All Things Fulfilled

Today's Reading

The book of Hebrews opens with one of the most majestic sentences in all of Scripture: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:1-3). In one breathtaking statement, the author gathers up the entire Old Testament and declares that it all finds its fulfillment in one person: Jesus Christ.

Reflection

Over the past twenty days, we have traced Christ through the Old Testament — in types, shadows, and prophecies. We have seen Him as the seed of the woman, the second Adam, the beloved son offered on Moriah, the rejected brother who saves, the Passover lamb, the rock in the wilderness, the bronze serpent lifted up, the kinsman-redeemer, the suffering servant, the Son of Man, the Branch of David, the shepherd king, the prophet like Moses, the priest after Melchizedek, and the dwelling place of God.

Each of these was a facet of a single diamond — a partial revelation of the one who would come. But now the fullness has arrived. Hebrews declares that Jesus is not merely one more voice in the long line of prophets. He is the Son — the final Word, the definitive revelation, the one in whom all previous words find their meaning.

Paul makes the same point from a cosmic perspective: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:15-17). Christ is not only the goal of revelation; He is the sustainer of all reality. The one who appears in types and shadows throughout the Old Testament is the same one who holds the universe together.

Spurgeon insisted that Christ is the center of the Scriptures. Take Him out, and the Bible is an arch without a keystone — the structure collapses. Every type without Christ is a riddle without an answer. Every sacrifice without Christ is a question without a resolution. Every prophecy without Christ is a road without a destination.

Goldsworthy captures the principle that has guided this entire study: Jesus Christ is the goal to which the whole of the Old Testament moves, and the key that unlocks its meaning. Every type, every shadow, every prophecy finds its substance in Him.

Going Deeper

As you close this 21-day journey, carry this conviction forward into every future encounter with the Bible: it is all about Jesus. When you read the stories of Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets, ask: how does this point to Christ? When you encounter the tabernacle, the sacrifices, and the priesthood, ask: what does this reveal about Jesus' work? When you pray the Psalms, listen for the voice of Christ within them. The Old Testament is not a dusty relic of a bygone age. It is a living witness to the living Christ — "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature." May your heart burn within you, as the disciples' hearts burned on the road to Emmaus, every time He opens the Scriptures.