The Types of Mary.
In the first Messianic prophecy in Scripture, we are told that enmity will be placed between The Woman and the Serpent and between the Woman's offspring and the Serpent's offspring.
Protestants are scandalized by the Douay translation of this passage. All protestant and modern translations translate the passage as "He" will crush your head while you strike at "His" heel but this is a forced interpretation not supported linguistically.
In fact, the most literal translation is ''it'', or ''the formerly stated'', since no gender is given.
In fact. most older versions did, in fact, translate it as ''it''.
Modern protestants have concluded that the prophecy must be referring specifically to Christ, as the ''seed'' of the Woman, crushing the Serpent's head. However, that interpretation is simply impossible to linguistically reconcile with the actual words of the passage.
First, it is exegetically indisputable that the passage clearly separates the two enmities;
- The Woman vs The Serpent
- The Woman's seed vs The Serpent's seed.
Further undermining the Protestant position is the fact that the Woman and the Serpent are both shown in the singular sense while the seed, in both instances, is plural. Finally, ''it'' or ''the formerly referenced'' is also singular.
In short, the two enmities are;
- "it" vs "it"
- "they" vs "they"
Therefore, Saint Jerome was right. The verse actually is saying, in so many words is
'I will make enemies of the Woman and You and enemies of her children and your children. This formerly mentioned woman will crush your head and you will lie in wait for her heel.'
Protestants go to great lengths to run from this correct translation but the Scriptures simply will not let them. The New Testament goes to great pains to identify Mary as the Woman.
We see this first at the wedding at Cana (John 2:4), where Jesus performs His first public miracle at Her bequest and again at the Cross (John 19:26), where Jesus gives her to us all as spiritual mother.
However, nowhere do we see it more clearly than in Revelation Chapter 12.
Starting with verse 1, Mary is described as a Woman clothed with the Sun. In verse 5, we are shown that She gives birth to the Messiah, who was snatched up to the throne of God.
In verse 13, we see the foretold enmity between the dragon and the Woman and, finally, in verse 17, we see the dragon's war waged against the rest of her offspring who are those who keep the commandments of God.
Following closely on the theme of Genesis is the story of the fall of mankind. Now we know that the Serpent, Dragon...Satan is who brought sin and evil into the world. No one would dispute that. However, it is also undeniable that he could not have done so without the compliance of Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve were given a very clear choice to obey God or disobey God. They chose poorly.
So, sin entered the world, first, through Eve, then through Adam.
Fast forwarding to the New Testament, what did Jesus most often call Himself? Answer- "The Son of Man". Literally, "The Son of Adam".
The type is striking. Sin entered the world through Adam and salvation entered through the Son of Adam... the NEW Adam.
Many Protestants see this but they don't take it to it's logical full conclusion.
Yes, Adam consented to disobey God but only after Eve's disobedience preceded his own. Do you follow?
- Eve was given the choice to be obedient- She failed.
- Adam was given the choice to be obedient- He failed.
- Sin entered the world, Satan's victory.
To fail to see the parallel is to miss a huge type.
Let's look at the Salvation story in reverse to highlight this.
- Salvation entered the world, God's victory.
- Jesus- the new Adam- was given the choice to be obedient- He succeeded.
- ?- the new Eve- was given the choice to be obedient?
You bet.
Whereas the Serpent made his offer to Eve, God makes His to Mary- the New Eve- through the Angel Gabriel.
"be it done to me according to thy word".
Mary was given free will. Mary Suceeded. Mary was obedient and Her obedience brought us Christ and His obedience.
Sin entered the world through the disobedience of Eve. Salvation entered the world through the obedience of the New Eve- Mary.
If Mary does not consent, we are all doomed. She had the free will to say no...like every other person.
How could God ensure She would be perfectly disposed to say yes without violating Her free will? Grace.
The answer is found in the Angel's greeting to her.
The actual greeting as recorded by Luke was Chaire, Kecharitomene. Literally, Hail, you who are endured with perfected Grace. Jerome translated it Gracia, Plenia- Full of Grace.
It is important to note that Kecharitomene appears only once more in Scripture, in a passage referring to Jesus. The Angel's greeting to Mary proves the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.
The Bible tells us that Adam's wife was called Eve because She became the Mother of all the living (Gen 3:20). This is in the physical sense. Mary, in John 19:26 and Revelation 12:17 is shown as the mother of all the living in the spiritual sense and, thus, The New Eve.
Before we even got out of the first book of the Bible, we already see two prominent types of Mary. We only go to the next book before we see another.
The Ark of the Covenant was a key part of the Old Testament. A protestant on you tube once described it as a ''piece of furniture" in the Temple.
This "piece of furniture" is mentioned at least three dozen times in scripture by name
God gave very specific instructions about the building of this...um...piece of furniture.
The Ark of the Covenant was not created for no reason. Like everything else in the Old Testament, it is there for a reason. It is intended to teach us something. It is intended to foreshadow something.
To understand what the Ark of the Old Covenant represented in foreshadowing the Ark of the New Covenant, we must understand what the Old Covenant, itself represented in foreshadowing the New Covenant.
As Jesus said, in Matthew 5:17, He did not come to abolish the Old Testament law but to fulfill it.
The Priests of the Old Testament foreshadow the Priesthood of the New Testament, with Christ, the Chief Priest as it's head. The Judges of the Old Testament foreshadow Christ, the perfect Judge. The Prophets of the Old Testament foreshadow Christ as the perfect Prophet. The Kings of the Old Testament foreshadow the King of Kings- Jesus. The blood Sacrifice of the Old Testament foreshadows the Salvation purchased through Christ's blood that was spilled for us at Calvary.
Many protestants understand this. The Old Testament Covenant and the New Testament Covenant, then, are both about Christ. The first by anticipation and the second by realization.
The New Covenant, then, is realized in the person of Christ.... and He tells us so.
Why protestants don't follow this to it's logical end is a mystery to me.
An Ark is a vessel that carries something. Noah's Ark carried 8 people to safety during the great flood.
The Ark of the Covenant was a vessel that carried the Word of God, The Bread from Heaven and the Shepherd's staff that came back to life. Who could deny that these three things are all types of Christ?
So, in the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant carried that which symbolized Christ. So, if what was carried inside the Ark symbolized Christ, what was symbolized by the Ark itself?
Let me put it this way. If the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant was the Vessel that symbolically carried Christ, what was the vessel that actually carried Him?
Speak up now. You know the answer. The Ark of the Covenant points to Mary! She was the Holy, created vessel that was prepared for the purpose of carrying the Incarnate God to us.
In case we missed this point, Saint John makes it crystal clear in Revelation 11:19;
John does not describe the Ark of the Covenant as a "piece of furniture" but as "A Woman clothed with the Sun, with the Moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on Her head." He describes the Ark as the Woman that gave birth to the Messiah, fought the Dragon and became the Mother of all believers".
To deny that this is Mary is just futile.
Discovering this fact is a real breakthrough for Christians seeking to understand Mary and what the Catholic church has come to understand about her. When we truly examine what the Bible says about the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant, we see what that typology reveals about the New Testament Ark.
In every one of the characteristics of the Ark, we see a corresponding one to Mary.
We cannot possibly touch on all of these types, so we will just try to touch on some of the more prominent ones.
First, God doesn't do anything by accident. There is much he tells us by the way He commanded that the Ark be constructed. For starters, He commands that the body of the Ark is to be made of Acacia wood.
It is interesting what you find about Acacia wood. Let me quote from a source I found online;
There is a prophecy that appears in two places in the Old Testament. First, in 2 Chronicles 6:41-42 and then, again in Psalm 132:8. It reads as follows;
I have always found it perplexing that many have no trouble believing that the Bible supports the Assumption of Elijah, Enoch and even Moses into heaven...but not Mary. (Acts 2:27, 13:35).
Yet there are far more parallels between the Ark and Mary. Thanks to Agape Bible study for these.
God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and then indwelled the Ark. The Ark became the dwelling place of the presence of God [Exodus 40:34-35]. God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and the indwelled Mary. At that time Mary's womb became the dwelling place of the presence of God [Luke 1:35].
The Ark contained the 10 Commandments [the words of God in stone], a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that came back to life [Deuteronomy 10:3-5; Hebrews 9:4].
The womb of the Virgin contained Jesus: the living Word of God enfleshed, the living bread from heaven, "the Branch" (Messianic title) who would die but come back to life [Luke 1:35].
The Ark traveled to the hill country of Judah to rest in the house of Obed-edom [2 Samuel 6:1-11]. Mary traveled to the hill country of Judah (Judea) to the home of Elizabeth [Luke 1:39].
Dressed in a priestly ephod, King David approached the Ark and danced and leapt for joy [2 Samuel 6:14]. John the Baptist, son of a priest who would himself become a priest, leapt for joy in Elizabeth's womb at the approach of Mary [Luke 1:43].
David shouted for joy in the presence of God and the holy Ark [2 Samuel 6:15]. Elizabeth exclaimed with a loud cry of joy in the presence God within Mary [Luke 1:42].
David asked, "How is it that the Ark of the Lord comes to me?" [2 Samuel 6:9]. Elizabeth asks, "Why is this granted unto me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" [Luke 1:43].
The Ark remained in the house of Obed-edom for 3 months [2 Samuel 6:11].
Mary remained in the house of her cousin Elizabeth for 3 months [Luke 1:56].
The house of Obed-edom was blessed by the presence of the Ark [2 Samuel 6:11].
The word "blessed" is used 3 times in Luke 1:39-45 concerning Mary at Elizabeth's house.
The Ark returned to its sanctuary and eventually ends up in Jerusalem where the presence and glory of God is revealed in the newly built Temple [2 Samuel 6:12; 1 Kings 8:9-11]. Mary returned home from visiting Elizabeth and eventually comes to Jerusalem, where she presents God the Son in the Temple [Luke 1:56; 2:21-22].
God made Aaron's rod (which would be kept in the Ark) return to life and budded to prove he was the legitimate High Priest [Numbers 17:8]. God would resurrect His Son, who had become enfleshed in Mary's womb and born to bring salvation to all mankind, to prove He is the eternal High Priest [Hebrews 4:14].
When the Ark was outside the Holy of Holies [when it was being transported] it was to be covered with a blue veil [Numbers 4:4-6]. In Mary's appearances outside of heaven visionaries testify that she wears a blue veil.
In Revelation 11:19 John sees the Ark of the Covenant in heaven [this is the last verse of chapter 11]. In Revelation 12:1 John sees Mary in heaven. It is the same vision Juan Diego saw of Mary in 1531'the Woman clothed with the sun and standing on the moon.
To deny Mary as the Ark of the Covenant is futile.
One final thought before we move on. Many protestants have challenged us with this nonsense that Mary had other children. I refute all their arguments with this article. Take time to read it when you can.
But I want to focus on what happened to Uzzah in the 1 Chronicles 13:9-10. Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark and prevent it from falling on the ground. God struck him dead on the very spot.
The Ark that was made of wood was overshadowed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and was so Holy that for a man to even touch it meant death. Are we to believe that the living Ark, not just overshadowed but impregnated by the Holy Spirit would be touched by Joseph? Would He have dared?! It is absurd to even suggest it.
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