Chameleons are among the strangest creatures on Earth. At first glance, their appearance can give the impression that they’ve come from another planet. Their bumpy skin comes in a stunning array of patterns that can change into a rainbow of colors because of their specialized chromatophore cells.
Yet the most bizarre and amazing thing about chameleons is their eyes. Each of their unusual eyes are mounted in bulging conical turrets that can move independently of each other. This gives chameleons the ability to see in a 360-degree arc around themselves.
While I have no desire to look like a chameleon, I do admire their independent “double vision.” To be able to look forward and backward at the same time has its advantages—like looking in a rearview mirror while driving a car. Having “double vision” can also be an asset when reading the Bible. I don’t mean seeing blurred lettering; rather, I’m talking about the ability to read the Bible with one eye on sacred history and the other eye on Jesus. This kind of dual vision is the aim of the lessons in this book. Let me explain.
When we read the thrilling histories of Joseph, Moses, and David, there is much more to their accounts than the surface narrative. Each of their lives occasionally flashed with what I call “shadows of light”—pictures of Jesus, the God-man who would come. When Christ did come, He warned the religious leaders of His day that it is possible to scrutinize the Scriptures but miss the big picture. It’s something like studying the bark of a redwood tree but not realizing the gigantic size of it. Jesus told them, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39).
So, in this study, we are going to explore some astonishing parallels that testify about Jesus. We will stand back and look at numerous examples, mostly from the Old Testament, that show how different Bible characters and events are prefigured facets that form a composite picture of Jesus, a kaleidoscope of His life. We will examine several prominent patriarchs, judges, prophets, and kings throughout the Bible. I think you’ll quickly discover in their lives many astounding counterparts that point to the ministry of Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed One of prophecy.
The Gospel of John tells us that after Philip first met Jesus, he tracked down his friend Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (1:45). Here Philip is saying that throughout the Bible, Moses and the prophets were writing about Jesus. You might not find Jesus’ name in the Old Testament, but you do find His types and shadows from Moses to Malachi, and these pictures are virtually omnipresent.
It is my prayer that this study will open your eyes so that you can see Jesus in all the Bible, while enriching your faith and deepening your walk with God.
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