Articles
The Bible in a Nutshell
The Bible in a Nutshell
The Bible is the most important book on earth. It the only book that tells us what we need to know for salvation. Do you know the Bible? This article introduces some fundamentals to help you begin to understand the Bible better.
The word “Bible” comes from the Greek word biblia meaning “books.” The Bible is a library of 66 books that tell the unfolding plan of salvation for mankind. These books are divided into two major sections: the old testament (39 books) and the new testament (27 books). They were written by more than forty men over the course of 1,600 years. These men were inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16-17), who communicated His will to them through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:5; 2 Pet. 1:21).
We can break the Bible down into 17 basic periods:
- Creation Stories. This includes all of the stories grouped back at the beginning of time.
- The Flood. God was angry with the corrupted state of humanity, so He sent a flood to destroy all life, except the life in the Ark.
- The Scattering of the People. God confused the languages of Noah’s descendants so they would divide into many nations and fill the earth.
- Patriarchs. God gave three very special promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons, became ruler in Egypt and moved his family there.
- Exodus. Many years later the Israelites became slaves in Egypt. Moses delivered them to bring them to the Promised Land, Canaan.
- Wandering in the Wilderness. God’s people, afraid to invade Canaan, were sentenced to live in the desert for forty years.
- Invasion and Conquest of Canaan. The next generation of Israelites entered Canaan and conquered many enemies. God fulfilled the land promise.
- Judges. After Joshua died, the nation fell under the oppression of their enemies. God delivered them with “judges” (deliverers) such as Gideon and Samson.
- United Kingdom. The Israelites wanted a king, so God gave them what they wanted. The first three kings were Saul, David, and Solomon.
- Divided Kingdom. After Solomon’s death the kingdom divided into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
- Judah Alone. Israel was taken into captivity because of idolatry, leaving Judah alone in the land.
- Captivity. Judah also eventually fell into captivity and spent 70 years in Babylon. Jerusalem was destroyed.
- Return from Captivity. God allowed a remnant of Israelites to return to Canaan. They rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem.
- Years of Silence. After Malachi, God gave no revelation for 400 years.
- Life of Christ. Finally Jesus Christ, the anticipated Messiah and the Son of God, came in the flesh and fulfilled God’s will, accomplishing salvation for all who would choose it.
- Early Church. After Christ died, His church was established.
- Letters to the Christians. Apostles and prophets wrote letters to individuals and churches.
Through all of this, the main story-line of the Bible is the unfolding of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind through Jesus Christ. The first 14 periods all point to Him. He is the very center of all that God has done.
That’s the Bible in a nutshell!
