Was Jesus in the Old Testament?

Author: BibleAsk Team


Jesus in the Old Testament

Although the incarnation took place 4,000 years after man’s fall, but Jesus (the Son of God) has been personally involved in lives of people from the very beginning. Jesus defines Himself as eternal “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

The book of Genesis tell us about the united work of the Father and the Son in Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” The Hebrew word used here for God is Elohim which is a plural noun that is used more than 2,700 times in the Old Testament. The Bible writers preferred to use Elohim about 10 times more than the singular form “El” when they described God.

Jesus created all things (John 1:3) or God the Father created all things through Jesus (Hebrews 1:2; Ephesians 3:9). “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

Without a doubt there was appearances of Jesus in the old testament. Here are the events noted in the Bible:

1-Abraham (Genesis 12). Christ, in a human form, along with two of His angels, visited Abraham. “Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day” (Genesis 18:1).  And in Genesis 18:13, we read that He was called “the LORD.”  Whenever the word LORD appears in scripture with all caps, this points to God’s name Jehovah or Yahweh.

2-Jacob (Genesis 32:30). Jacob wrestled with a being. This Being was Jesus Christ in human form. Jacob would not let go of the heavenly Being until he received a blessing. So, the Lord granted him his request.  And his name was changed to Israel which means “he who prevails with God” or “he will rule as God (rules).” Jacob realized whom he wrestled with in Genesis 32:30. So, he memorialized the spot of his personal experience with God by a name meaning the “face of God.”

3-Gideon (Judges 6:11-24). Gideon was greeted by the Angel of the Lord, who sat down under an oak tree. Gideon asked why the Lord had not fulfilled the wonders He promised the people of Israel that he was waiting for. The phrase “the LORD turned to him” identified the Angel as the Lord Himself.

4-Hagar (Genesis 16:7-13). Hagar called the Angel of the Lord “LORD,” “God,” and “One.” We read, “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees” (Genesis 16:13).

5-Moses (Exodus 3:2-6). The Angel of the LORD declared Himself to be God. “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him (Moses) in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed…God called to him from the midst of the bush …Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.”
6-Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15). Christ in the form of a man appeared to Joshua.  Immediately Joshua wanted to know if he was a friend or a foe. And he was told by the man that he was captain of the Lord’s host. Upon hearing this, Joshua fell on his face and worshiped him.  And this man did not stop Joshua from worshiping Him as any other servant of the Lord would do (Acts 10:26; 14:15; Revelation 19:10; 22:9).

7-Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3:25). King Nebuchadnezzar cast these 3 men into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship an idol he made. But after casting them into the furnace, the king noticed a fourth man. Then the king said, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:25). Christ came down and saved these men from perishing in the fiery furnace.

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In His service,
BibleAsk Team

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