Posts by Old Testamentor

There are three questions that come to mind when we discuss the subject of Christ and the Old Testament. These questions are: Were the mortal ministry and mission of Jesus Christ foretold in the Old Testament? Was the mortal Christ aware of Old Testament prophets and their prophecies during His ministry? What is the relationship between Jehovah in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ? We shall explore here only the second and third questions. The first question, about Old Testament prophecies of Christ’s mortal mission, is discussed in some depth on this web site under Messages of the Old Testament. Christ’s Awareness of Old Testament Prophecies   The scriptures used by the Jews during Christ’s ministry would have been the Greel Septuagint. This was a translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek, made in the third century before Christ. Its name came from the tradition that it was translated in 70 (actually 72) days by 70 Palestinian Jews, at the order of Ptolemy, for use by the Greek-speaking Jews in Alexandria. The Septuagint was of immense value to the Jews because they were no longer able to read the Hebrew language. All Old Testament scriptures quoted in the New Testament are from this Greek Septuagint. Thus, the reading is somewhat different from what we find in those same Old Testament verses in the King James Version of the Bible. From the very beginning of His ministry, Christ showed His familiarity with the scriptures—the scriptures in general and also those scriptures that specifically prophesied of Him. In the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, he announced His divine Sonship by reading Isaiah 61, verse 1 and part of verse 2. He read thus: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). After reading, he closed the book, and said, “This day is this scripture, fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). When Christ was tempted by Satan following His 40-day fast in the wilderness, He responded to Satan’s enticings by quoting scriptures. In response to each of the three temptations, He responded by saying, “It is written,” and then proceeded to quote from a scripture. When tempted to turn stones into bread, He said, “It is written, Man shalt not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4), a clear reference to Deuteronomy 8:3 where Moses explained to the Israelites that God had given them manna in the wilderness that He might make them know that “man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” When Jesus was tempted to cast himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, He responded: “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:7). This is a reference to Deuteronomy 6:16 where Moses told the Israelites, “Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God…” When tempted to worship Satan in exchange for the kingdoms and glories of the world, Jesus answered, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4: 10). This is an obvious reference to the first commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3), with the same message also being found in Exodus 34:14 and Deuteronomy 6:14. When Jesus taught the multitude concerning the mission of John the Baptist, He bore witness to them that “this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee” (Matthew 11:10). This was a reference to Malachi 3:1: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.” When Jesus drove the money changers from the temple, He said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). The Savior’s reference here is to Isaiah 56:7. Here Isaiah expounded on the glorious blessings that will be bestowed on those who keep the commandments. As he talked about those who keep the Sabbath, he said, “Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house...

When I wrote my book, How Often Would I Have Gathered You, I subtitled it, Stories from the Old Testament and Related Sources for Latter-day Saints. Many have asked what that subtitle means and why I would limit my stories just to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Those are both good questions, and I will attempt to give a good answer. First, I will say that the stories are for anyone who wishes to read them and not just for Latter-day Saints. The stories are told in a straightforward fashion that will be familiar and meaningful to anyone who loves the Old Testament. The main difference between these stories and non-Latter-day Saints stories (if there are such) is in the use of what the subtitle refers to as “related sources.” The Old Testament translation from which these stories have been drawn is the King James Version; and it is no different from what you remember it. But, because I have used these “related sources,” the perspective of the stories is broadened and I have been able—in some of the stories—to provide a clearer view of Old Testament meanings. In essence, these “related sources” enable us to view the Old Testament through high-definition spectacles. These sources include other ancient writings: the Book of Mormon, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Old Testament, and the books of Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price, both of which are in a compilation known to Latter-day Saints as  the Pearl of Great Price. I have also used information provided by Flavius Josephus’s Antiquities of the Jews, as well as various Old Testament commentaries in order to add important background and clarity. There are many references to (as well as explanations from) these related sources in the footnotes of the book. In these footnotes, I attempt to clarify most of the differences between my stories and what is written in the King James Translation. There are cases where an entire story (or significant parts of a story) comes from these other sources. In those cases, there is no mention of that fact in the footnotes, but the source is clearly identified at the top of the story, just below the title. One example of a difference is the Latter-day Saints’ understanding that the Great Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament, and Jesus Christ are the same being. The Biblical scriptures to support this identity are outlined in the article on this page entitled “Christ and the Old Testament.” There (in the article entitled “Christ and the Old Testament”) I have also included some Biblical references to clarify the Latter-day Saint understanding that Jesus Christ and God the Eternal Father are not the same personal entity but are two separate personages—though certainly one in unity and purpose. Latter-day Saints also believe that God does not change—that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Malachi 3:6). In keeping with that belief, we contend that the gospel taught by Jesus during his earthly ministry was the same gospel taught to Adam and to all the ancient prophets and patriarchs. The Law of Moses, which was a lesser law, was given to a people who had been in bondage for more than 400 years and were not prepared to live the fullness of the gospel—the higher law. The Law of Moses was, as the Apostle Paul wrote, a “schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” (Galatians 3:24). With the infinite Atonement at the end of the mortal advent of Jesus Christ, that lesser law was fulfilled. Latter-day Saints also believe that all things, including humankind, were created spiritually by our Father in Heaven before they were created physically upon the earth—that humankind, as His spirit children, lived with God in a spiritual existence prior to our earth life. The eternal existence of mankind has been likened unto a three-act play with the three acts comprising our pre-mortal existence, our mortal earthly existence, and our existence after mortality. For those who come into this second act (mortality) with no understanding of the other two acts, the purpose behind the second act—and of the entire play—is very hard to comprehend. In fact, it makes no sense at all. Just as the Lord told Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:4-5), so it was with each of us. Jehovah also hinted at this pre-mortal life when he asked Job, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare if thou...