Let’s be honest, the Bible is hard to read. It’s long, at times hard to understand, and can be boring. In addition, sometimes it may not seem relevant to today’s world.
I used to think that the Bible was a collection of unrelated stories. Stories about Moses, David, Joseph, etc. – I thought were just stories or legends. But I didn’t realize that the Bible actually has a history, and is basically one continuous story about God’s relationship with man.
It starts with Adam and Eve sinning by disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. From Adam’s descendants came the Israelites, whom God chose to fulfill His plan through Jesus Christ to ultimately save man from sin.
To help you understand the Bible, here’s the Bible in a nutshell:
Adam and Eve – Sin enters the world
Noah’s Ark – Men become so sinful that God wipes them all out with a flood, and starts over with Noah’s sons.
Abraham – A descendant of Noah’s son Shem, chosen by God, he became the ancestor of the Jewish and Arab people
Jacob – Abraham’s grandson and the father of the Israelite (Jewish) people
Joseph – Jacob’s son who was sold to slavery in Egypt, but ultimately rose to power and saved his family who went to Egypt
Moses – The Israelites eventually became slaves in Egypt, and Moses delivers them out, receives the Ten Commandments, and points them to the Promised Land.
Joshua – Conquers and settles in the Promised Land.
Judges – The first rulers of Israel during a period of spiritual ups and downs
Kings – A succession of good kings (David, Solomon) and mostly bad kings, which ultimately leads to exile
Exile – Because of their sin, the Israelites are conquered and exiled to foreign lands
Return – The Israelites are allowed to return and rebuild
Jesus – The prophesied Messiah (Saviour) through the line of David, Jesus conquers the sin begun by Adam and Eve, through His death and resurrection
Paul – Builds the Christian Church, taking the message of Jesus to the Gentiles (Non-Jews)
Revelation – Prophecies about Jesus’ second coming and final judgement
Next: What About Other Religions?
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