Key To Bible Books

Every book of the Bible has a key to understanding its contents

The New Testament is the most vital book in the world. The Old Testament leaves

us with us with without the light that you need. And if read alone we would find

the the Old Testament is a book of UNEXPLAINED CEREMONIES, UNACHIEVED PURPOSE

UNAPPEASED LONGINGS, UNFULFILLED PROPHECIES.

But lets suppose that having read the Old Testament you meet a Christian friend

who persuades you read the New-.Testament. The very first chapter of Matthew ,

sings out the soon familiar refrain, "That it might fulfilled..." The Jesus who

is to "save His people from their sins" is lineally certificated right back to

royal David and patriarch Abraham, through whom God's two great "covenants of

promise" were made with Israel. His birth of the virgin immediately unlocks the

secret of Isa. 7:14 cf. (Matt. 1:22,23).

Therefore as you read about the Jesus of the New Testament, whose birth, life

death the, resurrection and ascension are historically recorded in the Gospels.

In His vicarious death and atoning self-sacrifice, His resurrection and

ascension, His present ministry in heaven, and His promised return, you see the

UNEXPLAINED CEREMONIES of the Law suddenly flame into new meaning. They all

point HIM as for instances the five different kinds of offerings in Leviticus,

the tabernacle ordinances, the annual entering of the high priest into the Holy

of Holies with covenant blood-sprinkling, and his later re-emerging in his

glorious garments to bless the people.

As you read of the Savior's birth, and hear the announcing angel say, "He

shall be great, and shall be called the son of the Highest: and the Lord God

shall give the throne of His father David..." you realize that the UNFULFILLED

HISTORIES of the Old Testament are being taken up again, and are finding

fulfillment in HIM.

As you read His teachings about the love and the fatherhood of God: as you hear

Him say, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give

you rest"; as you see Him, not only ascending to heaven but shedding forth the

Holy Spirit and thereby coming to indwell the hearts of His redeemed people -you

see the UNAPPEASED LONGINGS of the Old Testament philosophy books finding

fulfillment.

And as for the UNFULFILLED PROPHECIES of the Old Testament Christology, from

the time of His miraculous birth at Bethlehem right on to the climax of His

miraculous ascension from Olivet, He is fulfilling those predictions of the older

dispensation. He claims to be their fulfillment as when He says in the synagogue:

"This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." He proves to be their

fulfillment, in His sinless life and miracle-attested ministry, and most movingly

in His death on the cross.

With this as an introduction we come to the four of the five historical books

that we call the gospels. The first Gospel is that of Matthew. Matthew is the

impressionist and he writes for the Jew. The Jew expected their Messiah to be

born of a certain family and so Matthew traces Christ's birth back to Abraham

the founder of the covenant nation and through the line of David to show that

Christ truly had a claim to the throne of David. The thrust of Matthews gospel

is to show the four-fold ministry of Christ which we find developed this way

1. The Proclamation of the Kingdom 4:12-7:29

2. The Proclamation of the King 8:1-16:20

3. The Rejection of the King 16:21-20:34

4. The Rejection of the Kingdom 21:1-26:35

We might ask where is the fulfilling of prophecy here. Turn back to 2 Sam.7:13

where we find the promise of God to David about the Kingdom to be given to his

David's greater Son. That's the key to the Book of Matthew The long awaited

Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. That's why no explanation was given by either

John the Baptist in Matt. 3:2 or Christ in Matt. 4:17. No self-respecting Jew

would need ever to ask "What on earth is the Kingdom of Heaven. The long awaited

Promise given to David was now being fulfilled in the presence of Christ. As we

now know that Kingdom was set aside and the Kingdom has been been postponed until

Israel again comes on the scene and the church is taken out of the way.

The understanding of the book of Matthew can be summarized by the following outline and in following manner. Read and see for yourself if this is not so.

1. The Proclamation of the Kingdom 4:12-7:29

2. The Proclamation of the King 8:1-16:20

3. The Rejection of the King 16:21-20:34

4. The Rejection of the Kingdom 21:1-26:35