The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The very first written Scripture came from the hand of God Himself: God inscribed His law on two tablets of stone (Ex. 31:18)..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jesus Christ, The Heir of the Promise, Old Testament (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: P & R Publishing (July 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875521746
• ISBN-13: 978-0875521749
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,540 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, October 13, 2000

By A Customer

This was a fantastic book! It did a great job of showing how God's promise of redemption in Christ was pointed to over and over again throughout the Old Testament. I thought that it really painted a wonderful picture of the coherence of God's word and the constancy of His purpose, which cannot be thwarted. It gives a great outline of some of what Jesus might have said to the disciples while on the road to Emmaeus ("Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself."--Lk 24:2) and what Philip caught a glimpse of and wanted to share with Nathaniel ("We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."--Jn 1:45). I highly recommend it.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars essential reading, March 22, 2003

By	Raymond Cannata "Rev. R. Cannata" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a pure joy to read. He illustrates how the Old Testament is as much about Christ as the New Testament is. To see this is to grasp a whole new sense of the relevance and excitement of the Scriptures.

This is a real classic.

My only criticism -- the chapters are long and often rambling, with little sense of an organizing principle. While every word in Clowney is golden, and his style is very lyrical and engaging, one wishes he had a better editor to organize the thoughts in chunks they would hang together. This made it difficult to adapt to an adult c.e. series, when I did that 5 years ago.

BTW -- if you liked this book's Christo-centric approach, try Charlie Drew's Ancient Love Song (2001) which is better organized. For preaching see Bryan Chapell's Christ-Centered Precahing (1997).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem from a Dear Saint, July 9, 2009

By	Erik Raymond "IrishCalvinist.com" (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is one of those "I wish I could have been there moments". You know the scene. It is post resurrection. The Lord Jesus is walking with his disciples only they have no idea that it is him. Instead of giving them a whack on the back of the head and telling them who he was Christ unpacked the Scriptures that pointed to him. It was this unpacking, Luke says, that ultimately caused their eyes to be opened and see Christ. The disciples very hearts "burned within" them (Luke 24.32).

What did Jesus preach? The text tells us broadly "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (24.47). This was not an isolated proof text here or there but rather a systmatic unpacking of the Bible's central story-line that culminates in the person and work of Christ. This seven mile walk must have been sermon after sermon of how the Old Testament Scriptures point to Christ. O' how wonderful this walk must have been!

We obviously do not have access to the sermon notes but we do have the text. And Edmond Clowney aims to help us see how the Old Testament Scriptures point forward and speak loudly as to Christ. Beginning with Adam and Eve and working throuhout the biblical narrative, Clowney carefully and passionately points us to Christ.

I say that he does so carefully because there is a dangerous tendency to find Jesus in passages where he is not there. I often times hear preachers run to Christ from a passage and wonder how they got there; I am delighted that they are bragging on Christ but wonder how in the world they made it there. Clowney does not do such things. He carefully and faithfully explains the passages within the overall biblical context and shows how Christ is seen in the Scriptures. From the narratives surrounding Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon we are given healthy insights into Christ's prefigurement in the Old Testament.

This book is an easy and fun read. Clowney was a great writer who had the ability to teach you without feeling like you were working too hard. You come away from each chapter with your heart burning a bit within you!

This book has made it to my top 10 list and will be reread regularly. I highly recommend it.