The Hidden Christ: Beneath the Surface of the Old Testament

by James L. Ferrell

"What if I don't like the Old Testament?" Author James L. Ferrell admits that he used to ask himself that question. However, there came a time in his life when he discovered what he had been missing, and at that point he "absolutely fell head over heals in love with the book." "But I had to discover something before I fell in love," he writes. "I had to discover that the most powerful messages--about the gospel and about life--lie hidden just below the surface of the stories in the book. When I learned to ask questions that penetrated the surface, the Old Testament opened up to reveal a wonderland of inspiring truth and practical insight."

The Hidden Christ is the author's journey of discovery within the Old Testament, a journey that led him to find Christ in every story, every personality, every occurrence presented in that foundational work of scripture. This innovative and invigorating book explores many of these similitudes in depth, offering a perspective that illuminates Old Testament passages in surprising new ways.

Here is the table of contents:

PART ONE: CHRIST AND THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD
Chapter 1: The Parallel Creation
Chapter 2: The Fall and Redemption of Agency
Chapter 3: God and Man after the Fall

PART TWO: CHRIST AND THE PATRIARCHS
Chapter 4: Exploring the Abrahamic Covenant
Chapter 5: Another Look at Abraham and Isaac
Chapter 6: Christ and the Patriarchal Order

PART THREE: CHRIST AND THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
Chapter 7: Temporal and Spiritual Salvation through Joseph
Chapter 8: The Exodus: Deliverance through the Deliverer
Chapter 9: The Temple As the Way of Escape and Return
Chapter 10: Understanding the Law of Moses
Chapter 11: Discovering Deuteronomy
Chapter 12: Early Years in the Promised Land: The Pattern of Fall and Redemption
Chapter 13: Samuel and the Messianic Kingdom
Chapter 14: David, Saul, Jonathan, and the Allegory of Salvation
Chapter 15: The Houses of the Kings and the House of the Lord
Chapter 16: Elijah and the Four Great Separations
Chapter 17: The Lord's Question to Jonah
Chapter 18: The House of Israel As a Type and Shadow
Chapter 19: The Dispensations of the Lord's People

PART FOUR: CHRIST AND THE WRITINGS
Chapter 20: Job, David, and the Suffering of the Lord
Chapter 21: The Wisdom of the Scriptures
Chapter 22: The Old Testament's Unified Testimony

Genres: Religion, Lds, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Church, Unfinished, Faith

307 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 2009

Reviews

[Tyler Critchfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one I pieced through throughout the year as I made my way through the Old Testament. Overall a solid resource on the Old Testament, especially as it relates to symbolism and types of Christ. A few of the chapters weren't as clear as others, but overall I appreciated his insights. The Old Testament really does contain so many testimonies of the Savior; it just does it a bit differently than other books of scripture. Meant for a Latter-day Saint audience, but would be a valuable resource to all wishing to understand the Old Testament better.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really quite a remarkable book. It helped me to see and understand the Old Testament better, particularly making the point that everything within the Old Testament teaches and testifies of Christ - that is the main mission and goal and purpose, if we will search and seek to understand, we will come to know Him. He is there and each lesson is so applicable to us today! What an amazing blessing and opportunity! As Ferrell points out all each story points to Christ - the creation, the fall, the Abrahamic covenant, Isaac, birthrights, Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, Jonah and really the Israelites as a whole. Remarkable and so much more to learn and study.

I have an increased desire to study the Old Testament and to spend more time in the temple and doing family history work! :) This book helped me to remember and better understand some of the very most important things in life - most importantly the Savior, and also the plan of salvation, the priesthood, the temple, covenants, repentance, family, forgiveness, wisdom (to name a few).

Here are several quotes from the book that I liked:

"The Redeemer they had hoped for not only lived, he was walking beside them....Even those who knew the Savior best in mortality, who had learned at his feet, seemed to have misunderstood the message of redemption (p. 2)."

"If everything given of God from the beginning bears record of Christ, then it follows that our understanding on any particular matter is incomplete until we see how it bears record of Christ. So of every scriptural element and story, we should ask, 'How does this typify or bear record of the Savior?' When we ask this divine question of every element and story in the Old Testament, the scriptures come alive with redemptive meaning (p. 3)."

"Through obedience to those in authority over them, the heavenly bodies take up their orbits around the heavenly body that is in similitude of the Son of God. Any bit of matter that decides it can do better on its own falls out of this divine orbit and is left to itself (p. 12)."

"So, for the earth, the key to each stage of progression was obedience. Obedience was so important that the Lord waited until the elements obeyed before proceeding to each successive stage of creation--which is to say that the earth progressed from its desolate state only as its elements strictly obeyed the Lord's commands. This is as true of man's progression as it was for the earth's, as we are all here to be tried to see if we 'will do all things whatsoever the Lord [our] God shall command [us].' Like the earth, we progress and are made perfect only through obedience to the Savior (p. 16)."

"Birth into mortality is in similitude of our birth into eternity (p. 41)."

"Christ's oath and covenant with Abraham and with us is that through him we can join the eternal family, both as sons and daughters and as fathers and mothers--all of us in the presence of God (p. 49)."

"If the patriarchal birthright system is in similitude of Christ, then why would the birth orders of these central patriarchs each violate the rule? Consider this possibility: that the exceptions to the rule are just as much in similitude of Christ as the rule itself (p. 62)."

"We are separated from God and are not of ourselves worthy to enter into his presence. That is our problem. But we have a bigger problem: We have come to enjoy the things that will keep us separated from God. As with the Israelites, our hearts are not fully turned to the Savior (p. 84)."

"Before the evening of the Passover, the Israelites were to remove all the leaven or yeast from their houses. Then, during the Passover meal, they were to eat unleavened bread. What might be the significance of the removal of the yeast? Anciently, yeast was viewed as a corruptible agent. It is true that yeast makes the bread rise, but it also leads to fermentation. So one way to look at the removal of the yeast is that it signifies the requirement that we remove all corruption from our lives. And again, the Savior points the way: He, by his life, shows us clearly the corruption in our own. A very different way to think of the yeast is to see it as a representation of man's inability to rise from the corruption of sin save for the Atonement of the risen Lord. For it is only in the Savior that we rise. He is, in that sense, the leaven of mankind--not leaven in terms of corruption, but in this case leaven in terms of salvation. Alone, we are as unleavened bread, never to rise (p. 95)."

"What can the Old Testament teach me about the temple that is relevant today?....The biggest problem for the Israelites was not that they were stuck in Egypt but that Egypt was stuck in them--a predicament that mirrors our own. The Lord revealed to Moses the antidote for this problem, and that antidote was and is the temple. Through a series of surprising similitudes, the temple is revealed to be the means of escape from the bondage of the world, a space set apart for the sanctification of man so that, once purified, we can again stand in the presence of God (p. 97)."

"Only the High Priest of Israel was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement, in sacred similitude of the Savior. This is in contrast to the Lord's original intention for the temple--that by virtue of the sanctifying ordinances to be administered there, the entire people would become unto him 'a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation,' so that he would be able to meet with them in the Holy of Holies, speaking with them from above the mercy seat. Had it not been for the rebellion of the people, and their rejection of the covenants they had made, the righteous of Israel would have been able to enter the Holy of Holies, much as worthy Church members today enter the celestial room in the latter-day temple (p. 101)."

"So we see that the temple is both the means of making spiritual covenants that will prepare us to live with the Lord, and the exact similitude of the path we must walk to reenter his presence (p. 104)."

"Having rejected the Lord's lead in the wilderness, Israel was unprepared for the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is precisely the Lord's lead in each of our lives. They were left largely to their own counsel so that they might learn, as they failed to learn in the wilderness, that they cannot be saved without the Lord. The priesthood that remained with them had the power and authority to prepare them to abide the presence of angels, but the greater priesthood, which holds the authority and power to prepare man to abide the presence of God, was taken from them (p. 113)."

"The law is designed not to make us perfect but rather to reveal our imperfections, and therefore to turn us more fully to the perfected Christ. The law leads us to repentance by creating within us a broken heart and contrite spirit--the very 'remorse of conscience' the law of Moses was designed to create. How does the law do this? The same way it did for the ancient Israelites: by requiring a level of living that we cannot of ourselves perfectly achieve, thereby creating the need to repent, which need awakens us to our complete and utter need for the Savior (p. 116)."

"The fact that we are now commanded to live to this level of inward righteousness, coupled with the fact that we are almost certain to fail to live to this level of inward righteousness, creates within us an ongoing need for repentance, which requires us frequently to be coming to Christ....We, of ourselves, can't do it perfectly. That, in fact, is the point of it: 'If men come unto me,' the Savior taught, 'I will show unto them their weakness...that they may be humble.' If we could live perfectly in and of ourselves, then we would feel no need for the Savior, and we would never come to him to be purified, made holy, and saved (p. 117)."

"When we withhold forgiveness from others, we are in effect saying that the Atonement alone was insufficient to pay for this sin. We are holding out for now. We are finding fault with the Lord's offering. We are, in essence, demanding that the Lord repent of an insufficient atonement. So when we fail to forgive another, it is as if we are failing to forgive the Lord--who, of course, needs no forgiveness (p. 170)."

"So the temple is not only the great symbol of our membership in the Church, it is also the barometer of our membership in the family of God (p. 180)."

"We are now in a position to consider why the book of Jonah ended without an answer from Jonah to the Lord's question. Perhaps it is because the question is really a question for us. Our position in the eternities, like Jonah's, will depend on whether we give up our own lying vanities--whether we let ourselves be troubled only by our own sins, and whether we extend mercy to the Ninevites in our own lives (p. 194)."

"The bookend dispensations of the gospel repeat the core chiasm that 'the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.' As in the beginning, when all the earth (at that time, Adam and Eve) were followers of Christ, so too at the end of time, only those who are followers of Christ will be able to abide his glory at his coming (p. 210)."

"Between the first and last dispensations, the pattern of fall and redemption, or apostasy and restoration, repeats itself anew numerous times (p. 211)."

"After the Lord's death, he organized the preaching of the gospel to these spirits in prison, and the way was opened for them to receive the gospel in the hereafter. After the Lord's death and resurrection, the saints began the practice of vicarious work for the dead. This work stopped when the authority to perform it was taken from the earth as the people fell away from the truth. With the final restoration in the latter days, this work has been restored to the earth. The final gospel dispensation of the world's history is called the 'dispensation of the fulness of times' largely because it is the dispensation during which the work for the dead must be performed for all dispensations (p. 219)."

"So we see that Proverbs communicates through biting irony that the task of life is not to become 'wise,' as the world thinks of the term, but to become one with him who is Wisdom. There is no wisdom apart from him who is 'made unto us wisdom.' He alone dispenses life. All else is death. 'Wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption' are in him, and him alone (p. 237)."

"The Old Testament is a marvel. In its individual parts, it teaches like no other book. And then, in its whole, it delivers a message so integrated, so powerful, and so prophetic, it would bring the entire world to its knees if the world just knew what it said. For those who read beneath the surface, 'every knee shall bow and every tongue confess' that Jesus is the Christ--the Messiah long promised who will come yet again (p. 238)."

"The Old Testament shouts in unified testimony: Jesus of Nazareth was and is the promised Messiah. The testimony of his life and mission is hidden below the surface of the Old Testament at a level where it would survive the loss of every plain and precious thing (p. 243)."

"No one will be able to abide the presence of the Lord when he comes in his glory save those who have received the sanctifying ordinances of the holy priesthood. The ordinances make it possible for us in the flesh to commune with--and survive--the glory of God. They are the key to knowing God in his fulness--that is, the 'key of the knowledge of God (p. 267).'"

"It follows that the central mission of the priesthood is, as it was for Moses, to prepare mankind by getting them to the temple where they can receive the priesthood ordinances and covenants that will sanctify and prepare them for his glory and presence. The Father and the Son can choose to show themselves at less than their full glory. However, if we are to know them as they really are, we need to see and abide with them in the fulness of their glory....This knowledge of God is vital to all mankind, as all must be prepared to receive the glory of God....Jesus was born into this world at a level of glory that mankind in the flesh could endure--telestial glory. His mortal flesh, Paul taught, was a veil that shielded us from a brightness of glory that mankind could not then endure. When he comes again a second time, he will appear at a terrestrial level of glory, meaning that all those who have not lived at least a terrestrial law will not be able to survive his coming....And what will be the focus of our efforts during the Millennium? The performing of temple ordinances for all who have ever lived. For it is only through those ordinances that mankind is prepared to survive the fulness of the glory of the Father (p. 270)."

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a little bit difficult to rate. Some of the chapters were absolutely 5 stars and incredibly helpful and insightful. I learned new things that I had never considered before that are really great. However, other chapters are probably only 3 or 4 star material. That said, overall I learned a lot of really good stuff so I decided to rate the book 5 stars.

I loved the passages talking about types of Christ, the temple & the fall & the atonement, the creation, and how the Old Testament really is a powerful witness of Jesus Christ. This book was a really valuable addition to my personal study of the gospel, and really changed my perspective about the Old Testament and gave me a new perspective and way of looking into the scriptures more deeply and to see Christ more completely in the types and shadows that bear witness of him. The things I learned in this book have helped me see more types of Christ in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other scriptures as well. Very eye opening.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book but way over my head ;)

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this book! I learned so much.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time, more than 40 years ago, I worked as a secretary in the offices of C. Terry Warner, Dean of General Studies at BYU. I was the "research secretary", and had the challenge and privilege of trying to organize the notes of Dr. Warner and his two research assistants. Jim Ferrell was one of those assistants. He was/is brilliant, contemplative, humble, and kind. I have always felt the Old Testament to be depressing, obtuse, and less worthy of my study time than all the other scriptures we have. My husband read this a few months ago and recommended it to me. I don't buy books very often -- the libary usually has everything I need. But I'll be buying this one in case I ever have a need to teach a class on the Old Testament in my future church life. In careful, but very readable, detail, the author shows how all of the Old Testament, its stories, its heroes, and the failings of their people point to the Savior and the reason for his atonement. Excellent. Just read it.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I'm better than average at understanding meaning and symbolism in the scriptures, but James Ferrell has some incredible insights and helps to fine tune some of my Gospel comprehension. And MOST wonderfully, he didn't try to fictionalize his ideas like he did in The Peacegiver (which, as a novel, irritated me). Combining his thoughts from both The Peacegiver and The Hidden Christ, here are two insights I have most appreciated:

1. It doesn't matter if the person who has offended you deserves your forgiveness. Jesus Christ has already paid their price and in a sense has taken their sins upon himself and is asking you to forgive Him.

2. Because children have no sin, they are easily forgiving. When we become sinful, it is much harder for us to forgive others. When we find ourselves in the predicament of being unable to forgive, we need to look within and see what sins are keeping us from being able to freely forgive.

This novel is a primer to unlocking the symbolism of the Old Testament. Mr. Ferrell only goes into depth on a few of the stories of the Bible, but allows those who have trouble seeing the correlations a few practice rounds before they attempt on their own. There are times when he is overly repetitive and I felt like shouting, "Yeh, I get it!" but overall his message is vital for all to see the big picture and to recognize that the history of the family of Adam is complete and connected in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

[Celestia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ferrell amazes me with his scholarly ability to keep track of the details of so many characters in the Old Testament. He has such a great mind for picking up on symbols and linking them to the Savior. In this book he shows how at least 15 or so characters are key similitudes of the Savior Jesus Christ because of their traits that are similar to Christ's. Appendix A sums all that up. He also lists the ancient temple, the House of Israel, and the trait of wisdom as symbolic of Jesus and why. No way could all of this come about by random. The way all of these hidden symbols point to Christ testify of a God designing it this way to testify of His son Jesus Christ. The chapter on the use of chiasm in the Bible and the chiastic history or the earth was cool as well.

His study of Abigail in this book actually led him to write the Peacegiver, a book he is probably the most famous for.

The concluding paragraph was my favorite, "The story of Christ's life and the history of His gospel speak to us from every verse of scripture. This is the hidden testament of Christ, that He lives, and that He has prepared the way that we might live as well. May we like the disciples of old, discover his life and gospel more fully, so that we might come more fully to Him, and be blessed with life and the 'great joy' He promises to those who follow him."

[David Nishimoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jame Ferrell is right on! I've read alot of books in my life and Farrel's books are impactful. I was being instructed by my stake leader and he was telling about how he used the "Peacegiver" for one of his clients to help her overcome the pain of divorce and to start the forgiveness process. As the leader talked about forgiveness and Christ, I felt a deep relief from my own pain. I asked him after the meeting about the book and received a very positive recommendation for the "PeaceGiver".

I happened to be talking with a friend and he told me about a new book, by Jame Ferrel. He said the book was "right on". The book was called "The Hidden Christ: Beneath the Surface of the Old Testament". He said that the book helped him understand more deeply what he thought about the old testament. I bought the book and I am very glad to have done so.

The Hidden Christ combines the story of Creation into obedience to a higher power. Each realm of authority and power is governed by a higher power,until we reach the governing power of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the power of eternity and provides the sealing power for eternal families. Jesus Christ is the alpha and omega.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess it is time to move this book to READ instead of CURRENTLY READING. I've read MOST of this book, and I LOVE IT! Last year I determined to read the entire old testament, I'm still working on it, but The H.C. has helped me see Christ in the OT. Rather than being an entire book on one subject, it travels with you through the old testament with different paralels and analogies and topics found in the different books. He has a great chapter on how the tabernacle paralels the temple of today and how we learn about Christ through both. He is very dilligent in quoting general authorities, so the book isn't "Ferrell doctrine". And, he encourages the reader to think "what can I learn about Jesus from this? Why was this put here?" It's not so much a scholarly commentary- you won't find much about ancient Israel culture or geography, but it really brings the spirit to the OT. LOVED IT! Highly recommend to anyone reading through the OT!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked his insights and he looked at the OT stories from a different and helpful angle. It would be invaluable to an OT teacher as it contains the approaches he used when teaching his ward Gospel Doctrine Class. It makes for a great book to read along with the Church Course of Study and gives a little food for thought. I felt it was doctrinally correct and edifying.
A nice change from a verse by verse commentary, although of those I like David Ridges very much.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading this again for the 3rd time. It has so many insights about the Old Testament and how virtually every event/experience/story in that book is a type of the Savior. It changes how you see the Old Testament when you come to know that He is Jehovah in that book as well as Jesus Christ the Savior in all scripture. Wonderful book.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great read. I found it fascinating and inspiring to learn about the multitude of ways that the Old Testament testifies of Christ, his mission, and his role.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read if you’ve ever felt swamped when trying to read the Old Testament. For me, I have trouble consistently finding meaning and applicability in the OT. The chapters that are more narrative in form, but I usually reduce it to familiar messages and stories rather than finding new elements. Other parts give you warm fuzzies (Psalms), others I tend to skip large portions due to long genealogies, or rituals (Leviticus), and some I just don’t know where to start (Isaiah).

This book frames the Old Testament in its New Testament context, even going to far as to refer to it as another “other testament” of Jesus Christ. He looks at how characters within the Old Testament are types of the Savior. Individually, they are but shadows of Christ, but collectively they bear testimony of His power and majesty. He essentially tries to fill in what Christ might have taught his disciples on the road to Emmaus, when He opened the scriptures unto them and showed them that they testify of Him.

The author gives new meaning to familiar stories, and pulls out other stories that don’t get much emphasis. My particular favorites are (1) the stories of Job and David as foreshadowing the physical and spiritual suffering of Christ respectively and the story of Abigail illustrating how Christ atoned not only for our sins, but for the sins of others toward us.

I admire the spiritual maturity of the author. When I first picked up the book, I was worried that he would be trying to find connections that weren’t there, or conveniently interpreting certain verses of scripture as prophecies of Christ. But the author didn’t do that. Instead of trying to extrapolate meaning or interpreting individual verses (a favorite, I feel, among LDS members at times), he is able to understand and explain the context and purpose of an entire book of scripture, say Proverbs. He looks at the big picture and then isolates individual scriptures rather than the other way around. I also admire his faith. It takes faith to read the scriptures like him, faith that Christ is the Savior of all, and that Christ has restored His gospel.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do I understand everything James Ferrell shares in this book? No. But I understand a lot of it. And I am so glad I read it. I was amazed by the sections on the creation, the fall and redemption of agency, the exodus, the law of Moses, Samuel, Elijah and the four great separations, the book of Jonah as a chiasmus, dispensations ( and how the history of the earth is a chiasmus), and the amazing Appendix B: The Latter-day Restorations of the Lost Temple Ordinances. That last one is part of an answer to a promise I decided to test 1 year ago, regarding the oath and covenant of the priesthood.

This was a great partner book while reading the Old Testament, but stands alone. If I hadn't just wanted to read the book, I could have stretched it out and waited to read the chapters as the coincided with where I was in the Old Testament. But I know a lot of this will come to mind as I continue to read the OT.

Fantastic.

[Kim Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the book was absolutely fabulous. I found myself needing extra scripture study time. I was really glad this was one of the books on Deseret Bookshelf Plus so I could just copy and paste things directly into my notes. Towards the end, I didn't enjoy it quite as much. There were some things he wrote that I'm just not sure I quite agree with. Other things I will need to ponder a little. However, overall, it provided great insight into symbols of Christ in the Old Testament.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned SO much from this book! Like the author, the Old Testament has been a very intimidating book of scripture to me, even though I know all the other scriptures pretty well. I loved the way James phrased things - it was totally relatable! And again, I learned SO much from him. I’ll never read the OT the same way ever again because of this book. I’d recommend this book to anyone who is even just slightly intimidated by the Old Testament 😁

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought out some ideas that I haven’t seen or thought about. It shows how the Old Testament testifies of Christ. I recommend this book to those who want to understand better the stories contained in the Old Testament and why they are there.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, LOVED this book!! I have learned so much and it has given me a new perspective while reading the Old Testament. I just keep rereading it over and over while I study.

[Marjean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reference to find Jesus Christ, Jehovah of the Old Testament in the lives of the prophets, their times and prophecies.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I learned some new things. Reading another's perspective on the Scripture is very enlightening. If you want to get some good insight to the Old Testament, read tis book.

[Jenna]

DNF 16% Can't get into it

[Shayrigby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible! My eyes have been opened.

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another mind blowing view of scripture. Great thoughts and ways to see the messiah and the Restoration of the gospel in the OT.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was not able to make it past the 2nd chapter since it uses text other than the Bible. I'm sure for anyone that is a believer in the Latter Day Saints it would be fine.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book. The author certainly did his research well. It is very factual and the information presented is fascinating. There are some great footnotes, too - as well as appendices.

I had to read a chapter at a time because there was so much information to digest. It was also good to think about the things that the author presented. It is not a "page turner". It took me weeks to finish.

The entire book is about how the Old Testament reveals types and shadows of the Savior, Jesus Christ. The author also speaks about L.D.S. philosophy and uses examples from the Book of Mormon. If someone who is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was interested in reading this book, I would endorse that emphatically. The values of the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament is worth much study and pondering.

[Darryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books now. It shows how the life and teachings of Christ were prophetically taught throughout the stories and structure of the Old Testament. This book has quite a few examples that I had never considered before. The Book of Mormon is still my favorite guide to the Bible, but this book does well at showing how Jesus Christ was taught to His people before He lived on earth.

I should make it clear that I don't like this book just because it has a few new little things to make you think. All of it makes you think and reconsider your understanding of the OT. And it strengthens testimony. And it teaches details of many of the teachings of Christ through the stories/history of the OT in very clear and touching ways. You should read it.

[JulesQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the ideas in the book were paradigm-shiftingly insightful, I'm not even kidding. I particularly liked his chapter on Isaiah and the wrap up chapter, but throughout, Ferrell makes a wonderful case for a temporally broad reading of the Old Testament that actually made me think about the gospel is a much grander way.

I don't love Ferrell's literary style, however, so I cannot fully embrace that fifth star. There's nothing particularly lacking about it, I just... don't love it.

Relatedly, if anyone knows of anything good discussing the history of the Old Testament texts themselves, i.e. how the actual five books of Moses were recorded and passed down through history, I would be grateful for the recommendation.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO, SO, SO GOOD! Keep this right by your scriptures when studying the OT, and if you aren't studying the OT, your really should. It is all about CHRIST! And Ferrell shows you how the entire story of Christ is right there in the OT, not just in prophesies, but in types and shadows. I have learned SO much about our Savior and my my personal relationship with him has grown so much stronger as I have come to understand Him and his nature and purpose, and most of all how the atonement works. He shows how every prophet and story is like Christ is so many ways, and then shows how it relates to us TODAY. You'll never think of the Old Testament the same way again, or Christ, for that matter.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so excited to read this book for a few reasons....
I was honored to be one of a handful of TOFW book club leaders who got to read a rough draft of the manuscript and give some feedback. This was several years ago. When the book was published this year, the company sent me a kind email offering to send me a free copy! I was SO excited to receive it! He is one of my favorites!
I'm also excited to read this during 2010 so that I can better understand the Old Testament during Gospel Doctrine (Sunday School) since that is what we are studying this year.