When we read through the Prophets in the Old Testament, particularly when we get to Ezekiel and Daniel we are introduced to fantastic images, whirling wheels, fantastic beasts, and world-shaking prophecies. This type of writing is what is known as “apocalyptic” and it’s useful to take some time to understand this type of writing, this genre in the Bible to understand the books that contain it. [Read more…]
Bible Genres and Hermeneutics
Understanding the different types of writing in the Bible is essential to properly understanding it. This series of lessons will help you do that, as well as give you overall tools for properly interpreting your Bible.
Following is a short video of some of the content in this category and then below this intro, the materials that are part of it.
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Two Key Characteristics of Prophetic Books–essential to understand as you read them
Reading the prophets can be confusing and to help, and Bible805 did a preliminary lesson to help you understand them, CLICK HERE to go to it. [Read more…]
The Prophetic Books, little understood, incredibly important, an introduction
When people think of the Old Testament prophets, most often two areas come to mind:
First, most people think of the prophecies of Jesus’ coming, and though that is important and a significant validation of the truth of the Christian faith, only 2% of prophecies are about the coming of Jesus. [Read more…]
How to Correctly Understand & Apply Bible Stories & Biblical Narratives
What is the purpose of the stories in the Bible?
If someone does something that seems a bit odd like Gideon setting out a fleece to determine God’s will or the Children of Israel walking around the walls of Jericho to conquer it— [Read more…]
The Backstory of Jesus—Old Testament tabernacle, sacrifices, and festivals—foundation for understanding the rest of the Bible
Every sport, hobby, or special interest has insider terms and history and the more you know the back story of them the more you’ll understand and enjoy the activity. —
The Bible is no different—the more you understand the foundational items in the first 5 books of the Bible, what we call the Pentateuch, the more the rest of the Bible will make sense. [Read more…]
The Old Testament Laws, Why read them, How to understand them, and Apply them today
When most people get into the books of Old Testament Laws, especially in Leviticus and Numbers, with all the odd and obscure laws and regulations, they bail out.
And why shouldn’t they? What do these laws and regulations have to do with us today? [Read more…]
3 tools to keep you from making mistakes as you read
In our previous lesson, we looked at the big, theological word “Hermeneutics” that in summary means the guidelines we use to properly understand the Bible so that we can apply it in the way God wants it applied. [Read more…]
The Bible Didn’t Say That! A brief introduction to Hermeneutics
Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpreting the Bible—in other words helping us understand what it means for our everyday lives. [Read more…]
The Bible, Novel or Short Story and why it matters tremendously, now and forever
To convince you that the Bible is indeed the very words of God given to us for our eternal salvation and how to live our earthly lives, is the purpose of this lesson. We begin by talking about the importance of our presuppositions when we approach the Bible and then we go into these four areas: [Read more…]
The Incredible Implications of God’s View of Time
Though it sounds complex, the topic of this lesson has important and practical implications for how you live day-to-day.
Let me explain—as this lesson shows, God’s view of time, seeing and knowing all that is past, present, and future is what enables us to understand prophecy and trust that what He promised in the past He will fulfill in the future just as He made promises in the past in the Old Testament that He fulfilled in the New Testament. [Read more…]
How to Correctly Understand & Apply Bible Stories & Biblical Narratives
What is the purpose of the stories in the Bible? If someone does something that seems a bit odd like Gideon setting out a fleece to determine God’s will or the Children of Israel walking around the walls of Jericho to conquer it. [Read more…]
Don’t Bail out! How to understand the Old Testament Laws using Historical Context and Typology
When most people get into the parts of the Bible were about to read now—especially in Leviticus and Numbers, with all the odd and obscure laws and regulations, they bail out.
And why shouldn’t they? [Read more…]