And that This notion makes the New Testament the most vitally important book or series of books in the world—because they depict the most important person in the world, Jesus Christ. One We could put it this way: taking the Old Testament all by itself, it would read very much like an unfinished symphony. Take for example the Pentateuch, the Torah, the Law as one reads through those first five books, studying that section for the very first time, one is struck with the prevalence of animal sacrifices. They appear on almost every page beginning back in the fourth chapter of Genesis and seen more clearly in Exodus, and Leviticus presents the organization of the offerings and rites and the ceremonies and the sacrifices and as one looks at all of these sacrifices of animals he might ask the question, “What are they for?” What is their purpose? Undoubtedly, they somehow point to realities outside of themselves. And yet Yet nowhere in the Pentateuch are those animal sacrifices explained. Reading all the way through the rest of the Old Testament, the reader might become increasingly disappointed because in the Old Testament there are these unexplained ceremonies.

This theocracy, this beautiful experiment where God is the invisible ruler, deteriorates and later becomes a monarchy as described in the books book of Samuel, where we have human kings introduced because the people wanted someone they could see. And then Then that kingdom is disrupted into two kingdoms. There is split, there is secession from the union described in the books of Kings. Each of those kingdoms Israel in the North, Judah in the South both are swept into exile. There is record of the Babylonian captivity, and record of the Assyrian captivity.

Finally, the story is reviewed in the book of Chronicles and in the last few historical books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Ester Esther there is just a handful, a little remnant that returns back to Judea. The walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt; but the Davidic throne, no longer exists. All we have in Judea by in the end of that historical section are a few Jews—they Jews who are merely a minor dependency, ; they don’t even have their own form of government. And outside Outside Judea , they are just scattered to the four winds. On might ask, “What’s happened. Why this change? Here this beautiful beginning and now this sorry declension and decline into other failures. Why?” If one reads we read through the rest of the Old Testament, it ends on a note of sadness because there are unachieved purposes.

Examine the poetical books of Job through Song of Solomon—philosophical books that deal with the aching problems of the human heart surely one we will find some solution to those problems. But is a solution found? Clearly, there are all kinds of illuminations and penetrating practical reassuring councils and lessons and promises but there are no clear final solutions to the problem of sin or pain or death or the life beyond death. And we We are left groaning with Job, “Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!” (Job 23:3, KJV). This leaves the reader without answers in his spiritual quest, for there are these unappeased longings.

Then if one reads we read the prophetical books of Isaiah through Malachi, he reads we read about these future predictions that guarantee an ultimate consummation and restitution. All focusing upon the idea that someone is coming, someone who will be God’s answer to the cry of the ages and this whole stream of Messianic prophecy which begins back in Genesis reaches floodtide flood-tide proportions as one reads we read through the prophets. When reading through the book of Malachi, one notices we notice the Promised One still has not come. And Malachi closes with the words, “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, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1, KJV). Thus, the curtain closes on the Old Testament with unfulfilled prophecies.

This is why the Old Testament is like an unfinished symphony—with all of these aspects of unexplained ceremonies, unachieved purposes unappeased longings and unfulfilled prophecies. And that That is why the New Testament completes the sacred masterpiece. That is why the historical books of the New Testament give us an explanation of those unexplained ceremonies and unachieved purposes. They find their fulfillment in Jesus. All of those offerings all those tabernacle ordinances all those unfulfilled histories of the Old Testament are taken up again and they all point to Him where they are recorded historically in the Gospels.

The same thing with the epistles—the didactical books of the New Testament. All those unappeased longings, all those unanswered questions in the Old covenant books of poetry, now find their completion in Christ who is pictured for us in the Epistles. And the same thing with all the prophecies in the Old Testament that were unfulfilled they find their consummation and their completion and their fulfillment in the book of the Revelation. And soSo, Job’s cry, “Oh that I knew where I might find Him” (Job 23:3) is answered. The apostle, John through the lips of Andrew cries out, “We have found the Messiah,” which is being interpreted “the Christ”. Both testaments are vitally important to each other. We cannot have one without the other.

A story is told of a Hindu convert who was studying the New Testament and one day he came to his missionary and said, “I’ve come to ask you for the other part of the Bible.” The book I am reading seems to be so incomplete. Almost every page is telling me, “It 'It was done in order that it might be fulfilled…fulfilled.” ' And now I want to know just what it is that has been fulfilled. "