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Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras

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Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras
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The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament

Donald W. Parry

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Contents

Introduction
Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s Mortal Ministry and Atonement
Symbols that Testify of Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ: Conquering Hero
Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras
The Lord Jesus Christ: Potter, Captain, Shepherd, and More
The Lord Jesus Christ Controls the Nations: Book of Judges Case Study
Old Testament Passages Cited by Jesus Christ
Messianic Prophecies in the Psalms
Psalm 22 and Its Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
Isaiah’s Prophecies of the Mortal Messiah
The Messiah in Isaiah 53: Four Recurring Themes
Names, Titles, and Metaphors of the Lord Jesus Christ
Lord (Jehovah): The Most Frequently Used [Content] Word in the Hebrew Bible
Equivalent Designations of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testaments
God: Compound Names
Lord: Compound Names
The Lord Is Our Savior
The Lord (Jehovah) Is Our Redeemer
The Lord Is Our Atoner
Jesus Christ Is the Messiah
Jesus Christ Is the Lord
One, Three, and Seven: Sacred and Symbolic Numbers
Seven and Sacred Time
Prophets and Prophetesses: The Lord’s Messengers
Eve: Life and Help: A Type of Christ
Adam: “The Figure of Him that Was to Come”
Melchizedek: Type of Christ
Isaac: Type and Shadow of Christ
Joseph of Egypt: Foreshadow of Christ
Moses: Type and Shadow of Jesus Christ
Elijah: Symbol of Jesus Christ
Job: Suffering Servant, A Type of Jesus Christ
Hosea’s Family: Symbols of the Lord for Ancient Israel
The Sign of Jonah: Pointing to Christ’s Death
Priests and High Priests: Foreshadowing Jesus Christ
The Lord Reveals Cycles of Sacred Time
Striking Blood on the Doorposts: The Passover Anticipates Jesus Christ
The Day of Atonement: Messianic Foreshadowing
“A Feast to the Lord”: Sacred and Secular Meals
Parallelisms: Teaching About the Lord Jesus Christ Through Poetry
Chiasmus: Unique Presentations of the Lord’s Word
The Psalms: Praises to the Lord Jesus Christ
Lord: Focused Prophetic Speech Forms
Prayers: Mortals Seeking the Lord’s Divine Favor
Worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ through Music and Song
Law of Moses: Anticipated Jesus Christ and His Atonement
Manna: Symbol of Jesus Christ
Symbols of Christ in the Tabernacle of Moses
Sacrifices Under the Law of Moses: Six Acts
Sacrifices: Symbols of Jesus’s Atoning Sacrifice
Diet Code: Unclean and Clean Animals
God Is a Holy Temple: Temples and Sacred Space
The Atonement-Focused Earthly and Heavenly Temples
Jesus’s Royal Ancestry: Rulers of the Kingdom of Judah
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Contents

Introduction
Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s Mortal Ministry and Atonement
Symbols that Testify of Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ: Conquering Hero
Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras
The Lord Jesus Christ: Potter, Captain, Shepherd, and More
1 2 … 10 Next »
Donald W. Parry, “Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras,” in The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament: Making Sense of a Monumental Book (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022), 13–16.

The Old Testament brings to light nine major historical eras. Significantly, the Lord —the premortal Jesus Christ—is the principal, prominent character in all nine eras! Joseph Smith taught, “It has been the design of Jehovah, from the commencement of the world, and is His purpose now, to regulate the affairs of the world in His own time.” Note the following three points:

1. The scriptural texts (Genesis through Malachi) for the nine eras reveal the Lord as God. In other words, the Lord is the God of Adam and Eve, the God of Abraham and Sarah, the God of the judges of Israel, the God of the kings of Judah and Israel and their subjects, the God of the prophets, and so forth. Nevertheless, not all of these individuals or peoples accepted the Lord or worshipped Him.

2. Almost all of the holy scriptural texts in the Old Testament feature the Lord; in fact, the word Lord is attested thousands of times throughout the Old Testament. It is the most prominent content word in the Old Testament.

3. These texts of the nine eras reveal much about the Lord’s divine qualities, character, and nature. The texts also set forth His supremacy, preeminence, and absolute power as He deals with individuals, communities, and nations.

This chart comprises three major parts:

1. The nine eras of the Old Testament, with a descriptive phrase for each era, beginning with the Patriarchal Period and concluding with the Persian Empire. The first four eras—Patriarchal Period, Exodus, Conquest of Canaan, and Judges—are not dated because, as mentioned in the introduction, accurate dating is unavailable.

2. Major characters, including prophets and prophetesses, kings and queens, and famous and infamous persons. Space limitations prevent a listing of all major characters from the Old Testament period, but a comprehensive list of biblical characters can be found in a “Who’s Who” of the Bible (see the “Additional Reading” section).

3. Old Testament books, presenting the biblical books that (a) contain data regarding the historical era, (b) contain data regarding the major characters of that historical era, or (c])were written during that historical era.

Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras

Era

Descriptive Phrase

Major Character(s)

Old Testament Book(s)

1

Patriarchal Period

Adam, Eve, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Joseph, Asenath

Genesis

2

Exodus and Wilderness

Moses, Zipporah, Miriam, Aaron

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

3

Conquest of Canaan

Joshua

Joshua

4

Judges

Deborah, Jael, Gideon, Samson, Delilah, Naomi, Ruth, Hannah, Samuel

Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel 1–7

5

United Kingdom

(1095–975 BC)

Saul, David, Abigail, Bathsheba, Solomon, Nathan, Gad

 

1 Samuel 8–31, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1–11, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, 1–2 Chronicles

6

Divided Kingdom

(930–586 BC)

(see also eras 7 and 8)

Rehoboam, Jeroboam I, other kings, Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Gomer, Isaiah, Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel, Elisha

1 Kings 12–22, 2 Kings, 1–2 Chronicles, Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah

7

Captivity of Northern Kingdom by Assyria; Judah’s History (722–586 BC)

Various kings, Isaiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Josiah, Huldah, Jeremiah

1–2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Jeremiah

8

Captivity of Jerusalem and Judah by Babylonia (586–538 BC)

Ezekiel, Daniel

1–2 Chronicles, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

9

Persian Empire (Cyrus to Alexander) (538–333 BC)

Cyrus, Zerubbabel, Haggai, Zechariah, Obadiah, Malachi, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah

Haggai, Zechariah, Obadiah, Malachi, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah

 

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