Truth for Tomorrow
Shining The Light of the World In the Last Days
FACT: There would be no Christianity without Jewish people. Every word of the Bible was inspired by God all written by Jewish writers.
FACT: In the entirety of the Bible, about 25% of it is prophetic or meaning it states predictions about the distant future.
FACT: The Bible is the only religious text in the world that makes specific predictions about the future.
BASIC BIBLE OVERVIEW
Who wrote the Bible? The Bible was written by more than 40 different people (some kings, prophets, followers, even common people) who wrote what God the Holy Spirit had inspired them to write. The Bible itself tells the reader this in second book of Timothy (2 Timothy 3:16). Do not be deceived about who wrote the Bible. All its authors were divinely inspired to write precisely what God the Holy Spirit led them to contribute.
How old is the Bible? The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) known as Judaism, is the oldest widely-known religious text that first declared there to be only one God (monotheistic). Its earliest origins date back to Abraham between 9,000-5,000 years before the birth of Jesus Christ (BC). Conversely, it predates the Quran by several thousand years which is arguably the second best-known monotheistic text. Islamic writings date back to about 600 years after the death of Jesus Christ (AD). The New Testament or the second half of the Bible was written in the first century AD or within the first 100 years after the death of Jesus Christ. The New Testament is a continuation of the Old Testament which gave birth to Christianity--it too is monotheistic and predates all other monotheistic texts.
What is the Bible about? In the most basic essence, the Bible explains to humans how the world and everything within it came into existence, who created it, and how we are to live our lives in such a way that makes us worthy to inherit a holy kingdom that God presently resides in. The Bible explains how evil corrupted the Earth and God's ultimate plan for providing humans a way to be saved giving them a second chance to live with God in a perfect kingdom of peace. The alternative place for humans to live after their Earthly bodies die is a place without God known as hell where there is suffering. The Bible outlines how humans' thoughts, words and actions while living on Earth will ultimately determine which place he/she will reside in permanently after death.
How is the Bible organized? The Bible is divided into two parts with a total of 66 books (by various writers) since the 1885 revised King James biblical canon was comprised. The first part called the Old Testament contains 39 books and was originally written in Hebrew (called the Torah/Torh). The Old Testament in today's English-written Bibles is the same text studied in Judaism (or by Jewish people) though the Hebrew version arranges the books of the Old Testament differently. The second part of the Bible called the New Testament has 27 books. It is what gave birth to Christianity (those who follow the Son of God, Jesus Christ). Every major prophetic writer in the Old Testament predicted a Messiah would be born. That happened over two thousand years ago when Jesus of Nazareth was born. The New Testament fulfilled the promises of God made long long ago. It also explains what humans must do to gain entrance into heaven and also provides detailed information about what God's ultimate future plans will be for mankind.
How do I understand Bible references? When people talk about things in the Bible they often refer to a specific verse or what looks like a formula such as (Genesis 1:10) or (2 Timothy 3:16) which is referenced above. The Bible is a sophisticated book of mathematics and breaks things down in easy parts so readers can find and track information quickly. For instance (Genesis 1:10), Genesis is the name of the book. The number "1" is the specific chapter within Genesis, and the number "16" is the specific line of text in chapter one of Genesis. Thus, if you open a Bible you will read that (Genesis 1:10 says, "God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas." The specific wording will depend on the Bible version/translation the reader happens to be using which is why you will often see (KJV-King James Version) or (NIV-New International Version) appear after a Bible reference These simply refer to the specific Bible version being cited. As a general rule, it is best to use Bible versions that translate the original text word-for-word such as the King James Version KJV, the New King James Version NKJ, and the English Standard Version ESV among others.
How do I interpret what is written in the Bible? Everything written in the Bible must be interpreted through reading other passages in the Bible. Meaning, do not evaluate what you read in the Bible based on a specific person's interpretation or a single passage in isolation--instead evaluate it based on what other passages in the Bible say. Readers of the Bible who do not take this into consideration often read a passage, interpret it through their perspective, and consequently misunderstand God's message. For instance, the Bible says we should not have any other gods before the one true God. Outwardly, we might assume this means to believe in nothing except the (deity) God of the Bible. However, as you read more in the Bible you will learn to interpret this as truly meaning we should not have any other gods which includes anything from money, possessions, fame, lust, etc. In other words, whatever in your life that you put before the living God in heaven is considered your god.