BACK TO THE BIBLE 30 Days To Understanding The Bible
RECAP: (Parts 1&2) The Bible has two major divisions: 1. Old Testament 2. New Testament 2
The total number of books in the entire Bible is 66. 3
The Old Testament: Begins with creation. Tells the story of the Jewish people up to the time of Christ. Is made up of 39 individual books. Written by 28 different authors. Spans a period of over two thousand years. 4
The Old Testament consists of 3 different kinds of books: 1. 17 Historical Books 2. 5 Poetical Books 3. 17 Prophetical Books. 5
The New Testament: Records of the birth of Jesus, His life and ministry, and the ministry of His disciples, which was carried on after Jesus was crucified. Composed of 27 books. Written by 9 different authors. Covers a time period of less than one hundred years. 6
The New Testament consists of 3 different kinds of books: 1. 5 Historical Books 2. 13 Pauline Epistles 3. 9 General Epistles 7
The Nine Main Eras, Figures, and Locations of THE OLD TESTAMENT ERA: FIGURE: 1. Creation Adam 2. Patriarch Abraham LOCATION/DESCRIPTION: Eden: The garden of Eden, where Adam is created. Near the convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Canaan: Abraham migrates from Ur, near Eden, to Canaan, where he and the other patriarchs live until the time of slavery in Egypt. 8
ERA: FIGURE: 3. Exodus Moses 4. Conquest Joshua LOCATION/DESCRIPTION: Egypt: During a severe famine, the Israelites migrate to Egypt and are enslaved 400 years before their exodus to freedom. Canaan: Joshua leads the conquest of the Promised Land in Canaan. 9
ERA: FIGURE: 5. Judges Samson 6. Kingdom David LOCATION/DESCRIPTION: Canaan: The Israelites live in Canaan under a loose tribal system ruled by judges for the next 400 years. Israel: With the formation of a formal monarchy, the land is now referred to by the national name of Israel. 10
ERA: FIGURE: 7. Exile Daniel LOCATION/DESCRIPTION: Babylonia: Because of judgment for national moral corruption, Israel is conquered by foreign nations, finally forcing her leaders into 70 years of exile in Babylonia. 8. Ezra Return Jerusalem: The exiled Israelites are allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and temple, though they remain under the dominion of Persia. 11
ERA: FIGURE: 9. Silence Pharisees LOCATION/DESCRIPTION: Jerusalem: Though dominion of the land changes from Persia to Greece to Rome, Israel is allowed to worship in Jerusalem without disruption for the next 400 years of silence. 12
PART THREE
There are 4 major events within the Creation Era. They are the accounts of: 1. Creation 2. Fall 3. Flood 4. Tower of Babel 14
CREATION: Man created in the image of God (Genesis 1-2). After a dramatic display of power in creating the heavens and the earth, God created man. Adam and Eve are created in the image of God, in perfect fellowship and harmony with Him. 15
FALL: Sin entered the world (Genesis 3). Satan, appearing in the form of a serpent, lures Adam and Eve into rebelling against God and violating the one prohibition God had given them: not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. 16
FLOOD: Judgment for sin (Genesis 6-10). Over the next several hundred years, as man multiplies in numbers, so his tendency to sin multiplies, until a time comes when God can only find eight people who are willing to live in a righteous relationship with Him: Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. 17
So in judgment for sin, God performs surgery on the human race. 18
TOWER: Beginning of the nations (Genesis 11). God s post-flood mandate to man was to spread out, populate, and subdue the whole earth. In direct disobedience to that command, man stays in one place and begins building a monument to himself, the Tower of Babel. 19
God causes this large congregation of people to begin speaking different languages. 20
LET S REVIEW The 4 Main Events of the Creation Era EVENT: 1. Creation: 2. Fall: 3. Flood: 4. Tower: DESCRIPTION: Man created in the image of God. Sin entered the world. Judgment for Sin. Beginning of the nations. 21
There are 4 major men in the Patriarch Era: 1. Abraham 2. Isaac 3. Jacob 4. Joseph 22
ABRAHAM: Father of the Hebrew people (Genesis 12-23). Because of Adam s sin and the Fall of man, God s attention is now focused on a plan of redemption for mankind. God wants a people through whom He can spread the message of redemption to the world. 23
He chooses Abraham, who becomes the father of the Hebrew people, and promises him a country (land). 24
ISAAC: Second Father of promise (Genesis 24-26). Isaac becomes the second father of promise as the fulfillment of Abraham s promises is passed down to him. 25
JACOB: Father of the nation of Israel (Genesis 27-35). The promises given to Abraham are passed through Isaac to Jacob, Isaac s younger son. 26
JOSEPH: Leader in Egypt (Genesis 37-50). Jacob s sons, for the most part have very little to God s call on them as a nation. They sell their brother Joseph as a slave, and he is taken to Egypt. Because of Joseph s righteousness, he rises to become a great leader in Egypt. 27
LET S REVIEW Major Men of the Patriarch Era NAME: 1. Abraham: DESCRIPTION: Father of Hebrew people. 2. Isaac: 3. Jacob: 4. Joseph: Second father of promise. Father of nation of Israel. Leader in Egypt. 28
There are 4 major events in the Exodus Era: 1. Deliverance 2. The Law 3. Kadesh Barnea 4. Forty Years of Wandering 29
DELIVERANCE: Freedom from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1-18). The Hebrews have languished under slavery in Egypt for four hundred years when they cry out to God for deliverance. God raises up Moses as spokesman to Pharoah, the ruler of Egypt, asking for spiritual freedom for the Hebrew people. 30
THE LAW: God s commandments at Mount Sanai (Exodus 19-40). The Hebrew people now begin to take on a national identity as Israel. From the Red Sea, the Israelites travel south ot the bottom of the Sanai Peninsula and camp at Mount Sanai. They receive God s commandments at Mount Sanai. 31
KADESH BARNEA: Place of Rebellion against God (Numbers 10-14). Israel leaves Mount Sanai and migrates north to an oasis, Kadesh Barnea, which is the southern gateway into the Promised Land. 32
FORTY YEARS OF WANDERING: Consequences of rebelling against God (Numbers 20-36). As a consequence of rebelling against God at Kadesh Barnea, the Exodus generation is condemned to wander in the wilderness until everyone who was twenty-one years old or older at the time dies. 33
LET S REVIEW 4 Major Events in the Exodus Era EVENT: 1. Deliverance: DESCRIPTION: Freedom from slavery in Egypt. 2. The Law: God s Commandments at Mount Sanai. 34
EVENT: 3. Kadesh Barnea: DESCRIPTION: Place of rebelling against God. 4. Forty Years of Wandering Consequences of rebelling against God. 35
There are 4 main events in the Conquest Era: 1. Jordan 2. Jericho 3. Conquest 4. Dominion 36
JORDAN: A miraculous parting of water (Joshua 1-5). Moses dies, and God hand-picks Joshua to succeed him. Joshua s first challenge is to cross the Jordan River at flood stage. 37
JERICHO: A miraculous conquest of a city (Joshua 6). The city of Jericho, a small oasis on the west side of the Jordan River near the Dead Sea, is not only the eastern gateway to the Promised Land, but it is also a fortified city and poses a threat to the welfare of Israel. 38
CONQUEST: The defeat of Canaan (Joshua 7-12) The Canaanites are united in their hatred of the Israelites, but not in their military opposition to them. Primarily, the region is characterized by individual kings, each with his own city and surrounding country. 39
DOMINION: Finalizing dominion (Joshua 13-20). Each of the twelve tribes of Israel is given a land area by lottery and is responsible for finalizing dominion over that area. All twelve tribes inhabit their areas and form a loose federation with the other tribes. 40
LET S REVIEW 4 Major Events in the Conquest Era EVENT: 1. Jordan: DESCRIPTION: A miraculous departing of water. 2. Jericho: A miraculous conquest of a city 41
EVENT: 3. Conquest: DESCRIPTION: The defeat of Canaan. 4. Dominion Finalizing Dominion. 42