Symbolic Foreshadowing and Prediction of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

On this Lord’s Day when the world recognizes Jesus death on the cross, burial and resurrection I want to point your attention to the the Foreshadowing and Prediction of Jesus Christ resurrection. The Bible speaks of Jesus resurrection in the Old Testament and New Testament in terms of forshadowing and predictions.

Foreshadowing is often seen as types and shadows events or people in the Old Testament that point to future fulfillment. So a shadow is a silhouette of light that is cast off of the real thing. It gives a view of the real thing but it is not the real thing. Also, predictions were made by Jesus refer to statements in the Gospels where Jesus foretold future events especially concerning His own life, the fate of Jerusalem, and the end times. These predictions serve important theological purposes: they reveal His divine authority, prepare His followers, and confirm God’s plan of salvation.

So what are some of the scriptures in the Old Testament that are foreshadowing Jesus resurrection? Here are just a few examples:

Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17). Jesus later used this event as a prophetic sign of His own burial and resurrection (Matthew 12:40).

Isaac and Abraham (Genesis 22). Abraham was commanded to sacrifice Isaac, his promised son. Hebrews 11:19 explains that Abraham believed God could Raise Isaac from the dead. Isaac becomes a symbolic type of Christ, the beloved son who is offered but restored.

Joseph as a Type of Resurrection was presented in Genesis chapters 37–50. Joseph’s life events are a foreshadowing of Christ:

• Betrayed by his brothers

• Sold for silver

• Suffered unjustly

• Raised from prison to power

Joseph’s descent into suffering and later exaltation foreshadows Christ’s death and resurrection.

So let’s consider the story of Jonah to understand the Foreshadowing of Jesus resurrection. In Jonah 1:1-17 we see Jonah was instructed by God to go and preach to the City of Nineveh. However he went in the opposite direction and in Joppa, boarded a ship headed to Tarshish. Jonah never made it to Tarshish he instead was thrown overboard and swallowed up by a great fish. The Bible declares in Jonah 1:17,

“Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah three days and three nights Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish.”

This is a foreshadowing of what would happen to Jesus after his death. The whale was a foreshadowing of hell (Sheol). Jonah being trapped in the great fish for three days is a foreshadowing of Jesus being in the grave (sheol) for three days. Jonah’s release from the belly of the great fish is foreshadowing of Jesus resurrection. Jonah 2:10 states, “And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”

Jesus uses Jonah’s account of being swallowed up by a great fish for three days and three nights to predict his own resurrection. In Matthew 12:39-40 it states,

“[39] But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: [40] For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Summary of Matthew 12:39-40

Jesus responds to the scribes and Pharisees who demanded a sign to prove His authority (Matthew 12:38). Rather than performing another miracle, Jesus rebukes their unbelief and points to a greater, future sign, His death, burial, and resurrection.

Verse 39: Jesus called out the scribes and Pharisees. He states that they are, “An evil and adulterous generation”. His point was that these people didn’t accept His authority and they lacked faith to believe in Him. He will not give them a sign but instead refers them to the Old Testament character, Jonah. He stated, “…seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas”

Verse 40: Jesus stated in Matthew 12:40, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Once again this is the explanation of the foreshadowing that took place in Jonah 1:17 and Jonah 2:10. Jesus explains it in Matthew 12:40

• Jonah was in the fish like Jesus was in the grave.

• Jonah was there 3 days and 3 nights like Jesus was there 3 days and 3 nights

• Jonah was released from the fish like Jesus rose from the dead

The ultimate sign necessary for the scribes and Pharisees was not another miracle but it was Jesus resurrection as a sign to validate His identity as the Son of God, Savior of the World and the Messiah!!! He is the sign needed for a sinful world today.

FOR WHERE THERE IS A EMPTY TOMB THERE MUST BE A RESURRECTED SAVIOR!

What we know is that God would not allow corruption to befall His beloved Son Jesus Christ because Hell did not have the power to contain Jesus our Lord and Savior. Peter on the day of Pentecost preached about Jesus resurrection and he stated in Acts 2:31-32, “[31] He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. [32] This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.”

So the question is why was there a need for Jesus to be resurrected in the first place. If we go to The Book of Romans 3:23 it states, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. So because of the righteousness of God and unrighteousness of man, God had a plan to cure the unrighteous and sinful state of man. 1 Peter 1:18-21 KJV

“[18] Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; [19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: [20] Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, [21] Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”

God’s plan to save mankind from sin was laid out even before the LORD said in the beginning, “Let their be light”. God’s plan was to save all mankind from sin. Jesus death on the cross, his burial in a borrowed tomb and resurrection from the dead was the sacrifice required to save us from our sins.

Conclusion:

Every aspect of the Bible both the Old Testament and the New Testament speaks of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. God does nothing by accident. What He foreshadowed in the Old Testament, He fulfilled by Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

Jonah was swallowed up but he came back up.

Jesus went down to Hell but He rose up with all power in His hands!

And because He rose…

• Our sins can be forgiven

• Our lives can be changed

• Our future can be secured

So today, the question is not whether Jesus rose but the question is: Have you responded to the risen Savior?

Because the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that can raise you:

• Out of sin

• Out of despair

• Out of a life separated from God

The Scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign…Don’t be like them and ask for another sign…Know that Jesus is the ultimate sign…His death, His burial in a borrowed tomb and His resurrection from the dead. We know that the:

• The tomb is empty.

• The Savior is risen.

• And Salvation given to all who believe

Come to Jesus while you have time

because one day, the same Christ who rose

is coming back again for His Church. If you aren't a part of His Church you cannot be where He is and will be condemned to eternal damnation. However if you are a part of His Church you can be where He is and you will be given the gift of salvation. The choice is yours.