The Bible Puzzle - Part Three: Observations and Application

You’ll remember in a previous post (see The Bible Puzzle – Part Two: New Testament) we mentioned making some observations and application from the Bible Puzzle. So it’s time to make those now. Of course, we’re still staying very general.

Okay, here we go. Let’s start with some observations first. But before we do, we need to keep in mind we’re working on the Bible Puzzle. In other words, every puzzle has edge-pieces and inside-pieces, and each piece of a puzzle is important.

Let’s take a look at some observations from the Bible’s edge-pieces and work towards the middle of the puzzle.

It’s interesting to notice in the first two chapters of the Bible (Genesis 1-2), God creates the heavens and earth. Then in the last two chapters of the Bible (Revelation 21-22), you get a glimpse of the new heaven and the new earth.

Also, God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the Garden of Eden and told Adam and Eve they would die if they ate of it (see Genesis 2:16-17). Then God put the tree of life in the Holy City, Jerusalem, which came out of heaven (see Revelation 21:10; 22:2).

Now, let’s “move in” a little bit from the “edges”. In Genesis 3, Satan enters the picture, tempts Eve, and sin devastates the whole world and every natural-born person in it. Then in Revelation 20, Satan exits the picture. That’s right. He’s cast into the lake of burning sulfur.

Of course, the entire message of the Bible between Satan and sin’s entrance and God’s deliverance focuses on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. In fact, in Genesis 3 – the very chapter where sin enters the picture – you also see God promise deliverance in Genesis 3:15. Scholars call this verse the protoevangelium or “first Gospel” because it announces Jesus would be born to crush Satan and sin. So it’s no surprise when the writer of Hebrews says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

At this point, we see the one main application we need to take away from the Bible Puzzle. But before we do, let’s remember a puzzle’s message centers on what its picture shows, and naturally, the “center” of its picture is its main message on its inside-pieces.

So when we work in from both edges of the Bible Puzzle and come to its center, we should find its main message. And we do. What is it? Or, better yet, WHO is it?

You guessed it – Jesus Christ! He’s the center of God’s revelation and plan to save His fallen creation from sin’s devastation. In other words, everything in Scripture moving-in from its "beginning edge" towards its center points to Jesus. And everything in the Bible moving from its center towards its “ending edge” flows from Jesus.

Now, what’s the application? It’s all about Jesus! Simple, right? Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 that his one message is Jesus Christ and His crucifixion. Why? Because this is God’s one message.

Let’s make a commitment to proclaim Jesus Christ through everything we say and do. This is the center of the Bible Puzzle because He's the main message of Scripture, and He's our main message! In fact, just as every message of the Bible revolves around Jesus, every message we share focuses of Jesus, too. He's the key to the Bible Puzzle!