The Catholic Church
in the Old
Testament...
"And in the days of those kingdoms the GOD
of Heaven will set up a Kingdom THAT SHALL NEVER BE
DESTROYED, and His Kingdom shall not be delivered up
to another people; and it shall break into pieces, and shall consume all these
kingdoms, and ITSELF SHALL STAND FOREVER." Dan 2:44
The New Testament lies hidden in the Old Testament
and the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament. There is much in the Old
Testament which prefigures and prophecies happenings in the New Testament. These
prefigurements are called 'types'. The New Testament 'reality' is always greater
than the Old Testament 'type'. All of Holy Scripture, including both testaments,
is one continuous story. It is the story of GOD's Salvation History.
The Catholic Church can be compared to Noah's Ark. Not one
person outside of the ark was saved.
See the file 'Outside of the Catholic
Church There is No Salvation', elsewhere on this website.
"And every
living thing on the earth was wiped out, from man to beast, from reptile to bird
of the air; they were wiped from the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the
ark were saved."
Gen 7:23
The Catholic Church is a
Visible Church. It is the
'City set on a mountain which cannot be hidden'
of Matt 5:14. It is the 'Lighted lamp not put under the bushel but on the lampstand in
order to light the whole house' of Matt
5:15.
"And in the last days the Mountain of
the House of the Lord shall be prepared on top of the mountains, and it shall be
exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow into it. And many people
shall go, and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the
house of the GOD of Jacob, and He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in
His paths, for the law shall come forth from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from
Jerusalem." Isa 2:2-3
"And it shall come to
pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house
of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of the mountains, and high above the
hills, and many people shall flow to it. And many nations shall come in haste,
and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the
GOD of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths,
for the law shall go out of Zion, and the Word of the Lord out of
Jerusalem." Mic 4:1-2 (note Mic 4:1-2 and Isa 2:2-3
are almost identical).
"And you shall know that I am the Lord your GOD,
dwelling in Zion my holy mountain; and Jerusalem
shall be holy and strangers shall pass through it no more." Joel 3:17
"Thus said the Lord of Hosts: I am returned to
Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and
Jerusalem shall be called THE CITY OF TRUTH, AND THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD OF
HOSTS." Zech 8:3
"For thus said the Lord of
Hosts: Yet one little while, and I will move the heaven and the earth, and the
sea, and the dry land. And I will move all nations, and the desired of all nations shall come; and I will fill this
house with glory, said the Lord of Hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is
mine, said the Lord of Hosts. Great shall be the glory of this last house more
than of the first, said the Lord of Hosts; and in this place I will give peace,
said the Lord of Hosts." Hag 2:7-10
"An
invisible church is no church at all." St Ignatius of Antioch
The Catholic Church has a
hierarchy system of authority and leadership, the Papacy and the Magisterium. It
is all prefigured in the Old Testament...
The Papacy and the
Magisterium:
"Now, listen to me, and I will give you some advice, that GOD
may be with you. Act as the people's representative
before GOD, bringing to Him whatever they have to say. Enlighten them in regard
to the decisions and regulations showing them how they are to live and what they
are to do. But you should also LOOK AMONG ALL THE PEOPLE FOR ABLE AND
GOD-FEARING MEN, TRUSTWORTHY MEN WHO HATE DISHONEST GAIN, AND SET THEM AS
OFFICERS OVER GROUPS OF THOUSANDS (Cardinals), of hundreds (Archbishops), of fifties (Bishops), and of tens (Priests). Let these people render
decisions for the people in all ordinary cases. More important cases they should
refer to you (the Pope),
but all the lesser cases they can settle themselves. Thus your burden will be
lightened, since they will bear it with you. If you do this, when GOD gives you
orders you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home
satisfied." Ex 18:19-23
The authority.
Keys were a symbol of authority in the Old Testament:
"And it came to
pass in that day, that I call my servant Eliacim, the son of Helcias, and I will
clothe him with thy robe (the Pope wears a robe), and will
strengthen him with thy girdle (a sash, the Pope
wears a sash), and will give thy power into his hand
(the Vicar of Christ): and
he shall be a 'father' (the word 'Pope' means
'father') to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the
house of Judah. And I will LAY THE KEY OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID UPON HIS SHOULDER;
AND HE SHALL OPEN AND NONE SHALL SHUT; AND HE SHALL SHUT, AND NONE SHALL OPEN
(binding and loosening. Rome has spoken, the issue is
settled)." Isa
22:20-22
Compare these verses to Matt 16:19 where Jesus gave the 'Keys of the
Kingdom of Heaven' to Peter only, and also gave him the power of 'binding and
loosening'.
See 'The Papacy is Scriptural', found elsewhere on this
website, for much more...
The Catholic Church is a
teaching and a preaching Church...
"Go, then! It is I who will assist you
in speaking and I will teach you what you are to say." Ex 4:12
The Lord
said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and, while you are there,
I will give you the stone tablets, on which I have
written the commandments intended for their instruction."
Ex 24:12
"You must teach the Israelites all the laws that
the Lord has given them through Moses." Lev 10:11
"Now, Israel,
hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you
to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
in which the Lord, the GOD of your fathers, is giving you." Deut 4:1
Every Catholic Church is
consecrated by a Bishop at its inception. Is your church
consecrated?
"Take the anointing oil and anoint the dwelling and
everything in it, consecrating it and all its furnishings, so that it will be
sacred." Ex 40:9
Every Catholic Church has a Sanctuary. Does your church have a sanctuary?
"They
shall make a Sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell in
their midst." Ex 25:8
A sanctuary lamp is required, to burn continuously, to show the presence of the
Living GOD. Every Catholic Church has a sanctuary lamp which burns continuously when Christ is
present in the tabernacle. Does your church have a sanctuary lamp?
The
Lord said to Moses, "Order the Israelites to bring you clear oil of crushed
olives for the light, so that you may keep lamps burning regularly. In the
meeting Tent, outside the veil that hangs in front of the Commandments, Aaron
shall set up the lamps to burn before the Lord regularly, from evening til
morning. Thus by a perpetual statute for you and your
descendants, the lamps shall be set up on the pure
gold lampstand, to burn regularly before the Lord." Lev 24:1-4
Every Catholic Church has
a Tabernacle, the dwelling place of GOD in the Church. Does your church have a
Tabernacle?
"This Tabernacle and all its
furnishings you shall make exactly according to the pattern I will now show
you." Ex 25:9
"Moreover, you shall make the Tabernacle with ten
curtains of fine twined linen..." Ex 26:1
Every Catholic Church has
an Altar. Does your church have an Altar?
"You shall make an Altar..." Ex 27:1
Catholic Churches have
Priests. Does your church have Priests?
"From among the Israelites have
your brother Aaron, together with his sons...brought to you, that they may be My Priests." Ex 28:1
The Catholic Church ordains new Priests and Bishops. Does your Church ordain new
Priests?
See Lev chapters 8 and 9, for details of the Ordination of Aaron, the High Priest,
and of his sons.
Priests of the Catholic Church wear vestments...
See Ex 28 for the details of the various
vestments required of the priests of the time of Moses, and of the High Priest
Aaron. Aaron's vestments are amazingly like those which are worn by Catholic Bishops and the Pope today.
The Pope wears a Miter,
as did Aaron, the High Priest. See Ex 28:4, 28:37-39,
29:6, 39:28-31, and Lev 8:9, 16:4, and Zech 3:5 for details of how it
looked.
Moses carried the Rod of Aaron to symbolize his authority. Ex 7:8-13 and 17:4-6
A
Catholic Bishop carries a
rod, or Crosier as a
symbol of his pastoral office.
The sacrifice of the Mass was prefigured in Mal 1:11...
"For from the
rising of the sun even to the going down, My Name is great among the Gentiles,
and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is
offered to My Name A CLEAN OBLATION, for My Name is great among the
Gentiles."
The Catholic Church holds
Counsel and Councils. The
first one was the Council of Jerusalem, convened shortly after the Church was founded. It is documented
in Acts 15. The most recent was Vatican Council II
in 1962.
"Where there is no governor, the
people shall fall, but there is safety where there is
much Counsel."
Prov 11:14
"The way of a
fool is right in his own eyes; but he that is wise
hearkens unto Counsels." Prov 12:15
"Designs
are brought to nothing where there is no Counsel; but
where there are many Counsellors, they are established." Prov 15:22
"Now the Counsel
of Achitopel, which he gave in those days,
was as if a man should consult GOD." 2Sam 16:23
"Take Counsel,
gather a Council; make thy shadow as the night of the
midday;..." Isa 16:3
The Catholic Church is
'Universal', as its name
implies...
"I will make a great nation of you. I will bless you and make
your name great, so that you shall be a blessing. I will bless them that bless
you, and curse them that curse you. In you shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed." Gen
12:2-3
"Day to day pours forth this Word, night to night sends out this
knowledge. There is no speech and no utterance whose sound may not be heard:
into all the earth their sound goes forth, and unto
the ends of the world their tidings." Psa
19:3-5
"All you inhabitants of the
world, who dwell on the earth, when the sign shall be lifted up on the mountains, you shall see,
and you shall hear the sound of the trumpet." Isa
18:3
"Come near, you Gentiles, and hear, and hearken you people.
Let the earth hear, and all that is therein, the
world, and everything that comes forth of it." Isa
34:1
In all eight chapters of the 'Song of Songs' or 'Canticles', married love is
symbolic of the love of
GOD for His Church.
For much more detail of the Catholic Church in Scripture, please refer to
these other writings, all of which are to be found on this website:
Are
We Born as Adults, or as Babies?
Fr. Damen's
Timeless Homily About the Church.
The Catholic
Church in the New Testament.
The Book of
Acts, the Catholic Church Personified.
The Family of
GOD.
The Papacy is Scriptural.
The Thread of
the Catholic Church as it is Woven Through Scripture.
Types and
Shadows.
How do we know the Catholic Church is the Church which Jesus Christ
founded?
Tidbits...
©
Written by Bob Stanley, September 13,
1999
Updated February 4, 2001
"Have I then become your enemy,
because I told you the truth?"
Galatians
4:16
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