries of the Faith. 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?"

__________________________________________

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.

David as a Type of Christ

All throughout the Hebrew Scriptures we see David as a type of Christ in his various roles as shepherd, giant slayer, warrior, and king. Many of the psalms that he wrote prophetically point to Christ and speak of Him:

"For David says of Him, 'I saw the Lord always in my presence; for He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. 'Therefore My heart was glad and My tongue exulted; moreover My flesh also will live in hope; because You will not abandon My soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. 'You have made known to Me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with your presence.'"

"Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on His throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh suffer decay."

"This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for your feet."' Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified." (Act 2:25-36)

Moreover, the Holy Spirit foretold through the prophet Micah, seven hundred years before Christ, that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the town of David. He said:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.” (Mic 5:2, NIV)

This effectively narrowed down the birthplace of Messiah to one specific town, and the Jews knew this, which is one reason many of them did not believe in Christ, because they knew he was from Nazareth in Galilee. According to John's gospel:

"Others said, 'He is the Messiah.' Still others asked, 'How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?' Thus the people were divided because of Jesus." (Jn 7:41-43, NIV).

What those people didn't realize was that although Jesus was raised in Nazareth, He was actually born in Bethlehem of Judea, in precise fulfillment of prophecy (Mt 2:1; Lk 2:4-7). He was born in the same town as David, and His mother Mary was a direct descendant of David, as was Mary's husband Joseph, who was supposed to be the father of Jesus (Mt 1:1-17; Lk 3:23-38).

In addition to being a type of Christ, David was a type of those believers and ministers who are men and women after God's own heart. For more on that, see my article David -- A Man After God's Own Heart.  

Side by Side Comparison
Let's look at the striking similarities between David and Christ in the following chart:

David	Christ
A king (1 Sa 16)	The King of kings (Re 19:16)
A shepherd (1 Sa 16:11; 17:34; 2 Sa 7:8)	The Good Shepherd (Ps 23; Jn 10:11)
Born in Bethlehem (1 Sa 17:12)	Born in Bethlehem (Mt 2:1; Lk 2:4-7; Mic 5:2)
When Absalom rebelled, David went up the Mount of Olives weeping as he went into exile (2 Sam 15:30)	On the night that Jesus was betrayed by Judas, He went up onto the Mount of Olives. His soul was deeply grieved to the point of death, and being in agony He was praying very fervently with loud cries and tears (Mt 26:38; Lk 22:44; He 5:7)
A mighty man of valor, a warrior (1 Sa 16:18)	A mighty man of valor, a warrior (Is 9:6)
Conquered Goliath the giant (1 Sam 17:50-51)	Conquered the devil, triumphing over him through the cross (Col 2:15)
He was the anointed of the God of Jacob (1 Sa 16:11; 2 Sa 23:1)	He is the Anointed One, the Messiah (Mt 16:16, 20; 26:63-64)
He was David son of Jesse (1 Sa 17:12)	The son of David (Mat 1:1, 20; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30, 31; 21:9, 15; 22:42; Mar 10:47-48; 12:35; Luk 3:31; 18:38-39; Re 22:16)
David's son was to build a house for God (2 Sa 7:13)	He is restoring the fallen tent of David, building His Church (Mt 16:18; Ac 15:16)
Merciful to his enemies (2 Sa 16:5-11)	Merciful to his enemies (Lk 23:34)
God swore to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants after him on His throne and to establish His kingdom (2 Sa 7:12)	When He entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, they hailed Him as King, shouting, "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David." (Mk 11:10).
The Lord spoke through Isaiah the prophet about the One on whose shoulder He would set the key of the house of David (Is 22:22)	He holds the key of David (Re 3:7)
David was persecuted by his enemies	Jesus was persecuted by His enemies
David prophesied of the Lord telling the Lord to sit at His right hand (Ps 110:1)	He has been exalted to the right hand of God as both Lord and Christ (Mk 16:19; Ac 2:33)

Closing Words
In our study of David as a type of Christ, we have seen the parallels between their lives in so many ways. Among other things, they were both kings, shepherds, born in Bethlehem, anointed ones, warriors, mighty men, and conquerors of giants. Both were persecuted and both were merciful to their enemies. Many of the Psalms are Messianic, meaning that they look forward to the coming of Christ, such as Psalms 2, 22, 69, 72, 89, 100, 110, etc. There are perhaps more connections between David and Christ than any other character in the Hebrew Scriptures.

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 Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.

Author's note:  Also see Moses as a Type of Christ, David's Mighty Men as Types of Christ, David -- A Man After God's Own Heart, Boaz as a Type of Christ, The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type, 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, The Typology of the Tabernacle, The Typology of the Jewish Feasts, Daniel 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?"

_______________________________________

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.

Moses as a Type of Christ

Moses is also a type of Christ. Let's see what the Scriptures say about their many similarities.

Faithful
Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house, just as Jesus was faithful as a Son over His house. The apostle wrote:

"He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end." (Heb 3:2-6)

A Prophet to Give Heed To
Moses said that God would raise up for His people Israel a Prophet like him from among them, and that they must give heed to everything He says to them, or else they would be utterly destroyed. The apostle Peter said to the Jews:

"Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'" (Act 3:22-23; cf., Dt 18:15).

We know that Peter was referring to Christ on this occasion, because it is clear from the immediate context that he was speaking about Jesus:

"But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time." (Act 3:18-21).

I am also reminded of the account of what happened on the sacred mount:

"Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, 'This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!' All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone." (Mar 9:7-8)

Spared from Attempted Infanticide
Moses was spared from death as a baby as Jesus was, while all the other male babies were killed. Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew boys be killed (Ex 1:15-22; 2:1-9), and Herod ordered that all baby boys be killed (Mt 2:12-13, 16).

Forty Days of Fasting Alone
Moses went up on a mountain for forty days and nights, without having food or water, when he received the Ten Commandments (Ex 34:28), just as Jesus fasted alone in the desert for forty days and forty nights at the beginning of His ministry (Mt 4:1-11).

Not Recognized By His Own
Moses' own people did not recognize him (Ex 2:13-14; 6:9; Act 7:25-28), just as the world did not recognize Jesus and His own did not receive Him ( Jn 1:10-11).

Object of People's Grumbling and Complaints
Moses suffered the complaints and grumblings of the Israelites against him (Ex 15:24; 16:2; Nu 14:2). Likewise, the Jews grumbled about Jesus (Jn 6:41).

Object of People's Jealousy
Other people were jealous of Moses, such as Dathan, Abiram, and the two hundred fifty rebels (Ps 106:16-17; Num 16). Likewise, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were jealous of Jesus. For it was out of envy that they handed Him over to Pilate (Mt 27:18).

Humble
The Bible says, "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." (Nu 12:3, NIV). Likewise, Jesus was meek and lowly, too.  He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Mt 11:29, NIV). He "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mk 10:45, NIV). Perhaps the apostle Paul described the Lord's humility best when he wrote of Him saying:

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Php 2:5-8)

Intercessor and Mediator
Moses was an intercessor and mediator for the people before God (Deu 5:5, 22; 9:8-9, 18-20, 25-29; 10:10; Psa 106:23). Moses was willing to have his own name blotted out of the book of life on behalf of the Israelites, and to take the punishment for their sins, if God was unwilling to forgive their sins (Ex 32:32). Likewise, Jesus was willing to take the punishment for our sins and to give his life in place of everyone else. Jesus is both our Intercessor and Mediator, always living to make intercession for us as our only Mediator between God and man (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; 1 Tim 2:5).

Deliverer
Moses led the people up out of slavery from Egypt (Ex 6:6-8; 7:16; 8:1; 9:1; 12:50-51; 14:1-22). Jesus led the prisoners up from the underworld (Eph 4:8-10), and He also delivers us from the slavery and oppression of our sin (Ro 6:6-7). He is the one who sets us free from sin and death (Ro 8:2; He 9:15).

"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.' They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, "You will become free"? Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.'" (Joh 8:31-36)

Suffered Disgrace
Although Moses was brought up in Pharaoh's household by a princess (Ex 2:10), he suffered disgrace by standing up for the people of God. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Heb 11:24-26, NIV). Likewise, Jesus gladly bore our shame and reproach in order to deliver God's people. "For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:2b, NIV).

Did Not Fear the King
Moses wasn't afraid of the king. "By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen." (Heb 11:27). Likewise, Jesus was not afraid of the king, and did not allow Herod to deter Him from going to the cross and delivering His people.

"Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, 'Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.' And He said to them, 'Go and tell that fox, "Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal." Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.'" (Luk 13:31-33)

Jesus was not the least bit afraid when He stood before King Herod; nor was He intimidated by the governor, but made a good confession before Pontius Pilate (Mt 27:11-14; Lk 23:8-11; Jn 19:8-11; 1 Tim 6:13).

Marked by Signs and Wonders
Moses' ministry was marked by many miraculous signs and wonders like the ten plagues, the water from the rock, the manna, the quail, and the parting of the Red Sea. The Bible said, "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land." (Dt 34:10-11, NIV).

Jesus' ministry was also marked by many miraculous signs and wonders like turning water into wine, multiplying the bread to feed the multitudes, walking on water, calming the storm, raising the dead, casting out demons, healing all kinds of diseases, making the lame to walk, the blind to see, the mute to talk, and the deaf to hear.

Knew the Lord Face to Face
The Lord knew Moses face to face, according to the Scriptures (Dt 34:10). This was quite evident from the way God spoke to him at the burning bush, on Mount Sinai, and throughout his journey in the dessert with the Israelites for forty years.  Likewise, Jesus had a face to face relationship with the Father. This was evidenced on many occasions like at His baptism, when the Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17b, NIV), as well as on the sacred mount, which I mentioned earlier (Mar 9:7-8). Jesus was one with the Father (Jn 10:30), only saying what He heard the Father saying and only doing what He saw the Father doing (Jn 5:19; 8:28; 12:49).

Closing Words
In our study of Moses as a type of Christ, we have seen the parallels between their lives in so many ways. They were both spared from infanticide, both were very humble, both spent forty days fasting, both were intercessors and mediators, both were known by the Lord face to face, both were objects of people's grumbling and jealousy, both suffered disgrace for the people of God, both were prophets of God to be heeded, whose ministries were marked by miraculous signs and wonders; both were called by God and used as mighty deliverers, neither of them was recognized by his own people, neither of them feared the king, and both were faithful  -- Moses as a servant in God's house and Jesus as a Son over God's house. Christ is that Prophet like Moses that God promised to send. Therefore, every soul that does not heed what Christ says and put it into practice shall be utterly destroyed from among the people (Ac 3:23; Mt 7:26-27).

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. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.

Author's note:  Also see The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type, Adam as a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, David as a Type of Christ, Daniel 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, The Typology of the Tabernacle, The Typology of the Jewish Feasts, 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?"

_______________________________________

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.

Jonah as a Type of Christ

"I can't believe in God unless I see some kind of sign that He exists." I've heard people say things similar to this before. Maybe you have heard this from someone you love or even said it yourself. This is what the religious people wanted to see from Jesus -- some sort of sign to prove his divinity.

Jesus said, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them and went away. (Mat 16:4) Also see Luke 11:29, 30.

In fact, Jesus compared himself to Jonah, and said that the sign of the prophet Jonah would be given to this adulterous generation. This study examines that sign, comparing and contrasting the experiences of Jonah as a type of Christ, and Jesus on the sea. I'll put these comparisons side by side, so you can see them one by one, first about Jesus, and then about Jonah. (All references to the book of Jonah will be abbreviated Jon)

Jesus	Jonah
Son of God gave the order to go across the lake to the other side (Mat 8:18)	God told Jonah to go to Nineveh (Jon 1:2)
Jesus got into the boat to cross over and the disciples followed him (Mat 8:23)	Jonah got into a boat and fled from the Lord’s presence. He disobeyed God, heading away from Nineveh (Jon 1:3)
Without warning, a furious storm came up on the sea. (Mat 8:24)	There was a great storm on the sea (Jon 1:5)
The waves swept over the boat (Mat 8:23)	The ship was about to break up (Jon 1:4)
Jesus was sleeping in the boat (Mat 8:24)	Jonah was sleeping in the boat (Jon 1:5)
The disciples in the boat cried out in fear for their lives to the Son of God (Mat 8:25)	The sailors in the boat became afraid and every man cried to his god (Jon 1:5, 10)
The disciples went and woke Jesus (Mat 8:25)	The captain approached Jonah and woke him (Jon 1:6)
The disciples expected the Son of God to save them from the storm (Mat 8:25)	The captain expected the God of Jonah to save him and his crew from the storm. The sailors called on the Lord to save them. (Jon 1:6, 14)
Jesus is the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land (John 1:1-3)	Jonah feared the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land (Jon 1:9)
Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves of the sea (Mat 8:26)	Jonah was thrown into the sea (Jon 1:15)
The sea became perfectly calm	The sea stopped its raging (Jon 1:15)
The key to the sea becoming calm again was Jesus being in the boat	The key to the sea becoming calm again was getting Jonah out of the boat (Jon 1:11, 12)
The disciples were amazed at the power and authority of the Son of God. They took note that the winds and waves obeyed Him. (Mat 8:27)	The sailors feared the Lord greatly after the sea became calm, and they offered sacrifices to Him and made vows (Jon 1:16)
A fish has represented Jesus for centuries, because of the Greek Ikhthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ) acronym (Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior) that means fish. The Lord ordained that Jesus would be crucified and die on a cross. (Mat 20:18,19 and Luk 9:22)	The LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah (Jon 1:17 and Is 53:10)
Jesus died to save us from God's wrath. Yet, unlike Jonah, He never sinned, and the wrath was on account of our own sins. (Rom 5:91 and Thes 1:10)	When Jonah asked them to throw him into the sea, he was willing to die to save them from the wrath of God. (Jon 1:12) Jonah seems to have died of drowning before the sea creature swallowed him (Jon 2:5-7).
Jesus was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. (Mat 12:39, 40)	Jonah's body was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jon 1:17)
Jesus went down to the dead. In 180 AD, Irenaeus of Lyons wrote, “…the Lord went away into the midst of the shadow of death where the souls of the dead were…” In 350 AD, Cyril of Jerusalem wrote, "(Christ) descended into the subterranean regions so that He might ransom from there the just...” (1 Pet 3:19 and Ac 10:40)	When Jonah died, he cried to the Lord from Sheol (the subterranean world of the dead). (Jon 2:2)
Many people repented at the preaching of Jesus (Mat 12:41)	The men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah (Jon 3:1-10)
After three days in the heart of the earth, Jesus rose from the dead. (Luke 24 and John 20, and 1 Cor 15:3-5)	After three days in the belly of the sea monster, the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. He was raised back to life again by the Lord. (Jon 2:6, 10)

My friend, you've got your sign.  Jesus, One Who is greater than Jonah, has come and walked among us (Mat 12:41, Luke 11:32).  He Himself is a sign, as Simeon said of Him to Mary, His mother, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against..." (Lk 2:34).

After Jesus rose from the dead, he manifested himself (appeared) to the disciples by the sea where they were fishing. There he was by the seaside, cooking a piece of fish on the charcoal fire. He gave them some of the fish and they ate breakfast together. John 21:9

"The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. (Luk 11:32)

The IKTHUS Fish
The Greek word for fish, ikhthus (ichthys in borrowed words), spelled, in Greek characters, Iota-Chi-Theta-Upsilon-Sigma (ΙΧΘΥΣ looks like IXOYE in Roman alphabet characters) is regarded as an acronym for Ιησως Χριστος Θεου `Υιος Σωτερ (or, in Roman alphabet characters, Iesou (Jesus) Christos (anointed) Theou (of God) Uios (son) Soter (saviour)), which means Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour.

According to "Knowledge Rush" encyclopedia, "One of the signs for Christianity is the fish. The reason for this dates from some early societies of Christians who protected themselves and their congregations by keeping their meetings secret. In order to point the way to ever-changing meeting places, they developed a symbol which adherents would readily recognize, and which they could scratch on rocks, walls and the like, in advance of a meeting. The fish was chosen as eminently apropos." 

What's Your Response to the Sign
When you are driving your car and see a road sign warning that there's danger ahead, you heed the road signs, because you know you could die if we don’t respond properly to the sign.

Jesus has given us in Himself the sign of Jonah. What should our response be at this sign?

First, we should repent with the same wholehearted fervor as the men of Nineveh.  If we do turn from our wicked way, then God will relent concerning the calamity that He had declared He would send on us and we will not perish. If we don’t repent, the men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment and condemn us.

Second, we should believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and receive forgiveness for our sins. Remember that Jesus said the sign he would show was that he would be in the belly of the earth for only three days and three nights, as Jonah was temporarily in the belly of the great fish. Just as it was a miracle that Jonah made it out of the fish alive, it was a miracle that Jesus came back out of the grave. This is the most remarkable aspect of the sign Jesus gave to the world.

The apostle Paul wrote: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (Rom 10:9). This means that there are two very important things you must do to be saved. The first is to confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. That means you say out loud that He is Lord over your life personally and Lord of the Universe. And the second thing you need to do is to believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.

This takes us back to the sign Jesus gave us. He is no longer in the grave. After three days, He rose again. What will be your response to this sign? Let me encourage you today to repent of your own sin and believe on Jesus Christ. Confess that He is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. And as the Scriptures say, “You will be saved.”

Will you repent of your sins, and put your trust in Jesus today to save you?

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: I recommend my other posts called, Adam as a Type of Christ, The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Joseph as a Type of Christ, and The Tree of Life as a Type of Christ. You may also visit the Home page of this blog, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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.