An antitype in the Bible refers to a person, thing, or event that corresponds to or is foreshadowed by a type or symbol that appears earlier in Scripture. The word “antitype” comes from the Greek word antitupon, which means “corresponding to” or “patterned after.” In biblical interpretation, an antitype is the fulfillment or realization of a previous symbol or type.
Some key things to understand about antitypes in the Bible:
Antitypes Refer to New Testament Realities Prefigured in the Old Testament
Many characters, events, institutions, and rituals in the Old Testament foreshadow greater truths that are revealed and fulfilled in the New Testament. For example, the Passover lamb sacrificed in the Old Testament was a type of Christ, the Lamb of God sacrificed for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7). The manna God provided in the wilderness was a type of Christ as the Bread of Life (John 6:31-35). These Old Testament people, events, and symbols were types pointing forward to the greater antitype found in Christ.
Jesus Christ is the Central Antitype
Jesus is the supreme antitype in Scripture. Many things in the Old Testament symbolically foreshadowed the coming of Christ and the salvation He would accomplish. Hebrews 10:1 states that the Old Testament sacrificial system was a “shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of the things.” The animal sacrifices could never fully atone for sin but pointed to Christ’s perfect sacrifice. Old Testament priests, kings, prophets, and figures like Moses were types ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.
Antitypes Provide Greater Reality and Significance
An antitype is not just a repeat or rehash of the original type. It provides greater, ultimate fulfillment of what was promised or anticipated in the type. The antitype brings the type into clearer light and demonstrates its supreme importance. For example, while the blood of animal sacrifices could not take away sins, Christ’s blood fully cleanses from sin (Hebrews 9:11-14). The antitype is greater and more consequential than the type.
Examples of Antitypes in Scripture
Here are some important types and antitypes in the Bible:
– Adam was a type of Christ, the covenant head of humanity (Rom 5:14)
– Moses, who led Israel out of slavery, was a type of Christ, who leads people out of the slavery of sin (Acts 3:22-23)
– The Temple was a type of Christ and the Church (John 2:19-21)
– Jonah being swallowed by the great fish was a type of Christ’s death and resurrection (Matt 12:39-40)
– Melchizedek, Priest and King of Salem, was a type of Christ (Heb 7:1-17)
– The Passover lamb was a type of Christ’s sacrifice (1 Cor 5:7)
– The Bronze Serpent was a type of Christ being lifted up for salvation (John 3:14-15)
– David was a type of Christ the King (Ezekiel 34:23-24)
– High priest making atonement was a type of Christ as mediator (Heb 9:7-15)
There are many more types, symbols, and illustrations in the Old Testament that find their ultimate meaning and fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Identifying these typological connections brings greater understanding of how the Old Testament points to New Testament gospel truths.
Why Antitypes Matter
Understanding antitypes is important because:
1. It Reveals God’s Purposeful Preparation for Christ – God was purposefully arranging history, people, and events to prepare the way for the coming of His Son Jesus. The types show God’s intricate planning across thousands of years.
2. It Demonstrates the Unity of Scripture – The connections between types and antitypes help demonstrate the harmony and unity of the Old and New Testaments. Together they reveal God’s redemptive plan.
3. It Highlights the Necessity of Christ’s Sacrifice – The inability of Old Testament sacrifices to atone for sins shows our need for Christ’s supreme, perfect sacrifice.
4. It Provides Fuller Meaning to the Old Testament – The types gain greater significance in light of the antitypes. We can understand the Old Testament better by seeing its fulfillment in Christ.
5. It Reveals More of Christ’s Glory – The various types only partially represent Christ’s greatness. The antitypes display a fuller, superior revelation of His glory, power, and redemption.
In summary, an antitype is a person, thing, or event in the New Testament that corresponds to and fulfills a symbol or type in the Old Testament. Paying attention to antitypes highlights how Christ is the focus of all of Scripture and the fulfillment of Old Testament anticipations and prophecies. It provides a fuller understanding of Bible history and future redemption through Christ.
Old Testament Types of Christ
Here are some of the main Old Testament types that found fulfillment in Jesus Christ:
Adam
Adam was the first man created by God and the representative head of the human race. His sin led to condemnation and death for all (Romans 5:12-19). Jesus is called “the last Adam” who came to give righteousness and life to many through His obedience. Through Adam we are born in sin, through Christ we are born again into righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-49).
Melchizedek
Melchizedek was both king of Salem and a priest of God Most High (Genesis 14:18-20). As a priest, he blessed Abraham and received tithes from him. In Psalm 110, a Davidic messianic psalm, Christ is prophesied as a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. The book of Hebrews expounds this theme, describing how Jesus is both the King of Righteousness (meaning of Melchizedek) and the perfect, permanent high priest.
Passover Lamb
God commanded Israel to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and place its blood on their doorposts so the angel of death would pass over their homes (Exodus 12:1-13). This typified Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away sin and protects from judgment all who are covered by His blood (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7).
Bronze Serpent
When Israel grumbled against God in the wilderness, He sent venomous serpents to afflict them. Moses made a bronze serpent raised up on a pole so that all who looked to it would live (Numbers 21:4-9). Jesus equated this event with His crucifixion, indicating that He would be lifted up on the cross for the salvation of all who look to Him in faith (John 3:14-15).
The Temple
The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish worship, sacrifices, and God’s symbolic presence. Jesus identified Himself as the true temple, and His body would serve as the perfect tabernacle and dwelling place of God with men (Matthew 26:61; John 2:19-21; Hebrews 9:1-14). Through Christ we have direct access to God.
The Rock
Moses struck a rock in the wilderness to bring forth water, and Paul identifies this rock as Christ, the source of living water and spiritual drink who was struck down for sins (1 Corinthians 10:1-4; see Exodus 17:1-7).
High Priest
The Israelite high priest represented the people before God and offered sacrifices for atonement. Jesus fulfilled this role as our great High Priest who offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice and forever intercedes for us (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14-16; 7:23-28).
The King
God promised that King David would have an heir who would reign righteously forever. Jesus was the fulfillment of this messianic prophecy, being descended from David and anointed by God as eternal King (Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Luke 1:31-33).
The Prophet
Moses promised that God would raise up a great prophet like him, whom the people must obey (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Jesus perfectly fulfilled this prophecy both as the great Teacher and as the authoritative, divine Word of God (John 6:14; John 1:1-14, 18).
There are many more symbolic types, rituals, prophecies and promises in the Old Testament that found their ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Recognizing how all of Scripture points to and testifies about Christ is key to biblical understanding. He is the long-awaited Savior who fulfilled what was promised and foreshadowed in the Old Testament.
Examples of Other Antitypes
While Christ is the central antitype, there are other examples of antitypes demonstrated in Scripture:
Flood waters
The waters of the flood during Noah’s day were a type of baptism, which symbolizes dying to sin and being raised to new life in Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21). The floodwaters both judged sin and saved Noah’s family for a new covenant with God.
Rest from enemies
When Israel finally settled in the Promised Land, they found rest from enemies, pointing forward to the spiritual rest believers enter through faith in Christ (Hebrews 4:1-11).
Boaz as kinsman redeemer
Boaz acted as kinsman redeemer for Ruth, reflecting how Christ redeems and cares for His bride the Church (Ruth 2-4).
Jonah in the belly of the fish
As Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days before being delivered, so Jesus would be buried for three days before His resurrection (Matthew 12:39-41).
Babylonian captivity
Seventy years of Babylonian captivity served as a type of the present age while Christ’s kingdom is not yet fully realized on earth (Jeremiah 25:11-12; Daniel 9:2).
These examples demonstrate how God ordained redemptive history so that past events foreshadowed the greater salvation to come in Christ. Recognizing these patterns instills greater awe for God’s wise, sovereign plans across redemptive history.
Tips for Identifying Biblical Antitypes
Here are some principles that help identify antitypes in Scripture:
1. Look for explicit explanations – Scripture will sometimes outright state that something is a type or antitype. For example, 1 Peter 3:21 states that Noah’s ark symbolized Christian baptism.
2. Look for escalation, not repetition – An antitype takes the type to a higher level. The antitype is greater than the original type. So look for escalation or intensification, not just repetition.
3. Look for gaps and unresolved issues in the type – If a type is unfulfilled or incomplete in some way, that gap may point to the greater work of the antitype. For example, animal sacrifices could not fully atone for sins.
4. Look for patterns across Scripture – God often establishes patterns where earlier biblical events foreshadow later ones. Look for parallels and repetitions across different eras that build toward a climax.
5. Look for divine commentary – Sometimes later Scripture passages (especially in the New Testament) provide commentary on the typological nature of earlier passages in the Old Testament.
6. Look for God’s plan to redeem through Christ – Since Christ is the central theme of Scripture, dig into key persons, events, symbols, and festivals to see how they foreshadow Christ.
Paying attention to these principles can uncover fascinating typological connections that add depth to our Bible study. It instills awe for God’s wise, intricate plan across the ages. Most importantly, recognizing how the Old Testament points to Christ highlights the unified message of Scripture.
Warnings Regarding Typology
While typology can yield valuable insights, interpreters must also avoid mistakes, such as:
1. Reading too much into minor similarities – Not every parallel is divinely intended as a type. Similarities must be significant.
2. Forcing New Testament meanings onto Old Testament texts – The original Old Testament passage must be understood in its own context first before asking if it symbolically points forward.
3. Making the New Testament dependent on typology – Typology does not generate new doctrines but illustrates what is directly taught elsewhere.
4. Viewing people as rigid templates rather than examples – Old Testament figures foreshadow Christ, but they were also complex people in their own right.
5. Missing the importance of typology pointing to Christ – This neglected interpretative practice helps demonstrate how all Scripture focuses on the redemption through Jesus.
Overall, when handled with care and humility, studying biblical types that foreshadow Christ can enrich biblical theology and point us to the unified message of Scripture centering on the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. His life, death, and resurrection were the great events toward which the whole Old Testament was pointing.