A Book Review from Books At a Glance
By Kristin Stiles
You know it’s going to be a good book when the introduction gives you chills! Paul Reynolds begins his book by retelling the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and how Jesus explained to them how the Scriptures all point to Him. Reynolds imagines that the 30 prophesies that he shares in this book are a taste of what that conversation must have been like. I don’t know about you, but that is one conversation I would have loved to overhear. That is why this book was so exciting to me. Not only does it lead us on a journey through the Old Testament to show us how it all points to Jesus, it does it in such a manner that a child could clearly understand.
I really like organization, and Reynolds is all about organization. He begins with a timeline showing when the prophecies occurred and who made them. Then for each of the prophecies, he outlines the following topics: Prophet/Dates (who said it and when); Prophecy Made & Prophecy Fulfilled (direct quotes from scripture); Then and There (the context in which the prophecy was made); Scarlet Thread (how the prophecy fits into the gospel message); Application (what the prophecy means to the reader today); Prayer (a sample prayer that praises God for each prophecy and fulfillment). Reynolds also includes 10 Key Memory Verses About Messianic Prophecy; Character Profiles of the prophets; and additional references prophesying various events in the life of Christ.
All of this information presented in such an orderly fashion along with interesting and clever illustrations makes this book such a pleasure to read. It would serve very well as a devotional or a unit of study for homeschoolers. Too often the Old Testament is just presented as a collection of exciting stories with no direct connection to the gospel message or the life of Christ. This book does a magnificent job of demonstrating that all of scripture points to Jesus and gives us a glimpse of what those travelers on the road to Emmaus must have heard.
Kristin Stiles is a home-school mom, a Sunday School teacher, and helps lead the “Young, Reading, & Reformed” children’s ministry at Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia, PA.
Buy the books
30 PROPHECIES: ONE STORY: HOW GOD'S WORD POINTS TO JESUS, by Paul Reynolds