Christ is present across the whole Bible. In the Old Testament He is promised, pictured, and pointed to; in the New Testament He steps into history, is named, and is known. The line that often helps readers is simple: the Old conceals and the New reveals—not because God hid truth to keep it from us, but because He told one story in stages until “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14).
This way of reading honors both halves of Scripture. The earlier books plant seeds in promise and pattern; the later books show the harvest in the person and work of Jesus. He Himself taught us to read this way, for He said that Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms all speak about Him, and that what they wrote had to be fulfilled (Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44–47).
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Historical and Cultural Background
Israel confessed that the Lord is one and that He alone saves (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Isaiah 43:11). Yet within that strong confession, the Old Testament carries a growing hope that God will come near through a promised King. God told David that one of his sons would sit on his throne forever, a pledge that lifted the promise beyond any ordinary ruler (2 Samuel 7:12–16). The prophet announced that a child would be born who would be called “Mighty God” and “Prince of Peace,” and that the increase of His government would never end (Isaiah 9:6–7). Another promise placed the ruler’s birthplace in Bethlehem and traced His origin “from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). The hope did not come out of thin air. It rose from God’s covenant words and from the steady rhythm of sacrifices, feasts, and priestly work that taught Israel to expect a holy substitute and a righteous king (Leviticus 16:29–34; Psalm 110:1–4).
The Old Testament often uses patterns and previews to prepare us for Christ. Adam stands as a head of the human race; Paul calls him “a pattern of the one to come,” because what Adam lost by disobedience the last Adam would restore by obedience (Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:45–49). The Passover lamb, whose blood shielded Israel from judgment, pointed forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Exodus 12:12–13; John 1:29). The bronze snake lifted by Moses for healing in the wilderness prepared us for the Son of Man lifted up on the cross so that all who believe may have eternal life (Numbers 21:8–9; John 3:14–15). These are not tricks of interpretation. They are the Spirit’s own way of showing how the early chapters aim at Christ.
Alongside these patterns are places where the Lord appears and speaks in ways that foreshadow the Son’s nearness. The “angel of the Lord” speaks as God and receives worship, meeting Hagar in her distress, calling to Abraham on Moriah, and appearing to Moses at the burning bush (Genesis 16:7–13; Genesis 22:11–12; Exodus 3:2–6). Many readers recognize in these moments the Son at work before Bethlehem, anticipations of the One who would one day be born of a woman (Galatians 4:4). Whether in pattern, promise, or personal encounter, the Old Testament moves us toward a person.
The world into which Jesus came was ready for news to spread. Rome’s roads and law, and the wide use of Greek, meant that a message could run quickly from city to city (Acts 22:25–29). But the real preparation was not roads; it was Scripture. The Lord had set the stage so that when the Messiah came, the faithful could trace His steps in the Prophets and in the Psalms and say, “This is what God promised” (Acts 13:32–33).
Biblical Narrative
The New Testament opens by tying Mary’s child to the old promises. Joseph is told to name Him Jesus, “because he will save his people from their sins,” and Matthew adds, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive… and they will call him Immanuel’” (Matthew 1:21–23; Isaiah 7:14). Luke announces, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord,” placing Bethlehem and the throne of David at the center (Luke 2:11; Luke 1:32–33). John goes further back, telling us that the One born in time is the eternal Word who “was with God” and “was God,” and that He “became flesh” so that we might behold His glory (John 1:1, 14).
As Jesus ministers, the veiled lines of the Old Testament come into focus. He teaches with authority and fulfills the law, not by relaxing it but by bringing it to its goal (Matthew 5:17–18). He forgives sins and proves His right to do so by healing a paralyzed man, a sign that “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:5–12). He calms a storm with a word, does what only the Creator does, and the disciples ask, “Who is this?” (Mark 4:39–41; Psalm 107:28–29). On the mountain of transfiguration He is clothed in glory while Moses and Elijah speak with Him about His coming departure at Jerusalem, and the Father’s voice commands, “Listen to him!” (Luke 9:28–35). The pillars of the Old Covenant stand beside Him, and He stands above them.
Jesus also names Himself with Old Testament titles and tasks. He calls Himself the Son of Man, echoing Daniel’s vision of a human figure who receives everlasting rule from the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13–14; Mark 14:61–62). He claims to be the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep and gathers one flock, language that recalls the Lord who shepherds His people and the promise that God Himself would seek the lost (Ezekiel 34:11–16; John 10:11–16; Psalm 23:1). He offers Himself as bread from heaven and living water, answers to the hunger and thirst that Israel knew in the wilderness and that all people feel in their hearts (Exodus 16:4; John 6:35; Exodus 17:6; John 7:37–39).
The cross stands where all the shadows meet. Isaiah’s servant bears our griefs and carries our sorrows; He is pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities, and by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:4–5). The psalmist’s righteous sufferer is surrounded by mockers; hands and feet are pierced; garments are divided and lots cast (Psalm 22:7–18). Jesus dies at Passover, the innocent for the guilty, and not one of His bones is broken, keeping another Scripture in place (Exodus 12:46; John 19:33–36). He lays down His life and takes it up again, as He said He would (John 10:17–18). On the third day the tomb is empty, and the angel declares, “He is not here; he has risen” (Matthew 28:6).
After the resurrection, Jesus teaches the church how to read the Bible. On the road to Emmaus He opens the Scriptures and shows “what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself,” so that hearts burn within the travelers as the pieces come together (Luke 24:27, 32). He tells the disciples that “everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms,” and He opens their minds to understand, sending them to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations (Luke 24:44–47). At Pentecost, Peter does exactly that. He quotes Psalms 16 and 110 to show that David spoke of a greater Son who would not see decay and who would sit at God’s right hand until His enemies are made a footstool (Acts 2:25–36; Psalm 16:8–11; Psalm 110:1).
As the gospel moves out, the apostles speak of a “mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people,” the mystery that Gentiles are fellow heirs in Christ and that “Christ in you” is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:26–27; Ephesians 3:4–6). The old promises to the nations do not vanish; they blossom in the church as the Spirit forms one body out of Jews and Gentiles who trust Jesus (Isaiah 49:6; 1 Corinthians 12:12–13). The final book of the Bible shows the full unveiling. We see the glorified Son walking among His churches, ruling history, judging evil, and bringing a new heaven and a new earth where God dwells with His people forever (Revelation 1:12–18; Revelation 19:11–16; Revelation 21:1–4).
Theological Significance
Saying “concealed and revealed” honors progressive revelation: God told the truth from the start, and He told it in a growing light. Early words are true and firm; later words make them clearer. Promise comes first; fulfillment follows. That is why Jesus can say He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them, and why the apostles preach Christ from Moses and the Prophets without changing the meaning of those books (Matthew 5:17; Acts 26:22–23).
This also guards how we read. Patterns and previews are real, but they do not erase the plain sense of the Old Testament or the promises God made to Israel. From a dispensational view, the church is not a replacement for Israel; it is a “now revealed” work of God that joins Jews and Gentiles in one body through faith in the risen Lord (Ephesians 3:4–6). The covenants and gifts made to Israel still stand and will be fulfilled when the Messiah returns, and “the gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:26–29). We live in the present age of grace, made possible by the cross and resurrection, yet we look ahead to the day when the King will sit on David’s throne and the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Luke 1:32–33; Isaiah 11:9).
The language of “mystery” helps us. A biblical mystery is not a puzzle for experts; it is a truth once hidden in God’s plan and now revealed in the gospel. Paul speaks of “the mystery of Christ” and then explains it in ordinary words: Gentiles share the same promise in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:4–6). He also says that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, not to keep people away, but to bring them to Him by faith (Colossians 2:2–3). The concealment was never meant to keep us in the dark; it was a wise timing that led us to the exact person at the exact hour (Galatians 4:4–5).
This balance keeps us from two errors. One error is to force Christ into every detail of every verse in a way the text does not support. The other is to miss Him where God has placed Him plainly. The safe path is the one Jesus showed: read the Old Testament on its own terms, let it speak in its time, and then follow its lines to Him when the New Testament draws them together (Luke 24:27; Acts 3:18). We honor the grammar and history of the Old Testament while rejoicing in the clarity the New Testament gives.
Finally, “concealed and revealed” keeps our eyes on a person, not a method. Jesus is the center. He is the seed promised to Abraham through whom all nations are blessed; He is the Son of David whose throne endures; He is the suffering servant who bears sin; He is the Son of Man who receives a kingdom that will not pass away (Genesis 12:3; 2 Samuel 7:12–16; Isaiah 53:5–6; Daniel 7:13–14). In Him God’s plan across the ages comes into focus, and in Him God will complete every promise.
Spiritual Lessons and Application
First, read the whole Bible to know Christ better. When Jesus opened the Scriptures on the road to Emmaus, the travelers later said their hearts burned within them (Luke 24:32). The same flame warms us when we read Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms with Christ at the center. Make it a habit to ask, “How does this promise, pattern, or prayer point me to Jesus?” Sometimes the answer will be direct and clear, as with Isaiah 53. Sometimes it will be a long arc that comes into focus only as other passages join in. Keep reading; the Spirit loves to show us the Son (John 16:14).
Second, trust that God keeps time perfectly. He sent His Son “when the set time had fully come,” and He orders our days with the same wisdom (Galatians 4:4). The long centuries between promise and fulfillment were not wasted years. They were God’s patient preparation so the world would be ready to hear and to spread the news. In our waiting, we remember that His timing is not slow but kind, and that He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Third, hold fast to a clear gospel. The Old Testament prepared us to look for a sacrifice, a substitute, a King, and a Shepherd. The New Testament names Him and tells us what He has done. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures… he was buried… he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). We are saved by grace through faith, not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8–9). The clearer our view of Christ in both Testaments, the clearer and sweeter our message becomes.
Fourth, love the distinctions God makes. In this present age, God forms the church from Jews and Gentiles who believe; in the age to come, He will keep every promise to Israel and rule the nations in righteousness (Acts 15:14–18; Romans 11:26–27; Revelation 20:4–6). Seeing the plan in order settles our minds. We do not need to compress every promise into the church or stretch the church into every promise. We can rejoice in the spiritual blessings we now have in Christ and look forward to the earthly and global blessings He will bring when He returns (Ephesians 1:3; Isaiah 2:2–4).
Fifth, let the unveiling of Christ shape your worship and witness. Revelation does not only predict events; it presents Jesus in glory. His eyes are like fire; His voice is like many waters; He holds the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:12–18). When the church sees Him as He is, it sings with new strength and speaks with new courage. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” is both a prayer for His return and an invitation to the thirsty to come now and drink (Revelation 22:17). We look up and we reach out.
Finally, avoid chasing secret codes and instead rest in the clear word God has given. The Old Testament’s concealment is not a puzzle book for experts but a faithful story that leads to a faithful Savior. The New Testament’s revelation is not a riddle but a name and a face. “In the past God spoke… at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1–2). When God has spoken, the wise response is to listen, believe, and obey.
Conclusion
From Eden to the new Jerusalem, the Bible tells one story with one center. In the beginning, a promise was made that the woman’s seed would crush the serpent’s head; in the fullness of time that promise took flesh in Jesus of Nazareth (Genesis 3:15; Luke 1:31–33). The law and the sacrifices taught us to expect a holy substitute; the prophets taught us to expect a righteous King; the writings taught us to sing and to wait. In the Gospels we meet the King and the Substitute, the Son and the Servant. In the Acts and the Epistles we learn what His cross and His resurrection mean for us now. In Revelation we see Him crowned, and we learn that the story ends with God dwelling with His people forever (Revelation 21:3–4).
The Old conceals and the New reveals, but both point to the same Lord. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the one who was, and is, and is to come (Revelation 1:8; Revelation 22:13). He keeps every covenant, gathers a people for His name in this age, and will return to reign in the age to come. Until that day, we read, we believe, we worship, and we bear witness, for “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Our hearts say with Scripture, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
“He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’ ” (Luke 24:44–47)
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