LTRBE Seminar | Section 4: Overview of the Books of the Bible (Part 1)

Learn To Read The Bible Effectively

Section 4
Overview of the Books of the Bible (Part 1)

Watch Webcast 14:00

Section 4: Overview of the Books of the Bible (Part 1)

The "Canon" of Scripture is an authoritative list of books accepted as Holy Scripture. The Bible is broken into two testaments, Old and New. The Bible contains the following Table of Contents:

OLD TESTAMENT

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy
• Joshua
• Judges
• Ruth
• I Samuel
• II Samuel
• I Kings
• II Kings
• I Chronicles
• II Chronicles
• Ezra
• Nehemiah
• Esther
• Job
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Solomon
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Lamentations
• Ezekiel
• Daniel
• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi

NEW TESTAMENT

• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John
• Acts of the Apostles
• Romans
• I Corinthians
• II Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• I Thessalonians
• II Thessalonians
• I Timothy
• II Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews
• James
• I Peter
• II Peter
• I John
• II John
• III John
• Jude
• Revelation

OLD TESTAMENT:

• The Law (5 books)
  - Genesis
  - Exodus
  - Leviticus
  - Numbers
  - Deuteronomy
• The Prophets (8 books)
  1) The Former Prophets (4 books)
  - Joshua
  - Judges
  - Samuel
  - Kings
  2) The Latter Prophets (4 books)
  - Major (3 books)
  - Isaiah
  - Jeremiah
  - Ezekiel
  - Minor (1 book) The Twelve
  - Hosea
  - Joel
  - Amos
  - Obadiah
  - Jonah
  - Micah
  - Nahum
  - Habakkuk
  - Zephaniah
  - Haggai
  - Zechariah
  - Malachi
• The Writings (11 books)
  1) Poetical (3 books)
  - Psalms
  - Proverbs
  - Job
  2) Five Rolls (5 books)
  - Song of Solomon
  - Ruth
  - Lamentations
  - Ecclesiastes
  - Esther
  3) Historical (3 books)
  - Daniel
  - Ezra / Nehemiah
  - Chronicles

APOCRYPHA:

A Greek word meaning "hidden things."

They were not part of the Hebrew Scriptures. They were included in the Greek version of the Old Testament made for the Greek speaking Jews in Egypt. Later were included by Jerome into the Latin Bible. Protestants do not consider them a part of the inspired Canon which makes up the Bible today. The Catholic church does include them in their Bible. We will not be covering them in this seminar. The books are generally accepted as being written between 200 - 50 B.C. Today, if included, they typically find their placement between the Old and New Testament.

The Apocrypha consists of 14 books or parts of books. They are:

• I Esdras
• II Esdras
• Tobit
• Judith
• The Rest of the Chapters of the Book of Esther
• The Wisdom of Solomon
• Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach
• Baruch (with The Epistle of Jeremiah)
• The Song of the Three (Hebrew Children)
• The History of Susanna
• Bel and the Snake
• The Prayer of Manasseh
• I Maccabees
• II Maccabees

The overview of the Bible sessions will be conducted by presenting the books of the Old Testament in chronological order, based on the historical events outlined in the Bible.  The New Testament books will be presented in the same (non-chronological) order as in the Bible.

SESSION OUTLINES

Session 1: Overview of Bible

1. Background/Structure/Chronology
2. Genesis

Session 2: Exodus to David

1. Exodus to Promised Land
   Job
   Exodus
   Leviticus
   Numbers
   Deuteronomy
   Joshua
2. Period of Judges
   Judges
   Ruth
3. Saul & David
   1st & 2nd Samuel
   Psalms

Session 3: Solomon to Northern Exile

1. Reign of Solomon
   Introduction to:
   - 1st & 2nd Kings
   - 1st & 2nd Chronicles
   Proverbs
   Ecclesiastes
   Song of Solomon
2. Northern Kingdom
   Amos
   Hosea
3. Southern Kingdom
   Isaiah
   Micah
4. Nations
   Jonah
   Nahum

Session 4: Southern Exile to Christ

1. Pre Exile
   Jeremiah
   Zephaniah
   Habakkuk
   Lamentations
2. 70 years captivity
   Joel
   Daniel
   Ezekiel
   Obadiah
3. Post Exile
   Ezra
   Nehemiah
   Esther
   Haggai
   Zechariah
   Malachi

Session 5: New Testament - Part 1

1. Gospels
   Matthew
   Mark
   Luke
   John
2. Acts of the Apostles
3. Paul's Epistles to the Churches
   Romans
   1st & 2nd Corinthians
   Galatians
   Ephesians
   Philippians
   Colossians
   1st & 2nd Thessalonians

Session 6: New Testament - Part 2

1. Paul's Personal Epistles
   1st & 2nd Timothy
   Titus
   Philemon
2. General Epistles
   Hebrews
   James
   1st & 2nd Peter
   1st, 2nd & 3rd John
   Jude
3. The Apocalypse
   Revelation

GENESIS

The single most important book of the Bible.

Beginning or foundation of the Bible, from which everything is built. Everything revealed in the other books of the Bible has its beginning in the book of Genesis.  It is the first book of the Pentatuech, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

The name itself means "origin, source, or begetting".

It, with the book of Revelation, stand as two end posts bridging the revelation of God to man; the first telling how it all began, the second revealing in symbol how it all will finish. In Genesis there is seen the beginnings of all that which Revelation predicts as the consummation of the Divine purpose in the earth.

For example:

Genesis speaks of a natural creation (Gen. 1)
Revelation of a spiritual creation (Rev. 3:14)

In Genesis the serpent speaks (Gen. 3:1-5)
In Revelation it is restrained (Rev. 20:2)

In Genesis, the curse is imposed (Gen. 3:17)
In Revelation it is removed (Rev. 22:3)

In Genesis, sorrow and death make their appearance (Gen. 3:16-19)
In Revelation they are taken away (Rev. 21:4)

In Genesis, access to the tree of life is denied (Gen. 3:24)
In Revelation, access to it is opened (Rev. 2:7)

In Genesis, the first paradise is closed to man (Gen. 3:23)
In Revelation it is opened to him (Rev. 21:25)

Genesis basically can be divided into two parts:

1. PRIMEVAL HISTORY
   Chapters 1 to 11
2. PATRIARCHAL HISTORY
   Chapters 12 to 50

The first division records four outstanding events:

1. The Creation
2. The Fall of Man
3. The Flood
4. The Confusing of Tongues (Tower of Babel)

Patriarchal history is concerned with four outstanding individuals:

1. Abraham
2. Isaac
3. Jacob
4. Joseph

In addition to the natural separation into two periods of time, the book of Genesis is also divided naturally into 12 sections. These natural breaks are as follows:

1. Creation - Introduction (Gen. 1:1 - 2:3)
2. The Generations of the heavens and the earth (Gen.2:4 - 4:26)
3. The Book of the Generation of Adam (Gen. 5:1 - 6:8)
4. The Generations of Noah, a just man (Gen. 6:9 - 9:29)
5. The Generations of the sons of Noah (Gen. 10:1 - 11:9)
6. The Generations of Shem (Gen. 11:10-26)
7. The Generations of Terah (Abraham) (Gen. 11:27 - 25:11)
8. The Generations of Ishmael (Gen. 25:12-18)
9. The Generations of Isaac (Gen. 25:19 - 35:29)
10. The Generations of Esau (Gen. 36:1-8)
11. The Generations of the Sons of Esau (Gen. 36:9-43)
12. The Generations of Jacob (Gen. 37:1 - 50:26)

Some Points to Consider from Genesis:

1. Reconciling Creation with the age of the Earth. (Gen. 1:1)
2. God's First Promise to Man. (Gen. 3:15)
3. God called Abram (Gen. 12:1)
4. God's Covenant with Abram/Abraham. (Gen. 12, 13, 15, 22)
5. How Israel Came to be in Egypt. (Gen. Chapters 15, 37 - 50)