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Monday, Jan 20, 2025 Pen Strokes

Jesus in all 66 books of the Bible

3
By on The Gospel
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:

“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!

 
 

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Ernest is a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband, and a father. He has been married to Waturi since September 2012. They have three children- Thandiwe, Ivanna, and Theo. He is also the author of four books. The Wamboyes are passionate to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly taught and understood in our post-modern world. They are champions of biblical discipleship and furthering the Kingdom of God by transforming one person at a time. They are the founders of The Relationship Centre Ltd (TRC), an organisation that aims to promote biblical family values in contemporary urban communities.

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