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 Tread 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
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