Intro

The Bible is a complete story from beginning to end.

БОЛЬШАЯ ИДЕЯ

The Bible is a connected story. Once you understand the framework and the main plot, you will begin to see its theme from cover to cover. You will also start to see other connected subplots, stories, and themes. It’s like putting together a giant puzzle. First you build the outside edges and then slowly build inward.

STRUCTURE

There are 66 books in the Bible. 39 in the Old Testament (sometimes called Hebrew writings) and 27 in the New Testament (sometimes called Christian writings). The books of the Bible are not compiled in order. If you open the index, you will see that the Bible is divided by literature type.

МЫСЛИ

However, the Bible is also a story divided into five parts. You can see this story if you start by looking at the Bible bookends. Open the Bible to Genesis 2-3 at the beginning and compare it to Revelation 22 at the end. Let’s first read the chapters and focus on some of the following verses. There’s no doubt you will spot similar ideas in both sections.

Genesis 2 – 3

Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden, He placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing it into four branches. (3:17) And to the man, he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you …

Revelation 22

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with fresh produce each month. The leaves were used for medi- cine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.

Did you notice in both a garden, a river, a tree of life, and a curse instilled and removed? What are they, and what do you think they mean? They are the beginning and end of the story, which has five parts.

• Section 1—The Beginnings: In this section (Genesis 1–11), we will read about a period covering two thousand years in which God creates the world (PURPOSE), humanity rejects God (SIN), but God sets into place a plan to restore cre- ation (SALVATION).
• Section 2—Israel: In the second section (Genesis 12 – Mal- achi), we will read about the shaping of God’s SALVATION plan through the family of Israel, and the FAITH required to get in on it.
• Section 3—Jesus: In this section (Matthew – John), we will see the climax of the SALVATION plan as Jesus overcomes SIN.
• Section 4—Church: In this section (Acts – Jude), we will see how FAITH accesses SALVATION and how the main message begins to expand throughout the world.
• Section 5—Future: In this section (Revelation), we will see how God is restoring the world to its intended state.