Pastor Timothy Keller once said,
"The Bible is not about you." He is right. The Bible is about one central
character- Jesus.
Jesus Christ is not a random character who appeared in the 40th book in the Bible i.e. Matthew. Jesus was not the plan B of salvation after plan A of the Law "failed." Jesus is the main theme of the scriptures and he was the only plan for salvation all along. Jesus, being part of the Trinity is clearly seen when God says in Genesis, "Let us make man in our own image" (Genesis 1:26). The “us” refers to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Many theologians see clearly the presence of the Christ in the Old Testament. They call this a Christophany (krees-toh-fun-ee). In Genesis, the Christophany is evident. Christ Jesus is the man who visits Abraham with the two angels, on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah. He is also Melchizedek, the King of Salem who received the tithe offering. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses tells the people of Israel that the LORD has planned to send Jesus, a prophet like Moses himself to save the world. When Gideon is called, we study the language used to describe the angel who appears to him and realise that it refers to a higher being- another Christophany. The same Christophany is believed to be similar when Samson's birth is announced. Some have his literal appearance like the army captain speaking to Joshua in Joshua chapter 5. Some have his overt prophetic mention like the man with pierced hands and feet in Psalm 22- a vivid description of the death of Jesus even before crucifixion was invented by the Romans. Some have him personified like the lamb that was slain during the Passover in Exodus- symbolizing the Lamb of God slain for the salvation of mankind. Some only have him themed in the overall message, like in Esther. God is not mentioned even once in the book of Esther but we see him strongly in the theme. In the themed mentions, you will not see him unless you understand the core message of the book. Another example is in Ruth. Unless you understand what a kinsman redeemer is, you will not understand that Ruth represents the church and that Boaz, the kinsman redeemer represents Christ. You will fail to see the beauty of Christ buying back the one he loves- us! This will require faithful reading and studying of the word like the Bereans in Acts 17 to see the truth for yourself. You don't need a degree or a masters in Theology; you just need humility and the Holy Spirit, who God will not deny to give when we ask (Luke 11:11-12). In fact, most books have Jesus' character themed in the message of the book and will most likely be revealed by the Holy Spirit in eureka moments during study and prayer. We who have the entire scriptures are blessed to see this. We are told that some of the people who wrote the scriptures under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were writing for our (believers) benefit. See this:
Jesus Christ is not a random character who appeared in the 40th book in the Bible i.e. Matthew. Jesus was not the plan B of salvation after plan A of the Law "failed." Jesus is the main theme of the scriptures and he was the only plan for salvation all along. Jesus, being part of the Trinity is clearly seen when God says in Genesis, "Let us make man in our own image" (Genesis 1:26). The “us” refers to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Many theologians see clearly the presence of the Christ in the Old Testament. They call this a Christophany (krees-toh-fun-ee). In Genesis, the Christophany is evident. Christ Jesus is the man who visits Abraham with the two angels, on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah. He is also Melchizedek, the King of Salem who received the tithe offering. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses tells the people of Israel that the LORD has planned to send Jesus, a prophet like Moses himself to save the world. When Gideon is called, we study the language used to describe the angel who appears to him and realise that it refers to a higher being- another Christophany. The same Christophany is believed to be similar when Samson's birth is announced. Some have his literal appearance like the army captain speaking to Joshua in Joshua chapter 5. Some have his overt prophetic mention like the man with pierced hands and feet in Psalm 22- a vivid description of the death of Jesus even before crucifixion was invented by the Romans. Some have him personified like the lamb that was slain during the Passover in Exodus- symbolizing the Lamb of God slain for the salvation of mankind. Some only have him themed in the overall message, like in Esther. God is not mentioned even once in the book of Esther but we see him strongly in the theme. In the themed mentions, you will not see him unless you understand the core message of the book. Another example is in Ruth. Unless you understand what a kinsman redeemer is, you will not understand that Ruth represents the church and that Boaz, the kinsman redeemer represents Christ. You will fail to see the beauty of Christ buying back the one he loves- us! This will require faithful reading and studying of the word like the Bereans in Acts 17 to see the truth for yourself. You don't need a degree or a masters in Theology; you just need humility and the Holy Spirit, who God will not deny to give when we ask (Luke 11:11-12). In fact, most books have Jesus' character themed in the message of the book and will most likely be revealed by the Holy Spirit in eureka moments during study and prayer. We who have the entire scriptures are blessed to see this. We are told that some of the people who wrote the scriptures under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were writing for our (believers) benefit. See this:
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who spoke of the grace that was
to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find
out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was
pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would
follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you,
when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have
preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even Angels
long to look into these things.” 1 Peter 1:10-12 (NIV,1984)
But it's not just the inferred references
that leave us confident of the presence of Jesus in the entire Bible.
Jesus himself claims to be there in the Old Testament and to witness the live
events when they took place. In John 8:58, Jesus claims that before
Abraham existed, he was around. His critics mock him stating he is
not even 50 years old yet he claims to be Eternal. In very fact, Jesus Christ
claims to be God unashamedly in John 8 and it is the reason why the Jews want
to kill him. In Matthew 19, Jesus teaches about marriage and speaks as if he
was present in the first wedding, or joining if you like, between Adam and Eve.
When doing your Quiet Time, you will be
thrilled to see the presence of Christ in every book. This list could guide
you, but it does not match the joy of having the Holy Spirit reveal it to you
as you read the scriptures. After all, the scriptures state in Proverbs 25, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter
is the glory of kings." (NIV, 1984). Behold, the Christ in all 66
books:
OLD TESTAMENT
In Genesis: The Seed Of The Woman in Genesis 3
In Exodus: The Passover Lamb that was slain
In Leviticus: The High Priest of God
In Numbers: The Cloud by Day And The Fire by Night
In Deuteronomy: The Prophet Like Moses
In Joshua: The Captain of our Salvation
In Judges: The Judge And the Lawgiver
In Ruth: The Kinsman Redeemer
In 1 & 2 Samuel: The Prophet of The Lord
In 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles: The Reigning King
In Ezra: The Faithful Scribe
In Nehemiah: The Rebuilder Of The Broken Down Walls
In Esther: The Saviour of the helpless
In Job: The Sovereign God over human pain
In Psalms: The Good Shepherd
In Proverb: Wisdom
In Ecclesiastes: The Meaning of Life
In The Song Of Solomon: The Lover of Our Souls
In Isaiah: The Prince Of Peace
In Jeremiah: The Rejected messenger of the LORD
In Lamentations: The Weeping Prophet
In Ezekiel: The Turning Wheel
In Daniel: The 4th Man In The Fiery Furnace with Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego
In Hosea: The Faithful Bridegroom Married To The Unfaithful Wife
In Joel: The Spirit And the Fire
In Amos: The Burden Bearer
In Obadiah: The Mighty Saviour
In Jonah: The Merciful and Forgiving God
In Micah: The Messenger With Beautiful Feet
In Nahum: The Avenger Of God's People
In Habakkuk: The Great Evangelist, Crying For Revival
In Zephaniah: The Restorer Of God's Lost Heritage
In Haggai: The Cleansing Fountain
In Zechariah: The Merciful Father
In Malachi: The Son Of Righteousness, Rising With Healing In
His Wings
NEW TESTAMENT
In Matthew: The Saviour King
In Mark: The Saviour Servant
In Luke: The Son Of Man
In John: The Son Of God
In Acts: The Risen Lord
In Romans: The Justifier of Sinners
In 1 & 2 Corinthians: The Giver of the Gifts Of The Spirit
In Galatians: The Giver of Freedom for the Believer
In Ephesians: The Unsearchable Riches of God
In Philippians: The God Who Meets Our Every Need
In Colossians: The Image of the Invisible God
In 1 & 2 Thessalonians: The Returning King
In 1 & 2 Timothy: The Mediator Between God And Man
In Titus: The Faithful Pastor
In Philemon: The Friend That Sticks Closer Than A Brother
In Hebrews: The Blood That Washes Away My Sins
In James: The Great Physician
In 1 & 2 Peter: The Chief Shepherd
In 1 & 2 & 3 John: Everlasting Love
In Jude: The Lord Who Comes Down With thousands upon ten
thousands of Saints
In Revelation: The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end!
