Unfolding the Mysteries of the Word of God
The Upper Room: Weekly Bible Study Lectures Planting Hope Academy | June 4, 2025 by Pastor Mike V.D. Gobel Sr. Minister of the Gospel | Watchmen on the Wall of Faith
The Vision and Purpose of These Weekly Doctrinal Studies
Planting Hope Academy and our online ministry through Substack is more than an idea or a social media platform—it is a Spirit-led initiative to touch and move hearts and lives. I believe I have rightly discerned the need to combine evangelism (spreading the Good News of Christ) with accountability and sustainability, offering subscribers both a ‘service’ and a ‘spiritual product’ deeply rooted in the Word of God, filled with the Spirit, and led by God’s Word.
If I can faithfully do this as a minister and a servant of Christ, I believe God will bless this ministry—not only with faithful supporters and subscribers but with transformed lives and divine wisdom. This is what it will mean to truly be part of the Planting Hope family.
Substack, in my view, must not be reduced to superficial “Christian content” designed to entertain and merely please the ear of man. God desires transformation—not mere inspiration. These Weekly Bible Study Lectures are designed to give you, the reader, an opportunity to grow deeper in biblical and theological knowledge and spiritual maturity and understanding of God’s Word.
Paul was a tentmaker—not because he lacked faith, but because he understood the dignity of self-sufficiency in ministry. Likewise, “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14). These doctrinal lectures will be available exclusively in the future to “paid subscribers,” and I’m currently developing a Diploma in Systematic Theology—soon to be released as part of this growing online ministry service.
This first lecture is offered free to give everyone a taste of the journey ahead.
Lecture 1: ‘Discovering Christ in the Old Testament’
Adapted from the writings and research of Dr. Edmund P. Clowney
Dr. Clowney—pastor, professor, and theologian—was known for illuminating how every part of the Bible, even the Old Testament, bears witness to Jesus Christ. This lecture draws from his work The Unfolding Mystery, which beautifully explores how the Old Testament points to Christ.
We often read the Bible disconnected—New Testament here, Old Testament there—without seeing the seamless, Spirit-woven tapestry it really is. Yet as Dr. J.I. Packer once wrote, the Bible has a supernatural unity, held together by one central figure: Jesus Christ.
I have also included a rather valuable and thoughtful Question & Answer (Q&A) section at the end of each Lecture:
The Purpose and Power of the Q&A Section
Encourages Reflection – Questions turn passive readers into active thinkers. You’re inviting them to wrestle with truth, which is where true spiritual growth happens.
Reinforces Key Points – When structured well, Q&A helps highlight and repeat the core truths of the lecture in a practical way.
Opens the Door to Deeper Revelation – Even simple questions can uncover profound insights for those who have “ears to hear.”
Builds Anticipation – People will look forward to this segment, knowing they’ll walk away with clarity—not confusion.
Teaches by Example – By giving both the questions and answers, you’re modeling the right approach to studying Scripture—not as a riddle to solve, but as revelation to receive.
INTRODUCTION
THE BIBLE IS A UNITY. That is, perhaps, the most amazing of all the amazing things that are true of it. It consists of sixty-six separate units, written over more than a thousand years against a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, by people who, for the most part, worked independently of each other and show no awareness that their books would become canonical Scripture.
The books themselves are of all kinds: prose jostling poetry, hymns rubbing shoulders with history, sermons with statistics, letters with liturgies, lurid visions with a love song. Why do we bind up this collection between the same two covers, call it The Holy Bible, and treat it as one book?
One justification for doing this—one of many—is that the collection of singular expressions and writings is seen as a whole, and once we start to explore it, it proves to have an ‘organic coherence’ that is simply stunning, with an element of supernatural power and authority. Books written centuries apart seem to have been designed by ‘divine intervention’ and Godly order for the express purpose of supplementing and illuminating each other.
There is one leading character (God the Creator), one historical perspective (world redemption), one focal figure (Jesus of Nazareth, who is both Son of God and Savior of the world), and one solid body of harmonious teaching about God and His righteousness and godliness. Truly, the inner unity of the Bible is miraculous: a sign and a wonder, challenging the unbelief of our sceptical age.
Dr. J.I. Packer wrote in his Foreword of ‘The Unfolding Mystery’ that biblical theology is the umbrella-name for those disciplines that explore the unity of the Bible, delving into the contents of the books, showing the links between them, and pointing up the ongoing flow of the revelatory and redemptive process that reached its climax in Jesus Christ. Historical exegesis, which explores what the text meant and implied for its original readership, is one of these disciplines.
Typology, which looks into Old Testament patterns of divine action, agency, and instruction that found final fulfilment in Christ, is another. In both these arts, Edmund Clowney is a veteran and a master on this subject, combining in himself the sobriety of a wise and learned head with the exuberance of a warm and worshipping heart. His book ‘The Unfolding Mystery,’ a study of the Old Testament frame for understanding Jesus, is vintage Clowney. The importance of this theme—the Old Testament pointing to Christ—is great, although for half a century, Bible teachers, possibly embarrassed by the memory of too-fanciful ventures into typology in the past, have not made much of it.
For this reason, Dr. Clowney’s admirable treatment of it should be greatly valued; it fills a gap and supplies a felt need. Expect your heart to be stirred, as well as your head cleared, as we delve into his study and research on this incredibly important subject—that the Bible as the Word of God is one in unity and in power with the underlying theme in both the Old and the New Testament on Jesus Christ.
DOCTRINAL STUDY: ‘The Unfolding Mystery’ – Discovering Christ in the Old Testament by Edmund P. Clowney
Many Christians, particularly Protestants, functionally believe that the New Testament is the real Bible. They may hesitantly add the book of Psalms. In ‘The Unfolding Mystery,’ Edmund Clowney shows us how impoverished a view of the Bible this is; indeed, how impoverished a view of Christ himself this is. For Christ was not only foretold in the Old Testament but is woven into its entire fabric. There would have been no Messiah, no Son of God, no unique way, truth, and life in the New Testament without all that transpired in the Old. In Dr. Clowney's study, he presents Jesus Christ eloquently, even passionately, as the Savior of sinners, their Defender and friend. I would therefore encourage all believers and followers of Christ to read this doctrinal study I have done on ‘The Unfolding Mystery’ by Dr. Clowney, for it contains countless treasures and spiritual insights that we often as children of God seem to miss when we simply read the Bible as just another book.
If you want to discover the storyline that drives all the stories of the Bible and if you want that story to change and transform you, then I would recommend continuing to read this doctrinal study. In Edmund Clowney’s book, he tries rather successfully to bring to the pages an artist’s zeal for coherent beauty together with a pastor-scholar’s love for Jesus Christ. Take the time to study and review the questions and answers I have placed at the end of each lecture. Charles Drew, Senior Minister, Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, Manhattan; Author of The Ancient Love Song: Finding Christ in the Old Testament once stated, “If you happen to be a pastor or spiritual leader and you cannot preach Christ from the Old Testament, then you should not be in the pulpit.”
“THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD”—This title has been used for the Bible, and with good reason. The Bible is the greatest storybook, not just because it is full of wonderful stories but because it tells one great story, the story of Jesus. That story is still being told to thousands who hear it for the first time—perhaps in a Hong Kong apartment, or an American university dormitory. But where in the Bible does the old, old story begin? Not in the manger of a Bethlehem stable, but earlier. How much earlier?
Luke’s Gospel begins the story at least a full year before the birth of Jesus. An old priest, Zechariah, was standing by the altar of incense in the Temple at Jerusalem. Suddenly, he was not alone in the sanctuary. An angel stood there beside him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard” (Luke 1:13). The angel then announced to Zechariah that he would have a son, John. The marvel was not simply that an elderly childless couple would have a son, but that their son would be a prophet. Centuries had passed since God last spoke through the prophets. But God would make John like the ancient prophet Elijah. John would be the forerunner of the coming Lord.
Clearly, the announcement of the angel to Zechariah was not the beginning for Luke, even though he took up the story there. The birth of John fulfilled an old prophecy: “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes” (Mal. 4:5). That prophecy is found on the last page of the Old Testament. But that was not the beginning either. To discover the start of the story, we must go back to read about Elijah and find out how he prepared for the coming of the Lord. How far back must we go to begin at the very beginning?
Luke gives us a dramatic answer when he provides the legal genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:23–37).
The royal line goes back through Zerubbabel, Nathan, David, to the tribe of Judah, then to Abraham, then to Shem, Noah, and Seth, “the son of Adam, the son of God.” Luke would have us understand that the story of Jesus begins with the story of mankind. Jesus was the Son of Adam, the Son of God.
To follow the story of Jesus, we must begin with the first page of the Bible. Indeed, John, in the introduction to his Gospel, takes us back even further: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). John testifies that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Creator and the Goal of all history (Rev. 22:13, 16).
John came to this astonishing conclusion about Jesus not simply from the words and deeds that he witnessed, but because he came to recognize Jesus as the Lord of the promise, the Savior of Israel. John starts his Gospel with “In the beginning . . . ” to point us back to the real start of the story. He writes so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31).
To understand what John means, we need to examine something that he knew well: the story of the Old Testament. Anyone who has had Bible stories read to him as a child knows that there are great stories in the Bible. But it is possible to know Bible stories yet miss the Bible story. The Bible is much more than William How stated: “a golden casket where gems of truth are stored.” It is more than a bewildering collection of oracles, proverbs, poems, architectural directions, annals, and prophecies.
The Bible has a storyline. It traces an unfolding drama. The story follows the history of Israel, but it does not begin there, nor does it contain what you would expect in a national history. The narrative does not pay tribute to Israel. Rather, it regularly condemns Israel and justifies God’s severest judgments. The story is God’s story. It describes His work to rescue rebels from their folly, guilt, and ruin. And in His rescue operation, God always takes the initiative. When the apostle Paul reflects on the drama of God’s saving work, he says in awe, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen” (Rom. 11:36).
Only God’s revelation could maintain a drama that stretches over thousands of years as though they were days or hours. Only God’s revelation can build a story where the end is anticipated from the beginning, and where the guiding principle is not chance or fate but promise. Human authors may build fiction around a plot they have devised, but only God can shape history to a real and ultimate purpose. The purpose of God from the beginning centres on His Son: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. . . All things were created by him and for him” (Col. 1:15–16).
God’s creation is by His Son and for His Son; in the same way, His plan of salvation begins and ends in Christ. Even before Adam and Eve were sent out of Eden, God announced His purpose. He would send His Son into the world to bring salvation (Gen. 3:15). God did not accomplish His purpose all at once. He did not send Christ to be born of Eve by the gates of Eden, nor did He inscribe the whole Bible on the tablets of stone given to Moses at Sinai. Rather, God showed Himself to be the Lord of times and seasons (Acts 1:7).
The story of God’s saving work is framed in epochs, in periods of history that God determines by His word of promise. God created by His word of power. He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Gen. 1:3). In the same way, God spoke His word of promise. That word has no less power because it is spoken in the future tense. God’s promises are sure; they will be fulfilled at the appointed time (Gen. 21:2). Yet while the story is God’s story, and salvation is His work, men and women are not just spectators.
To be sure, there are times when God’s people are told to stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord (Ex. 14:13–14). But they are also commanded by God to leave their homes and become pilgrims, to march through waterless wastes, and to fight hostile nations. The grace of God in delivering and leading them calls them to faith in Him, to the commitment of whole-hearted trust. Because God promises what He will do, His people may joyfully confess that “salvation comes from the LORD” (Jonah 2:9). But since God does not do all that He has promised at once, the faith of His people is tried and tested. Their longing becomes intense.
At times, the promise seems not only distant but illusory. They fall victim to unbelief and cry, “Is the LORD among us or not?” (Ex. 17:7). The writers of the New Testament remind us of the reality and intensity of the faith of the Old Testament saints. The author of Hebrews surveys their tortures and triumphs, and concludes, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them” (Heb. 11:13, KJV).
To encourage and strengthen His suffering saints, the Lord often repeated His promises. Through the prophets, God spoke to Israel, denouncing the sin of those who rebelled, but painting ever more marvelous pictures of the blessing to come. The apostle Peter reflected on the ministry of those Old Testament prophets:
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and the circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” (1 Peter 1:10–11)
Not only the prophets, Peter tells us, but even the angels of heaven longed to peer into the mysteries of God’s great plan. God’s drama is not a fiction in its slow unfolding or its staggering realization. The story of the Bible is real history, wrought in the lives of hundreds and thousands of human beings. In a world where death reigned, they endured, trusting the faithfulness of God’s promise. If we forget the storyline of the Old Testament, we will also miss the witness of their faith.
That omission cuts the heart out of the Bible. Sunday school stories are then told as tamer versions of the Sunday comics, where Samson substitutes for Superman. David’s meeting with Goliath then dissolves into an ancient Hebrew version of Jack the Giant Killer. No, David is not a brave little boy who isn’t afraid of the big, bad giant. He is the Lord’s anointed, chosen of God to be the king and deliverer of Israel.
God chose David as a king after His own heart to prepare the way for David’s great Son, our Deliverer and Champion. David’s reply to the taunts of Goliath shows us that David was a warrior of faith: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Sam. 17:45). Because David fought in the name of the Lord, his ordeal and victory had meaning beyond the immediate battle.
He was confident of victory because he knew that God had called Israel to be His people. He was the God of the hosts of heaven, but also the God of the armies of Israel. David had been anointed by Samuel the prophet. He knew that the Lord had called him from following his father’s sheep to become the shepherd of Israel. David filled a role. God granted deliverance through him, not because he was brave or a dead shot with the sling, but because he was chosen and filled with God’s Spirit.
When God later promised to give a Son of David everlasting rule, He made it clear that David’s kingship was not an end in itself, but served to prepare for the great King to come. In this way, the Old Testament gives us types that foreshadow the New Testament fulfilment. A type is a form of analogy that is distinctive to the Bible. Like all analogies, a type combines identity and difference. David and Christ were both given kingly power and rule. Despite the vast differences between David’s royalty and Christ’s, there are points of formal identity that make the comparison meaningful.
Yet it is just this degree of difference that makes biblical types distinctive. The promises of God in the Bible do not offer a return to a golden age of the past. David’s Son to come is not simply another David. Rather, He is so much greater that David can speak of Him as Lord (Ps. 110:1). The scriptural scholars of Jesus’ day did not understand this. They could not answer the question of Jesus: “If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” (Matt. 22:45).
Both Jesus and His adversaries knew that the promised Messiah was to be the Son of David. But only Jesus understood why David in the Spirit had called Him “Lord.” The story of Jesus, then, does not begin with the fulfilment of the promise, but with the promise itself, and with the acts of God that accompanied His word. As we go back to the beginning of the story, we find much that the New Testament does not tell us, because we have already been told. As we see the judges that God raised to deliver Israel from their oppressors, we understand better what God meant when He said He would put on righteousness for a breastplate, and salvation for a helmet, and would Himself be the Judge and Savior of His people (Isa. 59:16–17).
STUDY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Who was the final prophet to proclaim the coming of Jesus Christ?
Answer: John the Baptist. He stands as the last of the Old Covenant prophets and the herald of the New. John’s message was one of repentance and preparation, calling Israel to make ready the way of the Lord (Luke 3:4–6; John 1:29–34).
2. Where in Scripture is the birth of John the Baptist foretold?
Answer: Luke 1:5–25. The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in the temple, announcing that his barren wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son who would go before the Lord “in the spirit and power of Elijah.” This was in fulfillment of Malachi 4:5–6.
3. With whom does Luke’s genealogy of Jesus begin? Where does the story truly start—and why? Answer: Luke’s genealogy traces Jesus’ lineage all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:38).
This shows that the Gospel is for all mankind, not just for Israel. By connecting Jesus to Adam, Luke anchors the story of redemption in the very beginning of human history, emphasizing Christ as the second Adam who came to undo the curse of the first.
4. What makes God’s revelation unique compared to all other human stories or religions?
Answer: God’s revelation is not a man-made philosophy—it is divine truth, initiated by God Himself. Unlike human stories rooted in imagination or speculation, the Bible unfolds through God’s sovereign acts in history, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and centered on the person of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:21; Hebrews 1:1–2).
5. What role do God’s people play in the drama of redemption—and why is it vital?
Answer: God’s people are not bystanders; they are participants and witnesses.
We are the living testimony of His grace, called to proclaim His glory, carry the Gospel to all nations, and reflect His holiness (1 Peter 2:9; Matthew 28:19–20). Through us, the world sees His redemptive plan unfolding.
6. What is a “type” in Scripture—and what makes biblical types distinctive?
Answer: A type is a person, event, or symbol in the Old Testament that foreshadows a greater fulfillment in Christ. Biblical types are God-ordained, not literary coincidences. They point forward to Jesus with purpose and precision, showing God’s sovereign design in salvation history (Romans 5:14; Hebrews 10:1).
7. How is Samson a type of Christ? In what ways is he similar—and how is he different?
Answer:Similarities:
· Both had miraculous births announced by angels.
· Both were set apart for God’s purpose before birth.
· Both acted as deliverers of God’s people.
· Both achieved their greatest victory through apparent defeat—Samson in death, Jesus on the Cross.
Differences:
· Samson was flawed, impulsive, and often self-centered, while Christ was sinless, obedient, and entirely surrendered to the Father’s will.
· Samson’s strength was physical; Christ’s strength was spiritual, eternal, and redemptive. In this way, Samson points to Jesus, but Christ fulfills and surpasses what Samson only symbolized.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
1. “The greatest story ever told” is a title that has been used for the Bible. Do you agree? How else might you describe the Bible? Absolutely—I agree without hesitation. The Bible is not merely a collection of sacred texts; it is the divine record of God’s unfolding plan of redemption, written by His Spirit through the hands of men. It is the living Word, timeless and supernatural. While “the greatest story ever told” is a fitting phrase, I would also describe the Bible as “God’s covenant with humanity,” or “the eternal narrative of heaven’s love and man’s rescue.” Unlike any other story, it is true, unchanging, and alive, and it still speaks today.
2. How does the introduction to The Unfolding Mystery make you desire to read the rest of the book?
The introduction draws you in by lifting the veil between Old Testament shadows and New Testament light. It suggests that beneath the surface of every familiar story—Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses—there lies a hidden glory pointing forward to Christ. That alone compels the reader to keep going, not just to understand doctrine better, but to see Jesus more clearly across every page of Scripture. It turns the Bible into one grand, unified revelation, not a disconnected anthology.
3. Have you ever felt as though reading the Old Testament is comparable to watching a foreign film without subtitles? If so, how does the introduction change your perspective on the Old Testament? Does it give you a desire to read the Bible starting at the beginning? Many believers do feel that way—confused, detached, and unsure how stories of ancient rituals and patriarchs apply today. But the introduction lifts the curtain: suddenly, what seemed foreign now becomes familiar. We begin to see patterns, promises, and persons who prefigure Christ. Yes, it stirs a desire to start at the beginning—not out of obligation, but anticipation. We now read the Old Testament as a trail of breadcrumbs leading to the cross—rich with purpose and prophetic power.
4. In your own words, summarize the thesis Clowney lays out for his book. Clowney’s central thesis is that Christ is present throughout the entire Bible, not only in the Gospels or epistles, but also hidden in types, promises, and prophetic patterns of the Old Testament. He argues that every part of Scripture points to Jesus—not as a random afterthought, but as the central figure of God’s eternal plan. The Bible is not a human-centered story of morality, but a Christ-centered drama of redemption.
5. Read 2 Corinthians 12:5, 9–11 and relate these verses to study question 5. Study question 5 asked: “What role do God’s people play in the drama of redemption? Why?” These verses from Paul remind us that our role is not to shine by our strength, but to reveal God’s power in our weakness. God’s people are not heroes of the story—we are instruments of His grace. As Paul says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” The Church, like Israel of old, serves as the stage upon which God’s mercy and strength are made visible to the world. Our struggles, like Paul's, become testimonies of God’s redeeming power.
Standing Firm in Truth: A Call to God’s True Children
In a world polluted by deception, where false influencers twist Scripture and media mocks the character of God, true believers must rise—not with fear, but with unwavering conviction. We are not called to blend in, but to stand apart, as "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9).
To avoid falling into the traps of false doctrine and cultural manipulation, God’s children must abide daily in His Word. Jesus said plainly, "If you continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31–32). Freedom from deception is not found in clever influencers and content providers, but in the revealed truth of God’s holy Word.
We must test every spirit (1 John 4:1), cling to sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3–4) and renew our minds by rejecting the ways of the world (Romans 12:2). This means actively rejecting Hollywood’s distortions, worldly ideologies, and anti-God rhetoric. It also means guarding our hearts and homes from content that mocks holiness and glorifies sin.
Yet our role is not only defensive—we are called to be light in the darkness. We carry the hope of the Gospel, the message of reconciliation through Christ Jesus. “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The world is broken, but the Good News of Christ heals. Let us not grow silent.
Speak life, share truth, and love boldly. In a time of counterfeit light and false saviors, let your life and lips reflect the true Light of the World—Jesus Christ.
If this Lecture has stirred something within you — if your eyes are being opened — then do not delay, if you haven’t really become a subscriber to my channel, kindly do so. Also, encourage someone today to join this family at Planting HOPE Academy by forwarding this Lecture to them, and lastly, you would help our cause by liking this Lecture and all the other articles and materials that I have posted in this short period since we have joined Substack. However, from a spiritual point of view, I encourage every reader and subscriber to ‘Get back to the Word.’ Get back to the Cross. And call others back while it is still called “today” (Hebrews 3:13).
The time for silence is over. Let the remnant arise and let us labour and serve God’s Kingdom by sharing our gifts and talents with those who are lost and confused. This battle has already been won by Christ, but it will take true followers of Christ to deliver that message of hope and victory to a lost world.
With urgency and in Truth,
Pastor Mike V.D. Gobel Sr.
Minister of the Gospel | Watchman on the Wall of Faith
WOW❣️