Author: Vaughn Roberts
By Nicole Canning
Incidentally, I picked up this book at the same time that I began teaching a Sunday school class for the first time. As I planned lessons on those well-known Old testament stories like Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark and Moses in the Bulrushes, my reading of this book started to make it perfectly clear how important they are in the greater context of the bible. They weren’t just random snapshots of life long ago, they were instrumental parts of God’s big picture.
In this easy-to-read and concise book, Roberts gives an excellent overview of the timeline of the Bible, showing the relevance of each different part, how it all holds together and most importantly, how it all points to Jesus. He uses the theme of the ‘Kingdom of God’ as a unifying concept for the whole Bible and then divides his book up into 8 sections which he describes as the main epochs in God’s unfolding plan to establish and restore his Kingdom.
The Old Testament begins with The pattern of the kingdom – God’s people in God’s place, under God’s rule. We then see The perished kingdom as Adam and Eve turn away from God and in turn face his judgment. But God, in his great love, is determined to restore his kingdom, and as such has The Promised Kingdom that he calls Abraham and his descendents to. That promise is the gospel, only partially fulfilled in the history of Israel. The partial kingdom thus describes God’s people being led to Canaan. However, their problem is still sin, and this kingdom is thus soon dismantled as Israel falls apart. Roberts then moves on to The prophesised kingdom which includes the part of the Bible where God speaks through his prophets, offering them hope the future. The Old Testament ends as we wait for God’s king to appear to introduce his Kingdom. The present kingdom thus looks at the coming of Jesus, with his resurrection proving the success of his rescue mission, and announcing that those who trust in Christ can look forward to eternal life with him. We currently await The proclaimed kingdom, with the delay in these ‘last days’ enabling more people to hear about the good news of Christ. The perfected kingdom will come one day when Christ will return and make a great division between his enemies and his people. The book of Revelation describes a fully-restored kingdom: God’s people, Christians from all nations, in God’s place, the new creation (heaven), under God’s rule and therefore enjoying his blessing. As Roberts puts it, “nothing can spoil this happy ending. It is no fairy story; they really will live happily ever after.”
This book is by no means simply ‘Sunday school made sense’ but is, I believe, a fundamental read for all Christians, no matter where they are on their spiritual path. For less mature Christians, it will provide enlightening information, clarified by useful diagrams. For more mature Christians it gives insightful knowledge into the types of writings used in the Bible and equips one to point to Christ from any part of the Bible, rather than just from a few favourite passages. Ultimately, it encourages us to get to know and love Christ throughout all his scriptures.
