From Promised Land to Promised Christ: Unraveling the Biblical Connection
The connection between the Old Testament land promises and Christ as the fulfillment is a profound and central theme in the Bible. Let’s explore this further.
Galatians 3:16 (KJV) – “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
In Galatians 3:16, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that the promises to Abraham and his descendant were ultimately pointing to Christ, the singular Seed through whom the blessing would come. This implies that the land promised to Abraham was a type or shadow of something greater.
Hebrews 11:8-16 (KJV) – By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
The passage in Hebrews 11:8-16 beautifully illustrates how Abraham, and others who followed, were looking for a heavenly city, not just an earthly land. They recognized that the true inheritance was in the eternal city whose architect and builder is God, which ultimately symbolizes the heavenly reality in Christ.
Hebrews 10:5-9 (KJV) – Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Hebrews 10:5-9 further emphasizes Christ as the central figure in God’s plan. Jesus was the one in whom God’s will was accomplished, and He superseded the previous sacrifices and offerings. This signifies that Christ is the ultimate focus of God’s divine plan.
Hebrews 4 reinforces the idea of entering God’s rest, which is found in Christ. The Old Covenant foreshadowed this rest when the Israelites entered the promised land. However, the true rest is in Christ, and when we believe and enter into Him, we enter God’s rest.
The Old Testament land promises were a shadow of the ultimate fulfillment found in Christ. The entire biblical narrative points to Jesus as the center of God’s plan, and through Him, we find true rest and inheritance.
When we look at the Old Testament, particularly the Book of Joshua, we see the Israelites entering the promised land under Joshua’s leadership. This historical event has typological significance in light of Christ. Just as Joshua led the people into the earthly land, Jesus, whose name is a variation of Joshua in Hebrew, leads believers into the heavenly land, which is in Himself.
Let’s explore a few more supporting verses to solidify this perspective:
1. Isaiah 28:16 (KJV) – “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Here, Zion represents the heavenly city, and the “tried stone” and “precious corner stone” refer to Christ as the foundation of this heavenly city.
2. 1 Corinthians 10:4 (KJV) – “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” This verse likens the rock in the wilderness from which water flowed to Christ. Just as the rock provided water in the wilderness, Christ provides spiritual sustenance and fulfillment in the new covenant.
3. Colossians 2:17 (KJV) – “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” The ceremonial laws and practices of the Old Covenant were indeed shadows of the ultimate reality found in Christ. The land itself, with its cities and inheritance, was a foreshadowing of the spiritual inheritance we find in Christ.
In conclusion, the Old Testament land promises and the entire Old Covenant system were preparatory and symbolic. They pointed to the ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who is the embodiment of God’s plan and the source of our spiritual inheritance and rest. This perspective, rooted in the Bible, beautifully emphasizes Christ as the culmination of God’s redemptive purpose.