The End of the Old Testament -- Posted 11-19-2007


I know that not every Bible is the same. I know that not every version of the Bible will have
the same subscripts or headings.

But, in my Bible, which is a Thompson Chain Reference Bible, immediately following Malachi
4:6 you see the following subscript.

THE END OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

So what?!?!

You see, there is a difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The main theme of the Old Testament is the Law and the Coming Messiah.

Turning over one page to Matthew chapter 1, verse 1 you find this,

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

The book of WHO???

JESUS CHRIST.

He who fulfilled every prophecy of a coming Messiah. He who fulfilled every jot and tittle of
the Law. Jesus Christ.

In the time of the Old Testament dispensation, there was no Jesus Christ, at least on earth.
There was no fulfillment of the Law except for you to keep the Law and obey every part of it.

God felt it necessary to give the Law to Moses, so that the people could see their sin. The
Law was designed by God to expose the sinful ways of man.

My friend, the Law is good. This message is not designed to eliminate the need to obey God’
s Word. The Old Testament is still needed in today’s church world. God’s true requirements
are shown through His Laws and standards found in the very Word of God.

But, what the Law could not do was free man from the hold of sin. The Law could not bring
man to perfection in God. The Law could not release man from their selfish ways.

Hebrews 7:19 and 22 read as follows.

“For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we
draw nigh unto God.    By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”

Only through Jesus Christ can man be delivered from the stranglehold of sin. Only by the
shed blood of Him can man be made overcomers in this life, and in the life to come.

In Matthew 26, verses 26 through 29 you can read of the Last Supper. Jesus himself is
quoted in verse 28 as saying,

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

In the Old Testament, an earthly priest sacrificed an animal, to fulfill God’s law concerning the
covering of sins. The shedding of blood has always been a requirement for sin to be covered.
Even in the Garden of Eden, God slew animals to make skins to “cover” Adam’s and Eve’s
sin.

Therefore, it is easily understood that God is only pleased with man when their sins are
covered by blood.

So, when you read the words of Jesus himself, and He says, “For this is my blood of the new
testament…”, it is apparent that Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment of a “new” or “better”
testament.

With that in mind, is it possible that the “Old Testament” could be referred to as the
“Imperfect Testament” and the “New Testament” as the “Perfect Testament”?

If you were to only read the Old Testament in your Bible, you could never be brought into a
fully perfect or mature relationship with God Almighty.

How do I know that?

Because only Jesus Christ, the Living New Testament, can not only expose your sin, but can
also forgive that sin, justify you from that sin, and enable you to rise above the temptation of
other sins.

Jesus is the New Testament.

Jesus is the better testament.

Jesus is the perfect testament.

By the way, a testament is a covenant, a promise, or a contract.

God has always cared for His people. Proof of that is found all throughout the Bible. But, the
most convincing proof of God’s desires for man can be found in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ was living, breathing…God.

He cares. He really does.

Jesus Christ is the New Testament.

He completed and fulfilled all of God the Father’s desires for the Old Testament dispensation.

And so, Jesus himself became the new covenant, the new contract,…the new testament.

So, my friend, what will your choice be?