http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/articles/bibleinsights/060607.html ?start=1 Wouldn't you love to be able to grasp what the entire Bible contains in just a f ew minutes?

This compilation of the themes of the Bible will allow you to do jus t that. The following is a summary of what each book of the Bible contains. Keep it handy to refer to as you study and read. OLD TESTAMENT Crash Course on the Bible Dig deeper with our downloadable Bible Study Genesis God is creator (1) God communicates with human beings (1,2) Sin is a present reality (3) Sin messes up relationships (3) God seeks out those who have sinned (3) Start-over opportunities are available to those who've sinned (3) Sin is the cause of death (3) Sin erupts in violence (4) Sin spirals and invades all of life (6) God can't let sin go on forever (6-9) Sometimes nearly everything must be destroyed to start over Heritage trees are important (10) Humans challenge God's primacy (11) God calls people for specific purposes (12) God wants people to respond to His words in faith (15:6) Faithful obedience is a hallmark of faith God seeks out covenant relationships with people (9, 12, 15, 17) God uses flawed people (25, 27) God tests our trust (22) God's plans demand patience Children often have the same flaws as their parents (20, 26) Peacemaking is a valuable trait (26) Taking matters into our own hands has consequences (30) Responsible people don't let setbacks stall them (Joseph) Eventually responsibility and excellence are rewarded (Joseph) Exodus Slavery is a human predicament (1-4) God raises key people for specific needs (2-4) God is known through his names (3) Often people endure long hardship before God bails them out God's super drama is behind the scenes of life Better get used to waiting Things may get worse before they get better Salvation comes through God God is the true liberator Commemorative celebration is appropriate for our deliverance (12) Eating is a form of celebration (12) National triumphs can be memorialized. God's majesty breaks through at times (3, 19, 32) Divine drama is spectacular (19). for some issues God has an absolute agenda (20) God gives us guidance through his laws (20) God's law covers a wide range of subjects

Don't expect deliverance to come without struggles (14, 16) Leaders need support (17) God has some distinct ideas about worship (25-40) God expects to be approached in specific and solemn ways (25-40) God develops heroes (4, 32-33) Seeing God's face means having a personal relationship with him (33 You can't approach God in any old way Through the sacrificial death of another we may approach God God's presence resides among his people (40) Leviticus How to approach God is vital (1-7) Cleanliness can depict godliness (11-15) Holiness is a chief concern to God God is interested in what people eat (11) God is concerned with all of life (11-15) Celebrating is a wholesome experience (23) Sin must be removed from our fellowship Numbers Get organized for maximum efficiency Life wandering can result from sinful choices God has to discipline his people at times There's a place for the gung-ho (6) God gets sick of people complaining (11. We must resist the mob mentality (13-14) Rebellion can be serious (16) God provides (20-21) Don't make an ass of yourself (22) Beware of prophets for profit (23-25) All God's people should have their share (34) next page... | 1 of 9 Deuteronomy New adaptations have to be made for new generations (5) Life must be governed by God's truth God gives guidelines about teaching children wisely (6) God takes covenant relationship seriously Don't have idols (9) God has something to say on the subject of war (20) Evading the truth has consequences (28) Joshua God's people can conquer with courage (1) God can do miracles (5, 10) Don't be deceived (9) God is not anti-organization (12-22) God people both make strides and slip back Failure can come from disobedience. We are called to stand upon our principles (24) Judges God develops heroes God uses flawed people (14-16) God's Spirit empowers people (14:6, 19; 15:14 etc) God uses women in leadership roles (4-5) Humans tend to repeat the same old cycles (2) Sin has a wild side (17-21)

Ruth Marriages can be made in heaven (2) God can reroute tragedy God's long-range purposes may be hidden over the short-term (1, 4) God is in control despite our desperation 1 Samuel God wants people of character to serve him. God reveals himself to the spiritually sensitive (3) Watch out for the ways of the world (8) Beware of copycatting the world (8) God raises up people for governmental duties (10, 16) God champions those who trust him despite overwhelming odds (17) God is concerned about national leadership (10, 16) Disobedience spells demotion (13, 15, 28) Expect to fight battles Jealousy is a relationship quencher In-depth friendship is rare (20) Be bighearted (26) Beware of dabbling with the occult (28) Sometimes death seems better than pain 2 Samuel Cherish people from the past (1) Get past grievances with difficult people (1) God eventually rewards faithfulness (5) Worshipful exuberance can take strange forms (6:14) God makes agreements with people (7) Sinful sex messes up lives long term (11f) There is a time for confrontation (12) Parent-child relationships can be heart breaking (13-19) Finishing with the Lord is worth celebrating (22) 1 Kings God gives wisdom to those who ask for it (3, 10:1-9) Organizational wisdom is required to run a nation (4) Worship takes thoughtful preparation (5-8) Uncontrolled sex can ruin an outstanding life (11:1-13) Cruelty to others will inevitably cause a backlash (12) Integrity begins at home (12) What heads of state do has international consequences (12-14) You may be hot stuff in the world's eyes but not with God (16:21-28) God can provide for our special needs (17) Boldness may prompt a showdown (18) Even great people have setbacks (19) 2 Kings God does miracles through people of faith (2, 4, 5) God is keeping track of records for good or bad (10:34-36, etc) Those who disregard God can expect serious consequences (10) God honors those who honor him (12, 18-20, 22-23) God won't put up with evil forever (17, 24-25) Sin ultimately brings havoc (17:21-41) Even godly people have children who go off the deep end (21) next page... | 2 of 9 1 Chronicles God is interested in individuals and their backgrounds (1-9)

History is crucial to God's people (1-9) God is impressed with those who step out from the crowd (4:9-10) The Bible honors heroes of the faith (11:10-47) People of daring attract followers (12) Proper worship is important (14-16) God honors those who want an in-depth relationship with him (17) Life is full of battles (18-20) Foolish personal choices can have disastrous results (21) Worship demands organization (22-26, 28-29) 2 Chronicles God supplies wisdom to those who want it (1) God values worship (3-5) 1, God hears sincere prayers (6-7) God honors those who stand for what is right (14-17) God has his confronters (18) 64 Some lives are a patchwork of obedience and disobedience (24) God is honored when leaders seek purification and reform (29-31, 34-35) Otherwise godly people can end life in a less than godly manner (32:24-33) Ungodly leaders wreak havoc on a nation (33) Ezra God moves through international events (1f) Renewal practices may be necessary (3) When you get serious about God, expect opposition (4) When you start a project for God, work till it's done (6:13-18) Prayers for confession of sin are healthy (9-10) God has serious standards for marriage (9-10) Nehemiah Prayer burdens often trigger action (1) Building anything valuable requires cooperation (3) Expect opposition when doing God's work (4, 6) God's Word prompts repentance and praise (8) Confession of sin is appropriate (9) Repentance and reform are required if sin has set in (12) 34, 122 Esther God is working behind the scenes of human activity Risk is a component of faith (4:12-17) God puts people in specific situations for a special cause Personalized guidance is a form of mentoring (4) Sometimes diabolical plots boomerang (3-7) Celebration accompanies God's deliverance (9) Job Satan seeks to bring God's people down (1-2) God's people can expect to experience serious testing (1) God's ways often don't seem fair Sometimes we're made to feel like failures Some attempts to comfort only prove uncomfortable (3f) Suffering is not necessarily due to sin (13:19, 23; 23:6-7; 27:5-6) God reveals himself in unexpected ways (33:12-19) Gleams of truth can anchor the sufferer (19:25-26) God's creation provides staggering insights (38-41) God eventually comes through for his approved people (42) Psalms Depression due to grief or turmoil is normal (10, 13, 22, etc) God's words yield great delight (1, 19, 119)

God's people call to him in their distresses (3, 4, 5, 12, 28, 43) Believers are like God's sheep (23) Sometimes believers face violence (10, 13, 41 etc) Renewal follows confession (32, 51) God's majesty evokes thought and praise (8, 139) Praise God! (9, 18, 29, 33, 34, 47, 48) God wants purity and integrity (15) God lavishes his care upon us (23, 46) next page... | 3 of 9 Proverbs Reverence for God is the source of wisdom (1) Foolish people despise wisdom Laziness brings a person down Real friends are faithful Words carry power for good or evil Children need to heed their parents' wisdom True piety breeds truest prosperity God's wisdom is crystallized in creation (8) Ecclesiastes Life can be meaningless (1:2; 2:11; 4:7; etc) People try life's pleasures and other opportunities for meaning (2) There's a time for everything (3:1-8) Be in awe of God and revere him (5:1-5; 12) Wisdom is honorable (7; 9:13-18) Song of Solomon A loving relationship is great Sex is highly pleasurable Physical attraction is part of human sexuality Romance often involves paying compliments Isaiah God expects ethical behavior from his people (1:10-31) God is pro-peace (2) God announces Immanuel (7, 9) Nations who sin reap the consequences (13-24) Placing ultimate trust in military will bring disappointment (31) God supplies comfort (40) God is high and holy in majesty (40-45) God's Suffering Servant (42, 53, etc) God summons to a freely offered salvation (55) Judgment and salvation will culminate in a brand new world (65:17; 66:22) Jeremiah God has pre-birth plans for his servants (1) Trusting superstitiously in religiosity is a crutch (7) God's servants may have an axe to grind with God (20:7-12) Judgment falls on the disobedient (25, 27) Restoration is a biblical idea (32-33) God's word is indestructible (36) God registers international concerns (46-51) Some treat faithful believers as patriotic traitors (37-38) Lamentations Grief is a part of life The penalty for sin is horrible (2)

Willful disobedience makes prayer ineffective (3) Grief can be verbalized It may be best to suffer in silence Hope in the midst of punishment is rooted in God's goodness Ezekiel Experiencing God is breathtaking (1) God calls people into his service (2) God's people use various means of communication (3-5) God warns those entrenched in disobedience of judgment (11, 14, 20) God withdraws from those who refuse his overtures (10) Each person is individually responsible for personal guilt (18) God expresses international concerns (25-32) God's people are their culture's warning sentinels (33) God can bring life out of death (37) God thinks in terms of worship (40-48) Daniel Believers interact with their culture (1) God has the big international picture in mind (2, 7) God gives some people visionary dreams No nation is immune from God's judgment (5) Believers may undergo persecution (3) God will protect those who won't compromise their convictions (3 and 6) God will wrap up history (12) The kingdom of God will transcend godless kingdoms (2, 7) Hosea God expects his people to be faithful (1f) Marriage is disrupted by infidelity Infidelity causes massive damage (2) God's love is incredibly forgiving Repentance brings restoration and blessing next page... | 4 of 9 Joel Natural catastrophes may contain divine significance (1f) Dreams can be God's vehicles of communication (2:28-32) War brings havoc God will judge the nations (3) Amos God has an international agenda(1-2) God's people can't keep sinning and get away with it Materialistic complacency grieves God (5:11-17; 6:1-8) God uses various techniques to get our attention (7-8) Obadiah No nation is invincible (v 3-4) Enemies of God's people will eventually be destroyed What you sow you reap (v 15) Jonah Some people run from God's calling Evil people aren't beyond hope in God's eyes Some have a prophetic role God calls his servants to do some difficult things God disciplines his disobedient servants (2)

God has a heart as big as the world (4) Micah God's people must take inventory (1-2) False spiritual leaders must be reprimanded (2-3) God is pro-peace (4) God expects a morality of justice (6) Nahum God is majestic (1) God is pro-poetry (1-3) War wreaks havoc (2) Habakkuk God's ways sometimes don't seem fair (1) Sometimes violence seems overwhelming (1-2) God's people must exercise hope-filled faith (2:1-4; 3:17-19) God's majesty sometimes breaks through (3) We can trust God's justice is perfect Zephaniah Wicked people and nations eventually get punished Gathering with God's people fosters encouragement (3) God has international concerns (2) Haggai Prosperity can have its drawbacks (1-2) God wants his people to put him first (1) Lack of prosperity might be tied to lack of God priority (1) Zechariah God communicates in very varied ways (1-6) The Bible has a messianic message (9f) Someday God will personally reign over the whole earth (14:9) Malachi God wants our best (1) Giving is an index of priorities (3) Judgment is coming (4) The Apocryphal books or inter-testament period NEW TESTAMENT Matthew Christ offers himself as king. Sometimes God leads us to out-of-the-way places (2) After occasions of proving we have God's approving (3-4) God has the very highest standards for his people (5-7) Jesus calls for peacemakers (5) Believers' bottom-line trust should not be in money (6) Jesus is against judgmentalism (7) God wants his word to be sown (13) Popularity can be fickle (12 and 14) Jesus is more than merely human (16) Childlikeness is a qualification for heaven's entrance (18) Christ's second coming will be preceded by terrible troubles (24-25) Christ calls people to be prepared for his coming again (24-25) We need not be stuck with shame (26) 88 Faith must be translated into social action (25)

Jesus died and rose again (27-28) Christ's passion is in tension with anti-Semitism (27:25) Christians have a command to Christianize (28:16-20) Mark Christ is compassionate (1-3) Jesus is the unique Son of God (1:1; 9:7; 15:39) Jesus handles anyone's sins (2:1-12) Christ can come across as a controversialist (2:1-3:6 and11:1-12:44) Traditions can come packaged as trouble (7) Jesus conquers the demonic arena (9) Denying Christ can set you back (14:66f) next page... | 5 of 9 Luke Christianity interfaces with hardcore history (1:1-4; 2:1; 3:1) Mary has a recognized role among Christians (1-2) Praise geysers are a sign of the Spirit's filling (1-2) Jesus birth enables him to understand poverty (2) Jesus seems shocking in his handling of gender issues (8:1-3; 10:38-42) Jesus is racially and ethnically savvy (9:51-10:37) Jesus is stronger than Satan (11:14-26) Earthly riches aren't the true wealth (12:13-34 and 16) God is prodigal with his love for prodigals (15) Discipleship is demanding (14:25-35) Persistent praying pays off (11:5-13 and 18:1-8) Our Redeemer's resurrection is for real (24) John Jesus is God and the unique Son of God (1:1; 5; 10; 17; 20:28) Jesus is our need meeter (the "I Am's") Miracles show the Savior's significance (2f) Miracles are designed to evoke belief (2f) The new birth is essential (3) Jesus offers himself to the oppressed (4) Christ doesn't back off from controversy (5-10) Jesus offers truest freedom (8) Those who reject Jesus can prove highly hostile (5-10) Jesus the Resurrector has been raised from the dead (11; 20-21) The Christian's resource bank is the Holy Spirit (14-16) Jesus yearns for his people to have unity (17) Eternal life comes through faith in God's Son (20:30-31) The Trinity is the divine interface-off (14) Acts The Holy Spirit empowers for Christian witness (1) God has an international plan (2) God welds his people into a working unity (2-4) God's Spirit inspires power-packed preaching (2-4) Where God's Spirit is significantly at work, expect conflict (7, 14) Delegation gets God's work done (6:1-7) When conflict arises, God's people must arise to the occasion (5-6) Christ has the power to transform even the hardest cases (9) Some the least likely get converted (9) God has a worldwide mission 8; 10-11) God initiates world missions (13-28) Missionaries can expect to face persecution (14f) Some locations produce unusual churches (11, 13) Christ's church has to work through doctrinal and racial issues (15)

Sometimes it is necessary to engage in civil disobedience (4:18f; 5:29; 16:35-40 ) Churches need leaders with shepherding hearts (20:27-38) God can enable a believer before unbelieving civil officials (23-26) God will get the committed to his goal (28) Romans God has a plan for those who have never heard the gospel (1) Gays and lesbians face a spiritual dilemma (1) All are subject to God's evaluation, no matter how much or little they know (1-2 ) All people stand condemned because of their sweeping sins (3:1-20) People are justified through faith in Christ and his redemptive work (1:14; 3:24 -26) Okayness with God is not by achieving, but by believing (3-4) A dedicated believer needs to act dead to sin (6) Struggle is not necessarily spiritually subnormal (7) All God's resources are filtered through the Holy Spirit (8) Trust in God's overarching control (9-11) God's ways of working with people are mysterious (9-11) God hasn't written the Jews off (9-11) The Christian is called to complete commitment (12:1f) God has given his people gift packages (12:3-8) God gives guidelines for human government (13:1-8) Christians can agree to disagree about minor matters (14-15) God is interested in individuals (16) next page... | 6 of 9 1 Corinthians God's wisdom is crystallized in the cross of Christ (1) Spiritual immaturity breeds church splits (1-3) The local church can't let immorality mushroom in its midst (5) Sexual immorality can't be simply dismissed (5) Christians should be able to settle their own disagreements in house (6) Our bodies have spiritual purposes (6:12-20) God has sexual parameters for us (7) There's room in the church for varying views (8-10) Restoration rather than retribution is God's goal for people (11:31f; 2 Cor. 2:5 -11) Christians should soak up past history (10) Worship matters (11) Self-examination should precede participation in Communion (11:17-34) Charismatic gifts may need regulating (12-14) Love should be paramount (13) Christ's resurrection is the keystone to Christianity (15) 2 Corinthians Our trials can enable us to comfort other Christians in their trials (1) Sinning Christians who have repented need to be restored (2) Christians are frail vessels containing Christ's unsurpassable light (4) Christians have been entrusted with a ministry of reconciliation (5) At times excommunication becomes necessary (6:14-18) Christians are not exempt from hardships (6:3-13; 11:16-33) Welcome back the wounded (2:5-11) Christians are not to be mismatched in policy with unbelievers (6:14f) God has given Christians principles about Christian finance (8-9) Sacrificial giving pleases God (8-9) There are false claimants to Christianity running around (11:1-15) Spiritual highs often come to match our lows (12)

Sometime you feel like a fool (11:16; 12:11f; etc) Galatians Any other gospel besides the New Testament's is under God's curse (1:7-9) God summons his servants (1) You don't have to play up to VIPs (2) There's a time for confrontation over critical issues (2:11f) Legalism should be ousted (3-5) Christians are under a banner of spiritual liberty (5:1f) The Spirit's life should produce the Spirit's fruit (5:22f) Hearticulture is heaven's horticulture (5:22f) What we sow we reap (6) There are times to lift other's burdens and times we shouldn't (6:1-6) Ephesians Christians operate in the rarified atmosphere of a higher life (1) Spiritual death must yield to life in Christ (2:1f) Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works (2:8-10) Bonified Christianity can bring down racial barriers (2:11-18) God wants unity for Christ's body, the church (4:1f) God has given catalyst gifts to get the rest of us going and growing (4:7-16) Forgiveness grows out of openness to love (4:25-32) You can get good and mad, not angry and bad (4:25-32) Christians should have a light-bearing lifestyle (4-5) There's room for mutual submission in different married partners (5:21f) Christians need to strap on their God-supplied spiritual armor (6:11f) next page... | 7 of 9 Philippians Despite hardship, joy is possible for a believer (1-4) for a Christian living means exalting Christ (1:21) Christ is the superlative example of humility (2:1-11) Humility is the key to church unity (1:27-2:30) We need to keep striving toward our ultimate goal (3) Our thought world should be epitomized by noble, beautiful virtues (4:8) God values sacrificial giving (4) Colossians Christ is above all (1) Christ's crosswork is the basis of all reconciliation (1:12-23) Don't fall into the trap of false religiosity (2) Believers need warnings about false spirituality (2:6-23) God gives converts new character clothing (3) God has a blueprint for families (3-4) 1 Thessalonians The Christian message can hit like wham-bam (1) God expects Christians to show integrity (2) Sometimes Jew-and-Gentile relations have been strained severely (2:13-16) Sexual morality and hard work are concerns of God (3) Christ is coming back again (4-5) The church should be a care package for different people (5:12-15) 2 Thessalonians Eternal punishment will fall on gospel rejecters (1) A lawless leader will claim divine prerogatives (2) Christians are called to be workers, not shirkers (3) Some Christians give the faith a bad name (3)

1 Timothy The law targets the lawless (1) God has guidelines for church officers (3) God is concerned about single and other special-needs people (4) Don't let money corrupt you (6) Live holy lives (6) 2 Timothy Christians are sculpted through hardships (1) Work to be divinely approved (2) The last days will be characterized by fallout from the faith (3) God's Word is inspired and functional (3:14-17) A spiritual director can set a younger believer on the right track (2-3) Titus Churches need qualified leaders (1) Various age groups require distinctive guidance (2) Saving grace is not by works, but should produce good works (3) Philemon Christianity intersects economic and social issues Christianity can elevate the disenfranchised Hebrews Christ is above all (1) Don't get obsessed with angelitis (1-2) Beware of the danger of drifting from spiritual moorings (2:1f) Don't Harden your heart toward God (3-4) God wants to bring people truest rest (4) Christ is the Christian's connecting Priest (4:14-8:13) Don't fall away from the faith (6) Christ has an absolutely unique priesthood (7-10) Christians function under God's new arrangement (8) Christ offered the permaperfect sacrifice for sins (9-10) Guilt is removed through Christ's perfect sacrifice (9-10) The blood of Christ is our sin remover (9) By faith believers engage in faith exploits (11) God's discipline sandpapers our rough spots (12:1f) James God gives believers trust tests (1) Christians should not practice prejudice (2:1-13) Works are the showcase for real faith (2:14-26) Beware of abusing speech (3) Bosses, don't abuse your positions of power (5:1-6) Expect suffering, but pray in faith (5) next page... | 8 of 9 1 Peter Christ's resurrection offers Christians living hope (1) God calls Christians to lead holy lives in secular settings (2) Christians constitute a priesthood (2:1-10) God has societal concerns (2:11f) God gives us family guidelines (3:1-7) Christ is the Christians' example (2:19-25) Christians do suffer (3-4) Churches need unselfish shepherds (5)

2 Peter Progress in character development (1) Scripture doesn't have its ultimate source in humanity (1:16-21) Beware of false teachers (2) Expect a dramatic windup with Christ's return (3) 1 John Walk obediently in God's light and Christian fellowship (1) Antichristian teaching should not shake your faith (2:18-27) Love expresses itself in compassion (3:11-24) God is love (4:8-16) Faith in God's Son gives assurance of eternal life (5) 2 John Walk in obedience to Christ's commands Beware of spiritual deception 3 John Churches should support Christian missions Watch out for church bosses Jude Contend for the core of Christianity Heretical teachers are dangerous Revelation Christ is coming back (1:1-8; 19:11-16; 22:7, 12) The glorified Lord is dazzlingly glorious (1:9-20) Local churches have distinctive personalities??with strengths and weaknesses (2-3 ) God will reward faithful churches (2-3) Beware of church lethargy (3:14-21) God's fullness is mind boggling (4-5) A time of terrible tribulation will precede the end (6-18) God's clientele is international (7) God musters his witnesses (11) The devil doesn't give up easily (12, 20) Satan seeks to counteract and counterfeit God's program (13) The harvest is coming (14:14-20) Religion and commerce can oppose God (17-18) A new universe is in waiting (21-22) All sorrow will be banished from God's makeover-world (21:1-4) Believers will get a celestial makeover (21-22) 91 Used with permission from Jim Townsend, former Bible editor for Cook Communicati ons. _________________________ http://ezinearticles.com/?Summary-of-the-Bible,-Genesis-to-Revelation&id=1537010 This Summary of the Bible, Genesis to Revelation was written to give a "big pict ure" view of the story of the Bible. In order to put all of the stories that you have already heard into one comprehensible story. I do not intend to tell the i ndividual stories, but to tell the major story line of God's chosen people. I wi ll also include things not in the Bible itself that I think are interesting and also some memory tricks that I use. "In the beginning God..." Then God created Adam and Eve. They had Cain, Able, an d Seth. After a long period of time comes Enoch. After another long period of ti

me, comes Noah. The story of the Tower of Babel is next. More than 1000 years la ter, comes Abraham. Abraham is promised to be the father of a great nation. So it is from Abraham th at the story of God's chosen people began. Abraham had Isaac. Isaac had Jacob an d Esau. Jacob's name was changed to Israel, which means "wrestles with God." Isr ael had 12 sons, which become the 12 tribes of Israel. The most famous son is Jo seph. Joseph was sold into slavery, taken to Egypt, rose to number two, and brin gs the whole family of Israel (66 people) to Egypt to save them from the famine. Then Joseph dies and this concludes the book of Genesis. The book of Exodus opens some 400 years later. We find the family of Israel no l onger in a prestigious status. They have been taken as slaves. Now this next par t is not in the Bible. I read it from a Jewish author, but it does explain the s tory somewhat. We know that the family of Israel was brought to Egypt in order t o be saved from the famine, but where did they come from? They were living in th e land that was promised and given to Abraham. So the Jewish people felt that th e reason they were taken as slaves in Egypt was a punishment from God because th ey failed to return to the Promised Land after the famine was over. Back to the story. Up to this time God has dealt with individual people, Abraham , Isaac, Jacob, etc. But now we have for the first time (after a period of 400 y ears of silence), God revealing Himself to the masses in signs and wonders. Reme mber this, you will see it again. The signs and wonders are the plagues that God did to Egypt in order to get the Pharaoh to let His people go. Once released in to the desert, God gives them laws, directions on how to build the tabernacle, h ow to do sacrifices, etc. Then they build all this stuff and we end the book of Exodus. Leviticus has a bad reputation for being filled with laws. It deserves every bit of that reputation because that is exactly what it is. Numbers has a bad reputation for being filled with census numbers. It does not d eserve this reputation. There is a lot of plot development in Numbers. Numbers b egins with a census that not only counts the men (estimates put the full number of people, including women and children, somewhere between 2 and 3 million) but organizes them into a cohesive group, capable of moving as one. Then they move f rom where God gave them the laws to the Jordan River and ready to enter the Prom ised Land in 11 days. They send out 12 spies. Ten of the spies come back too afr aid to proceed. Two come back with confidence to proceed. The two are Joshua and Caleb. The penalty for not going into the Promised Land is to wander around in the desert for 40 years. They wandered for 40 years in a space that took them on ly 11 days to cross in the first place. They wandered until all persons over the age of 20 had died, with two exceptions, Joshua and Caleb. At the end of Number s they have returned to the Jordan River and are ready to try it again. Deuteronomy covers a period of 60 days. Thirty days Moses was giving speeches. H e reminded the people what they have been through and encouraging them not to re peat the mistake that their fore fathers made. Moses dies and 30 days of mournin g then Joshua takes the lead. This is the last of the five books of Moses, also called the Torah, the Law, or the Pentateuch. The rest of the Old Testament was mostly written by the Prophets. So when you see, in the New Testament, reference s to the Law and the Prophets, you will know they are referring to the Old Testa ment. Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation The book of Joshua is then the story of Joshua leading the people into the Promi sed Land and driving out those who lived there. Here is a little known fact. The purpose of God's chosen people was so that God could be revealed to other peopl

e through His chosen people. You can see this happen in stories like Rahab. She makes it clear that all were aware that God was with the Israelites and they wer e very afraid. Also, the Israelites were to convert other people from their paga n gods to following the Creator God. These converts were called Proselytes. After they are settled in the Promised Land, they then need to be ruled over. Th is is done by a series of Judges. The first of the most memorable Judges is Debo rah, because she is a woman in a male dominated society. Then comes Gideon. Gideon is listed in the study Bible as a Judge for 40 years, but if you read the text you will find that he led a revolt against those oppres sing Israel at that time. When the wars were over they offer Gideon a Judgeship and he turns it down. So how do we resolve this obvious contradiction? The answe r lies in the translation of the word Judge. It more appropriately should be tra nslated "leader". So a Judge could have been a mayor, governor, general, etc. So after Gideon had finished being a general, they offered him the position of Gov ernor and he turned that down. The last famous Judge (in the book of Judges) was Samson. Next comes the story of Ruth, who was alive during the time of the Judges. Next come the stories in 1& 2 Samuel. Samuel is the last good Judge. One interes ting thing about Samuel is that he dies in 1 Samuel 25. So why would they name 2 Samuel after Samuel? Well, the full text of Samuel was found on one scroll. So the whole document was referred to as Samuel. Because it was so big they decided to split it in half. Just as a memory trick, if it hadn't been found on one scr oll they would probably have named them the book of Samuel and the book of David . The Israelites came to Samuel and pleaded for a king. So Samuel asked God for a king and God said that He wanted to be their King. But they continued to press S amuel for a king, so God finally says OK, I will give you a king, but you are no t going to like it. So He told Samuel to anoint Saul of the tribe of Benjamin (y ou will hear this again later too) as king. Saul didn't work out so good so God told Samuel to go anoint a son of Jesse. This turned out to be David. After Saul died in battle, David was made king. On his deathbed David handed the Kingdom o ver to Solomon, his son. When Solomon died the Kingdom of Israel was splint into a divided Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom was called Israel and the Southern King dom was Judah. So there were only three Kings that ever ruled over a united Isra el. More memory tricks. This is not exact but is useful for remembering where people are in which book. Mentally split 1 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles i nto halves. In the first half of 1 Samuel the major character is Samuel. In the second half the major character is Saul. 2 Samuel is all about the reign of King David. In the first half of 1 Kings the major character is Solomon. In the seco nd half of 1 Kings the major character is Elijah. In the first half of 2 Kings t he major character is Elisha. In the second half of 2 Kings there is a list of k ings both in the north and in the south, but no major character. The end of 2 Kings has a lot of plot development. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was sacked and dispersed to other nations and intermarried with other races. Th ey became known as the half-breeds or the Samaritans of Jesus' day. That is why they were so despised by the Jews. The Southern Kingdom of Judah was sacked by B abylon and taken captive for 70 years. Then King Cyrus became king and allowed t hem to return to Jerusalem and Judah. An event that was prophesied by Isaiah (in cluding the name Cyrus) about 150 years before it happened. You will find it in Isaiah 44:24-28. Thus ends 2 Kings.

Now we enter into 1 & 2 Chronicles. 1 & 2 Chronicles is a snapshot of everything we have talked about to this point. Back to the memory trick. The first half of 1 Chronicles is genealogy. Hidden in this genealogy is the Prayer of Jabez (Cha pter 4). The genealogy ends with Saul. And then the second half of 1 Chronicles is about the reign of King David. So the first half of 2 Chronicles is about the reign of King Solomon. The second half of 2 Chronicles is about the divided Kin gdoms and ends with King Cyrus releasing Judah. Interesting to note is that after Solomon both the Northern and the Southern Kin gdoms had 19 kings before being sacked. The Northern Kingdom almost exclusively had one King rise up and over throw the reigning king; killing the king and his family. The southern kingship almost exclusively was passed down from father to son. Next comes Ezra. Ezra was a high priest who reinstituted the procedures used in Temple worship. Next Nehemiah was more like a governor who rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem in order to protect the people and the newly rebuilt temple. This ends the chronological story of the chosen people of God. The rest of the b ooks in the Old Testament are located somewhere in this story. Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation Esther lived during the Babylonian exile. Job is probably a contemporary of Abraham or a grandson of Israel. Psalms is a collection of songs written mostly by David. Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings mostly by Solomon. Ecclessiastes and Song of Solomon were more writings by Solomon. Now we come to the prophets. There are 16 prophets; four Major Prophets and twel ve Minor Prophets. The Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. They are called Major Prophets merely for the amount of material they wrote. The Major Prophets are split in half by a book called Lamentations. This book is composed of 5 poems that were recited by the people during the Babylonian Exile . Basically, they say, "We have sinned against God, please forgive us and restor e us to the Promised Land." These poems follow the book of Jeremiah, which will help you remember that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel all prophesied during the Babylonian Exile. Daniel had 3 friends named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, so the book of Daniel is wh ere you find their story. These Minor Prophets were all before the Babylonian Exile: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Ob adiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah. The last 3 Minor Prophets (H aggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) were the only ones that prophesied after they had returned from the Babylonian Exile. This ends the Old Testament. Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation Now comes 400 years of silence followed by God revealing Himself to the masses t hrough signs and wonders (sound familiar); which are the miracles of Jesus Chris

t. There are many things in this book that give one the impression that this boo k (which was written by over 40 authors over a period of 1500+ years) was writte n by one Person; which it was. It was written by the Holy Spirit. This is one of my favorites. Consider this. Did 12 individuals (who would not normally associa te with each other) come together and recognize that it had been 400 years since Malachi? Therefore the timing would be perfect for them to write about a messia h that would reveal Himself through signs and wonders. Also, they would have thi s fictional messiah fulfill all the O.T. prophecies in a way that absolutely nob ody was expecting. Finally, all of them would go to their death professing this truth, without one of them recanting. This seems extremely unlikely to me. The New Testament opens with 4 Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John). They tell the story of the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus corrected the definition of "God's chosen people" from the descendents of Abraham to anyone who has a love for God and a love for other people, all other people. A careful read of the Old Testam ent will show that this was the true message of the Old Testament. Still the pur pose of God's people remains the same, to Glorify God and to encourage others to follow the Creator God, now made known to us through Jesus Christ. Then Acts tells the story of how the Gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea and S amaria and to all the earth. It is in Acts that we get the story of Saul from th e tribe of Benjamin (sound familiar, I don't know that it means anything, but in teresting). It is chapter 9 where Saul has his conversion experience. An interes ting note is Saul's name change to Paul. It is not the same kind of change like Abram to Abraham or Jacob to Israel. Those names were actually changes from one to the other. Saul to Paul was more of a cultural name change. Like someone name d Jacque coming to live in the states and now going by the name James. It is the same name in two different cultures. It is not like Saul has a Jesus experience and Jesus changes his name, like what happened to Abram and Jacob. Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation After Acts we have 13 letters written by Paul. It is from these letters that we get most of our doctrine. These letters are arranged in order of size: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thess alonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon. Hebrews is next. We don't know wh o wrote Hebrews, which made the canonizing process interesting because Hebrews d id not have the backing of an apostle. James was written by the half brother of Jesus. Jesus' brother was very active i n leading the church in Jerusalem. James the apostle had already been martyred b y this time. He was the first disciple to be martyred, but Stephen was the first martyr. 1 and 2 Peter were written by Peter. 1, 2, and 3 John were written most likely by the Apostle John. When reading the Gospel of John you see the word "believe" repeated several times. In 1 John the dominant word is "know". Jude was written by the brother of James, half brother of Jesus. Revelation was written by the Apostle John and is the prophecy describing the re turn of Jesus Christ and the setting up of His eternal kingdom. Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation The Thread That is the story of God's chosen people. Throughout this story there is a threa

d that runs continuously, which gives us the feeling that this is all one book. One book written by One hand. That thread is the Messiah. I will give but a few examples. I will pick up the thread at Genesis 3:15. God gives us the first promise of a M essiah that will suffer (be struck on the heal) but will deliver a deathblow (cr ush his head) to satan. We are painted a beautiful and unforgettable picture of the substitutionary nature of the Messiah in the story of Abraham laying Isaac o n the altar as a sacrifice. Jacob refers to the Messiah as the Redeeming Angel w hen he gives the blessing to Joseph's sons. The Israelites are instructed to con struct an Ark of the Covenant. The law was kept inside it and the lid on the Ark was called "the Mercy Seat." During the ceremony the High Priest would sprinkle blood from the perfect lamb onto the Mercy Seat. Such beautiful imagery is alre ady given that through the blood of the Perfect One comes mercy that will cover the law. Moses refers to Him as "a prophet like me." David refers to Him as "my Redeemer." Job calls Him, "my Vindicator." Isaiah has 4 sections in his book cal led Servant Songs, where he talks about a suffering Messiah. Half of the book of Daniel is end time prophecies of the conquering Messiah setting up His eternal kingdom here on earth. The Gospels of New Testament tells the story of the suffering Messiah in the fle sh. Which is followed by how His story was spread throughout the world. The lett ers give us the "truths that we are to know" about the Messiah. The word doctrin e means "teachings." Then the Revelation tells us of the return of the same Mess iah, this time as a Conqueror that will set up His eternal kingdom here on earth . The whole Bible then is about our Messiah, who is Jesus Christ. Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation Critical Question If Jesus is the fulfillment of this Messiah, why is it that the Jews don't recog nize Him? Near as I can tell the only reason they reject Jesus is because He did not set up His eternal kingdom. I learned something interesting when I audited a New Testament course at Campbellsville University. They said that before Jesus arrived on the scene, some of the Jewish Priests were beginning to teach that t hey were to look for two Messiahs. Their understanding of the scriptures was suc h that there must be a suffering Messiah and a conquering Messiah and they could not resolve the two into one Messiah. They were just too different. They did no t understand the purpose of the suffering Messiah and would therefore look only for the conquering Messiah, the One that would set up His eternal kingdom here o n earth. How close they were to getting it. The New Testament then is the story of one Me ssiah and two comings. I heard one Jewish Priest put it this way. When the Messi ah comes and sets up His eternal kingdom here on earth, we will ask Him, "Have y ou been here before?" Then we will know what to believe. For more like this please visit http://mcministries-uninc.blogspot.com/ I hope you have enjoyed this quick Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mick_Lorimer Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1537010 _______________________________________________ http://thebiblebooksummaries.weebly.com/summary-of-genesis.html

Summary of Genesis The genre of Genesis is a Narrative History, and Genealogies. It was written by Mosesabout 1450-1410 B.C. Key personalities include Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sa rah,Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Joseph. This book was written to record God??s creation of the world and to demonstrate His love for all that He created.Genesis is the fir st book of the Law and also the first book of the entire Bible. The name Genesis literally means ?? In the Beginning ? . It explains the actual eve nts of one of the most debated subjects of our current day?the origin of life. Genesis describes the Lord God, who is infinite and all-powerful, creating everything that exists, by the p ower of His spoken Word, out of nothing. He essentially creates material matter out of non-material nothing. ?? In chapters 1-11:28, Moses explains the creation of all things, " In the beginningGod created the heavens and the earth " (1:1). He quickly switches to the fall of man in sin and separation from God i n chapter 3; then, how God implementedHis judgment on the wicked earth. Through a universal flood and by selectingand sparing Noah, a faithful man, and his fami ly, God wipes out humanity andstarts again, with one secluded family. ?? From chapters 11:28-36, God begins to carry out His plan of redemption in the be ginning stages of establishing His own nation of Israel. It is through Abraham,a gain one faithful man, which God calls and promises to bless with a multitude of people and through them bless the entire world, "... and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed " (12:3). ?? In chapters 37-50 God faithfully raises up and protects the generations from Abr aham as He had promised, all the way through unto Joseph while in Egypt.God bles ses Abr aham??s son and their son??s. Through their disappointments andfailures, He displays His power and sovereignty in thei r lives; but in at the end of the book of Genesis, God??s people are in a foreign land and wondering about the promise land. _________________________________________