By Dan Maines

The Physical Shadows And The Spiritual Fulfillment In Christ Part 3 of 3
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Introduction
† The Old Testament continues to reveal Christ through types, and by now the pattern is undeniable, physical shadows pointing forward to spiritual fulfillment (Hebrews 10:1)
† These final examples bring the message to completion, showing that every major part of the Old Covenant system was pointing to Christ (Colossians 2:17)
† The Law, the feasts, the kingship, and the covenant structure all move toward one reality, Christ and His finished work (Luke 24:27)
Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day- things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
† This directly includes feast days, sabbaths, and the entire system as shadows, leaving no room to argue they continue (Colossians 2:16-17)
† This confirms the entire system, not just parts of it, was fulfilled in Christ (Colossians 2:17)
† This establishes that the Old Covenant practices were never meant to continue once fulfillment came (Hebrews 10:1)
Leviticus 23:27-28
"On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble yourselves and present an offering by fire to the Lord. You shall not do any work on this very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God.
† The Day of Atonement was a repeated yearly event, showing that sin was not fully removed (Leviticus 23:27)
† This pointed forward to a final atonement that would not need to be repeated (Hebrews 10:3)
† Christ fulfilled this by offering Himself once for all, completing what the yearly system could never finish (Hebrews 10:12)
Hebrews 9:12
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption.
† Christ did not enter with animal blood, but with His own, showing the complete fulfillment of the atonement system (Hebrews 9:12)
† This was done once for all, proving the Old system has reached its end in Him (Hebrews 9:12)
† Eternal redemption replaces temporary covering, showing the difference between shadow and fulfillment (Hebrews 9:12)
Psalm 2:6-7
"But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
"I will announce the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have fathered You.
† The kingship of Israel pointed forward to a greater King, not limited to an earthly throne (Psalm 2:6)
† This is fulfilled in Christ, who reigns as the true King over His people (Acts 2:30-31)
† The physical throne was a shadow, Christ's reign is the reality (Luke 1:32-33)
Acts 2:30-31
So because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay.
† Peter says David's throne promise was fulfilled in Christ's resurrection, not a future earthly throne (Acts 2:30-31)
† This confirms the kingship promises have already been fulfilled in Christ (Acts 2:36)
† This removes the idea of a future physical throne as necessary (Acts 2:30-31)
2 Samuel 7:12-13
When your days are finished and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
† This promise to David goes beyond Solomon, pointing to an eternal kingdom fulfilled in Christ (2 Samuel 7:13)
† A forever kingdom cannot be limited to a physical throne, it points to Christ's eternal reign (Luke 1:33)
† Christ builds the true house, not a physical temple, but a spiritual dwelling (1 Peter 2:5)
Exodus 25:8
Have them construct a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.
† The Tabernacle was a physical dwelling place of God among the people (Exodus 25:8)
† This pointed forward to God dwelling with His people in a greater way through Christ (John 1:14)
† The physical structure was temporary, the true dwelling is fulfilled in Christ and His people (2 Corinthians 6:16)
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
† Christ is the true dwelling of God among men, fulfilling the Tabernacle (John 1:14)
† What was once in a tent is now in the person of Christ (John 1:14)
† This shows the movement from structure to person, from shadow to reality (Colossians 2:17)
John 2:19-21
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and yet You will raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking about the temple of His body.
† Jesus identifies Himself as the true temple, showing the physical structure was a type (John 2:21)
† This proves the shift from a building to a person, exactly what this sermon teaches (John 2:19)
† The temple was never the final dwelling, Christ is the fulfillment (John 2:21)
Ezekiel 37:26-27
And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be among them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
† This promise of an everlasting covenant points beyond the Old Covenant system (Ezekiel 37:26)
† The dwelling of God among His people is fulfilled in Christ and His body (2 Corinthians 6:16)
† This confirms the final goal was never a physical system, but a permanent relationship fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 8:6)
Hebrews 8:6
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
† Christ mediates a better covenant, showing the Old was incomplete (Hebrews 8:6)
† The better covenant replaces the old, it does not run alongside it (Hebrews 8:13)
† This confirms the transition from shadow to fulfillment is complete in Christ (Colossians 2:17)
Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
† Christ is the end, meaning the goal and completion of the Law, not its continuation (Romans 10:4)
† This strengthens the entire argument that nothing remains unfinished (Hebrews 10:1)
† This confirms that the Law has reached its fulfillment in Christ (Romans 10:4)
Historical References
† Justin Martyr taught that the feasts, temple, and kingship all pointed forward to Christ and were fulfilled in Him (Colossians 2:17)
† Irenaeus explained that Christ fulfilled the Law and established the true and lasting covenant (Hebrews 8:6)
† Eusebius recorded that the early church saw the temple and sacrificial system as fulfilled and no longer binding (Hebrews 8:13)
How It Applies To Us Today
† We are not under a system of repeated atonement, Christ has already secured eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12)
† We are not waiting for a physical kingdom, Christ reigns now as the true King (Luke 1:32-33)
† We are the dwelling place of God through Christ, not a physical structure (2 Corinthians 6:16)
† We live in the better covenant, not in the shadow that came before (Hebrews 8:6)
† Every part of the Old Testament system has reached its fulfillment in Christ, and nothing remains unfinished (Hebrews 10:1)
† When the fulfillment has come, continuing to look for the shadow is to miss what God has already completed in Christ (Colossians 2:17)
Q & A Appendix
Q: Were the feasts and holy days meant to continue?
A: No, they were shadows pointing to Christ and were fulfilled in Him (Colossians 2:16-17)
Q: Is there still a need for a physical temple?
A: No, Christ is the temple and God dwells with His people, not in a physical building (John 2:19-21; 2 Corinthians 6:16)
Q: Is Christ's kingdom future or present?
A: Christ is already reigning as King, fulfilling the promises made to David (Acts 2:30-31)
Q: What replaced the Old Covenant?
A: The better covenant established through Christ has replaced it completely (Hebrews 8:6-13)
Q: Does anything from the Old Testament system remain to be fulfilled?
A: No, Christ has fulfilled all things that the Law and prophets pointed to (Luke 24:44)
Q: Why is it important to understand these fulfillments?
A: Because it confirms the completeness of Christ's work and prevents returning to shadows (Hebrews 10:1)
Q: Do the feasts have any ongoing spiritual obligation today?
A: No, they were shadows fulfilled in Christ and are no longer binding (Colossians 2:16-17)
Q: Is there a future rebuilt temple in God's plan?
A: No, Christ is the temple and God dwells with His people, not in a physical building (John 2:19-21; 2 Corinthians 6:16)
Q: If Christ fulfilled the Law, why do people still try to bring parts of it back?
A: Because they do not understand that Christ is the end of the Law and its fulfillment has already been completed (Romans 10:4; Hebrews 8:13)
Q: Does fulfillment mean the Old Testament has no value today?
A: No, it has great value as a witness pointing to Christ and confirming God's completed plan (Romans 15:4; John 5:39)
† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †
© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.
Source Index
† Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 10:1, 3, 12; Leviticus 23:27-28; Hebrews 9:12; Psalm 2:6-7; Acts 2:30-31, 36; Luke 1:32-33; 2 Samuel 7:12-13; 1 Peter 2:5; Exodus 25:8; John 1:14; John 2:19-21; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ezekiel 37:26-27; Hebrews 8:6, 13; Romans 10:4; Luke 24:27, 44
† Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho; Irenaeus, Against Heresies; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History