Daniel P Warner

Who should read this?

If you already have a good handle on the structure of the Bible, and how the books are organized, you can skip this thread. The intended audience is newer believers who haven’t studied the Bible, or those who just aren’t that familiar with why there’s so many books in the Bible.

Not the same as other Burning Bush Blogs

Burning Bush Blogs are designed to be consumed in 10-15 minutes, or even less if you’re in a hurry. Also, the blogs are segmented into four sections: Observations, Interpretations, Correlations, and Applications.

This post, however, is different. It is more of a primer about the organization of the Bible and can be used as a reference rather than a devotional.

Gospels

The word gospel means “Good News.” The first four books of the New Testament, Matthew through John, all tell the same story – the good news of the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in human form; his ministry on earth; his rejection by mankind; his suffering and death on the cross; and his resurrection to take the penalty for mankind’s sins.

The four gospels all tell the same story, but contain differences in what was included and how the story was told. This is because they were written by different authors. If four people witnessed the same event and gave statements to the police, they’d all have their own biases and perspectives. Similarly, the gospels reflect the perspectives of the four authors.

The book of acts is a single book of church history. It tells the story of the history of the church immediately after Jesus ascends into heaven. It covers the immediate evangelizing in Jerusalem and Israel, the conversion of the apostle Paul, and the early missionary journeys. The early church faced massive persecution from both the Jews and the Roman Empire, yet expanded in a mighty way. Acts would typically be studied after the gospels.

Letters

The new testament Letters, Romans through Jude, contain correspondence from apostles. Most of the letters were written to churches, but some were addressed to individuals. When studying the letters, it is important to know who the author was, who their intended audience was, and their current situation. Was the letter written by the apostle Paul from a prison cell in Rome? Or from one of the step-brothers of Christ who came to believe in Him only after the resurrection and ascension?

The letters are valuable because they help define the doctrines of Christianity. Some of these can be deep, and have caused divisions in the church over the centuries. But careful study and correlation will lead to a more thorough understanding of God’s plan.

Prophecy

The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the only New Testament book of Prophecy. The entire book was written by the apostle John late in his life when he was living in exile on the Greek Island of Patmos. It recounts a vision that he received in a cave from Christ. The cave can still be visited today.

The beginning of Revelation is composed of letters to seven churches scattered around Asia Minor. The letters describe both the good and the bad about how the churches conducted themselves and about their beliefs.

Next, the book describes John’s apocalyptic vision. There are a wide number of interpretations of this vision. Most scholars agree that the imagery could have multiple meanings, describing events in both the past and the situation as it existed during John’s time. What is debated is the vision’s predictions about the future, when Christ will eventually set up his eternal kingdom, casting aside Satan forever.

Caution should be taken when trying to make specific predictions about actual times and places that this books foretells. Scripture is clear that no man knows the time or place.