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≡BCOMP.2 « ADDITIONAL BIBLE SOFTWARE » Additional Bible related software is available by contacting the program author and requesting additional information. Some of the currently available selections are: «SCRIPTURE QUEST» - Over 3200 multiple choice questions to test your knowledge of the Scriptures. Supports 1-9 players and printouts. «HEBREW FLASHCARDS»- Learn the Hebrew alphabet, vowel pointing, words and pronunciation. Graphics adapter required. «MEMORY VERSE» - Learn to memorize Scripture. Hundreds of verses from NIV and King James version to memorize and print. User can add to database of verses. «THE GRAPE VINE» - Work letter by letter, word by word, uncovering the hidden Bible phrases. A delightfully challen- ging Bible word game. Very similar in play to "Wheel Of Fortune" and "Hangman", but now with a new twist! «PROVERBS» - This program tests one's knowledge of the Old Testament book of Proverbs. 1) Pair the first half of a proverbial couplet with its matching second half, 2) choose the correct key words to complete selected proverbs, 3) background on the book of Proverbs. Hundreds of proverbs matches available. «KING JAMES BIBLE» - The program, including text. This program makes it possible to find and view books of the Bible in seconds. Single and split screen options. A split screen enables the reader to compare scripture with scripture. Mark blocks of text for copying portions to disk or to printer. A daily reading plan option makes it easy to read the Bible through in one year. Includes a map and dictionary. Runs on hard disks or 3½" disks. «COMMENTEXT» - Commentaries on various books of the Bible pre- «COMMENTARIES» sented in hypertext format. «ACTS OF THE» - A combination of graphics and Bible text that «APOSTLES» automatically displays the location of 99% of all the geographical features mentioned in the N.T. book of Acts as the user reads the text. Short geographic/historical notes for each location also available. Includes a multiple choice game to test your knowledge of this important book. «ISRAEL - THE» - A graphic tour from Genesis to Acts of the gospel «LAND OF PROMISE» message. «KJVOCABULARY» - Test your vocabulary of the King James Version text. From "Ado" to "Wot", this is a great way to learn those difficult and archaic words from this classic Bible translation of 1611. Interact- ive game and dictionary. «GOSPEL PARALLELS» - The N.T. books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in parallel format. Find matching parallel passages in seconds. Complete with chronological index and note pad. «FRONTLETS» - An attractive VGA screen saver with a Bible theme. A different verse appears every 20 seconds in LARGE hi-resolution graphics. Sure to draw the attention of others if run on an office computer. «BIBLE CROSSWORDS» - Attractive, high-resolution VGA crossword puzzles that can be solved on your computer, with a Bible theme. «?» - Other programs are in the works... To offset the cost of mailing and catalog materials, submit 6 first class U.S. postage stamps, along with a note of inquiry to: Philip P. Kapusta Softword Technology P.O. Box 5423 Falmouth, Va. 22403 U.S.A. Canadian inquirers, ask your postmaster for 6 international postal coupons instead of U.S. stamps or submit $3.00 cash. Note: You can download evaluation demos of all the programs listed above from «The Mustard Seed BBS» at (540) 372-9680. ≡BCOMP.1 4100 BC ╓─── Adam created by Yahweh ╟ ╟─ ╟ 4000 BC ╟─── ╟ Seth is born to Adam ╟─ ╟ 3900 BC ╟─── ╟ ╟─ Enos is born to Seth ╟ 3800 BC ╟─── ╟ Cainan is born to Enos ╟─ ╟ 3700 BC ╟─── Mahalaleel is born to Cainan ╟ ╟─ ╟ Jared is born to Mahalaleel 3600 BC ╟─── ╟ ╟─ ╟ 3500 BC ╟─── ╟ Enoch is born to Jared ╟─ ╟ 3400 BC ╟─── Methuselah is born to Enoch ╟ ╟─ ╟ 3300 BC ╟─── ╟ ╟─ ╟ 3200 BC ╟─── Lamech is born to Methuselah ╟ ╟─ ╟ 3100 BC ╟─── "Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him" ╟ ╟─ Seth dies at age 912 ╟ Noah is born to Lamech 3000 BC ╟─── ╟ ╟─ Enos dies at age 905 ╟ 2900 BC ╟─── ╟ ╟─ Cainan dies at age 910 ╟ 2800 BC ╟─── Mehalaleel dies at age 895 ╟ ╟─ ╟ 2700 BC ╟─── ╟ Jared dies at age 962 ╟─ ╟ 2600 BC ╟─── ╟ ╟─ ╟ Shem, Ham, and Japheth are born to Noah 2500 BC ╟─── ╟ ╟─ Methuselah dies at age 969, same year as The Flood ╟ Arphaxad born to Shem 2 years after The Flood 2400 BC ╟─── Salah is born to Arphaxad ╟ ╟─ Eber is born (from whom comes the name Hebrews) ╟ Peleg is born to Eber; in those days the earth was divided 2300 BC ╟─── Reu is born to Peleg ╟ Serug is born to Reu ╟─ Nahor is born to Serug ╟ 2200 BC ╟─── Terah is born to Nahor ╟ ╟─ Abram born to Terah ╟ 2100 BC ╟─── Noah dies at age 950 (350 years after the Flood) ╟ Abram leaves Haran ╟─ Ishmael is born to Abram through Hagar ╟ Abram's name changed to Abraham; Isaac is born to Abraham 2000 BC ╟─── Isaac marries Rebecca ╟ Jacob and Esau are born to Isaac; Abraham dies at age 175 ╟─ ╟ 1900 BC ╟─── Joseph is born to Jacob ╟ Isaac dies at age 180 ╟─ ╟ Jacob dies in Egypt at age 147 1800 BC ╟─── ╟ Joseph dies in Egypt at age 110 ╟─ ╟ 1700 BC ╟─── ╟ ╟─ ╟ 1600 BC ╟─── Moses is born in Egypt ╟ ╟─ Moses flees to the land of Midian ╟ 1500 BC ╟─── The Exodus from Egypt ╟ ╟─ Death of Moses at age 120; the Israelites enter Canaan ╟ 1400 BC ╟─── Deliverence by Othniel, Caleb's younger brother ╟ Ehud judges Israel ╟─ ╟ Shamgar judges Israel 1300 BC ╟─── The land rests under Deborah and Barak ╟ Servitude to the Midianites ╟─ Gideon judges Israel ╟ Tola defends Israel 1200 BC ╟─── Jair judges Israel ╟ Jepthah judges Israel ╟─ Ruth ╟ Samson and Delilah 1100 BC ╟─── Samuel the prophet ╟ Philistines capture the Ark; Eli dies; David reigns in Hebron ╟─ David captures Zion and moves his capital there ╟ David dies at age 70; Solomon succeeds him on the throne 1000 BC ╟─── Temple completed and dedicated ║ Solomon dies; Rehoboam begins reign ╟ Southern kingdom (Judah) Northern kingdom (Israel) ║ Abijah begins 3 year reign Jeroboam I, son of Nebat 950 BC ╟─ Asa begins 41 year reign ║ ╟ Omri - Samaria founded ║ Jehoshaphat begins 25 year reign 900 BC ╟─── ║ Jehoram/Ahaziah/Athaliah ╟ Joash begins 40 year reign Jehu begins his reign ║ Jehoahaz begins his reign 850 BC ╟─ Amaziah begins 29 year reign ║ ╟ Southern kingdom (Judah) Northern kingdom (Israel) ║ Azariah (Uzziah) begins reign Joash begins his reign 800 BC ╟─── Jeroboam II begins his reign ║ Hosea the prophet ╟ ║ Jotham begins 16 year reign Isaiah and Amos the prophets 750 BC ╟─ Ahaz begins 16 year reign Menahem begins 10 year reign ║ Hezekiah begins 29 year reign Hoshea begins 9 year reign ╟ Micah the prophet 10 tribes dispersed by Assyria ║ 700 BC ╟─── Manasseh begins 55 year reign ║ ╟ ║ 650 BC ╟─ Amon begins 2 year reign ║ Josiah begins 31 year reign ╟ Jeremiah and Zephaniah the prophets ║ Jehoiakim begins 11 year reign 600 BC ╟─── Ezekiel and Daniel carried captive into Babylon ║ The Temple burnt, Jerusalem destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar ╟ ║ Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) released from prison in Babylon 550 BC ╟─ Belshazzar slain by Median/Persian army as Babylon falls ║ Cyrus in his third year decrees the rebuilding of the Temple ╟ Haggai the prophet ║ The Temple is rebuilt; Zechariah the prophet 500 BC ╟─── ║ ╟ Esther is made queen by Ahasuerus ║ Ezra returns to Jerusalem 450 BC ╟─ Artaxerxes Longimanus decrees to rebuild walls of Jerusalem ║ Nehemiah governs Judah ╟ Malachi the prophet ║ 400 BC ╟─── ║ ╟ ║ 350 BC ╟─ ║ ╟ Alexander the Great ║ Ptolemies and Seleucids (Greek kings of Egypt and Syria) 300 BC ╟─── ║ ╟ ║ 250 BC ╟─ Septuagint - Old Testament translated into Greek ║ ╟ ║ 200 BC ╟─── ╟ Antiochus Epiphanes 150 BC ╟─ The Maccabean Revolt ║ ╟ ║ 100 BC ╟─── ║ ╟ ║ Palestine conquered by the Romans under Pompey 50 BC ╟─ Julius Caesar ║ ╟ Caesar Augustus begins his rule as Roman emperor ║ Philip, Herod Anitpas, Archelaus - tetrarchs of Palestine AD ╟─── "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour" ║ Tiberius Caesar - emperor of Rome ╟ Pontius Pilate - provincial governor of Judaea ║ The gospel of the Kingdom is preached ║ The cutting off of Messiah; Jesus is raised from the dead 30 AD ╟─ The Spirit of God is poured out upon the Apostles on Pentecost ║ Stoning of Stephen - first martyr ╟ Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus ║ The Gospel comes to the Gentiles; Cornelius baptized 40 AD ╟─ Believers first called Christians at Antioch ║ James beheaded by Agrippa I; Peter freed from prison by an angel ╟ Paul's first missionary journey ║ Council at Jerusalem 50 AD ╟─ Paul's second missionary journey ║ ╟ Paul's third missionary journey ║ 60 AD ╟─ Paul at Rome ║ ╟ Rome burns and Nero persecutes Christians ║ Death of Paul; Nero commits suicide 70 AD ╟─ Jerusalem falls to Titus; the Temple is destroyed ╟ 80 AD ╟─ Christian persecutions under Domitian ╟ 90 AD ╟─ ╟ ≡BCOMP.11 1 ───«Abib»───────────────────────┬── 14th: Passover (Exodus 12:6) April └── 15th-21st: Unleavened bread (Lev. 23:6) 2 ───«Ziv»───────── May 3 ───«Sivan»───────────────────────── 6th or 7th: Pentecost (Lev. 23:15-21) June 4 ───«Tammuz»────── July 5 ───«Ab»────────── August 6 ───«Elul»──────── September ┌── 1st: New Year/Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25) 7 ───«Ethanim»────────────────────┼── 10th: Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29-30) October └── 15th-21st: Tabernacles (Neh. 8) 8 ───«Bul»───────── November 9 ───«Kislev»──────────────────────── 25th: Dedication/Lights (John 10:22) December 10 ───«Tebet»─────── January 11 ───«Shebat»────── February 12 ───«Adar»────────────────────────── 14th-15th: Purim (Esther 9:26-28) March ≡BCOMP.12 «RIDDLE NO. 1» Adam, God made from the dust, But thought it best to make me first. So I was made before the man, A part of God's most holy plan. A living "soul" I became, But Adam failed to call my name. I did my Maker's law obey, Nor ever went from it astray. Thousands of miles, I go in fear, But seldom on earth do I appear. For purpose wise, which God did see, He put a living "soul" in me. A "soul" from me God did claim, And took from me the "soul" again. So when from me the "soul" had fled, I was the same as when first made. Without hands or feet I go, I travel on from pole to pole. From my presence a rain does fly, A cloud I form beneath the sky. I labor hard by day, by night, To fallen man I gave great light. Thousands of people, young and old, Did by my death great light behold. No right or wrong can I conceive, The Scripture I cannot believe. Although my name therein is found, They are to me an empty sound. Now when these lines you slowly read, Go search your Bible with all speed. For that my name is written there, I do honestly to you declare. «RIDDLE NO. 2» Five hundred begins it; five hundred ends it; And five in the middle is seen; The first of all letters, the first of all numbers, Have taken their stations between; And if you correctly this medley can spell, The name of an ancient king then it will tell. «RIDDLE NO. 3» My center is nothing; My first is my last; And when the long ages Are over and past, Then vengeance divine Shall devour me and mine. «RIDDLE NO. 4» Four heads have I, but body none, And without any legs I run. 'Midst bliss supreme my lot was cast, And joys that could not be surpassed. Yet these delights did I forsake, And far away my course I take; Yet, while I wander far or nigh, Still ever in my bed I lie. «RIDDLE NO. 5» In the water, in the air, and in the busy brain, Busy once, but nevermore to hate or love again; One of five, all like itself, in deadly deed united, And yet delivering those in whom the LORD of Host delighted. «RIDDLE NO. 6» It is a word I love to hear, Though not of English birth; A gentle word that fitly falls From hapless sons of earth - From patient souls that seek and love The help which cometh from above. No plainer words, no simpler words To baby lips belong; For turn this way, or turn it that You cannot turn it wrong, Any yet the holiest lips were heard To utter first this simple word. Two letters make this simple word; But oh! how much they mean, They touch on earth, they soar to heaven They span the gulf between; To speak it humbly it brings no shame To those who seek their father's name. «RIDDLE NO. 7» In many a bosom fondly nursed, A fiery serpent is my first When Jesus came for us to die, He crushed this deadly enemy. My second is a city's name, Where Israel's host was put to shame, Because my first still unrevealed, Was lurking in their camp concealed. Upon my whole, pronounced by heaven, The knowledge of my first was given. The chosen people gathered round, And trembled at the dreadful sound. Answers can be found hidden somewhere in this program. Happy searching! 1. A whale 2. DAVID 3. Gog (Rev. 20:8-9) 4. The river that went out of Eden (Gen. 2:10) 5. The stone which slew Goliath 6. Abba (Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6) 7. Sinai - (First: Sin; Second: Ai) ≡BCOMP.12A THE HOLY OF HOLIES The Holy of holies was the smaller of the two chambers of the taberna- cle, wherein could be found the ark of the covenant. The dimensions of the Holy of holies formed a perfect cube - 10 cu- bits long, 10 cubits wide, and 10 cubits high. The two sides and the west end were enclosed by boards of shittim wood overlaid with gold. The boards stood upright, edge to edge, their lower ends being made to drop into sockets of sil- ver, and the corner boards being coupled together at the top with rings. Each board was furnished with rings on its outside, through which passed bars of shittim wood, overlaid with gold, bracing the boards together. A curtain embroidered with cherubim hung upon four pillars and thus divided the Holy of holies from the Holy place. It was called the veil, as it hid from the eyes of all but the high priest the inmost sanctuary, where Yah- weh's name dwelt above the mercy seat. It was only passed by the high priest once a year, on the Day of Atonement. ≡BCOMP.12B THE HOLY PLACE The Holy place was the larger of the two chambers of the tabernacle, wherein could be found the altar of incense, the table of shewbread, and the lampstand. Its length was 20 cubits, its width 10 cubits, and its height 10 cu- bits. The two sides to the north and to the south were made of boards of shittim wood, overlaid with gold. (For more detail concerning these boards see "The Holy of holies.") The entrance to the Holy place was closed with a covering like that of the outer court, supported by five pillars, covered with gold, while their "sockets" were of copper (Exodus 26:36,37; 36:37). The inside walls of both the Holy place and the Holy of holies were draped with woven cloth, upon which were embroidered cherubim (Exodus 26:1-6; 36:8-13). ≡BCOMP.12C THE OUTER COURT The outer court was an inclosed space about the tabernacle one hundred cubits long by fifty cubits wide. Inclosing this space was a peculiarly con- structed fence. Its framework consisted of pillars of shittim wood, five cu- bits high (Exodus 27:18). The bottom of the pillars were held in place by a "socket," or plate of copper (A.V. "brass"), evidently laid flat upon the ground. The socket had a hole to receive the pillar. The pillars were kept upright by cords (Exodus 35:18) fastened to pins of copper (27:19) driven into the ground. The "fillets" were curtain rods hung upon hooks near the upper end of the pillars, and served as the top rail of a fence, to keep the pillars at a proper distance apart. The fillets were of shittim wood, covered with silver, while the hooks and the caps which protected the tops of the pillars were of the same metal (38:17,19). Hooks were also placed at the bottom of the pillars, by which the lower edge of the curtain was fastened. The pillars, when set up and braced by the fillets and stay ropes, formed the complete framework of a fence. Upon this was hung sheets of "fine twined linen." The sheets were five cubits wide, the same as the height of the pillars, but as the pillars rested upon sockets, the curtain would be kept off from the ground. ≡BCOMP.12D THE ARK OF THE COVENANT It was called the "ark of the covenant" (Numbers 10:33) or the "ark of the testimony" (Exodus 25:22). The ark was made of acacia wood ("shittim") two and one half cubits long, one and one half cubits broad, and one and one half cubits high (exter- nal dimensions), and plated inside and out with pure gold. Running round each side was a gold border (A.V. "crown"), extending above the top of the ark, so as to keep the lid from moving. The lid was called the "mercy seat" (Exodus. 25:20) of the same size as the ark itself, and made of acacia wood covered with gold. The ark was transported by means of two gold-covered poles, run through two gold rings on each side, from which they were not drawn (Exodus 25:15) unless it might be necessary to remove them in order to cover the ark when the tabernacle was removed (Numbers 4:6). Upon the lid, or mercy seat, or at the ends of the ark, were place the cherubim. They stood facing each other, looking down upon the mercy seat, with their wings forward. Between the cherubim was the "Shekinah", the cloud in which Yahweh's glory appeared above the mercy seat (Exodus 25:20). ≡BCOMP.12E THE GOLDEN LAMPSTAND The lampstand stood on the south side of the Holy Place, directly op- posite the table of shewbread (Exodus 40:24). The material of which it was made was pure gold. It consisted of a pedestal, and an upright shaft. From this shaft, probably at equal distances from one another, there projected three branches on each side. The central shaft and the six branches terminated in sockets, into which the seven lamps were placed. The size of the lampstand is not given in the Bible description of it. Jewish tradition assigns it a height of above five feet and a breadth of about three and one half feet. The lamps themselves were also made of gold. These were placed upon the top of the central shaft and the branches. The lamps were supplied with pure olive oil. The lamps were lighted at the time of the evening sacrifice (Exodus 30:8), and extinguished, trimmed, and filled at the time of the morn- ing sacrifice (Exodus 30:7). For further details see Exodus 25:31-40. ≡BCOMP.12F THE ALTAR OF INCENSE The altar of incense occupied the middle space near to and in front of the inner veil in the Holy place (Exodus 30:1-6; 37:25-28; 40:5). In construction it was a simple box of acacia wood, two cubits high, one cubit wide, and one cubit broad, with a top, and horns like the brazen al- tar, the whole being covered with gold. It had no grate, because the fire did not come directly in contact with it. It had a molding around the edge and rings to carry it, and staves. Upon this altar neither burnt offerings nor meat offerings were al- lowed to be offered, nor drink offerings to be poured, but it was used exclu- sively to burn incense upon morning and evening. ≡BCOMP.12G THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD The table of shewbread was placed on the north side of the tabernac- le, facing opposite the golden lampstand (Exodus 40:22). It was made of acacia wood, two cubits long, one broad, and one and one half high, overlaid with pure gold. The top of the table rested on a frame, a handbreadth deep, while round it ran a "crown" or molding of gold, projecting above the top, to keep articles from slipping off the table. Rings were attached to each corner of the table for the carrying staves (Exodus 25:23-30; 37:10-16). The bread placed upon the table was made of fine wheat flour (unleav- ened), baked in twelve loaves (cakes), each containing one fifth of an ephah of flour. They were renewed every Sabbath to be eaten by the priests exclusively (and that in the sanctuary only), and were then replaced by fresh loaves (1 Samuel 21:6), which had been prepared overnight by the Levites (1 Chronicles 9:32). To each pile of loaves incense was added "for a memorial, even an of- fering made by fire unto the LORD" (Leviticus 24:5-9). ≡BCOMP.12H THE LAVER The laver stood about midway between the altar and the tabernacle. It was the basin used by the officiating priests, and was made from the bronze mirrors of the women (Exodus 30:18; 38:8). It was probably round, of considerable size, with another and shallow- er basin beneath it, into which the water ran after being used, and in which the priests washed their feet. We have no Bible information as to its size or shape. ≡BCOMP.12I THE BRAZEN ALTAR Also called the "altar of burnt offering" (Exodus 30:28) and the "table of the LORD" (Malachi 1:7,12). This altar was placed in the court, between the entrance and the tab- ernacle. It was made strong and light for convenient transportation; a hollow box of acacia wood, five cubits square and three cubits high (Exodus 27:1-8), overlaid, inside and out, with sheets of copper (A.V. "brass"). At each corner was a "horn". The altar had a grate placed halfway between the top and the bottom. At each corner of the grate was a ring, through which were passed the copper-covered poles by which the altar was carried when moved. Twenty years after leaving Egypt two hundred and fifty censers were flattened out and attached to the sides of the altar, telling an awful story to future generations (Numbers 16:1-40). According to Leviticus 6:13 the fire on this altar was never allowed to go out. ≡BCOMP.12J References used in compiling "The Tabernacle in the Wilderness" The Tabernacle of Moses, Conner, Kevin J., (Portland, Oregon: Bible Press, 1975). The People's Bible Encyclopedia, edited by Barnes, C.R., (Chicago, Illinois: The People's Publication Society, 1916). A Dictionary of the Bible, Smith, William D., (Philadelphia, Pa.: Universal Book and Bible House, 1948). Halley's Bible Handbook, Halley, Henry H. (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Zondervan Pub- lishing House, 1965). ≡BCOMP.12K Numbers, Chapters 2-4 Dan Asher Napthali 62,700 41,500 53,400 Benjamin Merarites 6,200 Judah 35,400 74,600 Family Manasseh of Moses Issachar 32,200 Gershon Aaron 54,400 7,500 Ephraim Zebulon 40,500 57,400 Kohathites 8,600 Gad Simeon Reuben 45,650 59,300 46,500 ≡BCOMP.13 The Gospel - "good news" - from the Greek word "euangelion"... ...used in the New Testament in the following manner: (a) with the kingdom (b) with God (c) with Christ (d) with peace (e) with salvation (f) with grace Occurances of «"euangelion"» and its usage: (a) Matt. 4:23 │ 1 Cor. 4:15 │ Eph. 6:19 (a) Matt. 9:35 │ (c) 1 Cor. 9:12 │ Phil. 1:5 (a) Matt. 24:14 │ 1 Cor. 9:14,18 │ Phil. 1:7 Matt. 26:13 │ 1 Cor. 9:23 │ Phil. 1:12 (c) Mark 1:1 │ 1 Cor. 15:1 │ (c) Phil. 1:27 (b) Mark 1:14 │ (c) 2 Cor. 2:12 │ Phil. 2:22 (a) Mark 1:15 │ 2 Cor. 4:3 │ Phil. 4:3 Mark 8:35 │ (c) 2 Cor. 4:4 │ Phil. 4:15 Mark 10:29 │ 2 Cor. 8:18 │ Col. 1:5 Mark 13:10 │ (c) 2 Cor. 9:13 │ Col. 1:23 Mark 14:9 │ (c) 2 Cor. 10:14 │ 1 Thes. 1:5 Mark 16:15 │ 2 Cor. 11:4 │ (b) 1 Thes. 2:2 Acts 15:7 │ (b) 2 Cor. 11:7 │ 1 Thes. 2:4 (f) Acts 20:24 │ Gal. 1:6 │ (b) 1 Thes. 2:8 (b) Rom. 1:1 │ Gal. 1:11 │ (b) 1 Thes. 2:9 (c) Rom. 1:9 │ Gal. 2:2 │ (c) 1 Thes. 3:2 (e) Rom. 1:16 │ Gal. 2:5 │ (c) 2 Thes. 1:8 Rom. 2:16 │ Gal. 2:7 │ 2 Thes. 2:14 Rom. 10:16 │ Gal. 2:14 │ (b) 1 Tim. 1:11 Rom. 11:28 │ (e) Eph. 1:13 │ 2 Tim. 1:8 (b) Rom. 15:16 │ Eph. 3:6 │ 2 Tim. 2:8 (c) Rom. 15:19 │ (d) Eph. 6:15 │ Philm. 13 Rom. 16:25 │ Eph. 6:19 │ Rev. 14:6 │ │ ──────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────── «"To preach/proclaim the Gospel"» - from the Greek word «"euangelizo":» Matt. 11:5 │ Acts 8:12 │ Rom. 1:15 │ Gal. 1:16 Luke 1:19 │ Acts 8:25 │ Rom. 10:15 │ Gal. 1:23 Luke 2:10 │ Acts 8:35 │ Rom. 15:20 │ Gal. 4:13 Luke 3:18 │ Acts 8:40 │ 1 Cor. 1:17 │ Eph. 2:17 Luke 4:18 │ Acts 10:36 │ 1 Cor. 9:16 │ Eph. 3:8 Luke 4:43 │ Acts 11:20 │ 1 Cor. 9:18 │ 1 Thes. 3:6 Luke 7:22 │ Acts 13:32 │ 1 Cor. 15:1 │ Heb. 4:2 Luke 8:1 │ Acts 14:7 │ 1 Cor. 15:2 │ Heb. 4:6 Luke 9:6 │ Acts 14:15 │ 2 Cor. 10:16 │ 1 Pet. 1:12 Luke 16:16 │ Acts 14:21 │ 2 Cor. 11:7 │ 1 Pet. 1:25 Luke 20:1 │ Acts 15:35 │ Gal. 1:8 │ 1 Pet. 4:6 Acts 5:42 │ Acts 16:10 │ Gal. 1:9 │ Rev. 10:7 Acts 8:4 │ Acts 17:18 │ Gal. 1:11 │ Rev. 14:6 │ │ │ ──────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────── ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ «"To preach/proclaim the Gospel beforehand"» - │ │ from the Greek word «"proeuangelizomai":» │ │ │ │ Gal. 3:8 - And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the │ │ heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto │ │ Abraham, saying, "In thee shall all nations be blessed." │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ «Summary of the Gospel:» 1) «Teaches of the Kingdom of God to come» (Mat. 4:23, 9:35, 24:14; Mark 1:15). a) It was the message of the Kingdom that Jesus preached - for this reason was Jesus sent (Luke 4:43). 2) «Teaches of Jesus the Anointed (Christ)» - a) That he is the Son of God (Mark 1:1). b) That Jesus died for our sins, was laid in the grave, and rose again from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). c) That Jesus was of the "seed of David" (2 Tim. 2:8). d) That Jesus was the promised Messiah that the law and the prophets spoke of (Acts 5:42, 8:35, 13:32-33). e) That through the man Jesus forgiveness of sins is available to us, resulting in our justification in the sight of God (Acts 13:38-39). 3) «Acceptance of the Gospel must be accompanied with repentance» (Mark 1:15; Acts 14:15). 4) «Starting from the time period after the resurrection of Jesus, the act of» «baptism follows once one has heard and believed the Gospel» (Mat. 28:19, Mark 16:15, Acts 8:12). 5) «The Gospel is made void if a person denies the teaching that God can and» «will raise the dead» (1 Cor. 15:1-19). 6) «Teaches of God's grace (favor) toward men» (Acts 20:24). 7) «Its message offers salvation to both the Jew and non-Jew» (Rom. 1:16; Eph. 1:13, 3:6). 8) «Teaches of a day of judgment to come, in the which God shall judge the» «secrets of men through the agency of Jesus» (Rom. 2:16). 9) «Its message does not have its origin from men, but from God» (Gal. 1:11-12). 10) «The Gospel has been called:» a) "the word of the truth" (Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5). b) "the word of God" (Acts 13:46). 11) «Failure to obey and believe its message can only result in one's own de-» «struction» (2 Thes. 1:7-9). 12) «Teaches of the righteousness of God» (Rom. 1:15-17). 13) «The message of the Gospel will be of no profit to those who hear it un-» «less it is united with faith» (Heb. 4:1-2). 14) «Unfortunately, the Gospel can be found distorted or corrupted by men» (2 Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:6-7). ≡BCOMP.17 «READ IT THROUGH» I supposed I knew my Bible, Reading piecemeal, hit or miss, Now a bit of John or Matthew, Now a snatch of Genesis; Certain chapters of Isaiah, Certain Psalms (the twenty-third), Twelfth of Romans, first of Proverbs, Yes, I thought I knew the Word. But I found a thorough reading Was a different thing to do, And the way was unfamiliar When I read the Bible through. You who like to play at Bible, Dip and dabble here and there, Just before you kneel aweary And yawn out a hurried prayer; You who treat the Crown of Writing As you treat no other book - Just a paragraph disjointed, Just a crude, impatient look - Try a worthier procedure, Try a broad and steady view, - You will kneel in very rapture When you read the Bible through. Amos R. Wells «HOW READEST THOU?» It is one thing to read the Bible through, Yet another to learn and do; With no desire to learn, do some read, To their subject pay but little heed; Some read it as their duty every week, But no instruction from the Bible seek; While others read it with but little care, With no regard to how they read or where; Some read it as a History, to know How people lived two thousand years ago; Some read it to bring themselves into repute, By showing others how they can dispute; While others read because their neighbors do, To see how long it takes to read it through. Some read it for the wonders that are there, How David killed a lion and a bear; While others read it with uncommon care, Hoping to find some contradictions there. Some read as though it did not speak to them, But to the people at Jerusalem. One reads it as a book of mysteries, And won't believe the very thing he sees; One reads with father's specs upon his head, And sees the thing just as his father said; Some read to prove a pre-adopted creed, Hence understanding but little as they read, For every passage in the book they bend, To make it suit that all-important end. Some people read, as I have often thought, To teach the Book, instead of being taught; And some there are who read it out of spite, I fear there are but few who read it right. One thing I find, and you may find it too, The more you read, the more you find it true; But this to find, an open eye is needful, With often prayer, and humble heart all heedful; The man who reads with pride of inattention, Will only find full causes of dissension; The man who reads with modest penetration, Will find the joy of comfort and salvation. ≡BCOMP.21 Abednego - "servant of Nego" Abel - "breath", "vapor" Abiathar - "father of abundance" Abigail - "father of joy" Abihu - "He is my father" Abijah - "my father is Yahweh" Abimelech - "father of the king" Abinadab - "father of generosity" Abinoam - "father of grace" Abiram - "father of height" Abishai - "father of a gift" Abner - "father of light" Abraham - "father of a multitude" Abram - "father of height" Absalom - "father of peace" Achan - "troublesome" Adam - "red earth" Adonijah - "my lord is Yahweh" Adonizedek - "lord of justice" Agag - "flame" Ahab - "father's brother" Ahaz - "possessor" Ahaziah - "held by Yahweh" Ahijah - "brother of Yahweh" Ahimelech - "brother of the king" Ahithophel - "brother of folly" Amalek - "dweller in a valley" Amasa - "burden" Amaziah - "whom Yahweh strengthens" Amnon - "faithful" Amos - "burdensome" Amoz - "strong" Amram - "strong people" Anak - "long-necked" Ananiah - "protected by Yahweh" Asa - "healing" Asaph - "collector" Asher - "happiness" Athaliah - "afflicted by Yahweh" Baasha - "offensiveness", "wicked" Balak - "emptier", "spoiler" Barak - "lightning" Bar-Jona - "son of Jonah" Bar-Jesus - "son of Joshua" Baruch - "blessed" Bathsheba - "daughter of the oath" Ben-Hadad - "son of Hadad" Benjamin - "son of my right hand" Bildad - "son of contention" Boanerges - "sons of thunder" Caleb - "a dog" Cephas - "a rock" Dan - "a judge" Daniel - "God is my judge" David - "beloved" Deborah - "a bee" Edom - "red" Eleazar - "God is helper" Eliezer - "God of help" Elijah - "my God is Yahweh" Elisha - "God his salvation" Emmanuel - "God with us" Ephraim - "fruitful" Esau - "hairy" Eve - "life giver" Ezekiel - "God will strengthen" Ezra - "help" Gabriel - "man [or] hero of God" Gad - "fortune" or "a troop" Gedaliah - "made great by Yahweh" Gehazi - "valley of vision" Gershom(n) - "expulsion", "exile" Gideon - "he that cuts down" Gomer - "perfection" Habakkuk - "embrace" Hadassah - "myrtle" Haggai - "festive" Hananiah - "Yahweh has favored" Hannah - "grace, favor" Hezekiah - "strengthened of Yahweh" Ichabod - "where is the glory?" Isaac - "laughter" Ishbosheth - "man of shame" Ishmael - "whom God hears" Israel - "ruler/prince with God" Issachar - "he will bring reward" Jacob - "heel-catcher", "supplanter" Jael - "wild goat" James - (see Jacob) Japheth - "widespreading" Jedidiah - "beloved by Yahweh" Jehoash - "Yahweh-given" Jehohanan - "Yahweh favored" Jehoiachin - "Yahweh will establish" Jehoiada - "known of Yahweh" Jehoiakim - "Yahweh established" Jehoram - "exalted by Yahweh" Jehoshaphat - "Yahweh judged" Jemima - "dove" Jephthah - "he will open" Jeremiah - "Yahweh will raise" Jerubbaal - "contender with Baal" Jesus - (see Joshua) Jethro - "excellence" Jezebel - "chaste" Joab - "whose father is Yahweh" Joash - "given by Yahweh" Job - "persecuted" Joel - "Yahweh his God" John - (see Jehohanan) Jonah - "dove" Jonathan - "Yahweh has given" Joseph - "adding", "increase" Joshua - "Yahweh his help" or "saviour" Josiah - "whom Yahweh heals" Jotham - "Yahweh is upright" Judah - "praise", "celebrated" Judas - (see Judah) Judith - "Jewess" Keturah - "incense" Laban - "white" Lazarus - (see Eleazar) Levi - "joining" Lot - "covering", "veil" Malachi - "my messenger" Manasseh - "forgetting" Melchizedek - "king of righteousness" Methuselah - "man of the dart" Micah - (see Micaiah) Micaiah - "who is like Yahweh?" Michael - "who is like God?" Midian - "strife" Miriam - "rebellion" Moses - "drawn out" Naaman - "pleasantness" Nabal - "foolish" Nadab - "spontaneous", "generous" Nahash - "serpent" Nahor - "snorting" Nahum - "comfortable", "consolation" Naomi - "my pleasantness" Nathan - "a giver" Nehemiah - "whom Yahweh comforts" Nethaneel - "given of God" Obadiah - "servant of Yahweh" Onesimus - "profitable" Phinehas - "mouth of brass" Rachel - "ewe lamb" Rebekah - "a noose", "ensnarer" Rehoboam - "enlarger of the people" Sarah - "princess" Shebna - "vigor" Shem - "name" Simeon - "hearing" Solomon - "peaceful" Tamar - "palm tree" Uriah - "flame of Yahweh" Uzzah - "strength" Uzziah - "strength of Yahweh" Zacharias - (see Zechariah) Zadok - "just" Zebulun - "habitation" Zechariah - "remembered of Yahweh" Zedekiah - "justice of Yahweh" Zephaniah - "hidden of Yahweh" Zerubbabel - "born at Babylon" Zipporah - "sparrow" ≡BCOMP.30 «A PARALLEL BIBLE STUDY» THE KINGDOM OF GOD & THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - ARE THEY THE SAME? "Some scholars have tried to distinguish between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, but there is severe difficulty with this. A compar- ison of Jesus' teaching regarding the kingdom of heaven and the the kingdom of God shows that at the same places and same times He said the same things about both. They are simply two phrases for one concept." * Matthew 4 Mark 1 12 Now when Jesus had heard that 14 Now after that John was put in John was cast into prison, he prison, Jesus came into Galilee, departed into Galilee; preaching the gospel of «the kingdom» 17 From that time Jesus began to «of God,» 15 And saying, The time preach, and to say, Repent: for «the» is fulfilled, and «the kingdom of» «kingdom of heaven» is at hand. 18 «God» is at hand: repent ye, and And Jesus, walking by the sea of believe the gospel. 16 Now as he Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw called Peter, and Andrew his brother, Simon and Andrew his brother casting casting a net into the sea: for they a net into the sea: for they were were fishers. 19 And he saith unto fishers. them, Follow me, and I will make you 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come fishers of men. ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Matthew 5 Luke 6 1 And seeing the multitudes, he 19 And the whole multitude sought went up into a mountain: and when he to touch him: for there went virtue was set, his disciples came unto him: out of him, and healed them all. 20 2 And he opened his mouth, and And he lifted up his eyes on his taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are disciples, and said, Blessed be ye the poor in spirit: for theirs is poor: for yours is «the kingdom of» «the kingdom of heaven.» «God.» 21 Blessed are ye that 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for hunger now: for ye shall be filled. they shall be comforted. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall laugh. 22 Blessed are ye, shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed when men shall hate you, and when are they which do hunger and thirst they shall separate you from their after righteousness: for they shall company, and shall reproach you, and be filled. 7 Blessed are the cast out your name as evil, for the merciful: for they shall obtain Son of man's sake. mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap heart: for they shall see God. 9 for joy: for, behold, your reward is Blessed are the peacemakers: for they great in heaven: for in the like shall be called the children of God. manner did their fathers unto the 10 Blessed are they which are prophets. persecuted for righteousness' sake: 24 But woe unto you that are rich! for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. for ye have received your 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall consolation. revile you, and persecute you, and 25 Woe unto you that are full! for shall say all manner of evil against ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that you falsely, for my sake. laugh now! for ye shall mourn and 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: weep. 26 Woe unto you, when all men for great is your reward in heaven: shall speak well of you! for so did for so persecuted they the prophets their fathers to the false prophets. which were before you. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Matthew 10 Luke 9 1 And when he had called unto him 1 Then he called his twelve his twelve disciples, he gave them disciples together, and gave them power against unclean spirits, to power and authority over all devils, cast them out, and to heal all manner and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent of sickness and all manner of them to preach «the kingdom of God,» disease. and to heal the sick. 3 And he said 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, unto them, Take nothing for your and commanded them, saying, Go not journey, neither staves, nor scrip, into the way of the Gentiles, and neither bread, neither money; neither into any city of the Samaritans enter have two coats apiece. ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, «The» «kingdom of heaven is at hand.» 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Matthew 13 Mark 4 31 Another parable put he forth 30 And he said, Whereunto shall we unto them, saying, «The kingdom of» liken «the kingdom of God?» or with «heaven» is like to a grain of what comparison shall we compare it? mustard seed, which a man took, and 31 It is like a grain of mustard sowed in his field: seed, which, when it is sown in the 32 Which indeed is the least of all earth, is less than all the seeds seeds: but when it is grown, it is that be in the earth: the greatest among herbs, and 32 But when it is sown, it groweth becometh a tree, so that the birds of up, and becometh greater than all the air come and lodge in the herbs, and shooteth out great branches thereof. branches; so that the fowls of the 33 Another parable spake he unto air may lodge under the shadow of it. them; 33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Matthew 13 Mark 4 10 And the disciples came, and said 10 And when he was alone, they that unto him, Why speakest thou unto them were about him with the twelve asked in parables? of him the parable. 11 He answered and said unto them, 11 And he said unto them, Unto you Because it is given unto you to know it is given to know the mystery of the mysteries of «the kingdom of» «the kingdom of God:» but unto them «heaven,» but to them it is not that are without, all these things given. are done in parables: 12 That 13 Therefore speak I to them in seeing they may see, and not parables: because they seeing see perceive; and hearing they may hear, not; and hearing they hear not, and not understand; lest at any time neither do they understand. they should be converted, and their 14 And in them is fulfilled the sins should be forgiven them. prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Matthew 19 Mark 10 13 Then were there brought unto him 13 And they brought young children little children, that he should put to him, that he should touch them: his hands on them, and pray: and the and his disciples rebuked those that disciples rebuked them. brought them. 14 But Jesus said, Suffer little 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was children, and forbid them not, to much displeased, and said unto them, come unto me: for of such is «the» Suffer the little children to come «kingdom of heaven.» 15 And he laid unto me, and forbid them not: for of his hands on them, and departed such is «the kingdom of God.» 15 thence. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive «the kingdom of» «God» as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Matthew 19 Luke 18 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt 22 Now when Jesus heard these be perfect, go and sell that thou things, he said unto him, Yet lackest hast, and give to the poor, and thou thou one thing: sell all that thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and hast, and distribute unto the poor, come and follow me. 22 But when and thou shalt have treasure in the young man heard that saying, he heaven: and come, follow me. went away sorrowful: for he had great 23 And when he heard this, he was possessions. 23 Then said Jesus very sorrowful: for he was very rich. unto his disciples, Verily I say unto 24 And when Jesus saw that he was you, That a rich man shall hardly very sorrowful, he said, How hardly enter into «the kingdom of heaven.» shall they that have riches enter 24 And again I say unto you, It is into «the kingdom of God!» easier for a camel to go through the 25 For it is easier for a camel to eye of a needle, than for a rich man go through a needle's eye, than for a to enter into «the kingdom of God.» rich man to enter into «the kingdom» 25 When his disciples heard it, «of God.» 26 And they that heard it they were exceedingly amazed, saying, said, Who then can be saved? 27 And Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus he said, The things which are beheld them, and said unto them, With impossible with men are possible with men this is impossible; but with God God. all things are possible. * White, William Jr. «Theological & Grammatical Phrasebook of the Bible» (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984) pg. 63. Synopsis: The Kingdom of God on earth is referred to as the Kingdom of heaven because it originates from the God of heaven and will be based on Divine, heavenly principles. « » « Note: If you find this parallel format of Bible study helpful, ask for » « "Gospel Parallels" - a parallel computer Bible of the N.T. gospels. » « » ≡BCOMP.33 In the fourth year of his reign, king Solomon built the "house of the LORD". Like the tabernacle before it, its structure, furniture and priestly services were a parable of the redemptive work of the Messiah yet to be revealed - "a shadow of heavenly things" (Exod. 25:40; Heb. 8:5; 9:9, 23, 24). It was an exceedingly beautiful structure and became the soul and seat of Israel's affections. The details of its structure and dedication are twice recorded (1 Kgs. 5-8; 2 Chron. 2-7). The reign of Solomon foreshadowed Messiah's coming reign, and the Temple was typical of the "house of prayer for all nations", to be built by David's greatest son and heir - Jesus (Isa. 56:7; 2 Sam. 7:13; Zech. 6:12-13). Site: The temple was built on Mount Moriah, where earlier Abraham had "offered" Isaac, and David had sacrificed and the plague was stopped (2 Chron. 3:1; 1 Chron. 21:22-30; 22:1; Gen. 22:2, 14; Deut. 12:11) Time of Building: The temple took 7½ years in building. It commenced in the 2nd month of Solomon's 4th year and was completed in the 8th month of his 11th year (1 Kgs. 6:1, 37, 38; 2 Chron. 3:2) Labor Force: Lumbermen, carpenters, burden-bearers and stone masons were drawn from Israel and Tyre, while the chief officers were Solomon's servants (1 Kgs. 5:6, 13-18; 2 Chron. 2:17). General Plan: Solomon's temple was proportional to the Tabernacle, but basic dimensions doubled and ornamentation richer. Interior measurements: length 60 cubits (approx. 87½ feet), breadth 20 cubits (approx. 29 feet), height 30 cubits (approx. 44 feet). It was divided into 3 sections, namely, The Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies/Oracle), The Holy Place, and Court. The walls were made of quarried stone shaped and hewn prior to construction. These were lined with cedar, carved with cherubim (winged figures), palm trees, open flowers and gourds and overlaid with gold (1 Kgs. 6:7, 15, 18, 29). The floors were of fir or cypress and lined with gold (1 Kgs. 6:15, 30). The ceiling was of beams and planks of cedar and lined with gold (1 Kgs. 6:9, 22). The doors of the Most Holy Place were of olive carved with cherubim, palm trees, open flowers and overlaid with gold (1 Kgs. 6:31-32). The doors of the Holy Place were 2 in number and each had 2 folding leaves. They were of fir and similarly carved and lined (1 Kgs. 6:33-35). The True House: While Solomon's Temple was awe-inspiring and God did manifest His glory in it, it could not contain Him. Even the builder realized this (1 Kgs. 8:11, 27). No house made by man's hand could adequately provide for Him, but He has Himself declared that He will dwell with him "that is of a contrite and humble spirit" (Isa. 57:15; 66:1-2). By faith He is taken into the hearts of such and their obedience reveals that He is there (Eph. 3:16-19; 2:21-22). Jesus said, "If any man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). Wickedness caused the glory of God to depart from Solomon's Temple and the Babylonians desecrated it (Ezek. 10:4, 18, 19; 11:23; 2 Kgs. 25:8-17). In its place God has laid the foundation stone of an entirely different house: "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation." Men, as living stones, are invited to build thereon on the basis of faith: "he that believeth shall not make haste" or be ashamed (Isa. 28:16; Rom. 9:33; 10:11-12; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-7). "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God...He that hath an ear, let him hear." ≡BCOMP.5 Among the Hebrews each person received but a single name. In the case of boys this was conferred upon the eighth day, in connection with the rite of circumcision. To distinguish an individual from others of the same name it was customary to add to his own proper name that of his father or ancestors. Sometimes the mother's was used instead. Simple names in Hebrew, as in all languages, were largely borrowed from nature; e.g. Deborah, "bee;" Tamar, "a palm tree;" Jonah, "dove." The majority of compound names have special religious or social significance, being compounded either 1) with terms denoting relationship, as "Abi" or "Ab", [father], as Abihud, "father of praise," Abimelech, "father of the king;" "Ben," [son], as Benoni, "son of my sorrow," Benjamin, "son of the right hand;" or 2) with names of God, as "El," [God], and "Jah" or "Yah", shortened from "Yahweh." (Smith, William, (Philadelphia: John C. Winston Co., 1948) pg. 432). ≡BCOMP.8 «▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄» «█ █» «█ Some Rules of Interpretation and █» «█ Directions for Investigating the Scriptures █» «█ █» «▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀» To understand the Bible properly it is necessary to approach and interpret its contents in a sound and consistent manner. To assist you in this process, the following guideline is recommended: «First.» Intend to be a student. No lesser intention will ever produce any good result. «Second.» Concentrate on the details. Note what the words say, and not what you suppose they say or would like them to say. «Third.» Ask yourself questions! And don't expect all the an- swers right away! (This requires a healthy dose of humility.) "Where'er you look within this book, Five things observe with care: OF WHOM it speaks, and HOW it speaks, And WHY, and WHEN, and WHERE." «Fourth.» Put the parallel narratives together: not just the four gospels, but also Kings and Chronicles. «Fifth.» Always have the question in mind: "What does this remind me of? " Have an eye out for "types" everywhere (but be careful not to get carried away to the exclusion of the plain lesson). «Sixth.» Distinguish the difference between "true principles" and "uncertain details". Don't major on minors, or vice versa. «Seventh.» Let the Bible define and explain its own terms, fig- ures, and symbols. «Eighth.» Give every passage a literal construction, unless its own connection and phraseology render such a course ridiculous, by bringing it into collision with truths elsewhere established by clear and positive language. «Ninth.» When reading articles and books that use portions of Scripture to support their views, give careful consideration to the complete Bible context in which the extracted passage has been taken. «Tenth.» No doctrine should be built upon one isolated text of Scripture. Any true doctrine will be found scattered through the whole Bible. Select all the related texts in the Bible, put them together, and you will have all the truth revealed on that particular subject. «Eleventh.» Never be afraid of results to which you may be driven by your investigations. «Twelfth.» Pursue your study of the Scriptures with as much inde- pendence as if you were the only one concerned. In other words, do not let others discourage you from doing what you know is right. «Thirteenth.» Rely on no authority less than Divine. «Lastly.» Prove all things: hold fast to that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21) ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── It Shall Greatly Helpe Ye To Understand Scripture If Thou Mark... Not only what is Spoken or Wrytten but of Whom and to Whom with what Words at what Time Where to what Intent with what Circumstances considering what Goeth Before and what Followeth. John Wycliffe ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The infallible rule of interpretation of scripture is the scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture, it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly. Westminster Confession, 1647 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The Bible should be studied at least as laboriously and exactly as any other book which has to be completely mastered. Every expression, every word, must be weighed; patiently, thoughtfully, systematically, reverentially. John William Burgon ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The Bible does not yield its treasures to its critics. John Carter ≡BCOMP.9 «Angels» - Mark 12:25; Luke 20:36; Heb. 1:13-14. «Baptism» - Mat. 28:19; Mark 16:16; John 3:5,22; Acts 2:38,41; 8:12,36-38; 9:18; 16:15,33; 18:8; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-8; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:12; 1 Pet. 3:21. «Discipleship» - Mat. 10:32-39; Luke 14:27; John 13:35. «Faith» - Prov. 3:5; Luke 17:16; Rom. 1:17; 4:3-5; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8; Heb. 11:1-40; James 1:6-7; 2:14-26. «Falling away, The (The Apostasy)» - Luke 18:8; 2 Thes. 2:3-12; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; 2 Pet. 2:1-3; 1 John 2:18; 4:1. «God's judgments/wrath compared to fire» - Isa. 10:16; 30:27,33; 31:9; 33:11-12; 42:25; Jer. 4:4; 5:14; 7:20; 9:10-12; 15:14; 17:4; 21:12; 48:45; Lam. 2:3-4; Ezek. 19:12-14; 20:45-49; 21:31-32; 22:20-21,31; Hos. 8:14; Amos 5:6; Obad. 18; Nah. 1:5-6; Zeph. 3:8; Luke 12:49. «God manifestation» - Cf. Gen. 16:9-10 & Gen. 16:13; Cf. Gen. 18:1 & Gen. 18:2, 19:1; Cf. Gen. 21:17 & Gen. 21:18; Cf. Gen. 22:11 & Gen. 22:12; Cf. Gen. 31:11 & Gen. 31:13; Cf. Gen. 32:24 & Gen. 32:20; Hos. 12:4; Cf. Exod. 3:2 & Exod. 3:4,6; Cf. Exod. 24:9 & Acts 7:38; Jud. 2:1-5; Cf. Jud. 6:11 & Jud. 6:14,16; Cf. Jud. 13:3 & Jud. 13:6,22; Jer. 33:16; Eze. 48:35. «Gospel, The» - Mat. 9:35; 24:14; Luke 16:16; Acts 8:12; 28:23,31; 1 Cor. 15:1-57. «Head of Christ is God» - Mat. 20:23; 24:36; John 5:30; 8:28; 14:28; 20:17; Rom. 15:6; 1 Cor. 3:23; 11:3; 15:24-28; 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; 1 Pet. 1:3. «Israel, The regathering of» - Isa. 11:10-16; 43:1-7; Jer. 3:14-18; 16:14-15; 23:5-8; Ezek. 34:11-31; 36:22-38; 37:1-21; Amos 9:11-15; Zeph. 3:16-20. «Kingdom of God, The» «Past» - Exod. 19:5-6; 1 Sam. 8:7; 12:12; 1 Chron. 28:5; 29:23; 2 Chron. 9:8; 13:8. «Overturned» - Ezek. 21:25-27; Hos. 3:4-5. «Future» - Psa. 2:6-9; 22:27-28; Isa. 2:2-4; 4:4-6; 9:6-7; 11:1-10; 24:23; 25:6-8; 35:3-10; 60:1-21; 61:11; 62:6-7; 65:17-25; 66:18-23; Jer. 3:16-18; 23:5-6; 33:15-16; Ezek. 34:22-26; 37:21-28; Dan. 2:44, 7:13-14,27; Mic. 4:1-7; Hab. 2:14; Zech. 8:20-23; 9:9-10; 14:6-9,17-18; Mat. 5:5, 6:10 Luke 1:31-33; 22:28-29; Acts 1:3,6; 1 Cor. 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:26-27; 5:9-10; 11:15; 20:6. «Last days, Signs of the» - Dan. 12:4; Luke 17:26-29; 21:25-26; 2 Tim. 3:1-4; 2 Pet. 3:3-4. «Love» «For God and Christ» - Exod. 20:6; Deut. 6:5; 7:9; 10:12; Mark 12:29; John 14:15,21,23; Romans 8:28; 1 Cor. 8:3; James 1:12; 2:5; «For one another» - Lev. 19:18; Mat. 22:39; John 13:34-35; 15:12; Rom. 13:8-10; 1 Cor. 13:1-13; Gal. 5:4; Eph. 5:2; 1 Tim. 1:5; 1 John 4:20-21. «Marriage & Divorce» - Gen. 2:24; Lev. 21:7; Mal. 2:14-16; Mat. 5:31-32; 19:3-12; Mark 10:9; Luke 16:18; 1 Cor. 7:1-40; Eph. 5:22-33; 1 Pet. 3:1-7. «Messiah promised in the Old Testament» - Gen. 3:15; 13:15; 22:17-18; 49:10; Deut. 18:15-19; 1 Sam. 2:10; 2 Sam. 7:12-16; Psa. 2:2-12; 22:1-22; 110:1,4; 118:22; Isa. 9:6-7; 11:1-10; 42:1-7; 49:5-10; 52:13-15; 53:1-12; 61:1-3; Jer. 23:5-6; 30:9; 33:15; Ezek. 21:26-27; 34:23-24; 37:22,24-25; Dan. 7:13-14; Hos. 3:5; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 9:9-10; 13:7. «Mortality of man» - Gen. 3:19; Job 34:14-15; Psalm 6:5; 30:9; 90:3; 103:14; 115:17; 146:3-4; Eccles. 9:10. «One God (The Father), The unity of God» - Deut. 4:35; 6:4; 32:39; Isa. 44:6,8; 45:5; 46:9; Mal. 2:10; Mat. 23:9; Mark 12:29; 1 Cor. 8:6; Gal. 3:20; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5. «One Master (Jesus Christ)» - Mat. 23:10; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:5. «One Spirit (of God)» - Isa. 11:2; 42:1; Job 33:4; Luke 1:35; 24:49; Eph. 4:4. «Patience» - Psa. 37:7; Eccl. 7:8; Luke 21:19; Rom. 5:3; 1 Cor. 13:4; Gal. 6:9; Heb. 6:12; James 1:3; 5:7-8; 1 Pet. 2:19-23. «Promises to Abraham» - Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:18; 17:8; 22:17; 26:3; 28:4; 25:12; Deut. 19:8; 1 Chron. 16:15-18; Psa. 105:8-11; Mic. 7:20; Luk. 1:73; 13:28; Acts 7:5; Rom. 4:13; Gal. 3:8,16,27-29; Heb. 11:8-10,13-15,39-40. «Promises to David» - 2 Sam. 7:12-16; Psalm 89:20-37; Jer. 33:17-26. «Redemption, The Atonement, Christ's death» - Isa. 53:5; John 11:51-52; 1 Cor. 5:7; 6:11,20; 2 Cor. 5:15, 18-19,21; Gal. 3:13-14; 4:4-5; Eph. 1:7; 2:13-14; 5:2; Col. 1:20; 2:14; 1 Thes. 5:10; 1 Tim. 1:15; 2:6; Tit. 2:14; Heb. 2:10,14-15; 7:27; 9:12,14,15,26,28; 10:10,12,14,19; 13:12; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 3:5; 3:8. «Repentance» - Mark 2:17; 6:12; Luke 13:3; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30. «Resurrection of the dead» - Psa. 17:15; Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2; Hos. 13:14; Mat. 22:30-31; Luke 20:34-38; John 5:28-29; 6:39-40,44,54; 11:24; Acts 23:6; 24:15; 1 Cor. 15:12-23,51-55; 2 Cor. 4:14; 1 Thes. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:6. «Sabbath(s)» «Given to whom?» - Exod. 31:13-17; Lev. 19:2-3; 23:1-3; Neh. 9:9-15; Ezek. 20:9-13,20. «Shall nots» - Deut. 5:12-15; Neh. 10:31; 13:15-22; Jer. 17:20-22; Amos 8:5. «Salvation» «Past tense» - Rom. 8:24; Eph. 2:5; 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 3:5. «Present tense» - Philp. 2:12. «Future tense» - Rom. 5:9-10; 13:11; Heb. 9:28; 1 Pet. 1:5. «Scriptures, The» - Isa. 8:20; Mat. 22:29; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:20. «Second coming of Christ» - Mat. 16:27; 24:37-51; Luke 18:8; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 1:7; 11:26; 15:23; Col. 3:4; 1 Thes. 1:10; 4:16; 2 Thes. 1:7; Heb. 9:28; 10:37; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Rev. 1:7; 22:12,20. «Will of God, The» - Mat. 7:21; 12:50; 18:14; Mark 3:35; Luke 11:2; John 6:40; 1 Thes. 4:3; 5:18; 1 Tim. 2:4. ≡BCOMP.COP « » « A Bible Companion has been written and compiled by » « Philip Kapusta. This program belongs solely to the » « original purchaser of A Bible Companion, or if » « received as a gift, to the recipient. This program » « and/or disk is not to be duplicated by electronic » « means. Making duplicate copies of this disk for » « distribution to your friends and family is a » « violation of U.S. copyright laws (not to mention a » « higher moral law). Copying and distribution of » « this program is prohibited without prior written » « approval from the author. » « » ≡BCOMP.DOC A BIBLE COMPANION Version 5.0 INTRODUCTION "A Bible Companion" is just that. It is a companion to assist you in your study and reading of the Bible. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS An IBM PC or 100% compatible computer with one disk drive and 256K memory or higher is the minimal requirements. Some of the features require a graphics adapter and hard disk drive. You can still use "A Bible Companion" even if your computer is not equipped with these hardware requirements, however your available selections from the Main Menu will be limited. TO GET STARTED Simply insert "A Bible Companion" disk into your computer's drive and type ----> BCOMP then press <ENTER>. The program will then load automatically. From the Main Menu screen the user will be prompted to make a selection. Selections can be made my moving the highlighted bar over top of one's choice with the cursor control keys, and then <ENTER>. READING PLAN/BOOKMARKS Here we have the "hub" of the program. Two Bible readings will be highlighted on your screen based upon the current date. It takes on the average 20-30 minutes per day to read the highlighted readings. If you use "A Bible Companion" on a daily basis you will have read by the end of one year's time the Old Testament once, and the New Testament twice. Printed bookmarkers are available to the user if a printer is attached to LPT1:. To receive a pair of bookmarkers with this month's readings, press <B> while in the reading plan display, else any other key will return the user to the Main Menu. If the date is incorrect (wrong month or day), return to the Main Menu and select "Date - Verify or change". MAP, CHARTS AND DICTIONARY There are two map features that are available to the user. The "Holy Land - Palestine" option allows the user to locate many of the topographical features of Biblical Palestine. The "Acts of the Apostles" option allows the user to locate nearly all of the cities and regions mentioned in the New Testament book of Acts. By typing in the feature you wish to find, the program will do its best to display it on the select- ed map. For those who have a IBM-compatible dot matrix printer, you may be able to print the maps and graphic screens by first loading a small utility that came with your version of MS-DOS. Find GRAPHICS.COM on your DOS disk, and load this program into memory PRIOR TO RUNNING A Bible Companion. Once loaded into memory, GRAPHICS.COM will enable you to perform a graphic screen dump to a dot-matrix printer when you press the PRINT SCREEN key on your keyboard. This will work most of the time. If this procedure does not work for you, oh well... The charts should explain themselves. The dictionary was designed to assist the average reader in understanding some of the many archaic and obscure words found in the King James translation. You can use the dictionary by pressing the "Page Up" and "Page Down" keys, and also by pressing any letter key. For example, if you press the <N> key, your computer will display the first page on which a word that begins with the letter "N" can be found. <ESC> will take the user back to the Main Menu. CHRONOLOGY The Chronology of Genesis 1-47 will display a table containing the ages of the patriarchs (Adam to Jacob) in relationship to each other. ───────────┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬─── Adam │130│235│325│395│460│622│687│874│930 ───────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Seth │ │105│195│265│330│492│557│744│800 ───────────┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴─── In the example above, Adam was 130 years old when his son Seth was born. When Adam was 235 years old, Seth was 105 years old, and so on... SHAREWARE REGISTRATION "A Bible Companion" is copyrighted shareware software. We ask that if you find this program useful in your study of the Bible to help offset the cost of its production by sup- porting the author. A small fee of $4.00 (U.S.) is requested. This registration amount will encourage the author to continue future updates to this program and other Bible software. Please support the shareware concept. When contacting the author with your registration, please be sure to tell us where you obtained this copy of "A Bible Companion" if you purchased it from a shareware vendor, or downloaded it from a BBS. DISTRIBUTION Shareware/public domain vendors and BBS can only distribute this program under the following conditions: 1) Fees for services rendered (materials, copying, etc.) for a copy of "A Bible Companion" must not exceed US $6.00 for 5.25" format. 2) No changes or alterations are to be made to "A Bible Companion" - this includes all data files on this disk. 3) No one may sell "A Bible Companion." If you write and desire a written response, then en- close a SELF-ADDRESSED U.S. STAMPED ENVELOPE. Philip P. Kapusta P.O. Box 5423 Falmouth, Va. 22403 U.S.A. ≡BCOMP.27 2,65,626 BC - 538 BC 3,65,(Gold) 4,65,Nebuchadnezzar's 5,65,Babylon 7,65,538 BC - 330 BC 8,65,(Silver) 9,65,Medes and 10,65,Persians 12,65,330 BC - 200 BC 13,65,(Brass) 14,65,Greek Empire 15,65," " 17,65,200 BC - ?? 18,65,(Iron) 19,65,Roman Empire 20,65," " 21,65,Date$ 22,65,(Iron and Clay) 23,65,European 24,65,nations or U.N.? ■ ≡BCOMP.FAC « BIBLE FACTS » The Bible has been translated, in whole or in part, into more than 1,100 languages and dialects. About 30,000,000 copies of the complete text of the Bible, or of its principle parts,are distributed annually. The first book printed with movable metal type was the Gutenberg Bible, printed by Johannes Gutenberg, before August 15, 1456, in Mainz, Germany. The first printed Bible divided into verses was a Latin edition by Pagninus, printed in 1528. The first complete English version of the Bible divided into verses was the Geneva Bible, printed in 1560. The Bible was written by some 50 men, only one of whom (Luke) was a Gentile. Statistics: (King James Version) OLD NEW TESTAMENT TESTAMENT TOTAL Books...........39.........27...........66 Chapters.......929........260.........1189 Verses......23,214.......7959.......31,173 Words......592,439....181,253......773,692 Letters..2,728,100....838,380....3,566,480 Shortest book: II John (13 verses) Longest book: Psalms (150 chapters) Shortest chapter: Psalm 117 Longest chapter: Psalm 119 Shortest verse: John 11:35 Longest verse: Esther 8:9 Middle verse: Psalm 97:8 Longest word: Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isa. 8:1) The word "God" appears in every book of the Bible except: Esther and Song of Solomon ≡BCOMP.CAN « THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE » Definition of Canon CANON is taken from a Greek root-word (KANON) which means "a measure", "a rule for judgment", "an authoritative standard". This word is used in 2 Corinthians 10:13-16 of the measure or rule of truth which God had given by which all things are tested. The word KANON is also used in Galatians 6:16 of the rule by which we walk (i.e., by which we measure and direct our lives). The canon is for us the inspired Word of God which is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. Placement as Canon When did the Biblical books become canon? The answer the Bible gives is that they became canon as they were written! By the act of inspiration each Biblical book was immediately a rule of truth. The authors of the books so regarded them and spoke of them as the Word of God (2 Peter 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:16). Believers never had to wait for the decision of a church council to tell them that the writings of Moses were from God, or that the epistles of Paul were with certainty the inspired truth. There are many O.T. and N.T. references where the authors show us that they so recognized one another's works as being inspired. They even show evidence of such confidence in their own writings. Old Testament Canon From the earliest references to the completed Old Testament (Josephus in his CONTRA-APION, tractate BABA-BATHRA in the Talmud, Jerome's testimony, Philo and New Testament references) there are no disputes among believers as to what constituted the canonical books. As heresies arose some books were rejected and Talmudic tractates and the writings of such men as Josephus defended the accepted collection of books. The confirmation of the present collection in the Qumran documents further lends confidence to this consensus. Jerome (translator of the Latin Vulgate) translated two of the so called Apocryphal books then refused to do any others because of the confusion he was afraid they would produce. The church later added the Latin translations of the apocryphal O.T. books when the Vulgate was published. Even St. Augustine recognized the apocryphal books as being good books for reading but rejected them as to their being a rule for faith and practice. The same view is common among the other church fathers (Cardinal Ximenes of Spain, Cardinal Cajetan...). It was not until the Council of Trent (1546) that the argument about the apocryphal books was finally settled by the Roman Church. They received the O.T. and N.T. books as we have them as canon then agreed to include the apocryphal books but only as recommended reading (sort of like study-Bible footnotes). Even Martin Luther the reformer recommended the reading of the apocrypha as being worthy literature. He never looked on them as having inspired authority. New Testament Canon The New Testament is not disputed much either among Christians. The books we now have were always recognized by the church and its members. The New Testament apocryphal books have never been considered to be a part of our Bible (just read them and you will see why). It was only a few heretics that argued at times about certain books because they did not like what one author or another said. But it was never the authority of any church council that gave true believers confidence about the Bible. It was the testimony of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with the Word that made them willing to even give their lives for the preservation of canonical scripture. It is true that many church councils made pronouncements about the list of canonical books. But that was always in response to some specific outside attack by cultists (Apion and others). It was not because the Christians had any doubts as to what belonged there. Final Note If we allow the words of church council to stand as a clearing-house of what is true, or if we wait for the judgment of scholars to know what to believe, then we have looked to some authority above our Bible and we undermine the finality the Scriptures must have in all matters of our lives. The spirit of the Bereans in Acts 17 ought to be ours. They "received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Bob Burridge ≡BCOMP.TRA « MANY TRANSLATIONS?» Are there many versions of the Bible? Or many translations? If you cannot read Hebrew or Greek in which the original manuscripts were written, you'll need a translation from those texts. In order to live for Christ, you'll need a translation so you can read what He said, and what's been written about Him. The English language has changed dramatically over the years. In fact it has changed so much only with great difficulty could you read any of the Bibles translated a mere 600 years ago! Because the English language is a living language - constantly changing - there is a continual need to translate frequently from the original text, as old words loose their sense of meaning, and new words come into being. As new manuscripts are discovered, more understanding and accuracy is given to the texts we presently have. Since the King James Version has been translated, there have been 3 very important discoveries. Since 1611 we have found more evidence that lends to a more accurate translations, these are: 1. The Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph), discovered in 1844 in the monastery of St. Catherine in the Sinai peninsula by Tischendorf. This was written in the 4th century and contained most of the New Testament. 2. The New Testament papyri in 1895, discovered in Egypt, though fragmented, have proved to be valuable. 3. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947 near the Dead Sea, provided nearly all of the Book of Isaiah, and many portions of the Old Testament. These are hundreds of years older than previously known texts, and confirmed much of the Old Testament we already have. These are also duplicated BEFORE the birth of Jesus Christ. Translation techniques, and Biblical Scholarship have tremendously improved in the 100 years. We can have a more precise and accurate translation now - than our forefathers ever dreamed of! Other languages we previously knew little about, now we can understand and see the greater meaning of certain difficult words and phrases. Today we need an easy-to-read translation - for those of us that are not linguistic scholars and stumble over those 27 letter words. Think about it...since the MESSAGE contained in the Bible is so important, then we MUST be able to give it to the poorest reader in a text they can read! This is not re-interpreting the text, it's giving an accurate rendering from the Hebrew & Greek in a language they can simply read and benefit from. For this reason alone, we need the BEST possible translation we can get...consequently, it must be readable. This is a List of English translations, the translators and when done. Bishops Bible Church of England 1568 Rheims-Douay Bible Roman Catholic 1582-1610 King James Bible Church of England 1611+ Youngs Literal Translation (Robert Young) 1863 English Revised Version Church of England (KJV rev.) 1881-85 American Standard Version American Revision Committee 1901 Weymouth's Modern Speech NT (R. F. Weymouth) 1903+ Twentieth Century Inter-denominational 1904 Jewish Version of 1917 (OT) 1917 Moffat's New Translation (James Moffatt) 1924, 1935 Smith-Goodspeed Version (Edgar Goodspeed) 1931 Charles B. Williams NT (Charles B. Williams) 1937 Ronald Knox's Catholic Version Roman Catholic 1944-50 Revised Standard Version (KJV revised later Catholic) 1946-52 Confraternity Version (Rheims-Douay-Challoner rev.) 1948 New World Translation Watchtower Society 1950-60 NT in Modern English J. B. Philips 1958 Berkeley version 1959 New American Standard Lockman Foundation (ASV rev.) 1971 Wuest's Expanded Trans. (NT) Kenneth Wuest 1961 New English Bible 1970 NT in Plain English Charles Kingsley Williams 1963 NT in Language of Today William F. Beck (a Lutheran) 1964 Amplified Bible 1965 Today's English or Good News American Bible Society 1966 Jerusalem Bible Roman Catholic 1966 Living Bible 1972 New International Version New York Bible Society 1978 These are the English translations only. There are thousands of translations in other languages, and still thousands of peoples without the Bible in their own tongue. Some of these are word-for-word translations (each word is translated individually), some of them are paraphrased (someone "interprets" the meaning of a passage and then translates the passage into the second language), which is important in knowing which Bible to study! Some are easy to read, some are difficult; some are majestic in vocabulary, and some are plain and simple. Some are precise in meaning, and some loosely translated. But sadly, some are unfaithful to the Original Text and some have added or subtracted certain words to reflect their own doctrine. Some were translated by well known scholars, and some by people who could not read a sentence from the original manuscripts! The King James Version, a word-for-word translation, is an excellent place to start for study. While it holds true doctrinally as well as giving reverence to the Word of God with its majestic style, it is still the Standard in the majority of the churches today. The KJV still speaks with remarkable authority, is easy to memorize and gives the Biblical text and the Lord Jesus the proper respect & honor His name deserves. Also important, the majority of the references works are based on the KJV text. There are no copyright restrictions on the KJV - a serious consideration if you quote the Bible in articles or literature you write! The New American Standard Version, also a word-for-word translation is translated in more modern English and is very accurate in verb tenses that are difficult to understand in the KJV. The New International Version is a paraphrase - but by far the best of its kind. Paraphrases can convey easily the meaning of certain texts, and can reflect doctrinal viewpoints of the translators. The NIV is an excel- lent paraphrase, easy to read, and a good supplement to helping under- stand word-for-word translations. However, I feel the NIV, like any other paraphrase is interpretative. By this, the translators have sought to con- vey what they think the text trying to convey rather than exactly what it SAYS. It would take too much time to describe the good & bad points in all the rest of the translations, and anyone who's really a serious student of the Bible, will sooner or later learn to use word studies, lexicons, concor- dances, or even the original languages themselves. A concordance is simple to use, and can by comparison give quick insight into the meaning of a particular word and how it's used. Young's Analytical Concordance & The New Strong's are easy to use. Vines Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words is also excellent and simple for any one to use. With the wealth of Bible knowledge at our disposal, no one has any excuse not to daily read and study God's Word for themselves. Many men have already given their lives so that you DON'T have to live in IGNORANCE of what God has said. You personally are responsible for reading and studying the Bible - relying on another person is a sorry excuse for LAZINESS, not to mention the BLESSINGS of having God speak to you personally through the study of His Word! Bill Bennett ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── There are several questions one should examine in selecting a version of the Bible to use or give away. Here are a few of them: 1. How do I intend to use it? For deeper study, fast reading, devotional reading or some combination? A version for broader reading and certain memory work should be in a vocabulary and style you are comfortable with and understand easily. Using at least two translations (one for study, one for other purposes) brings best growth and understanding for most people. The study Bible should be more literal to the details and actual form of the original, perhaps with notes and cross-references. Consulting it AND a freer translation together is a helpful method. This is because either type translation can lead to a wrong understanding of the meaning of the original. Here is how. ANY Bible version should be tested by the question "Is it faithful to the original text?" However, the question of fidelity can be divided into two parts - transfer of the meaning and of the dynamics of the original. Experienced translators John Beekman and John Callow in their classic work, Translating the Word of God, explain that when a translation transfers the MEANING it "conveys to the reader or hearer the information that the original conveyed to its readers or hearers." When a translation conveys the DYNAMIC force of the original, it "makes a natural use of the linguistic structures of the RL (language of the translation) and...the recipients of the translation understand the message with ease" (pages 33, 44). This does not mean there will be no ambiguous or puzzling statements at all. It does not mean that difficulty in understanding HOW something is true or how to APPLY it will be removed. The original readers had these problems as well. Translations that seek to maintain the meaning closer to the word level have more difficulty in capturing the dynamic force of the original or in using the natural expression of English (which, of course differs with time and locale, especially U.S. to Great Britain). Translations toward the idiomatic or paraphrase side do better with the dynamics, as a rule, but diminish the readers' ability to know "that's the way THEY said it (in Greek or Hebrew)," or follow the nuances of the original writers. Special care should be taken in use of Bible versions on either extreme. Literal translations can mislead if one is unaware of the significance of elements of form (grammar, style) or idiom (unique expression) that are more like the original than English. Freer translations introduce more interpretation (although all translation demands interpretation) and sacrifice precision and consistency of renderings. 2. What was the goal of the translator(s)? To reach a specific audience? To communicate particularly the force and impact of the original like J.B. Phillips, or to be clear and vivid like Ken Taylor? Often the preface will give this and other helpful information. 3. Who did the translating? One man, a committee, or one man with a committee checking? A committee translation is generally freer of biased theological interpretations that can corrupt a translation but it will usually sacrifice some in consistency and artistic, stylistic expression. 4. What are the credentials and background of the translator(s)? Did he (they) have expertise in the appropriate language(s)? If done by a committee, were they from the same denomination, similar ones, or widely differing ones? One does not have to have complete answers to all of these questions before using a Bible version. In fact, some of the less dependable ones can have positive uses if one is aware of their deficiencies. The subject of Bible translation is a complex one and the previous questions far from exhaust all the considerations. The following brief summaries evaluating specific versions are very cursory, and not meant to be authoritative. The were produced by a comparison and combination of the remarks of a number of evangelical scholars, and in some cases, the personal observations of the author. King James (Authorized) Version (1611) Translated from the original languages by committee. Unexcelled in literary quality, although now archaic. Does not reflect the best text base on recent scholarship (some editions give explanatory notes on the text). New American Standard Bible (1970) From the original by interdenominational committee. Patterned after American Standard Version of 1901. Excellent precision in handling of verb-tenses but sometimes pedantic, awkward and lacking in style - "wooden" say many. Literalness, careful work and good notes make it one of the best study Bibles. Jerusalem Bible Translated with reference to both the original and an earlier French translation by Roman Catholic committee. Forceful but not stylistically consistent or fully idiomatic English. OT text not the best. Notes are a substantial part of the work and are generally non-sectarian but should be checked. New American Bible From the original Greek (NT); revision of confraternity version (based on Latin Vulgate) in the OT. Catholic Committee consulted with Protestants in final stages. More conservative than JB but introductions to sections and to individual books "moderately liberal in tone" (Kubo and Specht, p. 164). Format differs with the publisher. New International Version From the original, by a large interdenominational but conservative committee. Well balanced - good for study, faster reading, or public reading. Based on reliable Greek text. Somewhat inconsistent in modernizing terminology. Pleasing, very readable format (few footnotes). Many feel it will become the most used Bible of the future, especially for evangelicals. Today's English Version (Good News Bible) From the original. NT by one man, approved by committee. Aimed particularly at English - as - second - language audience and those with little formal education. Achieves its goal well - very readable, good format. Translates dynamics well but not dependable for deeper study if used by itself. New English Bible From the original by interdenominational British committee. Exciting literary style, very readable but with distinct British flavor and idiom. Excellent for non-churched. Departures from the original text and too much liberty in certain renderings make it undependable as a study Bible. Revised Standard Version (1946) Debatable whether more a revision of KJV or a fresh translation from the original (by committee). Probably more the latter in NT. Preserves some of KJV sound of "Bible English", but is somewhat modernized. Accused by ultra-conservatives of deliberate "liberal" bias (along with TEV and others) but has weathered the storm and is considered by some church leaders as the best all-purpose translation. Adequate, though not the best for deeper study in author's opinion. Living Bible Paraphrased essentially from the 1901 ASV by Ken Taylor but checked by Greek, Hebrew scholars. Serves similar purpose as Phillips' but reaches also to the less educated. Encourages Bible reading and helps older Christians express their faith in contemporary terms. Definitely not to be relied on for interpretations or study. Changes, sometimes significant, made between editions. Amplified Bible Amplified Bible done from the originals. Neither a true translation nor a paraphrase. This type version offers readers possible renderings or interpretations and can be helpful for study or deepening understanding. However, users must realize the original author had one meaning in mind, determined by context and usage in that language, not our personal preference or whim. These versions must not be substituted for responsible deeper study. From the Christian Research Institute ≡BCOMP.HER « HERMENEUTICS » Definition General hermeneutics is that set of rules employed in all materials which stand in need of interpretation. It is used, with proper adaption to the subject matter, in art, history, literature, archeology and translation. Something stands in need of interpretation when something hinders its spontaneous understanding. To put it another way a gap exists between the interpreter and the materials to be interpreted and rules must be set up to bridge this gap. In that the interpreter is separated from his materials in time there is a historical gap; in that his culture is different from that of his text there is a cultural gap; in that the text is usually in a different language there is the linguistic gap; in that the document originates in another country there is the geological gap and the biological gap (the flora and fauna). In that usually a totally different attitude towards life and the universe exists in the text it can be said that there is a philosophical gap. Biblical hermeneutics is the study of those principles which pertain to the interpretation of Holy Scripture. Here, we will briefly consider the following hermeneutics: - Understanding the Purpose of the Book - Understanding the Historical Background - Understanding the Culture - Understanding the Context - Understanding the Meaning of the Words - Understanding the Parallel Passages - Understanding the Literary Styles - Understanding How to Make an Application Understanding the Purpose of the Book There are 66 books in the Bible. Each one has a specific purpose which relates in the revelation of Jesus Christ. Leviticus has an entirely different purpose from say, Romans. When you read something in Leviticus, you would not apply it in the same way as you would Romans. Understanding the purpose of the Thessalonian letters greatly helps in trying to understand some of Paul's comments there. Each of the four gospels has a different purpose, which explains why they are not identical biographical sketches. Understanding Historical Background One of the more critical principles in understanding the Bible is to understand the Historical Background of a passage. For instance, in Luke 4:25-30, we find the Jews trying to throw Jesus off a cliff because of what He said. We can only understand why they wanted to do this by understanding the historical background of the two people Jesus spoke of. In John 10:22, if we knew the historical background, we would have very interesting information about why the Holy Spirit saw it as important to add that the feast of the dedication was in winter. Understanding the historical background of, say Ezekiel 26 in how the prophecy against Tyre was fulfilled gives us an example of how God intends us to interpret prophecy, and with what precision it is carried out. In Revelation 3:18 we read of the things of which the Lord counsels the church at Laodicea to buy of Him. If we understood the historical background of the passage, we'd understand the irony here. To aid us in understanding the historical background of books and passages in the Bible, we could look at a Bible Survey, a Bible Handbook, or a Bible Dictionary. There are also many books available devoted to the history of specific times during the Bible. Alfred Edersheim is the classic work on THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS THE MESSIAH. He also wrote a very interesting work on The Temple. Josephus was a historian who wrote during the time of Jesus and discusses some of the verbal traditions of the Jews at the time as well as a "secular" view of Jewish history. Understanding the Culture Again, a critical subject. Not understanding the culture in a passage sometimes may lead to a false interpretation of what is read. In Romans 12:20, for example, if we knew the culture, or customs of the land, we'd know that Paul is not showing us a way of "Christian vengeance." In Matthew 13, Jesus draws heavily on the customs of the day in giving His kingdom parables. Not understanding the customs have lead many liberal scholars down completely false paths in trying to understand the purpose of the church. To aid us in understanding the cultural background of various passages in the Bible, we use books on manners and customs in the Bible. Again, some commentaries may contain some of this information. Understanding the Context Misinterpreting Scripture, and wrenching things out of the text that were never there goes on all the time. It is not difficult to pull a Scripture out of its context, and give it a completely different meaning. When interpreting Scripture, it is critical to keep the text in context. By context, we mean the parts of a sentence or paragraph, immediately next to or surrounding a passage. Some passages that seem very difficult clear up nicely when we carefully examine the context. The whole prosperity doctrine and presumptuous faith movements largely build their doctrines on taking scripture out of context and making the Bible say things that it never said. There is no book really that can help us learn to study the context of a passage. Our resources here are limited to possibly using a commentary as a helpful guide in reinforcing, or contradicting our interpretation. Understanding the Meaning of the Words One of the obstacles we face in understanding the text is finding out exactly what the author meant when he wrote the words. We must not impose our definition on the words, but find out what they meant when they were written. This is a particularly difficult, or at least tedious task since this problem is compounded by understanding the English word in our translation, understanding the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic word in the original, and understanding what that word meant when it was written. Words change in meaning even in our own generation. Words are not static. They are constantly changing in their use and meaning. There are many ways we can attack this problem. On the first level, a good English dictionary should not be overlooked. You might be surprised at how often this will serve as a valuable tool. On the next level, it begins to get difficult if you are not familiar with Greek or Hebrew. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance proves to be the easiest way to do a complete, original study of a particular word. However, this is only the beginning! In conjunction with Strong's, we use a set of four books published by Baker Book House. These include a Greek Concordance, a Hebrew Concordance, a Greek Lexicon, and a Hebrew Lexicon. These books will be discussed later in this text. Another way to study the meaning of a word is to use a book called Vine's Expository Dictionary. This book lists the English word, gives the passages which are relevant and discusses the meaning of that word. The only real shortcoming in using this approach is that it is not exhaustive. There are words that are not discussed. However, this is an easy short-cut if your particular word is listed. Other approaches are to purchase word studies. Wilson's Word Studies are very popular. Wuest's Word Studies are also popular and inexpensive. Words in the Context of their Times It is easy for words to lose or change their meaning over a period of time. In our day and age the word "gay" has come to take on a whole different meaing than it did 100 years ago. Likewise with words and phrases found in the Bible. It is important to consider the times (historical period) in which words were used in the Bible, and to look at how the contemporaries and sources outside the Bible used the same words. One example is the word "Satan". "Satan" is a word left untranslated from the Hebrew. "Satan" simply means "adversary", and in the Old Testament the word was used in reference to men (Matthew 16:23), an obedient angel of God (Numbers 22:22), and even God Himself (2 Sam. 24:1 cf 1 Chron. 21:1). As one approaches the New Testament era and after, the Jewish rabbis often used the word to represent the "evil influence" that lurks in the heart of all men. Today, however, the word "Satan" has lost much of its Jewish heritage and has come instead to denote a super-natural fiend that wears a red cape and carries a pitchfork. To avoid misunderstandings, however, we should give consideration to the way that the writers of the Bible used words originally in the days which they were written. Understanding the Parallel Passages When studying the Word, one must take into consideration all the Scriptural passages that shed light on a particular subject. Let the Bible speak for itself. The Bible in many cases is its own best commentary. Practice comparing Scripture with Scripture. Whenever you come across some new amazing discovery in the Bible relating to a spiritual principle, there is a nice little rule of thumb I like to use from the Bible itself. That is, "by two or three witnesses shall a thing be established." What I mean here is that if this new discovery is an important spiritual principle, I should be able to find it reiterated somewhere else in the Bible. Understanding the Literary Styles Throughout the Bible, you will encounter various literary styles, such as history, poetry, prophecy, proverbs, and parables. We cannot interpret these differing styles in the same way. History passages should be interpreted literally, while poetry passages are often written in figurative language. The greatest help we have in these circumstances is our common sense. We also have the context of the passage we are dealing with. If we understand the background of what we are reading, we should rarely have a problem with literary styles. Being careful not to jump to conclusions will serve us well. Let's look at a few figures of speech used in the Bible . . . The Metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech, in which a word or phrase that ordinarily means one thing is applied to another thing, in order to suggest a likeness between the two. Examples of metaphors are, "a copper sky" and "a heart of stone."The Simile A simile is also a comparison between two things, like a metaphor; only, the comparison is indicated by, "like," or "as." Examples of this are, "a face like stone," "as hard as nails," and "his eyes were like fire." The Analogy An analogy is a likeness in some ways between things that are otherwise unlike. There is an analogy between the human heart and a pump, the Lord and a shepherd, and the saints and sheep. The Hyperbole The hyperbole is an exaggerated statement, used for effect, and not meant to be taken literally. An example is in Matthew 7, where Jesus talks about the person looking for the specks in his brother's eye, while having beams in his own eye. The Personification The poetic device which takes inanimate objects, and gives them human characteristics is called a personification. An example is saying that the mountains sing, or clap their hands. The Idiom Every language has certain peculiar phrases, which cannot be analyzed by the usual grammatical process. Idioms are a mode of expression that defies the rules, and depends on the society to supply the definition. The dictionary defines idioms as, "a small group or collection of words expressing a single notion." We often say that "we're in a pickle," or "it is raining cats and dogs," or "he's dead from the neck up." These are all idioms, and we depend on everyone "getting the picture" because they live in our society. Making the Application How do we apply the truths found in the Word? There are some passages of Scripture that are obviously not to be applied in the same way they were applied at the time of their writing. Yet, if there was no application for us today, the passage would never have been in the Bible for "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, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Reference Books Reference books are the tools of the trade for people who study the Bible, that is, you and I. As with any trade, there is a large investment in tools. Bible Study is no exception. This is the one place I can think of where you really can throw moderation out the door. Here, you can completely indulge yourself. Buy all the books you can afford, get into them, and learn of God! Some of us don't have that kind of budget though! So where do we start? Hopefully, we will answer that question, or at least address it so that we don't wander aimlessly through the local bookstore spending lots of unnecessary money on something we don't yet need. The Most Important Book Easily, and without debate, the most important book you will ever own is a Bible. What kind of Bible do you buy? What translation? Translations are pretty much a matter of personal taste, and there is much to be said for each one of them, except of course the New World Translation (from the Jehovah's Witnesses)! In a Bible to be used for study, the choices basically come down to three possibilities: King James, New American Standard, and the New International Version. An important concept to keep in mind is that whichever translation you choose, stick to it! Why? Because you'll find it MUCH easier to remember verses and figures of speech if you stay with one text. King James is the classic translation used for years by almost all bible teachers. The good points in choosing King James is that most reference works key themselves to King James, almost all the commentators quote from King James, and is a very well known translation. The Standard. On the bad side, King James is difficult to get used to. Many of the words used are outdated, there are some inaccuracies in the translation (all of which by the way are addressed in reference books), and is by far the least readable of the translations. New American Standard sought to be a more literal translation of the Bible. It is probably the second most popular translation in use today, and there are many reference books that key to it. On the bad side, the classical commentators did not have a New American Standard to quote from, so not all reference works will key to it. While New American Standard is a definite improvement in readability over King James, it is not the most readable of the three most popular translations. New International Version is the most readable translation. Modern English was used (it is the newest of the three translations). On the bad side, almost no reference books quote from The New International . . . yet! This translation is gaining in popularity probably faster than any other translation today. OK, so which one do you go for? Well, how good are you at the English language? How diligent a student do you plan to be? Are you willing to overcome the difficulties of old English? Perhaps you'd like two different translations. One for study, and one for casual reading. I highly recommend King James if you can put up with the old English. If for no other reason than that almost all reference books key to it, and quote from it. Once you get used to the language, it becomes second nature to you. If you find that you have trouble with King James, pick up a New International Version for casual reading. Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias A Bible Dictionary or Encyclopedia lists just about any concept or topic in the Bible and seeks to explain it, or give background on it. You might look up chariots and find out all kinds of things about a chariot. You might look up Paul and get a brief biography of him. These books are not just parallel passage works (although they contain that as well), but also contain archaeologic and historic information not found in the Bible. You could spend many a fulfilling evening browsing through one of these books. Some names to look into are Unger's Bible Dictionary, Smith's Bible Dictionary, New Bible Dictionary, Davis Bible Dictionary, Harper's Bible Dictionary, and many, many others. Depending on where you go, and which one you like, you'll spend between $10 and $25 for these. Unger's Dictionary is also available in a generic softcover for less than $10 when you can find it. Commentaries A Commentary seeks to explain the scriptures to us. There are many, many, many commentaries out there. The list is endless. Their focus ranges from devotional to expository, from practical to prophetic, from surface level to in-depth, from complete sets to individual books, from one-volume commentaries to 20, 30 and 40 volume sets. Everyone should probably have a one-volume commentary, at least most people think so! The classical, standard one to have is Matthew Henry's one-volume commentary, but deserving of mention is the Wycliffe One Volume Commentary. These are pretty much basic, devotional commentaries that will help with insights that you can use every day. But you don't just buy a one-volume commentary thinking that you'll never buy another one! A one-volume commentary is of very limited use. More useful is to buy a commentary on a book you are studying. Concordances Now we get into reference books where YOU do the work instead of benefiting from work already done. It is important to get an exhaustive concordance. An exhaustive concordance will list EVERY word in the Bible alphabetically. There are many uses for this. When you can't find a certain passage, but you know a couple of the words, look it up in the concordance. When you do a word study of, say the word gold, you can find ALL the places where gold is mentioned. A good concordance will also give you the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic definitions of all the words in the Bible. Despite their size, concordances are not all that expensive. If you shop around, you can find concordances for $10. There are two popular concordances: Strong's and Young's. I guess I should just say to go for the best deal. Just make sure it is an exhaustive concordance. Manners and Customs Books These books give insight into the backgrounds of the culture and practices of Bible times. There is no real set standard here, but a valuable feature in one of these books is that it is keyed to the Bible reference rather than by topic. Expository Dictionary An expository dictionary differs from a Bible Dictionary in that we actually look up a word used in the Bible and get a complete definition of that word as used in the text, as opposed to a general definition as you find in a concordance. Here, the standard and basic work is Vine's Expository Dictionary. Interlinear Bibles An Interlinear Bible will have the actual original language of the Bible and a literal, word for word translation right below it, with a King James (or other) text on the facing page. The word for word translation will be in all its glory of being in bad English grammar (obviously) and sometimes misleading, but nevertheless QUITE valuable when you need to know the exact word, or you'd like to see what the text says literally. Hebrew and Greek Concordances What? Another concordance? Yes, this time instead of looking up a word in English and finding all the occurrences of a word, we can look up the original Hebrew or Greek word and find all the occurrences! So what if you don't read Greek or Hebrew? No problem if you bought Strong's Exhaustive Concordance! You look up a word in Strong's and get Strong's word number (there is a number for every word in Strong's). Then you take that number and, if you buy Baker's Hebrew and Greek Concordances, and look it up. The book will list ALL the places that exact word is used. Of course, I'd definitely recommend the Concordances published by Baker. The official titles are The Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament numerically coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by George V. Wigram, and The Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament numerically coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by George V. Wigram. Lexicons Now that we can look up all the occurrences of the original words, we can get even more complete definitions of words! Again, coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and published by Baker Book House, there are Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to The Old Testament a dictionary numerically coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance with an exhaustive English index, and Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament a dictionary numerically coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. Again, these two books are $20 each, and match the two concordances previously mentioned. Now, understand that you aren't locked in to purchasing only these works. There are lots of others. The advantage to these is that you don't need to read Greek or Hebrew. From: Michael Dolim ≡BCOMP.STU « STUDYING YOUR BIBLE » Mark Twain once said, "Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they don't understand, but for me, I have always noticed that the passages that bother me are the ones I do understand." People do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them. What the Bible has to say to us can be very disturbing. This is why people have, for centuries, tried to bury the Bible in their funeral services of ridicule. But, the Bible gets resurrected over and over again, always managing to outlive its pall bearers. Voltaire, the outspoken skeptic said, "In a hundred years, the Bible will be a forgotten book, found only in museums." One hundred years later, the home in which Voltaire made that prediction was occupied by the Geneva Bible Society. Why does the Bible have this ability to survive its critics? Why does it continue to be the number one best seller of all time, and the most printed book in the world? Why is it the Bible never grows old? We grow old. Our houses, cars, and cities grow old, but the Bible never changes. It speaks a clear and vibrant word to every generation, in every culture. If the Bible offers us so much, why have Christians neglected to study this amazing book? Many have attempted to study the Bible, only to get discouraged and drop out. The scenario goes something like this. Mr. Jones hears a rousing sermon about the importance of the Word of God, and why we are to study to show ourselves approved. He goes home, determined to read through the Bible from cover to cover. He enthusiastically starts with the book of Genesis, and is delighted as he reads the colorful stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Exodus comes next, which is full of the dramatic exploits of Moses, and the escape of the Jews from Egyptian bondage. Who hasn't seen the Book of Exodus come alive in living color, as in Cecil B. DeMille's extravaganza, starring Charlton Heston? Mr. Jones moves on into the Book of Leviticus, expecting even more historical pageantry, but he is stunned by the minute detail given to dietary regulations, sacrificial offerings, and priestly performances. The endless material that seems so foreign to Mr. Jones is so overwhelming, he closes the book in discouragement, muttering, "I can't understand this." If only Mr. Jones had someone to help him understand what he was reading. The purpose of this study is to introduce some practical ideas to help you in understanding the most unique book on earth. You will be introduced to the basic and important rules of interpreting ANY piece of literature (especially important in the Bible), and you will be introduced to some of the tools and authors that help in studying the Bible. This study is not "gospel" in the sense of saying "thus says the Lord". Rather, these are aids and ideas which have helped many people understand God's Word. Many of the "rules" are employed by Bible scholars and theologians who seek to ACCURATELY determine what God is saying to man. Up front, serious study of the Bible will demand two things of you: TIME and MONEY. You must "make" the time. Perhaps you will have to juggle your schedule a bit, wake up earlier, go to bed later, take some leisure time, break away from one of your favorite TV programs, or delegate work to someone so that you can find the time. There is no short cut. It will cost you time. It will also cost you money. Reference books are not inexpensive. As a mechanic makes a major investment in tools that last him a lifetime, so will you have to make an investment in the reference books that will serve you in an eternity of benefits. An opinion on Bible reference books: I know of no other place where I think it is justified to throw moderation to the wind. If you find yourself really enjoying Bible study and you really desire to get into it, I think this is one safe area where you can freely indulge to your heart's content. On the other hand, for those of us on tighter budgets , take comfort in the fact that you don't need to run right out and buy EVERY book referred to. It is highly advisable anyway that you do this a little slowly. When the reference books are discussed, the more basic, or fundamental ones will be noted as the ones to get first, again one or two at a time. This may be done slowly. Gradually, you will acquire a respectable library of good reference books that will serve you and your family throughout your lives. First Things First The Bible was not addressed to just anyone. Sure, anyone can read it, but not everyone can understand it - not even with a million reference books! Not everyone is "qualified" to understand the Word of God. "The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18). Balancing the Books One of the charges made against being "dependent" on using reference books is that someone will say something like "the Holy Spirit will reveal the Word to me. What do I need man-made helps for?" Well, you're right in the sense that the Holy Spirit will reveal the Word to you. No one else CAN! Concerning man-made helps though, take a look at your Bible. Notice that there are chapters and verses? These, themselves are man-made helps that ALL of us use. Some of the reference books do nothing more than provide data and background. Others aid you in understanding the Word by giving an explanation of the passage. Why use these works? Primarily, it saves time. Authors of Bible commentaries have spent years (sometimes lifetimes) building their knowledge on others' study. They've written down the results of their years of study. Now you can benefit from what they've already done, and go on from there. You will have to be cautious of course. There are many wolves attempting to write "sheep-books". Your best defense in the beginning is to be familiar with the basic doctrines of Christianity. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thes. 5:21). "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). So we see that man-made aids and reference books can be valuable, but understand that they can never replace The Word of God. They aid you in understanding the Word, but they cannot substitute your reading of the Word. The Purpose of the Bible We also must understand the purpose of the Bible. God gave us His Word. He could have given us a million more books. He could have given us less. What He did do is give us 66 books, written by over 40 people. Everything He had to say to man is in the Bible. Nothing in the Bible is unnecessary, or not applicable to you and I today, in the twentieth century. Everything from the Levitical laws to the extensive genealogies have a purpose and a meaning to us. The purpose of the Bible is to reveal Jesus Christ. "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me" (John 5:46). "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; But these are written, that ye migh t believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His Name" (John 20:30-31) Don't! Don't open your Bible in front of a blaring television or radio, and expect to put some quality time into your studying. You need a quiet place and some quiet time alone. Make sure it's away from ringing door bells, telephones, distractions, and interruptions. Set aside a time and place. It may be morning or night that is more convenient for you. Whatever that time is, guard it jealously. You will be presented with many "reasons" to set your study time aside. Don't do it! Don't study in an inconsistent fashion. Letting five days go by, and then, "doubling up" to make up for lost time is an enemy to good study habits. It would be far better to set aside less time, and study consistently, than to lump a lot of hours together, and study haphazardly. Don't trust your memory. Even after you have finished studying, your mind will continue to turn over the truths you have gone over. Inspiration does not keep office hours. You will discover it comes when you least expect it. So, keep a pad and pen handy, and be prepared for a sudden burst of insight, or you will lose it. It would be a good idea to keep a pad and pen handy near your bed at night. There will be times when you will wake up in the middle of the night with an insight, an idea, or an illustration. Do not remove yourself from the passage you are examining. You must consciously remove your twentieth century point of view, but do not remove yourself. While you are reading, ask yourself, "What does this mean to me? How would I have reacted, given the same situation? How would I fit into this account?" Put yourself into the story. Figuratively, slip out of your culture and surroundings, and get into the sandals of the Bible characters. Feel the excitement in the air as you walk with little David toward Goliath. Find yourself being forcibly taken to the lions' den with Daniel. Walk with Ezekiel into the vision of the valley of dry bones. How would you have felt being asked to preach to a pile of sun-bleached bones? Put yourself into the story. How would you have handled it? What would you have done? You will discover a very interesting phenomenon taking place on occasion. Sometimes, when you hold a magnifying glass over the truth, you are made strangely aware that the truth is holding a magnifying glass over you... scrutinizing and examining you. During moments like this, you will discover how very personal your study can become. Do! Have your reference books in a handy place, so you can quickly get the information you may need. Play "detective" with the text. Go to the Bible as a private investigator who is on a case. Use questions to uncover the mystery. Kipling once wrote: "I keep six honest serving men. They taught me all I know. The names are what, and where and when, And how and why and who." Be alert when you read the Bible. Investigate the text. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to probe. ≡BCOMP.REG « A BIBLE COMPANION REGISTRATION » A Bible Companion is distributed under the shareware concept. 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