There are many in the world of Christianity that seem to feel the Old Testament is no longer applicable because it has been "fulfilled." These people are wrong.
In Ecclesiastes, the preacher says "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done, is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us." (Eccl 1:9-10)
Particularly for a member of the LDS church, the importance of the Old Testament should be clear. When Joseph Smith was visited by the angel Moroni, the scripture passages he recollects in Joseph Smith History include those from Isaiah, Malachi, Joel, and a passage from Acts that quotes an Old Testament event involving Moses. The Book of Mormon begins in the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, the Old Testament King of Judah. This means the bulk of the Book of Mormon stories and teachings are Old Testament... and proves that Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah.
I despise the phrase "God of the Old Testament." It is the same God that reigns today. People get the idea that the "God of the Old Testament" was a vengeful and angry God. I do not wish to dispute that. I do wish to dispute the idea that he changed his views in the New Testament. Otherwise, where were the lollipops and hugs when Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to the apostles? Or, perhaps when Jesus made a whip and drove the money exchangers from the Temple, he did so in a kind voice...
The truth is, Jesus Christ has cause to be angry. He lived a perfect life, but he suffered unspeakable pain. His did no crime, but was killed as a criminal. He sent his chosen apostles to teach people how he could help them, and instead of receiving the apostles teachings, they murdered them and twisted their words. He directs his prophets today to teach people to do simple things like pray, and read his words... Instead, more and more people only call on his name to curse bad drivers, and describe his words as being "outdated", or "fulfilled". He is practically begging us to receive the very thing for which we should be begging him.
As many new and exciting technologies and scientific advancements as there are in the modern age, there is still truth in the words of the preacher.... The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be... The same lust that caused King David to fall, the same stubbornness of Jonah, the same wrath with which Cain slew Abel, the same sense of loss and pain that Job felt, the same cynicism with which Pharaoh viewed Moses... These things prevail in modern society. And the solution to the troubles of our time is the same today as it was anciently. In the Old Testament, Hezekiah, King of Judah, called upon God to save him from the peril of Sennacherib's forces, and found salvation. Contemporarily, those that call upon Jesus Christ in faith can be redeemed. The "God of the Old Testament" is not gone... he is coming to save us all.
