How many books of the Bible did Paul write?
The man known to us as the apostle Paul began life as Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:11). The account of his radical conversion to Christ is found in several places in the New Testament: Acts 9:1–19; 22:3–13; 26:12–18; and 1 Corinthians 15:9. From the moment he was saved, he began preaching about Jesus (Acts 9:20–21).…
What is the story of the Old Testament?
In the very beginning, God was already there. For His own good pleasure, God created time and the universe by the power of His word, turning nothing into something. On the sixth day of creation, God made something unique: mankind—a man and a woman—created in His likeness. As God created the first two humans as…
What is the core message of the Minor Prophets?
The Minor Prophets, sometimes referred to as “the Book of the Twelve,” make up the final section of the Old Testament. They consist of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The “minor” designation pertains solely to their shorter length in comparison to the five “Major Prophets” but doesn’t…
Can you give me a basic timeline of the Bible?
In the most basic sense, the Bible timeline is endless and eternal, as it chronicles creation (date unknown; Genesis 1:1–31) through the end of ages (Matthew 28:20). From a more practical viewpoint, the Bible timeline on which most scholars agree begins with the calling of Abram, renamed “Abraham” by God (Genesis 17:4–6) in the year…
How did the things Jesus said and did when He was alone get recorded in the Gospels?
There are a number of times in the Gospels when Jesus’ words are quoted or His actions are described during times that He was alone. For example, when Jesus was in the desert for forty days (Matthew 4) or praying in the Garden at Gethsemane (Mark 14), He was by Himself. How did anyone know…
What is the Book of the Wars of the Lord?
The Book of the Wars of the Lord is a book referred to in Scripture but now lost to us. The only information we have about the Book of the Wars of the Lord is what is found in one passage of Scripture. The way it is mentioned in Scripture would indicate that it was…
What is the Peshitta?
The Peshitta is a collection of Aramaic manuscripts of the Bible. Aramaic was the most common “shared language” among people of the Near East and Middle East for many centuries. This includes the years immediately before and after the earthly ministry of Jesus. For this reason, the Peshitta was an important early translation of the…
What is the core message of the Major Prophets?
The Major Prophets, which include the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel, have an important role in the Bible. They are called “Major Prophets” because they are longer than the twelve “Minor Prophets” that follow them in the Old Testament. While the Major Prophets fit seamlessly within the overarching narrative of the Bible,…
Why do the four Gospels seem to present a different message of salvation than the rest of the New Testament?
We must keep in mind that the Bible is intended to be taken as a whole. The books preceding the Four Gospels are anticipatory, and the books that follow are explanatory. Throughout the whole Bible, what God requires is faith (Genesis 15:6; Psalm 2:12; Habakkuk 2:4; Matthew 9:28; John 20:27; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 10:39). Salvation…
What is the harmony of the Gospels?
The “harmony” of the Gospels is the agreement of the four biblical Gospels. The four New Testament Gospels are like the singers in a four-part choir. They each have their distinct parts to sing, yet the parts combine to make a beautiful composition. Each of the four Gospels gives testimony of Jesus from a slightly…