Why were they persecuting Jesus? Because he had healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath. But note this, He responded by telling them that the scriptures all testify of Him. Throughout scripture we have been given the writings of the prophets foretelling of Jesus; but beyond that we have the hidden prophecy of Jesus, through history itself. God is Sovereign in the affairs of men and women. As such He, despite the wickedness of humanity, intervened to perform the good pleasures of His Will. There was a thread—a scarlet thread of blood and sacrifice with every story pointing toward God’s Gracious Plan of Salvation for all who would believe. His plan of salvation for all who by grace have been chosen to be His children.
Like a beautiful tapestry, God has woven every detail of the portrait of Christ throughout the Old Testament and throughout history. What an incredible proof of both God’s Sovereignty and the Truth of the Bible. How could all the prophecies come true otherwise? Furthermore, even more incredible is how the historical truth of the Bible presents this hidden prophecy of Jesus as well.
Types are a form of prophecy. They are not the kind of direct prophecy that makes it clear what will happen beforehand. Types are a divine foreshadowing of future events, people, or relationships through the historical recording of different ancient events, people, or relationships.1
Typology or Foreshadowing are Hidden Prophecy
Why is that a prophecy? Because the inspiration of such passages happens centuries before the fulfillment.
How do we know what is a true type? A type is unknown while it happens, and when it is recorded. The only way we know a true prophetic type is if later scripture explicitly identifies it as a shadow of something to come.
*** WARNING ***
Be careful of identifying types unless the scripture explicitly identifies them, else it can lead to the complete allegorization of scripture.
The passages in the Bible that identify types use the word “figure,” “shadow,” or the form “as _____ so______”.2
Justin Johnson; 100 types found in Genesis, 100 Types Found in Genesis (graceambassadors.com)
The Hidden Prophecy of Jesus Found in Joseph
Just before the Stoning of Stephen, he preached one of the most exacting apologetic sermons. (Apologetic sermons are those that defend the gospel truth through systematic argumentation and discourse. Like a well-presented debate or court case, it presents the truth with evidence proving it beyond any shadow of doubt.) In this sermon found in Acts chapter 7, Stephen introduces that Joseph was a foreshadowing hidden prophecy of Jesus.
“Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.
5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6 But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. 7 ‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’ 8 Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
The Patriarchs in Egypt
9 “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 Now a famine and great [a]trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance.
12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, [b]seventy-five people. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. 16 And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.
God Delivers Israel by Moses
17 “But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. 20 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. 21 But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.
What Promise was he referring to? A prophecy given to Abraham concerning the descendents going to Egypt for 400 years fulfilled then through Joseph who was a type or Hidden Prophecy of Jesus. How fascinating is that?
God in His covenant with Abraham said
“Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Genesis 15 (NKJV)
What? “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete? It would be 400 years that the Amorites would hold the land until Joshua comes in and God destroys them in many miraculous battles against them because of their horrific sin.
Back to Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7
23 “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.
26 And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ 27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.
30 “And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. 31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, 32 saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look. 33 ‘Then the Lord said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.” ’
35 “This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
Acts 7 (NKJV)
Israel Rebels Against God
37 “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’
38 “This is he who was in the [e]congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles[f] to give to us, 39 whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42 Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:
‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness,
O house of Israel?
43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch,
And the star of your god Remphan,
Images which you made to worship;
And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’
God’s True Tabernacle
44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, 46 who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built Him a house.
48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
49 ‘Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
What house will you build for Me? says the Lord,
Or what is the place of My rest?
50 Has My hand not made all these things?’
Israel Resists the Holy Spirit
51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
Hidden Prophecies of History Foreshadowing Jesus Christ
I painstakingly presented this entire sermon of Stephen to help you see how the Sovereignty of God works in all of history. His sermon brought to life the truth of the Hidden Prophecies of History Foreshadowing Jesus Christ. For presenting that exacting truth, he was stoned to death.
So, back to Joseph and I want to quote from a wonderful sermon by Adrian Rogers which I urge you to go and watch in its entirety.
The Bible is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. Through His Word, God gives us many prophetic portraits of His Son, one being Joseph in the Book of Genesis. There are four episodes in the life of Joseph that foreshadow the Gospel of Jesus Christ. See Jesus as the Beloved Son through the life of Joseph. Joseph had his father’s favor, from whom he received a special coat of many colors—a mark of distinction. No fault or sin is ever mentioned about Joseph. This doesn’t mean he was perfect; rather, he served as an illustration of the sinless Son of God. See Jesus as the Suffering Servant through Joseph. Joseph was sent to minister to his brothers by his father. His brothers resented him because of their father’s devotion to him. As a result, Joseph suffered at the hands of his brothers, being sold as a slave to the head of the Egyptian guard, Potiphar. His father believed he had been slain. And in the eyes of his brothers, he was dead, also. In the Gospels, Jesus was scorned and suffered at the hands of the ones He was sent to minister to. He dealt with conspiracies against him, abuse and betrayal. He was crucified, dead and buried for three days. See Jesus as the Exalted Sovereign through Joseph. Joseph became the Prime Minister of Egypt. This man, once despised and rejected, was enthroned as the ruler over the most powerful nation at the time. He was given a new name, new robe and a new bride. He saved his people from death. Every knee in Egypt had to bow to Joseph. One day, every knee worldwide will bow to Jesus. See Jesus as the Seeking Savior through Joseph. Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. He received them back, forgave and restored them. He then commissioned them to tell their father that he was alive. In the same way, Jesus reveals Himself to us on the day of our salvation. He receives us, forgives, restores and commissions us tell the world that He is alive. Adrian Rogers says, “Our faith is summed up in this: Come to Me; go to all the world.
Adrian Rogers, Joseph a Portrait of Jesus, 2251-Joseph-a-Portrait-of-Jesus-PTR.pdf (lwf.org)
The sermon can be heard at https://youtu.be/5pPEnxRmm8g?si=UdyV9WS0Q5MBhFtU
Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
3 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
4 Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, Psalm 105
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2024
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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