Types and Shadows of the Savior

The first revelation we have of the coming of Jesus and of His mission is in the very first verses of the very first book of the Old Testament when God tells the serpent, Lucifer, that he may have the power to tempt and torment the descendants of Adam and Eve, but that one of those descendants would have the power to literally crush Satan's head. 

To this son of Adam were given the priesthood keys of death and hell.  He would conquer both death and sin through His Atonement.  Through Him, the progeny of Adam and Eve will have the opportunity to become at-one with the Father again, defeating the serpent for all times.

Some of the Old Testament prophecies are about the birth of Jesus Christ, Immanuel.  We hear quoted around Christmas time each year.  But Messianic Prophecies also address the entire life and mission of the Savior.

ABRAHAM

Abraham chose to serve God amidst the many polytheistic and idolatrous people around whom he lived - including his own father.  Because of his faithfulness, God entered into a covenant with Abraham.  If Abraham would continue in this faithfulness, God would bless him with three things: a land of inheritance, progeny, and priesthood (He would be his God and Abraham and his family would be God's children.)

One event in Abraham's life that stands out from all the others in the binding of Isaac.  Biblical scholars have struggled for year to understand why Abraham would receive a prompting to sacrifice his only son after he had waited 100 years to have that son.  Those who have read the Book of Mormon, however, don't wonder.

The prophet, Jacob, wrote: it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son. (Jacob 4:5)

Abraham, as the father of the covenant, had to experience what it felt like to sacrifice a beloved son and Isaac, through whom the covenant was preserved, had to experience what Jesus would feel when He gave His life willingly upon the cross.  People who have not read this brief passage from the Book of Mormon don't see the binding of Isaac as a similitude and prophecy of the key role played by Jesus Christ in God's Plan of Salvation and Exaltation.

JACOB

As the grandson of Abraham, Jacob - whose name was changed to Israel -  inherited the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant through his father, Isaac.  When the time came for Jacob to die, he called his sons together and gave each of them a patriarchal blessing.  Two of those blessings refer specifically to the mission of the Savior.  First, to his son, Judah, he said:The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh[1] come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. [Genesis 49:10] Jesus Christ was born of Judah's lineage.

To his younger and, perhaps, most beloved son, Joseph, he said: Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him,and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) [Genesis 49: 22-24]  Jesus is the shepherd and the stone of Israel. He has prepared an important role for the descendants of Joseph in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to people of all nations, kindreds, and tongues .

MOSES

Moses is another Old Testament prophet who was a type or shadow of Jesus Christ.  Just as Moses led captive Israel out of bondage in Egypt, so too would Jesus Christ lead all men out of bondage.

One of the most meaningful example of this occurred when the camp of Israel was overrun by poisonous snakes, which bit many.  (Remember who the snake represents?)  Moses made a brass serpent on a wooden pole and held it up for the bitten to look at and be healed.  Just like the Savior offered himself on a wooden "pole", so those who look to him can be saved from the sins. Those who refused, died.

The Old Testament is full of types and shadows of Jesus Christ.  I'll discuss more of them tomorrow.

[1] Shiloh meaning Peace, or the Prince of Peace, i.s., Jesus Christ

© Gebara Education, December 19, 2017 All rights reserved