The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament

In April 2007, President M. Russell Ballard affirmed, “The first testament of Christ is the Bible’s Old Testament, which predicted and prophesied of the coming of the Savior, His transcendent life, and His liberating Atonement.” President Ballard then identified the second and third testaments of Jesus Christ: “The second Bible testament of Christ is the New Testament. . . . The third testament of Christ is the Book of Mormon. Those who think that one part is more important or more true than the other parts are missing some of the beauty and completeness of the canon of ancient scripture.” President Ballard’s words—“Those who think that one part is more important or more true than the other parts”—remind us that all three testaments are of great import, especially for those who have considered that one or two of the testaments are sufficient.

The objective of this present volume is to demonstrate the numerous and meaningful ways the Old Testament prevails as the First Testament of Jesus Christ. In point of fact, the Old Testament is a quintessential witness of Jesus Christ! It presents numerous prophecies of Jesus Christ’s first and second comings, scores of names and titles of the Lord, and several straightforward statements that the Lord is our Savior, Redeemer, and Atoner. Furthermore, the Old Testament submits hundreds of symbols, types, and shadows that reveal Jesus Christ and His divine mission. The law of Moses, with its host of commands, ordinances, and regulations, serves to disclose the coming of the Messiah, who is none other than Jesus of Nazareth—to be sure, every whit of the law points to Jesus Christ. During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ cited a multitude of Old Testament passages, applying them to Himself in one way or another.

A simple glance at the Table of Contents of this book demonstrates that there are multiple categories and topics that clearly manifest Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Some topics are straightforward expressions regarding Jesus Christ as our Lord and God; others may be a little more difficult to comprehend and require serious study by students of the scriptures. But God intended that we comprehend all scripture so that we may learn of Him and of His Son, Jesus Christ.