Christ in the Old Testament: Promised, Patterned, and Present

by Douglas Van Dorn

"A certain kind of delight comes over the Christian when he or she discovers glorious truths in the Bible that were somehow missed or misinterpreted throughout one's life. I experienced this many times in reading Pastor Van Dorn's insightful work. Surely, Christ is found throughout the Old Testament and his ministry precedes his achievements through the Incarnation." Douglas Groothuis (Ph.D.) ~ Professor of Philosophy, Denver Seminary Author of Christian A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith Few subjects are as important, yet ignored or misapplied, as the one addressed in this book. Jesus Christ is the absolute center and focus of the totality of God’s word. Many people confess this belief, since Jesus himself taught it (Luke 24:27; John 5:39). Christians have done well to see this on one or two levels. Yet, truly understanding just how primary he is as an actor—even in the Old Testament—is something few have considered. In this revised and expanded edition of From the Shadows to the Savior (2015), Douglas Van Dorn helps us see the light of Christ that emerges from the dark hallways of Scriptures that so many find outdated, unintelligible, and irrelevant for today’s Church. Learn how Christ is found in such things as prophecy, typology, and the law. Then, come in for a deeper study of how the Person himself is actually present, walking, speaking, and acting, beginning in the very first book of the Bible. Learn how words such as “Word,” “Name,” “Glory,” and “Wisdom” are all ideas that the Scripture itself attaches to Christ who in the OT is called The Angel of the LORD. Then see if such ideas don’t radically change the way you think about all of God’s word in this truly life-changing summary of Christ in the Old Testament. This edition contains three new chapters (Christ the Power, Christ the Face, and Christ the Shepherd), has been reworked to make sections even clearer, contains new resources, and study questions. It is the perfect book for a study guide on Christ in the Old Testament.

Genres: Devotional

127 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2020

Reviews

[Joshua Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Enjoyable and insightful read. More people should come to understanding the many things shown in this book about Christ literally being in the Old Testament.

[Joshua Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your ordinary typology read. Great book.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often write reviews on GoodReads, so the fact that I am writing one for this book must say something. What exactly? Keep reading.

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After finishing a second read-through of the book because I wanted to check it again at a slower pace, I heartily recommend it. There are a few reasons for my recommendation. First, the author alone is very interesting. He is a Reformed Baptist who also holds to some formulation of the doctrine of Divine Council. If you are completely against that framework, it barely comes into play in this volume, so I'd still suggest this book to you.

Second, the first four books in the series are republished and compiled works by reformed theologians, such as John Owen, Peter Allix, and Gerard De Gols. Through his care in compiling the writings of these men on the topic, and organizing them in a somewhat systematic presentation, he shows a much-needed level of scholarship for what he teaches.

Third, he shows how the Jews of the Bible were not only monotheistic but also believed in a God-servant (pre-incarnate Messiah).

Fourth, he argues, for the most part convincingly, that the appearances of the 'Arm/Right Hand of the Lord,' 'Name of the Lord,' 'Glory of the Lord,' 'Shepard,' 'Angel of the Lord,' 'Son of God,' and 'God's Firstborn' in the OT is none other than the pre-incarnate Christ.

When training others in biblical theology, specifically with an emphasis on Christ in the Old Testament, I will assign this book.

[Vincent Artale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent study

If you like to do a deep dive into Scripture, this body of work is for you. Pastor Van Dorn does a spectacular job connecting Christ in the Old Testament, as the title suggests. This volume is not lengthy by any stretch, however it digs deep into Scripture. Plenty of footnotes to follow the Scholarly breadcrumb trail. Thoroughly enjoyed this study!!

[isaac tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good introduction

This was a good introduction to the type of hermeneutic that sees Christ actually present and interacting with people in the Old Testament. There is not enough depth to convincing itself but the ideas in this book are interesting and have made me want to learn more.