The New Testament writers often quoted from the Old Testament (Covenant) scriptures to show that Jesus was indeed the very Christ (Messiah) . Jesus Himself stressed the importance of knowing the Word of God, when He spoke to His own disciples (followers). Here is an actual quote from Jesus Christ after He was killed and had already risen from the dead:
Then he (Jesus) said unto them, O FOOLS, and SLOW OF HEART to BELIEVE all that the PROPHETS have spoken: Ought not CHRIST(MESSIAH) to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at MOSES and ALL the PROPHETS, he expounded unto them in all the SCRIPTURES the things CONCERNING HIMSELF. (Luke 24:25-27)
This is truly amazing. Here the Lord is standing before His very own followers, with the wounds from the crucifixion visible to all, and He is preaching to them! His disciples must have been dumbfounded and ecstatic at the same time, as they listened to Him speak. Do not miss the truth here that Jesus went through the scriptures, specifically mentioning Moses and the prophets, which covers a lot of ground. The Bible does not tell us what specific scriptures Jesus quoted to them, but you can rest assured that they were scriptures that prophesied about Him. Jesus let them know that Christ (Messiah), speaking of Himself, needed to suffer and die before He entered into his glory. More than likely Jesus quoted from the 53rd chapter of the prophet Isaiah, which spoke of His death upon the cross. That prophecy (Isaiah 53:1-12) was written almost 700 years before it actually happened! The Lord Jesus Christ had to convince his own followers that it was truly HIM in the flesh, after he rose from the DEAD!
And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were TERRIFIED and AFFRIGHTED, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold MY HANDS and MY FEET, that it is I myself: HANDLE ME, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them HIS HANDS and HIS FEET. And while they yet believed not for JOY, and WONDERED, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And HE TOOK IT, and did EAT before them. And he said unto them, These are THE WORDS which I SPAKE UNTO YOU, while I was yet with you, that ALL THINGS must be FULFILLED, which were WRITTEN in the law of MOSES, and in THE PROPHETS, and in THE PSALMS, concerning ME. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand THE SCRIPTURES, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to RISE from the DEAD the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be PREACHED in his name among all nations, beginning at JERUSALEM. (Luke 24:36-47)
Jesus actually invited his followers to handle and examine his body, and he showed them his hands and his feet, which still bore the wounds from the cross in them. Not only that, and more importantly, Jesus Christ opened up the Hebrew scriptures to their understanding, and showed them that they prophesied concerning himself! The scriptures still stand as true today as they did back then. The Jewish people read the scriptures every Sabbath day, but they MISSED the truth of those same scriptures, when they REJECTED the MESSIAH of whom the prophets testified!
Men and brethren, children of the stock of ABRAHAM, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the WORD of this SALVATION sent. For they that dwell at JERUSALEM, and THEIR RULERS, because they KNEW HIM NOT, nor yet the VOICES OF THE PROPHETS which are read every SABBATH DAY, they have FULFILLED them in condemning him. (Acts 13:26-27)
The Lord still desires that all people would acknowledge, that Jesus Christ is the one, of whom Moses, and the prophets spoke about. We must not forget that Moses and the prophets were pointing to Jesus Christ who is greater than them all.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his SON, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had BY HIMSELF purged OUR SINS, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:1-3)
God in the past has spoken though the prophets, but NOW, in these LAST DAYS, He has spoken to us through His SON! Jesus Christ is greater than Moses and ALL of the prophets put together. The apostle John learned that lesson in the book of Revelation when he acted impulsively, and bowed down to worship an angel:
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of JESUS: worship God: for the testimony of JESUS is the spirit of PROPHECY. (Revelation 19:10)
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy! It all points to Jesus Christ.
And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am ALPHA and OMEGA, the BEGINNING and the END, the FIRST and the LAST. (Revelation 22:8-13)
Who is the Alpha and Omega, and the Beginning and the Ending, and the ALMIGHTY? It is Jesus Christ, the one who was PIERCED and KILLED for our sins!
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am ALPHA and OMEGA, the BEGINNING and the ENDING, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the ALMIGHTY. (Revelation 1:7-8)
Who is the First and the Last? It is Jesus Christ.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the FIRST and the LAST: I am he that LIVETH, and was DEAD; and, behold, I am ALIVE for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:17-18)
Who is the First and the Last? It is God, and there are no other’ gods’ beside Him!
Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the FIRST, and I am the LAST; and beside me there is no GOD. (Isaiah 44:6)
Do you KNOW the Lord Jesus Christ or do you know ABOUT Him?
Do you believe the words of Moses and the prophets?
Do you believe that He died on the cross for your sins, and rose again from the dead?
Do you have ETERNAL LIFE which is found in the SON Jesus Christ or are you still DEAD in your own sins?
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of GOD which he hath testified of his SON. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not GOD hath made him a LIAR; because he believeth NOT the record that God gave of his SON. And this is the record, that GOD hath given to us ETERNAL LIFE, and this LIFE is in his SON. He that hath the Son hath LIFE; and he that hath not the Son of God hath NOT LIFE. (1 John 5:9-12)