Joseph as a Type of Christ

Joseph Ruler of Egypt

Joseph, the son of Jacob, is another type of Christ. I'll begin by assuming you are familiar with the account from Scripture, which is found in Genesis 39-50. If you haven't already read the story, then I recommend you do so. Now let's look at how Joseph was a type of Christ, according to Scripture.

Birth
Joseph’s birth had a supernatural element to it, in that God opened the barren womb of Rachel. “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. So she conceived and bore a son and said, ‘God has taken away my reproach.’" (Genesis 30:22-23).

Likewise, Jesus’ birth was also miraculous in that God overshadowed Mary with the Holy Spirit while she was still a virgin and caused her to conceive Jesus in her womb apart from any union with her husband Joseph. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18).

Persecuted
Joseph's brothers hated him, which the Lord taught us is the same as murder (Mt 5:21-22). So when they wanted to kill him but then decided to throw him into the pit, that was essentially murder, which is a type of what they did to Christ. Likewise, Jesus was persecuted by His own brothers, as well as the scribes, Pharisees, and elders (Mt 26-27). "For even his own brothers did not believe in him." (Jn 7:5, NIV).

Joseph's brothers persecuted him because they were jealous of him, just as the religious leaders were jealous of Jesus and crucified Him. Scripture says, "Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt." (Ac 7:9a, NIV). And again, "[Pilate]...knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him." (Mt 27:18, BSB).

Joseph was put in prison. “So Joseph's master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.” (Gen 39:20). Likewise, Jesus was arrested and bound. “So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him...” (John 18:12)

They tried to stop Joseph from fulfilling his calling. “When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death. They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer! Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, “A wild beast devoured him.” Then let us see what will become of his dreams!’” (Gen 37:18-20). Likewise, they tried to stop Jesus from fulfilling His calling as Messiah. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him." (Mt 27:42, NIV).

Joseph was sold into Egypt. “Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.”  (Gen 37:28). Likewise, Jesus went to Egypt, when Joseph fled there with Him and Mary to escape from King Herod. “So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.” (Mat 2:14).

Sun, Moon and Stars Bowed Down to Him
Joseph had a dream about his parents and brothers bowing down to him. “Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, ‘Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’” (Gen 37:9). In the case of Jesus, the sun, moon, and stars actually do worship Him. “Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light!” (Psalm 148:3)

Moreover, in the end, Joseph’s brothers did come and bow before him. “Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.” (Gen 42:6). Likewise, Jesus' brothers eventually did believe in Him and worship Him. Here is how James and Jude identified themselves in their epistles once they came to believe in Him:

“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jas 1:1)

“Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James…to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:1, 25)

Consider Jacob’s attitude toward Joseph when he had his dreams. “[Joseph] related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?’ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.” (Gen 37:10-11). Likewise, after Jesus' parents found Him in the temple, and He asked them why they didn't realize He had to be in His Father's house, Mary treasured these things in her heart. “And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:51)

The Blood
The male goat's blood on Joseph’s garment was a type of Christ’s blood. “So they took Joseph's tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood;” (Gen 37:31). That goat had to shed its blood and die for their sin. Likewise, Jesus had to shed His blood and die for our sin: "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith." (Ro 3:25a, NIV).

Ruler of All
Joseph ended up being ruler of all Egypt under Pharaoh, so he was exalted to Pharaoh’s right hand. "But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace." (Ac 7:9b-10, NIV)

Likewise, Jesus is now King of all kings ruling as Lord of all under the Father. He is exalted to the Father’s right hand. “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’” (Rev 19:16). Elsewhere it says, "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.” (Acts 2:33). And again, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name...” (Phil 2:9)

Savior
What Joseph’s brother’s meant for evil, God meant for good for the saving of many lives. “But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.’” (Gen 50:19-20)

Likewise, what they meant for evil when they crucified Jesus, God meant for good for the saving of many souls. "Everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Jn 3:15-16, NIV).

Joseph saved Egypt from perishing in famine, but he also saved Gentiles from other nations that came to buy grain:

“God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” (Gen 45:7)

“The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.” (Gen 41:57)

And of course, he saved the Hebrews from perishing, as it says in Scripture: “So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.” (Gen 42:5)

Likewise, Jesus is the Savior of all, both Jews and Gentiles. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Rom 10:12-13)

Forgiveness
Joseph forgave his brothers. Jacob told Joseph's brothers what to say to him:

“‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’ And Joseph wept when they spoke to him...Joseph said to them, 'Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?'...And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them." (Gen 50:17, 19a, 21, NIV).

Likewise, Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, and He forgives all who repent and believe in Him. “But Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23:34)

“Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-48)

Temptation
Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, who tried to seduce him into committing adultery. However, he did not sin, but maintained his integrity. “But he refused and said to his master's wife, ‘Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?"’ (Genesis 39:8-9). It was not just once that she tried to seduce Joseph but repeatedly. "And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her." (Ge 39:10, NIV).

Jesus was tempted by satan again and again, but He did not sin (Mt 4:1-11). “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).

Falsely Accused
Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. “Then she spoke to him with these words, ‘The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.’” (Genesis 39:17-18)

Likewise, Jesus was falsely accused. “And they began to accuse Him, saying, ‘We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.’” (Luke 23:2)

Betrayal
The betrayal of Joseph by his own brothers for twenty pieces of silver was also a type of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, one of His own Twelve disciples, for thirty pieces of silver. “Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.” (Genesis 37:28)

Judas treated Jesus similarly: “Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?’ And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.” (Matthew 26:14-15)

Resurrection
Jacob thought Joseph was dead all those years when he was in Egypt, and all his brothers even said to Joseph that one of their brothers (Joseph) was dead: “'We said to my lord, “We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.”’” (Genesis 44:20).

But then they discovered he was actually alive and Jacob rejoiced. “They told him, saying, ‘Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ But he was stunned, for he did not believe them.” (Genesis 45:26).

This is a type of Christ’s death and resurrection on the third day. After Jesus died on the cross, "The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it." (Lk 23:55, NIV). And the two disciples met by Jesus on the Road to Emmaus mourned His death saying, "The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him." (Lk 24:20, NIV).

But then the angels met the women at the empty tomb saying, “'He has risen!'...When [the women] came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others....But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” (Luke 24:9,11)

Concealed Identity
Joseph initially concealed his identity from his brothers when they came to him in Egypt. But later he revealed his identity to them. “Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.” (Genesis 45:3). And "On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family." (Ac 7:13, NIV)

Jesus initially concealed his identity from his disciples after His resurrection like Mary who thought He was the gardener, and the two on the road to Emmaus, whom He initially kept from recognizing Him by appearing in a different form, and then later opening their eyes to recognize Him.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’” (John 20:15).

“While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him...Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24:15-16, 31)

Closing Words
In our study of Joseph as a type of Christ, we have seen the parallels between their lives in so many uncanny ways. They were both born miraculously, definitely called by God, tempted yet maintained their integrity, hated, and persecuted by those who were jealous of them and who tried to thwart them from fulfilling their divine callings. They were both taken down to Egypt, betrayed by someone close to them, and falsely accused. The blood of the goat that they put on Joseph's garment was a type of Jesus' blood shed for sinners. What others meant for evil for these two men, God meant for the saving of many lives.

They both became rulers of all, forgave those who persecuted and sought to kill them, concealed their identity from others before ultimately revealing themselves to them. And even finding Joseph still alive as ruler of all Egypt was a type of Christ's resurrection as King of kings and Lord of lords. Just as Joseph's own brothers didn't believe in him, but later came and bowed at his feet, so also Jesus' brothers didn't even believe in Him, but later served Him and worshiped Him as their Lord and Savior. Just as Joseph saw the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him in a dream, the sun, moon, and stars also praise the Lord Jesus Christ.

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 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.

The Scapegoat as a Type of Christ

In my previous article, I have already explained how the Jewish high priest was a type of Christ. On the annual Day of Atonement, the high priest had to offer several sacrifices, including a bull for a sin offering, a ram for a burnt offering, and two male goats for a sin offering. While the sacrifice of the bull was to make atonement for himself and for his household, the two male goats were for the people. In this article, I want to focus on the two male goats.

The high priest had to cast lots for the goats. He would cast two lots, one for the Lord and one for the scapegoat. One lot would determine which goat was offered to the Lord, and the other lot would determine which goat became the scapegoat.

"Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell, and make it a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat." (Lev 16:9-10).

The goat on which the Lord's lot fell would be slaughtered and offered to God as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell would be sent into the wilderness as a scapegoat. Both of these goats were types of Christ. As we know Christ has made atonement for us on the cross with His blood (Rom 3:25). The blood of the goat that was sacrificed was used to make atonement for the holy place, for the tent of meeting, and for the altar. But then watch what the high priest did with the other goat.

"When he finishes atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat. Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness." (Lev 16:20-22)

Simply put, a scapegoat is a goat sent into the wilderness after the Jewish high priest had symbolically laid the sins of the people upon it by laying both his hands upon its head and confessing over it all the sins of Israel. I believe it was more than symbolic, but that an actual transfer happened in the spirit realm, as I describe in my article The Link Between Two Realms.

Then the goat was sent off to a lonely place in the wilderness, bearing their iniquities. This goat, too, was a type of Christ, who became our Scapegoat and bore all our sins in His body on the cross. Scripture says:

"Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted." (Isa 53:4)

For Peter the apostle wrote: "And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." (1Pe 2:24).

Isn't that amazing that all our sins were transferred onto Him on the cross, even though He had no sin of His own? I proved The Sinlessness of Christ from Scripture in my article by that title. When that transfer happened, He actually took up our sins and carried them in His body. He literally carried the sins of the whole world in His body. As the Scripture says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor 5:21, NIV).

Not only were the two goats types of Christ, but even the bull that the high priest offered was a type. We know this because of the way the bodies of the animals were handled afterward. 

"But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire." (Lev 16:27)

The apostle explained that this was a type of Christ: "For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate." (Heb 13:11-12)

In saying this he was referring to the fact that Jesus was crucified outside of the city gate of Jerusalem. He is our ultimate Scapegoat who bore all our sins. He is also our sacrifice for sin who was put to death on our behalf, and whose blood has made atonement for us. Do you know the One who did all this for you? Jesus Christ loves you more than anyone else in the whole world, and He died for you. But in order to receive the benefits of that, you must repent of your sins, believe in Him, and accept His free gift of eternal life.

Closing Words

Each aspect of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) teaches us about Christ as the only One who can make atonement for our sins, and the One who bore all our sins in His body. It teaches us about our need to accept Him as our own Lord and Savior, applying His blood to our hearts by faith. 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.

[a] 2 Corinthians 5:21 Or be a sin offering

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 The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, The High Priest as a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, and The Temple as a Type of Christ. 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 Cornerstone as a Type of Christ

As I mentioned in my previous article about The Rock as a Type of Christ, there are many references to the Lord as a rock in Scripture. One of those pertains to the cornerstone.

Paul spoke of the Church "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone..." (Eph 2:20). Christ is the Rock (Gr., petra) upon which the Church is built (Mt 16:18), even the Chief Cornerstone. So while Peter (Gr., Petros), whose name means "rock," was one of the apostles and prophets upon whom the Lord has built His Church, Jesus Himself is the corner stone.

Just imagine the builders of the temple out in a quarry looking for the best stones from which to build the temple. As they consider one particular stone, they determine after examining it that it is not fit to be used at all in the temple, so they reject it. This is what the psalmist wrote:

"The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes." (Ps 118:22-23, NIV).

This is what they did with Christ, the stone they rejected. He is the Stone the builders rejected, which has become the Cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. It is interesting to note that Psalm 118 is part of The Great Hallel, which spans from Psalm 113 to 118 with Psalm 118 being the Passover Hymn, which Jesus would have sung after the Last Supper with His disciples on the night He was betrayed. Scripture says that after they ate the bread and drank the cup, when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives (Mt 26:30). Therefore, they probably sang about Christ the cornerstone being rejected by the builders, which was the Lord's doing, as He was being betrayed by Judas perhaps even while they sang it.

The Lord Himself quoted this psalm to the chief priests, elders, and Pharisees who came out Him to question Him (Mt 21:23). Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures? ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’" (Mt 21:42, NIV). Hallelujah! He is that Stone, who has become the very Cornerstone of God's temple.

The cornerstone is the most important stone in the entire building. It must be true in the sense that it is perfectly aligned, exactly upright and level. In order for the cornerstone to be true, it must be plumb, which means that it is perfectly vertical and straight. Since it is used as a central point of reference, all other walls must align with it, so if it is not true, then the whole building will be lopsided or leaning like the Tower of Pisa. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Him (Jn 14:6). Therefore, we know that He is perfectly true and the only One worthy to be the Cornerstone of God's holy temple.

Peter "the little rock" apostle wrote about the living Stone in his first epistle:

"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

'See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.'

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

'The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,'

and,

'A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.'

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for." (1 Pe 2:4-8, NIV)

Closing Words
While we who are in Him are like living stones being built into a spiritual house, we must align ourselves perfectly with our Chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ. There is no other way for it to work. Others rejected Him and still reject Him to this day, but we love Him and fully embrace Him as our Cornerstone and the foundation upon which our lives are built. Do you know this perfect Cornerstone?

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. Other Scripture quotations taken from the NASB copyright The Lockman Foundation, all rights reserved, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note:  Also see The Rock as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark 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.

The Typology of the Jewish Feasts

According to a book by pastor Roland Buck, called Angels on Assignment, the angel Gabriel told him that God's priorities are associated with the seven Jewish feasts that typify them in Leviticus 23. In other words, these annual religious festivals that the Hebrews celebrate are types that signify God's priorities. For the apostle Paul said that "These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Col 2:17, NIV).

Here are God’s priorities and the seven feasts that typify them, which are found in Leviticus 23:

The Passover of the Lord
1. Priority: The Blood of Jesus
Festival: The Passover of the Lord

Moses wrote in the Torah, 'These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. 'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover." (Lev 23:4-5)

"And when your children say to you, 'What does this rite mean to you?' you shall say, 'It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.'" And the people bowed low and worshiped." (Exo 12:26-27)

Jesus has become our Passover Lamb, when He gave his life on the cross for us.  In fact, He was crucified on during the Passover Feast.

When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion." (Mat 26:1-2).  On the night he was betrayed, He celebrated the Passover with His disciples. "While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.'" (Mat 26:26-28)

"And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.'" (Luk 22:19-20)

When we put our faith in Jesus, His precious blood is applied to our hearts and our sins are washed away.  Since He was the spotless Lamb of God, His blood applied to the hearts of those who put their trust in Him saves them just as the blood of the Passover lamb saved the Israelites in Egypt.

The apostle Peter wrote: "...knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1Pe 1:18-19)

The apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrews, "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb 9:13-14)  "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus." (Heb 10:19)

The apostle John wrote: "But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1Jo 1:7)

The Festival of Unleavened Bread
2. Priority: Fellowship and Communion with God
Festival: The Festival of Matzah (Unleavened Bread)

'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread." (Lev 23:6)

The leven or yeast represents sin.  So this feast was meant to typify the removal of all sin from our lives. Unleavened bread is a metaphor for holiness and purity.

"Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, [Jesus] began saying to His disciples first of all, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.'" (Luk 12:1)

Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?" And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'" The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. (Mat 26:17-19)

The apostle Paul wrote: "Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1Co 5:7-8)

God wants to have a personal relationship with each of us, and fellowship with us daily just as He did with Adam in the garden. But sin separates us from God.  So God made a way for us in Christ to be made holy, so that we might enjoy sweet fellowship with Him. 

Jesus Is Alive!
3. Priority: Jesus Is Alive!
Festival: Reshit Katzir ("The Festival of First Fruits")

"Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.'" (Lev 23:9-10)

This was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the First Fruit.

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Cor 15:20)

The Promise of the Holy Spirit
4. Priority: The Promise of the Holy Spirit
Festival: The Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost)

'You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 'You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD.'" (Lev 23:15-16)

Shavuot (Hebrew) means "weeks." This is why it's called the Feast of Weeks. The term "Pentecost" comes the Greek penteconta "fifty".

The disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language." (Act 2:1-6)

Go Tell The World
5. Priority: Go Tell The World
Festival: The Festival of Rosh Hashanah (Trumpets)

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. (Lev 23:23-24)

During this feast, the shofar is blown to commemorate the ram that God provided to Abraham in place of Isaac. 

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mat 28:18-20)

This festival corresponds with going and telling the world that Jesus Himself has become that ram and died in our place. 

Atonement of Jesus is Everlasting
6. Priority: Atonement of Jesus is Everlasting
Festival: Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement)

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD. (Lev 23:26-27)

The day of atonement was the only day of the year when the High Priest was allowed to enter into the Most Holy Place in the Temple.  On this day he would sprinkle blood on the ark of the covenant.  Each time he did so, it would atone for the sins of Israel for another year.  But it had to be repeated every year. This is a very solemn day of the year, when Jewish people abstain from all enjoyment, fast and pray and ask for forgiveness.

Jesus has made atonement for us at the cross. "For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of Gpd for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own." (Heb 9:24-25). If you want to understand this more fully, read the book of Hebrews 9.

"For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate." (Heb 13:11-12)

However, Jesus doesn't just cover your sin.  He washes it away!  He makes us holy when we trust in Him and His atoning sacrifice on the cross.  And that atonement is not just for one year, but it is everlasting.

The Return of Jesus
7. Priority: The Return of Jesus
Festival: Sukkot (The Festival of Tabernacles)

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. (Lev 23:33-34).  This feast was a celebration of the exodus from Egypt when the children of Israel lived in tents for forty years in the wilderness.

This feast anticipates the eternal dwelling places that Jesus Christ has prepared for us.

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." (1Th 4:15-17)

Our journey here on earth is a brief one.  We live in these tents of clay that we call our mortal bodies. When Christ comes back for His people, He will give to His people glorified bodies like His own, and then we shall always be with the Lord.  We shall dwell with Him in glory forever in His eternal kingdom.  This is the only feast of the seven that has not yet been fulfilled.  But it will be fulfilled VERY soon.

Closing Words
Through the Scriptures, we have learned that the seven Jewish festivals all types of things to come, the realities of which are found in Christ. The Passover Lamb is a type of Christ, and its blood a type of His blood, as I explained in detail in my article on that. The Festival of Unleavened Bread (Matzah) is a type of fellowship and communion with God. The Festival of First Fruits (Reshit Katzir) is a type of Christ's resurrection. The Festival Pentecost (Shavuot) is a type of the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) signifies that God wants us to go tell the world the Good News! The Day of Atonement, known as Yom Kippur, is a type of Christ's atonement. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is a type of Christ's Return. These feasts were so important to God that he had Israel rehearse them every Year.

Through our study of this subject, we can learn many truths that strengthen our faith in Christ. I trust this has helped to accomplish that objective 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 taken from My Savior's Perfect Will blog.

Author's Note: Also see The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, 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 Rock as a Type of Christ

Another type of Christ found in the Hebrew Scriptures is the rock from which they drank in the wilderness.

Christ the Rock

First, let's look at Christ the antitype,which is something that is represented by a symbol. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

"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." (1Co 10:1-4)

In this passage, notice he said that the Israelites "all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ." 

The Rock of Horeb

The Split Rock of Horeb

Now let's look at the type of Christ, which was the rock. There were two times when the Lord supernaturally brought forth water from a rock in the wilderness. One was at Mount Horeb in the Desert of Sin during their first year after leaving Egypt (Ex 17:6), and the other time was during their fortieth year of wandering in the wilderness around the time of Miriam's death (Nu 20:1). In his epistle to the Corinthians, Paul was obviously referring to the first occasion, which is recorded in the passage below:

"Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, 'Give us water that we may drink.' And Moses said to them, 'Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?' But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, 'Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?' So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, 'What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.' Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.' And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, 'Is the LORD among us, or not?'" (Exo 17:1-7).

Notice the Lord said, "I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." The Lord stood there on the rock and supernaturally made water spring from it for the people to drink. While the rock itself was an ordinary one, it was a type of the Lord who was their spiritual Rock, who followed them wherever they went in the wilderness. The Rock who gave them water to drink in their desert pilgrimage is the same Lord Jesus who follows us in our earthly pilgrimage and gives us refreshment from His springs of living water.

For He said to the Samaritan woman at the well, "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." (Joh 4:10). He added, "...whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." (Joh 4:14).

Therefore, we can clearly see that Jesus is the spiritual Rock who followed them into the wilderness, who gave them water to drink, and the apostle even called it spiritual drink, because it was supernatural in its origin. The Lord still does the same for us today.

Archaeological Discovery

The Split Rock of Horeb

A couple of researchers produced a video documentary in which they describe their amazing findings at the site of what they believe to be the biblical rock of Horeb. This is a huge rock with a split in the middle, which they can stand inside. It sits atop a hill, and from a distance it is huge, but from close up it is enormous, standing four stories tall.

They said that this part of the world is so arid that it only gets about a half inch (1.27 cm) of rain every ten years. Yet this rock shows evidence that something came up from the bottom of it with great force. It is clear evidence that it happened just as the Scripture says in Exodus 17:6, that water gushed forth, sprang up, or shot forth (Hebrew: yâtsâ'). Normally granite rocks like this would have normal erosion patterns happening from wind and rain running down upon them, resulting in some pieces cracking and falling off. But this one has evidence of pressure-flaking, resulting in very smooth scaling on the inside vertically in an upward direction, which could only happen if water gushed up from beneath it with such great force that it eroded the rock's granite surface. In the video, they provide the following illustration shown below, in which you can see the direction of the water flowing from bottom to top like a geyser. Not only did the powerful force of the gushing water split the rock down the middle, but it also made it smooth as well. It seems to be the original site of the rock of Horeb recorded in Scripture.

If this is the case, which I believe it is, then the amount of water had to be enormous, which it most certainly would have to be in order to refresh 2.4 million people and their livestock with plenty to drink. And it may have continued gushing for a significant period of time afterward. The researchers also found distinct evidence of significant erosion on the rocks comprising the side of the mountain upon which this rock sits. The erosion is found on the smooth stones of that mountain where the water was running down all the way to the bottom, washing out the rocks and sand, and forming a lake at the bottom. To this day there is still an ancient lake bed there as a testimony to this miracle.

They cited Psalm 78 which says:

"He split the rocks in the wilderness And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths. He brought forth streams also from the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers." (Psa 78:15-16). This psalm agrees completely with what they found at this archaeological site -- a split rock in the wilderness, where the Lord once made water gush forth in streams that ran down the mountain like rivers, which collected at the bottom of the mountain and formed a lake as abundant as the sea. There is no other archaeological site in the world that fits this description, except this particular split rock in the desert on top of a mountain.

Closing Words
There are many references to the Lord as our Rock in Scripture, but the one that I want to emphasize here and leave you to consider today is the rock from which the water sprang in the wilderness, which was a type of Christ. As John Wesley said, "And that rock was a manifest type of Christ - The Rock of Eternity, from whom his people derive those streams of blessings which follow them through all this wilderness." Do you know that Rock, who is a spring of Living Water?

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB copyright The Lockman Foundation, all rights reserved, used by permission. Image of the rock may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note:  Also see Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Moses 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.

The High Priest as a Type of Christ

Another type of Christ is the Hebrew high priest of God, which was originally Aaron the brother of Moses, who was eventually succeeded by his third son Eleazer, and many others down through the centuries. In my previous article on The Typology of the Tabernacle, I explained that the high priest was the only person in the world allowed to enter the Most Holy Place, and that he was only allowed to do so once per year on the Hebrew Day of Atonement.

The apostle of Christ writing to the Hebrews during the first century explicitly taught that the high priest was a type of Christ. He said, "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession." (Heb 3:1).

The apostle further explained the many wonderful ways in which the high priest is a type of Christ and it's rich meaning to us. Let's look at those together.

Made Like His Brethren in All Things
A high priest was a man who represented the people to God and made atonement on their behalf. "Therefore, He [Jesus] had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." (Heb 2:17)

The Lord Jesus suffered temptations, three of which occurred during his forty days of fasting in the wilderness. These all worked for our benefit, because they enabled Him to be our perfect high priest, who is able to help us when we are tempted. "Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted." (Heb 2:18, NIV)

Tempted in Every Way Just as We Are

Not only did Jesus Christ suffer temptation, but he was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. "Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Heb 4:14-15)

The benefit of this to us is wonderful and gives us great confidence. "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16)

High Priest Forever

The earthly high priest entered the Holy of Holies behind the veil once each year on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle the blood of sacrificial animals and offer incense. He was forbidden to enter at any other time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he would die (Lev 16:2). For the Lord would appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.

He had to wear bells of pure gold on the hem of his robe (Ex 28:33; 39:25-26). As long as the other priests outside that room could hear the bells, they knew he was still alive and that he had been accepted by God, but if he dropped dead in the holy presence of God, they would not be able to enter in to retrieve his corpse. Therefore, it is believed by scholars that the high priest had a rope tied around his ankle, which enabled them to drag him out. There is nothing in Scripture that states he had such a rope tied to him, but that doesn't mean he didn't have one. Apparently the Jewish oral tradition preserved in the Talmud indicates the high priest had a rope around his waist, so the belief among Bible scholars that he had a rope around his ankle probably comes from Jewish literature. The fact that the high priest could perish like that during his service, and would eventually die someday, was a major weakness of all the earthly high priests that served at the altar.

However, Jesus entered the Most Holy Place in heaven itself behind the veil, but since He lives forever, He is a much better high priest, far superior to all others. Those who are in Christ are connected to Him, but we will never need to drag Him out by a rope, because He lives forever and can never die again. Unlike like those earthly high priests, Christ is like an anchor of our souls beyond the veil, steadfast and secure, never failing to hold onto us as long as we stay connected to Him. This gives us great hope.

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (Heb 6:19-20)

I'm reminded of the words of that song called "Anchor Beyond the Veil" by Bob Kauflin, which goes:

"And Jesus You've gone

Before us

And Your faithfulness

Never fails

In the darkness

You reassure us,

You're our anchor

Beyond the veil"

And as the old hymn called "On Christ the Solid Rock" goes, "In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil."

Sacrificed Once for All

There are many more differences that set Jesus apart from all other high priests. "For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself." (Heb 7:26-27; cf., Heb 5:1-3)

All the earthly high priests were human and beset with weakness like all men, so they were obligated to first offer sacrifices for their own sins and then for the sins of the people they represented before God. However, our great High Priest Jesus Christ is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and highly exalted above the heavens, so He doesn't need to do that. He sacrificed His life once for all, and He never needs to do so again.

Ordained by God as High Priest

Just as no earthly high priest would be allowed to assume that role unless he were anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in his father's place (Lev 16:32), so also Jesus didn't glorify Himself, but the Father designated Him as high priest forever. The apostle says, "And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You'; just as He says also in another passage, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.'" (Heb 5:4-6). Therefore, Christ was anointed and ordained to serve as High Priest in His Father's place, according to Scripture.

The Source of Eternal Salvation

Although every other high priest relied on God for salvation, Jesus actually became the source of salvation for all who obey Him. "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek." (Heb 5:8-10)

He Entered the Perfect Tabernacle by His Own Blood
Rather than repeatedly entering an earthly tabernacle by the blood of animals, Jesus entered the holy place of the perfect, heavenly tabernacle once for all, by His own blood. There He sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven. And while the blood of goats and bulls did provide the people with an outward cleansing of the flesh, the blood of Jesus provides a deeper cleansing of our consciences. Although the earthly high priests had to enter the holy place annually, Jesus entered the holy place once for all and obtained eternal redemption for us.

"We do have such a High Priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being." (Heb 8:1b, NIV)

"But when Christ appeared as a High Priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb 9:11-14)

"For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence." (Heb 9:24)

He Provided Purification for Sins
As our great High Priest, Christ the Son of God provided purification for sins, and then took His seat at God's right hand in heaven. The apostle wrote: "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven." (He 1:3, NIV). The very One who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature, through Himself made a cleansing of our sins. In other words, by Himself He purged our sins, so that we might receive forgiveness. What an amazing gift that God would do that for us!

The Breastplate was a Type
Even the high priest's breastplate that he wore during his service in the Most Holy Place is a type. It was inlaid with twelve precious stones that each had written upon it the name of one of Israel's twelve tribes. In this way, as the high priest ministered in the sanctuary representing all the people of God, he was making intercession for them before God and providing atonement for them. Likewise, Christ intercedes in the heavenly sanctuary before the Father for all those who are in Him and He has made atonement for us once for all.

"But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." (Heb 7:24-25, NIV)

Closing Words
As we have learned in this study, the high priest was a type of Christ, and as we examined each aspect of the high priest we came to better understand how much better a high priest Christ really is. In fact, He was designated by God to be our perfect high priest forever, who is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He ever lives to make intercession for us. He was made like His brethren in all things, tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin, so He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He sacrificed Himself for us once for all on the cross, and became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. He entered the holy place of the perfect tabernacle in heaven once for all, by His own blood. What an awesome high priest we have! "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16)

These truths strengthen our faith in Christ, and I trust your faith has been strengthened through this study. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more edifying articles on the types of Christ 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 Typology of the Tabernacle, The Temple as a Type of Christ, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, Moses as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark 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.

Adam as a Type of Christ

The first place to begin when studying typology is the book of Genesis, where all biblical doctrine begins. And the first place to begin in that book with regard to typology is with Adam, the first man that God created.

The First Man - Adam
Here is the account from Scripture:

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" (Gen 1:26-28)

In this passage God spoke to Himself. The word for "God" in this verse is Elohim, which is the Hebrew plural word for God. While there is only one God, He has a plural nature and actually spoke in the first person plural to Himself using words like "us" and "our". He decided to create man in His own image, according to His likeness, which He did on the sixth and final day of creation, before He rested from His work on the seventh day. He saved the best for last, and this crowning work of His was to create man in the image of God.

It's important to note that when God blessed man, He told them to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it, and to rule over every living thing that moves. All of these were attributes of God given to man.

However, we know that man soon fell into sin. He created them male and female, Adam and Eve. He did not create two men or two women, but one man and one woman. Eve was made from Adam, and she was bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh. They were together in the garden of Eden, which was a Paradise on earth. They were allowed to eat of any tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

"The LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.'" (Gen 2:16-17)

The penalty for eating of that tree was death, but when satan deceived Eve into eating the fruit of that tree, she did so, and then she gave some to her husband and he ate.

"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings." (Gen 3:6-7)

This is how the human race was plunged into sin, and since then all of their offspring have shared the same sinful nature. Up until that point, Adam and Eve were naked and they were not ashamed (Gen 2:25). But now that they ate of the fruit, they realized they were naked and covered their loins. Now they became conscious of sin, since they suddenly possessed the knowledge of good and evil. That act of their disobedience brought death to all mankind.

The Last Adam - Christ

According to the apostle Paul, Adam is a type of Christ. He said in his epistle to the Romans: "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come." (Rom 5:14)

Paul explained the many parallels between Adam and Christ:

"But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 5:15-21)

One man, Adam, transgressed or sinned, which brought death to all mankind. On the other hand the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man Jesus Christ now abounds to the many, because of the sacrifice of His death on the cross. Adam's transgression brought judgment resulting in condemnation to all men. But the free gift of Jesus Christ who gave His life on the tree was necessary because of many transgressions committed by all people. That one act of righteousness resulted in justification of life to all men, rather than condemnation. Just as through Adam's single transgression the many became sinners, so also through the gift of the One -- a single act of righteousness -- the many will be made righteous. Adam's disobedience produced many sinners, but Christ's obedience produces many righteous people.

Paul also referred to this in his epistle to the Corinthians when he said:

"For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death." (1Co 15:21-26).

Again we have death by a man (Adam), and the resurrection of the dead by a Man (Christ). Everyone must die because of Adam, but all those in Christ will be made alive. Just as Adam was supposed to reign on earth, so Christ must reign until He puts all His enemies underneath His feet. Speaking of the reign of the second Adam, Paul wrote:

"For He has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when He says, 'All things are put in subjection,' it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all." (1Co 15:27-28).

That explains the ultimate goal of Christ's reign, which is to subject all things to God the Father, so that He may be all in all.

Finally, Paul drew more parallels between Adam and Christ at the end of that same chapter in 1 Corinthians 15. He wrote:

"So also it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living soul.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly." (1Co 15:45-49)

Side by Side Comparison
Let's summarize what we've just read by comparing the two Adams side by side using Scripture in the following chart:

Adam	Christ
"the transgression" (Ro 5:15)	"the free gift" (Ro 5:15)
"by the transgression of the one the many died" (Ro 5:15)	"the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many" (Ro 5:15)
"the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation" (Ro 5:16)	"the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification" (Ro 5:16)
"by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one" (Ro 5:17)	"those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Ro 5:17)
"through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men" (Ro 5:18)	"through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men" (Ro 5:18)
"through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners" (Ro 5:19)	"through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous" (Ro 5:19)
"sin reigned in death" (Ro 5:21)	"grace...[reigns] through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Ro 5:21)
"by a man came death" (1 Co 15:21)	"by a man also came the resurrection of the dead" (1 Co 15:21)
"in Adam all die" (1 Co 15:22)	"in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Co 15:22)
"fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Ge 1:28)	"He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet." (1 Co 15:25)
He was supposed to subdue the earth, but caused death (Ge 1:28)	He will reign until His last enemy (death) is abolished (1 Co 15:26)
"The first man" (1 Co 15:45)	"The second Man, the last Adam" (1 Co 15:45,47)
"a living soul" (1 Co 15:45)	"a life-giving spirit" (1 Co 15:45)
"from the earth, earthy"	"from heaven"

Closing Words
Through the Scriptures, we have learned that Adam was clearly a type of Christ, and through a study of that subject, we can learn many truths that strengthen our faith in Christ. I trust this has helped to accomplish that objective in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types of Christ in the Bible

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  Also see Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Joseph 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.