The Old Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Student Workbook, SW09

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T H E O L D T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

help us understand the larger relationship of God with all of the redeemed through Jesus Christ. Three distinctive moments in their history which illustrate this principle is their deliverance at the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan and the entering into the Promised Land, and the restoration of Israel from the Babylonian Captivity. The experience of God’s redeemed in Christ is exhibited clearly in these three moments in Israel’s history: the Church’s new life in Christ is their New Exodus , a new deliverance from the powers which oppress us spiritually, the Church’s fight against the devil and the world is its New Conquest of Canaan , and the ministry of the Gospel of Christ represents our New Restoration of God , leading eventually to the new heavens and new earth under the sovereign authority of Jesus Christ. In a real sense, the Tabernacle was a copy or shadow of the true dwelling place of God in the heavenlies, a symbol of God’s presence among his people, and a way for God to reveal through type the one true salvation in Jesus. The description of the Tabernacle’s dimensions and compartments (e.g., the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of holies) illustrate the principle of access to God , and in the same way the Tabernacle provided this access, so Jesus Christ makes access to God final and perfect, available to all by faith through his blood sacrifice. The various articles of the Tabernacle represent distinctive aspects of Jesus Christ and his work. The high priesthood and its sacrifices are a type of the perfect high priesthood of Jesus Christ which is perfectly better than the pattern of Aaron’s priesthood, being of the order of Melchizedek’s, whose priestly order was eternal, unchangeable, perfect, and final. Moreover, Jesus Christ fulfills in his life and sacrifice the meaning of all the offerings associated with the Temple sacrifices, and he serves as the antitype of the types included in Israel’s feasts, festivals, and convocations. Indeed, the OT’s witness to Christ is comprehensive and compelling. If you are interested in pursuing some of the ideas of The Promise Clarified , you might want to give these books a try: Conner, Kevin J. Interpreting the Symbols and Types . rev. ed. Portland, OR: City Christian Publishing; 1999. Goldsworthy, Graeme. Preaching the Whole Bible As Christian Scripture: The Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching . Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.

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