Session # 1A: Starting From the Big Picture Overview OBJECTIVES: By the end of this session participants should be able to: 1) Explain what is the Bible. 2) Explain why the Bible is the Word of God. 3) Compare the different structures of the Old Testament. 4) Articulate the 10 key periods in the chronological overview of the Old Testament. 1) WHAT IS THE BIBLE? a) The word Bible is derived from the Greek word which mean book b) It is Book. c) It is to us. 2) WHY IS THE BIBLE IS GOD S WORD? a) Its Uniqueness in Continuity and Preservation i) Continuity & Unity (1) books (2) Over years span (3) Over authors (4) Yet it has only theme: The Lord Jesus Christ. (5) Unity of Scripture "... first things have passed away... I am making all things new" (Rev. 21:4-5) Genesis Revelation Created the Heavens and the Earth (1:1) Created New Heavens and Earth (21:1) Satan Corrupts Man (3:15) Satan's Corruption Judged (20:10) Satan's Defeat Predicted (3:15) Satan's Defeat Fulfilled (20:10) Death: the Penalty for Sin (2:17) No Death (21:4); Death and Hades Thrown into Lake of Fire (19:14) Curse: Pain in Childbirth (3:16); Painful Toil (3:17) Man and Woman Hide from God (3:8) No Longer any Curse (22:3); No Pain (21:4) God Dwells Among His People (21:3); Shall See His Face (22:4) Banished from the Tree of Life (3:22-24) Granted to Eat of the Tree of Life (2:7; 22:14) Night and Day (1:3) Only Day (21:23 25; 22:5) Session 1A: Overview (10 January 2015) Page 1 of 7
ii) Preservation (1) Translation (a) The OT was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. (b) In 250 BC Hebrew OT first translated to Greek (Septuagint, LXX) for Greek-speaking Jews. (c) In AD 400, the entire Bible was translated into Latin (Vulgate: Vulgar; the common (i.e., vulgar language of the day) by the Catholic Church. (d) In AD 1400, the 1 st English translation of NT Greek. (e) In AD 1535, the 1 st translation of the whole Bible to English. (f) Today translated according to UBS, Bibles (or portions of it) has been translated into more than 2,551 languages representing 36% of the world s 7,105 known languages. 1 * Bibles with Deuterocanon. (2) Circulation (a) To date, 6,001,500,000 Bibles have been printed. 2 b) Fulfilled Prophecies i) EXAMPLE 1: Palestine (1) Dispersion of Jews (a) Prediction: Leviticus 26:31-33 (b) Fulfillment: AD 70 (2) Restoration of Israel (a) Prediction: Ezekiel 36:33-35; Isaiah 11:11,12 (b) Fulfillment: 1948 ii) EXAMPLE 2: Jesus Christ (a) Christ fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies about Himself! iii) Some prophecies fulfilled by Christ PROPHECY SUBJECT FULFILLMENT 1 http://www.unitedbiblesocieties.org/sample-page/bible-translation/ accessed on 28 Feb 2014. 2 Research Date: 4.28.2013, http://www.statisticbrain.com/bibles-printed/ accessed on 28 Feb 2014. Session 1A: Overview (10 January 2015) Page 2 of 7
Micah 5:2 Christ s Birth Matthew 2:1 Zechariah 9:9 Triumphal Entry Luke 19:29-38 Isaiah 53 Christ s Death, Burial & Luke 23:33 (Death) Resurrection Luke 23: 50-53 (Burial) John 2:18-22 Matthew 17:22,23 Christ s own prophecies Luke 24 (Resurrection) c) Christ s View of the Bible i) Matthew 5:18 ii) Mark 13:31 iii) John 12:48,49 iv) Revelation 22:18,19 d) Power to Change Lives e) CONCLUSION The evidence for our NT writing is ever so much greater than the evidence for the many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning. And if all the NT were a collection of secular writings, their authority would generally be regarded as beyond doubt. F. F. Bruce 3) COMPARISON ON DIFFERENT STRUCTURES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT HEBREW BIBLE / TANAK (Jewish Bible) I. Law (Torah) 1. Genesis 2. Exodus 3. Leviticus 4. Numbers 5. Deuteronomy II. Prophets (Nevi'im) A. Former Prophets 1. Joshua 2. Judges 3. 1 & 2 Samuel 4. 1 & 2 Kings B. Latter Prophets 1. Isaiah 2. Jeremiah 3. Ezekiel 4. Book of the Twelve: OLD TESTAMENT (Protestant Bible) Pentateuch (5) 1. Genesis 2. Exodus 3. Leviticus 4. Numbers 5. Deuteronomy II. History (12) 1. Joshua 2. Judges 3. Ruth 4. 1 Samuel 5. 2 Samuel 6. 1 Kings 7. 2 Kings 8. 1 Chronicles 9. 2 Chronicles 10. Ezra OLD TESTAMENT (Roman, Greek, Slavonic) Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Tobit Session 1A: Overview (10 January 2015) Page 3 of 7
Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi III. Writings (Ketuvim) 1. Psalms 2. Proverbs 3. Job 4. The Song of Songs 5. Ruth 6. Lamentations 7. Ecclesiastes 8. Esther 9. Daniel 10. Ezra-Nehemiah 11. 1 & 2 Chronicles 11. Nehemiah 12. Esther III. Poetry (5) 1.Job 2. Psalms 3. Proverbs 4. Ecclesiastes 5. Song of Solomon IV. Major Prophets (5) 1. Isaiah 2. Jeremiah 3. Lamentations 4. Ezekiel 5. Daniel V. Minor Prophets (12) 1. Hosea 2. Joel 3. Amos 4. Obadiah 5. Jonah 6. Micah 7. Nahum 8. Habakkuk 9. Zephaniah 10. Haggai 11. Zechariah 12. Malachi Judith Esther and Additions Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach) Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch and Letter of Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel and Additions: Susanna Song of the Young Men Bel and the Dragon Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees a) The Jewish community gave the name Tanak (sometimes spelled "Tanakh") to the HEBREW BIBLE. This is derived by taking the first letter of each of the three words Torah (Law), Neviim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings), and inserting the vowel "a." b) Judges and Ruth as well as Jeremiah and Lamentations are sometimes treated as one book respectively. The number of books in the Tanak can therefore be calculated as 22 (which equals the Jewish alphabets) or 24 depending on how one treats these books. c) The Book names in italics in the above table are the apocryphal books of the Roman Catholic canon. 4) CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT a) It consists of 66 books (39 books in the Old Testament & 27 in the New Testament). b) The structure of the Old Testament is as follows: Session 1A: Overview (10 January 2015) Page 4 of 7
# Periods Key Events/People Time Period Books Other Books 1? Genesis 1-11 2 About 2000-1500 BCE (Period of 215 years) Genesis 12-50 Job 3 Early Exodus: 1446 BCE Late Exodus: 1275 BCE Exodus- Deuteronomy 4 at least 300 years Joshua - Ruth 5 Period of 120 years 1 Sam-1 Kings 11; 1 Chron 1-2 Chron 9 Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Joel? Obadiah? 6 933-722 1 Kings 12-2 Kings 17; 2 Jonah Amos Session 1A: Overview (10 January 2015) Page 5 of 7
# Periods Key Events/People Time Period Books Chron 10-28 Other Books Hosea Micah Isaiah 7 722-586 2 Kings 18-25; 2 Chron 29-36 Zephaniah Jeremiah Lamentatio ns Habakkuk Nahum Ezekiel Daniel 8 605-536 Haggai Zechariah Malachi 9 536-420 Ezra - Esther 10 420-0 Session 1A: Overview (10 January 2015) Page 6 of 7
5) CONCLUSION: THE BIBLE AS GOD S GRAND STORY a) It is God s Story. b) The bible comes to us primarily by the way of narrative. c) It consists of 4 main parts: i) Creation (Gen 1,2 à ) ii) Fall (Gen 3 à ) iii) Redemption (NT à ) iv) Consummation (Revelation à ) Session 1A: Overview (10 January 2015) Page 7 of 7