A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story: The Story of Christ

By Rick Jory

The Bible is not one book. It is a compilation of sixty-six books, or writings. And even though these were written by some forty different authors over a period of 1500 years, there is an integrated message that runs throughout the Bible.

Unfortunately, we often get our exposure to the Bible piecemeal. For the church goer, each week a small sliver of the biblical text is reviewed, without a mechanism that puts all of these pieces into an integrated whole. What we read or hear can seem disjointed. How is the book of Leviticus connected to the book of Hebrews? How is John’s reason for writing his Gospel related to Psalm 2? How do we connect the covenant ceremony of Genesis 15 with the cross—much less understand that ceremony to begin with? Why is the book of Ruth included as part of the Bible? What does it have to do with anything? Or better yet, why do we have the book of Esther—where God is not mentioned at all? What makes each of these important? How are they related, or are they?

In short, how is God’s story—God’s revelation—unified?

That’s where A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story comes in. It looks at how each of the elements of the Bible contribute to an integrated whole. And the lens used to see Scripture in a unified way is Jesus. Everything we look at is done in the context to how it relates to Jesus and how it contributes to the Bible’s unified message. We learn why an obscure Galilean carpenter has become the center of all of history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973694731

Rick Jory

Dr. Rick Jory has authored the two-volume work, A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story as well as A Forty-Day Study of John’s Gospel, A Forty-Day Study of the Book of Hebrews, and A Forty-Day Study on Sin, Salvation, and Sanctification. This book completes this series. After forty-three years in the business world, upon the sale of his company, Dr. Jory formalized his passion for studying the Bible. He received his Master of Arts degree, Biblical Studies - New Testament, from Denver Seminary in 2012; the Doctor of Ministry, with emphasis in Theological Exegesis, from Knox Theological Seminary in 2017, and his Doctor of Educational Ministry, with emphasis in Adult Christian Education, from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2019. His ministry today includes teaching pastors and church leaders in Vietnam. He is the founder of Friends of Vietnam Ministries, a non-profit organization aiding several Vietnamese faith-based centers that provide care to Vietnamese orphans and at-risk children, as well as scholarships to help young Vietnamese attend Bible college.

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WestBow Press rev. date: 06/30/2020

To my granddaughter, Caitlyn Blissett

Solus Christus

CONTENTS

A Prayer

Appendix A: Group Bible Study

Appendix B: Biblical Timeline (some dates are approximate)

AUTHOR’S

FOREWORD

The Bible is not one book. It is a compilation of sixty-six books, or writings. And even though these were written by some forty different authors over a period of over 1500 years, there is an integrated message that runs throughout the Bible.

Unfortunately, most of us get our exposure to the Bible piecemeal. Each week we look at a small sliver of the biblical text, without having a mechanism that puts all of these pieces into an integrated whole.

And this can make what we read seem disjointed. As I asked in the Foreword section of volume 1, how is the book of Leviticus connected to the book of Hebrews? How is John’s reason for writing his Gospel linked to Psalm 2? How do we relate the covenant ceremony of Genesis 15 with the cross—much less understand that ceremony to begin with? In short, how is God’s story—God’s revelation—unified?

And that’s where A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story comes in. It looks at how each of the elements of the Bible contribute to an integrated whole. And the lens we use to see scripture in a unified way is Jesus.

In referring to the scriptures, Jesus told those around him,

These are the very words that testify about Me. (John 5:39)

That’s the approach we take throughout these two volumes. Everything we look at is done in the context to how it relates to Jesus and how it contributes to the Bible’s integrated message.

The first volume focused on the Old Testament, showing how all of scripture centers on the Psalm 2 Messiah (Christ), Son of God, and King.

In the New Testament, we learn that these titles refer to Jesus of Nazareth. The entirety of the Old Testament prepares the way for him. As we went through the various writings, we saw glimpses of what this Anointed One from God would be like and what his ministry would look like. All of this prepares us for the words and works of his ministry, as well as his death and resurrection—all subjects of the New Testament.

Along with this, we reviewed the history of the people of Israel and the covenants God made with them. This helps us understand why Jesus had to come to earth. We realize why we need Jesus—this Messiah, Son of God, and King.

Our review of the Old Testament also showed the reasons a new covenant—a new relationship between God and His people—was required. This, too, is a major subject of the New Testament. The blood of Christ on the cross inaugurates the New Covenant. His resurrection on Easter Sunday assures its validity.

This volume can be read apart from volume 1. However, not having the numerous connections between the Old and New Testaments limits an understanding and appreciation of the words and works of Jesus. Most of what he did while on earth and his return center on Judaism, and we learn about Judaism from Judaism’s scriptures (the Hebrew Scriptures—our Old Testament).

In this, volume 2, we discuss the arrival of Jesus and his time on earth—the most significant event that has ever happened outside the creation itself. We will also discuss his eventual return and where the Biblical Story is headed—the future events on this earth and God’s creation of the new earth that is to come.

There is a second objective to A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story. It concerns perspective. The preacher has the task of making the Bible relevant and how it can be applied to our lives, our circumstances, and the challenges we face in our world today. This is a vital task for preachers in that they are to shepherd the people of God.

But this means that the Bible is often presented to make each of the stories about us. How do I apply this story to me and my circumstances in my world and for my benefit?

This series takes the perspective that the Bible is not about us.

Very little of what we covered in volume 1 was about us, and very little in this volume will be about us. These two volumes focus on what we learn about God. We take this approach because the Bible is God’s Story. The Bible is God’s written revelation concerning who He is. It is His story and it is about Him.

My prayer is that, as we go through these lessons, we will grow closer to Jesus and realize—in many different ways and for many different reasons—why knowing Jesus personally is the only way to go through this life.

Most importantly, knowing Jesus is the only way to eternal life.

I look forward to our journey together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rick Jory spent 43 years in the business world, holding positions in engineering, quality assurance, manufacturing management, and business management. For the last nineteen years of this career, he was president and CEO of a medical device manufacturing company headquartered in the outskirts of Denver, Colorado.

Dr. Jory received a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1970, followed by a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University in 1972. His interest in using his God-given gifts and God-provided opportunities led to an active involvement in marketplace ministry, business as mission, and church ministry. He received his Master of Arts degree, Biblical Studies - New Testament, from Denver Seminary in 2012; the Doctor of Ministry, with emphasis in Theological Exegesis, from Knox Theological Seminary in 2017, and his Doctor of Educational Ministry, with emphasis in Adult Christian Education, from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2019. His ministry work today includes the teaching of pastors in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam. He is the founder of Friends of Vietnam Ministries, a non-profit organization providing assistance to several Vietnamese faith-based centers caring for Vietnamese orphan and at-risk children, as well as a scholarship program to help young Vietnamese attend Bible college. Additional information is at the organization’s website: www.friendsofvietnam.org.

Dr. Jory is married to his wife Maria and has a daughter and four grandchildren.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Plans are to include the following in this series:

A Forty-Day Study of THE BIBLICAL STORY: The Story of Christ

(Volume One: Preparing the Way)*

(Volume Two: The Arrival of the Christ)*

A Forty-Day Study of THE BOOK OF JOHN: Who is Christ?

A Forty-Day Study of THE BOOK OF HEBREWS: The Supremacy of Christ*

A Forty-Day Study of THE BOOK OF ROMANS: What is a Christian?

A Forty-Day Study of SALVATION AND SANCTIFICATION – Our Journey in Christ*

*Available online and through various booksellers.

1

Preparing the Way for the Messiah

If you have completed the first volume of this lesson series, you know that the entire Old Testament points us toward the Psalm 2 Messiah, Son of God, and King (items in bold are given additional explanation at the end of the lesson). And in this volume, we learn that Jesus of Nazareth is this long-awaited Messiah.

It should not come as a surprise that the Bible centers on the Messiah. The Bible reveals God’s plan for the redemption of fallen humanity. God has only provided one way for our salvation. Since that way is through the sacrifice of His son, the Bible is all about the Son of God.

There is an important chapter in John’s Gospel where Jesus is affirming who he is. He tells the religious leaders:

You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me. (John 5:39)

It is not knowledge of the scriptures—God’s Word—that provides eternal life. But the scriptures, the Old and New Testament, do testify as to who Jesus is.

The above verse continues:

Yet you refuse to come to Me to have life. (John 5:39)

Eternal life comes through Jesus—not through a knowledge about Jesus, but through a relationship with Jesus. God’s Word focuses on Jesus so we can understand how that relationship comes about.

This book takes that same approach. Our focus will be on Jesus.

The greatest small group Bible study ever to occur happened along the hilly road connecting Jerusalem to Emmaus—a small village located seven miles outside of Jerusalem. The resurrected Jesus appeared to two disciples. The historian Luke tells us:

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself. (Luke 24:27)

All of scripture points to Jesus. As we went through volume 1, we reviewed the Old Testament from the context of Jesus—how the Old Testament sheds light on what the Messiah would be like, what he would do, and even when he would arrive.

Let’s do a brief review.

After Adam and Eve sin, God speaks to Satan, who is in the form of a serpent:

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your seed and her seed.

He will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

Humankind will face an on-going conflict involving Satan and Satan’s followers, the seed of Satan. But one born of woman, the seed of woman, will eventually destroy Satan. The Redeemer, though, must suffer and die (and you will strike his heel).

There are numerous Old Testament predictions and revelations that point us to this Redeemer. To address these in detail would take up a volume much larger than this one, but we can summarize some of the important truths that God reveals to us:

- Psalm 2 introduces us to titles of the Redeemer: Messiah (verse 2), Son of God (verse 7), and King (verse 6).

- The prophet Isaiah provides additional titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

- Isaiah also tells us, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The child who is born" reflects the Redeemer being the child of woman (the seed of woman mentioned above). A son who is given reflects the Redeemer being the Son of God given to humanity.

- And perhaps the greatest title of the Redeemer is that of Emmanuel—God with us (Isaiah 7:14). The Redeemer will be God Himself. Later in these lessons we will see that while Jesus was a man, he is also fully God.

- As God orchestrates His plans for our redemption, He chooses a man from Mesopotamia—Abraham. God covenants with Abraham, promising him numerous descendants and a land for them to possess. A descendant of Abraham will be God’s Redeemer—the Messiah—through whom all nations will be blessed (Genesis 12:2).

- The Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham’s son Isaac, not Ishmael (Genesis 26:2–4).

- He will be a descendant of Isaac’s son Jacob, not Esau (Genesis 28:14, 15).

- He will be a descendant of Judah, one of Jacob’s sons (Genesis 49:10).

- He will be a prophet greater than Moses. We are to listen to him (Deuteronomy 18:15).

- He will ultimately reign on David’s throne (2nd Samuel 7:11–16).

It is this aspect of the Messiah that led people to call Jesus Son of David (see Matthew 12:23). Jesus did not use this term, though. Instead, his self-reference was Son of Man.

Son of Man could be taken two ways. Jesus could simply be saying words, to the effect of I’m a man (what the Hebrew words can imply). But for those with an understanding of the Hebrew scriptures, Jesus referring to himself as Son of Man placed him alongside God. It is a reference to Daniel 7:13–14 (our discussion on Daniel was lesson 27 of volume 1).

- While he will be a descendant of David, his reign will be greater than that of David’s (Psalm 110:1–4).

- Through the prophet Isaiah, we are given numerous additional details concerning the Messiah:

- how his coming will be announced (Isaiah 40:3–5),

- his virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14),

- the types of ministry he will perform and his proclamation of the good news (Isaiah 61:1, 2),

- his sacrificial death for our forgiveness (Isaiah 52:13–53:12),

- his resurrection from death (Isaiah 25:7, 8); and

- his future return to establish his earthly kingdom (Isaiah 60:2, 3).

Along the way, we learn where the Messiah will be born (Micah 5:2) and when he will enter Jerusalem as King (Daniel 9:24–27). We are also told how he will enter Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9).

His ministry initiates from Galilee, where he will be a light to people living in darkness (Isaiah 9:1). He will bring this light not just to God’s chosen people, the Israelites, but also to the Gentiles (Isaiah 9:2).

He will teach in parables (Psalm 78:1, 2), but his messages will fall on deaf ears (Isaiah 6:9, 10).

He will be a stone that causes people to stumble (Isaiah 8:14). He will be despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3).

His coming will be proceeded by a messenger. We hear this from both Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3, 9) and Malachi, the prophet whose writing closes out the Old Testament (Malachi 3:1).

As the Old Testament comes to a close, we await this messenger and the proclamation that the Messiah has come.

These are just a few of the revelations concerning what to expect from God’s Messiah. In addition, many events in the Old Testament foreshadow the Messiah, allowing us to further connect much of the Old Testament with Jesus.

Let’s look at a few of these.

- Abraham is called to sacrifice his son Isaac, the child of promise. He is sent by God on a three-day journey to Moriah where this is to occur.

Abraham does not have to go through with this. God provides the sacrifice. And eventually, Solomon builds the temple to God at Moriah. A thousand years later, it will be at Moriah where God provides His own son as the sacrifice for our sins.

- We see mighty acts of God as Moses leads the Israelites out from Egyptian bondage and into the Promised Land. This prefigures the Redeemer, the Greater Moses, who delivers God’s people out from under our bondage to Satan and sin. We become participants in God’s kingdom as Jesus leads us towards our eternal home of the new heaven and new earth.

- Before the Israelite slaves are permitted to leave Egypt, God sends a series of plagues against the Pharaoh (Egypt’s ruler). The tenth and final plague is the angel of death sent to destroy the first-born males in the land—which includes Pharaoh’s son and heir.

But those who trust God and follow His instructions are provided salvation. They are told to slay a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts of their dwellings. Death will pass over them and they will escape God’s wrath.

This inaugurates the Jewish feast called Passover, prefiguring the blood of Christ that provides for our salvation. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Those who place their trust in the blood of Christ escape God’s punishment.

- In their wilderness journey upon leaving Egypt, the Israelites, God’s chosen people, are afflicted by poisonous snakes—punishment from God as penalty for repeatedly disobeying Him. But God offers a way for their salvation and forgiveness.

Moses is told to craft a serpent and place it on a pole and lift it up before the people. Those who affix their eyes on this are given salvation.

God is teaching the Israelites that He will provide for their salvation—their safety. They will be saved if they fix their eyes upon His provisions for their salvation and place their trust in Him.

Jesus uses this example when he tells his followers:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. (John 3:14, 15)

This story from the Old Testament prefigures the cross, where those who rely upon Christ’s sacrifice—God’s provision for salvation—escape spiritual death and eternal damnation (we’ll discuss this in greater detail in lesson 25).

- In the story of Ruth, we learn of Boaz, a kinsman-redeemer. A kinsman-redeemer is one who pays a price to rescue and redeem a relative in need. Christ is humankind’s kinsman-redeemer. He rescues and redeems those who place their trust in him. All of us are in need of being rescued. And this can only come through Christ.

- We’ve mentioned the feast of Passover, which prefigures Christ as our Passover Lamb. Actually, each of the Jewish feasts anticipate something about Christ. The Hebrew word we translate as feasts means appointed times. The Israelite celebrations point toward appointed times associated with God’s plan of redemption.

- Christ was crucified during the appointed time of Passover. He is the true Passover Lamb. It is his blood that provides salvation from God’s wrath.

- The feast of Unleavened Bread points to the sinless nature of Christ (leaven normally depicts sin in the Bible). Christ was sinless, allowing him to be a fitting sacrifice in payment for the sins of humanity.

Jesus tells us that he is the bread of life (John 6:35). He is our sustenance.

And it is in the bread of the communion table where we are called to remember the body of Christ that was broken in our place.

- The feast of First Fruits is the appointed time that points to the day Christ was resurrected from the dead. Paul writes,

Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1st Corinthians 15:20)

It is the death and resurrection of Jesus that provides bodily resurrection for all who place their trust in him.

- The feast of Weeks occurs fifty days after the beginning of First Fruits. It is also called Pentecost (Pentecost is derived from a Greek word meaning fiftieth). While this Jewish celebration points to the harvesting of the land, it is at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit comes upon the initial believers—God’s harvest of souls for His eternal kingdom.

The first post-resurrection Pentecost brought three thousand believers into the Church, and God’s great harvest continues as more and more people are reborn through the Holy Spirit and seek God’s forgiveness through the blood of Christ.

There are three remaining feasts, and many see these as foreshadowing events concerning Christ and his Church that will occur in the future.

- Perhaps the Church is raptured at the time of the feast of Trumpets. Note what Paul tells us:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. (1st Thessalonians 4:16)

In an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1st Corinthians 15:52)

- The Day of Atonement might point to the return of Christ for his millennial rule, as the Jewish remnant recognizes Jesus (Yeshua) as Lord and Savior and receives him as the Messiah and accept atonement by his blood.

- The seventh and last feast, the feast of Tabernacles, might relate to Jesus’ return to tabernacle (live) among his people during his millennial reign. It could also relate to the final new heaven and new earth where the dwelling place of God is among those called into His eternal kingdom.

Since all of scripture points to Jesus, we could share many more connections than those above.

Our review of the Old Testament also presented a God who covenants with His people. In the Abrahamic Covenant, mentioned above, God promises to provide Abraham with many descendants. The Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham—and through him all the nations of the world will be blessed. God’s covenant with Abraham places no conditions on Abraham or his descendants for its fulfillment. And the covenant is everlasting.

God also covenants with Moses. This includes God’s instructions concerning how the Israelites were to live and worship—the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Covenant was conditional and temporary. The conditional nature implies there were conditions placed upon God’s people. If they lived up to the terms of the covenant, they would be blessed. Failure, though, would lead to their punishment.

Both Moses and Joshua had indicated that Israel was incapable of obeying God’s law (Deuteronomy 31:16–21; Joshua 24:19). And the history of Israel proved them to be correct. Much, if not most, of the Old Testament shows the repeated failure of God’s people.

In volume 1, we discussed faith, which in both Greek and Hebrew includes the concepts of belief, trust, and obedience. Time after time we see the failure of the people to obey God and place their faith and trust in Him. They do not live up to their covenant promises.

Prophets, God’s spokesmen, are repeatedly sent to point out these failures and compel the people to return to God.

But the people do not listen.

As a result, they experience God’s divine judgment. The nation is fragmented into two—with brother against brother. Shortly after this, the Northern Kingdom (Israel) is seized by the Assyrians. Much of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) is also conquered by the Assyrians, but Jerusalem and the temple are spared.

This does not last for long, though, as Jerusalem, itself, eventually suffers plague, famine, and sword as it falls to the Babylonians. The temple is destroyed.

We mentioned that God’s covenant with Moses was both conditional and temporary. With all of this tragic history, was the Mosaic Covenant a failure?

No. Not at all.

It was given by God and was not faulty in the least. It was God’s people who were flawed.

And through prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah, we anticipate that God’s covenant with Moses is to be replaced by a new covenant—a better and everlasting covenant between God and His people.

And that’s where the New Testament comes in.

At the Passover supper, a few short hours before his crucifixion, Jesus takes a cup of wine and shares it with his disciples. He tells those around him:

This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you. (Luke 22:20)

There is a new covenant between God and His people. And it required the blood of Christ.

In this journey through portions of the New Testament, we will learn about the New Covenant and what it means for those who are participants in God’s kingdom. And we’ll focus on who and what made this New Covenant possible.

We will look at the word and works of the Messiah.

There’s a lot of ground to cover. But the journey will be a rewarding one.

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Messiah: Messiah comes from the Hebrew word which means Anointed. Christ is a transliteration of this same word in the Greek. Throughout this study, Messiah and Christ are used interchangeably.

We get the three titles Messiah, Son of God, and King from Psalm 2. It is because Jesus of Nazareth lays claim to two of these titles, Messiah and Son of God, that the Jewish authorities and religious leaders want him executed.

Rome could care less about those two titles. But Jesus also claimed the third title, King. For Rome, there was only one king, and that was the Roman emperor. Jesus’ claim to this title alienated Rome and Jesus being condemned to the cross—the Roman form of execution.

The three titles, Messiah, Son of God, and King led to Jesus’ rejection by the Jewish authorities and his execution by Rome. For additional details, see lesson 3 in volume 1.

Eternal life: This is such an important concept that we should spend a few moments addressing it.

Death is separation. Physical death is separation from the body. Spiritual death is separation from God.

Our souls do not die. This is true for believers as well as non-believers. Our souls are everlasting. So, when we talk about eternal life, this does not have anything to do with whether or not one lives forever. What, then, does it mean?

We’ll look at three items.

First, while a number of people have worked on good definitions for the biblical concept of eternal life, perhaps we should rely upon Jesus for our definition. Jesus prays to the Father,

Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. (John 17:3)

Eternal life means we go from darkness and spiritual death, to knowing God and knowing Jesus. This concept of knowing is one of intimacy. It encompasses far more than just head knowledge and mental assent. It is based upon relationship.

Secondly, when the Bible speaks of eternal life, it uses the present tense. Eternal life is not something that happens once we die a physical death. Eternal life is something the Christian possesses and experiences in the here and now. For example, note what Jesus says:

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. (John 5:24)

The tense of the verb is present tense—not future tense.

Third, we might be curious as to how we go about obtaining the eternal life as defined by the Bible. It is the Holy Spirit that imparts eternal life as we are spiritually reborn. Eternal life only comes through this method. Let’s look at a portion of the biblical text that relates to this.

Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well and tells her:

Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life. (John 4:13, 14)

Notice, Jesus does not say he is the water—this water that leads to eternal life. But he does say he provides this water.

We find out additional details when Jesus attends the Jewish festival known as the feast of tabernacles. He stands before the people and proclaims:

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’ (John 7:37, 38)

Again, Jesus says those who desire this water are to come to him and believe in him. The Apostle John explains what this means:

He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:39)

It is the Holy Spirit that imparts eternal life. This is orchestrated by God the Father and can occur because of the death and resurrection of Christ the Son. The Holy Spirit brings us from spiritual death (separation from God) to life—eternal life (knowing God). We have this eternal life in the here and now, and forever.

If any of this sounds confusing, much of this will be explained in subsequent lessons.

salvation: This was covered in volume 1, but it deserves being reviewed. The word salvation does not always refer to life with God in heaven (the new heaven and new earth that await those who have been regenerated—brought back to spiritual life and into a relationship with God). Salvation is deliverance from danger or suffering, and the Bible can use the word we translate salvation to refer to victory, being brought to safety, or preservation in the here and now.

Paul uses the word salvation in Philippians 1:19 in referring to his imprisonment and not his eternal destiny:

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (KJV).

When the word salvation is used in this context, the Berean Study Bible and New International Version translate it using the word deliverance to help differentiate this form of salvation from salvation in the context of eternity with God:

For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance" (NIV).

For a more complete treatment of terms such as salvation, see A Forty-Day Study on Sin, Salvation, and Sanctification: Our Journey in Christ.

Ruth: There are numerous, significant connections that can be made between the characters and events found in the book of Ruth and that of Christ and his Church.

Naomi can be viewed as representing Israel—destitute and without hope. She changes her name to Mara—which means bitter. But she is ultimately redeemed and restored, just as Israel is destined for redemption, restoration, and eventual glorification through the return and millennial rule of Christ.

Ruth can be viewed as representing the Church. She is a Gentile but shows faithfulness to Israel’s God and does not abandon Naomi (Israel). She, too, is rescued and delivered from need.

Boaz is the kinsman-redeemer that redeems Naomi and takes Ruth, this Gentile, as his bride. Jesus is our kinsman-redeemer, and the Church is the Bride of Christ.

This is covered in lesson 19 of volume 1.

2

Recording the Life of the

Messiah: The Historians

Before his ascension, Jesus calls together his disciples—now called apostles or sent ones. Filled with fear and scattered at the time of the arrest of Jesus, now their doubts are gone. Jesus is the Psalm 2 Messiah, Son of God, and King. So they turn to the resurrected Jesus and ask:

Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6)

This question is an expected one. Jesus has conquered death. As the true Messiah, he will sit on David’s throne and rule the nations in righteousness. He will bring glory to Jerusalem (Zion). Surely this is about to happen. And his followers are anxious. Is this it, is now the time? they ask.

Jesus knows the mission that lies ahead. He does not avoid the question, but simply replies,

It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. (Acts 1:7)

Jesus’ earthly reign as King must await something important to him and to God’s kingdom plans. Jesus has a mission for the Apostles—more pressing than his own earthly rule. He tells them:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Before Jesus establishes his earthly kingdom, the Apostles have a significant task. They must tell the world about Jesus. Their witness is to extend throughout Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and spread to the very ends of the earth (see lesson 2 in volume 1). And Jesus will equip them for this mission with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The family of God is going to undergo a great expansion. It will start out small and unnoticed—almost like leaven placed into dough or like a small mustard seed that is planted into the ground. But it will greatly expand. The Church will grow to cover the entire world. For those who have read volume 1, this is the stone cut without hands that fills the earth from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (lesson 37 of volume 1). It is the kingdom of God.