Sermon An Overview Of The Bible

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[2] The title of the sermon today is “AN OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE.”

Acts Chapter 7 Is An Overview Of The Bible

• We read Acts Chapter 7 before this sermon BECAUSE Stephen is preaching an overview of the history of the Bible.
• And today, we want to go over a very high level overview of the Bible.
• The Bible contains so many details that we can sometimes get lost in the details.
• You need to know an overview of the Bible so you can step back and see where you are when you’re studying the Bible.

It’s important to understand the order of events so you can understand the Bible better.

• For example, you can understand that the 144,000 in the Book of Revelation are already in heaven because the Rapture hasn’t yet happened when they are being sealed in their foreheads.
• You only get to heaven BEFORE THE RAPTURE by dying here in this life.
• It’s very important to understand the BIG PICTURE of the entire Bible and the BIG PICTURE for each book.

Occasionally, we’re going to take a step back from all the details and get an overview.

• Overviews are going to help us understand the Bible much better.
• Today, we’re going to look at an overview of the ENTIRE STORY OF THE BIBLE.
• It’s sort of like going in an airplane and seeing HOW LARGE THE ENTIRE WORLD REALLY IS.
• You’re getting an overview picture from above.
• Sometimes we get bogged down in the details of our life and we don’t even realize the BIG PICTURE.

When you read the ENTIRE BIBLE over and over again, you start to see the bigger picture.

• The Bible becomes simpler and easier to understand because you start to see the overview.
• That’s why reading the Bible more than ONCE PER YEAR is very important.
• The more you can repeat reading each year, the faster it all comes together.
• This means it doesn’t take you a year to get back to the Book of John.
• If you can read every book of the Bible 10 times per year:

You’ll see the BIG PICTURE faster than ONCE PER YEAR. You’ll forget things faster from once per year.

• 12 minutes a day of reading is ONCE PER YEAR. You can do better than that.
• 120 minutes per day or 2 hours per day of reading is 10 times per year. That, you can do.
• 30 minutes at breakfast. 30 minutes at lunch. 30 minutes at dinner. 30 minutes before bed. 2 hours.
• And you can’t skip a session at ANY TIME. Or, you’ll get behind. But keep going. Don’t stop.

What do I recommend you read the Bible? 10 to 12 times per year.

• What do most churches around here recommend? ZERO TIMES PER YEAR.
• Why would they recommend ZERO TIMES PER YEAR? If you read the Bible, you’ll see their lies.
• You’ll either trust them over the Bible, or you’ll trust the Bible and leave their church.
• Read the Bible for one year and see how much better you know the Bible. The difference will be amazing.
• Watch the changes you make in your life too. You won’t even recognize yourself.
• That’s because the word of God is working within you. The Spirit of God is changing you.
• You’ll recognize FALSE TEACHING IMMEDIATELY. Then you’ll see that we teach the truth here.

Why You Need To Read The Bible So Much

Why do I recommend you read the Bible so much?

• The entire point is to GROW IN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM.
• That’s what God wants. That’s why He gave us this Bible right here.
• He leads us in the right direction. Without HIS WORDS, we will go in the WRONG direction.

[3] 2 Peter 3:15-18 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

• The Bible tells us that some things are hard to understand.
• But it also tells us it’s hard to understand for those who aren’t studying the Scriptures.
• I hope with this Church that you see what it means to STUDY THE SCRIPTURES.
• Yes, our sermons here are much longer than ANY Church that I’ve been to around here.

Some people will get tired and won’t come back because they can’t sit there for 1 hour and study.

• They can’t sit and watch TV for hours, but they can’t study the Scriptures.
• They can sit at a restaurant for over an hour stuffing their face BUT they can’t STUFF themselves with the WORD OF GOD.
• My goal here every sermon is to STUFF YOU FULL OF THE WORD OF GOD.
• I want you to see what the Word of God does for you when you take it all in.

Preachers won’t read and study the Bible. The so-called experts don’t understand the Bible.

• That Scripture right there in 2 Peter tells us they make mistakes because they don’t know the Scripture.
• Those mistakes lead to their OWN DESTRUCTION. Peter says to BEWARE OF THIS!!!
• Don’t be led away with that same error of the wicked.
• Read and study your Bible with everything you have. THEN you won’t be led away to destruction.
• The Bible says right there in verse 18 to GROW IN GRACE AND IN KNOWLEDGE!!!

We don’t focus on EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS HERE.

• You have all these Churches around here that want to make it about you and your feelings.
• Hey, look, I read the BIBLE. I know the Bible. God NEVER focuses on your emotions and feelings.
• The devil focuses on your emotions and your feelings. And those churches are DEVIL CHURCHES.
• UNDERSTAND THAT TODAY. They are of their FATHER THE DEVIL.
• When a preacher tells you that you don’t need to read the Bible:
• 100% without a doubt, HE IS OF THE DEVIL. No doubt at all.
• We need to know the Bible. And that’s what we’re going to do here in this Church.
• We’re going to be TRUE STUDENTS OF THE BIBLE. Our goal is to know this better than anyone around.
• I hope you’ll join with me on this. Let’s put our best effort forth for the rest of our life.
• This is what I want to be like in Psalm Chapter 1. See this.
• I will meditate in the WORD OF GOD, IN HIS LAW, day and night.
• And watch what God promises. And His promises are good. You can count on that.

[4] Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

• I’ll take that blessing. I will delight in the law of the Lord.
• I will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. I will bring forth fruit in his season.
• My leaf shall not wither. And whatsoever I do will prosper BECAUSE I’m doing what GOD WANTS.
• I’m not choosing to do things that my flesh wants.
• I don’t care about houses. I don’t care about cars. I don’t care about jewelry. I don’t care about expensive clothing. All of that stuff is pure trash. I care about things that are right here in this Bible.
• And I hope that you’ll join me in taking this blessing from GOD ALMIGHTY HIMSELF.
• I’ll take it. Are you going to take it?
• So, with that, let’s get started on this overview of the Bible.

Let’s Talk About The Book Of Genesis

• The Book of Genesis was written by Moses.
• We start with the creation of the world all the way to the formation of the NATION OF ISRAEL.
• “In the beginning God created the HEAVEN and the EARTH.”
• The Bible is very clear that God created everything in 6 LITERAL 24-Hour Days.
• How do we know it’s 24-Hour Days? The Bible says this for each of the 6 Days of Creation:
• “The evening and the morning” were the first day, second day, third day, fourth day, fifth day, sixth day.
• There is no gap. The earth isn’t moving slower or faster around the sun.
• The Book of Exodus in TWO PLACES says that the Lord made everything in 6 DAYS!!!

[5] Exodus 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

• Yet, you get false preachers that have NO FAITH in the word of God and make up fairy tales.
• “Well, God’s days aren’t the same as our 24-hour days.”
• Where does the Bible say that? It doesn’t say anything like that. God’s not trying to trick us.
• I ask those people. “So, you don’t think Almighty God could create everything in 6 days? Really?”

God creates the first man and the first woman: ADAM AND EVE.

• They are in this paradise the Garden of Eden.
• Satan shows up and deceives the woman. They both sin. They are cast out of paradise.
• They have children: Cain, Abel, and many other children. Sons and daughters.
• It’s not just Cain, Abel, and Seth. So the children of Adam and Eve populate the Earth.
• Cain murders Abel because HIS OWN WORKS WERE EVIL and Abel’s were righteous.
• Murder began right there and violence continues to spread throughout the Earth.
• Lamech, a descendant of Cain, takes 2 wives which is the first time in the Bible that happens.
• And then Lamech kills a man following in the tradition of Cain.
• In Genesis 6, we learn that the entire earth is now filled with violence.

[6] Genesis 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

• Then we get to Noah who has 3 sons: Shem, Ham, Japheth.
• Man is wicked. Man is corrupted. God tells Noah to build an ark.
• He gets on the ark with his wife, his three sons, and their wives. Total of 8 people on the ark.
• The flood happens and everyone on earth is UTTERLY REMOVED from the face of the earth.
• That’s about 1,650 years of people living and reproducing on Earth since Adam.
• They are all destroyed except those 8 people on the ark.
• They stay in the ark being protected by God for about a year.
• And then everything starts over again with Noah’s family.

But this time, God implements the DEATH PENALTY when they step off the ark.

• If you want to kill someone, man will put you to death.
• God implemented this so the earth wouldn’t be filled with violence again.
• And again, we’re going away from the Bible in this world and letting everyone by with everything.
• “Well, everybody does it and we’re no better than you and we love you and forgive you.”
• “Now get out there and MURDER some more people so we can be even more forgiving.”
• “We’ll show you how much greater than God we are. We can forgive murderers and child molesters.”

God Destroys When He Needs To Destroy

These people from the ARK saw what God did to the Earth.

• You would think they would obey God from there on out. But nope. Sure didn’t.
• They didn’t spread out all over the Earth. They decided to stay close together.
• This is when they decide to build the Tower of Babel that reaches to heaven.
• They are going to build a name for themselves and not obey God through FAITH.
• God is angry and comes down and destroys their work.
• God forces them to go out and multiply over the earth by confusing their language.
• They can’t communicate and join together so they split up.

Different nations begin to form after the Tower of Babel.

• This happened 100 years after they got off the ark.
• Now, since there are many nations GOD CHOOSES ONE NATION to bring the word of God.
• This ONE MAN, ABRAHAM, will bring the word of God to all the other nations.
• And I want you to see this today BECAUSE most churches and preachers can’t get this right.
• They want to raise the man-made nation of Israel today on a pedestal and act like they’re better.
• These are the same people who HATE the LORD JESUS CHRIST who is God.
• Watch what Genesis Chapter 12 says because this is KEY to understand the entire Bible.

[7] Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

• Notice right there at the end that it says: “IN THEE SHALL ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED.”
• God chooses Abraham as the founding father of the great nation of Israel.
• God didn’t do this to say, “Look, my people are BETTER than everyone else. They are SUPERIOR.”
• God didn’t say to bow down to the children of Israel and worship them.
• God chose them for a specific reason. He gave them a job to BRING the WORD OF GOD to the others!
• He chose them to be the workmen to do what He asked. And Jesus Christ came from that line.
• That’s what it means when it says “IN THEE” shall all families of the Earth be blessed.
• It’s talking about THROUGH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Believe on Him and you will be greatly blessed.

[8] Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

• Abraham knew the GOSPEL. All nations would be blessed through FAITH.
• So God chooses Abraham and makes him into a GREAT NATION.
• And today, if you’re saved (PAST TENSE) by grace through faith then you are Abraham’s SPIRITUAL SEED.
• In Genesis, we see the nation of Israel begin to from through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• Jacob’s name is Israel and he has 12 sons who form the 12 tribes of Israel. And they multiply greatly!

Those 12 sons and their families go down into Egypt because of a famine.

• You’ll remember the story of Joseph becoming a great leader in Egypt.
• They stay in Egypt for 400 years and they multiply. They are so great that Pharaoh fears them.
• In the Book of Exodus we see them go into bondage because Pharaoh didn’t want them to become too powerful.
• So who is the next great leader for the nation of Israel that arises at this time?
• It’s the author of the first 5 books of the Bible: MOSES.
• The job of Moses is to bring them out of Egypt into the promised land where their fathers had lived.

The Book Of Exodus Is About The Children Of Israel Leaving Egypt

In the Book of Exodus, you see the Children of Israel being led out of Egypt.

• In the second half of the book, they are building the tabernacle.
• But the tabernacle in Exodus is a portable building that they can move with them.
• The tabernacle was a place for them to worship God.
• Also in Exodus, we learn about the law that God gives to Moses.

In Leviticus, we don’t see the actual story of the Children of Israel move forward very much at all.

• We see all the rules that God gives them to follow and how to worship Him properly.
• So a lot of people get stuck in the book of Leviticus.
• But understand what the Book is and it’s giving GOD’S PERFECT LAWS. Push through it.
• Take it all in. It’s an amazing book. Don’t get stuck because the story doesn’t move much.

Then we move to Numbers. Moses is still the author here of Numbers.

• The story of the Children of Israel begins to move along again.
• They leave Egypt in Exodus. Numbers shows them heading into the promised land.
• But they can’t enter into the promised land because of their unbelief.
• And what happens? They wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

Then we come to the book of Deuteronomy. The word Deuteronomy actually means SECOND LAW.

• So you get a review of the entire law from the books before Deuteronomy.
• It also reviews them wandering in the wilderness. It’s a great book.
• Moses dies at the end of this book and it is the last book of Moses. The first 5 are the Books of Moses.
• So we have Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. What’s next?

The Book of Joshua is next. The children of Israel are now entering into the PROMISED LAND.

• All the older people died in the wilderness. So now there’s a NEW GENERATION!!!
• Caleb and Joshua are the only ones that are going to make it in besides the NEW GENERATION.

[9] Numbers 32:11-12 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: 12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.

• This new generation follows Joshua into the promised land.
• They believe on the Lord and are obeying Him by taking the promised land.
• They fight battles for several years to get rid of the people who are in the promised land.
• It wasn’t empty when they got there. They had to fight for it.
• That’s kind of what we do with SOUL WINNING. It’s a war to take back the promised land.
• But it’s a spiritual war in which we attempt to convert people to God.
• In Joshua, they are supposed to kick all of those other people out of the promised land.
• They fail to drive out all the other people in the land.

Then, we move to the Book of Judges.

• This is a another 400 year period in which the Children of Israel live in the promised land.
• They have the complete law of Moses to follow. God gave them this law to follow.
• In the Book of Judges, they continuously FAIL in keeping the law.
• Then God raises a JUDGE, or a good leader, and they follow that leader.
• Joshua was that first great leader of that time.
• After Joshua dies, they fall away from the law and God punishes them.
• Then Othniel is raised as the first JUDGE in the Book of Judges.

Fall Away And Get God’s Punishment

When he’s gone, they fall away again and God punishes them.

• In other words, the people MUST have a HUMAN leader to guide them every time.
• Why is that? You shouldn’t need a HUMAN LEADER telling you what to do. You have the word of God.
• In this world today, people in churches treat a PASTOR or MINISTER like they’re God.
• And the truth is, they are nothing. They are but a HUMAN. The word of God, the HOLY SPIRIT guides you.

With my wife and children, I will be a GODLY LEADER like God asks me to be.

• But then, what are they going to do when I’m gone?
• What is the next generation after them going to do?
• Are we going to get comfortable in WICKED WAYS and fall away from God?
• Or, are all you in here right now going to STAY WITH GOD and do what He says?
• When people have a comfortable life, they don’t need God.
• When you go to the door trying to help them receive ETERNAL LIFE, they are too busy watching TV.

In reality, they’re simply wasting their time watching TV and becoming WORSE PEOPLE.

• They don’t understand that they aren’t BUSY doing anything that’s worth something of eternal value!
• God brings in EVIL to punish his children in the Book of Judges. Then, they cry out to Him.
• THEN THEY NEED HIS HELP. We shouldn’t ever get to that point.
• God then sends them a new leader or a new JUDGE. Ehud, Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Samson.
• There are 12 different Judges listed in the Book. Those Judges bring the people BACK TO GOD.
• They also lead them into BATTLE to kick out their oppressor who God allowed because of their evil ways.

Then we have the Book of Ruth which is a very short story in the Bible.

• The Book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges.
• There was a famine in the land during the days when the Judges ruled.
• Ruth is the GREAT GRANDMOTHER of KING DAVID.

Now Let’s Look At 1 Samuel

So far, we’ve seen that everything is in PERFECT ORDER. It’s in Chronological Order to this point in time.

• Now, we’re headed right into 1 SAMUEL.
• And you can see they still have JUDGES in this time.
• ELI is the Judge at the beginning of 1 SAMUEL.
• After Eli, you’ll see Samuel takes over as JUDGE.
• Samuel’s children were VERY EVIL. So the people in Israel didn’t want any more judges.
• They wanted a KING instead. They didn’t like God’s way. They wanted to be like the world.

[10] 1 Samuel 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

• So they rejected God’s way and wanted to do it their way.
• So God gives them what they want and King Saul becomes the first KING OF ISRAEL.
• The concept of the JUDGES was not HEREDITARY in any way.
• So Samuel’s sons shouldn’t have automatically been THE NEXT JUDGES.
• They could have rejected Samuel’s sons and chosen a GODLY LEADER instead.
• With the system of Judges, the people had more freedom and liberty. God’s way is always better.
• God CHOOSES their first King. The people didn’t get a choice. God chose for them.
• King Saul reigns for 40 years.
• A quick recap of 1 SAMUEL is we start with the judge Eli. Then Samuel. Then KING SAUL.
• And we see the entire reign of King Saul in 1 SAMUEL.
• At the very end of the book, we see King Saul die when he falls on his own sword.

Then we move to 2 Samuel. Here, we see the next King who rules over Israel.

• This is KING DAVID. It starts with the story of how he becomes King.
• We see the details of his entire 40-year period of rule. And it wasn’t all great. He had issues.
• King David did some bad things during his rule but he also did some great things too.
• At the end of 2 SAMUEL, we see that King David is getting very old.
• He continues into the first part of 1 KINGS.
• King David appoints Solomon his son as the next KING over Israel.
• King David dies in 1 KINGS CHAPTER 2.

The rest of 1 KINGS and 2 KINGS will take us through a series of different Kings.

• After Solomon, the children of Israel are split into 2 kingdoms. That was a punishment for Solomon.
• Solomon began to follow after false gods because of his 700 wives and 300 concubines.
• So the nation was split into 2 kingdoms: 1) The Kingdom of Israel and 2) the Kingdom of Judah.
• So we see all the different Kings during these books of 1 KINGS and 2 KINGS.
• I want you to see this chart of these 2 Kingdoms after the split.

[11]

• So there’s the 2 Kingdoms and I’ll leave that slide up there for a little while.
• And then you’ll see that we have 1 CHRONICLES and 2 CHRONICLES.
• Some information is repeated in the BOOKS OF THE KINGS AND THE BOOKS OF THE CHRONICLES.
• But here’s the difference in Kings and Chronicles that you need to understand.
• Remember, we have the split into 2 KINGDOMS after King Solomon.
• The books of the Kings is focusing on the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
• 1 KINGS and 2 KINGS talks about both Israel and Judah but the focus is Israel in the North.
• 1 CHRONICLES and 2 CHRONICLES focuses on the Kingdom of Judah in the South.

Samuel, Kings, And Chronicles Are Related

I want you to see today how the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles are related.

• Remember, 2 SAMUEL deals with the reign of King David.
• 1 CHRONICLES is in parallel with 2 SAMUEL.
• The information is repeated just like in the 4 GOSPELS and in the Book of Revelation.
• 2 CHRONICLES is in parallel with 1 KINGS AND 2 KINGS.
• In other words, all of 1 Kings and 2 Kings is packed into 2 Chronicles.
• So, let’s draw that on the white board so you can see this better.
• 1 Chronicles 🡪 2 Samuel
• 2 Chronicles 🡪 1 Kings and 2 Kings
• What you see on the board there is in terms of time periods and events occurring.
• Chronicles focuses on the SOUTHERN KINGDOM OF JUDAH.
• Kings focuses on the NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.

We just talked about this in our Study of Revelation Chapter 7, but the tribes of Israel were split into the 2 kingdoms.

• In general, the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin were in the Southern Kingdom of JUDAH.
• The majority of people were from the tribe of JUDAH.
• You had the Benjamites there, and you had Levites sprinkled throughout as well. You also had Simeon.
• 10 of the 12 tribes broke off and rebelled against King Reheboam, Solomon’s son.
• They remained separate and NEVER joined back together.
• Here in the United States, after the Civil War, we joined back together. We didn’t remain separate.
• JUDAH and ISRAEL did not reunite.
• The Bible says they will re-unite during the MILENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST. But not before then.
• That’s when we’ll all be united ONCE AGAIN through Jesus Christ ONLY.

I want you to see this today regarding the 2 KINGDOMS because it’s very important to understanding the Bible.

• The capital of the Southern Kingdom of JUDAH is Jerusalem.
• Jerusalem was NOT in the Kingdom of Israel. It was in JUDAH.
• The Northern Kingdom of Israel turns away from God completely.
• They don’t have ONE RIGHTEOUS KING ruling over them after the split. Not even one.
• When you read through 1 Kings and 2 Kings, you’ll see this. THEY ALL DID EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD.
• You’ll see this over and over again.

[12] 1 Kings 16:30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.

• The Southern Kingdom of Judah doesn’t have all evil kings after the split.
• They get some Kings that do right in the eyes of the Lord.
• You’ll see this when talking about some of the Kings of Judah.

[13] 2 Chronicles 14:2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:

• But keep in mind: Not all of the Kings of Judah did right. They had some do right.
• The Kingdom of Israel had ZERO that did right in the eyes of God.
• I want to show you a chart with the Kings of Judah and Israel side by side after the split.

[14]

The capital city of the Northern Kingdom changes a few times.

• The capital city is ALWAYS where the King is reigning from.
• You’ll notice that the Bible tells you where the Kings are reigning from. That’s the capital city.
• Tirzah is the capital city in the Kingdom of Israel for most of the time.
• But Zimri, which you can see on the chart right there, takes over by killing Elah.
• Zimri rules for 7 days. Omri takes over. In the process, though, ZIMRI destroys the capital and kills himself.
• Because of that, the capital city wasn’t Tirzah any more.
• King Omri purchases new property.

[15] 1 Kings 16:24 And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.

• The capital is now setup in Samaria. King Omri is now ruling from Samaria in the Kingdom of Israel.
• In the books of the prophets, which all occurred AFTER that change, you’ll see them talking about the capital city of Samaria for the Kingdom of Israel.
• So, in the end of these kingdoms: Judah is the capital of Jerusalem and Samaria is the capital of Israel.
• The people in the SOUTHERN KINGDOM are referred to as JEWS.
• The people in the NORTHERN KINGDOM are not referred to as JEWS.

[16] 2 Kings 16:5-7 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. 6 At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day. 7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.

• That’s the first time the word JEWS is used in the entire Bible.
• And it’s referring to the KINGDOM OF JUDAH in the Southern Kingdom
• It even talks about the King of Israel and the King of Syria working together to fight the JEWS.
• So obviously, the Kingdom of Israel in the Bible, are not the JEWS in the Bible.
• JEW is not equal to ISRAELITE in no way, no shape, and no form.
• The word Jew is only used for the people in the SOUTHERN KINGDOM.
• And the word is not used UNTIL the Kingdom is divided into 2 different kingdoms.
• The tribe of JUDAH is not the only ones who were JEWS.

The Tribe Of Judah Weren’t The Only Jews

It was everyone that lived in the KINGDOM OF JUDAH just like people who live in America are called Americans.

• You might have someone from Spain who now lives in America. They are American.
• You might have someone from Japan living in America. They are American.
• If someone from the tribe of Gad left the Kingdom of Israel to live in Judah, they were a JEW.
• The majority of the people in JUDAH were from the tribe of Judah. They were Jews.
• But anyone else that lived in JUDAH from the other tribes were called JEWS.
• JEW = Southern Kingdom of Judah. Many people tired of false gods came to JUDAH.
• The vast majority of Judah was the tribe of Judah, Benjamin, Levi, and Simeon.
• There were others, though. A few from other tribes. And from other countries too!!!

So, what happened to the 2 KINGDOMS: Israel and Judah.

• Since Israel was much more wicked, they were overtaken first.
• The Assyrians took over ISRAEL. They didn’t take all of them away, though.
• But they sent in other people from other nations and it was a mixture of people.
• They became known as SAMARITANS. And you’ll see them in the New Testament.
• The people who loved there became SAMARITANS. The majority were not from Israel.
• But they are mixed in with the small number of ISRAELITES.

[17] John 4:9-12 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

• So this is the story of Jesus at the well. Jesus is a JEW because He’s from the Southern Kingdom of JUDAH.
• The woman is from Samaria so she is called a Samaritan.
• But what do you see in the story? She asks Jesus, “ART THOU GREATER THAN OUR FATHER JACOB?”
• So she talks about descending from Jacob or Israel.
• Now that should all fit together for you. She might be a Samaritan but she descends from Israel.
• The tribes that were in the Northern Kingdom were mostly lost. They didn’t know who they were.
• They were mixed in. They weren’t considered to be Jews. The JEWS had no dealings with Samaritans.

And then the Southern Kingdom of Judah also did evil in the sight of the Lord.

• So next, they get invaded by the Babylonians. Babylon takes them captive.
• Remember the Book of Daniel? The children are taken captive to Babylon to learn their ways.
• That’s their punishment from God for worshipping false gods. They are in Babylon for 70 years.
• They come back and rebuild the wall and the temple in Jerusalem. You see that in Ezra and Nehemiah.

So remember, we were talking about KINGS and CHRONICLES.

• You can’t go through those books without mentioning ELIJAH and ELISHA.
• Those two are some of my favorites in all the Bible. Don’t mess with those 2. I’ll tell you that.
• The Bible isn’t based on a true story. It is THE TRUE STORY.
• But notice, Elijah and Elisha are MAINLY preaching in the Northern Kingdom.

And remember, the NORTHERN KINGDOM is wicked .They are worshipping false gods.

• That’s why Elisha curses the wicked children and a bear tears them into pieces. They were wicked.
• And I was told by a Pastor that doesn’t understand the wickedness of the Northern Kingdom to “BE CAREFUL” preaching about the children being cursed by Elisha.
• And I say, “Hey, Elisha was a man of God. He LOOKED upon those children. They were evil.”
• That’s what the Bible says. I will not be careful about what the Bible says. Elisha wasn’t. He was bold!

Let’s move to Ezra. What’s Ezra about?

• The children of Judah come back from Babylon and re-building the temple.
• It takes them 46 years to re-build the temple according to the Pharisees in the New Testament.

[18] John 2:20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

What about Nehemiah the next book?

• They are re-building the wall around the city during this book.

Then we move to the Book of Esther.

• That’s a great book and a great story that my wife and kids love.
• The Jews are scattered throughout the world at this time.
• It takes place in the Kingdom of Persia at Shushan the Palace.
• In today’s world, it’s on the Southwestern Border of Iran.
• You see the story of Mordecai VERSUS his enemy HAMAN with a surprise ending for HAMAN.

The Book Of Job Begins A New Section Of The Bible

In general, to this point in the Bible, IT IS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (as it happened)

• Genesis to Esther is in order. Then what happens?
• We enter into a new section of the Bible when we get to Job.
• It’s no longer in chronological order when you get to Job.
• The BOOK OF JOB is a very old book. So the division there is obvious.
• And I love this BIBLE LEARNING CHART which helps you understand the divisions of the Bible.

[19]

• First 5 Books of Moses are the LAW.
• Joshua to Esther gives us HISTORY.
• Then we have Poetry or Wisdom books with Job through Song of Songs.
• Then we see the Major Prophets followed by the Minor Prophets to finish the Old Testament.

So, we’re at the Book of Job in this sermon overview of the Bible.

• The events in Job most likely occurred between GENESIS and EXODUS somewhere.

Then we have the FAMOUS BOOK OF PSALMS.

• Most of the Book of Psalms is written by King David.
• Then we have the next 3 books written by the wisest man to ever live: KING SOLOMON.
• Even though he’s the wisest man to ever live, he had a downfall and that was women.
• Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon were all written by Solomon.
• So all the sections that you see in that image there, IN GENERAL, ARE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.

Let’s move to the MAJOR PROPHETS: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

• These 5 books are in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. This helps you understand what you’re reading.
• When we read the books of the prophets, we’re told the exact time period for each.
• Here’s an example in Isaiah Chapter 1 verse 1.

[20] Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

• Isaiah is prophesying during the reign of 4 different kings in the KINGDOM OF JUDAH.
• That would be the SOUTHERN KINGDOM OF JUDAH.
• Hezekiah is the last KING mentioned there and this is about 7 kings BEFORE the Jews go into captivity.
• So Isaiah is BEFORE you see Ezra and Nehemiah re-building the temple and the wall. Do you see this?
• We have to get the divisions right in the Bible so we understand the time periods.
• In the PROPHETS, pay attention to the time periods given.
• Look at the next PROPHET in the Book of Jeremiah.

[21] Jeremiah 1:1-2 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

• Josiah is 3 kings AFTER Hezekiah that you in the Book of Isaiah.
• So again, we’re going in chronological order here and we’re getting close to CAPTIVITY for JUDAH.
• Jeremiah prophesies about them going into captivity. It hadn’t yet happened.
• But Jeremiah is telling them it’s about to happen BUT they don’t want to hear it.
• And then what’s next? You have Lamentations also written by Jeremiah. It’s a sad book.
• It’s about the fall of the KINGDOM OF JUDAH.
• And then what’s next after that? Notice we’re still in Chronological order within the MAJOR PROPHETS.
• Ezekiel is next. Let’s look at Chapter 1 verse 1.
• We would expect to see the CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS next.

[22] Ezekiel 1:1-3 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

• Ezekiel was “AMONG THE CAPTIVES” right there in verse 1.
• So again, it’s all in order. What’s next? The Book of Daniel.
• Ezekiel is an older man when he’s taken captive.
• Daniel is taken captive as a child. And we see that in the Book of Daniel.

Daniel comes after Ezekiel because he is a child when it begins.

• Daniel also continues for a long time AFTER the captivity. Daniel NEVER stops preaching.
• So now we’re done with the MAJOR PROPHETS.
• We move to the minor prophets which are again in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER within themselves.
• The first book up is Hosea. Let’s see what it says right there in verse 1.

[23] Hosea 1:1 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

• The 4 kings listed there are the EXACT KINGS listed in Isaiah.
• So, Isaiah and Hosea are prophesying during the exact same periods of time.
• So you can see that we go back in time when we reach HOSEA.
• And then it starts again in ORDER within the MINOR PROPHETS. And you can check that on your own.
• In general, they are in chronological order.
• Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah.

[24] Zephaniah 1:1 The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

• Jeremiah also prophesied in the DAYS OF JOSIAH. So you see Zephaniah at the same time as Jeremiah.
• We have 3 more minor prophets to go to end the Old Testament: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
• You’ll see that these 3 prophets are prophesying AFTER the Jews return from CAPTIVITY.
• See this in Haggai Chapter 1 verse 1. The time period is very obvious.

[25] Haggai 1:1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,

• You see Darius in the Book of Daniel. He threw Daniel in the Lion’s Den.
• Darius was a PERSIAN ruler. Remember the 4 Kingdoms from the Book of Daniel.
• Babylon, Persia/Medes, Greece, Rome in that order.
• Darius didn’t want to throw Daniel in there but he had to because he was tricked.
• So, we’re through the Old Testament but let’s remember where we are in the story.

The Jews Are Back From Captivity

The Jews have come back from captivity and are re-building the temple and the wall.

• They were in captivity for about 70 years but now they are back to Jerusalem.
• Ezra and Nehemiah are re-building to make it home again for the JEWS.
• They will live there back home for several hundreds of years.
• And that’s where we stand in the story when we SEE JESUS COME in the New Testament.
• The children of Judah are living in their own land, but what’s happened?
• Do you remember again the 4 kingdoms from Daniel?
• When Jesus gets there, the ROMANS are now ruling over them in their own kingdom.
• So it’s not called the KINGDOM OF JUDAH any more. That’s over.
• It’s now called the PROVINCE OF JUDEA when Jesus arrives.

Why is all of this important? Why do you need to know an OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE?

• If you don’t know the timeline, you will easily accept false teaching from churches.
• This is HOW HISTORY actually happened. It’s important to understand that.
• I’ll give you an example of false teaching when someone doesn’t know the TIMELINE of the Bible.
• Do you remember how Ezekiel starts out by saying HE’S CAPTIVE? He’s a major prophet.
• He’s saying he’s captive in Babylon. He’s been taken captive. He’s not at home any more.
• Ezekiel then prophesies that they will be coming back to their land.

After 70 years of captivity, they come back to their land. It happened in their LIFETIME!!!

• He wasn’t talking about the man-made nation of Israel being made by the United Nations in 1948.
• False preachers take Ezekiel and use it to say it’s about 1948 Israel!!! That’s false.
• They returned way back then. Not in 1948.
• After 70 years they will come back JEREMIAH the prophet says.

[26] Jeremiah 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

• That right there doesn’t mean 1948 man-made UNITED NATIONS FALSE Israel.
• People will take anything they can in the Bible and use it however they want.
• They already came back and re-built the temple.
• At the very end of the prophets, I want you to see what MALACHI says.
• But realize, there’s a silent period between the end of the prophets and when Jesus Christ comes.
• There’s no SCRIPTURE for that time period. But watch what GOD SAYS.

[27] Malachi 4:4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

• Malachi Chapter 4 is the last chapter and here’s the last few verses before MATTHEW begins.
• God says, “HEY, FOLLOW THE LAW OF MOSES WHICH I COMMANDED YOU.”
• God’s law is perfect. Follow it. I won’t send you any more prophets. Just do what I said.
• And then He tells us what’s coming next.

[28] Malachi 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

• “I WILL SEND YOU ELIJAH THE PROPHET BEFORE THE COMING OF THE LORD.”
• These are the VERY LAST 2 verses of the Old Testament and they are prophesying about John the Baptist.
• Now we’re moving to the New Testament.

[29] Matthew 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

• The disciples are asking Jesus this question because is it’s in Malachi that we just read.
• They have the Book of Malachi to read. Watch what Jesus answers.

[30] Matthew 17:11-13 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

• The Old Testament starts out with the KEY BOOKS from Moses with the Law.
• Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
• The New Testament starts out with the KEY BOOK about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. This is the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST. All 4 Books are the COMPLETE Gospel.
• Acts is then the HISTORICAL BOOK of the New Testament. ACTS = Actions of the Apostles.
• You can compare that to the OLD TESTAMENT.
• You have the key book with the Law. Then you have the historical books. Joshua through Esther.
• With the New Testament, you have the key books with the Gospels.
• Then you have the historical book with ACTS.

The Wisdom And Poetry Books

Then what do you have next in the Old Testament?

• You have the wisdom and poetry books that teach us how to live and give us wisdom.
• Proverbs. Gives us tips for living right. Psalms helps us understand parts of the Bible better.
• Same thing in the New Testament: You have all of Paul’s letters and the General letters.
• Romans through Jude don’t really contain stories. They’re TEACHING us what we need to know.
• The Old Testament Books are similar. Do you see this?
• The last book in the New Testament is Revelation. It’s prophecy.
• What do you have in the Old Testament? You have the prophets. Same thing as Revelation.
• The Old Testament and New Testament is very similar in the layout of the Books.

After the Gospels, you get the Epistles or Letters from Paul to Different Churches.

• That’s the Book of Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians.
• Those are all written specifically to Churches. And we can learn a lot from those.
• Next, you have 4 Letters from Paul in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.
• Paul writes directly to these 4 men who have ministries and Paul is guiding them.
• You might say they were PASTORING churches or leading churches in decisions.
• For example, we have a ministry here so those books are VERY USEFUL to us here.

Next are GENERAL LETTERS or EPISTLES.

• They are general because they aren’t written to ANY specific group of people.
• This is HEBREWS, JAMES, 1 PETER, 2 PETER, 1 JOHN, 2 JOHN, 3 JOHN, and JUDE.
• And remember, these are all just general categories to help us divide the Bible into groups.
• Doing so helps us to better understand the Bible and remember things better.
• But for example, 2 John and 3 John are in the category of GENERAL LETTERS but they are written to specific people.

[31] 2 John 1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

• As you can see, 2 John is written unto “THE ELECT LADY AND HER CHILDREN.”
• So it’s not really a general EPISTLE but we place it in that category. I just wanted to note that.
• Same thing with 3 John. See this.

[32] 3 John 1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

• John is clearly writing to Gaius. It’s not a letter to a general group of people.

Here’s a quick overview of the New Testament and then we’ll close this OVERVIEW of THE BIBLE.

• We see the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God.
• You would think people would be happy to see THE SON OF GOD who gave them life.
• But they aren’t happy to see HIM.

[33] John 1:11-12 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

• Jesus is born as a JEW. He lives under the law of Moses. He lives a perfect life.
• He is baptized when He’s about 30 years old. He preaches the GOSPEL. Chooses 12 disciples.
• He preaches the GOSPEL to the lost sheep of the HOUSE OF ISRAEL.
• So Jesus didn’t go all over the world. He stayed in the same general area.
• THE JEWS, HIS OWN PEOPLE, rejected HIM. They sent Him to the cross to die. He dies on the cross.
• Jesus rises from the dead in HIS BODY. And then what happens?
• He directs the disciples to GO INTO ALL THE WORLD and preach the GOSPEL.

Jesus Spent About 3-1/2 Years Preaching

Jesus spent about 3 and ½ years going around to HIS OWN people preaching and teaching.

• He went to every town, every city around. HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT.
• He finished the job He was there to do. He did HIS JOB.
• He told the disciples to now go do theirs. Go over all the world and preach it.
• They didn’t do their job. Most of them stayed in Jerusalem. They didn’t do what Jesus asked.
• GOD SENT PERSECUTION. What happened?
• Stephen was killed. Because of that, all of them are scattered around and then they do what He asks.
• But GOD helped lead them that way through persecution.

Paul then shows up who had been persecuting all of the SAVED CHRISTIANS.

• Jesus tells Him he has it all wrong. Paul listens to Jesus and does what He asks.
• PAUL IS THE FINAL APOSTLE that Jesus appoints HIMSELF.
• Paul is sent to the Gentiles. All the others are FAILING to do what Jesus asked.
• They were sticking to their own people. PAUL did what Jesus asked. He obeyed JESUS.
• This is sort of like Joshua. He was a great leader because He obeyed GOD. Same thing with Paul.
• Paul goes everywhere he can and preaches the Gospel. The Book of Acts tells us this.
• And then we see all the letters from Paul and then the general letters from others.

The Book of Revelation ends the New Testament.

• We learn of what’s going to happen in the future throughout the New Testament.
• But the Book of Revelation leads the way there. It’s written to REVEAL the future to us.

What about where we are right now?

• Do you remember the quiet period between Malachi end of the Old Testament and Matthew?
• That’s similar to where we are right now. God says, “Just do what I asked.”
• He gives all the instruction we need, and He gives us the Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
• And right now, that’s what we’re doing. We’re OBEYING GOD and studying HIS WORD.
• We need to know what He wants so we can OBEY HIM. If we don’t study, we won’t know.
• He says, “HEY, PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE.”
• That’s the number one FIRST WORK and GOOD WORK that we’re supposed to be doing.
• Preach, Get people Saved, Baptize, Study, Obey, Follow, Go to Church, learn as much as we can.
• EXHORT ONE ANOTHER. And then wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ. WATCH FOR HIM.
• Look for the DECEIVER of JESUS CHRIST: The anti-Christ. Use the Bible to know what’s coming.
• Is the Tribulation coming soon? It could be. It might take a while longer. We aren’t sure.
• We could be the generation that sees the SECOND COMING. Or maybe not. But we need to be ready.

I hope this overview of the Bible really helps you understand the Bible more.

• We’ll start doing overviews of Books more as well so we can step back and see the big picture.
• It’s very important that WE ALL KNOW THE BIBLE.
• We aren’t going to continue like all these other churches. They are ignorant of the Bible.
• No one teaches it around here because they don’t know it. If they do, why aren’t they teaching it?
• They never taught me the Bible. Finally, I got a little smarter and said, “Hey, I better do this MYSELF.”
• I haven’t looked back since then and God has taught me much. And I hope you’ll join me in learning this.
• There is nothing better in this world than learning the WORD OF GOD.

Let’s pray.