If You’re LDS, PLEASE Don’t Miss This in 2026

Luke 24

If you are a Latter-day Saint, that means that this year you're going to be studying through the Old Testament. And as an evangelical, that makes me super excited. I think it's good to spend time in the Old Testament. It is an understudied part of the Bible. I just wanted to give you one piece of advice when reading through the Old Testament. One thing that has revolutionized the way I read scripture and especially the Old Testament, which can admittedly be difficult at times to read, and it's simply this. I want to encourage you to read the Old Testament in light of Jesus. Something that I've been talking about with my friends lately is how in the Book of Mormon and in the Joseph Smith translation and the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham, Jesus is made very explicit, very specific details are given about him and his work, names and things that are really clear and very specific.

But when you go to the Old Testament, it's not like that. You don't see that kind of uh specificity in the Old Testament text. And I think this has led some people to say one of two things. First, that Jesus is not actually in the Old Testament. Uh but that the New Testament had the authority to kind of reinterpret the Old Testament and add Christ where he really wasn't. Or second, that there are things stripped out of the Old Testament that should be be there. There should be clear references to Jesus. I don't think either of those things are true. I do think that Jesus is in the Old Testament and I think we are meant to read the Old Testament in light of him.

Do you remember the Emmas road where Jesus appears to some of his disciples as they're walking on the road to Emmas? And Luke says this line which I think is really fascinating. In Luke 24 25- 27, he says this. And Jesus said to them, "Oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." So Jesus starting with Moses and then the prophets kind of two segments of the Old Testament interpreted to them in all the scriptures.

John 5 · John 5:39 · Acts 10

It's like a broad scope here, the things concerning himself. So Jesus saw that there were things concerning himself in Moses and the prophets and in all the scripture. But there are far more statements like this in the New Testament, not just that one. In John 5, uh, you have John 5:39 where Jesus says this, "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." If you jump down to verse 45, he says, "Do not think that I will accuse you to the father. There is one who accuses you, Moses, on whom you have set your hope.

For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. So Moses wrote of Jesus. We have another statement in Acts 10 where Peter is speaking to the Gentiles, to Cornelius's household, and he says this in verse 42 and 43. And he commanded us, Jesus commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to judge to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. So to Jesus all the prophets bear witness about the gospel that if you believe in his name, you'll have forgiveness of sins.

One more verse that I'll show showing you this. Colossians 2 16-17. This is a little bit of a a different one, but just bear with me. Here's what it says. Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. This is actually a refrain that is used elsewhere in the New Testament also elsewhere especially in Hebrews that there are things in the Old Testament that are shadows but the substance is actually Christ and new covenant reality. So speaking about new moons and festivals, Sabbaths, these are Old Testament ceremonial things that are mere shadows.

Genesis 3

Uh but the actual thing, the thing casting the shadow, the thing that the shadow is telling you about is actually Jesus. Now, this tells us how we ought to read the Old Testament. It's not just about explicit clear prophecies, but shadows, things that point to Christ, things that are about Christ. Even though on the surface we're just talking about ceremonial festivals of the Jews, I will I do want to acknowledge that there is also a category of mystery. Not everything was made explicit in the Old Testament. There are things that are shadowy, mysterious that aren't fully revealed until the New Testament.

We see the language of mysteries being revealed all over the place in the New Testament, but especially in Ephesians chapter 3. Here's what Paul writes here. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow airs, members of the same body, and partakers of the same promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. So Paul is saying in previous generations mis this mystery was not made fully known like it has been made known now.

So in the old testament things are shadowy. There's mystery. There's things that haven't been clearly revealed. But that doesn't mean that Christ is not present. Let me give you the lens through which I think everyone is meant to read the Old Testament. And that is found in the very beginning of Genesis. It's right after the fall in Genesis 3. Uh it's literally the first preaching of the gospel, what has been called in church history after Adam and Eve partake of the fruit and mankind falls. The very first thing that God says, this is incredible, is that God curses the serpent. He says in verse 14, "Because you have done this, serpent, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field.

Genesis 49

On your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. Then here's the critical verse. So cool. Genesis 3:15 says, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Now, you have something called broken parallelism here where you have the serpent and the woman held up as parallels. There's enmity between the serpent and the woman and between the serpent's offspring and the woman's offspring. But then we have a broken parallel at the end. It says he, it's a masculine pronoun.

He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. So you have serpent, woman, serpent offspring, woman offspring. But then the woman's offspring is said to be a he. But we jump back to the serpent. He will bruise your head serpent and you will bruise his heel. So you have some action that the offspring of Eve will take to bruise or crush the head of the serpent and an action that the serpent will take to bruise the heel of the offspring. And throughout church history, Christians have seen this as a reference, as a promise to the Messiah, to one who would come who would crush the serpent, who introduced evil into the world, one who would redeem us, who would save us from the curse, a skull crushing seed of Eve.

And that is ultimately Jesus. And I really believe that the entire Old Testament is meant to be read in light of this promise. You have Noah and the flood where God promises to not destroy the earth in this way. He's showing that he's faithful to his promise. He will still bring about this seed, this offspring. You have Abraham who his offspring, it's the same word actually, his offspring will be numerous like stars in the sky. But through him all the families of the earth will be blessed. Now, Galatians tells us that the blessing that comes to all families of the earth is Christ. We go on to see in Genesis 49 that there would be a descendant from Judah, from one of the tribes of Israel, who would rule over Israel.

Deuteronomy 18 · Deuteronomy 34

We have later on in Deuteronomy 18 and Deuteronomy 34 that there will be a prophet like Moses who will lead his people out of a better uh exodus and not out of slavery to Egypt but out of slavery to sin. We have the promise that uh comes to David in the Davidic covenant where one of his offspring same word will sit on the throne over Israel for all of eternity. He'll be like the perfect king. The prophets point back to this and say, "And this king will bring in a new covenant. He'll give his people a new heart. He'll even rule over the Gentiles." And so, we have the stacking of promises uh that are overt.

And then we have the shadowy things. We have the temple which points to Christ. We have the new moon and the new moon festivals and the Sabbaths and things like that. We have all these elements that are building a tower, a picture, painting a picture of the Messiah who is ultimate ultimately revealed in the new covenant in the New Testament. So I just want to encourage you if you're going through the Old Testament this year, pay attention to how Jesus is everywhere. How Jesus can starting with Moses and going to the prophets in all of scripture point out the things concerning himself. Jesus may not be explicit in the Old Testament, but that does not mean he is not present.

He's there. He He is there in shadow. He's there in types. He's there in prophecies. And I just wanted to encourage you to pay attention to those things. Also, if you are going through this year of the Old Testament, I highly encourage you pick up a modern translation, pick up a an ESV or an NIV and read through the text in a language that is a lot easier for us to read in our modern day. Just a quick word of encouragement at the beginning of the year. Happy 2026 and may the Lord bless your studies through the Old Testament this