You may have noticed a strange pattern that begins every Easter, like clockwork.

The magazine covers. The television documentaries. The viral social media threads. “Who was the real Jesus?” “Did the resurrection actually happen?” “Was Christianity invented centuries after the fact?” Questions are posed with an air of academic authority — as if the world has finally uncovered something the church has been hiding all along.

But here’s what the skeptics don’t realize:

The story of Jesus Christ doesn’t begin in Bethlehem. It begins in Genesis.

The entire Old Testament — its priesthoods and sacrifices, its temples and ceremonies, its kings and prophets — is not a collection of ancient religious customs that Christianity replaced. It is a centuries-long, divinely orchestrated unveiling of the one who was always coming. Every thread in that tapestry was woven with purpose. Every promise pointed forward. Every lamb on every altar was a shadow cast by the lamb of God.

The world’s annual “Who was Jesus, really?” campaign doesn’t shake you when you know the answer reaches back further than any skeptic has bothered to look.

That’s exactly what we’re exploring this April on Focal Point. As we continue our study through Hebrews with a series called Christ Changed Everything, we’re tackling questions that go right to the heart of what Jesus accomplished — and why it matters for how we live today: Why don’t we have priests anymore? Why don’t we have a temple? Why don’t we keep all those Old Testament laws?

These are more than just academic questions — they’re windows into the breathtaking coherence of God’s redemptive plan, a plan so complete, so intentional, so long in the making, that once you see it, you can never read your Bible the same way again.

To deepen your understanding of this beautifully prophetic foreshadowing of our redemption, I want to send you a book I’ve kept in my own library for years: The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament by Edmund Clowney.

This is one of those rare resources that genuinely changes the way you read scripture. Clowney walks you through the Old Testament not as a prelude to be skimmed, but as a rich, living portrait of Christ — painted in the stories of Adam and Abel, Abraham and Isaac, Moses and David, long before Mary ever held her newborn son in Bethlehem.

What you’ll discover is the bigger picture — the centuries of preparation, promise, and foreshadowing that make the incarnation both historically significant and cosmically inevitable. When you realize what the Old Testament was building toward, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus becomes not one man’s story, but the culmination of all of history.

And when Easter comes — when the world again asks its questions — you won’t be scrambling for answers but pointing back to the very first pages of scripture.

We recently heard from a listener named Marc, who put it simply and beautifully: “Please let Pastor Mike know how much I have been blessed and reassured by his current series of messages. I have always struggled with assurance and the sermons in Hebrews have given me a renewed confidence in my savior! Love you guys. Preach the WORD!”

Marc’s words say it better than I can. This isn’t about clever arguments or polished programming. It’s about the word of God — faithfully opened, carefully explained, and applied with love — doing what only it can do in a human heart.

Perhaps you have a similar experience. If so, please write in to tell me how the current series (or any series we’ve tackled together) has made a difference in your walk with God. Notes from listeners are such an encouragement to me and the Focal Point team … and to other listeners like you, because they highlight what your support makes possible!

Every broadcast, every resource, every message that goes out over the airwaves or through a podcast feed is made possible by faithful friends like you who believe the truth of scripture is worth proclaiming — especially in seasons when the world is doubting loudest.

As skeptics ask questions again this year, let’s make sure more people have answers.

For the sake of the whole story,

Mike Fabarez
Pastor and Bible Teacher

P.S.  Easter is the perfect moment to share the bigger picture of who Christ is and why he came. Request your copy of The Unfolding Mystery by Edmund Clowney today and discover Christ woven through every page of scripture.