The term "foreshowed" refers to events, symbols, or prophecies in the Bible that prefigure or predict future occurrences, particularly those fulfilled in the New Testament. This concept is integral to understanding the continuity and divine orchestration of biblical narratives, where the Old Testament often contains types and shadows that are realized in the New Testament.

Old Testament Foreshadowing

1. Sacrificial System: The sacrificial system established in the Mosaic Law is a prominent example of foreshadowing. The sacrifices, particularly the Passover lamb, prefigure the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In Exodus 12:5-7, the Israelites are instructed to select a lamb without blemish, which is a direct foreshadowing of Christ, the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

2. The Bronze Serpent: In Numbers 21:8-9, God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole so that anyone bitten by a snake could look at it and live. This event foreshadows Christ's crucifixion, as Jesus Himself explains in John 3:14-15 : "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life."

3. The Tabernacle and Temple: The design and function of the Tabernacle and later the Temple serve as a foreshadowing of God's dwelling among His people, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. John 1:14 states, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us," indicating that Christ is the true Tabernacle.

4. Prophecies of the Messiah: Numerous Old Testament prophecies foreshadow the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah 53 is a profound example, describing the suffering servant who bears the sins of many, a clear foreshadowing of Christ's atoning work on the cross.

New Testament Fulfillment

1. Christ as the Fulfillment: The New Testament writers frequently highlight how Jesus fulfills Old Testament foreshadowing. In Matthew 5:17 , Jesus declares, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them."

2. Typology in Hebrews: The Book of Hebrews extensively discusses how Old Testament figures and rituals foreshadow Christ. Hebrews 10:1 states, "The law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves." This passage emphasizes that the sacrificial system was a precursor to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.

3. The Last Adam: Paul refers to Jesus as the "last Adam" in 1 Corinthians 15:45 , drawing a parallel between Adam as the first man and Christ as the one who brings life. This typology foreshadows the redemptive work of Christ, contrasting the fall of man with the salvation offered through Jesus.

Significance of Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing in the Bible serves to demonstrate the unity and divine inspiration of Scripture. It reveals God's sovereign plan of redemption, meticulously woven through history and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This concept underscores the reliability of biblical prophecy and the continuity between the Old and New Testaments, affirming the centrality of Christ in God's redemptive narrative.

And when the Circle of Three Years had Rolled Round...
... For already the Lord in the infancy of His virgin wrought a great thing, and by
the indication of this miracle foreshowed how great she was to be. ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of the nativity of mary/chapter 6 and when the.htm

Thou who Answerest to the Name of Abraham, in that Thou Art Made ...
... promise, that they may become heirs in Eden. R., Blessed be He Who foreshowed
Thee in Abraham! 2. Fair fruit of chastity, in whom ...
/.../hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn xix thou who answerest.htm

In what Manner Christ Shall Deliver up the Kingdom to God, Even ...
... shall rejoice; and your joy no man taketh from you." [108] Mary, sitting at the
feet of the Lord, and earnestly listening to His word, foreshowed a similitude ...
/.../augustine/on the holy trinity/chapter 10 in what manner christ.htm

I Would Lay Open Before My God that Nine-And-Twentieth Year of ...
... year, and what day of the month, and what hour of the day, and what part of its
light, moon or sun is to be eclipsed, and so it shall be, as it is foreshowed. ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter iii i would lay.htm

Of the Promises Made to David in his Son, which are in no Wise ...
... means "pacific"), and in the beginning of his reign was wonderfully praiseworthy;
but while, as a shadow of Him that should come, he foreshowed Christ our Lord ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 8 of the promises made.htm

1 Timothy iii. 10-Aug
... unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world." He was heard of and believed in through
all parts of the world, as the Prophet foreshowed, saying, "Their sound ...
/.../homily xi 1 timothy iii.htm

The Great Distress the Jews were in Upon the Conflagration of the ...
... of their enemies. So these publicly declared that the signal foreshowed
the desolation that was coming upon them. Besides these, a ...
/.../chapter 5 the great distress.htm

John viii. 48, 49
... "My day," seems to me to mean the day of the Crucifixion, which Abraham foreshowed
typically by the offering of the ram and of Isaac. What do they reply? ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily lv john viii 48.htm

Psalm LXXXI.
... [3797] No other thing was it that there in figure the passage of that people through
the sea foreshowed, than the passing of the Faithful through Baptism; the ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxxi.htm

The Life, as Amplified by Mediaeval Biographers.
... introduces into his narrative of this stage of Ephraim's life an account of his
famous dream of the vine (above referred to), which foreshowed his future ...
/.../hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/iii the life as amplified by.htm

Foreshowed (1 Occurrence)
...Foreshowed (1 Occurrence). Acts 3:18 But the things which God foreshowed by the
mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. ...
/f/foreshowed.htm - 6k

Foresight (2 Occurrences)

/f/foresight.htm - 7k

Foreship (2 Occurrences)

/f/foreship.htm - 7k

Quotations
... Peter in his sermon in Solomon's porch thus sums up the whole process: "But the
things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ ...
/q/quotations.htm - 40k

Sodomite (1 Occurrence)
... Peter in his sermon in Solomon's porch thus sums up the whole process: "But the
things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ ...
/s/sodomite.htm - 101k

Messenger (235 Occurrences)

/m/messenger.htm - 101k

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