Category Archives: Christ

Multiple Types of the Christ: The Passover Lamb

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Often there will be multiple types/ shadows/ symbols in Scripture of what will be. Such is the subject of the Christ and it makes an ideal platform for seeing how symbolism works in Scripture.

Moses was leading Israel
out of bondage to the
promise land.

Their stay in Egypt had started as a rescue from famine, and had ended as slavery for the people of Israel. God had heard the pleas of His people for rescue and sent Moses. However, the Pharaoh of the Egyptians proved stubborn and harsh in his resistance to their release.

Then signs were given to convince Pharaoh
to release Israel.

These signs increased in focus and severity on Egypt and its Pharaoh. First there was turning a staff into a snake (which also the magicians of Egypt also did). Then there was turning the river and waters of Egypt into blood (which again the Egyptian magicians also did). Then there was a plague of frogs. (Likewise the magicians also did). Then there was a plague of lice/gnats, to which the magicians responded to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” Ex 8:19. Still Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to release the people. Next came swarms of flies, then the death of Egyptian cattle, then painful boils on the Egyptians, then terrible hail large enough to kill both men and animals. Then came locusts, and then thick darkness even in the daytime. Then came the very last plague.

God would strike all the firstborn of Egypt.

From the firstborn of Pharaoh, to firstborn of every man, whether slave or free, to the firstborn of every animal.

But there was a way out. A Passover lamb.

The ultimate passover lamb was Jesus. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jn 1:29 WEB. Then in 1Cor 5:7 Paul said, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.”

The original was a literal lamb.

Everyone was to take a lamb, and kill it. A male lamb without blemish, Ex 25:5. The blood of the lamb was painted on the side posts of the doors, and the lintels over the doors. Then when God went through the land to kill all the firstborn of Egypt, he would see the blood of the sacrifice and “passover” that house.

They were also to eat of the lamb. We must eat of Jesus.

“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Jn 6:54 WEB

They were not boil it or eat it raw. They were to roast it in a fire. So Jesus went to the heart of the earth for us, Mtt 12:41; to the abyss (Greek abusos in Rom 10:7). Peter says,

“in which he also went and preached to the spirits in prison, who before were disobedient, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, …”
1Pe 3:19 WEB

Jesus is that sinless suffering lamb of God of Isaiah 53, the ultimate way we can be “passed over” for our sins.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Men, Angels and the Christ in Prophecy, Part 9 of 9

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The author of Hebrews concludes that the purpose of angels is to serve those who will inherit eternal life, Heb 1:14. Then he turns to the subject of men in chapter two. He quotes part of Psalm 8 by David about “man,” and “the world to come,” Heb 2:5.

“6 … “What is man, that you think of him?
Or the son of man, that you care for him?
7 You made him a little lower than the angels;
You crowned him with glory and honor.
8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” …”
Heb 2:6-8a WEB

This is man made in the very image of God, for now a little lower than the angels, and ordained for great things.

So mankind is SUPPOSED TO HAVE dominance
over ALL.

Then comes those things which we all run into in prophecy. Those things which seem odd or out of place. The author notes it appears nothing is left out of man’s control.

“… For in that he subjected all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. …”
Heb 2:8b WEB

Indeed this is the fabric of much of our lives here on earth. We work at this function or that function in managing this earth, and bringing to usefulness its many resources. Those functions may range from killing flies in the kitchen, to managing water resources, to making useful tools and machines for using these resources.

But then there is that part which just does not fit the facts.

“But now we don’t see all things subjected to him, yet.”
Heb 2:8c

Man does not yet have all of this power. There are things missing. There are holes in man’s dominance. We would like to have control of this or that, but, frustratingly, despite great progress in many arenas, much remains outside our control, just as Heb 2:8c says so clearly!

As my books note, such gaps between what is often prophesied, and what is seen in reality, is often the sign of symbolism in the prophecy, of a “type” or a “prototype”.

So man does not have the mastery he should have, yet.

“But we see him who has been made a little
lower than the angels, Jesus,

“because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone. ”
Heb 2:9 WEB

So Hebrews sees man’s dominance as always to be accomplished through Jesus! Through Jesus man recovers his position before God, and achieves his rightful position over creation. So it is not Satan and his angels, or even angels overall, who will dominate the world to come. It is man.

“Don’t you know that we will judge angels?” 1Cor 6:3.

Permanent punishment is prepared for those that oppose God, whether in heaven or in earth.

“Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;”
Mtt 25:14 WEB

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Men, Angels and the Christ in Prophecy, Part 8 of 9

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Satan was able to appear to Jesus in the flesh.

Compare the story in Matthew chapter four. Both knew who the other was. Satan has been granted considerable latitude in testing and trying to seduce men. He tries to get Jesus to worship him, and fails. He is “the ruler of this world” Jn 12:31. He is allowed to make great offers to Jesus.

“8 Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory. 9 He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.””
Mtt 4:8-9 WEB

Yes, though constrained to this creation in our day, Satan has much power, but that is not all of the story.

Elisha was in a terrible bind in 2 Kings chapter 6.

The King of Aram has Elijah surrounded in the small town of Dothan. What the Hebrew text calls “Aram,” the KJV calls Syria (which it is today.) When Elisha’s servant arose the next day, look! The whole city was surrounded by horses and chariots. He asked Elisha, What shall we do?

Greater are those who are with us

“16 He answered, Don’t be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. 17 Elisha prayed, and said, Yahweh, Please open his eyes, that he may see. Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”
2Kfs 6:16 WEB

But it not just the number of men versus the number of angels, or even of good angels versus bad angels.

“What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Rom 8:31 WEB

We as Christians have the living God Himself living in us, if we stay with Him.

“Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
1Cor 3:16 WEB

What good news it is to have Yahweh God Himself as our deliverer. Or as the apostle John put it,

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.”
1Jn 4:4 WEB

Or as the psalmist put it,

“Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
For Yahweh holds him up with his hand.”
Psa 37:24

What is it then that can overcome us?

“38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ”
Rom 8:38-39 WEB

Powerful enemies for us? Yes! But powerful supporters also.

and book of Revelation?

It is a series of parallel overlapping visions which show … many trials? Yes. And ultimate victory! Also yes!

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Men, Angels and the Christ in Prophecy, Part 7 of 9

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In the fall of man, the key conflicts of our age
have been set off.

The serpent of the old has successfully drawn mankind into conflict with the Lord our God. Now on one hand, Satan is described as the the god of this age.

“among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.”
2Cor 4:4 New English Translation,

Here the New English Translation copyright 1995-2005 is more accurate in translating this as “age” (ai?n), but it is sometimes translated as “world.”

“Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out.”
Jn 12:31 WEB

Here the regular word for world is used, kosmos. And Satan has enough power to deceive the whole world.

“The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ”
Rev 12:9 WEB

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. ”
1Jn 5:19 WEB

So God ordained that there be opposition, hostility,
between the woman, and Satan.

““I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.””
Gen 3:15 WEB

Now it speaks of warfare between the seed/ offspring/
descendant, of Satan,

and the offspring of the woman. But the Hebrew word (zera) is here singular in both cases. The hostility is between the singular descendant/seed of woman, and the singular descendant/seed of the serpent.

As the fall came through the woman,

so also came the deliverer (Jesus the Christ, the singular seed of woman) through the woman (not through the man).

“4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, 5 that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of children.”
Gal 4:4-5 WEB

The word that is translated as “bruise” in the WEB and KJV in Gen 3:15 can also be translated as to snatch or grab or seize or a blow per the Hebrew Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Koehler and Bumgartner, 1994,2000. Surely the Bible in Basic English 1965, gives the sense of that last phrase in Gen 3:15 as well as any:

“by him will your head be crushed and by you his foot will be wounded.”

And the “seed”/offspring of Satan?

He still remains to be revealed in our own day, as it was with the Thessalonians (2Thes 2:6). He is what 2Thes 2:3 calls the “man of lawlessness,” and what Revelation calls “the beast.”

So Gen 3:15 is still in the process of being fulfilled.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Men, Angels and the Christ in Prophecy, Part 5 of 9

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A Trans-Universe War between men and
evil spiritual powers.

Perhaps even before man was created, there began a great revolt against God’s rule and authority, a revolt that began in heaven itself. Was it really before the creation of man? We do not know for sure but it sure seems so. When man was created, and the woman made for the man, it seems that Satan, symbolically called that Great Serpent or the Devil was already there. Ready to seduce and ruin mankind as best he could.

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Yes, has God said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’””
Gen 3:1 WEB

You might say that our historic great grandmother bit! Then she got our original progenitor to bite. So we, all of mankind, joined that historic revolt again God Himself.

So it was that great curses fell on both
men and angels,
and men were altered at the DNA level.

Men began the processes of dying, and he lost access to the tree of life. This is not the place to discuss all the ramification of mankind’s fall, but some key points should be noted.

Satan was cursed, the woman was cursed, the man was cursed, and the creation was cursed, because of sin! Lastly, the stage was set for an age long war between mankind and the evil principalities and powers.

““I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.””
Gen 3:15 WEB

As Paul put it,

“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Eph 6:12 WEB

This ultimately leads to a war in heaven itself.

There are armies in heaven. Remember Part III, the hosts (armies) of heaven and the Lord of Hosts? Remember that in Job’s day Satan was still able to appear before the Yaweh in heaven. That evidently changed around the time of the cross.

“7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Rev 12:7-9 KJV

This war now continues in this created universe.

You and I as men have often served these
evil spiritual masters.

“However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods.”
Gal 4:8 WEB

But Jesus has come to deliver us from these
Satanic powers which would destroy us,
Heb 2:14-15

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Men, Angels and the Christ in Prophecy, Part 1 of 9

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Angels are special creatures. We often speak of them as spiritual creatures. Creatures of a higher order men. They are creatures “greater in might and power” than men, 2Pe 2:11 WEB, but they are indeed “creatures.” That is to say, created beings. God is the One (1Tim 6:13) …

“who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen. ”
1Tim 6:16 WEB

Others, all others, live or die at His good pleasure. The angels are not god or gods. As Yahweh Himself said,

“See now that I, even I, am he,
There is no god with me:
I kill, and I make alive;
I wound, and I heal;
There is none who can deliver out of my hand.”
Deut 32:39 WEB

ALL others in the universe are ALL beings, created by this single God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
Jn 1:1-4 WEB

Angels have functions in ruling over and directing
various parts of creation.

In the occult (religion that is secret or semi-secret) and in occult literature, angels are often referred to as “thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.” These terms refer to both their authority and power under God. Also the apostle Paul uses these terms to refer angels, many of whom have turned to become the enemy of all mankind. Paul says,

“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Eph 6:12 WEB

Paul is indeed talking about angels.

But they are indeed CREATED beings, NOT gods.

We have already seen that all things were created through Jesus (Jn 1:3). Paul is even more specific and says of Jesus the Christ,

“For by him were all things created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him.”
Col 1:16 WEB

Wow! What a dramatic statement of fact, of the basic creaturehood of angels, ALL the angels. Paul goes even further and says of Jesus, that

“He is before all things, and in him all things
are held together.” Col 1:17 WEB

In other words, what makes both all the universe, and men, and animals and fish and birds and angels hold together is Jesus Himself. In fact it says basically the same thing in Hebrews.

“His Son is … upholding all things by the word of his power, …”
Heb 1:3 WEB

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901