Connections in the Bible-Abraham and Isaac VS the Death of Jesus

     There are some people who say that, since we are New Testament Christians, we don't need the Old Testament. They say that it's useless since we don't follow the Old Testament laws anymore, as Jesus established the Church when He was raised from the dead. But this isn't true at all! There are several connections and prophesies and lessons in the Old Testament that when we learn about them, it will increase our faith tremendously. All throughout the Bible, you will find different connections and patterns, and the more you read and study, the more you realize just how perfect it truly is. Today, I'll be comparing the story of Abraham's sacrifice, VS the death of Jesus. You'd be surprised how much they have in common.

• First off, if you look in Genesis 22:2, God is telling Abraham to take his only son whom he loved, and to kill him as an offering to God. In Matthew 3:17 it says, "and behold, a voice came from Heaven and said, "This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased." So the first connection is that in both cases, it was the Father sacrificing the Son. And because both Isaac and Jesus were very loved by their fathers, this was a big sacrifice.
• Second, I want to look at the sacrifice itself. Back in the Old Testament, the sacrifice was to cover the sin or the person or persons making the sacrifice. Most of the time, it was a sheep, or sometimes doves, or other animals. But with both of these sacrifices, it was human flesh. But not only was it human flesh, it was their own flesh and blood, their sons, that were being sacrificed. The sacrifice of Jesus was to cover our sins, and it also proved Jesus' love and dedication to us, and to God, while the sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac was to test the faith and dedication of Abraham to God.
• Another thing is that Abraham was the "father of a multitude of nations" as you can read in Genesis 17:5. God is the Father of everyone on this Earth who has been saved by the sacrifice of Jesus. I found this connection very interesting.
• Another thing was, if you read in Genesis 22:5 we read that Abraham and Isaac went to the place of offering alone. They didn't bring anyone else with them. In the New Testament, we can read that Jesus went to His death alone. 
• Also, in Genesis 22:6 it tells us that Abraham had Isaac carry the wood that was going to be used for the offering. This is very similar to Jesus carrying the cross that He was crucified on.
• The last connection I noticed was that in both cases, the son came back alive. Isaac wasn't resurrected like Jesus was, but they did both come back alive, and in both cases a sacrifice was made. With Abraham and Isaac it was a ram being sacrificed, but in the other situation, it was Jesus who had been sacrificed. 

This is just one of the many connections in the Bible. The more of it I read, the more of them I see. So today, I encourage you to study, and look for these connections. It is a truly wonderful experience. :)