Along with the types, there are the shadows and figures of Christ. Although types and shadows are similar in certain respects, they are like human faces in that they not only share similarities, but also differ from each other. Types are mainly persons or things that signify Christ, whereas shadows mainly refer to rituals and practices in the Old Testament that portray Christ. According to Colossians 2:16 and 17, eating regulations, rituals, and holy days were shadows. By this we see that the laws, ordinances, and ceremonies in the Old Testament were shadows portraying Christ. But Adam, Aaron, and Moses were not shadows; they were types. The Sabbath day and the new moon, on the contrary, were shadows. Although the Sabbath was a rest, it was not the real rest, for the real rest is Christ. Likewise, the law as a testimony of God described what God was like. As a description and explanation of God, the law was a testimony of God. In this it was a shadow of Christ as the real explanation, definition, and testimony of God.
A figure mainly refers to a situation that presents a certain picture. For example, the wandering of the children of Israel in the wilderness is a figure, a picture, of our experience in the Christian life today, which is often a life of wandering. The Passover is another figure. Although the Passover lamb is a type of Christ, the Passover itself is a figure depicting how Christ, our Passover, saves us from God’s judgment and feeds us with what He is. Hence, the picture of the Passover is a figure of Christ.
Christ is so rich that He needs not only types, but also shadows and figures to portray Him. All the types, shadows, and figures of Christ in the Old Testament are descriptions, explanations, and definitions of what Christ is. We need to study all these matters in the Scriptures in order to know the riches of Christ.
The riches of Christ are also seen in prophecies. In the Bible the first prophecy concerning Christ is Genesis 3:15, a verse which predicts that Christ as the seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent, Satan. This implies that Christ had to become a man born of a virgin, for He was to be the seed of woman. Christ is not the descendant of a man; He is the seed of a woman. This one verse reveals much of the riches of Christ.
Isaiah 9:6 is another prophecy regarding Christ. This verse gives us seven titles of Christ: Child, Son, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. In the Old Testament, there are a great many other prophecies of Christ. Even the short book of Zechariah contains many detailed prophecies concerning Him.
The riches of Christ are also seen in the fulfillment of the prophecies. Sometimes in the fulfillment of a prophecy in the New Testament something further is added. For example, the Old Testament reveals that Christ will be the lamb. But in the Old Testament, Christ is never called the Lamb of God. Nevertheless, in the fulfillment of the prophecy regarding Christ as the lamb, He is called the Lamb of God (John 1:29). What an addition this is!
When I was young, I was troubled by the fact that sometimes the New Testament writers added certain things when quoting the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ. I thought that they should not have gone beyond what was written in the Old Testament. Later I came to see that Christ could not be limited by the prophecies concerning Him. When He came, He fulfilled more than what had been prophesied. Furthermore, our experience of Christ surpasses the fulfillment of the prophecies. Actually, this is not adding something; it is experiencing the unlimited Christ. In our experience Christ is not only the Lamb of God, but the Lamb of eternity. Thus, the prophecy is short, the fulfillment is longer, and the experience is eternal. When we experience Christ in the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning Him, we do not add anything. Rather, we enter into the eternal experience of the inexhaustible riches of Christ.