The Old Testament Points to the New Testament

A concept that Christian students of the Holy Bible eventually learn is that of type and anti-type. In the biblical context, a type is a person, place, or institution in the Old Testament that points to a person, place, or institution in the New Testament. The New Testament fulfillment of the type is called an anti-type.

From the Jewish perspective, of course, the Old Testament stands by itself and does not find a fulfillment in the New. Christians, however, see many examples where the Old Testament foreshadows events and persons that appear in the New Testament. Here are a few of the more important ones.

The Old Testament Sacrificial System. An important element of the Old Testament Jewish worship system involves the sacrificing of animals and, during certain times, offering the blood of the animals as a way of covering over the sins of the individual or the nation. While the blood could cover over the sins and restrain the punishment of God toward the sinners, Christians have seen the Old Testament system pointing to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, a death that cleansed the sinner rather than simply covering over the sin. Leviticus and Numbers are helpful Old Testament books for information about the sacrificial system.