TEACHING
Did
You Ever Wonder What the Bible Was All About?
By
Craig von Buseck
CBN.com Contributing Writer
CBN.com – The
Bible is the story of Jesus. It is one book, and one story, made up of
many books and many stories. It all begins in the book of Genesis with the creation
and fall of man. God is not surprised by the events of Genesis chapter 3, and
in verse 15 He declares to the Serpent, Satan the Adversary, ...I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel (NKJV). This
is the first prophecy concerning the Messiah, the Savior, who is to redeem mankind
back to God -- the Seed of Promise. The Bible is the story of that Seed
promised. The Seed is passed on from generation to generation. Satan, the enemy
of God and His people, tries to destroy the Seed. God consistently and miraculously
provides a way for the Seed to be preserved and passed along through the royal
bloodline. Finally, as foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament, Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, the Son of God, is born of a woman -- He is all God, and He is all
man; the Promised Seed. After the promise is made to Adam and Eve several
generations pass and a man named Abraham appears on the scene. Abraham has faith
in God, and his faith is accredited to him as righteousness in God's eyes. And
he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness (Genesis
15:6). Paul writes of the significance of this event to all
believers, not only the physical children of Abraham, but his spiritual children
as well: Therefore it is of faith that it might be according
to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those
who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is
the father of us all (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations")
in the presence of Him whom he believed -- God, who gives life to the dead and
calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope,
in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what
was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." And not being weak in faith, he did
not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old),
and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through
unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully
convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore
"it was accounted to him for righteousness" (Romans 4:16-22). God
promises Abraham a Seed, singular, not seeds, plural. Jesus is to become that
Seed. As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall
be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your
name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make
you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come
from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants
after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you
and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after
you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting
possession; and I will be their God (Genesis17:4-8). God enters
into this covenant with Abraham, promising that as he and his descendents keep
God's commands and remain faithful to Him, God will make Abraham the Father of
many nations. He declares that Abraham's descendents will be like the sand on
the seashore and the stars of the sky. God also promises the land of Canaan to
Abraham and his descendents. The promise of a Seed made to Adam and Eve is now
reiterated to Abraham. But at this point, Satan tries to eliminate the
Seed. He attempts with Abraham to corrupt the Seed in the palace of Pharaoh in
Egypt, and again with Abimelech. When Sarah is taken to be a mistress unto Pharaoh
God inflicts serious disease on the king and his household. When Sarah is later
taken by a local king named Abimelech God threatens to kill him. All of this was
in order preserve the Seed of promise. The Seed is passed on to Isaac,
the child of promise, and then to his son Jacob, whom God later renames Israel.
God makes a covenant with Israel, promising the blessing of Abraham if he will
walk in the ways of the Lord. Israel has twelve sons, and of them, Joseph is Jacob's
favorite. Israel's other sons are jealous of Joseph and the call that God has
placed on his life. They sell Joseph into slavery, but God protects and promotes
Joseph in Egypt. Through God's supernatural intervention Joseph is eventually
named second in command of all of Egypt. In the midst of a great famine, it is
Joseph who, through faith in God, is instrumental in preserving the Seed. The
famine threatens to kill the clan of Israel, but God uses Joseph to further the
Kingdom purpose. We see God's perspective in the words of Joseph in Genesis 45:7
(NKJV): And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity
for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Israel
and his children move to Egypt where Joseph cares for them. This small clan grows
and prospers in Egypt, becoming a mighty family. Israel and Joseph die, and the
Egyptians soon fear the growing people of Israel. The new Pharaoh does not remember
Joseph, and he places the people of Israel under the bonds of slavery. The people
cry out to God in their bonds, and the Lords sends Moses, a mighty prophet, to
deliver Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land -- once again protecting
and preserving the promised Seed. Many generations come and go, and still
the Seed is preserved. Israel becomes a nation. The Law is given to Moses and
the people of Israel while they wander in the dessert for forty years -- a result
of their sin and hardness of heart. Moses dies and a new leader, Joshua, leads
the children of Israel into the Promised Land, driving out the enemies of God.
After Joshua, the Judges rule over Israel for many years under God's guidance.
Israel is not satisfied with this arrangement, and they yearn to be like the nations
around them, so they cry out for a king. God grants their request and Saul is
anointed as the first King of Israel. But Saul sins against God and disobeys His
commands, and so he is removed from the throne and replaced by David, a man after
God's heart. God makes a covenant with David that one of his descendants would
sit on his throne forever. David passes this legacy, and the Seed, along to his
son Solomon. After Solomon dies the kingdom is divided and many kings, both good
and evil, rule over Israel and Judah for many years. God sends his prophets
to warn the people to turn from their sin -- to keep the covenant they have with
God. But the leaders and people of Israel do not heed their words and they continue
to sin against God, and break His commandments. As a result, He allows them to
be defeated by the surrounding nations and carried off into exile. A remnant of
the people return to the Promised Land to rebuild the temple and the walls of
Jerusalem. But because of continual sin and rejection of God's commands, the nation
is again occupied by outside rulers. It is during the Roman occupation
that the Promised Seed is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus lives
a sinless life. At the appointed time he is betrayed by one of his disciples,
and is arrested by the Jewish leaders. They convict Him and sentence Him to death.
The Romans nail him to a tree, and Jesus offers Himself as the Lamb of God, taking
all the sins of man onto Himself. It is in this act that Jesus, the promised
Seed, fulfills the prophecies written about Him through the centuries: Surely
He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by
His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned,
every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all
(Isaiah 53:4-6 NKJV). After enduring the shame and pain of
the cross He declares to all of mankind, as well as the principalities and powers
in the spiritual realm, that, "it is finished." Jesus breaks the chains of sin
and death that kept mankind in the grip of Satan. And you,
being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made
alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out
the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.
And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed
principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over
them in it (Colossians 2:13-15). On the third day, by the
power of the Holy Spirit, He is risen from the dead, securing eternal life for
all those who would believe in Him. The Savior ascends to heaven where he sits
at the right hand of God the Father. As He promised his disciples, Jesus
sends a Comforter to dwell with all believers, the Holy Spirit. It is this Holy
Spirit that empowers the Apostles and early believers to do mighty works in the
name of Jesus. And it is the reception of the Holy Spirit that reminds all believers
that Jesus Christ is coming back again to earth -- just as He promised -- to restore
God's order to the universe. The Holy Spirit inspires men like Paul, Peter,
John, and James to write letters to the early church that become the books of
the New Testament. These writings, under godly supervision and inspiration, illuminate
the teachings of Jesus. They reveal God's love, His heart, and His will for us
and through us. They explain the practical means of walking out the plan of God
for man on the earth. The final book of the Bible details the climactic
conclusion to the dramatic story. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Promised
Seed, as King of kings and Lord of lords. All kingdoms, powers, and principalities
-- both on earth and in the spirit realm -- are brought under His feet, just as
God promised Adam and Eve in the Garden. Jesus Christ, the Lord of love, rules
over the earth and all things, bringing the universe back into the order that
God intended in the garden. This is the conclusion of the biblical story
-- the fulfillment of the promise. The Bible is one story. The last book
in the Bible reads like the close of the story begun in the beginning of the first
book of the Bible. In Genesis we read a description of the beautiful Garden. The
Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had
formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant
to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the
garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of
Eden to water the garden (Genesis 2:8-10). Look at the similarities
in the Book of Revelation, where we read of the paradise that awaits us in God's
presence: And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear
as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of
its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore
twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall
be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives
them light. And they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:1-5). And
the Promised Seed, the Savior of mankind, will reign forever as the King, and
His people will be with Him. Now I saw a new heaven and a new
earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was
no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud
voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will
dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and
be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be
no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former
things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make
all things new" (Revelation 21:1-5). This is the God we serve
-- the Promised Seed, the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. If
you have not yet received God's promise, He is calling to you today to open your
heart and invite Him to be your Savior. Allow Him to plant His seed in your heart.
Jesus died for the sins of all man, but we have to open the door to him by faith
-- by believing that He is God's Son, sent to carry our sin, and then to believe
that He did that specifically for you. God the Father loves you so much that He
sent His Son to live on this earth as a man, to die a painful death -- to suffer
the punishment for all the sin you have ever committed, and will ever commit.
And if you were the only person to receive this gift of salvation, Jesus still
would have died for you. Today, Jesus is at at the door of your heart,
and He is knocking. The Bible says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with
him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20 NKJV). Will you open the door of your heart
today and invite Jesus to be the Lord of your life? Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace with God.
You can also send us your prayer requests
 Craig von Buseck is a published author, popular speaker and a contributing writer for CBN.com. He holds a Doctor of Ministry and an MA in Religious Journalism from Regent University. His most recent book by Regal Publishers, Praying the News, was co-written by CBN News anchor Wendy Griffith.
Craig is also the author of NetCasters: Using the Internet to Make Fishers of Men and Seven Keys to Hearing God's Voice. Craig has extensive ministry and speaking experience. He travels often to minister in churches and speak at writers conferences and professional events. Find other articles
and interviews by Craig von Buseck on CBN.com or at www.vonbuseck.com.
Find Craig's books on ShopCBN
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