The Holy Bible is the voice of God to those who choose to be one with Him by walking (living) “even as He (Jesus) walked” (1 Jn. 2:6), “purifying himself even as He was pure” (1 Jn. 23:3) and overcoming Satan “… even as I (Jesus) overcame” (Rev. 3:21).  In Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:11 respectively we find God saying through the Apostle Paul: “For whatever things were written before (by the Old Testament prophets) were written for OUR (the New Testament Church’s) learning ….” and “Now all these things (recorded in the Old Testament)  happened to them (Israel) to serve as examples for OUR (New Testament Church’s) instruction.  “Our” refers to those “on whom the ends of the age (world) have come.”  We are living in that time.  These passages were written for the few true saints (Mat. 7:13,14) who would be living  just prior to Christ’s return at which time He will establish the Kingdom of God in the Holy Land.  In Revelation 3:14-22 this final age (time) is called the Laodicean era of the church.  The reader will note that is by far the most evil, most God-rejecting, most self-exalting era in the history of professing Christendom.  Christ’s description of the Institutional Church in existence today could not be more on point.  Those living during this final era of the world who believe and obey God’s “voice” will enter the Kingdom of God upon Christ’s advent and will live forever.  From New Jerusalem they will rule, first the earth, then the entire universe.  This extended series will take readers from man’s introduction to the Godhead (Father and Son) to the time when Their holy people will assist Them in ruling the universe.  Please walk with me through the Holy Scriptures where we will learn where we came from, where we are and where we are going–IF WE BELIEVE AND OBEY THE HOLY BIBLE.  Knowing the Holy Scriptures is meaningless unless they are believed and obeyed in letter and spirit.

In spite of the Biblical Truths recorded and preserved in the New Testament, the vast majority of church people in today’s world reject the Old Testament, claiming that it was “nailed to the cross.”  God NEVER said that.  What He did say was that the “handwriting of ordinances” was nailed to the cross.  This referred to the blood sacrifice commanded by the “law of Moses.”  Animal blood was replaced by the blood of Jesus of Nazareth.  He made this fact perfectly clear during the Last Supper (Mat. 26:26-29).  Let us now determine through the study of the Lord’s “voice” the relationship between Jesus of Nazareth and the Old Testament.

The irony is inescapable: the Jews reject the New Testament and the church rejects the Old Testament.  As a result 99% of those who call themselves God’s people do not understand, believe and obey His Word.  When Jesus spoke about Himself He was speaking about the Old Testament.  In John 14:6 He said about Himself: “I am the way, the Truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father (salvation) except through Me.”  Jesus was saying that He is the only WAY to salvation, that His way involves obeying the TRUTH (God’s Word in its entirety-Jn. 17:17) which will lead to eternal LIFE.  In John 5:39 Jesus said that the (Old Testament) Scriptures “spoke” about Him and were a true and reliable source of history.  In Mark 13:19 and Revelation 3:14 Jesus said that He was the “beginning” (actual Creator) of God’s creation.  The Scriptures reveal that God commanded the Word (Jn. 1:1-4,15) to create the universe.  The Word–the God of the Old Testament–then did the actual creating through His Words/voice, which activated the Holy Spirit (the power of God–Lk. 1:35).  Through the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus brought (spoke) everything into existence.  In Psalms 33:6-9 we find that the God of the Old Testament (the Word Who later came to earth as Jesus Christ) in fact spoke the universe into existence.  In verse 9 we find that, “He spoke and it (creation) was done.”  Jesus was both the subject of and the God of the Old Testament.

That Jesus of Nazareth (the Word–Jn. 1:1-4,14) had been intimately involved in the lives of the Israelites during Old Testament times is revealed by His speaking about Adam and Eve (Mat. 23:35), Noah’s ark and the flood (Mat. 24:37-39) and Sodom and Gomorrah (Lk. 17:28,29,32).  He also spoke about King David (Mat. 12:3), Solomon (vs 42), Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Jn. 8:37/ Mat. 8:11) and Moses (Jn. 5:46,47).  Here He was talking to some Jews who wanted to kill Him (vss 16,18).  He rebuked them because they did not believe in Him.  They did not believe in Him because they did not believe Moses who wrote about Him.  As the Scriptures reveal, Jesus could testify about what happened in Old Testament times because He was the God of the Old Testament and witnessed first hand the events of those days.  By comparing John 8:58 to Exodus 3:14 we find the Old Testament God saying to Moses: “I AM Who I AM.”  Later we find Jesus saying to the Jews: “Most assuredly I say unto you that before Abraham was (existed), I AM.”  He was telling them that He existed before Abraham.

In 2 Timothy 3:14 the Apostle Paul said that “all Scripture” is God breathed.  Only the Old Testament Scriptures existed at the time of Paul’s ministry and would not exist for a generation.  Paul and the other apostles preached and taught the Old Testament–the only Scriptures available to them.  The New Testament refers to the Old Testament approximately 250 times.  To accept the New Testament as God’s Word/Law/Truth, we must accept the Old Testament as God’s Word/Law/Truth.  The Bible is one complete book.  Within God’s church, there is no break between the Old and New Testaments in that the latter is an extension of the former, and the former lays the groundwork for the latter.  Jesus and the apostles quoted the Old Testament extensively.  In His showdown with Satan, Jesus said, “It is written” several times.  Written where?  In the Old Testament, as His following Words prove.  What Isaiah (40:8) wrote was later repeated in by Peter (1 Pt. 1:25).  Regarding His own Words, Jesus said that they would exist throughout eternity (Mat. 24:35/ Mk. 13:31/ Lk. 21:33).  Eternity is from the beginning to infinity.  The Words Jesus spoke were given Him by His Father (Jn. 14:10). Through the Holy Spirit He spoke the Father’s Words to His Old Testament prophets who spoke them to Israel then recorded them for us.  Jesus said: “The Words that I have spoken will judge every man on that day” (Jn. 12:48).  Jesus spoke every Word in the Holy Scriptures.

Jesus was God in the flesh.  Jesus spoke and His Words were recorded in print.  Therefore, the Bible is God in print.  For this reason  EVERYTHING MUST BE PROVEN BY THE WORD–THE ONLY SOURCE OF GOD’S TRUTH.  L.J.