Does the old & new testament interrelate

What a great question!

Yes, the Old and New Testaments do interrelate in many ways. In fact, the New Testament is often seen as the fulfillment of the promises and prophecies made in the Old Testament. Here are some examples:

  1. Types and shadows: The Old Testament contains types and shadows of the Messiah, which are fulfilled in the New Testament. For example, the Passover lamb (Exodus 12) is a type of Jesus, who is the ultimate Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
  2. Prophecies: The Old Testament contains many prophecies about the coming Messiah, which are fulfilled in the New Testament. For example, Isaiah 53:3-5 describes the Messiah's suffering and death, which is fulfilled in Jesus' crucifixion (Matthew 27:35-37).
  3. Covenants: The Old Testament contains several covenants between God and his people, which are expanded and fulfilled in the New Testament. For example, the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) is fulfilled in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:6-13).
  4. Themes: Many themes in the Old Testament are continued in the New Testament. For example, the theme of redemption is present throughout the Old Testament (e.g., Exodus 6:6-7) and is fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus' death and resurrection (Romans 3:24-25).
  5. Character foreshadowing: Characters in the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, are foreshadowings of characters in the New Testament, such as Jesus, Peter, and Paul.
  6. Geographical connections: Many geographical locations in the Old Testament are mentioned in the New Testament, such as Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1), Nazareth (Matthew 2:23), and Jerusalem (Psalm 132:13-14, Acts 1:8).
  7. Historical connections: The New Testament often references historical events and figures from the Old Testament, such as the Exodus (1 Corinthians 10:1-4) and the conquest of Canaan (Hebrews 11:8-12).
  8. Typological connections: The New Testament often sees the Old Testament as a typological representation of the New Testament. For example, the Ark of the Covenant is seen as a type of Jesus, who is the ultimate Ark of salvation (Hebrews 9:1-5).
  9. Intertextual connections: The New Testament often quotes or alludes to the Old Testament, demonstrating the intertextual connections between the two testaments. For example, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13 in Matthew 15:8-9.
  10. Theological connections: The New Testament often develops and expands the theological themes and concepts of the Old Testament. For example, the concept of justification by faith is developed in the New Testament (Romans 3:21-26) based on Old Testament themes such as righteousness and faith (Genesis 15:6, Habakkuk 2:4).

These are just a few examples of the many ways in which the Old and New Testaments interrelate.