Jesus Christ is the pivotal figure of all history. All time is dated from Christ’s birthday. Everything is dated either B.C., meaning “Before Christ,” or A.D., meaning Anno Domini or “in the year of our Lord.” For those who believe in Jesus, it is of utmost importance to have a working knowledge of Christ’s life and teaching.
The Old Testament prophecies concerning His life are so detailed that they are just like the gospel accounts. Hundreds of years, and in some cases a thousand years, before Christ walked the earth, His life was described in absolute detail. There are over 1500 prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament.
There are nine divisions used for the life of Christ. The first is the “Period of Preparation,” which was the thirty years from His birth to His baptism. This was followed by the “Period of Inauguration” which was the beginning of His ministry. Then there was the “Early Galilean Ministry,” in which He went around as an itinerant preacher with very few followers and began to gain a reputation. Then there was the “Later Galilean Ministry” which was when He chose the twelve apostles. They walked around with Him, and observed His teaching and lifestyle. The fifth period was the “Period of Retirement,” because He retired into the area of Caesarea Philippi and other Decapolis areas, so that He could teach His men on a one-to-one basis. Then began the “Judean Ministry,” in which Jesus prepared to die. He went down to Judea and blatantly challenged the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, bringing trouble to Himself. He fled into the “Perean Ministry,” in which He spent time with the apostles to prepare them for His death. The eighth period was the “Period of Passion.” This Period of Preparation 16 period lasted one week, when Jesus went back to Jerusalem, and for a solid week there was constant turmoil, except for Wednesday when He was with His friends. That period climaxed at Golgotha. The ninth division of Christ’s life is “Victory.” Christ was victorious in His resurrection and ascension, and He was victorious in the establishment of the kingdom, the church of the living God.
Author: Richard Rodgers
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