Types and Shadows of Christ

Adam as Type of Christ (Romans 5:14)

Adam is explicitly called 'a type of the one who was to come.' As Adam's disobedience brought death to all, Christ's obedience brings life to all. The first Adam was from the earth; the last Adam is the Lord from heaven (1 Corinthians 15:45-47).

The Offering of Isaac (Genesis 22)

Abraham offers his only beloved son on Mount Moriah (later the Temple Mount). Isaac carries the wood for his own sacrifice up the hill. God provides a substitutionary ram. Every detail prefigures the crucifixion.

The Passover Lamb (Exodus 12)

An unblemished lamb, selected on the 10th of Nisan, slain on the 14th, its blood applied to doorposts to avert judgment. Jesus, the Lamb of God, entered Jerusalem on the 10th and was crucified on the 14th of Nisan.

The Bronze Serpent (Numbers 21:4-9)

Moses lifts a bronze serpent on a pole; all who look upon it are healed. Jesus directly applies this to himself: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up' (John 3:14).

Jonah and the Great Fish (Jonah 1:17)

Jonah spends three days and three nights in the belly of the fish. Jesus identifies this as a sign of his own death and resurrection: 'For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the heart of the earth' (Matthew 12:40).

The Tabernacle (Exodus 25-27)

Every element of the tabernacle points to Christ: the single entrance (John 14:6), the bronze altar (the cross), the lampstand (light of the world), the bread of the Presence (bread of life), the veil (his flesh, Hebrews 10:20), the mercy seat (propitiation).

Melchizedek the Priest-King (Genesis 14:18-20)

A mysterious king of Salem and priest of God Most High who blesses Abraham. Hebrews 7 identifies Jesus as a priest 'after the order of Melchizedek' -- a priesthood that predates and surpasses the Levitical system.