Is Jesus Christ in the Old testament?

Many people are of the view that the Man Jesus Christ is not found in the sacred pages of the old testament scriptures. But is this claim true? The bible is a unified book, both the old and new testament points to him. Jesus Christ is the overarching theme of the whole bible. He is ubiquitous not only in the new testament, but in the pages of the old testament as well. Jesus is in the O.T, but you can read it several times and you will still not see him there, unless the Spirit of God floods your heart with light before you will be able to see him in the O.T. Jesus is not obscure, but he is clearly revealed in the old testament. I pray that through this article you will see Jesus conspicuously in the old testament for your spiritual edification 

Jesus claims that the old testament scriptures bears witness about him

Jesus made it clear in several places that the old testament points to him. He said to his audience: You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me (John 5; 39). Jesus is saying that the scriptures, which in context is the old testament, because the new testament at that time was not yet written, testify about him. And in the same chapter, Jesus also said: For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (John 5: 46-47). Jesus is here saying that Moses the great prophet, who lived thousands of years before him actually wrote about him.

 After Jesus rose from the dead, he said this to his disciples: Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day (Luke 24: 44-46). Jesus actually fulfilled all things written about him in the law, the Psalms and in the prophets. He is the sum total of all that is written in the old testament.

Let us look at some of the ways we can find Jesus in the old testament 

Jesus can be found in prophecies 

It is important to know, that prophecies respecting the coming, the suffering, death and the bodily resurrection of Jesus are all encapsulated in the law, the Psalms and in the prophets. In the book of Genesis, it is written: And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel (Genesis 3; 15). Bible scholars refers to this verse, as the first gospel, because it is the first verse of the bible that reveals the redemptive work of the Messiah.

This prophecy points to Jesus the Messiah, as the one who will crush the head of the serpent, which signifies his complete victory over the devil. This prophecy was fulfilled at the death of Christ on the cross (Colossians 2; 14-15). In another place it is written: In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice (Genesis 22; 18). This is a reference to Abraham's seed through whom the nations of the world will be blessed and that seed says, Paul by the Spirit is Jesus Christ, see (Galatians 3; 16).

Isaiah prophesied the virgin birth: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7; 14). This prophecy was fulfilled when Mary a virgin gave birth to Jesus, see (Matthew 1; 18-25). Malachi prophesied that Jesus the Messiah will be preceded by an harbinger in these words: "Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the Lord of hosts (Malachi 3; 1). The forerunner that preceded his coming and prepared the way for him was John the Baptist, see (Mark 1; 1-2, John 1; 19-23). 

Jesus death was also spoken by Isaiah that he will be rejected, be bruised for our iniquities, and that he will be cut off from the land of the living, see (Isaiah 53). The prophet David also prophesied that both his hands and feet will be pierced, which means that he will die by crucifixion (Psalm 22; 16). Their prophecies were literally fulfilled at the death of Christ on the cross (John 19).  His resurrection was also spoken in this words: For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay (Psalm 16; 10). This was a Messianic prophecy, and Peter on the day of Pentecost quoted it and applied it to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, see (Acts 2; 27). So Jesus can be seen in the prophecies given by the prophets by the energy of the Spirit.

The pre-incarnate appearances of Christ 

Jesus Christ was not only prophesied, but was actually present throughout the old testament. In the book of Genesis, we can see that three men visited Abraham. Two of them were angels, but the other one was the LORD himself (Genesis 18; 13). Abraham communed with the LORD and interceded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, in order for the LORD to avert their destruction, see (Genesis 18). The LORD who visited Abraham was not God the father, but was the pre-incarnate appearance of the Man Jesus Christ. The father, no one has seen or can ever see, but Jesus being the visible image of the invisible God appeared to Abraham (Colossians 1; 15).

Jude wrote in his epistle: Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe (Jude 1; 5). The Greek word for ''Lord'' is ''kurios'' a title which is often used in reference to Christ in the N.T. So Jude by the Spirit is saying, that it was our Lord Jesus Christ who rescued the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage and led them through the wilderness and finally into the promised land. In the NLT version, it reads: So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. 

We have an interesting character by the name, "The angel of the LORD". The angel of the LORD was the one who appeared to Moses in the midst of the burning bush. This figure was referred in the same chapter as God, and he identified himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob and also revealed to Moses that he is the I AM WHO I AM, see (Exodus 3; 1-22). This is not a mere created angel, but a divine being, he is the second person of the Holy Trinity in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 Paul also wrote by the Spirit: And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10; 4). Paul is saying that Christ was present with the Israelites in the wilderness and provided for their basic necessities including water. The rock which followed them was Christ. This proves the preexistence of Christ in the Old testament.

Jesus pre-incarnate appearances is every where in the O.T

Jesus can be seen in types and shadows 

An excellent author defined a type as: A type is a person or thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows a person or thing in the New". Biblical typology is a prophetic symbol in the old testament which points to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the substance of the old testament types and shadows (Colossians 2; 17). In the book of Numbers, we see how the Israelites spoke against Moses and sinned against the Lord, and God justly punished them for their sins. He sent fiery serpents among them which bite them and some of them died. They pleaded with Moses to beseech God on their behalf. God told him to make a bronze snake and to set it on a pole, and it shall come to pass that whoever that looks upon it shall be made whole, see (Numbers 21: 5-9). The bronze snake on the pole foreshadowed Christ on the cross. Whoever that beheld the bronze serpent was healed instantly from the poison of the serpent, so whoever that looks upon Jesus on the cross by faith shall be healed and saved from the poison of sin and it's eternal consequences, see (John 3; 14-15).

The passover Lambs that were killed by the Israelites and it's blood that they smeared upon their doorpost by which they were secured from divine wrath pointed to Christ. The blood of the Lamb gave them divine exemption from the wrath of the destroyer, and led to their ultimate deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The passover Lamb was a type of Christ, for Paul, says, that Christ our passover Lamb is sacrificed for us, see (1 Corinthians 5; 7). Even the whole sacrificial system, animal sacrifices for sin were types and Jesus fulfilled those types, he is the antitype of all those old testament types and shadows. He is the Lamb that took away our sins through the sacrifice of himself once and for all (John 1; 29, Hebrews 10). 

So Jesus is ubiquitous in the entire old testament, he can be seen in prophecies, in his pre-incarnate appearances and in types and shadows. God bless you 

A thought to ponder 🤔 

The bible is a unified book, both the old and new testament points to him

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