The Word of God is about the coming revelation of Jesus Christ and it was written over a period of 1500 years (1400 BC – 100 AD). The Old Testament is Jesus Christ prophesied and the New Testament is Jesus Christ fulfilled. People naturally focus on the New Testament as they should because the first four books of the New Testament are the four gospels of Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), through which God brings “good news” to man by gifting salvation unto eternal life to those who believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for the forgiveness their sins. It’s true we don’t need to know the Old Testament in order to be saved. Salvation is through faith in Jesus. But God gave us the Old Testament for a reason. God wanted us to know the history of man from creation to the end of time and God also wanted us to know his salvation plan for man. Without the Old Testament we lose critical background information every believer needs to know in order to live the abundant life God has planned for us. Without the Old Testament we only know half of the greatest story ever told.
Genesis 3:15 – (God speaking) – And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed (Jesus Christ); he shall bruise your head , and you shall bruise His heel (crucifixion).
Genesis 12:1-3 – Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
People tend to think that since we have the New Testament the Old Testament is now no longer valid. Nothing could be further from the truth. God’s truth never changes; it’s always constant for all eternity. God’s Word is our Holy Bible which contains the covenants of God and both testaments of God. The dictionary defines the word “testament” as a person’s will. God is a person and the Bible is a statement of God’s will so that man might know what our maker requires of us. God’s Word is his truth and his wisdom. God’s word is a living thing. What does that mean? Scripture makes it clear that an all-powerful God does as he pleases.
Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Isaiah 46:9-10 – Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.
If something is God’s will it’s a foregone conclusion it will happen exactly like God says it will. God is omnipotent and nobody can oppose him. God cannot lie and God is never wrong. What more do you need to know? God gave us the Bible in written form so we’d know his will; what has happened already and what will happen in the future. That makes the Bible God’s truth. That makes the Bible a living thing which will endure forever. God makes it clear in Hebrews 8:13, that the coming of Jesus Christ ended the Old Testament Abrahamic covenant under the law of Moses and established a new covenant through the blood of the Lamb; Jesus Christ our Lord and the Son of God. However, the coming of Jesus didn’t suddenly invalidate the entire Old Testament. On the contrary, one covenant of God simply became obsolete so God replaced it with a new and better covenant, for those living after the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:14 – To which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Gentile).
The Bible isn’t a novel with a bunch of made-up frivolous words. God speaks the truth plainly and he doesn’t waste words. God cannot lie and he speaks only the truth. Every single word and punctuation mark in the Bible is there for a reason. They are there so man might receive the knowledge, understanding and wisdom of God. Can you not see how special this gift of God is for us? Most people walk past their unopened Bibles every day like it’s merely a book; never taking the time to stop and fully comprehending that the Bible is the power of God unto salvation, for all eternity. The Bible is our owner’s manual and it has unimaginable spiritual power that God has graciously provided to us.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 – For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.
1 Corinthians 1:18 – For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Every word in the Bible has a purpose even though most of the time we might not know what that purpose is. The Old Testament is three times bigger than the New Testament and contains a wealth of information. If we don’t read the Old Testament and know it like the back of our hand we’re missing out on a lot of the knowledge that God wants us to know. I truly believe we can’t know God as we should without a working knowledge of the Old Testament because in it God reveals so much of his nature through his words and interactions with man. God wants us to know him personally and for that to happen we need to study the Old Testament.
Hebrews 8:13 – In that He (the Lord) says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete.
2 Samuel 7:16 – (God speaking to King David) – And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.
People think the Old and New Testaments aren’t connected together but that’s not true. Not only does the New Testament contain numerous references to the Old Testament, the Old Testament contains many prophecies that are fulfilled in the New Testament. The Bible contains over 1000 prophecies, over 500 of which have already been fulfilled and documented as fact in the New Testament. The Bible is one third prophecy, which weaves the Old and New Testaments together into one inseparable word of God.
In the book of Jeremiah, written around 580 BC, God goes to great lengths to explain the new covenant he will create with man through his son Jesus Christ. This is in Jeremiah 31:31-34, and it’s the longest Old Testament text quoted in the New Testament and it’s repeated verbatim in Hebrews 8:8-12 and 10:16-17. These two complimentary sets of verses firmly link both testaments into one Word of God for those who need further convincing. These verses from both the Old and New Testaments give us assurance that God will grant believers salvation, new hearts, and fellowship with God in heaven forevermore. What a wonderful promise from an awesome God!
Jeremiah 31:31-32 – Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
When God came down from heaven in the incarnation of Jesus Christ the Jews rejected their Messiah. In the above verses God is obviously referring to the last Day when Jesus will set foot on the Mount of Olives and save a Jewish remnant that will enter into the kingdom of God forever. The Lord does not change so the Jews will always be God’s chosen people even though they’ve rejected their Messiah for the last 2000 years. In the interim, Jews who don’t accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will go to hell just like all nonbelieving Gentiles who reject God’s saving grace. However, God in his love, mercy and grace will save a Jewish remnant on the last day because of his covenant promise to Abraham, which was then passed down to his direct descendants Isaac, Jacob, King David, and King Solomon.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 – But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.
In heaven both Jew and Gentile will be the same; equally children of God. Salvation was of the Jews and God graciously grafted the Gentiles onto the Jewish vine so we could receive the blessings of Abraham. Cherish the Jewish people because they’re our brothers and sisters and we owe our salvation to them through Abraham. When Jesus Christ ascended back to heaven he didn’t stop being a Jewish rabbi. That being the case, if you love the Lord how can not love the Jewish people?
Scripture makes it clear God will curse those who curse the Jews. I love the verses above because I used to worry about going to heaven and then being found unworthy to be up there because I sinned in some way. Relax, God’s got this. God is going to make it so we can’t sin once we get to heaven because God says we’ll know him intimately. God doesn’t make mistakes. If you find yourself in heaven it’s because you were meant to be there; you’ll always be there and you’ll never have to take a back seat to anyone. Continually give praise, honor and worship to the Lord of heaven and earth because he has made you, he loves you and he has saved you unto eternal life. All glory to God in heaven!
2 Corinthians 4:3 – But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.