Jesus in the Old Testament

Written by Rev. Daniel Forster

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV)

It is common today to think of Jesus only in conjunction with the New Testament. We look at Jesus as the baby in the manger as the place where the story begins and sadly miss what He fulfilled – the promises that came to pass. Jesus is mentioned and prophesied about all throughout the Old Testament. Jesus was with God before creation even began and was with God and His chosen people all throughout the Old Testament until it was time for Him to be revealed.

God sent prophetic words and promises about salvation to the prophets of the Old Testament – promises of freedom from sin and an eternal life with God. One of the most common of these scriptures is in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

What does it mean for God to discipline us?

First of all, it means God loves the one whom he is disciplining (Hebrews 12:6). 

Second, it means that God is working correction into the person whom he loves. If you've been a Christian for any length of time, you have probably experienced the discipline of God. It can be very strong or it can be very gentle. Either way, it is the loving grace of God to be disciplined by him.

Sometimes God communicates to us via scripture where he enlightens the word of God to our hearts and our minds and brings us to the place of confrontation with our sin. 

Other times, God uses events that are out of the ordinary. They are too "coincidental" to be coincidental. In these times, God is getting our attention. 

Experiencing the Cross: A Glimpse of Hell

Julie Barrier

I had the most remarkable encounter with God today. I was meditating upon Jesus on the cross, and, after decades of being a Christian, God revealed to me an aspect of Jesus’ suffering that I never understood or even considered. What was it truly like for Jesus to experience “hell” on the cross?