9.18 Christ was concealed in the Old; revealed in the New

The Old Covenant pointed to Christ – the true Lamb that would come. The Gospels tell us that He came and He died on the cross.The Epistles tell us what He accomplished and what it means to us.

In the Old Covenant, Christ was concealed; while in the New Christ was revealed. Under the institution of the Law of Moses, the truth of Christ was concealed in the tabernacle, the 5 sacrifices, the ministry of the High Priest, the feasts of Israel, etc. Everything pointed to Him.

In addition, the prophetic books and the book of Psalms often pointed to Jesus. Even the stories of the Old Testament pointed to Jesus. We will share someof these examples later.

The Bible tells us that when we read the Old Testament, there is a veil. We don’t see the truth clearly. We don’t fully understand what God is trying to show us. Have you ever felt that way before? I used to read the Old Testament wondering what is God trying to show me?

But this veil is taken away in Christ. When we turn to Jesus, and we receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, the veil is lifted. So that when we read the Bible, we find the truths of the Old Covenant revealed through the Epistles. We start to see Christ whenever we read the Bible – from cover to cover.

(2 Cor 3:14-16)
But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

This will truly transform the way we read the Bible. We are no longer scratching on the surface. We are getting into the nuggets of gold that are hidden beneath the surface. We are getting to the heart of what God is trying to reveal to us – His Son Jesus. And when we see the good news of His Son, faith will arise in our hearts.

So today, how do we read the Bible, especially the Old Testament? Do we read it on the surface, as natural stories, or do we go one step deeper to the revelation of Christ? Do we read it with a veil over our hearts or do we read it unveiled by turning to Christ – and by seeing Him? When we truly see Him, we will be transformed into the same image from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18). We have this privilege in the New Covenant.