A Note Before Beginning

The Exploring the Bible course is a STUDY exercise. To get the most from your participation it is necessary that you have an interest in learning and understanding the Bible.The following are a few simple steps that are suggested for you to follow so that you are soon on your way to exploring the Bible confidently and effectively yourself.

The Bible is the Text Book. Read through the Bible chapter given at the head of your notes. Initially there may be some things that you have difficulty understanding - don't worry, you soon will.
Read through the notes. Look up the Bible quotes and they will help your understanding of the section. If you have questions then list them and write to us about them.
If you have a Bible with a margin, use it for added support references. Often it will direct you to passages that can help you to interpret what you are reading.
If the margin mentions that the verse you are considering is quoted in the New Testament then look it up. The best help that you can have in understanding a passage is the explanation given by Jesus Christ or one of the apostles.
When you have read through the notes look at the points that are listed at the end of each section.
Make your own notes as you read through. This will help you to become familiar with the important points in your future studies.
It is a great help and important tool if you wish to explore the Bible to know where the books of the Bible are. It does not take long to memorise the books of the Bible - just a little patience and effort and you will soon be as familiar with them as you are with the alphabet.
Remember - there was a time for most of us, before we commenced taking a serious look at the Bible, that we knew very little about it. So be patient, it can seem confusing at the start but with continued reading and prayer to God exploring the Bible will become exciting and rewarding.

THE BIBLE - THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD

As we commence our consideration of the Bible and its message let us first answer some commonly asked questions.

What does "Holy Bible" mean ?
The word "Bible" comes from the Greek word "biblos" meaning "book". "Holy" is a word meaning "set apart" or "separate", with the idea of being set apart or dedicated by or for God. Therefore the name "Holy Bible" was given to this book because it was seen to be God's inspired Word, thus making it separate from all other books ever written.

When was the Bible written?
The Bible is in fact a collection of books or writings that were written over a period of approximately 1600 years by many different writers. The first books were written by Moses about BC 1500, while the last was written by John the Apostle around AD 100.

Why is the Bible divided into the Old and New Testaments?
If we look at the index in the front of the Bible we see that it contains 66 books. The translators divided these books into the Old and New Testaments many years after they were written. The Old Testament contains 39 books that were written in Hebrew before the birth of Christ, while the New Testament contains 27 books that were written in Greek after Christ.

Where was the Bible written?
There were many men whom God chose to write the Bible over a long period of time. Although most wrote in Israel there were some like Daniel and Ezekiel who wrote in Babylon and others like the apostles who wrote in different provinces of the Roman Empire. The amazing fact is that although the Bible was written over such a long period of time, in many different places and by many writers, its message is consistent and unified. This in itself indicates that God is it's author.

How did God cause these men to write the Bible?
There are many references in the Bible telling how God caused His message to be recorded. The Apostle Peter expresses it this way: "No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21). Here the apostle Peter explains that God selected holy or God fearing men to whom He made known His will. These men then wrote the message that they received from God. These combined writings have become the book we know as the Bible.

Why was the Bible written?
This question is answered this way by the Apostle Paul: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The Bible was therefore given to teach people about God and His purpose, and to direct them into a way of life that is pleasing to God and rewarding to those who obey Him.

How can we prove that God exists and the Bible really is His Word?
For some people this question can never be answered to their satisfaction, but for some the answer is not complicated nor difficult to understand, for it is God Himself who anticipated it and has given the answer in many places in the Bible. One of these places is in the prophecy of Isaiah: "For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isaiah 46:9-10).
Look at the claims that God makes here:
He alone is God and there is no other. If this is true then the God of Israel alone is the God of the universe.
He can tell the future. We know by experience that no man can reliably tell the future. In the Bible God foretells events that humanly speaking would be impossible to predict, and yet they have come to pass with unerring accuracy.
He has the power to accomplish His predictions. He claims not only to be able to foretell the future but also to bring it to pass.

From this we see that God has given a very simple method whereby the genuine seeker for truth can find an answer to the question, "Is there a God and is the Bible His Word?" Finding the answer does not depend upon a high intellectual capacity, but rather upon the honesty to logically deal with the facts that are presented in the Bible. The prophecies of the Bible substantiate its claim to be inspired by God. We will briefly consider some simple prophecies whereby we can test God's claim to be able to predict the future.

Some Facts to Consider
The Old Testament of the Bible was definitely written over 200 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) bears historical witness to this.
The Dead Sea Scrolls support the dating of the Old Testament.
Both Jesus Christ and the New Testament record are historically provable facts which date to the period that the Bible claims for them.
From these historically provable facts we can now test whether God can actually foretell the future, realising that predictions made in the Old Testament were made at least 250 years before they were fulfilled in the New Testament.

A Prophecy of the Crucifixion of Christ
Consider the minute detail set out in this prophecy in Psalm 22 regarding the crucifixion of Christ and the way each detail was fulfilled. This Psalm was written by David 1000 years before it was fulfilled.

It would be impossible for a person to predict in such detail these events. It is also irrational to believe that Jesus himself, the Jewish rulers who denied his claim to be the Messiah, and the pagan Roman soldiers would collaborate to perform the crucifixion of Jesus so that they might fulfil an Old Testament prophecy, and so deceive people into believing that the Bible was the Word of God.
Psalm 22 not only predicted the crucifixion of Christ but also his resurrection in v 22.

Go to Lesson 1B