Lessons by Darrell Hymel www.gospelstudies.org

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE (1)

THE BIBLE IS NOT ONE BOOK

BUT A LIBRARY OF 66 BOOKS

The Bible is not one book, but a collection of 66 books. It was written by over 40 different men over a period of fifteen centuries (From 1450 B.C. until about 70 A.D.). The writers of the Bible were from many different backgrounds. Some were shepherds, kings, fishermen, peasants, doctors, & tax collectors. The authors were mostly descended from the nation of Israel, but wrote from many different places; Rome, Jerusalem, Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran), Greece, and Turkey.

Contradictions in the Bible? Because the men who wrote the Bible were from such different cultures and times you would expect its 66 books to contradict each other. But this is not true. While written by over 40 human hands, it was revealed by ONE MIND, the mind of God. "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the spirit of God" (see the Bible, 2 Peter 1:21). While these 66 books, written over a period of 1500 years, and by 40 different men, tell about over 10,000 events; when they are put together they make ONE STORY. This story is the working of God's love for sinful man in human history to bring about man's salvation writers were separated by time and distance and even culturstory. As you investigate the story in the Bible you will comto only ONE author. The evidence points to God being the

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Bible Dates: The Terms A.D. and B.C.

* The term B.C. refers to how many years n event happened BEFORE the birth of esus Christ. It is an abbreviation for Before Christ". A.D. is an abbreviation of term from the Latin language, "Anno omini", which in English means "in the

ear of our Lord". Therefore, 70 A.D. would e 70 years after Jesus Christ was born. ur present year 1999 is one thousand nundred and ninety nine years since his irth. This way of counting time was not sed while Jesus was alive. He was born to

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oor parents in a country (Israel) that was ccupied by the armies of Rome. He was not ell known even by his own race. He lived

n the Roman Empire and most people round Europe and Africa dated events from he founding of the city of Rome. Many of he people of Israel (the nation of Jesus) ated events from the founding of their ation. Several centuries after Jesus Christ ied and was brought to life again resurrected), Christians (or those who elieved in Him) became so numerous in the oman Empire that they began to count time

rom his birth. Now the whole world uses his way of counting time. Jesus' coming ack to life (the resurrection) was the reatest event in human history. One of the cholars who coordinated the date of hrist's birth with Roman events made a istake in his calculations. This mistake as not found out for several centuries so no ne wanted to change the calendar. We now now that Jesus actually was born a ittle before 4 B.C.

through Jesus Christ. Most of the e, but wrote one continuous, unified e to appreciate this fact, and it points

author since he is the only one who has

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lived through 15 centuries. The 40 men who wrote the Bible were actually prophets of God. A "prophet" is one who is a mouth or spokesman of another. A prophet of God speaks for God.

Questions: 1. How many books are in the Bible? 2. How many centuries did it take for this collection of books to be written? 3. Did the writers all live in one place? 4. Normally, would you expect a collection of books written by 40 different people living in

different places and different times to contradict each other? Your opinion please: If the Bible (66 books) is unified and does not contradict itself -- do you think this could be evidence that God is responsible for the Bible? If you would like to take this lesson as a graded course, cut and paste the questions and include the answers in an email to questions@gospelstudies.org

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE (2) If you have a BIBLE it would be good if you opened it up to the table of contents in the front. In the table of contents of the Bible the first 39 books are called the OLD TESTAMENT. The word "testament" means a "covenant or contract". In about 1400 B.C., out of all the nations of the world, God chose to make a covenant or agreement with one nation, the nation of ISRAEL. You can read about the making of this covenant in the second book of the Bible (Exodus 19-20, however, there is no need to read this now). Why did God choose this particular nation? We will answer this important question in a later lesson. These first 39 books that we now call the OLD TESTAMENT were written in

the HEBREW language (the language of ISRAEL). Sometimes the people of Israel are also referred to by the name HEBREW. The word refers to one who "wanders around". The people of Israel for many centuries were without a homeland and therefore "wandered" from place to place and actually were slaves for a few hundred years in Egypt.

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A man named MOSES wrote the first five books of the Bible. These books are sometimes called the LAW OF MOSES, even though only a small part of them actually contains the law in a formal way. Moses was the leader that God worked through to give freedom to the people of Israel while they were slaves in the land of Egypt (see Exodus 1-20). In the first book (GENESIS), in the first 11 chapters, Moses briefly reviews several thousand years of history before the nation of Israel was born. He touches on the creation of the world, the first human family, the spread of evil in the world (man's sin problem), God's judgment of the earth by a

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worldwide flood, and the division of mankind into different languages and nations. In the rest of the book of Genesis and the other four books, Moses tells about the beginnings of the nation of Israel and how God gave them a special national law that is now called the LAW OF MOSES. This law taught them what was morally right but it also gave them Civil Law (It defined crimes, property rights, holidays, marriage laws, social welfare laws, judicial system, etc.). In other words, it dealt with

the same things that the laws of other countries deal with. Unlike other nations, however, all of its laws were based upon just two laws. Those two commands are 1) love the Lord your God with all of your heart and 2) love your neighbor as yourself. The LAW OF MOSES also gave detail about their outward forms of religion as well as their temple. Moses was the first leader of this nation in about 1400 B.C. After his death, the rest of the 39 books were written. Throughout this period of history various prophets of God predicted that SOMEONE born from that nation of Israel would one day be a SAVIOR & KING for the people of EVERY NATION. After Moses' first five books, the next 12 books are books of history (1400-400 B.C.) During the same time period as this history, the nation of Israel made collections of various poems, songs, and sayings of wisdom that they believe came from men who spoke for God. These are contained in books 18-22 or JOB through the SONG OF SOLOMON. The rest of the books were written by men called PROPHETS* who lived between 900 B.C. and 400 B.C. A PROPHET is one who is a mouth for another. A PROPHET of God is one who speaks for God on the earth.

These writing prophets often warned the nation of Israel about their sin as a nation and the sure destruction that would be theirs if they did not change their behavior. They predicted coming judgment on the nation of Israel that came to pass in their own lifetime or shortly after they died. However, God also allowed them to look into a brighter future for the nation of Israel and the world. They were able to see SOMEONE coming in the future who would later be the savior of the world. Later, we will study these predictions, the Bible is a very unique book and

actually has God as its author. and they will become the evidence you need to believe that

30 A.D.

2000 A.D.

1400 B.C.

Moses

Creation of world 2500

B.C.

Books 23-39

Throughout the history of Israel, various prophets predicted that SOMEONE from Israel will one day be a SAVIOR & KING of the world

400 B.C.

GENESIS is the first book of the Bible. When the first book was translated from Hebrew into the Greek language about 200 B.C., the first words of the Bible "in the beginning" were translated by the Greek word "Genesis". So the first book of the Bibis named after its first word. This is a gooname for it since it tells about the "beginning" of the universe, man, marriage, family, sin, nations, etc.

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A PROPHET is a human being that God speaks through. He may give encouragement, moral teaching or warning. Because it is God who gives him the message it is possible for the prophet to predict the future when he speaks, for God can predict the future.

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The word BIBLE is a combination of two Greek words: Biblia, meaning book and Byblos referring to papyrus, the kind of plants paper was made from in ancient times. Since early copies of the writings of God were written on "Byblos" (paper from papyrus) and were gathered in a "Biblia" they were called the BIBLE.

UESTIONS:

. How many of the books in the Bible were written before the birth of Jesus Christ?

. What does the word "testament" mean?

. Who wrote the first five books of the Bible?

. What two commands is all of the law of Moses based on?

. Does the Bible contain collections of songs and poems?

. What does the word Genesis mean?

. The prophets of the Bible predicted that someone would come in the future who would rule the world and save the world from its sin. They even predicted when these things would happen centuries in advance. If these predictions came true in the person of Jesus Christ, what would it suggest about the writers of the Bible?

NTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE (3)

n our last two lessons we learned that the first 39 books of the Bible were written before the year 00 B.C. These 39 books are called the OLD TESTAMENT. Please refer again to the table of ontents in your Bible as you study this lesson.

he first five books were written by a man named Moses who was the first leader appointed by od over the nation of Israel (about 1400 B.C.). The next 12 books are books of history that begin ith Israel's birth as a nation and continue until it has been conquered by other world powers 1000 ears later. The books of history of the OLD TESTAMENT show a wonderful unity with the ooks of the Bible that were written after Jesus died. The OLD TESTAMENT books of history ive emphasis to the ancestors of Jesus Christ. Although many characters appear in the Bible from any different tribes in Israel, the whole story focuses on the family Jesus Christ later came from. hese history books were completed 400 years before Jesus Christ, yet they emphasize HIS family

ine? How did the writers know hundreds of years before his birth that Jesus was going to be the ead of a world religion? The world now counts its time in years from the birth of Jesus Christ, the ery one whose family was emphasized in the 39 books written in the Old Testament. Did these riters know this ahead of time or is this fact simply an accident?

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To prove it was not an accident one only has to refer to the next five books in the Bible, the books of poetry and wisdom. The book of PSALMS is a collection of 150 poems put to music for use in the worship of Israel. One of the main writers is the second king of Israel (DAVID) who ruled from 1010-970 B.C. Jesus came from David's family almost 1000 years later. David, in his poems, wrote about the life, death, and resurrection of one of his descendants. He described in detail the feelings and thoughts Jesus Christ had while he was dying on the cross. David even predicted some of the very words that came out of Jesus' mouth in his hours on the cross. In later lessons we will study these poems with you. You will then fully understand why so many people have used this evidence to become a follower of Jesus Christ. I don't know of any other historical characters who had poems written about them a thousand years before their birth. These poems predicted a person who not only had a unique relationship with God, but would also be the Savior and King of people from all nations. Prophets who lived between 900-400 B.C. wrote the last 17 books of the Old Testament. These prophets got even more specific than the books of poetry in describing a future human being who would be sent by God from the nation of Israel to save the world. We will also study these predictions in a future lesson. In our next lesson, we will tell a little about the last 27 books of the Bible, which were written after Jesus died.

QUESTION: Some would say: 'Give me the proof, and show me the original 66 books, copies

Sometimes people want to know how we can be sure that the 39 books of the Old Testament were actually written before the birth of Jesus. This is important since they are not really predictions if these books

came into existence after his life was over. The following question was asked by one of our students.

nd evidences which prove they were written by all those different writers in the alleged times.' a

The most modern proof is found in what is now called the DEAD SEA SCROLLS. In the 1940'shepherd boy (one who keeps sheep) was throwing rocks into a cave in Israel near the Dead Sea and heard something break. When he went to investigate, he found that he had broken a large clay pot or container that held some ancient writings. When archeologists (scientists who study ancivilizations) were called in, they discovered several caves in the area that contained a whole library of ancients books that belonged to the nation of Israel. In this library were found bookfrom the Old Testament and other books that quoted from the 39 Old Testament books. The scientists dated the library at about 200 B.C. Before this discovery, the oldest copies of the Old Testament dated to 1000 A.D. The scientists were amazed that the hand written copies of 200 B.C.were almost identical in content (almost word for word) to the more recent copies. Great care hadbeen taken through the centuries to accurately record what they thought were the words of God. You can learn about the DEAD SEA SCROLLS in most modern encyclopedias, libraries, and the World Wide Web. In fact, I may share more information in the future with you in these lessonthis subject. We will have more to say later about this question, but for now, the DEAD SEA SCROLLS prove that the 39 books of the Old Testament were in existence at least 200 years before Jesus' birth. The

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refore, their ability to predict things about Him is proof that their writers spoke as a outh of God. m

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QUESTIONS: 1) sus.

is there a miracle behind the writing of the Bible? (This question needs to be answered according to how you honestly think, it will not be

) When were the books of prophecy, the last 17 books of the Old Testament, written?

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as put to eath, he began to appear to them over a period of 40 days. After witnessing his resurrection from

od backed up their teaching with signs, wonders, and miracles. Christianity grew very rapidly in

r them to examine the predictions bout Jesus and to convince themselves that God had planned this event (Jesus' death and

yewitnesses were willing to choose death rather than deny their testimony. Their testimony was

rse. Many of the eyewitnesses were murdered because they ould not stop telling the facts about Jesus. So as the eyewitnesses became fewer and fewer, some

dence to help us believe. 1) The 39 books of the ld Testament that predicted his life, death, and resurrection, and 2) the written records of

Here is a fact: The 39 Old Testament books focus on the family of people that leads to JeDo you believe this is a chance happening or

counted wrong no matter how you answer.) 2) What is the name of the book of the Bible that contains 150 poems put to music? 3

The Four Gospels and the Life of Jesus Christ (4) The last book of the Old Testament was written about 400 B.C. Jesus was born in about 4 B.C., and he died in 30 A.D. Jesus did not write any books during his short life. After his rising fromthe dead in 30 A.D., it was left to eyewitnesses to tell the world the story of his teaching, death, aRESURRECTION (coming to life again). These eyewitnesses traveled over much of the then known world to tell of the most important event in all of human history -- God had sent his own son to die (pay the price for our sins) and had brought him back to life again as proof. When Jesdied, he only had a few disciples (followers) who were still loyal to him. Even these few disciples were scattered when Jesus was arrested and taken to his trial. But three days after he wddeath, they became very bold and began to spread the message to millions of people. Gthe first century based on two kinds of evidence: 1) The 39 books of the Old Testament were readily available foaresurrection) since even before the creation of the world, and 2) Many eyewitnesses were still alive who actually saw him after he lived again. These epowerful evidence to the truth that he was indeed God’s Son and had risen from the dead. About 25 years after Jesus died, the eyewitnesses were getting older and the persecution against them by their enemies was getting wowbegan to write down their testimony. So, today we still have the same two kinds of eviOeyewitnesses who saw him alive after his death.

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The Bible contains 66 books. 39 were written before his birth and 27 were written about 20-40 years after his death. Men who had seen Jesus Christ alive after his death on the cross wrote mostof these 27 books. Together they are now called the NEW TESTAMENT, meaning the "new agreement". The first four books are called GOSPELS. The word "GOSPEL" is a Greek word that means "good news". The first four books are named after their writers: MATTHEW, MARKLUKE, and JOHN. Each of these four books or "gospels" tells an independent account of thdeath, and resurrection of Jesus. While these writers are telling the story, they also explain how many of the predictions (Prophecies) made in the 39 Old Testament books about Jesus were fulfilled. These four books tell the

, e life,

purpose of Jesus' coming, record his perfect life and teaching, nd give evidence for his being the SON OF GOD! The last of the writers of the four gospels,

es this beautifully: John

ciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the

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about Jesus was not to satisfy our curiosity. Notice the last statement in the final book of the four.

John

"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I

If you are just beginning to read the Bible, it would be best to choose a couple of these four books uld suggest Matthew and John because they are the most different.

4. These four books about the life of Jesus are called __________ which means "good news"

aJohn, summariz

20:30-31 "Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the dis

you may have life in His name."

The four stories are not long and detailed. All four are contained in about 100 pages. So you could reaone account of the life of Jesus by reading a mere 30pages. The four stories compliment one another. Some of the events in Jesus' life are told in all four accounts, while some events are only found in onThere are many things we would like to know that none of them tell us. There is a reason for their brevity and conciseness. God, working through thesemen, chose just the right material to give evidence that faith can be based on. God's purpose in having these books written

Christ, the Son of God; and that believin

The Four GospelsMatthew, Mark, Luke, John

• Tell the purpose of Jesus’ coming• Reveal his perfect life and service• Gives the true source of his teaching• Gives evidence that he is the Son of God

and deserves our worship• Help us understand why his own nation

killed him

21:25

suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written."

to begin with. I wo

QUESTIONS: 1. Why did Christianity spread so fast in the first century A.D.? 2. Why was it necessary for eyewitnesses to start writing down their testimony? 3. Name the four books of the Bible that each tell about the life story of Jesus.

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The Letters to Churches (5) In our last lesson we noted that four books are contained in the Bible that record the life, teachings, death, and coming to life again of Jesus. These four books are called "gospels" (good news) because they show how "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). These four books explain how Jesus fulfilled the predictions of the 39 books of the Old Testament and record the eyewitness accounts of his teachings and miracles. Though they could have been much longer to satisfy our curiosity about Jesus, what was written is enough to produce faith in an honest and good heart (John 20:30-31; Luke 8:4-15). These four accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were written more than 20 years after the death of Jesus. God gave these writers his Holy Spirit to make them prophets. They were given special powers that enabled them to remember accurately everything Jesus had said and done. Their accuracy did not depend on mere human memory (John 14:26). During the three years that Jesus was with them, there were many things he spoke about that they did not understand. Some things he did not even reveal to them because they were not able to understand it. Therefore, after Jesus left them, His Holy Spirit taught them things that they had not learned while He was on the earth (John 14:26; John 14:5-15). These men who were given this special ability by God's Spirit went everywhere teaching after Jesus' death and His coming back to life (resurrection). Many, in cities all over the Roman Empire, believed their message because it harmonized with the 39 Old Testament books. Their message, which were actually words that came from God’s Spirit, were accompanied with signs and wonders (Mark 16:15-20). The fifth book of the New Testament (ACTS), the book that comes after the four gospels, was written by LUKE. He is the same man who wrote the third gospel that bears his name. The name ACTS refers to the "actions" of these men and the Holy Spirit, which was in them as they went to preach. The book of Luke covers the material from the birth of Jesus until forty days after his resurrection (about 33 years). The book of Acts (or Luke's second book) records approximately the next 35 years of history (30-65 A.D.). Acts 1:8 is a summary verse for the whole book. It tells about these special prophets that had been with Jesus, preaching first in Jerusalem (Acts 2-7), then in Judea (The Roman province that contained Jerusalem), then in Samaria (the country just north of Israel who were relatives of Israel), then to the rest of the world (the world being where Jews were living at the time from Spain and Europe, to Africa, to Iran and India). During the travels of these men, their converts were organized into local groups so they could help and encourage each other in their walk with God. These local groups were called churches (See example in Acts 14:21-23). As the eyewitnesses and prophets moved on to other places, they would often write letters to be delivered and read to the churches they had started in the past or to a church they planned to visit. Sometimes these letters would be addressed to one particular group, on other occasions they were addressed to many groups in a geographical region. Sometimes these men wrote letters to young preachers or other individuals to help in their growth and service in Jesus Christ. They taught Christians how to organize and function together in their work for Christ. All of these LETTERS or EPISTLES were written either during the history recorded in the book of Acts or shortly thereafter (45-70 A.D)

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Since the men who wrote these letters were workers of miracles and had been given special abilities to speak for God, their writings were copied and treated as the words of God (See 1 Corinthians 14:37). Because of this, when one church received a letter they often made copies and shared it with other churches (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27). Today, as we read these letters it is like reading someone else's mail. We are reading letters that are almost 2000 years old. To fully understand them you must put yourself into their historical background. However, since prophets of God wrote them, they show us what GOD expected of Christians in the first century. They are not merely the opinions of a religious leader, but the very instruction of God. Christians today also use these letters to find encouragement; instruction, correction, and commandments that help them walk closer to God and

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These letters were written in order to:

encourage the Christians to keep their faith,

answer questions that Christians had written to them about,

deal with personal and spiritual problems that had arisen in these churches,

explain the "gospel" in more detail and in theory,

warn against false teachers

gs that teaching by one of the

ets who had the Holy Spirit:

sness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 thy 3:16-17).

STIONS FOR LESSON CC00005

ccuracy of the books of the New Testament depend only on the human memory of the

of Jesus finally understand ALL that he taught and did? Before his

wo books of the Bible. He wrote the book that was named after him and what

d "letters" or "epistles" were written

es and individuals make copies of the letters they received from these

itable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for raining in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).

r next lesson we will tell a few facts about each of these books. There are 22 letters or booksn to individuals or churches in the middle of the first century that Christians now regard as

Along with the 39 Old Testament books, the four GOSPELS, and the book of ACTS, they up the 66 books Christians now call SCRIPTURE or the BIBLE. The word "scripture" ally meant simply "writing", but by the time of Jesus it was used to describe the writin

HOLY and sent by God. Pay close attention to the following

cripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ing in righteou

id the author?

hen did the eyewitnesseseath or after his death? hat made the difference in their understanding and memory?

uke wrote tther book? ist at least four reasons why the books of the Bible calle

o individuals and churches by men who were prophets. hy did church

yewitnesses? All __________ is inspired by God and prof

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PAUL, THE MAIN WRITER OF THE NEW TESTAMENT (6) The last 22 books of the Bible are letters written to churches and various individuals. The first 1are called SPECIFIC letters because they were addressed to specific people or churches in speclocations. The next eight are called GENERAL letters because they are addressed to a broader audience. The SPECIFIC letters were all written by a man named PAUL who was originally known by the name SAUL. Paul was not one of the original disciples of Jesus who walked with Him on the earth, but was given a specia

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l call by God to carry the good news to the GENTILES. is a term used in the Bible which means "the nations". A GENTILE was anyone

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hile but was rrested again later and faced the death sentence. Even though the Bible does not give details, his

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ill give a summary of the books that Paul wrote in the Bible. They are 13 in number (Romans through Philemon) and most people believe he also wrote the book of Hebrews.

What one man wrote a majority of the letters in the New Testament? What is the meaning of the word Gentile?

(GENTILESwho was not from the nation of Israel). Paul or Saul was from the nation of Israel. At first he did everything in his power to oppose Christianity, even killing believers or locking them in prison. Saul believed in the God of the Old Testament and was very dedicated to following the religion taught in the Old Testament. However,his strong desire to follow the traditions of his nation blinded him to the fact that Jesus wpredicted by the prophets to be the Savior of the world. God knew that even though Saul opposedChristianity (See Acts 8:1-4), he was sincere in his heart and fervently acted on what he BELIEVED to be the truth. God chose this man to be his special messenger to the other nations, and Jesus made a special appearance to him to call him for this purpose. You can read about Saulconversion to Christ (34 A.D.) and his early preaching in Acts 9:1-31 and Acts 11:19-30 and Acts 13:1-3. In the rest of the book of Acts, Luke (the writer of Acts and Paul's traveling companion) focuses on the travels and work of Paul in spreading the word about Christ to the rest of the RomaEmpire (45-60 A.D.). Because of his belief in Christ, his friends in his former religion did their besto persecute him everywhere he went. They eventually had him arrested by the Romans in about 60 A.D. He was kept in confinement for two years by the Roman officials in Israel to protect himfrom those who wanted him dead. In 62 A.D., he appealed to Caesar and waited in confinementRome for two more years (until 64 A.D.). The book of Acts ends with him waiting for trial. We learn from some of his letters that make up the Bible that he was released for a wadeath likely occurred about 66 A.D. at the hands of the Roman Emperor, Nero. Paul's conversion is one of the evidences of the resurrection of Christ. There must have been an important reason for the turn around in Paul's life. He went from being the leading persecutor ofChristianity to its greatest defender. Paul gave up everything he had achieved in his former life to follow Christ and spread the message of the gospel throughout the world. Because of preaching Jesus Christ, he was often in prison and was eventually killed because he was a Christian. If he dnot actually see the risen Christ as he claimed, his zeal was very misguided. In ow

QUESTIONS: 1.2.

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THE LETTERS OF PAUL IN THE NEW TESTAMENT (7) His letters are summarized below in the order of his writing them. They are arranged in a different order in the Bible.

r his hasty parture, he wrote the letters from southern Greece (the city of Corinth). These two letters were

therefore written to Christians who had only been children of God for a few months.

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pel in a world full of sinners. He phasizes that sinners are saved by grace through their faith, not because they are perfect law

keepers. Romans 1:16-17 is the key verse in this book.

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cause they had changed their heart and repented. In a large part of the second letter he had to defend the good news he taught because false teachers were attacking him and his message.

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istians are not saved by grace through faith, but by maintaining yalty to the laws and traditions of the nation of Israel. It is a book whose central theme is the

FREEDOM that we have in Christ.

FIRST AND SECOND THESSALONIANS (51-52 A.D.) These two letters were written within a few months of each other near the end of Paul's second preaching trip (51-52 A.D.). They are named after the city of Thessalonica (a city in northern Greece). You can read about how Paul started this church in the book of Acts, chapter 17. He hadpreached the gospel in that city and had to leave due to the persecution that followed that was started by people from the nation of Israel who rejected Jesus as being the Christ. Aftede

ROMANS (56-57 A.D.) Paul had never been to Rome before he wrote this letter to that church. The group was madpeople both from the nation of Israel and Gentiles. The book of Romans is a well-outlined document that explains the logic and the need for the gosem

FIRST AND SECOND CORINTHIANS (56-57 A.D.) Like Romans, these two books were written on the third preaching journey of Paul. Corinth wassouthern Greece. He had started this church on his second preaching trip but after his departure ithad many problems. Even though they were Christians, many were not acting like it. The first letter is an open rebuke to their sin and a call to repent (REPENT means to change your mind or heart). He also answers some questions they had written to him while he was staying in Ephesus(an ancient city in what is now the country of Turkey). The second letter talks about his happbe

GALATIANS (57 A.D.) The letter of Galatians was written to a number of churches scattered throughout the Roman province called Galatia. This region is also in modern day Turkey. Paul had started these churcon his first preaching trip that is recorded in Acts 13-14. Paul wrote to them because they had "so quickly turned away from the gospel" to a "changed or polluted gospel" (see Galatians 1:6-9). There were teachers saying that Chrlo

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EPHESIANS (60-62 A.D.) The church at Ephesus was started on Paul's second preaching trip (Acts 18). On his next trip hspent over 3 years there and he used the city as a base to spread the gospel in surrounding areas (Acts 19). The letter he wrote to them emphasized Christ and the importance of the church in God's eternal plan. You can not be a Christian and disregard the church. In the Bible, the churcsimply the saved people. They are your family, and your relationship to other Christians is a veryimportant part of your walk with God. The let

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ter ends with some very practical teaching about ht relationships with others, including our marriage partner. This letter is one of four that Paul

wrote during his first imprisonment in Rome.

ok to them even though his circumstances in

ison are not very good. You can learn much about true joy in Christ if you study this letter. Circumstances don't dictate your happiness in life.

the city of Colossae (again in modern day rkey). This book emphasizes the greatness of Christ: he is superior to all man-made

philosophies and religions.

st. The slave had become a great help to Paul, but Paul sent m back to his master with the one page letter we now have in the Bible. The slave also carried to

Colossae Paul's letter to that church.

rds (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) of the urch and helped these young men to organize and strengthen the churches they were with. As in

most books there is much warning about false teachers.

rig

PHILIPPIANS (60-62 A.D.) Paul traveled to Philippi in northern Greece on his second preaching trip (see Acts 16). This bois remarkable in that Paul writes a very joyful letterpr

COLOSSIANS (60-62 A.D.) This book was written from prison to Christians inTu

PHILEMON (60-62 A.D.) This book was written and delivered at the same time as Colossians. Philemon was a member of the church at Colossae who was also a slave owner (about 50% of the people in the Roman Empirewere slaves). Philemon's slave, Onesimus, had run away to Rome where he came into contact with Paul who taught him about Jesus Chrihi

1 TIMOTHY AND TITUS (63-64 A.D.) While still in prison Paul wrote these two letters to two young teachers who had worked with him before he was put into prison. Timothy worked in Ephesus, a city where Paul had started a churchand Titus worked on the Island of Crete. These letters serve to help young preachers do their work. Both books list the qualifications of the elders or shephech

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2 TIMOTHY (65 A.D.) Paul was released from prison in Rome but was arrested again. This letter was written to his faithful son in the Christian faith and fellow worker, Timothy. It is a very emotional book as Paul realizes his work in this life is over, and he is aware of the dangers everywhere that work to keep Christians from achieving their goal of heaven. However, notice Paul's wonderful confidence as he faces the end of his life (2 Timothy 4:1-8).

QUESTIONS: 1. Give the date and name of the earliest letter in the Bible that is written by Paul. 2. Which letter was written to a church whose members needed to change their hearts? 3. What book was written to a group of churches "who had quickly turned away from the good

news Paul had taught them? 4. Name the book that especially emphasizes the joy a Christian can have even though his

circumstances are not great? 5. Can you name at least two books that Paul wrote while in prison?

HEBREWS, JEWS, ISRAEL – WHAT DO THEY MEAN? (8) In our last lesson we gave a brief summary of each of the 13 letters that Saul or Paul wrote in what is called the New Testament. Those 13 letters are Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. In this lesson we will define some terms that will help in your Bible study and prepare the way for our next lesson to introduce the book of Hebrews. The name HEBREW means a "wanderer". The people of Israel began as a nation without a homeland so they were called "Hebrews" or "wanderers". However, the nation later was named after the grandson of Abraham, Jacob. God had changed Jacob's name to ISRAEL (meaning a "prince")(See Genesis 32:28), so the nation took this name, but the language of Israel continued to be called HEBREW. By the time of Jesus Christ, the people of Israel had been scattered for about 600 years into other parts of the world from the borders of India, to Spain and into Africa. Most spoke the language of the people they lived with or GREEK, which was the predominate language of the Roman Empire. Some were so devout to the old ways of the nation of Israel that they continued to speak Hebrew. Those who had moved back to the Jerusalem area especially emphasized the Hebrew language in their places of worship and in the home. So there were Greek speaking people who had descended from Israel, and there were those who spoke Hebrew. So people who came from Israel would refer to some of their race as GREEKS and some as HEBREWS (See Acts 6:1-5). They were from the same people, but these names would describe their language and possibly where they once lived. Those called HEBREWS lived mostly around Jerusalem, and those called Greeks were scattered throughout the rest of the Roman Empire where Greek was the universal language.

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So lets review this important information: ISRAEL is the name of the nation which came from Jacob (Abraham's grandson), who was also called Israel. A person who belonged to this race of people were called Israelites. Some of these people continued to speak their old language, held firmly to the old culture, and were called Hebrews.

QUESTION: HOW DID THESE SAME PEOPLE COME TO BE CALLED JEWS? The man, Jacob or Israel, had 12 sons. Therefore, there were 12 tribes or groups of people who came from him. Many times in the Bible you will read about the 12 tribes of Israel. When they first entered their land around 1400 B.C., the land was divided according to the size of each tribe. One of the largest tribes in the south was named after one of the sons, JUDAH. This was the tribe that Jesus later came from. The second king of the entire nation of Israel came from the tribe of Judah. His name was David (1010-970 B.C.). After the reign of his son, Solomon, the kingdom of Israel split into two separate nations. The northern kingdom was made up of ten tribes and kept the name ISRAEL. The southern kingdom, which kept the capital city of Jerusalem and the temple, was called JUDAH because Judah was its largest tribe and their kings came from that tribe. The name JEW is a shortened word for Ju-dah or Jew-dah. At about 721 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel was taken from their homeland by the empire of Assyria. They were scattered and after that played only a minor role in the Bible story. The southern kingdom, Judah, was scattered by Babylon, and Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. Judah continued to play a major role in Old Testament history because Jesus Christ was to come from this tribe. 70 years after Jerusalem was destroyed, a small number from this tribe returned and rebuilt the temple. As time went on, since most of the people who moved back to the area around Jerusalem were from Judah, people from all 12 tribes were eventually referred to as Jews! So in the time of Jesus and the New Testament (first century A.D.), people from the same race were called Israelites, Hebrews, and Jews. A large percentage of the Jews who lived around Jerusalem spoke the Hebrew language and were also referred to as Hebrews. The book of Hebrews in the Bible was written to Jewish Christians who lived near Jerusalem. That is how the book of Hebrews got its name.

QUESTIONS: 1. What language did the people of Israel speak in the days of the Bible? 2. The man Israel first had the name _____________. 3. In the time of Jesus Christ, people who were descendants of Israel spoke many different

languages and lived in many parts of the world. WHY? 4. How many tribes of Israel were there? 5. What was the name of the tribe that Jesus came from? 6. The word "Jew" is taken from what tribe?

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THE BOOK OF HEBREWS (9) In our last lesson we learned about the terms Hebrew, Israel, and Jew. They all described the same people. However, in the time of Jesus the term "Hebrew" was not only the name of their language, it was applied specifically to Jews who lived around Jerusalem. When the book of Hebrews was first written (63 A.D.), these Jews had been Christians for over 30 years. The church in Jerusalem began in 30 A.D. (see Acts 2) and soon endured severe persecution (Acts 4-5, 7-8) at the hands of their own countrymen. The Jewish religion (a mixture of Old Testament teaching and long held tradition) was the national religion in Judah during the days when the Roman army occupied their land. The Jews who did not believe that Jesus was the promised one of the Old Testament, insisted to the Romans that the followers of Jesus Christ were a new religion and should be punished. It was against the law in Rome to have a new religion. Christians maintained that they were the true religion that all the Old Testament had looked forward to. They argued that they were not a new religion, but the true one that was the fulfillment of the Jewish Old Testament (the 39 Old Testament books in the Bible). Even the Jews who believed in Christ and became Christians did not see a contradiction between the Old Testament and what they were now practicing as a Christian. The Old Testament was a historical record of God's working in history to bring Jesus Christ into the world. So they continued to use the temple of the Jews, kept their holy days, their diet restrictions, and practiced all the teachings of Moses including the command to be circumcised. So even though the believers in Jerusalem were Christians, to most eyes (especially the Romans) they were still Jewish in race and religion. They simply had the "strange" belief that Jesus (a poor man, a carpenter's son, crucified by the Romans) was the Son of God and the one promised to come to save the world. 30 years after the church began, the Christians in Jerusalem were still practicing the Law of Moses and honoring Jerusalem as a Holy City and the Temple there as the house of God (See Acts 21). The apostles of Jesus Christ saw trouble coming because of the Christians loyalty to these old ways. There was also political trouble coming between the Jews and the Romans. There was talk of war or a Jewish rebellion against Roman rule. Jesus had predicted during his ministry (26-30 A.D.) that within one generation after his death Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed (Matthew 23:19-24:34). Jesus had warned during this time of trouble that only those who were willing to get out of Jerusalem would be spared. But in 63 A.D., there were so many Christians who were loyal to the Jewish state, they were more willing to fight the Romans than to flee like Jesus had warned. The book of Hebrews was written during this time. The writer had to show the Christians how superior Jesus Christ is to the Old Testament system. The priesthood, sacrifices, and rituals were not to be compared to what we have spiritually in Jesus Christ. He is the only priest we need. He is the only sacrifice we need for sin. God does not live in physical temples but in each believer. The Law of Moses was a temporary law written only for the nation of Israel. It was never intended to rule over other nations. Christianity is for people from every nation in the world and will flourish in any century. It is a religion based on the spiritual, not the carnal, fleshly, physical ordinances of the law of Moses. The law of Moses was a mere shadow of what we actually have in Christ (Hebrews 10:1-4; Colossians 2:14-17).

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As the war against Rome got closer, the patriotism of the Christians in Jerusalem was so strong that they were in danger of choosing Jerusalem and the temple over Jesus Christ. If they chose to pay attention to Jesus' warning to get out of Jerusalem, they were accused of being traitors by their family and friends and were, therefore, persecuted. The book of Hebrews was written to convince them to make the right choice. To stay and fight meant not only physical death (Rome would win), but it showed unbelief in Jesus Christ who said to leave the city and temple behind. Their UNBELIEF meant separation from Christ. Their BELIEF meant separation from family and country. Their continued loyalty to both family and country meant they would not only die in the war but would also miss heaven because they were rejecting Christ. The Book of Hebrews, however, is very relevant for us today. It reminds us of how much better Christianity is than any other religion. It is better because it is based on what Jesus Christ has done and continues to do for us. It also serves as a warning about unbelief. Hebrews is a great book about faith and the importance of faith (see Hebrews 11).

QUESTIONS: 1. The Jews or the descendants of Israel who lived in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus Christ were

also called ____________ because they continued to use the old language. 2. In 63 A.D. when the book of Hebrews was written, the Jews were about to go to war against

what world empire? 3. 33 years before, Jesus had predicted that the Jews would (win or lose)? 4. Christians had to choose loyalty to __________ more than loyalty to family and nation.

NEW TESTAMENT LETTERS (James through Revelation) (10)

JAMES (62-63 A.D.) This book is hard to date with estimates ranging from 45-65 A.D. It was most likely written by one of the brothers of Jesus Christ. He was a leader in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13; 21:18; Galatians 1:19; 2:9-12). The book was written for Jewish believers (12 tribes scattered abroad) who lived in various countries scattered throughout the Roman Empire. This is in contrast to the book of Hebrews that was written to Jews who lived around Jerusalem. The book of James is very practical in regard to living the Christian life and there are many similarities between the book of James and the sermon taught by Jesus in Matthew 5-7 (called the sermon on the Mount). James teaches that Christians are patient in trials (Chapter one), practice what they believe (2), try to control their tongue (3), are peacemakers, not trouble makers (4), and are prayerful in troubles (5). 1 and 2 PETER (64-65 A.D.) Peter was one of the original 12 apostles of Jesus who took the lead when the church first began (Acts 2). Though he worked primarily with Jews, he was the first to preach to Gentiles (Acts 10). He wrote to people that he called strangers or aliens dwelling in modern day Turkey. It is hard to

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determine whether those who first received this letter were literal aliens, that is, driven from their homes and forced to live in a new country, or whether Peter referred to them as aliens in the sense that all Christians are aliens in this world. This world is not our real home, heaven is. (See 1 Peter 2:11). The book of 1 Peter is a letter of encouragement to Christians who were undergoing persecution. It talks about the place of suffering in the Christian's life, and how the hope we have in Jesus Christ can get us through that suffering and how suffering can help us grow stronger. The glory that we will have as a result of suffering for Christ will make the suffering worthwhile. There were many false teachers moving in and out among the churches. Peter's second letter tries to prepare his readers for dealing with false teachers. Peter plainly told them about the completeness of God's revealed truth (1:3-4; 1:16-21) and what they could do to make sure they did not fall away from the faith (1:5-11). He described what false teachers were like and what would happen to them and those they influenced in the end (2:1-3:13). 1 and 2 and 3 JOHN (64-65 A.D.) John was also one of the original 12 apostles. He referred to himself in the Gospel he wrote as "the disciple who Jesus loved". John, like Peter, had to address false teachers who became more and more fruitful as the days toward the end of the Jewish nation drew near. (Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans). John talks about the "last time" and "anti-Christs" and said they would occur in his own time (1 John 2:18). There actually were teachers who were saying that Jesus, when seen on the earth, did not have a body of flesh (1 John 4:1-3). This was a very dangerous teaching since it denied that Jesus was a man and was tempted just like we are. John also emphasizes the importance of obeying God and loving each other. If love is not present in our life, we are lost! If love is not in our life, it does not matter how much we read our Bible or practice outward religion. JUDE (64-65 A.D.) Jude was also a brother of Jesus Christ. His one page book is very similar to what is found in 2 Peter 2. It is full of warnings about false teachers and the need for Christians to "contend earnestly for the faith". We must always be aware of those who would lead us away from Christ. REVELATION (65 A.D.) The Revelation received by John from Jesus Christ is a very unique book. John received a series of dreams and visions, which he describes in detail for his readers. All New Testament books are easier to understand if you are at least a little familiar with the Old Testament law and history. This is especially true of the book of Revelation. In 22 chapters, there are over 450 references or allusions to the Old Testament. Because John is describing visions he was given, the language John uses must be interpreted in a figurative way. How do you learn to interpret these symbols and figures? Become very familiar with the rest of the Bible before attempting to study Revelation. Today many modern preachers teach many things from Revelation which are not true. They try to apply its teachings and prophecies to their own modern generation without first asking themselves what it meant to the ones who first received it. Revelation was very relevant to the people who first read it. It applied directly to them in the first century. Any viewpoint that someone gives you on the book of Revelation, which does not take the historical setting in mind, is bound to be wrong.

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We will have detailed lessons on this book later in our studies after we have laid the background for it in studying the other books. The key verse to the book is Revelation 6:9-11. John saw a vision of believers who had already been killed because of their faith. They were seen asking God when he was going to carry out vengeance on their enemies. God answered that a few others would have to be killed then God would take out his wrath upon those who shed their blood. The rest of the visions in the book describe God's wrath against those enemies who shed the blood of his apostles, prophets, and other Christians. When you read the Old Testament and the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; ask yourself as you read: "Who was it that killed the apostles, the prophets and other believers in the Bible? When you find out who, then you will know the subject matter of the book of Revelation. The first verses of Revelation tell us that the subject matter pertained to the Christians it was written to – not directly to us. The events described in the visions of John were relevant to that generation. We will gain from the book only if we understand this important point.

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The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw-- that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (Revelation 1:1-3 NIV)

UESTIONS:

. Which two books were written by brothers of Jesus Christ?

. Which book written to aliens and strangers encourages them concerning suffering.

. Which writer deals with false teachers who were saying that Jesus did not have a fleshly body like us while he was on the earth?

. Why is it important for you to wait awhile before you spend too much time studying the book of Revelation?

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