How Does The Bible Start

Word Study By Bible Books

Certain words have special significance in certain Bible books. For example, after studying the Gospel of John as a book and by chapters, youll find it instructive and inspiring to trace the words believe and belief. They occur almost 100 times. By reading the book hurriedly and underlining each passage where the words believe and belief occur, youll understand why Bible scholars contend that the purpose of the Gospel of John is expressed by the author in John 20:31.

How Does Mans History Fit With The Biblical Timeline

How can we reconcile the secular history of the world with what the Bible clearly teaches?

I was just curious. We ascreationists believe that God created the world roughly 6,000 years ago andthat the flood of Noah was about 4400 years ago. Here’s my question. How do wefit man’s history in there? I mean, the pyramids at Giza are said to be 4500 years old, meaningthey were built before the Flood. Obviously, the Flood would have destroyedthem. How do we fit the amazing advances of man that are date before the Floodthat should have been wiped out . Can the Egyptian history fitinto 6,000 years. Secular scientists say it goes back 20,000 years. I of coursereject this. But what’s the deal?

K.S.USA

Hi K.S.,

This can be resolved easily. But for the sake of the readers, I amgoing to take this step-by-step to show how to analyze this type of argumentand respond in the future.

Ultimately, here is what it comes down to: trust man or trust God. I know you’ve heard us say this many timesbut let me explain it with respect to this question. Let’s look at the two proposed approximatetimelines of history.

The Bible Ends With The Second Coming Of Jesus

Most of the events in the book of Revelation focuses on Jesus second coming. Jesus first coming is recorded in the Gospels, which are the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus first coming was as the Lamb of God to die on the cross for the sins of the world. These events took place around 30 or 33 A.D.

Jesus second coming is explained in various places, but with the most detail in the book of Revelation. Jesus Second Coming as explained in the book of Revelation has yet to take place. Jesus Himself gave us signs that will accompany His return.

These signs are recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. This is how the Bible predicts the world will end. Its actually not the end of the world. Its just the end of this age and the beginning of the next age. The signs in Matthew 24 will come about before Jesus returns to cleanse the earth of evil, and heaven and earth will be joined together and renewed.

The Signs of the End of the Age in Matthew 24

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An Answer Worth Considering

After considering the evidence, many people conclude that life is the product of a superior intelligence. Consider the example of Antony Flew, a professor of philosophy who at one time was a leading advocate of atheism. When he learned about the staggering complexity of life and the physical laws of the universe, Flew changed his opinion. Citing an ancient approach to reasoning, he wrote: We must follow the argument wherever it leads. For Professor Flew, the evidence pointed to the existence of a Creator.

Gerard, mentioned at the outset of this article, came to a similar conclusion. Despite his advanced education and his career in entomology, he said: I saw no proof that life arose spontaneously from nonliving matter. The order and complexity of living things convinced me that there has to be an Organizer and Designer.

Just as a person can learn about an artist by examining his artwork, Gerard came to discern the Creators qualities by studying the natural world. Gerard also took time to consider a book attributed to the Creatorthe Bible. There he found satisfying answers to questions about mankinds past and practical solutions to the problems facing people today. He thus became convinced that the Bible was also the product of a superior mind.

As Gerard found, the Bibles answers are worth considering. We encourage you to examine them for yourself.

Hyperspeed From John To James

I can see you starting to fade. Wake up. Stay with me. Were going to make the jump to lightspeed and fly through the next 700 years of Bible history. Ready? Punch it, Chewie!

For the vast majority of the Middle Ages, Jeromes Vulgate translation was the chief Bible engaged by followers of Jesus. But big changes began to occur in the late 1300s when a philosopher named John Wycliffe undertook a translation of Jeromes Vulgate into English. The motivation was similar to Jeromesto put the words of God into a language common men and women could understand. While portions had been translated before him, Wycliffes Bible was the first full text in the English language.

At this point in history, and since the first followers of Jesus, there had only been one hurchthe Catholic church . While the common man suffered through the Middle Ages, the Church grew rich and powerful. Wycliffe, along with getting the Bible into a common language, began to question the state of privilege, wealth and power afforded to the clergy and the Church. He argued that Scripture was the only authoritative guide to the truth about God. This put him into the bad graces of Church leadership, including the Pope.

Apparently, God did just that. Within four years of his death, four English translations of the Bible had been published in England at the kings behest. Each one was based on Tyndales work.

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Bible Study By Chapters

In the Bible there are 1,189 chapters in the Old and New Testaments. In a little over three years, a person could make an intensive study of the whole Bible, taking a chapter a day. It is usually a good practice to start your Bible study in the New Testament.

Time needed: 20 minutes.

Study the Bible by Chapters

How Much Of The Bible Should You Read A Day

There really isnt a right or wrong answer to this question. It really depends on what your goals are.

Do you want to read through the Bible in a year?

Do you want to read it in chronological order?

Are you trying to make reading the bible a daily habit?

Are you studying a specific topic?

Is there a specific book of the Bible you want to focus on?

No matter what your goals are there are plenty of Bible reading plans available online for you to choose from. Most bibles have a yearly reading plan already in them.

If you dont want to follow a reading plan, I would suggest you read a chapter a day.

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Some Books Have Multiple Genres

Theres definitely some genre-hopping going on throughout the books of the Bible. Daniel is both historical narrative and apocalyptic literature, and Acts works as both history and Gospel. Proverbs is a wisdom book that includes poetic elements. But the point is that learning to see these books through the lens of genre can help make Scripture reading a lot easier.

Brief Synopsis & Commentary

The book of Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, tells the story of the creation of the universe, the world, and humanity, the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, and the great flood which God sent on the world because of the evil of mankind. Following the flood, Noah‘s children repopulate the earth and the narrative then follows the stories of his descendents who are the Hebrew ancestors of the men who wrote the stories. The tale of Joseph and his coat of many colors brings the Hebrews from their land of Canaan to Egypt where, the Book of Exodus explains, they became slaves.

They were led from Egypt to freedom by the great lawgiver Moses who then passed his leadership to his second-in-command Joshua son of Nun whose army lay waste to the region of Canaan so the Hebrews could claim it as the land promised to them by their God . Following the establishment of the people who called themselves Israelites in the land, famous kings such as David and his son Solomon ruled and great prophets such as Jeremiah and Isaiah, Ezekial and Jonah preached the will of their God.

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The Bible Ends How It Begins

The Bible begins and ends in a garden. The garden is where God placed man after He created everything. He says its good . The imagery thats found in the first part of the Bible is also at the end of the Bible. Genesis, the first book of the Bible, describes how God created the world. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, reveals how God will restore His original plan.

How does the Bible begin and end? The Bible begins with Gods original plan for mankind to rule as His representatives on the earth . Mankind chooses not to follow Gods plan, resulting in the Fall . As a result, mankind and the world we live in end up in a state of brokenness sin and death enter the world. There is sickness, war, poverty, injustice and all sorts of things that cause pain and sadness in the world.

The way God makes this is possible is through what happens at the cross where Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dies as a substitute for the sins of mankind . What happened at the cross is the payment for our sin . The cross makes it possible for mankind and for the world we live in to be restored to Gods original design. The Bible now calls people to believe in Jesus Christ who God has sent .

God Creates The World

The first thing the Bible tells us is that God is a creator. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . God speaks and things come into being that were not there before, beginning with the universe itself. Creation is solely an act of God. It is not an accident, a mistake, or the product of an inferior deity, but the self-expression of God.

Genesis continues by emphasizing the materiality of the world. The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters . The nascent creation, though still formless, has the material dimensions of space and matter , and God is fully engaged with this materiality . Later, in chapter 2, we even see God working the dirt of his creation. The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground . Throughout chapters 1 and 2, we see God engrossed in the physicality of his creation.

For a helpful discussion of the interpretation of the “Days” of creation, see Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary , 74-78.

For a long list of the many kinds of work God does in the Bible, see R. Paul Stevens, The Other Six Days , 18-123 and Robert Banks, God the Worker: Journeys into the Mind, Heart, and Imagination of God .

Bruce Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, , 64-5.

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Legacy And Impact Of The Bible

The sheer diversity of literature in the Bible is one of the secrets of its continuing popularity through the centuries. There is something for all moods and many different cultures. Its message is not buried in religious jargon only accessible to either believers or scholars, but reflects the issues that people struggle with in daily life. Despite their different emphases, all its authors shared the conviction that this world and its affairs are not just a haphazard sequence of random coincidences, but are the forum of God’s activity – a God who is not remote or unknowable, but a personal being who can be known by ordinary people.

Melvyn Bragg believes the King James version of the Bible, first published in 1611, has had a profound effect on human history over the last 400 years.

If You’re Wondering How To Start Reading The Bible Here Are My Top Five Places To Start Reading The Bible:

1. The Gospel of John – This is the best place for new believers, especially, to start reading. This book will give you a good understanding of who Jesus is and what His ministry is about. Although the other Gospel accounts do this, the book of John particularly focuses on who Jesus is rather than just what He did.

2. Romans – This is a good place to start if you want a clear understanding of the Gospel. I suggest every Christian read Romans to build confidence in the faith they profess. Since the entire Bible points to the Good News of Jesus Christ, this is certainly a good place to start.

3. Psalms – This is a great place to start if you’re looking for encouragement. The Psalms offer hope, and healing, and help us to better understand that God is with us no matter our circumstances. I often suggest reading Psalms if stress and anxiety keep you up at night because the poetry style of writing is not only relatable but also very comforting.

4. Proverbs – This book is packed with wisdom. It offers biblical knowledge and instruction to help guide us in our day-to-day life. It’s a great place to start if you want practical direction on how to live out this Christian life. The brevity of each verse also makes it an easy and light read.

Use this free PDF for prayer in addition to reading scripture – Praying Through the Psalms: A 30 Day Prayer Guide

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How Do We Decide What Counts As Scripture

A police investigator can recognize counterfeit money as counterfeit and can recognize genuine money as genuine, but he cannot make counterfeit money to be genuine, nor can any declaration by any number of police make counterfeit money to be something it is not. Only the official treasury of a nation can make money that is real money similarly, only God can make words to be his very words and worthy of inclusion in Scripture.

Who Was King David

The first wave of scribes may, its been suggested, have started work during the reign of King David . Whether thats true or not, David is a monumental figure in the biblical story the slayer of Goliath, the conqueror of Jerusalem. David is also a hugely important figure in the quest to establish links between the Bible and historical fact, for he appears to be the earliest biblical figure to be confirmed by archaeology.

I killed king of the house of David. So boasts the Tel Dan Stele, an inscribed stone dating from 870750 BC and discovered in northern Israel in the 1990s. Like the Merneptah Stele before it, it documents a warlords victory over the Israelites . But it at least indicates that David was a historical figure.

The Tel Dan Stele also suggests that,no matter how capable their rulers, the people of Israel continued to be menaced by powerful, belligerent neighbours. And, in 586 BC, one of those neighbours, the Babylonians, would inflict on the Jews one of the most devastating defeats in their history: ransacking the sacred city of Jerusalem, butchering its residents, and dragging many more back to Babylonia.

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