I walked into my college Old Testament Survey class in 1974. I was majoring in physics, but I needed some humanities courses. The professor greeted us, and launched into the course. He was a nice enough guy, and seemed pretty knowledgeable. But I didn’t hear what I was expecting to hear. He said that the first five books of the Bible were written by several different people whose writings were then merged together. He said that the first part of the book of Genesis was made up of myths. Today, after more than forty years, the rest of the course is somewhat of a blur. But I do remember it was all about what scholarly men thought about the Bible, not what the Bible taught about itself. I learned a lot of details, but no “big picture;” no satisfying answers to the big questions of life.
I had been raised in a Christian home, but I only believed in Christianity because my parents did. I thought that the knowledge I would acquire in this class would strengthen my faith. Suffice it to say, the class did nothing to strengthen the weak Christian faith I had grown up with.
I left college well equipped to pursue a career, but poorly equipped to even believe, much less defend, the Christian faith. So I started searching. I entertained alternate belief systems. I began to return to the Christian faith when the writings of C. S. Lewis showed me that it was reasonable and defensible.
But I was still on the fence.
I had no inkling of the bolt of lightning that was about to strike me. The Lord suddenly showed me that there was simply no way the New Testament could *not* be true.
It happened when I picked up a book written over a century ago and began reading about some startling connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament. I already had a basic knowledge of the most popular Bible stories from the Old Testament. I also had a basic knowledge of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. But I had never before seen so clearly the lines connecting them.
Using Isaac, the son of Abraham, as an example, in Genesis 17 and 18 we see a miraculous conception, an angelic visitation to the parents-to-be, and a prenatal naming. In the account of Isaac’s near-sacrifice in Genesis 22 we see that Isaac carried the wood up a hill in the same area where Christ was crucified two thousand years later. Isaac was to be laid upon the wood, pierced, and slain. A ram with its head caught in a thicket of thorns and thistles took Isaac’s place, just as Jesus, who had a crown of thorns placed upon His head, took our place.
The parallels to the life of Christ are unmistakable. In fact, I learned that the entire Old Testament is filled with such parallels. My first reaction was, “Why didn’t anyone ever tell me this?” I had to find out more.
The Holy Spirit is our ultimate guide to the Scriptures, but sometimes He uses human teachers and authors to help make things clear to us. This was certainly true in my case. Armed with this new way of looking at the Old Testament, I started studying the Bible avidly. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I confirmed what the teachers were saying about these amazing parallels, and also identified additional connections that no one had apparently noticed before.
I began teaching this material in my small group Bible study. The people were very receptive. I would sometimes ask them, “Do you see anything else?” Lots of times, my students noticed additional connections I had missed.
I started a collection of these connections and parallels and added to it regularly.
Finally, the idea dawned on me that I should write these teachings down in book form. By this time, it was 1986. I went to work on it, completing the first draft in about a year. Despite this progress, I didn’t know how, or even if, the manuscript would ever be published. After finally finishing the first draft, I married and started a family. I had to lay the manuscript aside due to the responsibilities of career and family, but I occasionally returned to it as a resource for teaching classes and Bible studies.
One of my favorite recollections from that era is my own Mother’s reaction to this book. She read the manuscript a few years before her passing in 1996. After finishing it, she exclaimed to me, “What this means is that the things that are written in the Bible are true.” This meant a lot to me. You see, my Grandmother had been a believer but my Grandfather had been a skeptic. This must have caused my Mom to harbor her own doubts about the Christian faith. But once she saw that the New Testament was already hidden within the Old Testament, which was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, everything fell into place. That was all the proof she needed.
When I finally retired in 2015, I updated the work with some additional information I had collected over the years, and started searching for a publisher. Since publishing options had greatly expanded by then, the finished book soon became a reality.
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Would you benefit from reading my book?
Maybe you’re like me when I was fresh out of college and confused about my faith, looking for a satisfying explanation as to why we are here, whether there is any place worth going to once this life is over, and how to get there.
Or maybe you’re a little more like I am now, confident in your Christian faith but always looking for an opportunity to learn more.
Well, if you’re looking to strengthen your faith, or to acquaint yourself with the Old Testament roots of the Christian faith, then there is lots for you to devour.
If you are a long time student of the Bible, I’m confident you’ll still enjoy my book. It is almost certain to hold a few surprises in store for you, plus give you some effective ways to engage with skeptics and convince them that the Christian faith is worth a look.
This book does what I wish someone had done for me when I was in college and struggling with my faith: It provides the “master key” that unlocks a fuller understanding of the Old Testament, and hence the entire Bible. That master key is this:
The one great subject of the entire Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, is Jesus Christ.
I already described how Isaac’s life foreshadows the life of Jesus Christ. Here are additional examples:
– In Genesis 3:15 Jesus is promised as the seed of the woman who will crush the head of the old serpent.
– In Genesis 3:21, the durable animal skin garments that the Lord clothed Adam and Eve with foreshadow the One who, through His sacrifice, clothes us with the righteousness of Christ.
– In Genesis 6 He is pictured as our true Noah’s Ark who saves us from judgment and disaster.
– In Genesis 37 through 39 He is foretold by the life of Joseph, who was conspired against, falsely accused, betrayed, sold for pieces of silver, and numbered with the transgressors.
– In Exodus 12, the sacrificed male Passover lamb without blemish foreshadowed the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
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Here are some more things the book provides:
– How Jesus lived Adam’s life in reverse (Chapter 2).
– How the first part of Genesis mirrors the last part of Revelation (Chapter 4).
– The meaning behind the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (Chapter 9).
– The significance of the Tabernacle and the Temple (Chapter 12).
– How we are living stones shaped here on earth (Chapter 12).
– How the Old Testament is like a hologram of Jesus Christ (Chapter 20).
– How God’s love for us undergirds everything, and is greater than you can imagine (multiple chapters)
There is much more. You really need to read the book to get the full impact.
If you’re not a Bible scholar, don’t worry: This book is an “easy read.”
You’ll learn how to see Jesus on every page of the Old Testament. You’ll also see God’s sovereign, redemptive plan at work throughout history. You’ll see that Jesus Christ is the pivotal figure in all human history.
I was a systems analyst for a large defense contractor before I retired. I’m an introvert who naturally shuns the limelight. I am known among my friends as someone who doesn’t say much, but when I do say something, it is worth hearing. From the beginning, I just knew that this was a book that had to be written, containing a treasure that had to be shared. It is unlike any Bible teaching you have ever read.
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What People Are Saying
This book will be a blessing for all who read and study it.
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It’s like seeing with both eyes open.
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Brought out a number of areas of the Bible that had not been clear to me before.
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Couldn’t put it down — it was terrific reading. I ended up buying 4 for Christmas presents.
– Reader Ken G.
Always referencing back to the Bible. Must read.
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Any Christian who enjoys enriching their knowledge and their spiritual understanding of the Bible should definitely pick up Decoding Bible Messages.
– Tracy Slowiak of Readers’ Favorite
What a great read! It’s thought-provoking and very detailed. This short book is content rich and deserves a look.
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Outstanding read that uses types to uncover God’s plan for salvation in Jesus Christ from Genesis through Revelation. I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!
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Love your book! I have ordered several copies to share with some pastor friends of mine.
– Reader Linda M.
An amazing and unique approach to looking at the Bible … The author provides a rare look at how Jesus is revealed in surprising ways throughout scripture, from Genesis through Revelation. Important biblical characters including Adam, Isaac, King David, Moses and others are examined. Detailed comparisons are given between Jesus and these important biblical characters. A truly stunning look at how Jesus is unveiled through biblical symbols and key events is provided. Written for believers and skeptics alike, this book is brilliantly thought provoking.
– Lucinda Weeks of Readers’ Favorite
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