1.  In all of the history of the world, no book has been more loved and studied than the Bible--it remains the best seller of all time and yet often it is left unread.

   2.  The Bible is unique: 66 Books written by about 40 men over a space of 1500 years.

It was written in many different places in the known world of ancient times (not all authors were Jews). It was written in Hebrew (the Old Testament), Greek (the New Testament), and Aramaic (part of Daniel). Yet there is unity and harmony throughout.

   3.  The Bible is a book that men have hated, because it spoke out against sin--those who are evil hate what is good. Men have predicted that it would no longer be read because it was out of date and out of          touch. Many of these men are now in their graves. Their philosophies and beliefs are forgotten, but the Bible is still the most desired book in the world! The Bible is indestructible, because God is indestructible! (Matt 24:35;   1 Pet. 1:23-25)

 

The Bible’s Origin

   1.  2 Pet. 1:20,21

   2.  2 Tim. 3:16

   3.  1 Cor. 2:12-13

   4.  3800 times the Bible uses the phrases "Thus says the Lord,"  "God spoke," and "The Lord testified."

   5.  2 Sam. 23:1,2 "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word was in my tongue."

   6.  Jer. 1:9 "I have put my words in your mouth"

   7.  John 16:12,13 Jesus' promise fulfilled in the New Testament.

 

The Bible’s Purpose

   1.  To reveal the heart and mind of God to man and reveal His plan to redeem man from sin

   2.  2 Tim. 3:16-17 four things for which Scripture is profit­able: 

·         teaching or doctrine--that we might know the truth

·         reproof or rebuking--to convict or persuade others to change

·         correction--standard by which we can always judge ourselves

·         instruction or training--it gives us the equipment to do the work God wants us to do, so that we are complete

   3.  The gospel is God's message of salvation (Rom 1:16).

   4.  The gospel was designed to be believed and obeyed (1 Cor. 15:1,2)

 

The Bible’s Completeness

   1.  John 16:12,13 Holy Spirit would guide them into all the truth!  the whole truth, nothing left out!  (John 14:26)

   2.  Jude 3 Jude maintains that "the faith" was once-for-all delivered to the saints

 

The Bible Warns Us:

   1.  We are to preach the Word of God (2 Tim. 4:1-4).

   2.  We are to believe no other gospel  (Gal. 1:6-9).

   3.  Do not add or subtract from the Word  (Rev. 22:18,19).

   4.  Do not substitute human ideas (Mark 7:7-9).

   5.  His Word will one day judge us (John 12:48; Rev. 20:11-15).

 

The Bible Answers the Three Great Questions of Life:

   1.  The Origin of Life: where did I come from? God created you

   2.  The Purpose of Life: why am I here? Eccl 12:13

   3.  After Death, What then: where am I going? God gives us a glimpse of heaven and hell.

 

The Bible Contains:

   1.  The Mind of God--He loves and wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:3,4).

   2.  The State of Man (Rom. 3:23; 6:23)

   3.  The Way of Salvation (John 3:16; Acts 2:38)

   4.  The Happiness of Believers (John 14:1-3)

5.       The Doom of Sinners (2 Thess. 1:7-9)

 

 

 

 

An unknown writer said, "This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity. But we frequently do not know the Bible, as we should!

 

Why Don’t People Study Their Bibles More?

1.       Too busy with other things.

2.       Can’t Understand It

3.       Many people do not read anything much

4.       Have not wanted to

5.       Have not planned to

 

The Scriptures Came From God

1.     2 Tim. 3:16-17

2.     2 Pet. 1:20,21

3.     1 Cor. 2:12,13

 

What the Bible can do for you

·         Gives understanding Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of Thy words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

·         Keeps from sin Psalm 119:9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

·         Sanctifies John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.

·         Born by the Word 1 Pet. 1:22-23  Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.

·         Builds Up and Gives Inheritance Acts 20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

·         Saves souls James 1:21 Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

·         Words are spirit and are life  John 17:3

·         The Scriptures are compared to:

·         a sword  Eph. 6:17

·         Fire and a hammer Jer. 23:29 "Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”

·         a seed  Luke 8:11

·         a lamp and a light  Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

 

      No greater moral change ever passed over a nation than passed over England during the years, which parted the middle of the reign of Elizabeth from the Long Parliament.  England became a people of the book, and that book was the Bible.  It was read at churches and read at home, and everywhere its words, as they fell on ears which custom had not deadened, kindled a startling enthusiasm.  As a mere literary monument, the English version of the Bible remains the noblest example of the English tongue.  But far greater was the effect of the Bible on the character of the people.  Elizabeth might silence or tune the pulpits, but it was impossible for her to silence or tune the great preachers of justice and mercy and truth who spoke from the Book.  The whole temper of the nation felt the change.  A new conception of life and of man superseded the old.  A new moral and religious impulse spread through every class.  (John Richard Green, A Short History of the English People.)

           

Therefore, We Should Do These Things:

 

Know the Bible 2 Tim. 2:15 

·         At a pulpit rate, it takes 71 hours to read the Bible aloud; if you break that down to 365 days, that is merely 12 minutes a day

·         How long has it been since you read the Bible through?

Love the Word Psalm 119:97  “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

Be doers of the Word James 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

Keep the word 1 John 2:5  but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

Preach the word 2 Tim. 4:2-5

 

Because we will be judged by the word  John 12:48 "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

 

A former park ranger at Yellowstone National Park tells the story of a ranger leading a group of hikers to a fire lookout. The ranger was so intent on telling the hikers about the flowers and animals that he considered the messages on his two-way radio distracting, so he switched it off.

Nearing the tower, the ranger was met by a nearly breathless lookout, which asked why he hadn't responded to the messages on his radio. A grizzly bear had been seen stalking the group, and the authorities were trying to warn them of the danger. Any time we turn out the messages God has sent us, we put at peril not only ourselves, but also those around us. How important it is that we never turn off God's saving communication!

 

 

 

      When one studies the Bible, it is necessary to study books, chapters, verses and words. He must study sentences and words to determine their meanings. However, it is necessary also to have a general view of Bible history, so that you will be able to understand how what you read fits into that history. You might know about certain people or things:

·         Where does Abraham fit into the history of the Bible?

·         When did the Jewish nation begin?

·         When and what were the tabernacle and the temple?

When an artist paints a picture, he paints the distant things first and works closer, at last putting on the finishing touches up front. In the same way we need to look at an overall view of Bible History

 

Getting an Overall View

      Dallas Smith produced a book, which gave a simple method of learning the fifteen periods of Bible History.  His book gave:

·         the names of each period

·         the length of each period

·         the main events of each period

·         the principal character of each period

      Just learning the names will go a long way in helping the student. Learning the events that begin and end the period will help put things in the proper order.

      Learning the people will also help put things into perspective.

 

When You Read the Bible

·         keep this list of periods handy

·         Try to keep the passage you are reading in perspective

·         Know who is speaking to whom

·         Handle the word accurately

 

 

Old Testament

 

Pentateuch (Five Books of Moses)

1.       Before Moses (Genesis)

·         From Creation to the Flood

·         From the Flood to Abraham

·         Abraham, father of the nation of Israel

·         Isaac

·         Jacob (Israel), the father of the twelve tribes

·         Joseph

2.       Israel under Egyptian bondage

·         Call of Moses

·         The Exodus

3.       Period of Wilderness Wandering (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)

·         At Sinai, the Commandments

·         From Sinai to Moab, Death of Moses

Historical Books

1.       Israel under Joshua and the Judges

·         Taking possession of the promised land

·         The oppression of Israel’s enemies and God’s deliverance through judges.

2.       Monarchy (1 Samuel 9-1 Kings 11)

·         Saul

·         David

·         Solomon

3.       The Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 12-2 Kings 15)

·         Kingdom of Judah lasts from Rehoboam to Zedekiah, a continuous dynasty. The fall of the kingdom into Babylonian captivity in 607 B.C. The captivity lasted 70 years.

·         Kingdom of Israel lasts from Jeroboam to Hoshea. There were nine dynasties. Israel fell to Assyria and was carried away in 722 B.C.

4.       After the Exile (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther)

·         Fall of Babylon and restoration of Israel under Cyrus in 537 B.C.

·         Temple and Jerusalem rebuilt under the labor of Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah.

 

Hebrew Poetry

1.       Job. Deals with the problem of suffering.

2.       Psalms. Song and prayer book of the Bible.

3.       Proverbs. Wisdom from Solomon.

4.       Ecclesiastes. Deals with the purpose of life.

5.       Song of Solomon. Deals with the beauty of married love.

 

Prophecy

Major

·         Isaiah, prophet of redemption.

·         Jeremiah, the weeping prophet who saw the destruction of Jerusalem.

·         Ezekiel.

·         Daniel, prophet of the exile.

 

Minor Prophets

·         Prophets of Judah: Joel, Micah, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk.

·         Prophets of Israel: Amos, Jonah, Hosea, Micah.

·         Nahum prophesies of Nineveh.

·         Obadiah prophesies of Edom.

·         After the Exile: Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

 

The New Testament

 

The Gospels, biographical of Jesus

1.       Matthew, the gospel for the Jew.

2.       Mark, the gospel for the Roman.

3.       Luke, the gospel for the Greek.

4.       John, the gospel for all.

 

Acts of the Apostles, history

1.       Jerusalem the center and Peter is the focus (Chapters 1-12). Beginning of the church.

2.       Antioch the center and Paul the focus (Chapters 13-28) Missionary journies.

 

Paul’s Epistles

1.       First epistles (51-52 A.D.): 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

2.       Doctrinal epistles (56-57 A.D.): Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Galatians.

3.       Prison epistles (62–63 A.D.) from Rome: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

4.       Pastoral epistles (66-67 A.D.): 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.

 

Epistle to the Hebrews (anonymous, but likely Paul)

 

General Epistles

1.       James (perhaps 45 A.D.)

2.       1 and 2 Peter

3.       1, 2 and 3 John

4.       Jude

Prophetical Book: Revelation.

 

 

      The bible is a collection of 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. About 40 different men wrote these 66 sections. The writers lived in Europe, Asia and Africa and came from quite different backgrounds, doing their writing over a period of 1600 years.

      The Old Testament writings came from about 1445 to 400 B.C. by about 32 men. It is made up of 5 books of law, 12 books of history, 5 books of poetry, 5 books of major prophecy and 12 books of Minor Prophets. It is mostly written in Hebrew, but a small amount in Daniel is written in Aramaic.

      The New Testament writings were done from about 45 to 98 A.D. by 8 or 9 writers. It is made up of four books on the life of Jesus Christ, one book on the story of the first century church, 21 letters to churches and individuals, and one book of prophecy. It was written in common Greek language.

      The Old Testament was written on stone, clay, wood, and leather. The New Testament was written on papyrus, parchments and paper. None of the original manuscripts are in existence today. There are 5,480 total manuscripts of the Greek New Testament.  About 4,200 manuscripts date from the 9th to the 15th centuries, written in cursive style and called miniscules. There are about 360 older manuscripts in the uncial style (all capitals with no spaces or punctuation).

      Three of the oldest and almost complete manuscripts in the uncial style date from 350 to 400 and are on vellum (fine grained skins). They are the Vaticanus, Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus.

      The Vaticanus manuscript (abbreviated as codex B) is very rare in that it is practically complete and is all written in Greek. It is in the Vatican library at Rome and has been there since 1401. It has 759 leaves of the finest vellum. Some of the missing leaves are: Genesis 1-46; Psalms 106—136; Hebrews 9-13; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus and Revelation. It is considered to be the most exact of the New Testaments known today. It is the oldest of the uncials, which are written in all capital Greek characters. Our New Testament Greek texts of today rely heavily on this Vaticanus codex B.

      The Sinaiticus manuscript (abbreviated as codex Aleph). It gets its name from Mt. Sinai, where Constantine Tischendorf found it in 1844 at St. Catherine’s monastery. The codex Aleph was given to the Russian czar in the decade of 1660. In 1933 the Soviet authorities sold it to the British for 100,000 pounds, and it has remained in the British Museum for the last 67 years. The New Testament is complete, but parts of the Old Testament had dropped off prior to the time that Tischendorf found it. The writing is in four columns per page, done in clear Greek handwriting and is written with all capital letters..

      The Alexandrinus manuscript (abbreviated codex A) takes its name from Alexandria, Egypt, from where it originated in the fifth century. A high Greek Church official made a gift of it to James I of England, and later Charles I received it. It has remained in the British Museum since 1627. It is written in all uncials and contains most of the Old and New Testaments. About 40 of the leaves have dropped off. It is not considered to be as high quality as the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus manuscripts.

    One of earliest known fragments of New Testament writing is on papyri found in Egypt. Scholars date p52 as early as 125 A.D. It contains a portion of John 18:31-33 on one side and John 18:37, 38 on the other. This proves that the apostle John’s gospel was in circulation in Egypt in the few years following his death in 98 A.D. This papyrus was found in 1920 and is in the Rylands Library in Manchester, England.

    In all there are now 115 papyri dated prior to the fourth century A.D. They have been quite valuable in helping scholars to identify the Greek text of the New Testament.

    Selected portions of the four gospels, Acts, and of certain epistles were copied from manuscripts for readings in public worship services. These copies were considered to be extremely accurate because they were designed for use in the worship of God and because of their early date. These selected written Scriptures are called lectionaries. There are over 1800 of such sections done in both uncials and cursives (miniscules).

    People who did not know the Hebrew of the Old Testament or the Greek of the New Testament needed a translation into their tongue. The Christians used the Septuagint, which is a translation in Greek of the entire Hebrew Scriptures. It was known to be in existence as early as 200 B.C. The Greek New Testament was translated into:

·    Syriac versions (old Syrian and Peshitta, early 2nd century)

·    Latin versions (old Latin and Jerome’s Latin Vulgate in the 380s)

·    Coptic version (2nd century Egyptian vernacular)

·    Ethiopic and gothic versions (4th century translations)

·    Armenian version (5th century translation)

·    Arabic and Slavic versions (9th century translations)

 

The demand for early versions testifies to the wide spread respect the early Christians had for the Scriptures.

 

 

      The word we use for testament (diaqhkh) is better-translated "covenant" than "testament."  The word describes a legal, binding relationship between two parties.  A covenant between two nations may be considered a treaty; a covenant between two businesses would be a contract; and a covenant between a husband and wife would be a marriage contract or covenant.  When a ruler and his subjects were the parties to a covenant, such a covenant served as a national constitution and spelled out the responsibilities of the ruler and the ruled.  It should not be surprising that God used this word "covenant" to clarify the legal relationship he established with his people.

      The Mosaic Law was given in the form of a covenant that a Ruler would establish with His people.  This Law spoke to those who were in the covenant and under the law of the covenant (Rom. 3:19).  The Ten Commandments, written on tablets at Sinai, gave the words of the old covenant (Ex. 34:27,28; Deut. 4:13; 9:11).  The Law detailed the promises and obligations of both parties.  The individual laws are details of the covenant, rules that govern the relationship.  The covenant made at Horeb (Sinai) was never made with the fathers of the Israelites who were at Sinai (Deut. 5:1-5).  Nor did this covenant apply to the Gentile nations who never entered into a covenant relationship with Jehovah.

Specifically, the Old Testament was addressed only to the nation of Israel or the Jews (Ex. 20:1,2).

      By her sin and unfaithfulness to the Lord, Israel did not continue in that covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:6-13).  God determined to make a new covenant with His people, a covenant established by the blood of Jesus Christ.  This covenant was for all people, Jew and Gentile alike, and invited all who wished to come under the covenant by faith obedience to the gospel.  The establishment by the blood of Christ of the second covenant made the first obsolete (Heb. 8:13; 10:8-10).

Two Extremes:

      Those who say that the Old Testament is equally binding with the New.

      Those who say we have no practical need for the OT.

The Truth:

      The covenant law of the OT has been made obsolete, but there are many things in the Old Testament that are for our learning, so that we will know how to live for the Lord.

 

The Purpose and Value of the Law or Old Testament:

·         Rom. 15:4  "written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

·         1 Cor. 10:11 "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come." (Cf. 10:6; Jude 5).

·         Gal. 3:19  "What, then, was the purpose of the law?  It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come."

·         Gal. 3:24  "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.  Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law."

·         2 Tim. 3:16,17  "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

·         Acts 3:18  "this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer."  (See Luke 24:27,44; Acts 10:43; 1 Cor. 15:3,4).

·         Heb. 10:1  "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are to come..." The priesthood, tabernacle, and the offerings find their antitypes in the NT (Hebrews 9,10).

·         Heb. 12:1  "such a great cloud of witnesses" who testify to us that our faith is not in vain and that we can be victorious through faith and obedience.

      Many important truths revealed in the New Testament are based upon events of the past and recorded in the Old Testament.  "In the Old the New is enfolded, while in the New the Old is unfolded."  How could we understand these things without knowledge of the OT:

·         the glory of Solomon (Matt. 6:29)

·         the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6)

·         Lot's wife (Luke 17:32)

·         the lifted up serpent (John 3:14)

·         Esau's birthright (Heb. 12:16)

·         Noah's ark (1 Pet. 3:20,21)

·         praying of Elijah (James 5:17,18)

·         burning bush (Acts 7:30)

·         details of creation (Genesis 1,2)