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Scripture Reading: Heb. 10:7b; Matt. 1:22; Luke 24:25-27, 44-46; Rom. 1:2; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Col. 1:25-27; Eph. 1:9-10; 3:9-11; Rom. 14:17; Rev. 21:2, 10-11
In this series of messages we shall cover the conclusion of the New Testament. Because the New Testament contains twenty-seven books, it is difficult to speak on the conclusion of the New Testament. In this message we shall consider the New Testament and God’s New Testament economy.
The New Testament is related to the Old Testament. This relationship is indicated by a portion of Hebrews 10:7: “In the roll of the book it is written concerning Me.” This refers to the Old Testament, which gives us a full record of Christ, either by plain words or by types (Luke 24:27, 44, 46; John 5:39, 46).
Augustine once said that the New Testament is contained in the Old and that the Old Testament is explained in the New. We may put the matter this way: The New Testament is in the Old contained, and the Old Testament is in the New explained. This means that the New Testament is in the Old Testament and that the Old Testament is explained by the New Testament.
What does it mean to say that the New Testament is contained in the Old Testament? What are the contents of the New Testament that are contained in the Old Testament? Some might say that in the Old Testament we have many promises, prophecies, types, and shadows concerning Christ. This, of course, is correct. The focal point of all the promises, prophecies, types, and shadows in the Old Testament is Christ. However, we must go further to ask this question: What kind of Christ has been promised, prophesied, typified, and shadowed in the Old Testament? Are you able to give a brief description of such a Christ?
It is easy to see, even without revelation, that the Old Testament presents Christ as the King. According to Genesis 3:15, Christ is the One who crushes the head of the serpent. This verse, however, does not speak of the central matters concerning what Christ is. The central line concerning Christ in the Old Testament is that Christ is the eternal God incarnated to be a man who lived on earth, died on the cross, resurrected, ascended, and descended. These seven major points are the central line regarding Christ as promised, prophesied, typified, and shadowed in the Old Testament. Concerning Christ’s being the eternal God, Micah 5:2 says that His origin is from eternity. Furthermore, Isaiah 9:6 speaks of Him as the mighty God.
For what purpose did Christ, the eternal God, become incarnate, live on earth, die on the cross, resurrect from among the dead, ascend to the heavens, and descend? Those with a superficial knowledge of the Scriptures might say, “Christ became a man, lived on earth, was crucified, resurrected, ascended, and descended in order to rescue me from hell and bring me to heaven.” In the light of the New Testament, we can strongly say that Christ, the eternal God, was incarnated, lived on earth, died on the cross, resurrected from among the dead, ascended to the heavens, and descended for the dispensing of the Triune God into His chosen people for the producing of the church. Although the word “church” cannot be found in the Old Testament, certain persons typify the church. For example, both Eve and Rebekah typify the church. Hence, both Christ and the church are contained in the Old Testament.
In the Old Testament we can also see the matter of God’s dispensing. Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.” Why did God create man in His own image? In answering this question we may use the illustration of a hand and a glove. A glove is made in the image of a hand for the purpose of containing the hand. Likewise, God created man in His own image so that man might contain God. If we receive even a little wisdom from God, we shall realize that He created man in His own image with the intention of coming into man and dwelling in him.
This understanding is confirmed by Romans 9:23, which speaks of God making “known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory.” Here we see that man was made a vessel to contain the glory of God. Since man was created to contain the glory of God and since the glory of God is actually God Himself expressed, man was created in God’s image for the purpose of containing God. God’s intention in creating man in this way was to enter into man. The word “image” in Genesis 1:27 indicates that God’s intention is to come into the man created by Him.
In what way does God come into man? It is not in a way that can be compared to putting apples into a box. In order to answer the question concerning how God comes into man, we need to consider chapter two of Genesis. According to this chapter, after creating man God placed him in front of the tree of life with the intention that man would eat of the fruit of this tree and thereby take God into him. As we shall see, this involves the mingling of God with man.
Some oppose the biblical truth of the mingling of God and man. To oppose this truth is to be in darkness.
In John 6 the Lord Jesus says that He is the heavenly bread for us to eat (vv. 32, 53-54, 56-58). In the same chapter the Lord twice says, “I am the bread of life” (vv. 35, 48). The bread of life is the life supply in the form of food, like the tree of life (Gen. 2:9), which is also the life supply “good for food.” The food we eat eventually is mingled with our being. If the food taken in by us does not mingle with us, we must have poor digestion. The food that we eat and digest is assimilated into our being. The food becomes our tissue, bone, flesh, and skin. This means that the food eaten, digested, and assimilated by us actually becomes us. This surely is a matter of mingling. Therefore, it would certainly be incorrect to say that the food we eat is not mingled with us.
The thought of mingling is implied in Genesis 2. God does not enter into a man in a way that is like putting apples into a box. On the contrary, God comes into us in a way that is like food entering into our being to become one with us. In Genesis 1 we see that man was created by God in His image. Then in Genesis 2 the man created by God is placed in front of the tree of life. This indicates that God wants man to receive Him as food. Here we have the dispensing of God into man.
Eating implies both dispensing and mingling. When a mother serves food to her family, she dispenses the food to them. As the members of her family eat the food, it is dispensed into them. After the food is dispensed, it is mingled with those who eat it. Likewise, in Genesis 1 and 2 we have God’s dispensing of Himself into man and His mingling of Himself with man.
How can God be dispensed into man and mingled with man? This can be accomplished only by the Triune God being incarnated, living on earth, dying on the cross, resurrecting, ascending, and descending. In this way God dispenses Himself into us and mingles Himself with us.
The Bible is profound. Because the Bible is a profound book, we should not stay on the surface of the Word. Instead, we need to see what is revealed in the depths of the Scriptures. We need to see not only that in the Old Testament Christ is promised, prophesied, typified, and shadowed; we need to see what kind of Christ is promised, prophesied, typified, and shadowed in the Old Testament. As we have pointed out, this Christ is the eternal God who was incarnated, lived on earth, died, resurrected, ascended, and descended. We also need to see God’s purpose for Christ to be such a One.
The content of the New Testament is God’s New Testament economy. As we shall see, God’s New Testament economy is the dispensing of God into His chosen people for the producing of the church. This eternal economy of God, the content of the New Testament, is contained in the Old Testament.
The New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Matthew 1:22 and 23 indicate this: “Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” This Son brought forth of a virgin is the seed of the woman prophesied in Genesis 3:15. Therefore, the birth of Christ was a great fulfillment of prophecies in the Old Testament.
The first prophecy in the Old Testament is Genesis 3:15. After the fall of man, after the serpent had worked himself into man, God promised that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent. This promise concerning the seed of the woman was the first prophecy in the Bible. This prophecy is fulfilled in Matthew 1:22 and 23. In Galatians 4:4 Paul says that Christ was born under the law and was also born of a woman. Therefore, Christ came not only to fulfill the law, but also to fulfill the promise that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent.
In Isaiah 7:14 there is another prophecy concerning Christ: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son.” According to Matthew 1:23, the name of this Son was called Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Therefore, the fulfillment of this promise brought God into man.
Luke 24:25-27 and 44-46 also indicate that the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Verses 25 through 27 say, “He said to them, O foolish and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory? And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” As verse 44 indicates, the Scriptures included the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
Luke 24:44-46 go on to say, “He said to them, These are My words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all the things must be fulfilled which have been written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and Psalms concerning Me. Then He opened their mind to understand the Scriptures; and He said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise up from the dead on the third day.” The Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms are the three sections of the entire Old Testament, that is, “all the Scriptures” (v. 27). The Savior’s word here unveils that the entire Old Testament is a revelation of Him and that He is its center and content. The fact that the Lord opened the mind of His disciples to understand the Scriptures indicates that to understand the Scriptures requires our mind to be opened by the Lord Spirit through His enlightening (Eph. 1:18).
Romans 1:2 speaks of the gospel of God which “He promised before through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.” This gospel, which concerns His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 1:3), was promised by God through the prophets in the Scriptures. This indicates that the gospel of God was not an accident but was planned and prepared by God. Before the foundation of the world, God planned to have this gospel. Therefore, numerous times in the holy Scriptures, from Genesis through Malachi, God spoke in promise through the prophets regarding the gospel of God. Hence, Romans 1:2 is a further demonstration of the fact that the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3 and 4 Paul says, “For I delivered to you, among the first things, that which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He has been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Again, the Scriptures refer to the Old Testament. Christ’s death for our sins, His burial for our termination, and His resurrection for our germination with life took place according to the prophecies of the Old Testament (Isa. 53:5-8, 10-12; Psa. 22:14-18; Dan. 9:26; Isa. 53:9; Psa. 16:9-10; Hosea 6:2). These three matters are the basic matters among the first things of the gospel. The fact that Paul says that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection were according to the Scriptures is a further proof that the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament.
Bible students often say that the prophecies concerning Christ in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the New Testament. For example, Micah 5:2 says, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” This prophecy is fulfilled in Matthew 2:4-6 and Luke 2:4-7. Yes, here we have an instance of the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the New Testament. However, we need to go on to see something deeper concerning the New Testament as the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
If we have a deeper understanding of the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the New Testament, we shall see that Christ came not only to fulfill the prophecies but also to fulfill God’s eternal dispensation, which is God’s dispensing of Himself into His chosen people for the producing of the church. God’s dispensing of Himself into His chosen people was promised, prophesied, typified, and shadowed in the Old Testament, and it was fulfilled by Christ’s coming in the New Testament. Therefore, Christ came not merely to fulfill the prophecies concerning His birth, death, and resurrection; He came, in particular, to fulfill the promises, prophecies, types, and shadows concerning God’s dispensing of Himself into His chosen people for the producing of the church.
The New Testament is the development and reaping of the seed sown in the Old Testament. Bible teachers are accustomed to saying that the divine revelation in the Bible is progressive. I also have spoken about the divine revelation in this way. However, this way of considering the divine revelation in the Scriptures is rather shallow. Actually, instead of merely progressing, the divine revelation in the Bible is developing.
Certain Bible teachers have said that nearly all the seeds of the truths are sown in the book of Genesis. After years of studying the Bible, I have come to agree with this saying. The seeds of nearly all the truths have been sown in Genesis and then grow throughout the Scriptures.
Growth is a matter of development. First, a seed is sown into the soil, and then the seed grows. While it grows, it develops. After a grain of wheat is sown into the ground, it grows and develops until it eventually brings forth many grains. When the wheat is ripe, that is the time for the reaping of the harvest. In like manner, the divine truths in the Bible are sown as seeds, mainly in the book of Genesis. These seeds develop through the Old Testament and especially in the New Testament, until reaching the time of “harvest” in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 14 we have a vision concerning the reaping of the ripened harvest. It is important for us to see that whatever is sown as a seed in the Old Testament is developed in the New Testament and is eventually reaped as a harvest in Revelation.
Now we need to ask a crucial question: What was sown as a seed in the Old Testament? Christ is the seed that is sown in the Old Testament and that develops throughout the Scriptures. In Genesis 3:15 God promised fallen mankind that as the seed of woman Christ would come to crush the head of the serpent. The Bible goes on to reveal that this seed is developed into the seed of Abraham, the seed of Isaac, and the seed of Jacob. In the book of Isaiah we see the further development of this seed into the One born of a virgin and called Emmanuel, the mighty God, and even the everlasting Father (Isa. 7:14; 9:6). Eventually, in the New Testament, the seed sown in the Old Testament will produce many grains, and these grains will become a harvest reaped in the book of Revelation. From this we see that the New Testament is the development and reaping of the very Christ sown in the Old Testament, developed throughout the books of the Bible, and reaped as a harvest in the last book of the New Testament.
The New Testament is the completion of the divine revelation. In Colossians 1:25 Paul says, “I became a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God.” The word of God is the divine revelation. This was not completed before the New Testament. In the New Testament the apostles, especially Paul, completed the word of God in the mystery of God, which is Christ, and in the mystery of Christ, which is the church, to give us a full revelation of God’s economy. At the time of Paul the word of God included the Old Testament and the word preached by the early apostles. Although the word of God preached by the early disciples grew and multiplied (Acts 12:24), it was not yet completed according to God’s economy. For this completion, God’s revelation to Paul was needed. According to the stewardship of God, Paul became a minister of the church to complete the word of God. Consider what a lack there would be if we did not have the Epistles of Paul. Without them, there would be no completion of the word of God.
Paul received the revelation of Christ as the mystery of God. In Colossians 2:2 he speaks of the “full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.” In Ephesians 3:4 Paul speaks of the mystery of Christ. The mystery of God in Colossians 2:2 is Christ, whereas the mystery of Christ in Ephesians 3:4 is the church. Paul was also given the revelation concerning the dispensation of God (2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 3:14-19). Therefore, the completion of the word of God includes the great mystery of Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32), the full revelation concerning Christ, the Head (Col. 1:26-27; 2:19; 3:11), and the full revelation concerning the church, the Body (Eph. 3:3-6).
In Colossians 1:26 and 27 Paul speaks of “the mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations, but now has been manifested to His saints; to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This mystery is Christ Himself within us as our life today and our glory in the future. At present, this glory is our hope. From these verses we see that the completion of the divine revelation concerns Christ coming to dispense God into us as a mystery and as a hope of glory.
