Introduction to the Bible Part 2

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Revelation

Definition: The act of God whereby He discloses to man what would otherwise be unknown.
There are 2 different types of Revelation they are:
Natural Revelation
Natural revelation is God revealing Himself to man through creation and conscience.
This is also called General Revelation meaning what can be observed by the normal person.
Through creation in Romans 1:18-20
Romans 1:18–20 ESV
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Through conscience in Romans 2:14-15
Romans 2:14–15 ESV
14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
What is the purpose of natural or general revelation?
To cause man to search for a fuller revelation of God.
How does natural or general revelation fall short of giving people enough information to lead directly to salvation?
It gives evidence that God exists; however it does not reveal how man can be saved from his sinfulness and separation from God. This is why God has also provided special revelation.
Special Revelation
Special Revelation is God revealing Himself through miracles and signs, dreams and visions, theophanies, through the prophets and the greatest prophet Jesus Christ, and through the written words of God in the Bible.
Hebrews 1:1–2 ESV
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Types of Special Revelation
Theophanies: (Appearances of God in tangible form)
To Abraham: Genesis 17:1
Genesis 17:1 ESV
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,
To Isaac: Genesis 26:2
Genesis 26:2 ESV
2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.
To Jacob: Genesis 32:30
Genesis 32:30 ESV
30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”
To Moses: Exodus 3:2-6
Exodus 3:2–6 ESV
2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Dreams and Visions
Jacobs Ladder: Genesis 28:12-16
Genesis 28:12–16 ESV
12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
Daniel: Daniel 2:19, 28
Daniel 2:28 ESV
28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:
Miracles and Signs
Flood: Genesis 7.
Burning bush: Exodus 3.
Plagues in Egypt: Exodus 7-13.
Parting of the Red Sea: Exodus 14.
The sufficiency of special revelationThe special revelation of God, through His written Word, the Bible, goes beyond natural revelation. The Bible is sufficient to lead one to salvation but does not reveal everything about God to man.
Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV
29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Romans 11:33 ESV
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

General Information on the Bible

How did we get the Bible?
2 Peter 1:21 ESV
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
God spoke to men to write His word = Manuscripts
written over 1600 years
40 different authors
66 books
Titles of the Bible
Bible- meaning book or scroll: became known as The Book
Canon- Greek word means rule; came to mean the Scripture itself
Scripture- John 7:38.
The writings- 2 Timothy 3:15.
The Word of God- 1 Thessalonians 2:13.
The Law, Prophets, and Psalms- Luke 24:44.
The Old Testament and the New Testament
The word “Testament” is derived from the Latin Testamentum, meaning a will. The greek word for will is Suntheke, meaning an agreement or a covenant entered into by contracting parrties.
The Old Testament was based on the Old Covenant, a covenant of obedience and blessing.
The New Testament is based on the New Covenant
The New Covenant is better than the Old Hebrews 7:22. 8:6
The Old Covenant has passed away Hebrews 8:13.
The New Covenant is through Christs blood Luke 22:20.
The New Covenant is not of the Law but of the Spirit 2 Cor 3:5-6.
The Apocrypha
It is important to discuss the apocryphal writings because they are included in the Catholic Bible.
Apocrypha means “hidden”
There are 14 books in the Apocrypha. We do not accept them as inspired of God because:
They are never quoted in the New Testament. Also Christ never mentions them in His list in Luke 24:44
Luke 24:44 ESV
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
They lack the endorsement of the ancient Jewish writers.
There are problems with content. For example, the book of Tobit teaches that almsgiving can save you from death and dark abode. Second Maccabees 12:43-45. states that one can make atonement for the dead. It is clear that these teachings are inconsistent with Biblical teachings.
They do not have prophetic power (this is a powerful mark of true Scripture).

Bible Survey

A. Old Testament Bible Survey
4000 BC Creation
2300 BC Flood
2000 BC Abraham (Abram)
1860 BC Isaac
1820 BC Jacob
1700 BC Joseph> Egypt; Famine; Jacob> Egypt
1446 BC Exodus (10 plagues/Passover instituted)
1000 BC Kings (Saul, David, Solomon)
900 BC Divided kingdom
700 BC Assyria destroys Israel
606 BC Babylonian captivity of Judah (70 years)
536 BC Jews return to Jerusalem- Ezra (rebuilds temple); Nehemiah (rebuilds wall).
B. New Testament Bible Survey
Matthew, Mark, Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels. (synoptic means seeing together). They cover the following key events and people
Birth of Christ
John the Baptist
Christs temptations
Choosing of the 12 disciples
The Sermon on the Mount Matt. 5:1-7:29.
The Olivet Discourse Matt. 24-25.
Christs miracles
Christs parables
Lazarus raised from the dead
Christs arrest, trial, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection
The Gospel of John presents Christ as God.
The book of seven signs (miracles of Christ)
The book of I AMs
The Book of Acts gives the transition from Judaism to the church of Christ.
Ascension of Christ
Pentecost- 50 days after Passover
Key People: Peter and Paul
Pauls conversion and missionary journeys
Epistles
Letters to Churches
Letters to individuals
Revelation
The tribulation and the return of Christ
The kingdom and final judgement

Christ in the Bible

A. Luke 24:27. Christ is seen in all the Scriptures.
B. John 5:39. Jesus said the Scriptures “bear witness of Me.”
▶ Christ is promised through the blessing of Abraham’s line (Genesis 12:1–3).
▶ Christ is pictured in the Passover, as He was to be the true Passover Lamb (Exodus 12; John 1:29, 36).
▶ Christ’s crucifixion was predicted (Psalm 22:1–8; Isaiah 53:4–7).
▶ Christ’s birthplace was predicted (Micah 5:2).
▶ Christ’ future kingdom, dominion, and glory were predicted (Daniel 7:14).

The Canonization of the Bible

Why these 66 Books?
There are 8 prospective reasons for the 66 books.
Testimony of God the Holy Spirit to the authority of His own Word.
Prophetic authorship
God’s providential care in preserving that which He desires to preserve according to His own will.
Gods people responding in recognition of Gods Canon in faith and submission.
Many of the books in the present Canon claim to be the Word of God.
In regard to the OT Christ validated the OT books.
In regard to the NT Peter recognized Pauls writings as being equal with Scripture.

The Believability of the Bible

▶ Ordinary men wrote the Scriptures. In fact, John and Peter were both fishermen, while Matthew was a tax collector. God did not use the philosophers of the day; rather, He used common men to write an uncommon book!
▶ The Bible is also internally consistent. That is, there are no errors or contradictions. The Bible was written over a period of 1600 years by 40 different authors in three different languages. Yet the Bible remains without errors and contradiction! Those who oppose God and His Word have sought to discredit the Bible. However, no man has ever found information in the Bible that can be proven to be wrong. No book has been more scrutinized than the Bible, and it still stands strong as God’s infallible Word.
▶ The Bible is a powerful and dynamic book that has not only changed the lives of millions of people, it also convicts God’s people of sin and leads them down the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. The Bible has had more influence than any book ever written.
▶ The Bible is historically accurate, giving credible evidence for creation, fossil records, and so on.
▶ Jesus Christ Himself confirmed the believability of the Scriptures. Jesus believed in the law and prophets (Matthew 5:17–18), believed in Jonah (Matthew 12:40–41), and believed the historical narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 10:15).
▶ There are various prophecies concerning the Messiah that confirm the believability of the Bible.
❒ The birthplace of the Messiah was predicted 700 years before His birth, saying that He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, fulfilled in Luke 4–7).
❒ Christ would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14, fulfilled in Matthew 1:18–25).
❒ Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem was predicted 700 years before it occurred (Zechariah 9:9, fulfilled in John 12:12–15).
❒ Christ’s crucifixion and suffering were also prophesied 700 years before fulfillment (Psalm 22:14–18, fulfilled in John 19:23–37; Isaiah 53:4–7, fulfilled in Matthew 26:63).❒ Each of these prophecies can be used to help believers strengthen their resolve about the believability of the Scriptures.
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