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Priests and High Priests: Foreshadowing Jesus Christ

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Priests and High Priests: Foreshadowing Jesus Christ
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The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament

Donald W. Parry

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Contents

Introduction
Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s Mortal Ministry and Atonement
Symbols that Testify of Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ: Conquering Hero
Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras
The Lord Jesus Christ: Potter, Captain, Shepherd, and More
The Lord Jesus Christ Controls the Nations: Book of Judges Case Study
Old Testament Passages Cited by Jesus Christ
Messianic Prophecies in the Psalms
Psalm 22 and Its Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
Isaiah’s Prophecies of the Mortal Messiah
The Messiah in Isaiah 53: Four Recurring Themes
Names, Titles, and Metaphors of the Lord Jesus Christ
Lord (Jehovah): The Most Frequently Used [Content] Word in the Hebrew Bible
Equivalent Designations of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testaments
God: Compound Names
Lord: Compound Names
The Lord Is Our Savior
The Lord (Jehovah) Is Our Redeemer
The Lord Is Our Atoner
Jesus Christ Is the Messiah
Jesus Christ Is the Lord
One, Three, and Seven: Sacred and Symbolic Numbers
Seven and Sacred Time
Prophets and Prophetesses: The Lord’s Messengers
Eve: Life and Help: A Type of Christ
Adam: “The Figure of Him that Was to Come”
Melchizedek: Type of Christ
Isaac: Type and Shadow of Christ
Joseph of Egypt: Foreshadow of Christ
Moses: Type and Shadow of Jesus Christ
Elijah: Symbol of Jesus Christ
Job: Suffering Servant, A Type of Jesus Christ
Hosea’s Family: Symbols of the Lord for Ancient Israel
The Sign of Jonah: Pointing to Christ’s Death
Priests and High Priests: Foreshadowing Jesus Christ
The Lord Reveals Cycles of Sacred Time
Striking Blood on the Doorposts: The Passover Anticipates Jesus Christ
The Day of Atonement: Messianic Foreshadowing
“A Feast to the Lord”: Sacred and Secular Meals
Parallelisms: Teaching About the Lord Jesus Christ Through Poetry
Chiasmus: Unique Presentations of the Lord’s Word
The Psalms: Praises to the Lord Jesus Christ
Lord: Focused Prophetic Speech Forms
Prayers: Mortals Seeking the Lord’s Divine Favor
Worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ through Music and Song
Law of Moses: Anticipated Jesus Christ and His Atonement
Manna: Symbol of Jesus Christ
Symbols of Christ in the Tabernacle of Moses
Sacrifices Under the Law of Moses: Six Acts
Sacrifices: Symbols of Jesus’s Atoning Sacrifice
Diet Code: Unclean and Clean Animals
God Is a Holy Temple: Temples and Sacred Space
The Atonement-Focused Earthly and Heavenly Temples
Jesus’s Royal Ancestry: Rulers of the Kingdom of Judah
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Contents

Introduction
Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s Mortal Ministry and Atonement
Symbols that Testify of Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ: Conquering Hero
Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras
The Lord Jesus Christ: Potter, Captain, Shepherd, and More
1 2 … 10 Next »

Donald W. Parry, “Priests and High Priests: Foreshadowing Jesus Christ,” in The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament: Making Sense of a Monumental Book (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022), 98–99.

Speaking of the ordination of priests in the Book of Mormon, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland wrote, “God has ordained priests ‘after the order of his Son.’ . . . They have been ordained in a way that serves as a type and shadow of Christ, letting the people know in what manner they may look forward to the Son of God for redemption.”[1] The priests who ministered in the Old World under the Mosaic law system, too, were types and shadows of Jesus Christ. Their sacred duties typified Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice (see Lev. 9, 16, 17) by making atonement on the people’s behalf for their iniquities (Lev. 4:20).

A major difference existed, however, between the earthly priests and Jesus Christ. The earthly priests were subject to sin, but Jesus remained a “high priest . . . who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (Heb. 7:26). More significantly, Jesus was a “merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Heb. 2:17).

 


[1] Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 116.

Priests and High Priests: Foreshadowing Jesus Christ

ThemePriests/High PriestsJesus Christ
Priestly OfficeAaron’s sons held a priestly office (Num. 16:3–10, 40).Christ is a “faithful high priest” (Heb. 2:17).
Called of GodAaron (and sons) were called of God (Num. 16:5; Heb 5:4).Jesus was “called of God an high priest” (Heb. 5:10).
Holiness“Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex. 19:6).Jesus Christ, “an high priest . . . who is holy, harmless” (Heb. 7:26).
UndefiledPriests and high priests shall not “be defiled for the dead” (Lev. 21:1).Jesus was “undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26).
Daily SacrificesHigh priests and priests offered daily sacrifices (Lev. 6:19–23).Jesus “needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice” (Heb. 7:27), rather Jesus offered a sacrifice “once, when he offered up himself” (Heb. 7:27).
TabernaclePriests served in the tabernacle, which was made according to “the pattern shewed to [Moses] in the mount” (Heb. 8:5). This was called a “worldly sanctuary” (Heb. 9:1) and “first tabernacle” (Heb. 9:8).Jesus is the “true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Heb. 8:2); His was “a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands” (Heb. 9:11).
Types and ShadowsPriests are “the example and shadow of heavenly things” (Heb. 8:5).Jesus is the fulfillment of the ancient priests’ example.
BloodHigh priest offered the blood of goats and a bullock.Jesus’s sacrifice was “neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood” (Heb. 9:12).
Two CovenantsThe first covenant, the law of Moses, was a type and shadow.The second covenant was Christ’s higher law; it was a “better covenant,” had “better promises,” and was “faultless” (Heb. 8:6­–7).
Written LawPart of the law of Moses was written on stone tablets.The higher law: “I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts” (Heb. 8:10).

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