The Bible has three primary themes: Jesus is coming, Jesus is here, and Jesus is coming back. From the book of Genesis through Malachi, we find the first of these three.
From the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God’s plan of redemption and spiritual salvation went into effect. The people who lived under the Old Testament law (before Jesus came) could not fully understand God’s plan because He did not fully reveal it to them. Still, every event, every prophecy, and every scripture of the Old Testament was a part of Jesus’ pending arrival.
Noah’s salvation in the ark pointed toward Jesus (2 Peter 2:5). Israel’s 400 years of Egyptian slavery would lead us to Jesus (Genesis 15:13). The Babylonian army destroying the temple and then the Israelites rebuilding it was all part of God’s plan to one day send Jesus (Ezekiel 36:24ff).
For centuries, God’s people hoped for a savior from slavery and oppression, yet they never imagined the salvation that Jesus would make possible (Matthew 1:21). For generations, they waited for a king who would sit on the throne of King David and restore their holy nation, but they never dreamed of a king who was the Son of God and God Himself (John 1:1, 49).
From the beginning, God had a plan motivated by His love and our need for a savior (John 3:16, Acts 2:23, 1 Peter1:20). For thousands of years, God worked in the lives of men through their rebellion and their faithfulness to bring about a way for our eternal salvation.
Matt Langfield