What is meant by the word “Types” or Typology in the Old Testament?
In a nutshell, a type is something in the Old Testament that symbolizes or foreshadows something in the New Testament. A type can be a person, place, object or event. The Torah or the first five books of the Bible includes several people who serve as symbolic or typological previews of the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah.
In a nutshell, a type is something in the Old Testament that symbolizes or foreshadows something in the New Testament. A type can be a person, place, object or event. The Torah or the first five books of the Bible includes several people who serve as symbolic or typological previews of the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah. For example, Adam as the first man is the first type of the Messiah in the Bible. The Apostle Paul says that Adam is a “type of Him who was to come” (Romans 5:14). In this instance, the type is one of contrast rather than one of similarity. By one act of disobedience and rebellion (sin) in the Garden of Eden, the first Adam brought universal death, suffering and sin into the world. However, by one act of obedience on Calvary’s Cross the Lord Jesus Christ purchased our salvation and brought universal blessing upon the world (Romans 5:19). Paul repeats his theme of contrasting types in I Corinthians 15:45-47, where he juxtaposes or places side by side “the first Adam” (in
