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Easter is a time of profound significance for Christians worldwide. While the New Testament holds the central account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the Old Testament Scriptures also contain foreshadowings and prophecies that point to the redemptive work of Christ. Exploring the Easter Scriptures from the Old Testament provides a deeper understanding of the divine plan of salvation and the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Easter Scriptures Old Testament
The Easter season is a time of reflection and celebration, as Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While the New Testament narratives provide a detailed account of these events, the Old Testament Scriptures lay the foundation for understanding the significance of Easter.
Prophecies of Easter in the Old Testament
1. Isaiah 53:5
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed.”
2. Psalm 22:16
“Dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.”
3. Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
4. Genesis 22:8
“God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
5. Isaiah 25:8
“He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.”
6. Hosea 6:2
“After two days, he will revive us; on the third day, he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”
7. Micah 5:2
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
8. Psalm 16:10
“For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”
9. Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
10. Daniel 9:26
“And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing.”
Symbolism and Prefigurations
11. Exodus 12:13
“The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
12. Leviticus 16:15
“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.”
13. Numbers 21:8-9
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.'”
14. Genesis 3:15
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
15. Exodus 16:4
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day.'”
16. Leviticus 23:10
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.'”
17. Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
18. Psalm 34:20
“He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”
19. Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
20. Isaiah 53:7
“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep, before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
Passover and Redemption
21. Exodus 12:23
“For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.”
22. Exodus 12:13
“The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
23. Isaiah 53:5
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed.”
24. Leviticus 17:11
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”
25. Exodus 12:27
“You shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.'”
26. Zechariah 9:11
“As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.”
27. Isaiah 44:22
“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
28. Psalm 103:12
“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”
29. Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us settle the matter. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
30. Psalm 130:7
“Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.”
Easter Foreshadowed
31. Genesis 22:8
“God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
32. Exodus 16:4
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day.'”
33. Exodus 12:5
“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”
34. Leviticus 23:10
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.'”
35. Numbers 21:8-9
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.'”
36. Psalm 22:16
“Dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.”
37. Isaiah 53:7
“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep, before its shearers are silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
38. Genesis 3:15
“I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
39. Isaiah 50:6
“I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”
40. Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Resurrection Themes in Old Testament Scriptures
41. Psalm 16:10
“For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”
42. Hosea 6:2
“After two days, he will revive us; on the third day, he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”
43. Isaiah 25:8
“He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.”
44. Ezekiel 37:12-14
“Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them.'”
45. Job 19:25-26
“I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end, he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh, I will see God.”
46. Daniel 12:2
“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
47. Hosea 13:14
“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?”
48. Isaiah 26:19
“But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.”
49. Psalm 49:15
“But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.”
50. Isaiah 26:20
“Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.”
Old Testament Roots of Easter Celebrations
51. Leviticus 23:10
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.'”
52. Exodus 12:27
“You shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.'”
53. Deuteronomy 16:1-3
“Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Abib, he brought you out of Egypt by night.”
54. Leviticus 23:4-6
“These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, the sacred assemblies, which you are to proclaim at their appointed times.”
55. Exodus 12:14
“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come, you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.”
56. Leviticus 23:15-16
“From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord.”
57. Numbers 28:26
“‘On the day of firstfruits, when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain during the Festival of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.'”
58. Deuteronomy 16:9-10
“Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sick Continuing with Sacred Connections:
59. Leviticus 23:20-21
“The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. On that same day, you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work.”
60. Deuteronomy 16:16
“Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed.”
Conclusion
These Old Testament scriptures lay the foundation for understanding the rich symbolism, prophetic foreshadowing, and sacred connections that resonate with the Easter celebrations we observe today. They serve as a bridge that connects the promises of God in the past with their fulfillment in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These passages reveal the intricate design of God’s redemptive plan, showcasing His faithfulness and love for His people.
