When most believers think about Jesus, they use as their reference the New Testament. This is, after all, where you find the Gospels recounting His life, teachings, death, and resurrection. Jesus on the other hand references the Old Testament repeatedly throughout His life. Rather than a physical recounting, the Bible's Old Testament gives us a glimpse into the different types of Christ as seen in shadows, prophecies, and pictures.
The first reference to the tree of life is found in Genesis. God plants it in the middle of the Garden of Eden along with the tree of knowledge. The tree of life relates to Jesus in that His Father set Him down in the midst of the Israelites, God's chosen people. Jesus is described as the tree of life in Revelations. This tree bears twelve fruits, representing the twelve apostles. The purpose of the leaves on the tree is to heal the nations.
The Ark represented salvation to Noah and his family. Once they had all the animals on deck they shut the door behind them and were safe. In the same way Jesus is man's salvation. Just as Noah believed the Ark would keep them safe from destruction, Christians believe that Jesus will never let them perish.
Jacob dreamed he saw a ladder to heaven in the Old Testament. He saw angels using it to ascend and descend from heaven. Christians believe that Jesus is the gateway to heaven and God. We can only see angels and God through Him. Jesus is depicted as the Lamb of God in the New Testament.
Jesus tells believers that He's the bread of Life. Anyone who hungers can come to Him. In Exodus, the Israelites wandered the desert for forty years. All that time they have only bread, or manna, to eat. Christians believe that Jesus will feed their spirits if they believe and come to Him.
In Exodus God tells Moses to take the elders and go to Horeb where he will find a rock. Moses is to strike the rock and water will come forth for the people to drink. Paul recounts to the Corinthians, in his first letter to them, the same story of Moses and the rock. This time though Paul refers to the water as spiritual drink and the rock as a spiritual representation of Jesus.
King David was forced to give the building of the temple over to his son, Solomon. The temple represents the dwelling place of God. If we repent we are allowed to enter. Jesus refers to Himself as the temple and tells His enemies if they destroy it, He will resurrect it in three days.
A lot of today's believers avoid reading the Old Testament. These are the books Jesus read and learned from however. He refers to Himself on numerous occasions in ways that the Israelites would have understood. If we want to really understand Jesus today, we have to read what He read.
The first reference to the tree of life is found in Genesis. God plants it in the middle of the Garden of Eden along with the tree of knowledge. The tree of life relates to Jesus in that His Father set Him down in the midst of the Israelites, God's chosen people. Jesus is described as the tree of life in Revelations. This tree bears twelve fruits, representing the twelve apostles. The purpose of the leaves on the tree is to heal the nations.
The Ark represented salvation to Noah and his family. Once they had all the animals on deck they shut the door behind them and were safe. In the same way Jesus is man's salvation. Just as Noah believed the Ark would keep them safe from destruction, Christians believe that Jesus will never let them perish.
Jacob dreamed he saw a ladder to heaven in the Old Testament. He saw angels using it to ascend and descend from heaven. Christians believe that Jesus is the gateway to heaven and God. We can only see angels and God through Him. Jesus is depicted as the Lamb of God in the New Testament.
Jesus tells believers that He's the bread of Life. Anyone who hungers can come to Him. In Exodus, the Israelites wandered the desert for forty years. All that time they have only bread, or manna, to eat. Christians believe that Jesus will feed their spirits if they believe and come to Him.
In Exodus God tells Moses to take the elders and go to Horeb where he will find a rock. Moses is to strike the rock and water will come forth for the people to drink. Paul recounts to the Corinthians, in his first letter to them, the same story of Moses and the rock. This time though Paul refers to the water as spiritual drink and the rock as a spiritual representation of Jesus.
King David was forced to give the building of the temple over to his son, Solomon. The temple represents the dwelling place of God. If we repent we are allowed to enter. Jesus refers to Himself as the temple and tells His enemies if they destroy it, He will resurrect it in three days.
A lot of today's believers avoid reading the Old Testament. These are the books Jesus read and learned from however. He refers to Himself on numerous occasions in ways that the Israelites would have understood. If we want to really understand Jesus today, we have to read what He read.
About the Author:
When you are searching for information about types of Christ, visit our web pages today. More details are available at http://www.typesofchrist.com now.
No comments:
Post a Comment