Jesus Christ, the Key to Unlocking All of Scripture

Jesus Christ, the Key to Unlocking All of Scripture

Since I began reading the Bible, I have been fascinated by the story of Jesus' encounter with two of his apostles on the road to Emmaus, a village close to Jerusalem, in one of his resurrection appearances.

The two men were despondent because Jesus, who had been crucified and buried just a few days before, had died without delivering Israel from its enemies. How could this have happened? He was supposed to be the promised Messiah.

Jesus began walking and conversing with them, and at first they didn’t recognize him. When he asked them what they were talking about, they were amazed that he seemed to be the only one in the area who hadn’t heard about this Jesus and the terrible fate that had befallen him.

The Gospel of Luke records that he then “said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:25-27).

It wasn’t until they were eating with him a little later that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and then “he vanished from their sight.”

“They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?’” (Luke 24:32).

This is a gripping story. Their hearts burned within them as he unveiled to them the Scriptures — i.e., the Old Testament, the only Bible Jesus had and read. The New Testament, obviously, had not yet been written. But why do you suppose they were so moved by his words?

Well, because they realized that they had just spoken with the living God, who gave them the best Bible lesson that would ever be given. He took them through the Old Testament and showed them how every bit of it pointed to him.

At once, they understood that he was the Messiah and that he had not failed in his mission after all. He turned their world upside down. How could they have worked closely with him and not seen what was right before their eyes? They were utterly blown away.

This story has special significance for me because it parallels my own spiritual journey. I found Jesus Christ mainly by way of the Old Testament.

Before that, my eyes were closed, too, but the many detailed and intricately fulfilled messianic prophecies in the Old Testament finally pierced through my spiritual fog and convinced me that the Bible is true and that Jesus Christ is Lord — fully God and fully man.

The more I studied the Old Testament the more I realized that it is abundantly Christ-centered — that he is on every page in one way or another. The entire Bible is about Jesus Christ and God’s plan of redemption for mankind through faith in his son.

Given my own Emmaus road epiphany, it frankly surprises me that so many Christians seem to have a dim view of the Old Testament. They are intimidated by its arcane names and places and the supposed differences between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament.

But God tells us in Scripture that he does not change, and he is quite clear that all Scripture — not just the New Testament — is divinely inspired.

There is no difference between the eternal, perfect and omnibenevolent God of the Old Testament and the one we worship today. And he sovereignly arranged that our Bible include the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament.

For years, I have wanted to write a book to share my enthusiasm for the Old Testament and explain how it is foundational to the New Testament as the first act of a two-act play. I have wanted to show the many ways Christ is foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

My new book, “The Emmaus Code: Finding Jesus in the Old Testament,” is the culmination of a project I began some 20 years ago. In the book, I try to demonstrate that the Christ-centeredness of the Old Testament is the key to understanding all of Scripture. The book is a primer on the Old Testament. I take you through each period of Old Testament history, introduce and discuss all the threads and themes pointing to Jesus in the Old Testament, and finally give you an overview of each book of the Old Testament and detail how each one prefigures Jesus Christ.

My goal is to increase the reader’s appreciation for the Old Testament and for its Christ-centeredness, for once we have a better handle on the Old Testament and understand that Jesus is its focus, the Bible will come alive for us in ways we never anticipated and our faith will be strengthened and energized. That is certainly my experience, and I pray the same thing happens for you.


David Limbaugh


Pro Deo et Constitutione – Libertas aut Mors
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Joseph F Barber-

http://josephfreedomoranarchy.blogspot.com/
https://freedomoranarchycampaignofconscience@facebook.com
https://plus.google.com/+JOSEPHBARBERforfreedom/posts

Truth Makes Men Free

Know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. -- John 8:32

Ignorance is enslaving. It makes men the slaves of fear. Truth kills fear. The light of scientific knowledge has swept the world clear of many of its superstitions-superstitions born or ignorance. And thus men have been freed from many of those superstitious fears which for long ages have enslaved the race.

The most cruel bondage is the bondage of sin. The most enslaving fear is that which is born of a guilty conscience. But it is the truth that God forgives sin and cleanses away its stain of guilt from the soul. When the sinner comes to know this truth, and through repentance and faith accepts it as applying to himself, he is set free from sin's bondage and guilty fears. No longer does he "flee when no man pursueth"; but in his new-found liberty he is "bold as a lion." He no longer has an accusing conscience dogging his every step, and making him afraid of every shadow that falls across his path. The truth of God's forgiveness has freed him from all such fear, and he is now able to face the world with the courage and boldness of a free and righteous man.

There are other fears that make slave - victims of men - the fear of sickness, the fear of death, the fear of poverty, the fear of calamity, the fear of misfortune and other possible evils. Why do men live in slavish fear of these things? It is because they do not know the truth about God and His loving care. They do not realize that they live in a friendly universe, created and controlled by a friendly God. If men knew and realized this truth, they would nevermore be afraid of any possible contingency of evil or disaster. If everybody knew God, nobody would be anxious or fearful about anything.

Thus we see how truth makes men free. Let us therefore seek to know the truth and live in the truth, that we may be delivered from the bondage of ignorance and be no more the slaves of fear.