LESSON 1 - ORIGINS OF THE BIBLE

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2 LESSON 1 - ORIGINS OF THE BIBLE Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. - II Timothy 2:15 INSPIRATION 1 ST - THE WORD IS INSPIRED I Timothy 3:16-17 o 1 st - Theopneustos a compound word used only here in the Bible God Breathed The Bible is the record of God Breathed words recorded by the inspiration of the Spirit! II Peter 1:21 For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. How do we know that the Bible is from God The Evidence of the Word s transforming ability Hebrews 4:12 / I Peter 2:2 The lives of people are transformed through the power of the Word of God No book has been more attacked and stood the test of time No book has been translated into more languages (1000+ languages) No book has been more published over 6 billion copies! o 2 nd - Unity of the Bible 66 books / written over 1,500 years / 40 authors / 3 Languages Although there are hundreds of topics it is all about Jesus One problem Sin / One Solution the Savior (from Genesis to Revelation)! o 3 rd - Archeology no archeological discovery has ever contradicted a biblical reference Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm the Bible Every time an archaeologist puts a shovel in the dirt he proves the Bible true! History book are constantly changing / Science books get revised every year Isaiah 40:8 The grass dies, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. o 4 th - Prophecy Isaiah 46:9 - Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done God uses prophecy to show us He and He alone is God almighty The only one who sees the end from the beginning Prophecy is how He validates His Word it is His thumbprint on the Scriptures 2 ND THEREFORE WE CAN BE CONFIDENT IN THE WORD o 1 st - The Bible allows us to know the truth (doctrine / reproof) The only way to know the truth is by being men and women of the Word... Jesus Word is the only Truth it is how we know a lie from the Truth! John 17:17 [Jesus said to the Father] Your word is truth. o 3nd - The Bible corrects our lives Recent scientific studies have shown that without landmarks - we walk in circles... The only way we can be sure we are headed in a straight line - a compass In the same way without a moral compass - we tend to wander aimlessly in life... We try and do our best to figure out which way to go - but we end up lost... The only way to be certain in life - is to follow Jesus Christ - He is our compass... When we refuse to make Jesus Lord of our lives - chaos is sure to follow! o 3 rd - The Bible instructs (punishes) us in righteous There is nothing we can do on our own to make us right with God 2

3 The only way for us to get to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ But if we did not know our Bible we would not know about the gift of salvation! o 4 th - The word of God completes us It is by studying the Word that we are prepared for every good work! If we are unsure ourselves about the Truth of Word of God... We are not going to be very effective in sharing that Truth with others... But as we grow in our faith - are strengthened by reading God s Word... We will have the answer when others question us tell them the Truth of Jesus THE OLD TESTAMENT 1 st - The Basics: o The Canon of scripture Canon means rod or measuring rod o Old Testament: Genesis or Job - Malachi / 39 books / written between 1400 to 400 B.C. o New Testament: Mark to Revelation / 27 books / written between 50 to 100 A.D. o It s relevant to note that the Bible is not organized in chronological order 2 ND - ORIGINS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT o 1 st - The Hebrew Bible - Tanach... Contains the same books as our Old Testament but breaks them down differently Tanach Acronym: T - Torah - Law / N - Nev im prophets / K - Ketuvim writings Jewish breakdown of the OT: 24 books = our 39 books The books of the Law Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy The books the prophets Joshua, Judges, Samuel (1 book), Kings (1 book), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Twelve (12 minor prophets) The books of writings - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Ester, Daniel, Ezra- Nehemiah (1 book), Chronicles (1 book) THE HEBREW OLD TESTAMENT The Law The Prophets The Writings 1. Genesis Former Prophets Poetical Books 2. Exodus 1. Joshua 1. Psalms 3. Leviticus 2. Judges 2. Proverbs 4. Numbers 3. Samuel 3. Job 5. Deuteronomy 4. Kings Five Rolls Latter Prophets 1. Song of Songs 1. Isaiah 2. Ruth 2. Jeremiah 3. Lamentations 3. Ezekiel 4. Esther 4. The Twelve 5. Ecclesiastes Historical Books 1. Daniel 2. Ezra~Nehemiah 3. Chronicles 3

4 o 2 nd - No different from the Old Testament we read today... Most Bible scholars believe that the Canon of OT scriptures were compiled by Ezra The OT was complied after the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity Josephus Secular historian from the days of Jesus wrote: We have 22 books, containing the history of all time, are believed to be divine Josephus combined Ruth with Judges and Jeremiah with Lamentations... He did so to get 22 books the number of letters in the Hebrew Alphabet In the days of Jesus the Old Testament (same OT as today) was called the scriptures... It was taught and read regularly in the Jewish synagogues (churches)... Jesus Himself regularly called it The Word of God! The New Testament quotes the OT 300 times... Only quoting the books that we accept as the Old Testament... The one exception is Jude quoting from the book of Enoch (Apocrypha) BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT The Law (Pentateuch) 5 Books Poetry - 5 Books 1. Genesis 1. Job 2. Exodus 2. Psalms 3. Leviticus 3. Proverbs 4. Numbers 4. Ecclesiastes 5. Deuteronomy 5. Song of Solomon History 12 Books Prophets - 17 books 1. Joshua Major (5) Minor (12) 2. Judges 1. Isaiah 1. Hosea 3. Ruth 2. Jeremiah 2. Joel 4. I Samuel 3. Lamentations 3. Amos 5. II Samuel 4. Ezekiel 4. Obadiah 6. I Kings 5. Daniel 5. Jonah 7. II Kings 6. Micah 8. I Chronicles 7. Nahum 9. II Chronicles 8. Habakkuk 10. Ezra 9. Zephaniah 11. Nehemiah 10. Haggai 12. Esther 11. Zechariah 12. Malachi 3 RD - THE INTEGRITY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT o 1 st - The original OT manuscripts were called autographs They were written on materials such as papyrus which quickly deteriorated Scribes were the professional copyist of the OT The Scribes knew they were copying God s Word so they went to incredible lengths to make sure every letter, word, line and syllable was counted so that mistakes would not occur. 4

5 For example - for them to write the name of God JHVH they would have to bathe first. Then they would get a new pen and ink and write the name. They would then have to go and bathe again. The name JHVH occurs 5521 times in the OT. o 2 nd - A complete manuscript of Isaiah was found in Qumran Cave #4 In 1947 an Arab Shepherd boy looking for his goat made the discovery of the ages of the scrolls that were ultimately found contained portions of the Old Testament In all every book of the Old Testament with the exclusions of Esther was found! The manuscripts dated to around 200 BC. Up until that time, the oldest manuscript of the book of Old Testament discovered was the Masoretic Text, which was dated about 900 AD. Bible critics were anxious to find out how many changes had been made in the manuscripts in that eleven hundred year period. They were shocked to find that there were no significant differences. When they were compared - 95% of the texts were identical. The 5% difference was based on obvious slips of the pen and variations on spelling. Bottom line God made sure we had not reason to questions the integrity of His Word! 4 TH - OLD TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA... o 1 st - Refer to the 14 books contained in some Bibles. The Books are: Esdras (Greek for Ezra), II Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Rest of Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Song of the three holy children, History of Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, Prayer of Manasses, I Maccabees, II Maccabees They have validity as history especially for information between the Testaments They are not to be considered divinely inspired or part of the Cannon of Scripture They were added to the Septuagint Greek translation of the OT The Latin Vulgate was translated from the Greek Septuagint includes Apocrypha That is why all Catholic Bibles (based on the Vulgate) contain an extra 7 books... o 2 nd - Not part of the canon of scripture 10 reasons: 1 st - Mostly of uncertain authorship / they are not written by characters in the Hebrew OT 2 nd - Written after Malachi during the years of silence 3 rd - The Jews never recognized them as part of the scripture / Josephus rejected them 4 th - They were never quoted by Jesus / or anywhere in the NT 5 th - No church counsel in the first 4 centuries of the church favored them 6 th - They were not recognized by the Eastern early church 7 th - The counsel of Trent ( A.D.) The first proclamation of the Roman Catholic Church on the Apocrypha came more than 1,500 years after the birth of the church, a reaction against the Protestant Reformation. Contain the addition of books that support salvation by works and prayers for the dead - came 29 years after Luther posted his 95 theses refuting these teachings Also only 11 of the 14 books were accepted and one of the books which was not accepted was 2 Esdras which contained statements against praying for the dead 8 th - The apocryphal books were immediately rejected by the Protestant reformation 9 th - Some of the books have teaching that are unbiblical or heretical... 2 main doctrines in dispute during the reformation are supported by the apocrypha prayers for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:45-46) / salvation by works (Tobit 12:9). The canonical books of the Bible are against praying for the dead (Hebrews 9:27; Luke 16:25-26) and salvation by works (Genesis 15:16; Romans 4:5, Galatians 3:11; Ephesians 2:8-9) 5

6 10 th - The Books have historical and chronological errors. It is claimed that Tobit was alive when the Assyrians conquered Israel (722 B.C.) As well as when Jeroboam revolted against Judah (931 B.C.) Yet Tobit total life span was only 158 years (Tobit 14:11, 1:3-5) The total span of years from 931 B.C. to 722 B.C. is 209 years THE NEW TESTAMENT 1 ST - ORIGINS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT o 1 st - Revealed by God... It must be understood that the Church was not the determiner of the Canon of Scripture The Church discovered of what God had Himself canonized! The NT was first compiled as we have it today by Eusebius (A.D ) The council of Carthage gave official ratification to the 27 books of the NT in A.D. 397 To increase the ability to index and look up verses for more exhaustive study, the Bible was divided into chapters in 1227 by Stephen Langton the Archbishop of Canterbury, and then into verses in 1555 by Robert Stephanus (the Stephen's edition of the Latin Vulgate) The use of italics (supplying words not in the original manuscripts to give clarity) first appeared in the Geneva Bible ( ) and has been used ever since. o 2 nd - The following was used for determining the Canon of Scripture... 1 st - Was the book written by a spokesperson for God? "And the Word of the Lord came to the prophet" "Thus says the Lord", God spoke." 2 nd - Contains the power of God to work miracles / change lives - II Timothy 3:15 3 rd - Does the book tell the past truth about God... The Lord does not contradict Himself - II Corinthians 1:17-18 Nor can He utter anything that is false - Hebrews 6:18 - Deuteronomy 13:1-3 4 th - Did the church accept the book at the time of its writing - I Thessalonians 2:13 5 th - Did the early church fathers (patristic) consider the book as Scripture 6 th - Was it confirmed by an apostle - I Timothy 5:18 - II Peter 3:16 6

7 1. Matthew 1. Act of the Apostles 2. Mark 3. Luke 4. John 1. Romans 1. Hebrews 2. I Corinthians 2. James 3. II Corinthians 3. I Peter 4. Galatians 4. II Peter 5. Ephesians 5. I John 6. Philippians 6. II John 7. Colossians 7. III John 8. I Thessalonians 8. Jude 9. II Thessalonians 10. I Timothy 11. II Timothy 12. Titus 13. Philemon 1. Revelation BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT Gospels - 4 Books History - 1 Book Epistles - 21 Books Pauline - 13 Books General - 8 Books Prophecy - 1 Book 2 ND - THE INTEGRITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT 1 st - We do not have a single original copy of any of the books of the New Testament... The NT was written shortly after the actual events were recorded For instance, most of the NT was written before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD We know this because they make reference to the Temple still standing... That means that these books were written only about 30 years after the death of Christ But there are no surviving original autographs because papyrus quickly wore out 2 nd - We do have LOTS of copies of the NT... There are over 24,000 partial/complete copies that date as far back as 150 A.D. There are 5,664 cataloged Greek manuscripts. There are over 18,000 ancient manuscripts in other languages. The John Rylands fragment of the Gospel of John: Dated only 25 years after the original autograph Compare this with the sayings of Buddha - compiled 500 years after his death 3 rd - The NT has an astounding lack of textual corruption A comparison of all the ancient copies will show ½ of 1% of the NT is in doubt (.05%) The ½% in question has absolutely nothing to do with doctrinal or historical truths 7

8 ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT COMPARISON CHART 4 th - Comparing the New Testament to other works of History... In comparison to the NT - the next closest ancient manuscript is Homers Iliad Fewer than 650 manuscripts (NT has 24,000) The earliest manuscripts date 400 years after it was written (NT is 25 years) There is between 40-60% variation between the manuscripts (NT is.05% The Following chart compares 9 ancient works of antiquity with the New Testament COMPARISON BETWEEN WORKS OF ANTIQUITY Author Book Date First Copy Time Gap # of Copies Homer Iliad 800 B.C. 400 B.C. 400 Years 643 Herodotus History B.C. 900 A.D. 1,350 Years 8 Thucydides History B.C. 900 A.D. 1,300 years 8 Plato 400 B.C. 900 A.D. 1,300 Years 7 Demosthenes 300 B.C. 1,100 A.D. 1,400 Years 200 Caesar Gallic Wars B.C. 900 A.D. 1,000 Years 10 Livy HistoryRome 59 B.C. 4th Century 400 Years 1-17 A.D 10th Century 1,000 Years 19 Tacitus Annals 100 A.D. 1,100 A.D. 1,000 Years 20 Pliny Secundus History 61 A.D. 850 A.D. 750 Years 7 New Testament 50 A.D 114 Fragments 50 Years 5, A.D. 200 Books 100 Years Greek Only 250 Most of NT 150 Years The New Testament stands alone, beyond equivalence, in its volume of manuscripts, in their gap of time from the originals, as well least amount of variation in their text. Even if we did not have this volume of ancient manuscripts for the New Testament, it has been estimated that there are over 86,000 early patristic (church fathers ) quotations from the Bible in their letters to the churches and to one another. Interestingly, if all these letters were pieced together, there would only be 11 verses in the NT that would not be mentioned. QUOTATIONS FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS Writer Gospel Acts Paul Epistles Epistles Revelation Total Justin Martyr Irenaues 1, Clement 1, , Origen 9, , Tertullian 3, , Hippolytus Eusebius 3, , Grand Total

9 3 RD - NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA... There are known to be at least 50 false gospels, as well many acts and epistles The great number of these forged writings made it very important For the early church to establish the Canon of scripture It is said that Mohamed got many of his ideas of Christianity from these books. They are also the roots of some of the errant dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church The book the Da Vinci Code - is based on the Gospel of Judas LANGUAGES OF THE BIBLE 1 st - Original Languages: o 1 st - The Bible was written in 3 languages Hebrew: Old Testament with a few exceptions. Aramaic: (Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; Jeremiah 10:11; and Daniel 2:4-7:28) Greek: New Testament o 2 nd - Alternate Languages: Targums Aramaic translation of the Old Testament (written after the Babylonian captivity) Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament ( B.C. Under Greek rule) Talmud Hebrew commentaries on the OT / Mishna Hebrew commentary on the Talmud Latin Vulgate Revised A.D. (from the Old Latin 2 nd century A.D. translated from the Septuagint) by Jerome. This became the standard Bible for the church for until the reformation. (The Catholic church used it up until the late 20 th century). Vernaculars - The invention of the Gutenberg printing press in the mid 15 th century further enhanced the availability and affordability of the Bible to the common man. When the Bible finally got into the common people s hands in their own languages, the Reformation in Europe resulted. 2 ND - TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE o 1 st - Styles of Translation: Formal Equivalence (Word for word from the Greek) Dynamic Equivalence (Thought for thought for English) Paraphrase (Not translations but used for enrichment) o 2 nd - Comparison of Versions: The comparison of versions is not about modern translations - but original texts Texus Receptus Also called the majority text comes from the majority of the original texts There are over 5,664 partial Greek manuscripts of the Bible that have been discovered The majority of these texts are in complete agreement Alexandrian texts Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Vaticanus Two of the oldest existing Greek texts. These were used to create the Westcott and Hort Greek text. Their text has become the most intellectually excepted text Because the texts are some of the oldest manuscripts 9

10 o 3 rd - Notable differences: The most notable changes occur in regard to the deity of Jesus Christ I John 5:7-8 - For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. (Texus Receptus) I John 5:7-8 There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. (Westcott and Hort) Revelation 5:9-10 They sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. (Texus Receptus) Revelation 5:9-10 They sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. (Westcott and Hort) Theologians will argue that only 5 of the Greek manuscripts contain us and we in Revelation 5:9-10, and they are right. It would seem that 5 out of over 5,000 is far from a majority. What they fail to mention is that Revelation 5:9-10 only occurs in 6 of the Greek manuscripts that we have. The only exception is in the Alexandrian manuscript so 5 out of 6 original manuscripts agree with the Majority text! o 4 th - Which version to use? For studying: Formal Equivalence is important because it is closest to the original text. The Majority Text is considered by Calvary Chapel to be the most accurate Greek Text For Devotions: Any of the Translations will do just fine The Paraphrase Bibles should be viewed as commentaries, not as translations. For Teaching: Formal Equivalence is important because it is closest to the original text. 10

11 INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE 1 ST - WHERE TO START... o 1 st - 66 books years - 40 authors - but only 1 message from the only true God! Every book - every chapter - every word - even the spaces between the words... Are ordained by God - placed there by Him - as a message for us! Matthew 5:18 - For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. o 2 nd - God isn t bound by time - He is outside of time - and sees the end from the beginning Isaiah 46:9 - Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. o 3 rd - The Bible has one theme... The Old Testament revolves around a single nation - Israel - God s chosen people... The New Testament revolves around one person - God Almighty - Jesus Christ... Man was lost in sin and judgment - our relationship/fellowship with God was broken... God came to die for us - pay the price for our sin - to restore our fellowship with God! o 4 th - A very Jewish book... All of the Kings/Prophets/Apostles - even writers of the Bible were Jewish (Luke, Job)! Meaning it s important for us as students of the Word to understand Jewish culture... Their customs - traditions - play a great deal into understanding God s Word... 2 ND - THE TIMELINE OF BIBLICAL HISTORY... o 1 st - Overview years of history B.C. - The timeline of the Bible starts with - the creation and the fall of man 2350 B.C - The flood of Noah - roughly 1650 years after the creation (AC) 2000 B.C. - Abraham - God chooses a man through whom He will create His nation 1550 B.C. - The Exodus of Israel from slavery in Egypt years after Abraham 1000 B.C. - The dynasty of King David & King Solomon years after the Exodus 900 B.C. - The divided kingdom - Israel goes into a state of civil war... For 350 years Israel was divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdom B.C. - The Northern Kingdom was conquered by Assyria 586 B.C - The Southern Kingdom is conquered by Babylon - 70 year captivity B.C. - Only the Southern Kingdom - Judah - return from captivity The 400 years of silence - between Malachi and Matthew - no prophet of God 4 B.C - 32 A.D - Birth of Jesus Christ - ministry - death - and resurrection 32 A.D. - Birth of the Church - the day of Pentecost - 50 days after the Resurrection A.D - The destruction of Jerusalem - Israel is sent into exile... May 14 th, Rebirth of Israel - Israel becomes a nation once again... 11

12 STYLES OF WRITING IN THE BIBLE 1 ST - MILK AND MEAT o 1 st - The Bible uses two terms to describe the teachings of the Bible milk and meat Milk the basic foundational teachings of the Bible Like a newborn baby as a young believer we need the milk of the word Much of what we learned in the Book of Acts was milk simple teachings about Jesus I Peter 2:2 - as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby You cannot give a newborn baby a big plate steak they will choke You give them milk because it is easy to swallow and digest When we first come to know the Lord - we are not going to understand much... There is a LOT about Jesus and the Word of God we do not yet comprehend Do not stay on the milk move on to the meat... It is cute to bottle feed a young infant - no surprise when they mess their diapers But when a 20- year- old adult is still on the bottle - still wearing diapers... It is a tragedy - something has gone terribly wrong... We should not stay babes - as we get into God s Word - we should grow... Growing in the Lord to a place where we can begin to teach others about Jesus! Hebrews 5:12 - You ve been Christians a long time, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. o 2 nd - Meat the more in depth teachings of the Bible Like an adult we no longer are satisfied by milk we want meat I Corinthians 3:2 I fed you with milk and not meat; for until now you were not able to receive it For example Romans in not milk Romans gets into the meat of the Bible Romans is the first of the books of Doctrine in the New Testament Sit down listen up take notes if you want we are leaving the milk behind! - 2 ND - STYLES OF WRITING o 1 st We all know the Bible is broken up into two main sections OT / NT But it turns out the Bible is further divided by Styles of writing 4 main styles of writing in the Bible: History / Poetry / Prophecy / Doctrine The OT and NT are not organized Chronologically they are laid out by these styles Old Testament: Doctrine History Poetry Prophecy New Testament: History Doctrine Prophecy o 2 nd - Historical Books of the Bible: There are 20 Historical books of the Bible OT: Genesis / Exodus / Numbers / Joshua / Judges / Ruth / I Samuel / II Samuel I Kings / II Kings / I Chronicles / II Chronicles / Ezra / Nehemiah / Esther NT: Matthew / Mark / Luke / John / Acts Historical books tell the stories that took place throughout biblical history... Covering over 4000 years from Creation to the birth of the church... Historical books are a very easy to understand and easy to relate to But you have to be careful because not everything in these books is doctrine By doctrine - Truths that are necessary for life and godliness in Jesus Christ In other words those truths that are necessary to live our lives for Jesus! 12

13 King Ahab wanted to buy a filed from Naboth I Kings 21 Naboth refused to sell the field so Ahab instead had him killed took it anyways Just because this story is in the Bible does not make it how we are to live Obviously if we want something we cannot kill to take it Exodus 20:13 So the stories in the books of History must be read in the light of Bible doctrine! o 2 nd - Poetic Books of the Bible: There are 6 poetic books in the Bible all in the OT Job / Psalms / Proverbs / Ecclesiastes / Song of Solomon / Lamentations Poetry does not tell a story it shares the emotions of the Bible... The Bible is not a textbook - God is not only interested in telling us about Him... Books of poetry speak to our emotions - stimulate our imagination! But you have to be careful because not everything in these books is doctrine King David wrote more poetry than any other author in the Bible But at times his poetry was written when he was hurting / or angry Psalms 58:6 Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! The Bible here records the prayer of David it is not telling us how to pray... Just because King David prayed for God to break his enemy s teeth Does not mean that we are to pray for God to break our enemy s teeth! o 3 rd - Prophetic Books of the Bible: There are 17 prophetic books in the Bible OT: Isaiah / Jeremiah / Ezekiel / Daniel / Hosea / Joel / Amos / Obadiah / Jonah Micah / Nahum / Habakkuk / Zephaniah / Haggai / Zachariah / Malachi NT: Revelation The prophetic books are some of least know / least read books of the Bible They can be confusing because they are tied up in the History of Israel If you do not know the Books of History the Books of Prophecy are confusing! The prophets were writing to rebellious nations calling them to repentance! But you have to be careful because not everything in these books is doctrine Often the prophets were told by God to do dramatic acts The purpose was to get the attention of the people call them back to God Ezekiel 4:12 Each day prepare your bread... While all the people are watching, bake it over a fire using dried human dung as fuel and then eat the bread. God told Ezekiel to make - poop bread - does not mean we are to cook that way! Hosea was told to marry a prostitute / Isaiah walked naked for 3 years! But these are not a pattern for us to follow - they are not Bible doctrine! o 4 th - Doctrinal Books of the Bible: There are 23 Doctrinal books in the Bible mostly in the NT OT: Leviticus / Deuteronomy NT: Romans / I Corinthians / II Corinthians / Galatians / Ephesians / Philippians Colossians / I Thessalonians / II Thessalonians / I Timothy / II Timothy / Titus Philemon / Hebrews / James / I Peter / II Peter / I John / II John / III John / Jude The Books of Doctrine are the most important books in the Bible They establish the basis for our faith in Jesus Christ... They define our salvation and God s expectations for how to live our life in Christ If we want to know the meaning of life - how to get to heaven... How God expects a Christian to live - how to live a life not dominated by sin... All of these and more are answered in the Books of Doctrine 13

14 PRAY HOW MANY VERSES READ LESSON 2 STEPS TO PREPARING TO TEACH OUTLINE THEME OIA THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER 1 ST - PRAY BEFORE YOU BEGIN o The Bible is not a book that is only intellectually comprehended o The smartest men the world has ever known have attempted to understand the Bible o Their greatest efforts have created the most heretical works o e.g. seminaries that deny Jesus as the only way to get to heaven 2 ND - IT IS NOT BY MERE INTELLECT THAT WE CAN RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF GOD IT IS BY HIS SPIRIT o John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. o We pray so that it is the Lord who reveals the truth of His Word to us o You can have a teaching that has perfect exegesis (breakdown of the Bible) but o Without the power of the Holy Spirit the teaching will not change lives HOW MANY VERSES OR CHAPTERS TO TEACH 1 ST - HOW MANY VERSES / CHAPTERS SHOULD I TEACH o The length of the passage you are going to teach depends on two factors 1 st - The amount of time that you have to teach If you teach for an hour you can only cover so many verses If there is translation you have a little more than half your time You will have to learn the pace that you teach at practice It is wise not to talk too fast a good even pace is easiest to follow o 2 nd - Who you are teaching The amount of verses you teach determines how in depth you can go The more verses you cover the less in depth you will go The fewer verses that you teach the more in depth you can go Both are good they serve different purposes If you teach more verses you give a broader view but less depth If you teach fewer verses you give more depth but less overview If you are teaching a young group of believers teach more verses They need a comprehensive overview of the Bible If you are teaching a more mature group of believers go in depth They should know the flow and big picture of the Bible You have more freedom to go in depth with your study 14

15 O UTLINE OF P SALM 1 When Chuck Smith first taught through the Bible he did so in 2 years o He Vs. was 1 teaching What the at blessed least 10 man chapters does not a night do The second Walk time (ungodly) from Genesis / Stand to (sinners) Revelation / Sit took (scornful) 5 years o The Vs. most 2-3 recent The actions time He and took results 15 years of the man 2 chapters who is blessed a night As the believers Vs. 2 grew What in the the Godly Lord man he was does able do to go more in depth Delights in the law of the Lord / Meditates on it day and night Vs. 3 The result of the Godly man s life READ Like - a READ tree by water AGAIN, / fruit THEN in season READ / whatever IT AGAIN he does prospers o Vs. 4-6 The results of the ungodly man 1 ST - A SIMPLE POINT Like READ Chaff THE PASSAGE / shall not THAT stand YOU / ARE the ungodly STUDYING perish o Not just once but again, and again, and again, and then read it again o How many times should we read a passage? As many as it takes. o It is not a bad idea to read a passage 30 or more times before we ever do anything else o Each time that you read you can jot down things that the Lord speaks to you OUTLINE - THE MAIN DIVISONS OF THE PASSAGE 1 ST - WHAT IS AN OUTLINE o The breakdown or of the divisions/sections that occur in a passage / chapter / or book of the Bible. To find the outline of a passage you begin by examining the text very carefully. The purpose is to break the text down according to the ideas that are being presented. It is important to isolate each idea the text presents to understand the text as a whole more clearly. Read the text carefully several times Go through the text looking for the ideas being presented find where each thought begins and ends. o Note the divisions/breaks in the text They are can be found in: Change in idea / Change in doctrine / Change in scene (geography) Change in main character / Change in time Paragraph breaks (these are great for marking sections in the text) Chapter marks (note: these do not always mark a division in the text) 2 ND - EXAMPLE PSALMS 1 OUTLINE (3 SECTIONS) o In the following example we look at Psalm 1. There are 3 sections to Psalm 1 defined by: o 1 st - Two Characters: The blessed man mentioned 5 times in verses 1-2 (in various forms i.e. he ) The ungodly man mentioned 3 times in verses 3-6 o 2 nd - Three ideas: What the blessed man does not do Vs. 1 What the blessed man does do Vs. 2 The results of the ungodly man s life Vs

16 THEME - THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PASSAGE 1 ST - DEFINITION OF THEME o The Theme in the context of studying and teaching the Bible can be defined as the central thought or idea of a given passage or book and/or the purpose for which the text was written. o There may be may ideas or concepts presented in a given passage but we can find the Theme of a passage by noting: What idea or concept is repeated and/or referred to most often What word or phrase is repeated most frequently What truth is the focus of the text most often repeated o The ideas or concepts that are presented in a given passage will most often either directly contain the Theme of the passage or act as a support (reinforce / further define) the Theme of the passage. 2 ND - PUTTING THE PASSAGE TOGETHER o As you read through the Text you will note many ideas in passage Most of the ideas should point to the Theme of the passage The passage is like a puzzle many pieces that come together to give you a whole picture You typically find the Theme (overall picture) of the passage when it all comes together o To find the Theme: Outline the passage As you outline the passage - you see the borders of the puzzle Break down the passage (OIA more on this in lesson 3) Like a puzzle that has many pieces you fill in your teachings with observations, interpretations, and applications (Lesson 3). Once you get enough into place you come to the main idea of the passage the Theme o Think of a house: You lay the foundation the verses that you are covering You build the walls on that foundation - outline of the passage You fill in those walls with OIA (lesson 3). The theme is the roof if you miss this your study is incomplete The roof the final touch brings it all together People will not remember everything you say, but they tend to remember the Theme! o Not every chapter/section will necessarily have only one Theme Remember that chapter marks are not divinely inspired only helpful It can happen that you end up with 2 or 3 major themes The more verses you cover you will likely find multiple themes You can find Themes from the Bible to individual books to chapters to sections This Bible has a theme: The separation of man s relationship with God because of sin, and God s plan to restore that relationship through His death burial and resurrection on the cross. Each book has a theme: e.g. - Acts the formation of the early church Each chapter has a theme: e.g. - Psalms 1 How to be a Blessed man Each section (verse or cluster of verses) has a theme 16

17 MAJOR THEMES OF THE BIBLE THEME ON A GRANDER SCALE o By understanding Major Themes of the Bible we are provided with guidelines for our interpretation When we begin to interpret the Bible if we understand Major Themes of the Bible we have borders / boundaries that keep our interpretation of a passage in context with the overriding truths of the Bible. Even if we are not prefect in our interpretation of a passage we can be confident that we are consistent with overriding Themes of the Bible. 1 ST - ALL ABOUT JESUS o Jesus is the focus and central theme of all Scripture: Luke 24:44-45 Then He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. John 5: You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. o Jesus from Genesis to Revelation Genesis 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Exodus 12:13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Revelation 5:6 I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain o Jesus is the key to fruit in the Christian walk: John 15:4 - Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:16 - "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain o Jesus is the power of the Resurrection: Romans 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Ephesians 1:17-20 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places Philippians 3:10 - That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death o Jesus is our all in all: Romans 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Colossians 2:10 And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 17

18 Colossians 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Revelation 22:13 - I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. 2 ND - THE MINISTERING WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT o The Holy Spirit opens our understanding of the Scriptures: John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. o The Holy Spirit is our resource for fruitfulness and obedience: Ezekiel 36:27 - I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Zechariah 4:6 - Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the LORD of hosts. o The Holy Spirit comes to testifies of Jesus Christ: John 16:7 - Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. John 16:14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 3 RD - THE TRIUNE NATURE OF GOD o The Father Son Holy Spirit three persons one God The Bible teaches it that does not mean that we a complete understanding of 3 in 1 I Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Isaiah 55:8-9 - For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! o Just a few of the additional New Testament References on the trinity and deity of Jesus Matthew 3:16-17 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 14: "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper Colossians 2:2-3 the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Hebrews 1:8 But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. II Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 18

19 4TH - THE GRACE OF GOD o To build us up Acts 20:32 - "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. o For obedience Romans 1:5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name o To cause us to stand Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. o To enable us to give thanks II Corinthians 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. o To strengthen us II Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. o To enable us to serve God acceptably Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. o To establish our heart in sound doctrine Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace o To teach us to be sanctified Titus 2:11-13 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ o For the humble I Peter 5:5-7 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." o The hindrance of the work of grace Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5TH - THE NEW COVENANT o The purpose of the Law James 2: 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. Romans 4:20-24 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Galatians 2:21 - "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, You shall not covet. Galatians 3:24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 19

20 o New Covenant vs. the Old Covenant Where the Old Covenant given to Moses told us what we must do to stand righteous before God / The New Covenant gives us the gift of what God has done to give us righteousness. Jeremiah 31: Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD, for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. Mathew 26:28 - For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. II Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? Hebrews 8:13 In that He says, A new covenant, He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8:6-7 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 6TH - THE IMPORTANCE OF LOVE IN THE BELIEVER S LIFE o Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. o Mathew 22:36-38 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. o John 13: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. o I Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. o I Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. o Galatians 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness o I John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 7 TH - ATTRIBUTES OF GOD: UNDERSTANDING AND TRUSTING HIS CHARACTER o A neat study the phrase God is appears 188 times in the Bible o God is Sovereign The word sovereign means chief, highest or supreme. When we say that God is sovereign, we are saying that He is the number one ruler in the universe. The idea of sovereignty is an encouraging one, for it assures the Christian that nothing is out of God s control, and that His plans always triumph. 20

21 Psalms 103:19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all. I Chronicles 29:11-12 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Romans 9:18-21 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will? But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, Why have you made me like this? Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? o God is Eternal There has never been a time when God did not exist. He has no beginning and He has no end. Being eternal, God is not bound by time. Having always existed He sees the past and the future as clearly as the present. The validation of the Bible comers from the foreknowledge of God. He and He alone proclaims that end form the beginning proving He is God. Also, with His perspective, He has a better understanding as to what is best for our lives. Knowing this, we should be willing to trust Him with our lives. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Isaiah 44:6 - Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure, I Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:8 - I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. o God is Omniscient God possesses all the knowledge there is to have. Nothing ever takes Him by surprise. If God knows all, then nothing can come to light after salvation that He did not know when He saved us. Knowing that He still forgave our sins, and accepted us into His family. Romans 11:33-34 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor? Isaiah 40:12-14 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding? Hebrews 4:13 There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. o God is Omnipresent God is infinite and everywhere present through all time and space. If God is everywhere, it is foolish to think we can hide from Him. In the Old Testament Jonah tried to run from God, but he ended up as fish bait. On the other hand, it also means that today a believer may experience the presence of God at all times and know the blessings of walking with Him in a most vivid way. Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. 21

22 Jeremiah 23:24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him? says the LORD; Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. Colossians 1:17 God is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Psalms 139: Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. o God is Omnipotent God is all- powerful, having more than enough strength to do the sum total of all things. Because God is all- powerful the believer is kept secure in his salvation. Our salvation comes because the gospel is the power of salvation (Romans 1:16). Furthermore, God s omnipotence is seen in His power to create (Genesis 1:1), in His preservation of all things (Hebrews 1:3), and in His providential care for us. Job 42:2 - I know You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. Psalms 147:5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us Philippians 3:20-21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Romans 8:11 The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Revelation 19:6 I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! o God is Immutable God never changes in His nature or attributes. The Bible contains thousands of things that God has promised to do for those who belong to Him. He can be trusted to keep His Word. Numbers 23:19 - God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Psalms 102:27 You are the same, And Your years will have no end. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Malachi 3:6 - For I am the LORD, I do not change o God is Righteous It is impossible for Him to do or cause anything that is wrong. Because God is perfect, He demands perfection from those who desire to be in His presence. Jesus said, Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). This impossible standard shows us that salvation is not humanly possible (Matthew 19:23) but must rely on God s grace. Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. Psalms 111:3 His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever. Isaiah 45:22 - Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. II Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 22

23 o God is Just It is impossible for Him to do anything that is unfair, either to Himself or to man. God s justice is most applicable in the area of judgement. When men stand before God to be judged they will receive full justice. This is both a comfort (for those who have been wronged in life) and a warning (for those who think they have been getting away with evil) (Romans 1:18) II Timothy 4:8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. Revelation 15:3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested. Revelation 16:7 I heard another from the altar saying, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments. o God is Truth He is absolute truth. In John 18:38, Pilate asked, What is truth? Man is constantly searching for truth, but in sources other than God. Jesus said, I AM the truth, but man has suppressed the truth in his unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). He has exchanged the truth of God for lies (Romans 1:25). When a person comes to Jesus, his quest for the truth ends and freedom begins. Jesus said, You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. And I Am the way, truth and the life " (John 8:32, John 14:6) Psalms 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth. Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began Hebrews 6:18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled fr refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. o God is Incomprehensible His ways are above our ways. Much of the who, what, when, where, why and how of God are beyond the human ability to logically think through and figure out. Isaiah 55:8-9 - For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! God is Love Perfect infinite love. His love is given freely and without any consideration of the loveliness or merit of the object. Godly love is that which seeks good for the object loved. Love expresses itself in action. God is our example. He demonstrated His love for us in sending Jesus to die in our place (Romans 5:8) John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Romans 8:37-39 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 23

24 Lesson 3 - Inductive Bible Study 1 st - Inductive vs. Deductive: o Deductive (Topical) - Starts with an idea and looks for the Bible to support that preconceived notion. Most teachers use this method of Biblical study that is why pastors in many denominations move on after a few years they teach their 2 or so years worth of topical sermons then move on Topical teachings are a lot harder to study for o Inductive Looks for facts and the outline in the text and lets the evidence substantiate the true interpretation of the passage. Teaching verse- by- verse and chapter- by- chapter from Genesis to Revelation assures that you are presenting the whole counsel of God. Acts 20:27 - "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 2 nd - Why Inductive: o We study the Bible inductively in order to correctly observe, interpret and then apply the Biblical text to our own lives and then pass it on to others. o In IBS we will learn to think with God in His Word and on His terms Isaiah 1:18 - Come now, and let us reason together, Says the LORD, Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. o In IBS we will learn to prayerfully observe and interpret the Word. To discern what is critical for application. II Timothy 2: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing [correctly analyzing, handling and skillfully teaching- Amplified Bible] the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings [vain, useless and idle talk- Amplified Bible], for they will increase to more ungodliness. o In IBS we will learn to study the Word in context Acts 20:27 - For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. o In IBS we will learn to teach and preach the Word to others Nehemiah 8:8 - So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. II Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season [keep your sense of urgency]. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching [show in which way their lives are wrong, convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them]. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. I Peter 3:5 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts [set Him apart as holy- Amplified Bible], and always be ready to give a [logical] defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear [courteously and respectfully]. o Studying inductively does not mean that we come to the Bible with an empty head and/or heart. On the contrary, we come to the Bible with prior understanding and revelation, but we must let the Word and not our theological traditions or personal opinions interpret the text. As we study the Bible, we will be continually growing in a comprehensive personal Biblical theology. The development of Biblical truths will become the foundation in which the whole of Scripture will be interpreted. o There is a danger of teaching verse- by- verse, but doing so deductively (mini topics). If someone is praying in a Bible passage - there is a tendency for a teacher to take that section of the passage and teach a mini- topical sermon on prayer. A true inductive teaching focuses more on why prayer is mentioned in the context of the passage. 24

25 Many teachers teach mini topical sermons as they are going verse- by- verse through a text. 3 rd - About the Word o Psalm 138:2 You have magnified Your word above all Your name. o I Peter 1: All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever. o Jeremiah 23:29 - Is not My word like a fire? says the LORD, And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? o Psalms 19:7-8 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes o John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. o II Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. o I Peter 2:2 - as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby OBSERVATION / INTERPRETATION / APPLICATION 1 st - Observation o What does the text say Are we paying attention to what God is saying in the text? Observation is asking questions as we read carefully through a passage of Scripture. The questions are formed around the following words; who, what, when, where, why and how. How do we prepare our hearts for this text? Before you begin studying the Bible: Pray Submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit Expect by faith for the Lord to minister to you as you study and meditate on His Word o Suggestions on Observing the Text: Pay close attention to what you read because it is God who is communicating. Read the Bible passage fresh, as if you had never read it before. Read reread then read it again (Chuck Smith reads a passage up to 60 times before he teaches) Observe the text carefully one word at a time, substitute words to give meaning and freshness. Romans 8:28 And we know [Not; think, suppose, doubt, guess, hope] that all [Not - most, a few, some, many] things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Look at the text from a different perspective each time you read, noticing all the people, places and events in the text Notice any repeated words or phrases in the text This is VERY important often this will point to the Theme of the passage Notice the context as it relates to the verse, chapter, book and the whole of Scripture Read the text in different translations or paraphrases Meditate and pray through the text o Ask the following questions as you read through the text: Who - wrote it? Who said it? Who are the major characters? Who are the people mentioned? To whom is the author speaking? About whom is he speaking? What - are the main events? What are the major ideas? What are the major teachings? What are these people like? What does he talk about the most? What is his purpose in saying that? 25

26 When was it written? When did this event take place? When will it happen? When did he say it? When did he do it? Where was this done? Where was this said? Where will it happen? Why was there a need for this to be written? Why was this mentioned? Why was so much or so little space devoted to this particular event or teaching? Why was this reference mentioned? Why should they do such and such? How is it done? How did it happen? 2 nd - Interpretation: o Theological terms relating to Interpretation: Hermeneutics - Principles and methods in which teachers interpret the Bible. Many hermeneutical principles are utilized in the IBS method of studying the Bible We cannot interpret the Bible by just abiding by the IBS or certain hermeneutical laws. If we are not continually coming to the Lord to illuminate the text, Biblical hermeneutics can lead to dead, man made letter of the law formulas for interpretation. If the Holy Spirit is not involved with the interpretation process, all we have is powerless and lifeless human scholarship. Exegesis - Coming from the Greek word meaning out of. Letting the Biblical text speak for itself as we pull out the truths from the context. Homiletics - The oral presentation of a Biblical text in the form of a meaningful sermon. o What does the text mean? Answer your Observations : Who, What, When, Where, Why, How. Look Up Difficult Words in a Good Bible Dictionary. e.g. Vines Bible Dictionary / Strong s concordance Look up the passage in an interlinear Bible and Lexicon (original language Hebrew / Greek) Restate the Passage in Your Own Words. Context one of the most important concepts in Bible interpretation. Most errors in Bible interpretation (even ones that led to heresy) come from taking a passage or verse out of context. Interpreting the passage in context denotes interpreting the verse or passage in light of (or in relation to) its surrounding verses or passage. The interpretation of a verse or passage must agree with the Bible: Within the specific passage you are studying Within the chapter Within the specific book. Within the whole of Scripture; Old and New Testaments. o Interpretation Considerations: Interpret the passage "literally" do not read into the text. The golden rule of Bible interpretation whenever possible take the passage literally. A literal interpretation of the text is one where the text says what it means there is no second or hidden meaning behind the words. Interpret the passage figuratively (meaning there is an alternate meaning to the word/concepts) only when told to do so, or if the literal meaning is absurd or immoral Always consider the Biblical, historical, geographical, and cultural context of the text Read around the text. Discover the context of the verses before and after your text. Consider the author s reason (human and Holy Spirit) for writing a particular book or passage. Avoid making assumptions from the text. The interpretation of the Bible is not reading our subjective thoughts into the text, but God s objective truth being brought to light from the text itself. When interpreting a passage, understand that there is only one interpretation, however there may be a variety of appropriate applications. If we miss the proper interpretation of the text, we may also miss the appropriate application. 26

27 o Pitfalls in Bible interpretation Coming to the text with a preconceived mindset of what the text means because of past familiarity with the particular verse or passage. Misreading the text:e.g. - John 14:6 - I am the way not I am a way Distorting the text: e.g. - John 1:1 - and the Word was God not and the Word was a god Contradicting the text: e.g. - Galatians 5:19 Assuming that fornication does not really mean fornication Limiting interpretation because of Biblical culture: e.g. - I Corinthians 8 - Offering meat to idols is still relevant today. Some cultures still do offer meat to idols. Even if you are in a culture where this in not the case, there are modern relevant equivalences: e.g. - As a church can you take money won from gambling? Relativism: Choosing what Biblical truths you think are relevant for us today. The gifts? Subjectivism: It may not be the correct interpretation, but it s true for me it s true Intellectual pride: I Corinthians 8:1, Knowledge puffs up and pride goes before the fall Arguing or stating dogmatically issues in which the Bible is silent or obscure. Not knowing that the italicized words in your Bible text were added for clarification Not knowing that the chapter and verse numbers were added later for clarification Not thinking that Bible interpretation is labor intensive. Trying to force your interpretation on the text. Trying to force Scripture into chronological order. e.g. - Genesis 2 gives the details of Genesis 1 Not knowing our own personal limitations in interpreting the text. It's ok to say, "I don't know". Not acknowledging that even some of the greatest commentators in the body of Christ have major disagreements on the interpretation of some passages. Not considering "progressive revelation" between the New and Old Testaments. Progressive revelation refers to the fulfilling of further revelation of Old Testament laws or traditions by New Testament truths or doctrines. e.g. the Sabbath was requires on the OT (Exodus 20:10) now Jesus is our Sabbath (Colossians 2:16-17) e.g. - eating pork was forbidden in the OT but is allowed in the NT (I Timothy 4:3). 3 rd - Prophetic Books of the Bible: o Brief Description: Prophecy - Greek; to speak before or to speak forth the mind and counsel of God. In the Word of God we observe prophecy in two different but similar categories Prophecy that is the forth telling or proclaiming the Word of God I Corinthians 14:3 He who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. Prophecy that is proclaimed as the foretelling of future and last days events. A prophecy can be given to the prophet by direct revelation, dreams and/or visions Prophetic books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, Malachi, Revelation o The Importance of Prophecy: Biblical scholars state that as much as one third of the Bible was prophetic when written. Understanding prophecy can protect and warn believers about cults and false prophets. Every cult can be observed as having erroneous views about Biblical eschatology and prophecy. e.g. - The 144,000 and the Jehovah Witnesses. By misinterpreting the prophecy in Revelation 7:4 (of the 12 tribes named by name of the children of Israel) Knowing that Jesus could come at any time keeps believers pure in their conduct and accountable for their actions. 27

28 The hope of Jesus' soon return to set up His kingdom has been a great comfort for believers throughout the centuries who experience tribulation, persecution and/or martyrdom. Throughout history, revivals have usually been accompanied by the study of prophecy. o Some helps to consider when observing or interpreting prophesy When the prophets spoke, they could refer to any of the following: A present or near fulfillment e.g. - Jesus in Matthew 24:2 predicts the destruction of the Temple. The destruction of Herod s temple in 70 AD A future fulfillment Prophecies concerning: e.g. - The 1 st coming of Christ, looking forward to Jesus birth, death, resurrection and ascension. e.g. - "Eschatology" (the study of last days events); the Rapture, Great Tribulation, Second Coming, Millennial Kingdom, and New Jerusalem. A twofold fulfillment; prophecy being fulfilled in two separate time periods. e.g. - The following verse in Isaiah illustrates the 1 st and 2 nd comings of Christ, 700 years before Jesus birth e.g. - Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. When interpreting prophecy, use the literal interpretation unless the text indicates the passage is symbolic. For example the Statue in Daniel 2 and the four beasts in Daniel 7 are symbolic. Remember that when a prophet refers to a future event, he does not always use the future tense, which indicates that there is probably also an immediate and future context. e.g. - Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. o In prophecy as well as any passage of Scripture, remember the historical context. In the following example we see the relevance of: God s command to give the land of Israel a Sabbath every 7 years Jeremiah s prophecy against the Land Daniel s understanding of the God s command and Jeremiah s prophecy II Chronicles 36:21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. Daniel 9:2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. o Remember that the meaning of specific prophecies could not always be understood by the prophet or those in which it was addressed. For example, the prophecies in the book of Daniel were sealed until the end times. Daniel 12:8-9 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, My lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 4 TH - ESCHATOLOGY o "The study of 'last day s events.' Eschatology can refer to the rapture, the Great Tribulation, Jesus second coming, the millennial kingdom and/or New Jerusalem. Many Christians do not like to study or discuss eschatology or prophecy because they do not see the relevance in their own lives. Eschatology however, must not be neglected because it points to the reality that Jesus is coming soon. o When addressing the subject of eschatology, it is helpful to use the book of Revelation and chapter 9 in the book of the Daniel as time lines to put prophetic events in a chronological order. e.g. - For example, we find in Revelation 1:19 a natural outline for the book. 28

29 T IMELINE OF D ANIEL 9:24-27 Revelation 1:19 - Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. Revelation 1: Write the things which you have seen, Revelation And the things which are Revelation And the things which will take place after this o Daniel 9:24-27 is a timeline for the Jews and Jerusalem in the last day s prophetic events. Daniel 9:24 - Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city: To finish the transgression / To make an end of sins / To make reconciliation for iniquity / To bring in everlasting righteousness To seal up vision and prophesy / And to anoint the Most Holy. March 14 th, 445 BC - the command by Artaxerxes or Nehemiah to rebuild the wall in troublous times. 483 years later 173,880 days Jesus comes into Jerusalem. Luke 19:37-42 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 29

30 TIMELINE OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION/ MILLENNIAL REIGN Saying, If you had known, even you, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from your eyes. o What day was it? April 6 th, 32 AD o It was the 4 days before the Passover - and the cross. Note the timeline for the 7 years of tribulation / Millennial reign of Jesus Christ Note: Eschatology and last day s events are not allegorical fables, or science fiction novels, but facts based on absolute truth. Do not try to explain it away or think eschatology is far fetched. All who have rejected the literal interpretation of the Bible (including Bible prophecy) have been embarrassed at its proven reliability and accuracy. No archeological discovery or study in ancient history has contradicted any Biblical text. These finds have only validated the reliability of the Word of God. In a day that the church should be watching, waiting and warning, it is asleep; May God open our eyes to the eminent return of Jesus Christ. II Peter 3:3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. 30

31 SIGNIFICANT OR REPEATED WORDS As you study your Bible, you will find that there will be many repeated words, phrases and themes. This is because God wants to emphasize important concepts. Do you realize that there are only a few major themes in the Bible, but that God illustrates them in a variety of ways. Notice how many different ways God communicates the reality of walking in the Spirit; e.g. abiding in the vine, entering into His rest, growing in grace, walking by faith, living off the resources of our resurrected Lord and being ministers of the new covenant. Why does God communicate this way? He knows that in order for us to learn deep, new spiritual concepts, we must be taught from many different perspectives over and over again. This is the reason that God gives us four similar accounts of Jesus life and ministry in the gospels. Noticing significant words: Take note of significant words they will help you in your interpretation of the passage / section you are studying. By noticing contrasting / comparing / conditional / etc. words you will have a greater understanding of the flow and meaning of the passage. Contrast: unlikeness between things compared - If you find a contrasting word that means there are two different ideas that the Bible is comparing. o Much more - Romans 5:15 o But - Ephesians 2:4 o Even though - II Corinthians 4:16 o Yet - Romans 8:37 o Although - James 3:4 o Then - Romans 8:8 o Otherwise - Romans 11:6 o Nevertheless - Luke 5:5;22:42 o However - Acts 4:4 Comparison: likeness between things - If you find a comparing word that means there are two similar ideas that the Bible is relating. o Just as - Romans 6:4 o So also - I Corinthians 15:48 o Too - Acts 17:6 o Also - II Corinthians 1:5 o As - I Peter 2:5 o Likewise - Romans 6:11 o And - Galatians 4:23 o Like - Revelation 1:14 Correlatives: a shared relationship - If you find a correlating word that means there are two ideas that the Bible is stating as similar to each other. o So - Romans 5:21 o So also - Matthew 24:37 o For as - I Thessalonians 5:2-3 Reason: purpose, cause, explanation or excuse - If you find a reasoning word that means that the Bible is telling you why something occurs. o That - II Corinthians 1:9 o Because - John 20:29 o Because of - Hebrews 3:19 o For this reason - Hebrews 9:15 o For this purpose - I John 3:8 o For - Titus 2:11 31

32 Result: consequences of an action or event - If you find a resulting word that means that the Bible is giving you the result of an action. o Therefore - Romans 5:1 o So then - Romans 8:8 o Thus - I Thessalonians 4:17 o Then - Acts 2:38 Condition: a state of being or existence, state of affairs circumstances - If you find a conditional word that means the Bible is giving you the cause and effect of a given action. o If then - Exodus 19:5 o But if Galatians 5:18 o If - Colossians 3:1 Temporal or time connectors: time related to this present world - If you find a time relating word that means Bible is giving you the timing of an event or action. o Since - Hebrews 4:1 o Until - Galatians 4:19 o When - Colossians 3:4 o Before - Colossians 1:17 o After - Romans 3:11 o While - Romans 5:8 o Now - Matthew 6:30 Geographical connectors: - If you find a geographical word that means the Bible is giving you the relative geography of an event. o Where - Colossians 3:1 o There - Matthew 18:20 Repeated words o Repeated words are very important in Bible interpretation. The Holy Spirit does not stutter if He repeats a word or concept that means that it is a very important word of concept. Take special note of these repeated words or concepts they will often point you to the main ideas of a passage. o The book of Judges is a good example of God recording the victories and failures of the Children of Israel to make a point that would be etched in our minds. We see that at least seven times Israel goes through what is called by commentators the cycle of sin. The cycle is as follows: The Children of Israel sin God judges them and raises up a nation to put them into bondage The people cry out to the Lord in their misery God is moved with compassion and raises up a deliverer, called a judge The judge by the Holy Spirit, organizes an army and is victorious over the enemy nation The result of the victory is peace for Israel The judge dies and the people return to their sin o In the book of Acts, Paul s conversion is stated three different times. (Acts 9, 22 and 26) o In the book of Galatians, Paul, wanting to state an emphatic point about going back to legalism, repeats a heavy warning. Galatians 1:8-9 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. In this example we see a concept repeated to add emphasis to its truth. o At times simple words will be repeated for added emphasis. Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your family and from your father s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless 32

33 you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. In this example we see the focus on what God will do. o Many phrases are repeated for impact: Genesis 1 And God saw that it was good Revelation 2-3 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says Genesis 6:9 - "Noah, Noah" Genesis 22:11 - "Abraham, Abraham" Exodus 3:4 - "Moses, Moses" I Samuel 3:10 - "Samuel, Samuel" Acts 9:4 - "Saul, Saul" TYPOLOGY / SHADOWS / SYMBOLS TYPOLOGIES: A God ordained OT person, place, thing or event (type or shadow) which share a common relationship and becomes a NT reality. Types mostly center on God's plan of redemption through the OT and point to the person of Christ in the New Testament. o Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Adam was a type of Christ o I Corinthians 10:6,11 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. The nation of Israel was an example for our Christian walk o Hebrews 8:5 Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. The tabernacle was a pattern (type) of heaven. The word type can also be understood by words like model, shadow, resemblance, illustration, likeness, and foreshadowing. There are many different ways that commentators and Bible scholars have viewed typologies in the past. There are many different views on the use of types in Bible interpretation. o Some avoid the subject of types altogether. o Others believe that types exist, but limited to specific Bible references. o Others seem to classify types as anything the imagination can think up that bears even the slightest resemblance to anything else. We believe that the Bible is overflowing with types, but in Biblical interpretation and teaching we believe that we must have firm Biblical support to substantiate a given type. Some safe criteria for this understanding of a type includes the following: o There needs to be some obvious Scriptural resemblance between the type and its fulfillment. o Types must have a corresponding New Testament reference or they are considered a symbol. Types of Christ in the Old Testament o Stated Type Adam - Romans 5: I Corinthians 15:21-22 o Stated Type Melchizedek - Genesis 14:18; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:20-7:28 o Stated Type Moses - Deuteronomy 18:18; Acts 3:22-26, Hebrews 3:2 o Stated Type Jonah - Matthew 12:39-41 o Stated Type David Ezekiel 37:24; Luke 1:32, Jeremiah 23:5-6 o Stated Type Solomon - II Samuel 7:12-16; Matthew 12:42 o Stated Type - The Seed - Genesis 3:15; Galatians 3:16 o Stated Type - The Rock in the wilderness I Corinthians 10:4 33

34 Other Old Testament Types: o The tabernacle (shadow of heaven) Hebrews 8:2-5 o The Word of God (sword of the spirit) Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12 o Offerings and sacrifices (Perfect sacrifice) - Hebrews 9:13-14 o Blood (new covenant) Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 9:22, 10:4 o Lamb of God (Jesus) - John 1:29, Acts 8:32-35, Revelation 5:6 o The law (a tutor) - Galatians 3:24 o The veil (the wall between God and man) - Hebrews 10:20 o The temple (the dwelling place of God) Isaiah 6, John 2:19-21 o Egypt- "house of bondage" (the world) Exodus 13:3 o Desert (testing trials) Deuteronomy 8:2, Matthew 4:1-11 o Water (the Word) Ephesians 5:26 o Promise land (new covenant of rest) - Hebrews 4:8-9 o The flesh (striving) Galatians 4:23-31 o Mt. Sinai (the law and old covenant of bondage) Galatians 4:24-25 o Baptism (believer s death and resurrection in Christ) Romans 6:3-4 o Circumcision (cutting away the flesh of the heart) Deuteronomy 10:16, Colossians 2:11 o Manna (God's provision for man) Exodus 16:7, John 6:32-35 o Leaven (sin, legalism and false doctrine) - Exodus 12:15; Leviticus 2:11, Matthew 13:33 o Jerusalem and Mt. Zion (heaven) Psalms 2:6, Galatians 4:26 SHADOWS o A shadow is very similar to a type with one notable exception. A shadow has no direct NT reference to validate it. You should always use reservations when dealing with shadows, as they are far easier to misinterpret than types. Shadow - Isaac as a type of Christ - Genesis 22 Shadow - Scarlet Thread as a type of Christ - Joshua 2:18-19 Shadow - Joseph as a type of Christ - Genesis 37-45; Acts 7:9-14 THEOPHANY & CHRISTOPHANY o Are Old Testament appearances of God or Jesus Christ on Earth Melchizedek Genesis 14:18 Commander of the army of the Lord - Joshua 5:14 The Son of God - Daniel 3:5 The Lord visits Abraham Genesis 18:1 The Lord appears to Moses Exodus 33:21-23 SYMBOLS: o Objects and things that can represent something else without respect to time Revelation 1:20 - The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. In the example we see that the lamp stands symbolically represent the Church. o Symbols are similes - A figure of speech likening one thing to another by the use of the words like, or as. Revelation 1:14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire Matthew 23:27 - Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men s bones and all uncleanness. 34

35 o Symbols as metaphors - A figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as if it were another. John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth Matthew 5:14 - You are the light of the world. o Possible symbolism of numbers used throughout the Bible 1 - Unity, the first and last, beginning 2 - Division, difference & enmity, the 2nd day- void 3 - Divine perfection, the Trinity 5 Grace 6 - Secular or human perfection 7 - Spiritual perfection, completion 8 - Starting over, back to the beginning, revival 9 - Finality & judgment 10 - Perfection of divine order; i.e. commandments 11 - Disorder, disorganization, imperfection 12 - Perfection of divine government; i.e. apostles 13 - Rebellion, apostasy, corruption, revolution 40 - Probation, trial, and chastisement 70 - Perfect spiritual order is emphasis Emphatic expression of "6", the trinity of human perfection, human pride, independence from God and antichrist. o Possible symbolism of colors and metals used throughout the Bible Blue Heaven - Exodus 24:10 Purple - Royalty, King of Kings - Judges 8:26 White - Purity, sinlessness Revelation 6:11, 19:8 Red - Blood, redemption - Isaiah1:18 Gold - Kingship, Holy and just Silver - Atonement for our sins, redeemer Brass Judgment Iron Strength o Warning: Extreme typology leads to allegorizing. An allegory is the search for secondary and hidden meanings without regard to the primary and obvious meaning of the Biblical text. Allegories are based on subjective interpretation found in one s imagination, where types focus on the objective understanding of historical Biblical truth. When interpretation becomes allegorical, the interpreter becomes the authority for inspiration over the Word itself. II Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 35

36 CORRELATION: The greatest tool we have to interpret the Bible is the Bible - Therefore, to fully interpret a verse or passage of Scripture, we must understand how one Biblical text correlates (or cross- references) with other Biblical texts. Cross Referencing or the Correlation of Scripture is used to better interpret a passage using the whole of Scripture to determine its Biblical context and precise meaning. o Remember the rule of Bible interpretation: the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. o In fact, correlation is the way the Holy Spirit has chosen to help interpret the New Testament. o There is literally hundreds of correlating Old Testament passages written to bring greater interpretation to the New Testament. o When correlation is not a part of our Biblical interpretation, we can create false doctrine that can be contrary to other sections of Scriptures. This is where virtually every cult has gone astray. o Acts 20:27 - For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. When studying the Bible there are at least four ways in which "correlation" can be implemented. To Harmonize the Scriptures- Comparing the same event utilizing one or more correlating Biblical references. To discover the meaning and message of a particular Biblical word or truth. (i.e. the scarlet thread of redemption, grace, peace, propitiation etc.) To See the Bridge between the Old Testaments shadows and New Testament substance. Find the Biblical Context by Correlating the Whole of Scripture - Use "Cross- references" to Give Context, Illuminate, Clarify, Confirm, Support, Validate and Correlate with the Whole of Scripture. Things to consider when correlating or cross- referencing Biblical text o Remember, the Word of God is inerrant and never contradicts itself. o Cross- reference: The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. o Do not make doctrine on obscure verses in Scripture o Illustrate New Testament concepts with Old Testament teachings. o The law of "first mention" states that there is great significance in the first time a word or theology is used in the Bible - e.g. "Love" - Genesis 22:2 o Jesus and the NT writers correlated scriptures from the original Hebrew as well as the Greek Septuagint (First OT translation other than Hebrew). o Realize that some OT verses that correlate with the NT can be difficult to spot, for example - In regard to selecting another apostle to take Judas place: Peter quotes from Psalms 69:25 and 109:8 in Acts 1:20, but the quotes can be difficult to notice without Peter s introduction, Scripture had to be fulfilled and written in the Book of Psalms. Even with this is can be difficult to cross reference exactly which verse Peter is quoting from. CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT! Just a reminder make sure you keep your interpretation in Context o Interpreting the passage in context denotes interpreting the verse or passage in light of (or in relation to) its surrounding verses or passage. The interpretation of a verse or passage must agree with the Bible: Within the specific passage you are studying Within the chapter Within the specific book. Within the whole of Scripture; Old and New Testaments. 36

37 Jesus is there if there are two or more? For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them o Matthew 18: "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Single paragraph in the Greek) o Note that the very commonly used phrase where two or more are gathered in it s context refers to Jesus being there to condone the removal of a unrepentant believer from the church. A very different interpretation from the common use of the phrase. APPLICATION How does the text apply to me personally? The Application is the result of prayerful observation and careful interpretation. The application of Biblical truths comes with applying God s vast spiritual resources to our feeble human weaknesses and besetting sins. Admitting human weakness and surrendering the self- life gives God the opportunity to impart His heavenly resources. We find these resources in the person of Jesus Christ who desires to give to all that will come to Him by faith. o Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. o Romans 5:2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. o Matthew 11: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. o Zechariah 4:6 So he answered and said to me: This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the LORD of hosts. o John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. o John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Appeal to Holy Spirit for teaching ~ I Corinthians 2:9-16 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. o It is only by a work of the Spirit that you are able to properly and powerfully apply God s Word. Apply the main point to your life, like: o Is there an example ~ I/We should follow? o Is there a sin ~ I/We should forsake? o Is there an error ~ I/We should avoid? o Is there a promise ~ I/We should claim? o Is there a command ~ I/We should obey? 37

38 So what? Questions to ask yourself. o What do I plan to do about it? o What difference will this make in my life? o What specific plans can I make in my life? o What will I do? o How will I do it? Some key thoughts for applying the text to your life: o Observation and interpretation are the hearing of God s Word, where "application" is the embracing of God s truth and the doing of God s Word and will. If the text is not being applied to one s life personally, then observation and interpretation are in vain. o Application involves standing on Biblical promises by faith and then applying them to our lives personally. o Scriptural promises can be related to all people throughout all generations. (remember context) o Where there is only one interpretation of a passage there can be many applications. o Apply the text to your own life before applying it to others. Substitutes for Application: o We substitute interpretation (Biblical knowledge) for application: Knowledge about God over experiencing God - I Corinthians 8:1 Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. Our flesh would rather observe, interpret or correlate than apply the text. o We substitute temporary superficial emotional obedience for substantive heart and life- change. We don t receive the application because we have convinced ourselves that we are already obedient in a particular area. We think that we can produce spiritual change by our disciplined human effort. We think that our sincere promises to God can change our character. o We substitute rationalization for repentance We excuse areas of sin where there should be repentance. We stay away from the light of God's Word and Spirit which convicts. We compare ourselves with those who are worse than we are. We blame others for our sin and failures. The Use of Illustrations: o Illustrations are concrete life experiences that are used to make understandable, abstract truths. o Use illustrations to make connections for yourselves and others while teaching. o Illustrations are used to enhance, explain, and illuminate the Biblical text. o Illustrations should never upstage the Bible text. o When possible, illustrate a NT reality with an OT example o When possible, illustrate an OT story with a NT reality 38

39 Simplified Greek INTRODUCTION Why learn Greek o Greek is an inflected language. That means that word order within the sentence is irrelevant. The value of a word in a sentence is based on its conjugation (the ending of the word). e.g. - If I said, the Boy is ugly and the Girl is pretty it means that the Boy is ugly and the girl is pretty. The reason that ugly (an adjective) belongs to boy (noun) is because of the order of the words in the sentence. If I changed the word order I would change the meaning of the sentence. But in Greek word order is not important. If I said, the boy (masculine noun) is ugly (feminine adjective) and the girl (feminine noun) is pretty (masculine adjective) it means the boy is pretty and the girl is ugly. Word order is not important conjugation gives the values of the words. For our purposes we are not concerned about how the words are conjugated (to note: they are conjugated by changing the ending of the words) because we have tools that will tell us how each word in the sentence is conjugated. Greek also has a vocabulary of between 8 16 million words. What that means is that there is an almost guaranteed loss in any translation (English for example only has words). Most languages simply do not have enough vocabulary to keep up with Greek. By learning how to look at the original words behind our translations we are able to pull back the veil and see the original meaning. A few terms to get you started: o Interlinear Bible two translations of the Bible / Lexicon Dictionary Strong s Numbers o List of every word used (in Greek and Hebrew) in the Old and New Testaments organized by original language alphabetically. Most of your modern original language tools are based on these numbers. 39

40 THE GREEK ALPHABET Greek Letters It is not particularly Name important for you to know how English to read Equivalent Greek o We have included the Greek alphabet with it s pronunciation o It is not expected that you will be able to read Greek, at least not in this short overview Capital Lower o Although case good to know you can bypass the need to read Greek through the use of Strong s Α α Numbers and Αlpha reference tools that we will show long: you a later as in father lesson. short: a as in bat Β β Βeta b as in ball Γ γ Gamma g as in game Δ δ Delta d as in dog Ε ε Epsilon e as in met Z ζ Zeta z as in zoo Η η Eta e as in obey A Θ. θ Theta th as in they Ι ι Iota long: i as in Christina short: i as in bit Κ κ Kappa k as in keep Λ λ Lambda l as in look Μ µ Mu m as in much Ν ν Nu n as in not Ξ. ξ Xi x as in flex Ο ο Omicron o as in object Π π Pi p as in play Ρ ρ Rho r as in real S σ or ς Sigma s as in see Τ τ Tau t as in take U u Upsilon u as in clue F f Phi ph as in phone C c Chi ch as in chaos Y y Psi ph as in phone W w Omega o as in own 40

41 BASIC GRAMMAR OBSERVING DIFFERENT PARTS OF SPEECH THROUGH THE WORD: o Before we begin to break down the Greek language lets review the some basic grammar o Proper Nouns - A specific name for a particular person, titles or place. Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. o Pronouns - A word used to substitute for a noun. Look carefully at Bible characters and the different names for God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ. (i.e. - I, He, Him, We, Us, Our, etc.) Gen 1:26 Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness II Samuel 7:14 - I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. Hebrews 1:5 And again: I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son? o Verbs Action words of which can end in either ed or ing. Spend time observing the verb tenses; is it past, present or future tense usage? Romans 8:30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Matthew 4:19 Then He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. John 7:38 - He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. o Adverbs- Modifies verbs in a verse, usually ending in ly. Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? o Adjectives Note words in the text that describes or modifies a noun. I Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light Ephesians 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ o Prepositions - Directional words. Use in relation to a box; in, out, upon, under, through. II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. John 14:17 - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. GREEK VERBS There are 13 words that you will need to memorize in order to break down Greek verbs. o Tense Present / Aorist / Perfect / Imperfect / Future / Pluperfect o Voice Active / Middle / Passive o Mood Indicative / Imperative / Subjunctive / Optative The benefit to understanding the breakdown of Greek verbs is enormous. Greek is a very descriptive language and many of its nuances are lost in translations Greek Verbs have a Tense / Voice / Mood 41

42 o Tense reveals when the action of the Verb takes place TENSE o Voice reveals who ACTION is performing the action EXAMPLE of the Verb & EXPLANATION o Mood revels whether the Verb is a command / fact / unknown outcome / desire I Peter 1:5 who are protected (PPP) by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. PPP: Present Tense, Passive Voice, Participle From Peter's use of PRESENT TENSE one can see that in context (see also discussion of "context") he is referring to born again ones, describing them as those who are "continually being protected by the power (dunamis) of God". God's protection of His children isn't fickle, present one day & absent the next. You can see how even the most basic understanding of verb tense can add so much to the meaning. PRESENT CONTINUOUS ACTION HABITUAL ACTION OFTEN REFLECTS A LIFESTYLE Knowledge of the tense of a verb can sometimes be critical for accurate interpretation. For example note I John 3:9: "No one who is born of God practices (present tense) sin (noun), because His seed abides in him & he cannot SIN (verb), because he is born of God." Look at the verb "SIN". At first glance the verse seems to imply that one who is "born of God" can never commit a sin & yet all genuine believers know that this is not a reality (John 1:8). When you understand that the verb SIN is in the present tense, it becomes clear that John is saying that one who is born of God cannot habitually commit sins as a way of life. The verb "practices" is also present tense & thus conveys the same thought. All believers commit sins but it is not their dominant lifestyle. The application is clear -- if one's habitual lifestyle is that of continually committing sin in the face of absolutely no desire for holiness, these individuals need to examine whether they are genuinely new creatures in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17) born from above (II Corinthains 13:5). And so one can see that in I John 3:9 (as in most of I John3) the accurate interpretation of this passage is certainly aided by a proper understanding of verb tense. Depending on the context, the following adverbs may be useful to "amplify" the meaning of a verb in the present tense: "Continuously, constantly, habitually". Present Tense with the indicative mood represents a present action, as opposed to action in the past or future. In moods other than in the indicative mood, it refers only to continuous or repeated action. 42

43 TENSE ACTION EXAMPLE & EXPLANATION AORIST (OR SECOND AORIST) PERFECT EFFECTIVE ACTION SUCCESSFUL ACTION SINGLE ACTION ONE-TIME ACTION States that an action occurs without regard to its duration. It is like a snapshot which captures an action at specific point in time. In indicative mood, aorist can indicates a specific action (happens at a specific point in time) in past ACTION COMPLETED at a SPECIFIC POINT of TIME in PAST (*) with results CONTINUING into the PRESENT (=>). In certain contexts the results are PERMANENT. Schematically illustrated by a "dot" (*) denoting a definite action in the past followed by a line (=>) indicating effect of that action continuing into present *=======> I Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again (AAP) to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,. AAP: Aorist Tense, Active Voice, Participle The AORIST TENSE conveys the truth that the believer's new birth (indicative mood is a statement of fact) has occurred at a point in the past without specifying when this event occurred. The passive voice indicates this new birth was produced by a Source outside of the recipient and that Source is "the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ". Depending on the context the following adverbs may be useful to "amplify" the meaning of the action portrayed by the aorist tense: "Effectively, successfully, completely, even once, actually, really". AORIST TENSE is somewhat difficult to grasp, so don't be frustrated if you don't receive any glowing practical insights initially. If you continue to perform Word Studies (including verb tense, voice & mood) as an integral part of your Bible study, you will begin to appreciate the meaning of the aorist tense & you will begin to receive insights from this understanding. I Peter 1:4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable & undefiled & will not fade away, reserved (PPP) in heaven for you PPP: Perfect Tense, Passive Voice, Participle In this verse Peter uses the PERFECT TENSE to convey the truth of the "living hope" (not "hope so" but a certain expectation of future good. That believers have an inheritance that has been reserved for us at a point of time in the past (when we were born again) & remains in a state of being "reserved". What a great picture. When taking a long road trip we have all had the misfortune of arriving at our motel late at night, only to discover that our reservation has been given away! Peter says that this "mistake" will not happen to believers when we reach our final destination in heaven, for our future home (& inheritance) have been reserved for us in the past & that reservation is valid for all eternity because the "reservation price" has been "paid in full". (Jesus' words were "It is finished" in John 19:30, also perfect tense! Means full payment for our sins paid in the past with His blood and the effect of that payment enduring into the present & throughout eternity!). One can see how a simple understanding of the PERFECT TENSE can often amplify the meaning not readily apparent in the English translation, because this tense has no exact equivalent in English. 43

44 TENSE ACTION EXAMPLE & EXPLANATION Acts 16:7 And after they came to Mysia, they were trying (IAI) to go into Bithynia, & the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them IAI: Imperfect Tense, Active Voice, Indicative Mood IMPERFECT REPEATED or CONTINUAL ACTION IN THE PAST The IMPERFECT tense can often paint a vivid picture of an action (a veritable "motion picture") which is repeated in the past -- the idea is that the action happens over & over & over -- in Acts 16:7 Luke uses the IMPERFECT tense to portray Paul attempting to enter Bithynia, being hindered in some way by the Holy Spirit & yet trying again & again to enter! This dramatic picture gives us an intriguing insight into the heart of Paul that cannot be gleaned without a basic understanding of the imperfect tense. Doesn't the added insight help make this verse literally "come alive"? This is often the effect of the IMPERFECT tense. Look at some other examples:. Mark 4:37 - "And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over (imperfect tense) the boat so much that the boat was already filling up". Can't you picture yourself in the boat with the waves pounding again & again (imperfect tense conveys this picture) against the side & even beginning to fill the boat with water. These examples should help you see the wonderful added insights that are possible with just a simple understanding of the verb tenses. If you are intrigued, take some time & practice applying your new understanding to a few other NT verses that use the IMPERFECT tense & see if you do not glean some added insights which simply make some of these texts "come alive" as you envision the action suggested by the imperfect tense in each of the following verses (this exercise will be most beneficial if you read verses in context) Matthew 2:4 - "he began to inquire" (imperfect); Matthew 26:59 - "kept trying to obtain (imperfect) false testimony" Matthew 27:23 - "they kept shouting (imperfect) all the more" Mark 7:26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking (imperfect) Him to cast the demon out of her daughter." (what a vivid scene!). Acts21:30 - "they dragged (imperfect) him out of the temple" If you have meditated on the pictures portrayed by the over & over (imperfect tense) actions in each of the preceding verses you are beginning to see the incredible value of a simple understanding of this tense. You were probably familiar with each of the scenes depicted, but heretofore you had viewed them only as "black & white stills", whereas now illumined by your understanding of the imperfect tense, you have seen them as vividly "colorized motion pictures". 44

45 TENSE FUTURE ACTION AN ACTION THAT HAS YET TO TAKE PLACE EXAMPLE & EXPLANATION Acts 17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will hear (FMI) you again on this matter." FMI: Future, Middle, Indicative The future tense corresponds to the English future, and indicates the contemplated or certain occurrence of an event that has not yet occurred. Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold (Future) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive (Future) power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver (Future) me from the body of this death? PLUPERFECT INDICATES AN EVENT VIEWED AS HAVING BEEN ONCE AND FOR ALL ACCOMPLISHED IN PAST TIME EXAMPLE & EXPLANATION Matthew 7:24-25 Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded (PLPI) upon a rock. PLPI: PLuperfect, Passive, Indicative The PLUPERFECT tense in Greek occurs rarely. It corresponds in a single Greek word to the sense of the English pluperfect, which indicates an event viewed as having been once and for all accomplished in past time. In contrast, the perfect tense reflects the final completion of an action at the present moment described. In translation the Greek PLUPERFECT may not always follow the rendering of the English pluperfect, due to excessive wordiness. The English pluperfect is normally formed with the past tense of the "helping" verbs "to have" or "to be," plus the past participle, e.g., "He had finished." The English perfect is formed by the present tense of the helping verb plus the past participle, e.g., "He has finished." Luke 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded (Pluperfect) upon a rock. Luke 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid (Pluperfect) at his gate, full of sores, Hebrews 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law (Pluperfect),) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? 45

46 GREEK VERBS ~ VOICE ACTIVE VOICE - Verbs in active voice picture the SUBJECT as the DOER or PERFORMER of the action. It represents the action as being accomplished by the subject of the verb. - I Peter 1:13 Therefore, gird (the loins of) your minds for action, keep sober (PAP) in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. PAP: Present Tense, Active Voice, Participle PASSIVE VOICE - SUBJECT RECEIVES the action by an OUTSIDE force or power. SUBJECT = RECIPIENT of some action or effect. In English it usually takes a form of the verb "to be" to express the passive. - I Peter 1:15 but like the Holy One Who called you, be (API) holy yourselves also in all your behavior. API: Aorist Tense, Passive Voice, Imperative Mood - Peter's point then is that it is not believers who make themselves holy (eg, by keeping a list of do's and don't's) but it is God Who makes us progressively more and more holy as we surrender our will to His sweet will. MIDDLE VOICE - SUBJECT INITIATES the action & PARTICIPATES in the results of the action. English does not have a Middle Voice and so it is often difficult to reflect this voice in the English translation. - I Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice (PMI) even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials. PMI: Present Tense, Middle Voice, Indicative Mood - I Peter 1:13 Therefore, gird (AMP) (the loins of) your minds for action... AMP: Aorist Tense, Middle Voice, Participle 46

47 GREEK VERBS ~ MOOD INDICATIVE MOOD - MOOD of CERTAINTY - simply states a thing as being a FACT. - I Peter 1:8- and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice (PMI) with joy inexpressible and full of glory. PMI: Present Tense, Middle Voice, Indicative Mood IMPERATIVE MOOD - COMMAND - Calls for the recipient to perform a certain action by the order & authority of one commanding. Imperative mood can also indicate a request or entreaty - I Peter 1:13 Therefore, gird (the loins of) your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope (AAI) completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. AAI: Aorist Tense, Active Voice, Imperative Mood SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD - MOOD of PROBABILITY (possibility, potentiality) - expresses action which MAY or SHOULD happen but which is NOT NECESSARILY TRUE at present. Suggests that the action is CONTINGENT upon some CONDITION being met. - I Peter 1:7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found (APS) to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; APS: Aorist Tense, Passive Voice, Subjunctive Mood OPTATIVE MOOD - EXPRESSES A WISH or DESIRE most often specifically indicates a PRAYER. In a few cases the optative mood expresses the STRONGEST POSSIBLE WISH regarding an event, especially in the phrase "May it never be". - I Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace & peace be yours in the fullest measure (APO). APO: Aorist Tense, Passive Voice, Optative Mood 47

48 GREEK PARTICIPLES The Greek participle is a verbal adjective a Greek Participle elaborates or helps to define the main Verb of the sentence. The main Verb will be the main action (often in the Imperative or Indicative Mood). o It behaves like a verb and an adjective. o As a verb it has tense and voice, but no mood (instead it will say Participle) o It appears in the present, aorist, perfect and future tenses (the future participle has only twelve occurrences in the New Testament). o e.g. Mathew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. In the example there are 4 Verbs Go / Make disciples / Baptizing / Teaching There is only one main Verb Make disciples ~ the only verb in the Imperative mood Go Aorist/Passive/Participle ~ Tell us that to make disciples first (Aorist) we must be (passive) sent Make disciples - Aorist/Active/Imperative command of the Great Commission Baptizing Present/Active/Participle ~ to make disciples at the same time (present) we (active) baptize them. Teaching Present/Active/Participle ~ to make disciples at the same time (present) we (active) teach them. The use of the Greek participle gives us amplified the meaning of the Verbs. Present Participle o The present participle indicates action that is simultaneous with the action of the main verb (the main verb being the primary, finite verb in the sentence - i.e., the verb which indicates the person doing the action). Aorist Participle o The aorist participle usually expresses action prior to that of the main verb. That is, if the main verb is in the present tense, then the aorist participle will convey the action that occurred before the main verb. Perfect Participle o The perfect participle also indicates action that is takes place before that of the main verb, with the additional factor of emphasizing a ongoing action. Future Participle o The future participle expresses action that happens after the main verb. If the verb were aorist, then the action expressed by the future participle will be after that of the aorist 48

49 GREEK NOUNS Understanding Greek nouns can be very helpful in interpreting a passage. Greek is a highly inflected language (i.e. the forms of words change to indicate the role each word plays in the sentence), a noun changes forms based upon its relationship to other words and how it functions in the sentence. The form of the noun given by adding an ending to indicate the noun s role in the sentence. The endings are changed according to certain patterns that indicate what the number, case, and gender of the noun form. Greek grammar requires that everything must agree in Number / Gender / Case. This agreement makes the association of Greek words very clear. o e.g. - You can always know what noun and adjective belongs to because they will agree in Number / Gender / Case. Number: o Simply refers to whether there is only one (singular) or more than one (plural). o A noun that is in a singular form indicates "only one". o A noun that is in the plural form indicates "more than one." o The Greek language always makes a distinction between singular and plural forms. Gender: o Every noun must fall into one of three categories of gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. The fact of gender, when considering a word in isolation, is of little importance. But in analyzing a sentence as a whole, gender may play a key role, especially when considered along with adjectives and pronouns (noting the gender will tell you which noun the agjective or pronourn belong to). Taking note of the gender may alter altogether what a sentence may seem to be saying in English. o Gender, as it relates to nouns does not necessarily refer to "male" and "female". It refers to grammatical gender, which is determined purely by grammatical usage and must be learned by observation. o Although nouns referring to people or animals that are obviously "male" or "female" would normally (but not always) be classified as masculine or feminine accordingly, the gender of most nouns seems to be somewhat arbitrary. Although gender can refer to the actual gender of a person or animal it is more generally used only to identify the association between different parts of the sentence. Whether an object is male / female / or neuter is often an arbitrary association it has nothing to do with the actual gender of say, a brush or house. e.g. House may be a masculine noun while brush in feminine. There is no reason for the gender association beyond a tool of Greek grammar that enables you to find the association between words in a sentence. Case: o There are 5 cases in the Greek language. The case of a noun informs you of the role or purpose that the noun in question takes in a given sentence. The case form is shown by the ending of the word. o Nominative Designated the noun doing the main action of the verb A noun or pronoun that is the subject of the sentence is always in the nominative case. For example: "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her" - Ephesians 5:25. The word "Christ" is in the nominative case in Greek and is therefore the subject of this sentence. o Genitive - Modifying noun - often possessive For the most part, the genitive is often viewed as the case of possession. In more technical terms one noun in the genitive case helps to qualify another noun. The genitive case has more uses than most other cases, but in general a noun in the genitive case helps to limit the scope. The most common use 49

50 of the genitive is to show possession (although it does not necessarily indicate actual, literal ownership). For example: "the servant of the high priest" - Mark 14:47. The words "of the high priest" are in the genitive case in Greek and modify the word "servant". Here the genitive helps to qualify "which" servant the writer is referring to. It is helping to limit the sphere of all servants to a particular one o Dative - Someone or something associated with the action of sentence, but not the subject The dative is the case of the indirect object, or may also indicate the means by which something is done. It is used most often in one of three general categories: indirect object, means, or location. Most commonly it is used as the indirect object of a sentence. It may also indicate the means by which something is done or accomplished. Used as a dative of location, it can show the "place", "time", or "sphere" in which something may happen. For example: (Indirect object): "Jesus said to them", or "he will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask" - Luke 11:13. In the example them and Holy Spirit are in the Dative case. They are the indirect obects of the sentence. (Instrument or Means): "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by (by means of) prayer and petition prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" - Philippians 4:6. In this sentence, there is a single Greek word translated into the phrase "by prayer" showing the means by which to let our requests be made known to God. (Location): "... and on the third day He will be raised up" - Matthew 20:19. The phrase "the third day" is in the dative case, showing the time in which Jesus will be raised. o Accusative - designates the sentence's direct object The accusative case is the case of the direct object, receiving the action of the verb. Like the other cases, the accusative has a wide variety of uses, but its main function is as the direct object of a transitive verb. The direct object will most often be in the accusative case. o Vocative - designates someone or something that is being directly addressed The vocative is the case of direct address. It is used when one person is speaking to another, calling out or saying their name, or generally addressing them. With many nouns, the case form of the vocative is the same as the nominative, but the context and function leave no question as to whether the person is being addressed or spoken about. For example: "... Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" - Acts 7:59. Here Stephen is directly addressing the Lord, so the form of "Lord Jesus" is in the vocative case. 50

51 GREEK PREPOSITIONS G REEK P REPOSITION C HART Greek prepositions are the foundation for a wide variety of Greek words. Familiarity with Greek prepositions can be very helpful in understanding the meaning and definition of certain words. o e.g. - ekklhsia ek- klesia Church. Ek out / Klesia called ~ the called out ones. o e.g. The three fold ministry of the Holy Spirit Para come along side En to indwell the believer upon salvation Epi to come upon the believer baptism of the Spirit 51

52 GREEK ARTICLES Definite Article o The Greek language "definite" article is "the" o The purpose of the Greek definite article is to emphasize a word. It makes the word more significant or important o Greek has no "indefinite" article a o The absence and presence of the Greek definite article "the" is very significant! o The definite article "the" must always match the word it modifies in its gender, number, and case e.g. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1. Notice that we are not talking about a word but The Word. The definite article makes the Word more important or significant than a word. The definite article with an adjective o When the definite article "the", comes before an adjective, and it agrees with the adjective and the noun being modified in case, number, and gender, it indicates that the adjective is stating a quality of the noun it modifies. "Ho pistos doulos" = "the faithful servant" o "Ho pistos ho doulos" = "the faithful servant" When the definite article "the", comes before the noun, but not the adjective, and it agrees with the adjective and the noun being modified in case, number, and gender, it is stating new information about the noun. "Ho doulos pistos" = "the servant (is) faithful" "pistos ho doulos" = "the servant (is) faithful" The definite article with a noun o When the definite article "the", comes before a noun, and it agrees with the noun in case number and gender, marks contrast, makes the noun stand out, and adds emphasis. The definite article also identifies, or reveals identity. For example: Titles in scripture normally have the definite article. Ho Theos (the God) and Ho Christos (the Jesus) are identifying God and Jesus as the one God of the Bible, (there are many God's), and Jesus the Son of God, the Savior. (Jesus was a common name among the Jews and many men were named Jesus). In Romans chapter 6, Paul repeatedly places the definite article before the word "sin" (hamartia) indicating that he is not talking in this chapter about "a sin", some "amount" of sin, or "sinning" in general, but, the sin nature! He is contrasting our new nature and our old nature and urging us to live in the new nature! o When a noun is not immediately preceded by the definite article, the absensce of the article is just as important as the presence of the article, and its absence emphasizes the quality or character of the person or thing designated in the context. Romans 3:21 - "but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested". Paul did not place the definite article with "nomas" (law). This means he is not speaking of "the Old Testament Law", but "apart from the law method, the righteousness of God has now been manifested". All through this context, Paul uses the definite article to speak of "the" Old testament Law itself, and the lack of the article to speak of the "law method" of attempting to be righteous. 52

53 GREEK IF CONDITIONS Conditional sentences are "If..., then..." statements. They make a statement that if something happens, then something else will happen. The Greek if Condition contains two elements; the cause verb and the effect verb. The Condition of the if statement if revealed by the Tense and Mood of those verbs. 1st Class- If and it is true o Example: 1st class- If (Since) he is studying Greek, he will learn Greek. o The First Class Condition assumes that the if Condition is true for the sake of argument. The First Class Condition is formed by the cause verb being in the indicative mood, in any tense; with any mood and tense in the effect verb. 2nd Class- If and it is not true o Example: 2nd class- If he had studied, he would have learned Greek o The Second Class Condition assumes that the if Condition is false for the sake of argument. The Second Class Condition is formed by the cause verb being in the indicative mood, but the verb must be in the past tense (Aorist / Imperfect). 3rd Class- If and it may ne true o 3rd class- If he studies, he will learn Greek o The Third Class Condition assumes that the if Condition has an uncertain outcome. The Third Class Condition is formed by the cause verb being in the subjunctive mood, in any tense; with any mood and tense in the effect verb. 4th Class- If and I want it to be true o 4th class- If he would study, he would learn Greek. o The Fourth Class Condition assumes that the if Condition has an uncertain outcome, but there is a desire for the implied outcome. The Fourth Class Condition is formed by the cause verb being in the Optative mood, in any tense; with the effect verb also being in the Optative mood, in any tense. (There is no complete example of this condition in the New Testament.) 53

54 THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PREPARATION ARE YOU CALLED TO BE A TEACHER HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM CALLED TO BE A TEACHER o Open your Bible and begin to share does anyone listen? o Are others blessed when you teach the fruit of a gift of teaching is blessed people. o Can you not teach? If you do not enjoy sharing the Word then perhaps you are not a teacher. o A teacher should be like Jeremiah o Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name." But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, indeed I could not. (NKJV / NRSV) o Its not that you have to teach you cannot hold back from teaching o It s not that you always want to teach but if you do not teach the desire burns within you. I DO NOT THINK THAT I AM ADEQUATE TO TEACH o That s good you re not... o Fortunately its not about you its about the work of the Holy Spirit through you o John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. o Commit this to memory it is why you are qualified HOW LONG SHOULD I STUDY o A good Bible Study does not happen by accident o Set aside an adequate amount of time to prepare for your teaching o As a general rule of thumb you can count on 5-8 hours for an hour teaching o The more prepared you are the more effective the message will be o I Timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. o I Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. o Remember this though you can study for hours/days but if it not from the Holy Spirit It is always a good idea to pray before you begin If the Lord is not the one doing the work then it is in vain. o Our words don t change lives its the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word God promises to bless His Word HOW DO I PUT MY NOTES TOGETHER o There is no right or wrong way to construct your notes o Are you comfortable with computers then use a computer to takes notes o Are you more comfortable with pen and paper then use them o Do you like to make bullets to remind you of your points that s great o Do you want to write down your whole sermon word for word OK 54

55 Note: if you write down word for word do not read your notes Use your notes to work from you will lose everyone if you just read o If you like to use colors that no problem e.g. put your cross- references in blue for easy recognition. e.g. put application in red just as a visual reference o You will find that you form a style over time one that is easiest for you HOW LONG SHOULD A SERMON LAST o The heart can receive what the seat can t handle o Most people cannot receive much more than a hours worth of teaching They get fidgety / distracted / fall asleep / have to go to the bathroom o If you are teaching a special group (training class, etc.) you can go longer o Be sensitive to the group that you are teaching Often they have worked hard all day / they need to spend time with their family TIMING o Its not a good to have 10 minutes left in your teaching and you are on page 2/6 in your notes o You need to learn how much material you can cover in the allotted time o You also need to learn to pace yourself so that you teach the whole message o The only real way to learn this is practice It can be good to do a dry run to test out your message before you actually do the teaching. IT WAS TERRIBLE o So, you discovered that you are not the world s most eloquent speaker o The best teacher I know failed as in ministry for 17 years before God did a work o You are not going to be a gifted speaker or orator over night it takes time o Much the same as a worship leader who God has called, but must learn guitar o You may very well be called to be a teacher, but you must learn to teach o The way you learn is through practice and experience THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PRESENTATION... BE NATURAL: o The most important thing to remember in presentation is to be you o The best way to teach is by just being yourself o God has given you a personality let Him shine through it o Teaching is no different than having a intimate discussion with a good friend o The only difference is that there are people listening to you o Do not be concerned if you are uncomfortable at first You are going to make a fool of yourself accept that The less you are concerned about what people think the better you will be 55

56 THE 3 P S OF PREACHING PITCH: o Voice flux o Talk in your voice Don t use the Holy Spirit voice o Use pitch to accent a point o Shy away from mono- tone PUNCH: o When driving and point home, or climax Elevate your voice to draw the audience into an important point Don t punch all the time, sounds like your yelling PAUSE: o Stop teaching - not for long just a few seconds It lets the people think about what was just said It will re- gather their attention It will allow you to gather your thoughts MOVEMENT / QUIRKS: o No hands in pockets o Don t fiddle with stuff (ears, nose, eyes) o Getting a Drink - don t break up the flow of the message by talking a drink wait until people are turning to a cross- reference. o Be sensitive to things that can cause your hearers to be distracted o At the same time know that everyone has quirks, they are part of who you are READING PEOPLES FACES: o Do not stare at your notes the whole time you are speaking o You need to engage those you are teaching make eye contact o Do not look at only one person they will get a complex o Keep your eyes moving scan the audience observe their reactions o Is everyone falling asleep are they yawning do they look distracted o One person no big deal, but if it is everybody, then something needs to change SPEAK LIKE YOU MEAN IT: o Talk like you are speaking about your favorite restaurant, your favorite dish o Like the first time you met your wife o If you are not convinces and convicted by what you teach they will not be o If you teach with indifference they will receive it with indifference o If you teach with passion they will be passionate about what you say KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: o How you present your message varies greatly depending on your audience o You do not share with kids the way you do adults o Same Truth different levels of comprehension 56

57 INTERACTIVE BIBLE STUDIES AVOID THE RABBIT TRAILS - OPEN- ENDED QUESTIONS: o It is important to keep the study on focus. o It is easy when you allow interaction to have people run off on unrelated (sometimes un- Biblical) topics. You can help avoid these by not asking general questions. Ask specific questions that keep you audience on target. e.g. Don t ask: What do you think about that? or What does this mean to you? ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS: o Ask questions that lead those you are teaching to a desired conclusion. o It is good to ask questions by the inductive method OICA e.g. Who was on the cross? Why was He on the cross? Why is it important to me that He was on the cross? o Remember that you are steering the boat where are you leading them? KNOW WHEN TO MOVE ON: o Its great when people ask questions, you want interaction, their thinking o While its good to answer the questions you get don t let it take over the study o Keep everyone moving along with the text DON T MAJOR IN THE MINORS: o Doctrines to die for everyone is not always going to agree with you o As long as it is not a fundamental truth move on agree to disagree 57

58 Lesson Review 1 - Origins of the Bible 1. Present and define 3 facts that prove that the Bible is the inspirited Word of God What does canon mean? 3. When was the Old Testament first canonized? By whom? How do we know that it is correct? (2 examples) Why do we not include the Old Testament Apocrypha in out Bibles? (give at least 3 reasons) When was the New Testament first canonized? By whom? How do we know that it is correct? 6. Give three proofs that were used to discover which books belonged in the Canon of the New Testament How many languages is the Bible written in what are they? 8. How accurate is the New Testament we have today compared to other works of antiquity? (3 examples) What are they two methods of Bible interpretation which is better and why? 10. Which is the best version of the Bible why? 58

59 Lesson Review 2 - Steps to Studying 1. What verse is the most important verse to remember as we study to teach the Bible? Why? 2. Explain the following and place them in the order you would use them 1. Theme 2. Amount of verses/chapters (list the two deciding factors) 3. Prayer 4. Which version (why?) 5. Outline 6. Read the passage 7. Observation / Interpretation / Application 3. If you are teaching a new group of believers how many verses or chapters should you teach? Why? 4. How many times should you read through a passage before you being to break it down? Why? 5. Explain what a biblical outline is. 6. How do you know where to find divisors or breaks in the text? (give examples) 7. Define word Theme in the context of studying the Bible. 8. Why is it important to know the main Themes of the Bible? 9. What is the Theme of the whole Bible? What effect should that have on our teaching? 10. Name 5 of 7 the Central Themes of the Bible we discussed Name 5 of the 10 attributes of God we discussed

60 Lesson Review 3 - Inductive Bible Study 1. What is the difference between Inductive and Deductive? Which is better? Why? 2. Is it important to teach the whole Bible? Why? 3. Define each of the following and explain how they are used in studying the Bible: a. Observation b. Interpretation c. Cross reference d. Repeated word e. Type f. Shadow g. Symbols h. Application i. Illustration 4. Give 3 Suggestions, considerations, or pitfalls on each of the following: 1. Observation Interpretation Application Cross Referencing What are the 4 styles of writing in scripture can they all be used for doctrine why or why not a. b. c. 6. Why is context so important give examples 60

61 1. Give the Greek definition of the following words Lesson Review 4 - Simplified Greek 1. John 21 Love How is it used in the chapter How is it translated 2. One accord How many time does it appear in the Bible How is it translated 3. Baptism How many time does it appear in the Bible How is it translated 4. Grace How many time does it appear in the Bible How is it translated 5. I Corinthians 1:27 Foolish What English word does it sound like? How is it translated 6. Fear How many time does it appear in the Bible How is it translated 2. Find the Voice / Tense / Mood of the following verbs, and explain in your own words the impact it has on the word: 1. Hebrews 2:11 Sanctified / Sanctifies 2. I John 3:6 Sins / Sin 3. Mark 4:37 Waves beat 4. Mark 10:24 Astonished 5. John 10:28 Perish 6. Luke 7:48 Forgiven 7. Matthew 7:25 Founded 8. Luke 11:9-10 Ask / Seek /Knock 9. Acts 8:37 Believe 10. Acts 16:31 Believe 11. Matthew 6:14 Forgive 12. Define the purpose of the Greek Participles in Matthew 28:19-20: What is the main verb? What do the other verbs mean? What do they tell us about the Great Commission? 3. Define which of the 4 if conditions if used, and how it effects the passage: 1. I Corinthians 7:28 If you marry 2. Matthew 4:3 If you are the Son of God 3. Matthew 4:9 If you will fall down and worship me 4. Matthew 12:7 If you had known 5. Romans 10:9 If you confess 6. Galatians 1:8 Peach any other gospel 7. Galatians 2:14 live in the manner of the gentiles 8. James 4:15 The Lord wills 9. Acts 20:16 (WH) If it were possible 10. Acts 20:16 (TR) If it were possible 61

62 I. THEME: II. OUTLINE: Practice 1 - Psalm 1 1. Vs. 2. Vs. 3. Vs. 4. Vs. 5. Vs. 6. Vs. 7. Vs. 8. Vs. III. IOA: OBSERVATION INTERPRETATION APPLICATION 62

63 I. THEME: II. OUTLINE: Practice 2 - Mark 4:1-20 OBSERVATION INTERPRETATION APPLICATION 1. Vs. 2. Vs. 3. Vs. 4. Vs. 5. Vs. 6. Vs. 7. Vs. 8. Vs. I. IOA: 63

64 Practice 3 - Isaiah 53:1-12 OBSERVATION INTERPRETATION APPLICATION I. THEME: II. OUTLINE: 1. Vs. 2. Vs. 3. Vs. 4. Vs. 5. Vs. 6. Vs. 7. Vs. 8. Vs. III. IOA: Practice ~mark 4:

65 Practice 4 - I Samuel 17:1-58 OBSERVATION INTERPRETATION APPLICATION I. THEME: II. OUTLINE: 1. Vs. 2. Vs. 3. Vs. 4. Vs. 5. Vs. 6. Vs. 7. Vs. 8. Vs. III. IOA: 65

66 Practice 5 - Ephesians 1:3-14 OBSERVATION INTERPRETATION APPLICATION I. THEME: II. OUTLINE: 1. Vs. 2. Vs. 3. Vs. 4. Vs. 5. Vs. 6. Vs. 7. Vs. 8. Vs. II. IOA: 66

67 Others may ~ you cannot If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience, that you will not be able to measure yourself by other Christians; and in many ways, He will seem to let other good people do things which He will never let you do. Other Christians and ministers, who seem very religious and useful, can push themselves, pull wires and work schemes to carry out their Christian goals, but these things you simply cannot do. Others may boast of their work or their writings or their success, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you ever try it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works. Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, but most likely God will keep you poor, because He wants you to have something better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence on Him and the joy of seeing Him supply your needs day by day out of an unseen Treasury. The Lord may let others be honored and keep you hidden and unappreciated because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make you work on and on without others knowing how much you are doing; and then, to make your work still more precious, He may let others get the credit for the work which you have done, and thus make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes. The Holy Spirit will rebuke you for little words or deeds or even feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem to be concerned about, but you must make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and He has a right to do whatever He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in the way He deals with you, but if you will just submit yourself to Him in all things, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those who are very near to His heart. Settle it then, that he is to have the priviledge of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not seem to use with others. Now, when you are so possessed with the living God that your secret heart becomes pleased and delighted with this peculiar, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, then you will have entered the very vestibule of heaven itself. Written by G. W. Watson ( ) 67

68 Messianic Prophecies Genesis 3:15 Seed of a woman (virgin birth) Luke 1:35, Mt 1:18-20 Genesis 3:15 He will bruise Satan's head Hebrews 2:14, 1 John 3:18 Genesis 5:24 The bodily ascension to heaven illustrate. Mark 6:19 Genesis 9:26,27 The God of Shem will be the Son of Shem Luke 3:36 Genesis 12:3 As Abraham's seed, will bless all nations Acts. 3:25,26 Genesis 12:7 The Promise made to Abraham's Seed Galatians 3:16 Genesis 14:18 A priest after Melchizedek Hebrews 6:20 Genesis 14:18 A King also Hebrews 7:2 Genesis 14:18 The Last Supper foreshadowed Matthew 26:26-29 Genesis 17:19 The Seed of Isaac Romans 9:7 Genesis 22:8 The Lamb of God promise John 1:29 Genesis 22:18 As Isaac's seed, will bless all nations Galatians 3:16 Genesis26:2-5 The Seed of Isaac promised as the Redeemer Hebrews11:18 Genesis 49:10 The time of His coming Luke 2:1-7; Galatians 4:4 Genesis 49:10 The Seed of Judah Luke 3:33 Genesis 49:10 Called Shiloh or One Sent John 17:3 Genesis 49:10 To come before Judah lost identity John 11:47-52 Genesis 49:10 To Him shall the obedience of the people be John 10:16 Exodus 3:13,14 The Great "I Am" John 4:26 Exodus 12:5 A Lamb without blemish 1 Peter 1:19 Exodus 12:13 The blood of the Lamb saves from wrath Romans 5:8 Exodus 12:21-27 Christ is our Passover 1 Corinthians 5;7 Exodus 12:46 Not a bone of the Lamb to be broken John 19:31-36 Exodus 15:2 His exaltation predicted as Yeshua Acts 7:55,56 Exodus 15:11 His Character- Holiness Luke 1:35; Acts 4:27 Exodus 17:6 The Spiritual Rock of Israel 1 Corinthians 10:4 Exodus 33:19 His Character- Merciful Luke 1:72 Leviticus14:11 The leper cleansed- Sign to priesthood Luke5:12-14; Acts 6:7 Leviticus16:15-17 Prefigures Christ's once- for- all death Hebrews 9:7-14 Leviticus16:27 Suffering outside the Camp Matthew 27:33; Hebrews 13:11,12 Leviticus17:11 The Blood- the life of the flesh Matthew 26;28; Mark 10:45 Leviticus17:11 It is the blood that makes atonement 1 John 3:14-18 Leviticus23:36-37 The Drink- offering "If any man thirst.".john 19:31-36 Numbers 9:12 Not a bone of Him broken John 19:31-36 Numbers 21:9 The serpent on a pole- Christ lifted up John 3:14-18 Numbers 24:17 Time: "I shall see him, but not now." Galatians 4:4 Deuteronomy 18:15 "This is of a truth that prophet." John 6:14 Deuteronomy 18:15-16 Had ye believed Moses, ye would believe me.".john 5:45-47 Deuteronomy 18:18 Sent by the Father to speak His word John 8:28, 29 Deuteronomy 18:19 Whoever will not hear must bear his sin John 12:15 Deuteronomy 21:23 Cursed is he that hangs on a tree Galatians 3:10-13 Ruth 4:4-9 Christ, our kinsman, has redeemed us Ephesians 1:3-7 1 Samuel 2:10 Shall be an anointed King to the Lord Matthew 28:18; John 12:15 2 Samuel 7:12 David's Seed Matthew 1:1 2 Samuel 7:14 The Son of God Luke 1:32 2 Samuel 7:16 David's house established forever Luke 3:31; Revelation 22:16 2 Kings 2:11 The bodily ascension to heaven illustrated Luke 24:51 1 Chronicles 17:11 David's Seed Matthew 1:1; 9:27 1 Chronicles 17:12,13 To reign on David's throne forever Luke 1:32, 33 1 Chronicles 17:13 "I will be His Father, Hemy Son." Hebrews 1:5 Job 19:23-27 The Resurrection predicted John 5:24-29 Psalms 2:1-3 The enmity of kings foreordained Acts 4:25-28 Psalms 2:2 To own the title, Anointed (Christ).Acts 2:36 Psalms 2:6 His Character- Holiness John 8:46; Revelation 3:7 Psalms 2:6 To own the title King Matthew 2:2 Psalms 2:7 Declared the Beloved Son Matthew 3;17 Psalms 2:7, 8 The Crucifixion and Resurrection intimated Acts 13:29-33 Psalms 2:12 Life comes through faith in Him John 20:31 Psalms 8:2 The mouths of babes perfect His praise Matthew 21:16 Psalms 8:5,6 His humiliation and exaltation Luke 24:50-53; 1 Corinthians 15:27 Psalms 16:10 Was not to see corruption Acts 2:31 Psalms 16:9-11 Was to arise from the dead John 20:9 Psalms 17;15 The resurrection predicted Luke 24:6 Psalms 22:1 Forsaken because of sins of others 2 Corinthians 5:21 68

69 Psalms 22:1 Words spoken from Calvary, "My God" Mark 15:34 Psalms 22:2 Darkness upon Calvary Matthew 27:45 Psalms 22:7 They shoot out the lip and shake the head Matthew 27:39 Psalms 22:8 He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him" Matthew 27:43 Psalms 22:9 Born the Savior Luke 2:7 Psalms 22:14 Died of a broken (ruptured) heart John 19:34 Psalms 22:14,15 Suffered agony on Calvary Mark 15:34-37 Psalms 22:15 He thirsted John 19:28 Psalms 22:16 They pierced His hands and His feet John 19:34,37;20:27 Psalms 22:17,18 Stripped Him before the stares of men Luke 23:34,35 Psalms 22:18 They parted His garments John 19:23,24 Psalms 22:20,21 He committed Himself to God Luke23:46 Psalms 22:20,21 Satanic power bruising the Redeemer's heel Hebrews 2:14 Psalms 22:22 His Resurrection declared John 20:17 Psalms 22:27 He shall be the governor of the nations Colossians 1:16 Psalms 22:31 "It is finished" John 19:30 Psalms 23:1 "I am the Good Shepherd" John 10:11 Psalms 24:3 His exaltation predicted Acts 1:11; Phil. 2:9 Psalms 30:3 His resurrection predicted Acts 2:32 Psalms 31:5 "Into thy hands I commit my spirit" Luke 23:46 Psalms 31:11 His acquaintances fled from Him Mark 14:50 Psalms 31:13 They took counsel to put Him to death John 11:53 Psalms 31:14,15 "He trusted in God, let Him deliver him" Matthew 27:43 Psalms 34:20 Not a bone of Him broken John 19:31-36 Psalms 35:11 False witnesses rose up against Him Matthew 26:59 Psalms 35:19 He was hated without a cause John 15:25 Psalms 38:11 His friends stood afar off Luke 23:49 Psalms 40:2-5 The joy of His resurrection predicted John 20:20 Psalms 40:6-8 His delight- the will of the Father John 4:34 Psalms 40:9 He was to preach the Righteousness in Israel Matthew 4:17 Psalms 40:14 Confronted by adversaries in the Garden John Psalms 41:9 Betrayed by a familiar friend John 13:18 Psalms 45:2 Words of Grace come from His lips Luke 4:22 Psalms 45:6 To own the title, God or Elohim Hebrews 1:8 Psalms 45:7 A special anointing by the Holy Spirit Matthew3:16; Hebrews1:9 Psalms 45:7,8 Called the Christ (Messiah or Anointed) Luke 2:11 Psalms 55:12-14 Betrayed by a friend, not an enemy John 13:18 Psalms 55:15 Unrepentant death of the Betrayer Matthew 27:3-5; Acts 1:16-19 Psalms 68:18 To give gifts to men Ephesians 4:7-16 Psalms 68:18 Ascended into Heaven Luke 24:51 Psalms 69:4 Hated without a cause John 15:25 Psalms 69:8 A stranger to own brethren Luke 8;20,21 Psalms 69:9 Zealous for the Lord's House John 2:17 Psalms 69:14-20 Messiah's anguish of soul before crucifixion Matthew 26:36-45 Psalms 69:20 "My soul is exceeding sorrowful." Matthew 26:38 Psalms 69:21 Given vinegar in thirst Matthew 27:34 Psalms 69:26 The Savior given and smitten by God John 17:4; 18:11 Psalms 72:10,11 Great persons were to visit Him Matthew 2:1-11 Psalms 72:16 The corn of wheat to fall into the Ground John 12:24 Psalms 72:17 His name will endure forever John 1:12,13 Psalms 72:17 All nations shall be blessed by Him Acts 2:11,12,41 Psalms 78:1.2 He would teach in parables Matthew 13:34-35 Psalms 78:2 To speak the Wisdom of God with authority Matthew 7:29 Psalms 88:8 They stood afar off and watched Luke 23:49 Psalms 89:27 Emmanuel to be higher than earthly kings Luke 1:32,33 Psalms 89:35-37 David's Seed, throne, kingdom endure forever Luke 1:32,33 Psalms 89:36-37 His character- Faithfulness Revelation 1:5 Psalms 90:2 He is from everlasting (Micah 5:2) John 1:1 Psalms 91:11,12 Identified as Messianic; used to tempt Christ Luke 4;10,11 Psalms 97:9 His exaltation predicted Acts 1:11;Ephesians 1:20 Psalms 100:5 His character- Goodness Matthew 19:16,17 Psalms 102:1-11 The Suffering and Reproach of Calvary John 21:16-30 Psalms 102:25-27 Messiah is the Preexistent Son Hebrews 1:10-12 Psalms 104:30 He will send the Spirit of God John 16;7 Psalms 109:25 Ridiculed Matthew 27:39 Psalms 110:1 Son of David Matthew 22:43 Psalms 110:1 To ascend to the right- hand of the Father Mark16:19 69

70 Psalms 110:1 David's son called Lord Matthew 22:44,45 Psalms 110:4 A priest after Melchizedek's order Hebrews 6:20 Psalms 112:4 His character- Compassionate, Gracious Matthew 9;36 Psalms 118:17,18 Messiah's Resurrection assured Luke 24:5-7;1 Corinthians 15:20 Psalms 118:22,23 The rejected stone is Head of the corner Matthew 21:42,43 Psalms 118:26 The Blessed One presented to Israel Matthew 21:9 Psalms 118:26 To come while Temple standing Matthew 21;12-15 Psalms 132:11 The Seed of David (the fruit of His Body) Luke 1:32 Psalms 138:1-6 The supremacy of David's Seed amazes kings Matthew 2:2-6 Psalms 147:3,6 The earthly ministry of Christ described Luke 4:18 Song of Solomon 5:16 The altogether lovely One John 1:17 Isaiah 6:1 When Isaiah saw His glory John 12:40-41 Isaiah 6:9-10 Parables fall on deaf ears Matthew 13:13-15 Isaiah 6:9-12 Blinded to Christ and deaf to His words Acts. 28:23-29 Isaiah 7:14 To be born of a virgin Luke 1:35 Isaiah 7:14 To be Emmanuel- God with us Matthew 1:18-23 Isaiah 8:8 Called Emmanuel Matthew 28:20 Isaiah 8:14 A stone of stumbling, a Rock of offense 1 Peter 2:8 Isaiah 9:1,2 His ministry to begin in Galilee Matthew 4:12-17 Isaiah 9:6 A child born- Humanity Luke 1:31 Isaiah 9:6 A Son given- Deity Luke 1:32; John 1;14; 1 Tim. 3:16 Isaiah 9:6 Declared to be the Son of God with power Romans 1:3,4 Isaiah 9:6 The Wonderful One Luke 4:22 Isaiah 9:6 The Counselor Matthew 13:54 Isaiah 9:6 The Mighty God Matthew 11:20 Isaiah 9:6 The Everlasting Father John 8:58 Isaiah 9:6 The Prince of Peace John 16:33 Isaiah 9:7 To establish an everlasting kingdom Luke 1:32-33 Isaiah 9:7 His Character- Just John 5:30 Isaiah 9:7 No end to his Government, Throne, and Peace Luke 1:32-33 Isaiah 11:1 Called a Nazarene- the Branch Matthew 2:23 Isaiah 11:1 A rod out of Jesse- Son of Jesse Luke 3:23,32 Isaiah 11:2 The anointed One by the Spirit Matthew 3;16,17 Isaiah 11:2 His Character- Wisdom, Understanding John 4:4-26 Isaiah 11:4 His Character- Truth John 14:6 Isaiah 11:10 The Gentiles seek Him John 12:18-21 Isaiah 12:2 Called Jesus- Yeshua(salvation) Matthew 1:21 Isaiah 25:8 The Resurrection predicted I Corinthians 15:54 Isaiah 26:19 His power of Resurrection predicted John 11:43,44 Isaiah 28:16 The Messiah is the precious corner stone Acts 4:11,12 Isaiah 29:13 He indicated hypocritical obedience to His Word Matthew 15:7-9 Isaiah 29:14 The wise are confounded by the WorId Corinthians 1:18-31 Isaiah 32:2 A Refuge- A man shall be a hiding place Matthew 23:37 Isaiah 35:4 He will come and save you Matthew 1:21 Isaiah 35:5 To have a ministry of miracles Matthew 11:4-6 Isaiah 40:3,4 Preceded by forerunner John 1:23 Isaiah 40:9 "Behold your God." John 1:36;19:14 Isaiah 40:11 A shepherd- compassionate life- giver John 10:10-18 Isaiah 42:1-4 The Servant- as a faithful, patient redeemer Matthew12:18-21 Isaiah 42:2 Meek and lowly Matthew 11:28-30 Isaiah 42:3 He brings hope for the hopeless John 4 Isaiah 42:4 The nations shall wait on His teachings John 12:20-26 Isaiah 42:6 The Light (salvation) of the Gentiles Luke 2:32 Isaiah 42:1,6 His is a Worldwide compassion Matthew 28:19,20 Isaiah 42:7 Blind eyes opened John 9:25-38 Isaiah 43:11 He is the only Savior Acts. 4:12 Isaiah 44:3 He will send the Spirit of God John 16:7,13 Isaiah 45:23 He will be the Judge John 5:22;Romans 14:11 Isaiah 48:12 The First and the Last John 1:30;Revelation 1:8,17 Isaiah 48:17 He came as a Teacher John 3:2 Isaiah 49:1 Called from the womb- His humanity Matthew 1:18 Isaiah 49:5 A Servant from the womb Luke 1:31;Phil. 2:7 Isaiah 49:6 He is Salvation for Israel Luke 2:29-32 Isaiah 49:6 He is the Light of the Gentiles Acts 13:47 Isaiah 49:6 He is Salvation unto the ends of the earth Acts 15:7-18 Isaiah 49:7 He is despised of the Nation John 8:48-49 Isaiah 50:3 Heaven is clothed in black at His humiliation Luke 23:44,45 70

71 Isaiah 50:4 He is a learned counselor for the weary Matthew 11:28,29 Isaiah 50:5 The Servant bound willingly to obedience Matthew 26:39 Isaiah 50:6 "I gave my back to the smiters." Matthew 27:26 Isaiah 50:6 He was smitten on the cheeks Matthew 26:67 Isaiah 50:6 He was spat upon Matthew 27:30 Isaiah 52:7 To publish good tidings of peace Luke 4:14,15 Isaiah 52:13 The Servant exalted Acts 1:8-11; Ephesians 1:19-22 Isaiah 52:13 Behold, My Servant Matthew 17:5; Philippians 2:5-8 Isaiah 52:14 The Servant shockingly abused Luke 18:31-34; Matthew 26:67,68 Isaiah 52:15 Nations startled by message of the Servant Romans 15:18-21 Isaiah 52:15 His blood shed to make atonement for all Revelation 1:5 Isaiah 53:1 His people would not believe Him John 12:37-38 Isaiah 53:2 He would grow up in a poor family Luke 2:7 Isaiah 53:2 Appearance of an ordinary man Phil. 2:7-8 Isaiah 53:3 Despised. Luke 4:28-29 Isaiah 53:3 Rejected Matthew 27:21-23 Isaiah 53:3 Great sorrow and grief Luke 19:41-42 Isaiah 53:3 Men hide from being associated with Him Mark 14:50-52 Isaiah 53:4 He would have a healing ministry Luke 6:17-19 Isaiah 53:4 He would bear the sins of the world 1 Pet. 2:24 Isaiah 53:4 Thought to be cursed by God Matthew 27:41-43 Isaiah 53:5 Bears penalty for mankind's transgressions Luke 23:33 Isaiah 53:5 His sacrifice would provide peace between man and God Colossians. 1:20 Isaiah 53:5 His back would be whipped Matthew 27:26 Isaiah 53:6 He would be the sin- bearer for all mankind Galatians 1:4 Isaiah 53:6 God's will that He bear sin for all mankind 1 John 4:10 Isaiah 53:7 Oppressed and afflicted Matthew 27:27-31 Isaiah 53:7 Silent before his accusers Matthew 27:12-14 Isaiah 53:7 Sacrificial lamb John 1:29 Isaiah 53:8 Confined and persecuted Matthew 26:47-27:31 Isaiah 53:8 He would be judged John 18:13-22 Isaiah 53:8 Killed Matthew 27:35 Isaiah 53:8 Dies for the sins of the world 1 John 2:2 Isaiah 53:9 Buried in a rich man's grave Matthew 27:57 Isaiah 53:9 Innocent and had done no violence Mark 15:3 Isaiah 53:9 No deceit in his mouth John 18:38 Isaiah 53:10 God's will that He die for mankind John 18:11 Isaiah 53:10 An offering for sin Matthew 20:28 Isaiah 53:10 Resurrected and live forever Mark 16:16 Isaiah 53:10 He would prosper John 17:1-5 Isaiah 53:11 God fully satisfied with His suffering John 12:27 Isaiah 53:11 God's servant Romans 5:18-19 Isaiah 53:11 He would justify man before God Romans 5:8-9 Isaiah 53:11 The sin- bearer for all mankind Hebrews 9:28 Isaiah 53:12 Exalted by God because of his sacrifice Matthew 28:18 Isaiah 53:12 He would give up his life to save mankind Luke 23:46 Isaiah 53:12 Grouped with criminals Luke 23:32 Isaiah 53:12 Sin- bearer for all mankind 2 Corinthians 5:21 Isaiah 53:12 Intercede to God in behalf of mankind Luke 23:34 Isaiah 55:3 Resurrected by God Acts 13:34 Isaiah 55:4 A witness John 18:37 Isaiah 59:15-16 He would come to provide salvation John 6:40 Isaiah 59:15-16 Intercessor between man and God Matthew 10:32 Isaiah 59:20 He would come to Zion as their Redeemer Luke 2:38 Isaiah 61:1-2 The Spirit of God upon him Matthew 3:16-17 Isaiah 61:1-2 The Messiah would preach the good news Luke 4:17-21 Isaiah 61:1-2 Provide freedom from the bondage of sin and death John 8:31-32 Isaiah 61:1-2 Proclaim a period of grace John 5:24 Jerimiah23:5-6 Descendant of David Luke 3:23-31 Jeremiah 23:5-6 The Messiah would be God John 13:13 Jeremiah 23:5-6 The Messiah would be both God and Man 1 Tim. 3:16 Jeremiah 31:22 Born of a virgin Matthew 1:18-20 Jeremiah 31:3 The Messiah would be the new covenant Matthew 26:28 Jeremiah 33:14-15 Descendant of David Luke 3:23-31 Ezekiel 17:22-24 Descendant of David Luke 3:23-31 Ezekiel 34:23-24 Descendant of David Matthew 1:1 Daniel 7:13-14 He would ascend into heaven Acts 1:

72 Daniel 7:13-14 Highly exalted Ephesians 1:20-22 Daniel 7:13-14 His dominion would be everlasting Luke 1:31-33 Daniel 9:24 To make an end to sins Galatians 1:3-5 Daniel 9:24 He would be holy Luke 1:35 Daniel 9:2 Announced to Jews 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem John 12:12-13 Daniel 9:26 Killed Matthew 27:35 Daniel 9:26 Die for the sins of the world Hebrews 2:9 Daniel 9:26 Killed before the destruction of the temple Matthew 27:50-51 Daniel 10:5-6 Messiah in a glorified state Revelation 1:13-16 Hosea 13:14 He would defeat death 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 Joel 2:32 Offer salvation to all mankind Romans 10:12-13 Micah 5:2 Born in Bethlehem Matthew 2:1-2 Micah 5:2 God's servant John 15:10 Micah 5:2 From everlasting John 8:58 Haggai 2:6-9 He would visit the second Temple Luke 2:27-32 Haggai 2:23 Descendant of Zerubbabel Luke 3:23-27 Zechariah 3:8 God's servant John 17:4 Zechariah 6:12-13 Priest and King Hebrews 8:1 Zechariah 9:9 Greeted with rejoicing in Jerusalem Matthew 21:8-10 Zechariah 9:9 Beheld as King John 12:12-13 Zechariah 9:9 The Messiah would be just John 5:30 Zechariah 9:9 The Messiah would bring salvation Luke 19:10 Zechariah 9:9 The Messiah would be humble Matthew 11:29 Zechariah 9:9 Presented to Jerusalem riding on a donkey Matthew 21:6-9 Zechariah 10:4 The cornerstone Ephesians 2:20 Zechariah 11:4-6 At His coming, Israel to have unfit leaders Matthew 23:1-4 Zechariah 11:4-6 Rejection causes God to remove His protection Luke 19:41-44 Zechariah 11:4-6 Rejected in favor of another king John 19:13-15 Zechariah 11:7 Ministry to "poor," the believing remnant Matthew 9:35-36 Zechariah 11:8 Unbelief forces Messiah to reject them Matthew 23:33 Zechariah 11:8 Despised Matthew 27:20 Zechariah 11:9 Stops ministering to the those who rejected Him Matthew 13:10-11 Zechariah 11:10-11 Rejection causes God to remove protection Luke 19:41-44 Zechariah 11:10-11 The Messiah would be God John 14:7 Zechariah 11:12-13 Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver Matthew 26:14-15 Zechariah 11:12-13 Rejected Matthew 26:14-15 Zechariah 11:12-13 Thirty pieces of silver thrown into the house of the Lord Matthew 27:3-5 Zechariah 11:12-13 The Messiah would be God John 12:45 Zechariah 12:10 The Messiah's body would be pierced John 19:34-37 Zechariah 12:10 The Messiah would be both God and man John 10:30 Zechariah 12:10 The Messiah would be rejected John 1:11 Zechariah 13:7 God's will He die for mankind John 18:11 Zechariah 13:7 A violent death Matthew 27:35 Zechariah 13:7 Both God and man John 14:9 Zechariah 13:7 Israel scattered as a result of rejecting Him Matthew 26:31-56 Malachi 3:1 Messenger to prepare the way for Messiah Matthew 11:10 Malachi 3:1 Sudden appearance at the temple Mark 11:15-16 Malachi 3:1 Messenger of the new covenant Luke 4:43 Malachi 4:5 Forerunner in the spirit of Elijah Matthew 3:1-2 Malachi 4:6 Forerunner would turn many to righteousness Luke 1:

73 Messianic Probabilities How true, then, it must be that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah if He had 324 identifying characteristics well in advance, and fulfilled them all! In fact, what does the science of probability make of this? The science of probability attempts to determine the chance that a given event will occur. The value and accuracy of the science of probability has been well established beyond doubt - for example, insurance rates are fixed according to statistical probabilities. Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College, Peter Stoner, has calculated the probability of one man fulfilling the major prophecies made concerning the Messiah. The estimates were worked out by twelve different classes, representing some 600 college students. The students carefully weighed all the factors, discussed each prophecy at length, and examined the various circumstances which might indicate that men had conspired together to fulfill a particular prophecy. They made their estimates conservative enough so that there was finally unanimous agreement even among the most skeptical students. However then Professor Stoner took their estimates and made them even more conservative. He also encouraged other skeptics or scientists to make their own estimates to see if his conclusions were more than fair. Finally, he submitted his figures for review to a Committee of the American Scientific Affiliation. Upon examination, they verified that his calculations were dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented (Peter Stoner, Science Speaks, Chicago: Moody Press, 1969, 4). For example, concerning Micah 5:2, where it states the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah, Stoner and his students determined the average population of Bethlehem from the time of Micah to the present; then they divided it by the average population of the earth during the same period. They concluded that the chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was one in 2.8 x 10^5 - or rounded, one in 300,000. After examining only eight different prophecies (Idem, 106), they conservatively estimated that the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10^17. To illustrate how large the number 10^17 is (a figure with 17 zeros), Stoner gave this illustration: If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them in their own wisdom. In financial terms, is there anyone who would not invest in a financial venture if the chance of failure were only one in 10^17? This is the kind of sure investment we are offered by God for belief in His Messiah. Professor Stoner, from these figures, draws the conclusion the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of the prophecies the likelihood of mere chance is only one in 10^17! Another way of saying this is that any person who minimizes or ignores the significance of the Biblical identifying signs concerning the Messiah would be foolish. But, of course, there are many more than eight prophecies. In another calculation, Stoner used 48 prophecies and arrived at the extremely conservative estimate that the probability of 48 prophecies being fulfilled in one person is the incredible number 10^157. How large is the number one in 10^157? 10^157 contains 157 zeros! Stoner gives an illustration of this number using electrons. Electrons are very small objects. They are smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 times 10^15 of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one- inch long. With this introduction, let us go back to our chance of 1 in 10^157. Let us suppose that we are taking this number of electrons, marking one, and thoroughly stirring it into the whole mass, then blindfolding a man and letting him try to find the right one. What chance has he of finding the right one? What kind of a pile will this number of electrons make? They make an inconceivably large volume. The distance from our system of stars, or galaxy, to the next nearest one is nearly 1,500,000 light- years; that is the distance that light will travel in 1,500,000 years going 186,000 miles each and every second. This distance is so great that if every man, woman and child in the United States, 200,000,000 of them, had a library of 65,000 volumes, and you collected every book in all of these libraries and then started on this journey of 1,500,000 light- years, and decided to place one letter from one of the books on each mile (e.g., if ``the'' was the first word in the first book you would put ``t'' on the first mile, ``h'' on the second mile, and ``e'' on the third mile; then leave a mile blank without a letter and start the next word in the same manner, etc.), before you complete your journey you will use up every letter in every book of every one of the libraries and have to call for more. We fill this vast expanse completely with electrons - mark one of these electrons and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the vast expanse. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one electron and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? If this is the result from considering a mere 48 prophecies, obviously the probability that 456 prophecies would be fulfilled in one man by chance is vastly smaller. As Stoner concludes, ``Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world. 73

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