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Jesus in the Old Testament was concealed for a reason, but then the New Testament makes him known.
Please explain to me, with scriptural backing, why GOD could only bring forth the manifested Christ at the time of the New Testament. Why did mankind have to wait?
Life was not concealed at all. The tree of Life was in the very midst of the garden of Eden. And God specifically warned the first man on earth that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was not how humanity lived. It would prove fatal, if that tree were chosen as a means of obtaining and sustaining Life.
In the Logos was Life (John 1:4) and that Life was the Light of men.
God spoke in Eden and that (God's revealing himself, in word) was the tree of Life. Hear and your shall live.
Life was there, in the midst of the garden. And Life was passed by in favour of a way of man's independence from God and man's works on his own behalf and man's righteousness rather than God's rightness.
Right from the very beginning there was full disclosure, full revelation suitable to the circumstances and suitable to the relevant maturity of humanity at the time (in terms of understanding).
And some heeded what was given : Adam (eventually) then Abel then Enoch then Noah.
Every detail of the ark which Noah was instructed to make is full - absolutely full - of spiritual meaning and spiritual guidance and spiritual revelation. Every single detail.
Then Job speaks of a Redeemer. Then the God of glory appeared to Abraham. Then three men (yes three) come to Abraham and Abraham says, 'lord'.
Then a man wrestles with Jacob and declines to give his name.
Then a messenger visits the wife of Manoah and declines to give his name. And goes up in the flame of the sacrifice to heaven.
Then the messenger of Jehovah appears in a self-sustaining flame (associated with a bush) and Jehovah sees Moses turn aside and Elohim called unto Moses out of the midst.
Then a fourth is seen in the furnace when only three went in and none of them is harmed and the Gentile King, the highest natural authority on earth at the time says
the form of the fourth is like the Son of God ! [Daniel 3:25, KJV.]
"Concealed" ?
Or rather is it not the case that :
In him was Life and the Life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. [John 1:5, KJV.]
For very righteous reasons there was a progressive revelation of the purposes of God. The first creation was never the ultimate purpose. But righteousness required that the first man should be treated properly.
Only after due time and due treatment of the first humanity, in Adam, was all revealed in another humanity, a last Adam and a second man - the Lord from heaven. I Corinthians 15:45-47.
Your question is loaded with assumptions (good ones!) but they should be established first.
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. (Ephesians 3:2-7)
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:10-12)
Thus, continuing with Ephesian 3, though it is true that we are sinners who by our sin blind our hearts to the truth and glory or God, the plan of concealment preceded our sin. We are not the original cause of the concealment; God's plan was.
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:24-27)
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
If full knowledge of Christ were available before he arrived, the prophets would have nothing to do!
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. (Proverbs 25:2)
8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)
If you study Job, you will see that in the midst of suffering, ignorance, blindness, and confusion, a man who said he could not see God at the same time spoke words that prophesied the coming savior. In fact, I found nine specific prophesies spoken by Job that point to elements of Jesus' ministry, and those elements are listed in the chronological order in which they occurred in Jesus' life!
Thus the requirement for deep understanding of God's purposes, especially as they relate to the revelation of Jesus, is that a righteous person endure great suffering without abandoning faith in God. There are not many people like that! That is why the greatest revelation had to be performed by Jesus, the perfectly righteous person who suffered the greatest amount. It is only through suffering that the message can be delivered. All the prophets suffered, and from their suffering, faith, and meditation on God's word, they obtained the insight that added to our knowledge of God and the Messiah.
Job was likely the first book of the Bible to be written. Prior to Jesus, Job was the most righteous person who ever lived, and he suffered greatly, hence he was a suitable vessel to communicate to us some teaching about Jesus. Job prayed that his words be written down - Job prayed the Bible into existence!
23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll, 24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever! 25 I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:23-27)
God is the Boss. It is all his plan.
We don't necessarily have to accept or know God's reasons. He is Sovereign.
In Acts chapter 1 when Jesus followers asked about when the kingdom of God would come, he said:
"It is not for you to know the times of the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." Acts 1:7 KJV
In the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22, Jesus refers to the different people who were invited to the banquet (God's kingdom), but in verse 8 the king in the parable says the wedding is now ready. This means that preparations were being made beforehand.
Similarly, preparations were being made in the Old Testament, and then when the time was ready, Elijah/John the Baptist started preparing the way (the hearts of people) to begin receiving Jesus Christ.
So in answer to the question, I believe that Jesus Christ wasn't directly revealed in the Old Testament because the Father was still making preparations for when he had planned to "officially" reveal Jesus Christ. The Son could have come earlier, he always exists, but it was not part of the Father's plan to reveal him then.
"Jesus in the Old Testament was concealed for a reason, but then the New Testament makes him known."
You have the right idea, but completely backward.
The statement would be true if it said "The Father" rather than "Jesus".
In the last incident, note that Jesus's listeners understood what he meant; they were going to stone him for blasphemy, claiming to be the God of the Old Testament.
Declare ye, and bring near, Yea, they take counsel together, Who hath proclaimed this from of old? From that time hath declared it? Is it not I — Jehovah? And there is no other god besides Me, A God righteous and saving, there is none save Me.
Turn to Me, and be saved, all ends of the earth, For I [am] God, and there is none else.
By Myself I have sworn, Gone out from my mouth the logos of justice, And it turneth not back, That to Me, bow doth every knee, every tongue swear.
Only in Jehovah, said hath one, Have I righteousness and strength, Unto Him he cometh in, And ashamed are all those displeased with Him.
In Jehovah are all the seed of Israel justified, And they boast themselves.’ Isaiah 45:21-25
The origin of Johannine terminology. Jesus is the tabernaculate logos in the flesh. The manifestation of God in Cloud.
