Topical Bible: Egypt: Prophecies Respecting: Christ to be Called out of

◄ Egypt: Prophecies Respecting: Christ to be Called out of ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The land of Egypt holds a significant place in biblical prophecy, particularly concerning the early life of Jesus Christ. This connection is rooted in the prophecy that the Messiah would be called out of Egypt, a fulfillment that underscores the divine orchestration of events surrounding the life of Jesus.

Prophetic Background

The prophecy that Christ would be called out of Egypt is primarily found in the Old Testament book of Hosea. Hosea 11:1 states, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son." While this verse initially refers to the nation of Israel's exodus from Egypt, it is also understood as a messianic prophecy, foreshadowing the life of Jesus Christ.

Fulfillment in the New Testament

The Gospel of Matthew explicitly connects this prophecy to Jesus. In Matthew 2:13-15, after the visit of the Magi, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, instructing him to take Mary and the child Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod's massacre of the infants in Bethlehem. The passage reads:

"When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up!' he said. 'Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.' So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called My Son.'" (Matthew 2:13-15)

Theological Significance

The flight to Egypt and the subsequent return of Jesus to Israel serve as a typological fulfillment of Hosea's prophecy. Just as God called Israel, His "son," out of Egypt in the Exodus, so too does He call His only begotten Son, Jesus, out of Egypt. This typology highlights Jesus as the true Israel, the one who embodies and fulfills the destiny of the nation.

Furthermore, this event emphasizes God's sovereign protection and guidance over the life of Jesus. The journey to and from Egypt was not merely a historical incident but a divinely orchestrated event that fulfilled prophecy and demonstrated God's providential care.

Conclusion

The prophecy of Christ being called out of Egypt is a profound testament to the continuity and fulfillment of God's redemptive plan as revealed in Scripture. Through the lens of prophecy, Egypt becomes more than a geographical location; it is a stage upon which God's salvific purposes are revealed and accomplished in the life of Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Matthew 2:15
And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Isaiah's Prophecies Considered the virginity of Christ's Mother a ...
... Other Prophecies Also Signs ... round about, gold and silver." [3274] Moreover, respecting
that gift ... brought up children." [3283] So likewise by Egypt is sometimes ...
/.../chapter xiii isaiahs prophecies considered the.htm

Quotations from the Old Testament in the New.
... Respecting this class of quotations, it is only necessary ... 6. Of the prophecies quoted,
some refer immediately to ... and called my son out of Egypt;" words which ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxix quotations from the.htm

Translated from the Greek.
... letter." [2932] For if the judgment respecting the "Jew ... If, therefore, the prophecies
relating to Judea, and ... also that the predictions concerning Egypt and the ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translated from the greek.htm

Index of Subjects.
... Exodus, the, of Israel from Egypt, a type, [262 ... etc., [523]200; why he called himself
an ... the Hebrew, and their prophecies respecting Christ, defended against ...
/.../writings in connection with the donatist controversy /index of subjects.htm

Summary view of the Pre-Existence and Divinity of Our Saviour and ...
... the divine Spirit says in the prophecies, "Who shall ... inferior things, and communed
with him respecting the creation ... of the Hebrews upon their journey to Egypt. ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter ii summary view of the.htm

The Sovereignty of God in Operation
... The hundreds of prophecies which are found in the ... an argument at this point respecting
the believer's ... the passing Ishmaelites, who carried him down into Egypt. ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter six the sovereignty of.htm

The Opinions
... the house of Elias, whose tradition respecting the millennium ... the chief in their
estimation, and Egypt will be ... not that those very clear prophecies of events ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the opinions.htm

The Life of Christ.
... had meanwhile fled towards the border of Egypt, and thus ... The silence of all the
evangelists respecting matters of ... and how He was described in the prophecies. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/chapter ii the life of.htm

The City of God. Index of Subjects.
... Hosea, his prophecies respecting the things of the gospel, [858 ... elevation of, to
be ruler of Egypt, [937]363 ... says of, [955]437; predictions respecting, [956]441 ...
/.../augustine/on christian doctrine in four books /the city of god index.htm

Interpretation of Holy Scripture. --Inspired Interpretation. --The ...
... to the supreme power of Egypt, (when they ... of Esau's posterity and Balaam's
prophecies,"the Cloud and ... solution, to all those difficulties respecting places of ...
/.../burgon/inspiration and interpretation/sermon v interpretation of holy.htm