“The Old Testament can well be called the kindergarten of the Bible. Intricate doctrines, abstract truths, and metaphysical concepts involved in the story of redemption as set forth in the New Testament are broken down in the Old and laid out in pieces. Someone has said that the study of types is a study of Christ in parts” (Dr. Charles H. Stevens. The Wilderness Journey, Scripture Truth, 11).
Types have been called “picture prophecies” because types are a kind of prophecy. Types prefigure coming reality while prophecies verbally describe the future. Types are expressed in events, persons, and acts while prophecies are expressed in words. “In the Old, we have the portrait; in the New we have the Person” (Dr. Charles H. Stevens, 12). For example, the brazen serpent (Numbers 21:9) was a picture prophecy or type of Christ’s death. Isaiah 53 is a verbal prophecy of Christ’s death. Both are predictive. Prophecy is verbally predictive. Types are typically predictive. “Typology is but the handmaiden of theology. Typology is the OT visual aid to the NT doctrines” (Dr. Charles H. Stevens, 12).
What is a Type?
Dwight Pentecost defines a type: “A type is an institution, historical event or person, ordained by God, which effectively prefigures some truth connected with Christianity” (Pentecost, Things To Come, page 51). Bernard Ramm states his definition: “In the science of theology it properly signifies the preordained representative relation which certain persons, events and institutions of the Old Testament bear to correspoinding persons, events, and institutions in the New” (Protestant Biblical Interpretation, 227).
Allegorial interpretation is not ordained nor preordained by God but comes from the imagination of the interpreter: “A fitting example of the wolf dwelling with the lamb is seen in the change that came over the vicious persecutor Saul of Tarsus, who was a wolf ravening and destroying, but who was so transformed by the Gospel of Christ that he became a lamb. After his conversion he lost his hatred for the Christians, and became instead their humble friend, confidant, defender” (Isa. 11:6). (Loraine Boettner, “Postmillennialism,” in The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, ed. Robert G. Clouse (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1977, 90).
In my next post I will discuss why we should study types.
Typology is an interesting study. I am so thankful that God provided us with a Word that is so rich. God’s ability as an author is unparalleled and His usage of types provides the reader of Scripture with such a vivid, superintended picture of spiritual history that Christ is magnified in all things.
As I read the opening paragraph of the post, I began to wonder how typology compared to allegorical interpretation. After reading the post, the distinction between the two is clear. Typology is revealed by comparing Scripture with Scripture (O.T. and N.T.); whereas, allegories often lack biblical support due to the imagination of the reader.
This post was most helpful in understanding types. It is beautiful how God laid out His Word. The pictures that types provide are such a wonderful way to understand the truth’s in God’s Word. The portraits visualized in the Old Testament of the Person in the New Testament gives a heigtening of the truth.
What a great God we have to give us “Types” or pictures that can be seen in the future depicted in the New Testament. Unlike Allegorical which is based on imagination. Proving Scripture with Scripture.
Picking on Boettner again. ;)
Thanks for the post.
I have found that many dispensationalists do go “nutty” on the types. They find meaning in every article in the temple, and every person in the narrative.
I think it’s interesting to note that even though throughout the Old Testament, revelation was progressive, there were clues to mysteries yet to be revealed through types, many revealing much about the coming Messiah! (i.e. Jonah and the great fish, the brazen serpent, the Old Testament Sacrificial system, etc.)
Though human beings have been on a “need to know” basis, God has never left us clueless.
Thanks, Dr. White – a good description of types. It’s interesting, as one reads the OT in light of the NT, how so many aspects of Israel’s religious life points to salvation in Christ—or, another way of putting it, how many aspects are fulfilled in Christ. Talk about just one plan of salvation from the beginning of history – the OT types prove it.
Dr. White, thanks for the post. It helps me understand typology a little more.
As I mentioned in another comment about ninety-bazillion blog posts ago — do not interpret this number literally, I love hyperbole :) — I have always enjoyed and appreciated the study of types. God’s Word is so rich and He has really blessed us by providing types in the Old Testament as the sort of “flannel graph” accompanying New Testament truths and doctrines. We are such visual people and always seem to need people to explain things to us with examples in the “language” that we speak and understand. What a blessing it is to live in this age and have the gift of the completed and rich canon of Scripture. God’s Word and grand plan has been progressively revealed to His people and it is so neat to know that–even though the people of the time likely did not realize it–He was providing glimpses of the big picture all along. Again, what a blessing it is for us to be able to look back and see so much more of that big picture!
It is weird that so many Jews believe in the Old Testament, but reject Jesus Christ and the New Testament. The Old Testament scriptures they hold and trust are full of types, shadows, and prophecies of the Lord Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, it all points to the Lord Jesus Christ.
David Ford
I liked the analogy of the OT being the kindergarten of the Bible; interesting way of putting it. I also agree with David Ford’s response of how the NT fullfills the OT, making it weird that Jews hold to the OT and reject the NT. -Jamie Brown
Hi Dr. White,
It’s amazing how God the Father would providentially use types (i.e. animals) to represent His Son, Jesus Christ, the antitype. All we have to do is connect the dots, visualizing the beauty of eternal redemption.
Charles Jones
It is cool to read the O.T. and see it pointing to Christ. I think we need to be careful not to dissect everything to make it point to Christ. This was a helpful post.
I’ve mentioned it before, but when man is left to his own devices, especially when interpreting Scripture is doomed to failure because we start with our fallen nature.
That reference to Saul as being the wolf among the lambs gets me every time.
I would have to say that the largest type spoken of in the OT which we can see is that of Christ. We are told all about Christ indirectly and sometimes directly all by different types proclaimed in the Word. The NT not only confirms those types in the person of Jesus but also speaks of types of His future coming again and ministry.
The types in the Old Testament are great tools to learn from. They were literal situations that were depicting a future event in the New Testament. For example, the brazen snake, the sacrifice of Isaac as well as the temple. All of these looked forward to the future and what God was going to do.
I learn more about type through this post. Thanks. I didn’t have any idea about typology. But this post enlightened me and I am very glad.
I have loved learning about they Types of Christ. How interesting to learn how God showed himself through these types.
Through the use of types, God has shown us His plan throughout the ages.
I agree, types reveal to us that God has had it in His plan all along to bring us close to Him and love us. And just as the OT prophecies about Christ’s first coming were fulfilled literally, the second coming will too.
I believe God used “Types” to help our frail minds absorb and to be better able to understand God’s Holy Word.
The types and the symbols of the OT express in great detail the portrait of Christ we get to met in the NT. With out the types and symbols in the OT expressing the portrait of Christ we would be hard-pressed to the understanding and interpreting the Christ we are introduced to in the NT.
Types are picture prophecies. Types are ways to show us in His Word the things to come in a way that we can understand and in how it would happen in a term that makes sense at the time to the people it is given to.
Sometimes it is tempting to skip over the Old Testament and dive right in to the New Testament. It is very important to have an understanding of the Old, however, or you will not understand the New. There are many prophecies and “types” which we ought to understand which only come with at least some knowledge of the Old Testament.
So glad the separaton was made above regarding allegorical interpretation and typology. So many confuse the two, and then combine them.
I like the description that “the Old Testament is the portrait, the New Testament is the Person.” Well said.
“Ordained by God” – that’s important to remember. I find types fascinating, which I think might make it easier to try to find them where they aren’t.