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In Search of the Messiah
The doctrine of Christ, what a glorious testimony. The joy of being filled with His Holy Spirit. As Christians, we have based our faith on the Son of God, who shed His blood for our sins and was raised from the dead. We acknowledge the shedding of His blood as our redemption and we are now cleansed and purified. Oh what a joy to be born again and walk in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We attend church regularly and hold our daily devotional prayers, yet sometimes we overlook what the Word of God is actually saying to us. As a Bible teacher and minister, I find it fascinating to search the scriptures, while meditating on words, phrases and paragraphs. The Holy Spirit has opened my eyes and heart as He leads me deep into the study of the Word of God while revealing Christ throughout the passages. A true manifestation of our Lord appears in front of my eyes.
At first, as new believers in Christ we are usually lead to the New Testament. All those glorious stories, parables and quotes from our Lord spark the fire within us. This incredible man—what compassion, mercy, love, forgiveness and insight. We are drawn into His nature and realize how “God so loved the world, that He gave His only...Son” so that we might have everlasting life (John 3:16).
As we grow in Christ and consider ourselves veterans in the Word, we then start indulging in the whole Bible. One Sunday morning, the pastor recommends to the congregation that it is a good idea to read through the entire Bible. So we go to the local church bookstore and pick out a one-year, through-the-Bible, systematic publication. Now in our boldness, we are ready for the Old Testament. We start in the book of Genesis, with creation, genealogies and the great flood and then work our way into God’s promise to Abraham and his descendents. From there we move into Exodus and read how God lifted up Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, and all of a sudden, we are into Leviticus and we can’t understand why the Levitical law was established. What is going on with clean and unclean and what types of animals one can eat? As we keep reading into Numbers and Deuteronomy, we start asking ourselves, “What is this all about?” Then comes the book of Joshua with an interesting story that seems to light the fire in our reading once again.
As we continue through the Old Testament, we experience these ups and downs in our reading habits. A positive Psalm or Proverb that seems to jog our memory (“Must have sung that one in a hymn”), and then another Psalm comes along that makes no sense at all. Then we start reading about the prophets and now we are really confused. You ask yourself, “Who are they talking about? Are these past, present or future prophecies?” The book of Daniel comes along, and we read about these strange dreams, creatures and images along with a chapter on the lions’ den and the story of the three Hebrew boys.
So as of now, we find ourselves on a roller coaster ride. We are reading, yet not really comprehending the text. If this sounds so familiar to you, let me start by encouraging you that as we grow in our faith and knowledge, the Holy Spirit promises to reveal the text to us. The Spirit of Truth will guide you in all things and make His Word known to you (John 16:13).
The first five books, or the “Books of Moses,” are called the Torah in Hebrew and the Pentateuch in Greek, while the complete Old Testament is referred to in Hebrew as the Tanach and the Greek version is called the Septuagint. What is fascinating to me is that the Old Testament was translated into Greek about three centuries before Christ (due to Alexander the Great, who enforced Greek as the world language). Later on, as we discuss prophecies of the Old Testament, we will elaborate more on the importance of the Greek translation. What you have to remember is that in the days of Christ, there was not a New Testament; therefore all the text would have been quoted from the Old Testament. After all, when Christ was tempted by Satan in the desert (Matt. 4:4-10), Christ quoted the Old Testament stating, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone’” (quoting Deut. 8:3), “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (quoting Deut. 6:16) and “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve’” (quoting Deut. 6:13).
Now the interesting thing about the Old Testament is that it preaches the gospel of Christ. It is said that the Old Testament is Christ concealed while the New Testament is Christ revealed. Jesus Christ can be found on nearly every page of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. It is written “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me” (Ps. 40:7; see also Heb. 10:7). In John 5:39, Christ states “the Scriptures...are they which testify of Me.” Also Christ states in Matthew 5:17-18, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
Let’s look at some examples. In Acts 8:26, Philip was told by an angel to go out to the desert; in verse 32 and 33, we are told that a eunuch was reading Isaiah 53:7-8.
The doctrine of Christ, what a glorious testimony. The joy of being filled with His Holy Spirit. As Christians, we have based our faith on the Son of God, who shed His blood for our sins and was raised from the dead. We acknowledge the shedding of His blood as our redemption and we are now cleansed and purified. Oh what a joy to be born again and walk in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We attend church regularly and hold our daily devotional prayers, yet sometimes we overlook what the Word of God is actually saying to us. As a Bible teacher and minister, I find it fascinating to search the scriptures, while meditating on words, phrases and paragraphs. The Holy Spirit has opened my eyes and heart as He leads me deep into the study of the Word of God while revealing Christ throughout the passages. A true manifestation of our Lord appears in front of my eyes.
At first, as new believers in Christ we are usually lead to the New Testament. All those glorious stories, parables and quotes from our Lord spark the fire within us. This incredible man—what compassion, mercy, love, forgiveness and insight. We are drawn into His nature and realize how “God so loved the world, that He gave His only...Son” so that we might have everlasting life (John 3:16).
As we grow in Christ and consider ourselves veterans in the Word, we then start indulging in the whole Bible. One Sunday morning, the pastor recommends to the congregation that it is a good idea to read through the entire Bible. So we go to the local church bookstore and pick out a one-year, through-the-Bible, systematic publication. Now in our boldness, we are ready for the Old Testament. We start in the book of Genesis, with creation, genealogies and the great flood and then work our way into God’s promise to Abraham and his descendents. From there we move into Exodus and read how God lifted up Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, and all of a sudden, we are into Leviticus and we can’t understand why the Levitical law was established. What is going on with clean and unclean and what types of animals one can eat? As we keep reading into Numbers and Deuteronomy, we start asking ourselves, “What is this all about?” Then comes the book of Joshua with an interesting story that seems to light the fire in our reading once again.
As we continue through the Old Testament, we experience these ups and downs in our reading habits. A positive Psalm or Proverb that seems to jog our memory (“Must have sung that one in a hymn”), and then another Psalm comes along that makes no sense at all. Then we start reading about the prophets and now we are really confused. You ask yourself, “Who are they talking about? Are these past, present or future prophecies?” The book of Daniel comes along, and we read about these strange dreams, creatures and images along with a chapter on the lions’ den and the story of the three Hebrew boys.
So as of now, we find ourselves on a roller coaster ride. We are reading, yet not really comprehending the text. If this sounds so familiar to you, let me start by encouraging you that as we grow in our faith and knowledge, the Holy Spirit promises to reveal the text to us. The Spirit of Truth will guide you in all things and make His Word known to you (John 16:13).
The first five books, or the “Books of Moses,” are called the Torah in Hebrew and the Pentateuch in Greek, while the complete Old Testament is referred to in Hebrew as the Tanach and the Greek version is called the Septuagint. What is fascinating to me is that the Old Testament was translated into Greek about three centuries before Christ (due to Alexander the Great, who enforced Greek as the world language). Later on, as we discuss prophecies of the Old Testament, we will elaborate more on the importance of the Greek translation. What you have to remember is that in the days of Christ, there was not a New Testament; therefore all the text would have been quoted from the Old Testament. After all, when Christ was tempted by Satan in the desert (Matt. 4:4-10), Christ quoted the Old Testament stating, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone’” (quoting Deut. 8:3), “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (quoting Deut. 6:16) and “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve’” (quoting Deut. 6:13).
Now the interesting thing about the Old Testament is that it preaches the gospel of Christ. It is said that the Old Testament is Christ concealed while the New Testament is Christ revealed. Jesus Christ can be found on nearly every page of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. It is written “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me” (Ps. 40:7; see also Heb. 10:7). In John 5:39, Christ states “the Scriptures...are they which testify of Me.” Also Christ states in Matthew 5:17-18, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
Let’s look at some examples. In Acts 8:26, Philip was told by an angel to go out to the desert; in verse 32 and 33, we are told that a eunuch was reading Isaiah 53:7-8.
The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”
We are then told that Philip began with that scripture and preached Jesus to him. As you can read from the text, Isaiah 53:7-8 was referring to Jesus. And let’s not forget one of the best commentaries on the Old Testament given by Stephen in Acts chapter 7 (before Steven was stoned to death). Stephen starts with Abraham, and continues through Moses and David while quoting the prophets, all the way up until Jesus. Then we read Acts 7:54-58, “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth...and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.”
In the book of Acts there are actually twelve cases of Old Testament Bible studies (Acts chapters 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 17, 18 (2), 26 and 28). Yet the greatest Bible study of all was given by our Lord after His resurrection, on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:25-27) when Christ states,
“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
And then we read that the disciples said in Luke 24:32, “And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” So we realize that the Old Testament is the story of Christ and the plan of God’s redemption.
In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” As you can see from the text, God was referring to His Son in the early stages of the book. And let’s not forget Genesis 1:2, which states that the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the earth. We have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all mentioned together in the beginning. Now we go into the first prophecy of God’s plan for redemption (Gen. 3:15), when God says to Satan, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” In another words, you think that you can stop Him, yet He will reign forever.
We also see the shedding of blood used to cover up nakedness or sin. This illustration can be found when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the garden. We are told that their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked (Gen. 3:7). Next we read that God covered them up with skins to protect their nakedness (Gen. 3:21). The Lord God clothed them in animal skins representing the shedding of innocent blood to atone or cover up the guilty. Yes, the plan of redemption started even before the book of Genesis, and God being all knowing had His plan worked out from the beginning and wrote His plan of redemption in the stars. The twelve constellations that are known in the Hebrew as the Mazzaroth were God’s plan for redemption, the virgin birth, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the balances of good and evil, the triumphant warrior, etc. (For more precise details, read The Gospel In the Stars by Joseph A. Seiss.)
Moving along through Genesis, we have chapter 22, showing a remarkable act of faith as a father (Abraham) is told to sacrifice his only son (Isaac). God said to Abraham (Gen. 22:2),
Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, [please note that this is the first time that love was mentioned in the Bible] and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.
So Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, knowing that if he obeyed God and did so, then God would have to resurrect Isaac in order to fulfill God’s covenant to Abraham (Gen. 17:19), “I will establish my covenant with him [Isaac]...and...his descendents.” It is interesting that on the third day (Gen. 22:4), “Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off,” then Abraham told his servants to stay there, for “we will come back.” So Abraham took the wood and laid it upon Isaac’s back to carry up the mountain. Isaac then asked “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham replied (Genesis 22:8), “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”
We are then told that Philip began with that scripture and preached Jesus to him. As you can read from the text, Isaiah 53:7-8 was referring to Jesus. And let’s not forget one of the best commentaries on the Old Testament given by Stephen in Acts chapter 7 (before Steven was stoned to death). Stephen starts with Abraham, and continues through Moses and David while quoting the prophets, all the way up until Jesus. Then we read Acts 7:54-58, “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth...and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.”
In the book of Acts there are actually twelve cases of Old Testament Bible studies (Acts chapters 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 17, 18 (2), 26 and 28). Yet the greatest Bible study of all was given by our Lord after His resurrection, on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:25-27) when Christ states,
“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
And then we read that the disciples said in Luke 24:32, “And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” So we realize that the Old Testament is the story of Christ and the plan of God’s redemption.
In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” As you can see from the text, God was referring to His Son in the early stages of the book. And let’s not forget Genesis 1:2, which states that the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the earth. We have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all mentioned together in the beginning. Now we go into the first prophecy of God’s plan for redemption (Gen. 3:15), when God says to Satan, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” In another words, you think that you can stop Him, yet He will reign forever.
We also see the shedding of blood used to cover up nakedness or sin. This illustration can be found when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the garden. We are told that their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked (Gen. 3:7). Next we read that God covered them up with skins to protect their nakedness (Gen. 3:21). The Lord God clothed them in animal skins representing the shedding of innocent blood to atone or cover up the guilty. Yes, the plan of redemption started even before the book of Genesis, and God being all knowing had His plan worked out from the beginning and wrote His plan of redemption in the stars. The twelve constellations that are known in the Hebrew as the Mazzaroth were God’s plan for redemption, the virgin birth, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the balances of good and evil, the triumphant warrior, etc. (For more precise details, read The Gospel In the Stars by Joseph A. Seiss.)
Moving along through Genesis, we have chapter 22, showing a remarkable act of faith as a father (Abraham) is told to sacrifice his only son (Isaac). God said to Abraham (Gen. 22:2),
Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, [please note that this is the first time that love was mentioned in the Bible] and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.
So Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, knowing that if he obeyed God and did so, then God would have to resurrect Isaac in order to fulfill God’s covenant to Abraham (Gen. 17:19), “I will establish my covenant with him [Isaac]...and...his descendents.” It is interesting that on the third day (Gen. 22:4), “Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off,” then Abraham told his servants to stay there, for “we will come back.” So Abraham took the wood and laid it upon Isaac’s back to carry up the mountain. Isaac then asked “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham replied (Genesis 22:8), “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”
Are you starting to get the picture? Let’s put it all together and see what the Holy Spirit is telling us. As we look closely at the text, we find Isaac, a type of Jesus Christ. We have Abraham, a father willing to sacrifice his only son; we have Isaac, who was not made of flesh like his brother Ishmael, but in a sense he was supernaturally conceived (for Sarah was barren and could not conceive children); then we are told that Abraham set out to make the sacrifice, yet on the third day Isaac was spared (just as Christ was resurrected on the third day); and Isaac was asked to carry his wood (or the burden) on his back as Christ carried His cross. Now look at all of this and then take note that Mount Moriah is in the same mountain range on which our Lord was crucified on 2,000 years later (better known as Calvary). This then fulfilled Genesis 22:14, “And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” So here we have a “pre-prediction” of God’s plan of redemption.
We could just leave it at that, but we will take it one step further. It is interesting that we do not see Isaac again until he meets his bride in Genesis chapter 24. Abraham sends his servant, led by the Spirit to find a bride for Isaac in the land of his people. When the Spirit reveals a bride (Rebekah) to Abraham’s servant, she is then taken back to marry Isaac. Then Rebekah asked (Gen. 24:65), “Who is this man who has come out to meet us?” Now let’s consider this story in relationship to us, Christ’s Bride. After Christ ascended into the clouds (Acts 1:11), He has gone to prepare a place for us. In John 14:3, Christ states, “And if I go and prepare a place for you [which He has], I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” The Holy Spirit has been sent out to gather Christ’s Bride, and when the fullness of the Gentiles have come in (Roman 11:25 states that blindness has been put on Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles have come in), then Christ will come to meet His Bride (the Church) in the clouds (Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thess. 4:15 and 1 Cor. 15:51). Just as the Spirit brought Isaac a bride, so will the Spirit provide us as a Bride for Christ.
In the book of Exodus, we have the Passover, which again represents the shedding of blood for salvation. God said in Exodus 12:12-13,
For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now 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 the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
According to Exodus 12:5, the lamb was to be without blemish, just as Christ was our Passover Lamb without blemish. The book of
Exodus describes God and His attributes in the following manner:
1. God knows the condition of His people—their suffering in Egypt.
2. God comes down to deliver—leading the people out of bondage.
3. He redeems by blood—the Passover lamb.
4. He supplies all needs—the Great “I Am,” food, shelter, light, etc. in the wilderness.
5. God gives victory to His people—over Pharaoh and over the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8-16).
6. God reveals His character—forgiving and loving (Ex. 34:6-7, the making of the new tablets)
7. He dwells among His people—Exodus 13:21, “The Lord went before them...in a pillar of cloud” and Exodus 40:34, “The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”
We could just leave it at that, but we will take it one step further. It is interesting that we do not see Isaac again until he meets his bride in Genesis chapter 24. Abraham sends his servant, led by the Spirit to find a bride for Isaac in the land of his people. When the Spirit reveals a bride (Rebekah) to Abraham’s servant, she is then taken back to marry Isaac. Then Rebekah asked (Gen. 24:65), “Who is this man who has come out to meet us?” Now let’s consider this story in relationship to us, Christ’s Bride. After Christ ascended into the clouds (Acts 1:11), He has gone to prepare a place for us. In John 14:3, Christ states, “And if I go and prepare a place for you [which He has], I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” The Holy Spirit has been sent out to gather Christ’s Bride, and when the fullness of the Gentiles have come in (Roman 11:25 states that blindness has been put on Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles have come in), then Christ will come to meet His Bride (the Church) in the clouds (Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thess. 4:15 and 1 Cor. 15:51). Just as the Spirit brought Isaac a bride, so will the Spirit provide us as a Bride for Christ.
In the book of Exodus, we have the Passover, which again represents the shedding of blood for salvation. God said in Exodus 12:12-13,
For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now 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 the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
According to Exodus 12:5, the lamb was to be without blemish, just as Christ was our Passover Lamb without blemish. The book of
Exodus describes God and His attributes in the following manner:
1. God knows the condition of His people—their suffering in Egypt.
2. God comes down to deliver—leading the people out of bondage.
3. He redeems by blood—the Passover lamb.
4. He supplies all needs—the Great “I Am,” food, shelter, light, etc. in the wilderness.
5. God gives victory to His people—over Pharaoh and over the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8-16).
6. God reveals His character—forgiving and loving (Ex. 34:6-7, the making of the new tablets)
7. He dwells among His people—Exodus 13:21, “The Lord went before them...in a pillar of cloud” and Exodus 40:34, “The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”
Now let’s parallel these with the attributes of Christ in the New Testament:
1. Christ knew His people—John 1:14 states, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” So we know God came down in human form and became flesh, like His people, so therefore He knew His people.
2. Christ came down to deliver—1 Thessalonians 1:10, “His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
3. He was our Passover Lamb—1 Corinthians 5:7, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” and Hebrews 9:22, “According to the law...without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
4. Christ supplies our needs—John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger,” and He was the rock in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:4, Ex. 17:6-7).
5. Christ gives victory to His people—Christ at the cross and 1 Corinthians 15:57, “Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
6. Christ reveals His character—Jesus went into the city healing every sickness and disease, and when He saw the multitudes He had compassion (Matt. 9:35-36).
7. Christ left us His Spirit to dwell in our hearts—John 14:17, “He dwells with you,” and 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you.”
So as we can see, the God of the Old Testament as being manifested in Christ. 1 Timothy 3:16 states, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” In the book of Numbers (chapter 21:4-9), we read that the people sinned against God and God sent fiery serpents among the people and killed many. Once the people admitted and confessed their sins then God said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent (for bronze represents judgment) and raised it up on a pole. It came to pass that all that looked upon the bronze serpent were saved. As we read the text, we then notice that first the people had to confess their sins and once they did, God gave them a way of redemption. It is interesting that Jesus states, in John 3:14-15, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
As we get into the book of Joshua, first we notice that the name Joshua means “salvation”; hence the name means “Jesus.” It is interesting to note that Moses represents the Mosaic law, yet never entered into the promised land, whereas Joshua (salvation) led the people in. In other words, what the law could not do, Christ could.
Now let’s meditate on what the book of Joshua is really about. A very interesting thing happens in chapter 5:13-15. It is here that Joshua meets an angel who identifies Himself as the Captain of the Lord’s host. First of all, we wonder. where is Michael? After all, Michael is the warrior and Gabriel is the messenger. Then we read that Joshua fell to the ground and began to worship, saying “What does my Lord say to His servant?” So from the text we have some interesting problems: first, this Captain is allowing Himself to be worshipped (for we know that angels do not allow themselves to be worshipped, Rev. 19:10); and secondly, Joshua calls Him “Lord,” yet there is no dispute from the Captain about His Lordship. Lastly, we have the Captain ordering Joshua to take off his sandals for he’s on holy ground (sounds like the burning bush, Ex. 3:5). Now we can see from the text, that this is an appearance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
1. Christ knew His people—John 1:14 states, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” So we know God came down in human form and became flesh, like His people, so therefore He knew His people.
2. Christ came down to deliver—1 Thessalonians 1:10, “His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
3. He was our Passover Lamb—1 Corinthians 5:7, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” and Hebrews 9:22, “According to the law...without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
4. Christ supplies our needs—John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger,” and He was the rock in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:4, Ex. 17:6-7).
5. Christ gives victory to His people—Christ at the cross and 1 Corinthians 15:57, “Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
6. Christ reveals His character—Jesus went into the city healing every sickness and disease, and when He saw the multitudes He had compassion (Matt. 9:35-36).
7. Christ left us His Spirit to dwell in our hearts—John 14:17, “He dwells with you,” and 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you.”
So as we can see, the God of the Old Testament as being manifested in Christ. 1 Timothy 3:16 states, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” In the book of Numbers (chapter 21:4-9), we read that the people sinned against God and God sent fiery serpents among the people and killed many. Once the people admitted and confessed their sins then God said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent (for bronze represents judgment) and raised it up on a pole. It came to pass that all that looked upon the bronze serpent were saved. As we read the text, we then notice that first the people had to confess their sins and once they did, God gave them a way of redemption. It is interesting that Jesus states, in John 3:14-15, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
As we get into the book of Joshua, first we notice that the name Joshua means “salvation”; hence the name means “Jesus.” It is interesting to note that Moses represents the Mosaic law, yet never entered into the promised land, whereas Joshua (salvation) led the people in. In other words, what the law could not do, Christ could.
Now let’s meditate on what the book of Joshua is really about. A very interesting thing happens in chapter 5:13-15. It is here that Joshua meets an angel who identifies Himself as the Captain of the Lord’s host. First of all, we wonder. where is Michael? After all, Michael is the warrior and Gabriel is the messenger. Then we read that Joshua fell to the ground and began to worship, saying “What does my Lord say to His servant?” So from the text we have some interesting problems: first, this Captain is allowing Himself to be worshipped (for we know that angels do not allow themselves to be worshipped, Rev. 19:10); and secondly, Joshua calls Him “Lord,” yet there is no dispute from the Captain about His Lordship. Lastly, we have the Captain ordering Joshua to take off his sandals for he’s on holy ground (sounds like the burning bush, Ex. 3:5). Now we can see from the text, that this is an appearance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Taking a closer look at the battle of Jericho, we encounter some other strange issues. Joshua was instructed to march around the walls in silence for seven days and on the seventh day when the priests blew their horns, the walls would fall down. The interesting thing is, we have two laws that were being broken. The law says that the priests could not go to war and also that the Ark of the Covenant must not go to war. Keeping this in mind, may I suggest that Jesus Christ fought the battle of Jericho! I am always fascinated on how the Holy Spirit sublimely reveals Christ throughout the Old Testament Scriptures.
In the book of Ruth, we have this beautiful love story of how Boaz (a Jew) becomes the kinsman-redeemer to Ruth (a Gentile). Looking closely at this story, we have Ruth, a Moabite woman who comes out of a pagan culture to live among the Jews in Bethlehem. What we have to keep in mind is that in those days, Ruth would have been looked upon by the Jews as an outcast (an unclean Gentile). Ruth is sent out to the fields to glean (gleaning refers to picking the scraps of the harvest off the ground) where she catches the eye of Boaz, the owner of the field, and Boaz found favor with Ruth. From the text we read that Boaz is an influential person, a landowner who also sat at the city gate, which meant he was an authority figure in the city. We then read that Boaz is related to Ruth through Elmelech (who was married to Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi). Boaz then has a chance to redeem Elmelech’s land and take Ruth as his bride. Here we have a case of a Jew taking a Gentile bride, just as Jesus Christ will return and take his bride (the Church) and redeem the land (Earth). What is also very interesting in this story is that through this marriage came the line of Christ, beginning with Ruth and Boaz’s son Obed (Ruth 4:13, “The Lord gave her conception and she bore a son”), who begat Jesse, who begat David. The text also tells us that Boaz is a descendent of Perez, who, if you recall, was the son of Judah. This brings us to another interesting story that lies in the conception of Perez. Perez’s mother was Tamar, who was the daughter-in-law of Judah. What makes this story interesting is that when Judah slept with Tamar, he thought she was a prostitute (Gen. 38:16) and did not realize that Tamar was his daughter-in-law. It is amazing stories like these that gives us strength and bring hope when we read Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Taking a glance at the book of Psalms, we have Psalm 22, which quotes the cross in the text of Jesus Himself.
I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. (Ps. 22:14-18).
Please note that this was written nearly 2,000 years before crucifixion was invented. Also let’s not overlook that the opening and closing verses in Psalm 22 are also the opening and closing words of our Lord on the cross:
Psalm 22:1, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:46, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Psalm 22:31, “They will come and declare His righteousness...That He has done this” (in the Hebrew the root word is Asah, which means to fulfill or accomplish).
John 19:30, “It is finished” (the Greek root word is tel-eh’o, which means to complete or accomplish).
In the book of Ruth, we have this beautiful love story of how Boaz (a Jew) becomes the kinsman-redeemer to Ruth (a Gentile). Looking closely at this story, we have Ruth, a Moabite woman who comes out of a pagan culture to live among the Jews in Bethlehem. What we have to keep in mind is that in those days, Ruth would have been looked upon by the Jews as an outcast (an unclean Gentile). Ruth is sent out to the fields to glean (gleaning refers to picking the scraps of the harvest off the ground) where she catches the eye of Boaz, the owner of the field, and Boaz found favor with Ruth. From the text we read that Boaz is an influential person, a landowner who also sat at the city gate, which meant he was an authority figure in the city. We then read that Boaz is related to Ruth through Elmelech (who was married to Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi). Boaz then has a chance to redeem Elmelech’s land and take Ruth as his bride. Here we have a case of a Jew taking a Gentile bride, just as Jesus Christ will return and take his bride (the Church) and redeem the land (Earth). What is also very interesting in this story is that through this marriage came the line of Christ, beginning with Ruth and Boaz’s son Obed (Ruth 4:13, “The Lord gave her conception and she bore a son”), who begat Jesse, who begat David. The text also tells us that Boaz is a descendent of Perez, who, if you recall, was the son of Judah. This brings us to another interesting story that lies in the conception of Perez. Perez’s mother was Tamar, who was the daughter-in-law of Judah. What makes this story interesting is that when Judah slept with Tamar, he thought she was a prostitute (Gen. 38:16) and did not realize that Tamar was his daughter-in-law. It is amazing stories like these that gives us strength and bring hope when we read Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Taking a glance at the book of Psalms, we have Psalm 22, which quotes the cross in the text of Jesus Himself.
I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. (Ps. 22:14-18).
Please note that this was written nearly 2,000 years before crucifixion was invented. Also let’s not overlook that the opening and closing verses in Psalm 22 are also the opening and closing words of our Lord on the cross:
Psalm 22:1, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:46, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Psalm 22:31, “They will come and declare His righteousness...That He has done this” (in the Hebrew the root word is Asah, which means to fulfill or accomplish).
John 19:30, “It is finished” (the Greek root word is tel-eh’o, which means to complete or accomplish).
In the book of Proverbs, we have Proverb 30:4, which speaks of the Father and the Son, “Who has ascended into Heaven or descended?...Who has established all...the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?” As we get into the books of the major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, we find more than 100 mentions of Jesus Christ. In Isaiah, we get these precious gems:
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [meaning “God is with us”] (Isa. 7:14).
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).
Now, I would like to take a look at Luke 4:16-30, and to set the stage, I believe a quick overview is in order. We find Jesus walking into the synagogue, and as His custom was, He stood up to read. He was handed the book of Isaiah, and when He opened the book, He found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19, quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2).
He then closed the book and said “Today this Scripture is fulfilled.” Wow, what a statement! May I suggest that we take a moment and meditate on what Christ just said? “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,” “He has anointed Me,” “He has sent Me” and “Today this Scripture is fulfilled.” Now we can see why, in verse 28, all those who were in the synagogue were filled with wrath and they rose to kill him, for Christ was proclaiming blasphemy in the eyes of the Jews.
Now when we parallel what is written in Luke with what is written in Isaiah, we notice that Christ put a period where there is actually a comma. What Christ did not read was, “And the day of vengeance of our God.” For the day of vengeance (or wrath) has not happened as of yet. Moving into the book of Daniel, we find the prophecies of the first and second comings of Christ. Please note that when Christ says that no man knows the day nor the hour when the Son of Man is coming (Matt. 25:13), this is referring to the rapture of the Church (1 Thess. 4:17), whereas in the second coming, Christ comes with His Church (Rev. 19:14).
Now let’s elaborate on this. In Daniel 9:25, we are told, “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.” In the Hebrew, this word is sheb-oo-aw’, which refers to seven years or sixty-nine seven-year periods; thus we get sixty-nine times seven, which equals 483 years. And now we can times that by the number of days in a year: 483 times 360 days (ancient and religious calendars had 360 days to a year) and we get 173,880 days until the Messiah would come. In Nehemiah 2:1-8, we read that King Artaxerxes granted Nehemiah’s wish to rebuild Jerusalem, “And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of the King.” (History authenticates that this was on March, 14, 445 BC.) So if we consider counting 173,880 days from March 14, 445 BC, we would get April 6, 32 AD, (for an exact breakdown of years and leap years, read Sir Robert Anderson’s book, The Coming Prince), which would have been the exact day that Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9, “Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey.”
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [meaning “God is with us”] (Isa. 7:14).
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).
Now, I would like to take a look at Luke 4:16-30, and to set the stage, I believe a quick overview is in order. We find Jesus walking into the synagogue, and as His custom was, He stood up to read. He was handed the book of Isaiah, and when He opened the book, He found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19, quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2).
He then closed the book and said “Today this Scripture is fulfilled.” Wow, what a statement! May I suggest that we take a moment and meditate on what Christ just said? “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,” “He has anointed Me,” “He has sent Me” and “Today this Scripture is fulfilled.” Now we can see why, in verse 28, all those who were in the synagogue were filled with wrath and they rose to kill him, for Christ was proclaiming blasphemy in the eyes of the Jews.
Now when we parallel what is written in Luke with what is written in Isaiah, we notice that Christ put a period where there is actually a comma. What Christ did not read was, “And the day of vengeance of our God.” For the day of vengeance (or wrath) has not happened as of yet. Moving into the book of Daniel, we find the prophecies of the first and second comings of Christ. Please note that when Christ says that no man knows the day nor the hour when the Son of Man is coming (Matt. 25:13), this is referring to the rapture of the Church (1 Thess. 4:17), whereas in the second coming, Christ comes with His Church (Rev. 19:14).
Now let’s elaborate on this. In Daniel 9:25, we are told, “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.” In the Hebrew, this word is sheb-oo-aw’, which refers to seven years or sixty-nine seven-year periods; thus we get sixty-nine times seven, which equals 483 years. And now we can times that by the number of days in a year: 483 times 360 days (ancient and religious calendars had 360 days to a year) and we get 173,880 days until the Messiah would come. In Nehemiah 2:1-8, we read that King Artaxerxes granted Nehemiah’s wish to rebuild Jerusalem, “And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of the King.” (History authenticates that this was on March, 14, 445 BC.) So if we consider counting 173,880 days from March 14, 445 BC, we would get April 6, 32 AD, (for an exact breakdown of years and leap years, read Sir Robert Anderson’s book, The Coming Prince), which would have been the exact day that Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9, “Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey.”
Keeping this in mind, we can then see why Christ wept in Luke 19:41. As He drew near, He wept and said, “Oh Jerusalem, if only you would have known, for this is your day.” Christ was weeping because if the Jews would have known their scripture, they would have realized that this was their day. Then Christ goes on to say, “But now these things will be hidden from you,” and Romans 11:25 states, “Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” In other words, blindness will continue to be upon Israel until Christ comes to receive His Bride (the rapture of the Church).
Now let’s take a look at His second coming. In Daniel 12:11, we read,
“And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
Again, this prophetic book of Daniel has given us insight into the future. Since we are on the subject of end times, let’s do a brief synopsis of the events to come.
1. The rapture of the Church: (1 Thess. 4:16-17) “For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven...the dead in Christ will rise first and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up [this word in Greek is har-pad’-zo, which means to be snatched away or taken by force]...to...be with the Lord.”
2. The revealing of the Antichrist/World Leader: (2 Thess. 2:1-7) The Lawless one is already at work, yet once the hindering force (the Church) is removed, then he will be revealed.
3. Confirmation of a peace treaty with Israel and rebuilding of the temple: (Dan. 9:27) “He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week [i.e., seven years]...in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice.” (Note that there has to be a temple in order to have sacrifices.)
4. The abomination of desolation: (Matt. 24:15) “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand).”
5. The wrath of the Lamb, the Great Tribulation: (Mark 13:19-23) “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.”
6. Armageddon: (Rev. 16:14-16) The kings of the world gather for battle at a place in Hebrew called Armageddon.
7. The return of Christ with His Church: (Rev. 19:11-15) “Behold, a white horse...and the armies in Heaven...followed Him.”
8. The millennium reign: (Rev. 20:4) “They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
9. The final judgment: (Rev. 20:12-13) The dead, small and great stood before God, and they were judged according to their works.
10. The new heaven and the new Jerusalem: (Rev. 21:1-2) “I saw a new heaven and a new earth...the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven.”
Getting back to the importance of the Greek translation, the Septuagint is the Hebrew Old Testament that was translated to Greek between 285 and 275 BC (the project was sponsored by Ptolemy II Philadelphus). As stated in early texts, Alexander the Great enforced Greek as the national language, therefore in order for the Jews to read their own Bible, they needed to have it translated into a common language. Thus, history proves that these books were written at least 300 years before Christ. Therefore when we read all of these prophecies in Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Psalms and Genesis, we are amazed at how accurate the scriptures really are.
Take a look now at what are known as the Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Zechariah, etc. We read in Micah 5:2 about the One to rule Israel, whose going forth is of the old, who will come from out of Bethlehem. Zechariah 11:12-13 predicts Judas’ betrayal (found in Matt. 26:15 and Matt. 27:4-7) “So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver...and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.” Zechariah 12:10 declares the mourning of the pierced One, stating, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.” The book of Malachi (3:1-2) declares the coming Prince, “Behold He is coming, says the LORD of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?” (This is referring to the second coming of Christ).
Now let’s take a look at His second coming. In Daniel 12:11, we read,
“And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
Again, this prophetic book of Daniel has given us insight into the future. Since we are on the subject of end times, let’s do a brief synopsis of the events to come.
1. The rapture of the Church: (1 Thess. 4:16-17) “For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven...the dead in Christ will rise first and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up [this word in Greek is har-pad’-zo, which means to be snatched away or taken by force]...to...be with the Lord.”
2. The revealing of the Antichrist/World Leader: (2 Thess. 2:1-7) The Lawless one is already at work, yet once the hindering force (the Church) is removed, then he will be revealed.
3. Confirmation of a peace treaty with Israel and rebuilding of the temple: (Dan. 9:27) “He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week [i.e., seven years]...in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice.” (Note that there has to be a temple in order to have sacrifices.)
4. The abomination of desolation: (Matt. 24:15) “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand).”
5. The wrath of the Lamb, the Great Tribulation: (Mark 13:19-23) “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.”
6. Armageddon: (Rev. 16:14-16) The kings of the world gather for battle at a place in Hebrew called Armageddon.
7. The return of Christ with His Church: (Rev. 19:11-15) “Behold, a white horse...and the armies in Heaven...followed Him.”
8. The millennium reign: (Rev. 20:4) “They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
9. The final judgment: (Rev. 20:12-13) The dead, small and great stood before God, and they were judged according to their works.
10. The new heaven and the new Jerusalem: (Rev. 21:1-2) “I saw a new heaven and a new earth...the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven.”
Getting back to the importance of the Greek translation, the Septuagint is the Hebrew Old Testament that was translated to Greek between 285 and 275 BC (the project was sponsored by Ptolemy II Philadelphus). As stated in early texts, Alexander the Great enforced Greek as the national language, therefore in order for the Jews to read their own Bible, they needed to have it translated into a common language. Thus, history proves that these books were written at least 300 years before Christ. Therefore when we read all of these prophecies in Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Psalms and Genesis, we are amazed at how accurate the scriptures really are.
Take a look now at what are known as the Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Zechariah, etc. We read in Micah 5:2 about the One to rule Israel, whose going forth is of the old, who will come from out of Bethlehem. Zechariah 11:12-13 predicts Judas’ betrayal (found in Matt. 26:15 and Matt. 27:4-7) “So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver...and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.” Zechariah 12:10 declares the mourning of the pierced One, stating, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.” The book of Malachi (3:1-2) declares the coming Prince, “Behold He is coming, says the LORD of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?” (This is referring to the second coming of Christ).
Now let’s dig a little deeper into scripture. In Genesis 5, we find a complete chapter dedicated to a genealogy of ten men, from Adam to Noah. Although this might not excite many, it just happens to be one of the most interesting chapters in the Bible. As we have discovered throughout scripture, the Holy Spirit has been revealing His design and handprints. Let’s take a look at the genealogy in Genesis chapter five, looking at what the names mean. In Genesis 5:1-2, we are told that God created man and named him Adam, therefore Adam means “man.” Then we read that Adam had a son named Seth. Genesis 4:25 tells us, “And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, ‘For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.’” So Seth means “appointed.” Seth begat Enosh (which comes from the root word anash), and Enosh means “mortal.” Enosh begat Kenan (please note, in your English Bible the name is translated as Cainen, butt in the Hebrew Torah the name is Kenan), and Kenan means “sorrow.” Kenan begat Mahalalel, and Mahalalel means “the blessed God.” Remember that the El in the name meant God; for instance Daniel meant “God is my judge,” Nathanael meant “gift of God,” etc.
Mahahalel begat Jarad, and Jarad, which comes from the root word yaradh, means “shall come down.” Jarad begat Enoch, and Enoch means “teaching” (the root word for Enoch is chanok, which means “to train up or teach”). Enoch begat Methuselah, which come from two root words: muth, which means “death” and shalach, which means “shall bring.” Therefore Methuselah signifies “his death shall bring.” This is extremely interesting because when Methuselah died, the flood came( which was in Noah’s six hundredth year). Methuselah begat Lamech; Lamech comes from the root word lament or lamentation. Lamech means “despairing.” Lamech begat Noah, which comes from the root word nacham, which means “to bring relief.” Noah means “comfort.”
Putting this all together we have the Gospel of Christ:
1. Adam 1. Man
2. Seth 2. appointed
3. Enosh 3. mortal
4. Kenan 4. sorrow but
5. Mahalalel 5. the blessed God
6. Jarad 6. shall come down
7. Enoch 7. teaching His
8. Methuselah 8. death shall bring the
9. Lamech 9. despairing
10. Noah 10. Comfort
So as we have discovered, God’s plan of redemption has been spelled out within the text of the venerated Torah! Wow, it is amazing how the Holy Spirit reveals and confirms the Lord’s message.
In Genesis 8:4, we read, “Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.” Interesting, we say, but why do we need to know that? Well let’s do some research and find out what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us. We then discover that there were two calendars; the first calendar was the civil calendar, which existed prior to Exodus 12:2, which states “This month shall be your beginning of months.” This then established the second calendar, the religious calendar. So the month of Abib (better known as Nisin), was the seventh month of the civil calendar, which God ordained as the first month of the religious calendar (this is the equivalent of March or April), and was the Passover.
As we do our homework, we then learn that the Passover is on the fourteenth of Nisin (Exodus 12:6, Joshua 5:10). We also know that Christ was crucified on the eve of the Passover (John 19:14), “Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover.” In John 19:31, we read that the bodies needed to be taken down from the crosses because of Passover. So gathering this information, we can conclude that since Christ was crucified on the fourteenth of Nisin, He was resurrected three days later on the seventeenth of Nisin. May I then suggest that the flood of Noah represented a new beginning for Noah’s generation and nearly 3,500 years later on the same day, Christ became our new beginning for all eternity.
Mahahalel begat Jarad, and Jarad, which comes from the root word yaradh, means “shall come down.” Jarad begat Enoch, and Enoch means “teaching” (the root word for Enoch is chanok, which means “to train up or teach”). Enoch begat Methuselah, which come from two root words: muth, which means “death” and shalach, which means “shall bring.” Therefore Methuselah signifies “his death shall bring.” This is extremely interesting because when Methuselah died, the flood came( which was in Noah’s six hundredth year). Methuselah begat Lamech; Lamech comes from the root word lament or lamentation. Lamech means “despairing.” Lamech begat Noah, which comes from the root word nacham, which means “to bring relief.” Noah means “comfort.”
Putting this all together we have the Gospel of Christ:
1. Adam 1. Man
2. Seth 2. appointed
3. Enosh 3. mortal
4. Kenan 4. sorrow but
5. Mahalalel 5. the blessed God
6. Jarad 6. shall come down
7. Enoch 7. teaching His
8. Methuselah 8. death shall bring the
9. Lamech 9. despairing
10. Noah 10. Comfort
So as we have discovered, God’s plan of redemption has been spelled out within the text of the venerated Torah! Wow, it is amazing how the Holy Spirit reveals and confirms the Lord’s message.
In Genesis 8:4, we read, “Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.” Interesting, we say, but why do we need to know that? Well let’s do some research and find out what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us. We then discover that there were two calendars; the first calendar was the civil calendar, which existed prior to Exodus 12:2, which states “This month shall be your beginning of months.” This then established the second calendar, the religious calendar. So the month of Abib (better known as Nisin), was the seventh month of the civil calendar, which God ordained as the first month of the religious calendar (this is the equivalent of March or April), and was the Passover.
As we do our homework, we then learn that the Passover is on the fourteenth of Nisin (Exodus 12:6, Joshua 5:10). We also know that Christ was crucified on the eve of the Passover (John 19:14), “Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover.” In John 19:31, we read that the bodies needed to be taken down from the crosses because of Passover. So gathering this information, we can conclude that since Christ was crucified on the fourteenth of Nisin, He was resurrected three days later on the seventeenth of Nisin. May I then suggest that the flood of Noah represented a new beginning for Noah’s generation and nearly 3,500 years later on the same day, Christ became our new beginning for all eternity.
In the book of Numbers, we also have an intriguing piece of text. In Numbers 2:2, Moses and Aaron are told, “Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house.” (A standard was a measure of uniformity.) We then read in Numbers 2:3-34 how the tribes of Israel were to camp, to the east the house of Judah, to the south the house of Reuben, to the west the house of Ephraim, and to the north the house of Dan. We are then told that the tabernacle shall be in the middle of the camp, and that the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle. We know from the text that they were to camp in quadrants(a standard) and be able to march in order. As we then go through the text, we are given the numbers of each tribe as they were camped:
East: Judah 186,400
West: Ephraim 108,100
South: Reuben 151,400
North: Dan 157,600
Keeping this in mind, may I suggest that if you were looking down from on top of a mountain or overhead at the camp of the children of Israel, you would see a cross, with the ark of the covenant in the middle!
Again, I find it simply amazing how the Holy Spirit has put His handprint throughout the Bible, showing us its design and structure, and has proven to us that this book was created outside of our time domain. As believers in Christ, we have the presence of His Holy Spirit residing in our hearts, our own personal testimonies reveal His presence in our lives, and the power of His Word just confirms what an awesome God He is.
The gospel of Christ is simple and is best described in 1 Corinthians 15:3-10, where Paul states, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [remember that Paul is quoting the Old Testament scriptures]...He was buried, and...rose again on the third day,” He was seen among many and was taken up into heaven. Paul then goes on to say, “For I...am not worthy to be called...But by the grace of God I am what I am.” Yes, the simplicity of the gospel: believe in Him and you will be saved. But to believe in Him, you must follow Him. So I ask you, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Does He reside in your heart? In Revelation 3:20, Christ says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Have you ever noticed who Christ was talking to? He was talking to the Church; yet there were people in the Church that were not of the Church.
Jesus wants to have an intimate relationship with you, and you need to let Him. Christ says, “You are either for Me or against Me,” and He then added to that statement and said,
Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matt. 10:32-33).
To accept Christ into your life, you need to admit that you are a sinner, confess your sins, acknowledge that He shed His blood for you and proclaim that He is the Lord of your life. May the peace, grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
In Christ,
Psalms for the World Ministries
East: Judah 186,400
West: Ephraim 108,100
South: Reuben 151,400
North: Dan 157,600
Keeping this in mind, may I suggest that if you were looking down from on top of a mountain or overhead at the camp of the children of Israel, you would see a cross, with the ark of the covenant in the middle!
Again, I find it simply amazing how the Holy Spirit has put His handprint throughout the Bible, showing us its design and structure, and has proven to us that this book was created outside of our time domain. As believers in Christ, we have the presence of His Holy Spirit residing in our hearts, our own personal testimonies reveal His presence in our lives, and the power of His Word just confirms what an awesome God He is.
The gospel of Christ is simple and is best described in 1 Corinthians 15:3-10, where Paul states, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [remember that Paul is quoting the Old Testament scriptures]...He was buried, and...rose again on the third day,” He was seen among many and was taken up into heaven. Paul then goes on to say, “For I...am not worthy to be called...But by the grace of God I am what I am.” Yes, the simplicity of the gospel: believe in Him and you will be saved. But to believe in Him, you must follow Him. So I ask you, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Does He reside in your heart? In Revelation 3:20, Christ says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Have you ever noticed who Christ was talking to? He was talking to the Church; yet there were people in the Church that were not of the Church.
Jesus wants to have an intimate relationship with you, and you need to let Him. Christ says, “You are either for Me or against Me,” and He then added to that statement and said,
Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matt. 10:32-33).
To accept Christ into your life, you need to admit that you are a sinner, confess your sins, acknowledge that He shed His blood for you and proclaim that He is the Lord of your life. May the peace, grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
In Christ,
Psalms for the World Ministries
Bibliography
The Coming Prince, Sir Robert Anderson, Reprint, 1957, Kregel Pub. P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501 (ISBN 0-8254-2115-2).
The Search for Messiah, Doctor Mark Eastman M.D. and Pastor Chuck Smith, Copyright 1996, Word for Today & Joy Publishing, P.O. Box 9901, F.V., CA 92708 (ISBN 0-936728-50-7).
The Interlinear Bible (Hebrew-Greek-English), Jay P. Green, Sr. Copyright 1996, Sovereign Grace Pub., Lafayette, IN 47903 (ISBN 1-878442-82-1).
A Walk Through the Bible, Chuck Missler, Copyright 1994, Koinonia House, P.O. Box D. Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816 (ISBN 1-880532-60-3).
Pulpit Legends–A Bible Survey (Gen.-Rev.), G. Campbell Morgan, Copyright 1993, AMG Pub., Chattanooga, TN 37422 (ISBN 0-899572-02-2).
The Gospel in the Stars, Joseph A. Seiss, Copyright 1972, Kregel Pub., P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501 (ISBN 0-825437-55-5).
Smiths Bible Dictionary, Sir William Smith, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN (ISBN 0-840755-42-2).
Pulpit Legends–Christ in the Old Testament, Charles H. Spurgeon, Copyright 1994, AMG Pub., Chattanooga, TN 37422 (ISBN 0-899572-02-2).
Stone Edition of the Tanach, Irving I. Stone, Copyright 1996, Mesorah Pub., 4401 2nd Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., 11232 (ISBN 0-899062-69-5).
Strongs Exhaustive Concordance, James Strong, copyright 1990, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN (ISBN 0-840767-50-1).
Every Prophecy of the Bible, John F. Wavoord, Copyright 1990, Chariot Victor Pub., 4050 Lee Vance View, Colorado Springs, CO 80918 (ISBN 1-564767-58-2).
The Bible Jesus Read, Philip Vancey, Copyright 1999, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 49530 (ISBN 0-310229-82-0).
The Coming Prince, Sir Robert Anderson, Reprint, 1957, Kregel Pub. P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501 (ISBN 0-8254-2115-2).
The Search for Messiah, Doctor Mark Eastman M.D. and Pastor Chuck Smith, Copyright 1996, Word for Today & Joy Publishing, P.O. Box 9901, F.V., CA 92708 (ISBN 0-936728-50-7).
The Interlinear Bible (Hebrew-Greek-English), Jay P. Green, Sr. Copyright 1996, Sovereign Grace Pub., Lafayette, IN 47903 (ISBN 1-878442-82-1).
A Walk Through the Bible, Chuck Missler, Copyright 1994, Koinonia House, P.O. Box D. Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816 (ISBN 1-880532-60-3).
Pulpit Legends–A Bible Survey (Gen.-Rev.), G. Campbell Morgan, Copyright 1993, AMG Pub., Chattanooga, TN 37422 (ISBN 0-899572-02-2).
The Gospel in the Stars, Joseph A. Seiss, Copyright 1972, Kregel Pub., P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501 (ISBN 0-825437-55-5).
Smiths Bible Dictionary, Sir William Smith, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN (ISBN 0-840755-42-2).
Pulpit Legends–Christ in the Old Testament, Charles H. Spurgeon, Copyright 1994, AMG Pub., Chattanooga, TN 37422 (ISBN 0-899572-02-2).
Stone Edition of the Tanach, Irving I. Stone, Copyright 1996, Mesorah Pub., 4401 2nd Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., 11232 (ISBN 0-899062-69-5).
Strongs Exhaustive Concordance, James Strong, copyright 1990, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN (ISBN 0-840767-50-1).
Every Prophecy of the Bible, John F. Wavoord, Copyright 1990, Chariot Victor Pub., 4050 Lee Vance View, Colorado Springs, CO 80918 (ISBN 1-564767-58-2).
The Bible Jesus Read, Philip Vancey, Copyright 1999, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 49530 (ISBN 0-310229-82-0).