Blast From the Past

Before you start thinking this is a trip down memory lane, let me explain the title. The past few weeks during my morning Bible study time, I have started to look for verses in the Gospels, that refer back to the Old Testament. Some verses are referred to by Jesus as He tells parables, teaches His disciples, confronts His accusers, and even answers Satan during His temptation in the desert. In some verses the gospel writers and Jesus show that prophecies from the Old Testament prophets about the Messiah have now come to pass. When I find them I highlight them with map colors showing if the verses are quotes by Jesus, quotes referred to by Jesus in His teachings, or prophetic verses about the Messiah. I think doing this has helped me appreciate the writing of the Old Testament prophets.
My past attempts at reading the Bible in a year, have always bogged down and died, while attempting to read and make sense out of the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Now, when I read these important books, I have something to look forward to. It also reminds me of the truth of the Bible. What are the odds that one person, Jesus, actually fulfills all the Messiah prophecies exactly the way they are written? God, through the prophets, warned Israel about the consequences of their wickedness. But more importantly God also told them about His greatest gift of all, a Messiah, who would redeem His people once and for all.
It's amazing to me how "educated" people who lived during the times of Jesus, failed to recognize that God was fulfilling his promise through Jesus. It is also amazing to me how the "educated" people of today also fail to recognize the true proof of God's love for them. Maybe if they look to the past, they can see just how bright their future really is.