The Bible
Everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms must come to pass.
Key words
- Testament: proof that something exists or is true
The clean park is a testament to the hard work of the volunteers who spent the day picking up litter.
- Old Testament: the first of the two main parts of the Christian Bible, which records the history of the Jewish people before the birth of Jesus
The Old Testament is full of famous stories like Noah and the Flood.
- New Testament: the second of the two main parts of the Christian Bible, containing the books written after the birth of Jesus Christ
The New Testament begins with the Gospel of Matthew.
- Set the Stage: to make it possible for something else to happen
The new evidence sets the stage for a long and interesting trial.
- Covenant: a formal agreement or promise between two or more people
The contract contained a covenant against building on the land.
- Messiah: in the Jewish religion, the King of the Jews who will be sent by God
Christians say that Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy and therefore is the Messiah.
- Prophecy: a statement that tells what will happen in the future
There was a prophecy that Jerusalem would be destroyed around 70 A.D., and it came true.
Read the article to find the answers
- Who wrote the Bible?
- When was it written?
- Who wrote about the Messiah in the Old Testament?
- Why do Christians say that Jesus is the Messiah?
Overview
There are 66 books in the Protestant Bible. Christians believe that God inspired many different people, over several hundred years, in many different countries, to write down His words as a testament to the Israelites, who later became known as the Jews. It begins with God creating everything and ends with God giving eternal life in the Kingdom of God to all who believe in Him.
It is divided into two main parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains the Old Covenant between God and the Israelites and sets the stage for the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament explains how the Old Covenant was fulfilled and the long-awaited New Covenant was established through the resurrection of the Messiah.
Christians believe that the men who wrote the Bible were inspired by the Holy Ghost and did not decide when and what to write by themselves.
The Old Testament
The Old Testament can be divided into four parts. The Torah. The books that tell the history of the Israelites. The books of wisdom and poetry, and the books of the prophets.
The Torah, also known as the Law of Moses, contains the laws that the Israelites had to follow. It begins with Genesis and ends with Deuteronomy. The history of the Israelites is told in the books from Joshua to Esther. The books of wisdom and poetry begin with Job and end with the Song of Solomon. The prophets were God's messengers to the Israelites. The first prophet is Isaiah and the last is Malachi.
The Old Testament contains many prophecies about the Messiah who will come and rule over the Kingdom of God which is within people and not visible to the human eye. It says that the Messiah will save the righteous and destroy the wicked. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
The New Testament
The New Testament is divided into four parts. The Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and Revelation. There are four different Gospels, but they all tell the same story - the story of Jesus Christ's life. The Gospel of Luke is followed by another book called the Acts of the Apostles which tells the history of how Christianity began with the help of the Holy Ghost soon after Jesus was resurrected.
The Epistles are letters written by early Christian leaders explaining the New Covenant and giving advice on how to follow God's law. They begin with a letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome and end with a letter from the Apostle Jude, who advises Christians to beware of false teachers.
The New Testament ends with the Book of Revelation. In it, John describes the judgement of Israel by Jesus Christ. John did not include the Olivet Discourse in his Gospel, but instead wrote a long, poetic version of the end of the Old Covenant Age in detail. Revelation is the most misunderstood book in the Bible. This misunderstanding has given rise to many doomsday cults.
The Messiah
Messiah is a Hebrew word that translates to Christ in Greek. The prophets wrote that a virgin would give birth to the Messiah in Bethlehem. They wrote that He would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey, be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, and be sacrificed.
The Jews who knew and lived with Jesus had read the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets and the Psalms. They became the very first Christians after witnessing Jesus fulfil the Old Testament prophecies.
The Bible refers to non-Jews as Gentiles. God invited the Gentiles to accept the New Covenant alongside the Jews who believed that Jesus was the Messiah.
Discussion questions
- Do you have any questions about any of the vocabulary or grammar in this article?
- Do you know the Bible passage quoted at the top of this article?
- Have you ever read the Bible?
- Which Bible stories do you already know and which would you like to learn more about?
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