More Answers

If you’ve never read the Bible before, or it’s been a while, you might be looking at it wondering where to start.

What does it all mean? What do you need to know?

The Bible doesn’t read like other books, and it is ancient literature—how do its stories and advice apply to modern-day life?

This article will equip you to not only read the Bible but also understand it for what it truly is, God’s living message to us. We’ll find that the Bible is different than other books because it puts us in connection with the Holy Spirit, and its ultimate purpose is to transform our lives. Then, we’ll get practical with how to know the context of what you’re reading and uncover practical lessons.

Find all of that in these sections:

• How to approach the Bible
• 6 simple steps to read and understand the Bible
• Bible reading methods

How to approach the Bible

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The Bible is God’s Word. Through His Holy Spirit, He impressed upon each of its authors the message He wanted them to write. Understanding this can help us approach the Bible differently than we would other books. We come to it with care and reverence because the Holy Spirit is speaking to us through it.

One of the writers of the Bible describes its purpose this way:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, CSB).

The Bible isn’t just a storybook for enjoyment.

Or a textbook to analyze.

Or even a self-help book with good advice that you might take or leave.

Rather, it presents itself as the authority—the test of truth (Isaiah 8:20). In other words, what we learn in the Bible sets the tone and shapes every other aspect of our lives.

Hebrews 4:12 says that it is “living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword.” And “it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (CSB). It reaches down to our very motives.

Could one book really accomplish all that?

It comes back to the fact that the Bible isn’t just any book. Because the Holy Spirit was its ultimate author, we still get to have that author with us today as we read. He guides us and impresses its truths on our hearts, convicting us of things we may need to change.

So, when we read the Bible and apply it to our lives, asking God to speak to us, it’s a transformative experience.

The major narrative and theme of the Bible

While not organized chronologically, the Bible’s 66 books tell a connected story, a story of a God of love who is doing everything to bring an end to the sin and evil in this world.

The narrative begins with a rebellion in heaven that results in an angel named Lucifer being cast to the earth with his angels (Revelation 12:7-9). From that point on, he’s known as Satan, which literally means “enemy.” That’s why in the first book of the Bible, soon after the creation of a perfect world, we find Satan disguised as a serpent. There, he tempts the first humans, Adam and Eve, to distrust and disobey God (Genesis 3:1-5). When they choose to listen to his voice, they plunge this world into sin and its resulting heartache.

But from the moment sin entered our world, God had a plan to save humanity. He gave Adam and Eve a promise in Genesis 3:15 to send someone who would crush the head of the serpent. This was the promise of a Savior.

In this way, all of the Old Testament traces God’s re-telling of this promise to generations after. The New Testament shows how He kept that promise through Jesus Christ.

Within this overarching story are smaller stories that reflect the main narrative. They are purposely included to reveal the pain and hardship of sin while showing the grace and love of God.

The format and organization of the Bible

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The Bible is a unique book because it’s a compilation of 66 small books, containing historical accounts, letters, poems, prophecies, and more.

When you open a novel, you expect to start at the front cover and read your way to the back cover. The story builds until you reach the climax of the book. At the end, you come away with the intended point the book made.

The Bible is a little different.

If you opened its first pages, you’d start with the story of Creation and a perfect world before the fall into sin, then travel through time with stories of people and the nation they became. That would be interrupted by poetry, songs, proverbs, and prophecy. Then you’d immediately jump into four sections about Jesus Christ, followed by several letters. The final book includes many prophecies and symbols about Jesus and concludes with God’s re-creation of the world to perfection once again.

The order might not make sense to the casual observer.

But that’s because the Bible is actually a compilation of books written by many people over 1500 years.¹ It’s separated into two sections called the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament tells the story of the Israelites and demonstrates the need humanity has for a Savior. It’s comprised of 39 books, which are arranged by type:

• Books of the Law (also called the Pentateuch or the Torah): Genesis-Deuteronomy
• Historical books: Joshua-Esther
• Poetic books: Job-Song of Solomon
• Prophetic books: Isaiah-Malachi

The New Testament is smaller, containing 27 books. It focuses on that promised Savior, Jesus, and the work His disciples and others did in spreading the good news—or Gospel—of His grace to the whole world. It’s divided into these sections:

• The Gospels: Matthew-John
• Historical book: Acts
• Epistles (or letters): Romans-Jude
• Prophetic book: Revelation

But as we’ve acknowledged, the Bible is big, and it’s not organized like a normal book. How do you know where to start?

Where to start in the Bible

It depends on your goals. If you want to learn about Jesus’ life on earth, reading the book of John is one of the best ways to do that. If you want to know more about biblical history, start at Genesis and work your way through. A desire to know about prophecy might land you in Daniel or Revelation.

Note that there are many different ways to read the Bible. But it’s best to start in a place that will help you understand the purpose of the Bible and help you get to know the one it’s all about—Jesus.

So, if you’ve never read the Bible before, consider starting in the New Testament, perhaps Matthew or John. These books will introduce you to Jesus and give you a good foundation to take with you as you explore the rest of the Bible.

What version of the Bible to use

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The original languages the Bible was written in are Hebrew and Greek, so ideally, those would be the best versions to use! But before you hurry back to language school, let’s talk a little about why there are so many Bible versions and how you can use them to your benefit.

Like the English language, Hebrew and Greek have sayings, metaphors, and words with multiple meanings.

That means translation isn’t a simple process, especially if you want to understand the message! Add to this the fact that many hundreds of manuscripts of the Bible have been discovered over the years. As a result, we have the many versions of the Bible you might see in the Christian book store today.

These translations can be divided into three categories:

1. Literal or word-for-word translations: These translate the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek in as literal of a way as possible. They include the King James Version (KJV), New King James Version (NKJV), Revised Standard Version (RSV), and English Standard Version (ESV).
2. Dynamic equivalents or thought-for-thought translations: These seek to convey the message of the original Hebrew and Greek rather than the exact words. They include the New Internation Version (NIV), the New Living Translation (NLT), and the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).
3. Paraphrases: These involve interpretation and rewording of the text into modern language, and typically reflect the beliefs of the paraphraser. Some examples of paraphrases are The Living Bible (TLB) and The Message.

Each type of translation has its advantages and disadvantages, but combined together, they can provide a well-rounded picture of the Bible’s message. Bible apps and online resources like BibleGateway.com make it easy to access many translations.

(For a bigger breakdown of the various translations, head to our page, “Bible Translations—Which Version is ‘Best’?”)

Once you have your Bible or Bible app, you’re ready to jump into some practical steps. Let’s head there next.

6 simple steps to read and understand the Bible

Understanding what the Bible has to say requires intentional reading, rather than skimming through it or reading large chunks at once. Quality of reading is much more important than quantity. As we’ll explain below, you’ll want to keep in mind the genre, context, culture, and audience as you read.

Most importantly, before you even open your Bible, ask God for the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read. He will open your eyes and mind to gain a fuller understanding of the text.

So, let’s get started! Here are some steps to jumpstart your Bible reading:

1. Understand the genre you’re reading

Not only does the Bible consist of many books, it also contains numerous genres. Knowing which one you’re reading can help you understand the writer’s intended meaning.

For example, if you’re reading the Psalms, it’s helpful to know it’s poetry, and not a documentation of history or prophecy. The lines often repeat themselves in different words for emphasis—which can help with understanding their meaning.

The book of Revelation contains a lot of prophetic writing, which is full of symbols. Knowing this will prevent you from taking everything it says literally—the way you might when reading a historical account in the Bible.

Here are the most common genres you’ll run into:

• Parables: Parables are short fictional stories that explain a spiritual doctrine or point. You’ll find many of these in the Gospels.
• Maxims/wisdom. These are sections of godly advice and guidance for our lives. This genre is generally found within Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.
• Monologue. A monologue is a long speech by one person. The book of Job is an excellent example of a monologue. Job, his friends, and God all speak at great lengths on the calamities Job is facing.
• Letters. The Bible contains written communications that were sent to individuals or churches. Many of these are found in the New Testament. Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philemon, and James are all examples of letters written to groups of Christians in the first century AD.
• Poetry. Psalms, Song of Solomon, and Lamentations all contain poetry, which likely would have rhymed in the original Hebrew.
• Prophecy. Prophecy is a prediction of future events, given by God to humans. Some prophecies are symbolic; others are not. Books like Daniel, Joel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Revelation are full of prophecies about the nation of Israel, the whole world, and the last days. The books aren’t necessarily all prophecy, but many passages in them are.
• The Law. The law refers to instructions for living that God gave to the Israelites, as well as ceremonial laws. This genre is found in the first five books of the Bible—Genesis through Deuteronomy.
• Narrative (historical). These passages tell stories and recount genealogies and names. Books like 1 and 2 Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, the Gospels, and Acts are all narratives.

If you aren’t quite sure what genre you’re reading, try searching the passage’s genre online or in a Bible commentary (a book in which theologians comment on verses or sections of the Bible with interpretation and other useful information).

2. Look at the context

If you’re focusing on just a few verses or a chapter, it can be hard to grasp the full meaning of it. To help you get a better picture, read a couple chapters before and after the passage you’re in to help you grasp what the author is saying.

Sometimes, the author may seem to be saying one thing in a passage, but once you zoom out, you’re able to understand the surrounding points and how your passage fits in the bigger scheme.

3. Understand the audience

The Bible’s principles are applicable to people in every culture in every century, but that doesn’t mean every specific instruction applies to us. Some instructions were situational.

As you read a section, ask yourself who was its intended audience.

For example, let’s say you read the follow rebuke that Jesus gave:

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men” (Matthew 12:31, NKJV).

This warning refers to what people often call the “unpardonable sin,” and it can sound pretty frightening.

This is where understanding Jesus’ audience comes into play.

He was specifically addressing the Pharisees, who had accused Him of casting out demons in Satan’s name. The Pharisees were hardening their hearts, refusing to accept Jesus’ miracles as divine. They had rejected Jesus’ claim as the Messiah, and this was what Jesus was addressing.

This verse, then, wouldn’t apply to Christians who sincerely follow Jesus. And it means we don’t have to live in fear of committing the unpardonable sin.

4. Learn about the culture

Scripture was written within the context of ancient Middle Eastern culture. People back then used different figures of speech and had different customs than we do today.

By doing some basic research on the culture of that time, you’ll have a broader context to the Bible.

Some things might take on a whole new level of understanding, like what it means when the Bible talks about “making your enemies a footstool” (Psalm 110:1).

This phrase might not make much sense to us in the 21st century. But after a bit of digging into the culture of the time, we learn that it was a common practice back then for conquering kings to walk over the necks of those they conquered (see Joshua 10:24). This signified complete defeat of the enemy. The footstool was a symbol of this practice.²

Another example is the verses where both Paul and Peter seemingly tell us that we should not braid our hair. Peter advises,

“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear” (1 Peter 3:3-4, ESV).

And Paul instructs:

“In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing” (1 Timothy 2:9, NKJV).

While the principle of modesty applies to us today, some of these details, including braided hair, reflect cultural attitudes of the time that Paul was addressing. Back then, people viewed braided hair as an elaborate hairstyle that conveyed wealth and personal pride—very different from a simple braid today.³

You can learn about these cultures through Bible encyclopedias, archeological resources, history books, or online videos.

5. Look for repeating themes, ideas, and words

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The Bible is full of repetition, which the writers used to emphasize their points. Look for these repeating words, phrases, or ideas.

Repetition can help you understand the overarching theme of the passage or see something differently than you may have before. It could also be the start of a study on that word or phrase.

For example, take 1 Corinthians 13.

This is known as the “love chapter” because it talks so much about it. And it repeats the word love in almost every verse. Noticing when the word is used and what it’s talking about gives you the theme for the passage and a very precise and all-encompassing definition of love.

You could even use this chapter and the word love to start your own Bible study about love—looking for where it pops up in Scripture and studying how it’s used.

6. Write down any questions or confusions

If you come to something in your Bible reading that doesn’t make sense to you or doesn’t line up with what you’ve read before, it can become like a wall. You may feel like you can’t get past it or be able to understand other concepts that build on it.

Take time to write down your question or the idea you don’t understand. Doing so allows your mind to move on without forgetting those thoughts.

Later, when you’re around other believers, ask them for their thoughts. Or, set aside time to study that question yourself. You can search the passage online or look through Bible commentaries or concordances (books that list all the words found in the Bible and where you can find them) for that passage.

Or, turn to online Bible studies or resources for help.

Bible reading methods

Because the Bible is such a large and diverse book, you can approach it in many different ways.

You could read the Bible through from cover to cover, or chronologically. Or you could focus on different themes, different books, or different series of books. Sometimes, it may be helpful to use a devotional (a book with short inspirational Bible readings), a study Bible (a Bible with additional components to enrich study), commentaries, or other companion books to help you along.

Here are a several Bible reading methods to consider:

• Read through the Bible in a year: Start in Genesis and read straight through to Revelation.
• A chronological reading: This reading plan takes you through the entire Bible in order of historical occurrence.
• 90-day reading plan: This is a big commitment requiring a lot of daily reading, but you get a straightforward overview in a short amount of time.
• Redemptive-historical plan: This reading plan parallels readings from the Old and New Testaments to show you the overarching point of the Bible.
• 5x5x5 New Testament reading: The plan anyone can do! Read for five minutes, five days a week, using five ways to dive into the reading.
• The Old Testament in a year: Explore the depths of the Old Testament for a whole year!
• The New Testament in a year: Become deeply acquainted with the New Testament with this plan.
• The Gospels: Explore the four books that tell the story of Jesus’ life on earth. This plan is three months long.
• The Major Prophets: In two months, read through all the Old Testament books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
• The Minor Prophets: Read all the minor prophet books of the Old Testament, including Malachi, Hosea, and Jonah, in under a month.

The journey of Bible reading

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The Bible is a book like no other. It isn’t merely an anthology of stories, poetry, and teachings. It holds words of life and power—power that Jesus has to save us and transform our lives. Jesus Himself said:

“The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63, NKJV).

The Bible’s words are life because they teach us about God’s character of love and guide us to eternal life through Jesus. In turn, they show us how to live out that love on this earth.

But as you’re coming to the Bible for (perhaps) the first time, remember, it’s okay to start small and start slowly. Even if it feels difficult or discouraging at first, continue to seek God, even if it means reading just a couple verses a day and spending time thinking and praying about them.

Like a miner seeking for gold, it can be a slow process.

But ask God for wisdom, and you can be sure that over time, you’ll discover the beautiful gems in this book.

Looking for more Bible study tips?

Related Articles

1. Milton, Michael A. “When Was the Bible Written? The History of God’s Word,” Bible Study Tools, October 23, 2023. [↵]
2. “Psalm 110:1,” Bible Hub Commentaries. [↵]
3. Notes to 1 Peter 3:3-4, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. [↵]

More Answers

Christians consider the Bible as their sacred writings. But within Christianity, different denominations use Bibles with different numbers of books.

The Protestant Bible, which has 66 books, is the most widely used in the Christian world. But what about other Bibles, such as the Hebrew Bible or the Catholic Bible, used by other groups?

Each of these groups has reasons for using the Bible they use and for including the various books in it that they do. On this page, we’ll explore these different Bibles, the books they contain, and what these books are all about. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge and information to know which Bible is best for you.

We’ll answer the following questions:

• Why do different Bibles have different numbers of books?
• What are the different Bibles, and which books do their canons contain?
  • The Hebrew Bible
  • The Septuagint
  • The Latin Vulgate and Catholic Bible
  • The Protestant Bible
  • The Eastern Orthodox Bible
• Which Bible is the best choice, and how can I know it’s trustworthy?

Let’s begin!

Why do different Bibles have different numbers of books?

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Different Bibles have different numbers of books because at various points in history, groups of Bible believers decided what books should be considered as Scripture.

As you probably know, the Bible is “a book made of books.”

It’s a compilation of separate sacred books (or scrolls in ancient times). And the collection of these sacred books that make up the Bible is called the biblical canon.

Through the ages, the books that comprise the biblical canon have been the subject of debate in the Christian world. The result is different canons for different groups. Some contain more or less books. For example:

1. The Hebrew Bible (The Tanakh)—22 books (all Old Testament)¹
2. The Septuagint—53 books (the Old Testament including 14 apocryphal books)²
3. The Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible—73 books (46 Old Testament, including 7 apocryphal books, and 27 New Testament)³
4. The Eastern (Greek) Orthodox Study Bible—76 books (49 Old Testament, 27 New Testament)⁴
5. The Protestant Bible—66 books (39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament)

As you can see, all the Bibles with the New Testament have 27 books for it. This means that the Scriptural authority of the New Testament books was settled upon earlier, and any difference in the number of books of the different Bibles comes from the Old Testament.

So before looking at the various canons (and the differences in their Old Testaments), let’s see how the New Testament Canon was agreed on.

The New Testament canon

The New Testament books were viewed as Scripture from the time they were written. That’s why the apostle Peter, a contemporary of Paul, referred to Paul’s writings as Scripture in 2 Peter 3:16, just barely after they were written. But the books in the New Testament canon were formally agreed upon in the fourth century A.D. This happened in the form of an accepted consensus that came about gradually over the centuries.

Unlike the formality and controversies that characterized the establishment of the various Old Testament canons, this decision was free from controversy.

Before this decision, other books had been circulating. Books such as the Didache, the Apocalypse of Peter, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Epistle of Clement, the Epistle of Barnabas, and the Gospel of Thomas.

But they were eventually excluded from sacred Scripture. The reasons included:

• They were not written by the apostles.
• They had shallow spiritual content.
• They outrightly contradicted the already established canon of Scripture.

While some were completely discarded, others were deemed useful and retained as non-scriptural reads for believers.

Finally, Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, wrote in his A.D. 367 Easter Letter a list of New Testament books that he regarded as Scripture. This list contained the books of the New Testament as we know them today:

• The Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
• The Acts of the Apostles
• The Pauline Epistles—Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews
• The General Epistles—James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude
• Revelation

This list was accepted by church councils in Rome in A.D. 382, then in Hippo in A.D. 393. The Council of Carthage officially adopted it in A.D. 397.⁵

So as you can see, the number of books in the New Testament canon was sealed very early on. And the difference in the total number of books in the different Bibles comes from the Old Testament.

To understand why this is the case, we’ll look at each of the Bibles and their histories.

What are the different Bibles and which books do their canons contain?

Throughout history, Bible believers have had a set of books that they consider to be the authoritative Word of God—starting with the Ancient Jews all the way to Christians today. The different Bibles are:

• The Hebrew Bible
• The Septuagint
• The Latin Vulgate and Catholic Bible
• The Protestant Bible
• The Eastern Orthodox Bible

In this section, we’ll look at the different Bibles and the circumstances that led to them having the number of books they have.

Let’s begin with the earliest to exist.

The Hebrew Bible

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The Hebrew Bible or the Tanakh was the Scriptures used by the Israelites. It contains 24 books of the Old Testament. The books are divided into 3 sections:

• The Torah or the Law (5 books)—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
• The Nevi’im or Prophets (8 books)—Joshua, Judges, Kings, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Twelve (all the 12 books of the minor prophets as one book)
• The Ketuvim or Writings (11 books)—Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Songs of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Chronicles, and Ezra and Nehemiah (as one book)

While it’s not exactly clear when the 24-book Jewish canon was fixed, most scholars and historical records point to its compilation by Ezra and other Jewish scribes in Jerusalem in the years after the Babylonian captivity.

The Talmud—the main writings of Jewish religious laws—affirms that the compilation was finished in 450 B.C. and that it’s never changed since then.⁶

Future Jewish writings, like the commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes called Midrash Koheleth, mentions the fixedness of the 24-book canon when it states that bringing together more than 24 books causes confusion.⁷

Scripture also makes it clear that by the time of Jesus Christ, the Hebrew Bible was the accepted canon. Jesus Himself referred to it in Luke 24:44 when He spoke about the “Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” (NKJV). In this case, the Psalms was probably equivalent to the Writings.

Both Jesus and other New Testament writers refer to the Scriptures and heavily quote the Old Testament writings.⁸ But after the time of Jesus, other books were considered for the Old Testament canon.

The Septuagint

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The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament and contains 53 books. It was meant for the Hebrews scattered in the Greek-speaking world of the eastern Roman Empire since Hebrew and Aramaic, the languages of the Old Testament, were no longer commonly used in the Hellenistic era.⁹

The 53 books include all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (The Tanakh); however their organization and division mean that the original 24 books of the Tanakh become 39 books in the Septuagint. Here’s how:

• The book of the Twelve is separated into the individual minor prophets, making twelve total books instead of one.
• The books of Kings, Samuel, and Chronicles are each split into two—1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Chronicles—making six books instead of three.
• The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are separated, making them two instead of one.

Just to break it down further, we can look at it like this:

• 24 books + 11 = 35
• 35 books + 3 = 38
• 38 books + 1 = 39

Then, we get to a total of 53 books in the Septuagint by adding the 14 apocryphal texts. These include:

1. Judith
2. Tobit
3. Maccabees 1
4. Maccabees 2
5. Maccabees 3
6. Maccabees 4
7. Manassas
8. Wisdom of Solomon
9. Wisdom of Sirach
10. Psalms of Solomon
11. Baruch
12. Letter of Jeremiah
13. Sousanna
14. Bel and the Dragon¹⁰

The extra 14 books were Greek texts written between the third century B.C. and the first century A.D.—after the last book of the Jewish canon was written.

Note that there are often discrepancies in number, as some versions of the Septuagint exclude certain apocryphal books, or sometimes don’t classify them as standalone books. These numbers are based on the New English Translation of the Septuagint, edited by Albert Piertersma and Benjamin Wright.

Though the Jews and the New Testament writers never considered these books as Scripture, many saw them as useful and read them often.

Some like 1 and 2 Maccabees are historical accounts covering events between the end of the Old Testament canon and the coming of Jesus. And others like Judith contain fictional writings that teach godly values. So, when the Jewish canon was translated to Greek to form the Septuagint or LXX, these extra books were also added to it.

Later on, these extra books became known as the Apocrypha or the Deuterocanon.

Though both words often refer to the same set of books, Apocrypha is used by those who don’t consider the books to be divinely inspired or have scriptural authority. It implies that they’re not canonical. On the other hand, the word Deuterocanon is used by those who accept them as Scripture. And as we’ll see later, some Bibles have all or some of these books as deuterocanonical.

Back in the first century A.D., the Septuagint (that included the extra books) was widely used by Jews and Jewish Christians. And it was adopted by the early church as their Old Testament. Then, in A.D. 90, Jewish rabbis met at the Council of Jamnia and decided that only the 39 books of the Jewish canon make up the Old Testament canon.¹¹

Despite this decision, the mainstream Christian Church continued using the Septuagint (including the 14 extra books) as their Scriptures throughout the eastern Roman Empire.

But for the church in the western Roman Empire, the Latin Vulgate became the main Bible.

The Latin Vulgate and Catholic Bible

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In the fourth century A.D., Pope Damasus commissioned Jerome to provide a Latin Bible for the Latin-speaking church on the western side of the Roman Empire. Thus was born the Latin Vulgate in A.D. 405.

Rather than translating from the Septuagint, Jerome translated most of the text directly from the Hebrew Bible. He included all the books of the Jewish canon as the Old Testament, and though he acknowledged the importance of the extra 14 books, he designated them as apocryphal and proposed that they be considered noncanonical.

But the church didn’t accept his proposal, and most of the extra books were included in the Bible as the Deuterocanon at the Council of Rome in A.D. 382.

Even so, they excluded:

• The Prayer of Manasseh
• 3 Esdras
• 4 Esdras
• 3 Maccabees
• The 4 Maccabees appendix
• The extra chapter in the book of Psalms (Psalm 151)

Though 11 of the 14 books were kept, only 7 books actually appear (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Baruch).

Why? For three reasons:

• Three of the other books (Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, and the Song of the Three Holy Children) are part of the book of Daniel.
• The Letter of Jeremiah is included in the book of Baruch.
• The extra chapters and verses of Esther are included in the book of Esther.

This Bible was not immediately accepted by the church. But by the sixth century, it was the most commonly used Latin Bible in the Roman Empire.

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And it remained so until the Protestant Reformation..

When Martin Luther translated the Latin Bible into the German language in 1534, he separated the extra books from the Hebrew Old Testament, placing them between the Old and New Testaments. That’s why they’re also referred to as Intertestamental Books. They were designated as apocryphal at this time.¹²

He cited the following reasons for this decision:

• The writers of these books themselves don’t say they’re inspired—they are silent about the inspiration of the books they wrote.
• Future Bible writers of the New Testament didn’t refer to them as Scripture, unlike the way they refer to the Hebrew canon.¹³
• They taught teachings that contradicted the already established Scriptures, like:
  • Giving money to atone for sins (Sirach 3:30; Tobit 4:10).
  • Praying to the dead (2 Maccabees 12:43-45).
  • Praying to saints and asking them for prayer (2 Maccabees 15:12-16).

In response to Luther’s protests, the church declared the Latin Vulgate to be the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent in 1546.¹⁴ With this, they decided they needed an official edition of the Vulgate.

Theologian Sixtus of Siena began revising it and in 1566, he coined the term deuterocanonical, meaning “second canon,” to refer to the new canon that was not part of the original Hebrew Bible that had been accepted as canonical.

When the new edition was ready, Pope Clement VIII commissioned the Sixto-Clementine Vulgate as the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church in 1592. He also added three of the excluded apocryphal books: the Prayer of Manasseh and 3 and 4 Esdras. This brought the Latin Vulgate to a total of 76 books. And this has been replicated in all future versions and translations of the Vulgate.

In 1582, the Catholic Church allowed for the translation of the Vulgate to English, and the Douay-Rheims Bible was published in 1609-10 as the first Catholic English translation.

This became the predecessor of later Catholic Bibles.

Meanwhile, Martin Luther’s Bible acted as the predecessor of Protestant Bibles that didn’t include the deuterocanonical books in the body of Scripture but rather separated them and designated them as the Apocrypha.

The Protestant Bible

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At first, the Protestant Bible contained 80 books. But later, the Apocrypha was excluded altogether, so only 66 books remained, as is common today.

As we saw earlier, it all started with Martin Luther’s Bible. This Bible had a total of 80 books since the three extra books in Daniel and the extra verses and chapters included in Esther in the Vulgate were labeled as separate books.

Later, when the Bible was translated into English to form the Geneva Bible, the new Bible followed Luther’s model, ending up with an 80-book Bible, too.

And when the King James Bible was commissioned in 1611 in Protestant England, it also had 80 books like Luther’s Bible, including the intertestamental Apocrypha. The only difference was that the books 3 and 4 Esdras were named as 1 and 2 Esdras.

All future Protestant versions followed this model until the mid-1800s.

In 1855, a decision was made to leave out the Apocrypha in the publication of Protestant Bibles. Since it was deemed as less important, why not cut publication costs by removing it altogether? Since then, the majority of Protestant Bibles have 66 books with a 39-book Old Testament.

But there are some Protestant denominations that still use Bibles with the Apocrypha. Like the Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Lutheran Church. And other Bible believers view the Apocrypha as inspired. An example is the Orthodox Church that even has more books in its Deuterocanon than the Catholic Bible. More on that next.

The Eastern Orthodox Bible

The Orthodox Bible is used by the Eastern Orthodox Church, which traces its origin to the churches established by the apostles in the eastern Mediterranean region.

When in the fourth century A.D., Constantine made Constantinople the capital of Rome and Christianity the official religion of the empire, the leadership of the Christian world mostly came from the Greek church fathers in the east.

But when both political and religious power shifted to Rome, the church in the east gradually separated from the mainstream Roman Catholic Church. They formed the Orthodox Catholic Church or the Eastern Orthodox Church.

And they have their own Bible—the Orthodox Bible.

The Orthodox Bible is the largest Bible. While it has all the Catholic deuterocanonical books as part of its canon, it also retains all the books in the Septuagint that were left out of the Latin Vulgate.

They include:

• Prayer of Manasseh
• 3 Esdras (Written as 1 Esdras)
• 4 Esdras (Written as 2 Esdras)
• 3 Maccabees
• 4 Maccabees as an appendix
• Additions to Psalms—Psalm 151

Apart from the mainstream Eastern Orthodox Church, there are also other Orthodox churches that have even more books in their canons.

These include the Oriental Ethiopian, Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo, the Coptic Orthodox, and Syriac Orthodox canons that are all different from each other.

With all these Bibles, and the various reasons for including and excluding different books, how can you know which Bible to use?

Which Bible is the best choice, and how can I know it’s trustworthy?

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A safe place to begin is to embrace the books of the Bible that have had the least controversy over their place in the Bible—those that are generally accepted as part of inspired Scripture. From what we’ve seen, the Jewish Canon and the New Testament Canon pass this test.

Concerning the Jewish Canon, Paul writes in the New Testament that the Jews “were entrusted with the very words of God” (Romans 3:2, CSB).

So these 66 books of the Bible can be trusted as God’s Word, since from the very beginning, their scriptural authority and inspired origin has been acknowledged. And for that reason, the 66-book Protestant Bible is considered trustworthy by all since its contents are included in all the other Bibles.

When it comes to the other books in the Apocrypha/Deuterocanon, we all have to decide whether to believe them.

That’s a decision best made after taking the time to read the books.

A couple questions you can ask yourself as you read are:

• Do they agree in principle with the teachings of the Hebrew and New Testament canon?
• Do the writings themselves claim inspiration as the writings of the Hebrew and New Testament canon do?

The Bible guides us to God and His love

Whatever conclusion we come to regarding some of the apocryphal/deuterocanonical books, we can be grateful for the many books of the Bible—both in the Old and New Testaments—that are undisputed. Books from which we can draw spiritual nourishment. And books that so clearly reveal the love of God for us.

These books can be our foundation for testing all other books to see whether they also reflect this character of God.

As you embark on a journey of understanding the history of God’s Word, you’ll come to appreciate His goodness in preserving this “good book” throughout the ages to guide us to Him and His love.

1. https://torah.org/learning/basics-primer-torah-bible/ [↵]
2. Pietersma, Albert and Benjamin Wright, eds. The New English Translation of the Septuagint, 2007. v-vi. [↵]
3. https://www.drbo.org/about.htm [↵]
4. https://stchurch.stthomasghaziabad.org/PRAYERBOOKS/6.%20ORTHODOXY%20PRAYER%20BOOKS/Holy%20Bible_Orthodox%20Study%20Bible%20(English).pdf [↵]
5. Livingstone, E. A.; Sparkes, M. W. D.; Peacocke, R. W., eds. 2013 Oxford University Press. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press. p. 90 [↵]
6. Bava Batra 14b–15a, Rashi to Megillah 3a, 14a. [↵]
7. Midrash Qoheleth 12:12 [↵]
8. Matthew 4:4 cites Deuteronomy 8:3; Romans 1:17 cites Habakkuk 2:4; 1 Corinthians 1:19 cites Isaiah 29:14; Acts 13:33 cites Psalms 2:7; Romans 3:10-12 cites Psalms 14:1-3; Romans 3:13 cites Psalms 5:9 and Psalms 140:3; Romans 3:14 cites Psalms 10:7; Romans 3:15-17 cites Isaiah 59:7-8; Romans 3:18 cites Psalms 36:1. [↵]
9. “Septuagint,” New World Encyclopedia. [↵]
10. Pietersma, Albert and Benjamin Wright, eds. The New English Translation of the Septuagint, 2007. v-vi.. [↵ ]
11. Jack P. Lewis 2002 The Canon Debate. “Jamnia Revisited.” In L. M. McDonald; J. A. Sanders (eds.). The Canon Debate. [↵]
12. “What Is the Apocrypha?” Christianity.com. [↵]
13. Ibid. [↵]
14. Ibid. [↵]

More Answers

The most accurate Bible possible would be one that’s printed in its original languages—Hebrew and Greek. But since most of us are not Hebrew or Greek scholars, the next best option is an English Bible translation that most closely reflects the original language and intent while also presenting these ideas in a practical and understandable way.

You might feel overwhelmed with all the options out there—about 900 in the English language.¹ That’s almost like a GPS giving you hundreds of routes to choose from!

But the process doesn’t have to be difficult. By understanding the three main categories of Bibles, you’ll find a version that suits your needs and helps you come to know Jesus better.

Here, we’ll cover:

• Why are there so many Bible versions?
• What are the different types of Bible translations?
• How to choose the best Bible version for you

Let’s first touch on why we have so many versions in the first place.

Why are there so many Bible versions?

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The number of different Scripture translations has mushroomed in the past centuries as original manuscripts have been discovered and repeatedly translated.

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New Testament in Greek and Aramaic. After the first century, these languages became less and less common because Latin was the primary language of the Roman Empire.

And with the spread of Christianity to different countries, the Hebrew and Greek texts soon needed to be translated into those languages as well.

The result was many different manuscripts that have been used in recent centuries for modern translations.

As we’ll see next, those versions are divided into three main categories. The most accurate ones will be those translated from the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.

What are the different types of Bible translations?

Bible translations fall into three categories based on how closely they reflect the original wording of Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. They are:

1. Literal translations
2. Dynamic equivalents
3. Paraphrases

Literal translations

Literal, or word-for-word, translations seek to translate each Hebrew and Greek word in as literal a manner as possible. They are also called formal equivalents.

This can result in text that’s a little more clunky or difficult for modern readers to understand.

The reason for this is the differences between the Bible’s original languages and English. Sometimes, Greek and Hebrew words have multiple meanings in English, making it challenging for translators to know which English word to use.

And there are more than just word differences between these languages. There are variations in sentence structure, emphasis, and punctuation, too.

Even so, literal translations are the most accurate Bibles for in-depth study. Having additional resources on hand can also help with understanding what the original Bible writers meant. Try out a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible or Hebrew-English and Greek-English lexicons.

The following are some of the most popular translations in this category.

The King James Version (KJV)

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  Date translated: 1611

• Translated/produced by: Bible scholars of the Church of England; commissioned by King James 
• Pros: 
  • Poetic writing style
  • Traditional Bible for centuries
  • Most popular Bible in use today
  • Considered the most accurate translation for its time

• Cons:
  • An old English version with archaic language. Some words had very different connotations back then.
  • Harder to understand 

• Read the KJV for free.

The Revised Standard Version (RSV)

• Date published: 1952
• Translated/produced by: National Council of the Churches of Christ 
• Pros: 
  • First translation to use the Dead Sea Scrolls
  • Updated language

• Cons:
  • Possible concerns about the theological viewpoints of the translators and bias in the text
  • Can be hard to find printed copies

• Read the RSV for free.

The New American Standard Bible (NASB)

• Date published: 1963 
• Translated/produced by: The Lockman Foundation
• Pros: 
  • Highly accurate
  • Contemporary English
  • Translation notes with literal meanings of words and other possible translations

• Con:
  • More literal wording that may not flow like modern wording
• Read the NASB for free.

The Amplified Bible (AMP)

• Date published: 1965
• Translated/produced by: Zondervan and the Lockman Foundation
• Pros: 
  • Additional meanings of words and phrases within the text to enhance the understanding 
  • One of the most easy-to-understand literal translations

• Con:
  • The extra phrasing in brackets and parentheses can make the text feel cluttered, especially when reading out loud

• Read the AMP for free.

The New King James Version (NKJV)

• Date published: 1982
• Translated/produced by: 130 Bible scholars, pastors, and theologians; published by Thomas Nelson
• Pros: 
  • Updated version of the KJV (updated grammar and wording while retaining the traditional poetic beauty of the KJV)
  • Easier read with the older style

• Con:
  • Still contains many archaic phrases

• Read the NKJV for free.

The English Standard Version (ESV)

• Date published: 2001
• Translated/produced by: Crossway; over 100 scholars and pastors
• Pros: 
  • More modern wording
  • Keeps some of the most-loved verses close to the KJV translation

• Cons:
  • Some hard-to-read sentence structure 
  • Concerns about possible theological bias (since the RSV was referenced in translations)

• Read the ESV for free.

Dynamic equivalents

Dynamic equivalents, or thought-for-thought translations, convey the message of the Bible’s text rather than the exact words. Scholars have sought to use cultural, linguistic, and historical background to express in modern language what the original author intended.

While these translations are generally easier to read and understand, they’re not perfect. Every scholar comes to their work with a theological bias, so these translations may potentially express more bias than word-for-word translations.

But this fact doesn’t mean we should avoid dynamic equivalents.

Instead, they can make for enjoyable devotional reading in conjunction with other Bible study tools and more literal translations.

Check out these ones:

The New International Version (NIV)

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  Date published: 1978

• Translated/produced by: Biblica (International Bible Society)
• Pros: 
  • One of the most popular, easy-to-read, modern versions of the Bible
  • Uses word-for-word and thought-for-thought translation, striking a balance between 

• Cons:
  • Wording isn’t always the most poetic
  • Translators sometimes added words that weren’t original, making it seem interpreted rather than translated

• Read the NIV for free.

The New Living Translation (NLT)

• Date published: 1996
• Translated/produced by: Tyndale House Publishers
• Pros: 
  • A highly accessible version
  • Changes traditional metaphors or terms to modern-day equivalents for easier understanding

• Cons:
  • The colloquial language can make it seem far away from the original text
  • Its use of modern terms and metaphors may change the originally intended meaning

• Read the NLT for free.

God’s Word Translation (GW)

• Date published: 1995
• Translated/produced by: God’s Word to the Nations Society
• Pros: 
  • Printed in a single-column format for easy reading.
  • Displays the reading in the way the Bible writers would speak if they lived today

• Con:
  • Sometimes interprets phrases instead of translating them
• Read the GW translation for free.

The Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

• Date published: 2017
• Translated/produced by: Holman Bible Publishers 
• Pros: 
  • An updated version of the Holman Christian Standard Bible, which is known as an “optimal equivalence” because it contains both word-for-word and thought-for-thought translation throughout
  • Uses gender-neutral terms when the original language would also refer to both genders
  • Easy-to-read text 

• Con:
  • Uses some unconventional translating ideas, like translating “beer” for “strong drink” 

• Read the CSB for free.

Paraphrases

Paraphrases are not translations in the strictest sense. Rather, they involve interpretation, rewording, and expanding upon the original text of the Bible to make it more understandable.

Paraphrases tend to have a greater potential for bias, particularly since they’re often the work of one individual rather than a committee of Bible scholars.

For these reasons, they work best when combined with more literal translations. But they can be a great addition to a devotional routine or study.

Here are four common paraphrases:

The Living Bible (TLB)

• Date published: 1971
• Produced by: Kenneth Taylor 
• Pro: 
  • Seeks to communicate the meaning of each passage in as simple a way as possible

• Cons:
  • Less poetic
  • Potential bias and interpretation that may not be accurate to the originally-intended meaning 

• Read TLB for free.

Good News Translation (GNT)

• Date published: 1976
• Produced by: Dr. Robert Bratcher together with a committee appointed by the American Bible Society
• Pros: 
  • Accessible to non-native English speakers 
  • Easy to read and understand

• Con:
  • Potentially strays too far from the original meaning of the text

• Read the GNT for free.

The Clear Word

• Date published: 1994
• Produced by: Jack J. Blanco
• Pro:
  • A devotional paraphrase from an Adventist perspective
• Con:
  • Not an actual Bible
• Learn more about the Clear Word.

The Message (MSG)

• Date published: 2002
• Produced by: Eugene H. Peterson
• Pros: 
  • Easy-to-read, colloquial language
  • Can give a different perspective to verses

• Cons:
  • A very loose translation of the original with heavy interpretation 
  • Some of the idioms used are American 

• Read the Message for free.

How to choose the best Bible version for you

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As we’ve already mentioned, the best Bible translation will be as close as possible to the originally intended meaning of its authors. Generally, word-for-word translations fit this criterion best.

Your purpose will also affect which one you should choose.

Let’s go through a few different purposes and the Bible versions that might work best for you:

• Bible study. If you are looking to dig deep into the Bible, a word-for-word translation (such as the NASB or the KJV) is ideal since it sticks closest to the original language. Though not always the easiest to read, Bible dictionaries and concordances can help remedy that challenge. 

• Devotional reading. When looking for simple encouragement for your day and ways to connect with God, pick a Bible you can easily understand. Depending on what you are most used to hearing, this version could be a word-for-word translation or a dynamic equivalent. 

• Memorization. Remember Psalm 23’s classic “thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”? Some versions are written very poetically and are the standard you hear quoted. The King James Version is one of the most famous.

• Reading aloud. Choose a translation that allows the words to easily roll off your tongue and that is easy for listeners to understand. Thought-for-thought translations usually fit this bill because they are written in modern English.

• Secondary Bible. You may already have a favorite Bible but want another for comparison. A good way to balance your selection is to pick the opposite type of Bible from the one you have now. If you use a thought-for-thought version, pick a word-for-word translation and vice versa.

• Children’s Bible. A thought-for-thought version with simpler language may be the best for children who might struggle with more literal wording.

The key is getting to know the ultimate author of the Bible

Due to the challenges of translating from language to language, no Bible translation will ever be able to fully convey the originally intended meaning of all its passages.

After all, Scripture was written by finite humans about an infinite God. So there’s always more to learn.

But the good news is that this fact hasn’t obscured the message in the Word of God. Through the years, God has used His people to preserve this valuable book so that it could continue to be transformative in the lives of many.

So instead of getting hung up on the details, use the principles listed here to pick an accurate and readable Bible.

Then, focus on what’s most important: getting to know the author of the Bible. He has promised to give us the Holy Spirit to guide us to all truth (John 16:13).

1.  “Number of English Translations of the Bible,” American Bible Society. [↵]

Related Articles 

More Answers

Yes, the Old Testament is important because it kicks off the story that is continued by the New Testament. Without it, we wouldn’t have the vital background to Jesus’ first coming and the other accounts of the New Testament.

It’s natural for us as Christians to want to focus on the parts of the Bible that talk about Jesus’ life and sacrifice on the cross.

But without the foundation of the Old Testament, we risk misunderstanding some crucial things Jesus said and did.

This page will help you avoid those misunderstandings and understand how essential the Old Testament is. We’ll cover:

• The Old Testament matters because it’s the Word of God
• The Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament 
• 5 steps to study the Old Testament stories

Let’s first look at why this part of the Bible still matters.

The Old Testament matters because it’s the Word of God

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The Old Testament, which makes up about 75% of the Bible, was inspired by God. It’s His message to us—just as much as the New Testament is. Here’s what the apostle Paul had to say about it:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NKJV).

When Paul wrote these words, the Old Testament was the only Bible.

Similar to Paul, Jesus recognized the lasting importance of the Old Testament. In Matthew 5:17–18, He specifically said His purpose was not to “destroy [do away with] the Law or the Prophets” (NKJV). The Law and the Prophets were terms used by the Jews to refer to different sections of the Hebrew Scriptures—their Bible.

After His death and resurrection, Jesus used the same Scriptures to show His followers that His sacrifice had been foretold by the prophets (Luke 24:27). And in His own words, all the Scriptures testify of Him (John 5:39).

If Jesus thought the Old Testament was significant in revealing Himself, then we too can better understand Him through the whole story of the Bible.

The Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament

To understand the importance of the Old Testament, we have to realize that the Bible is a narrative from the creation of the world in Genesis all the way to the end of the world and its re-creation in Revelation. The New Testament completes that story, and over 10% of its contents are quotes from the Old Testament.¹

Thus, it wouldn’t make any sense alone. The Old and New Testaments are inseparable.

Think about it this way:

If you were sitting down to read a book, you wouldn’t start it in the middle, would you?

It’s no different with the Bible.

If you start most of the way in, you won’t have any idea who Abraham and Moses are. Jesus’ allusions to the Israelites and other accounts in the Old Testament won’t make sense. And you wouldn’t even know why He had to come in the first place.

But seen as a whole story, the details fall into place—including the foundational details of life.

It answers basic life questions

The Old Testament answers the age-old questions humans have always wondered about:

• Why are we here? 
• Where did we come from? 
• And how did we get into such a mess?

Genesis 1–3 shows us a God of love who created this earth and made humans in His image to rule over it. Being formed by the very hands of God gives our lives incredible value and meaning.

God placed the first couple, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, where He provided for their every need—physical, mental, social, and spiritual. They could have lived forever in selfless love and harmony with one another. And in face-to-face connection with God.

But for love to exist, God also had to give humans free will—the choice to follow His ways or not (Genesis 2:16–17).

Sadly, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and believe the insinuations about Him (Genesis 3:1–5). By choosing a knowledge of evil, they experienced relational breakdown immediately—with one another and with God. They plunged our world into the chaos, suffering, and pain we see today.

But God didn’t give up on humans at this point.

He set in place a plan to send a Deliverer, someone who would show us who God really is and free humans from the mess they’d gotten themselves into.

It foreshadows Jesus Christ

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The New Testament is all about Jesus coming to this earth as our Savior. But the Old Testament helps us to see why we need that Savior.

After detailing the Fall of humanity, it shows us how God gave a special promise, called a covenant, to send a Deliverer and to restore His people. He longs to be reconnected with us.

He made this covenant with many people—Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and then the nation of Israel, His chosen people who would share the truth of the Messiah with all nations. As a part of this covenant, He also gave them a special sanctuary, or temple, that foreshadowed how God would bring an end to sin and be with His people once again (Exodus 25:8). God instructed the people to make animal sacrifices for sin, symbolizing how Jesus would come and die for the consequences of our sins (John 1:29).

God remained faithful to His end of the covenant, but often, the Israelites drifted, or outrightly turned from God.

But God didn’t throw up His hands in disgust.

Instead, He was patient with His people, sending prophets to guide them, warn them, and remind them of the coming Messiah.

That’s why the Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies that identified who the Messiah would be and what He would accomplish.

Here are just a few examples:

• Isaiah 53 and Daniel 9:24–27 both prophesied the sacrifice Jesus would make to pay the penalty for sins. 
• Micah 5:2 foretold the name of the town Jesus would be born in.
• Isaiah 7:14 revealed who Jesus would be born to.
• Psalm 78:1–2 predicted that Jesus would tell parables.
• Isaiah 6:9–10 describes how people would struggle to believe what Jesus taught. 
• Psalm 22 predicted the events of Jesus’ death.
• Psalm 16:10 speaks of His resurrection.

The fulfillment of these prophecies in the New Testament gives us another reason to spend time in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. More on that next.

It gives us confidence in God

As we see how the Old Testament prophecies came true, we gain confidence in God as a keeper of His promises. His Word is reliable.

Many of the prophecies—over 300 of them—had to do with Jesus. And there were others too:

God promised Noah that He would save him and his family from the flood. As a result, Noah’s family survived the global catastrophe and rebuilt society and civilization afterward (Genesis 6–9).

Then, God promised Abraham that his family would be numerous, despite the fact that he was old and childless and his wife was infertile (Genesis 15:1–6). Indeed, God gave Abraham a son, who became the nation of Israel and whose family line would eventually lead to Jesus. Through Jesus, Abraham became a spiritual father to everyone who chooses to follow God (Galatians 3:29).

And then there are some of the incredible prophecies in the book of Daniel, such as the 70-week prophecy and the 2,300-day prophecy, all of which have come to pass (Daniel 8–9).

Seeing the fulfillment of the things God promised helps us to have faith in the other things He has told us. We can trust that He will be faithful to His Word.

Because God is not just the God of the people in Bible times.

He wants to be our God today.

Let’s look at how we can study the Old Testament in a way that is relevant to our relationship with Him in the here and now.

5 steps to study the Old Testament stories

The Old Testament may seem a little more challenging to read than, say, the Gospels. But it doesn’t have to be. When we keep the narrative arc of Scripture in mind, remembering that the Old Testament is just the first part of the story, we’ll better see God’s plan and how we fit into that picture.

Here’s how you can get started:

1. Choose a passage

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Decide on the passage you want to study. You could pick a book, a chapter, or a story you want to follow.

Where you start doesn’t really matter, but if you’re new to the Bible, consider starting in Genesis to get the whole picture from the beginning. Genesis contains mostly narratives, which also make it an engaging read.

The Old Testament contains 39 books of the Bible that are divided into five sections:

1. The Five Books of Moses (also called the Law or the Torah): From Genesis to Deuteronomy, these books cover the origins of this world, early history, and the experiences of Israel. Leviticus and Numbers contain laws that God gave to Moses for the people of Israel.

2. History: Consisting of twelve books from Joshua to Esther, this section encompasses the history of Israel, starting with their conquest of Canaan and going all the way to their captivity and release.
3. Wisdom or Poetry: This section, from Job to Song of Solomon, contains songs, proverbs, and other inspiration.

4. The Major Prophets: These books go from Isaiah to Daniel and cover major predictions written to the declining and captive Israelites.

5.The Minor Prophets: The minor prophets (Hosea through Malachi) are smaller books with prophecies for Israel, Judah, and even the surrounding nations. Many of them plead with the people to turn back to God.

2. Take note of details

As you read your passage of choice, notice things that are emphasized or repeated throughout it (you may even want to write them down). And ask yourself these questions:

• What’s the setting of the story?
• What events happened before and after? 
• Who are the main characters?
• What’s the plot?
• What’s the narrator’s point of view?

One thing to remember is that the Old Testament contains many typologies. Typologies are events or people that represent future events or people.

For example, Adam was a typology, or type, of Jesus (Romans 5:14–15). Elijah was a type of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:11–13). And the way the Israelites left Egypt and went through the Red Sea parallels the way Jesus came from Egypt and was baptized when beginning His ministry.

These are just a few to get you going. Keeping an eye out for these typologies can be an intriguing activity as you read.

3. Understand the context

A passage might seem to indicate one thing when you read it on its own, but it could mean something entirely different when you understand the big picture—the whole story of Scripture.

For instance, the ceremonial law of Moses and guidelines given to the Israelites seem pretty strange. And you may wonder why God gave these laws. Why were some of the punishments so harsh, and why did God give instructions about war?

The key is recognizing that these laws were God’s way of working with a people who had come out of slavery and had lost sight of what it means to live by His law of love.

They needed specific guidance to transition into God’s ideal.

We see God’s ideal in the first couple chapters of Genesis: a world based on His law of love. But because of humanity’s fall into sin, God has to find ways to deal with the sinful situations humans get themselves into.

Sometimes, those methods may not reflect God’s ideal, but they’re the best way to get us back to that ideal.

Another aspect people struggle with is the way God is sometimes portrayed in the Old Testament. He may seem judgmental or wrathful—and not like the Jesus of the Gospels.

In this case, we have to keep in mind that God doesn’t change between Malachi and Matthew.

What we see in Jesus is a reflection of God (John 14:9).

And even in the Old Testament, God is merciful, forgiving, and compassionate, just like Jesus (Exodus 34:6–7; Psalm 86:15). His greatest longing was to free His people from sin and its harmful consequences so that He could reconnect with them.

At times, this longing may come across as “tough love,” but it’s ultimately God navigating sin and evil to bring us back to the best world possible.

4. Look for God’s perspective

Just because something happened in a Bible account doesn’t mean God approved of the action.

After all, it contains stories of people who did things that were immoral, violent, and downright disgusting—such as violence, murder, and rape.

But this doesn’t mean God approves of such actions. The Bible writers were simply describing the events that happened—not endorsing them.

As you read some of these accounts, try to figure out God’s perspective on the situation. What did He think about the actions of the characters?

If it isn’t clear in the story, it helps to back up and remember the big picture: God is dealing with evil to bring us back to His ideal of other-centered love.

5. Apply the principles to your life

Don’t miss this step! Here is where the things you’ve read and noted can now be applied to your life in practical ways.

You may want to answer some of these prompts:

• What principles can you draw from the story? Was there a promise to claim, an action to take, or an action to avoid? 
• What are some practical takeaways that could be relevant to your day-to-day life? 
• How did the story shape your picture of God?

Fresh insights from an old book

The Old Testament is more than just a collection of history books. It is crucial to understand God’s ultimate purpose for humanity and His promise to restore our connection with Him. It lays the foundation for Jesus’ life and ministry and gives a glimpse into how God is dealing with sin.

And its lessons can still guide our lives today. As you ask the Holy Spirit to be with you in your reading, He will impress your heart with its freshness and relevance for daily life.

To dig deeper into the themes in the Old Testament and the picture of God we find there, head over to our intro guide to the Old Testament.

1. Nicole, Roger, “New Testament Use of the Old Testament,” reproduced from Revelation and the Bible, ed. Carl. F. H. Henry (Grand Rapids, Baker, 1958), pp. 137–151. [↵]

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They’re both great, of course! But depending on where you’re at and what your goals are, it’s worth looking into the different benefits of each.

Individual Bible study allows you—the individual—to dig into a Bible passage on your own time, in a place you choose, without distractions or an agenda. It’s valuable for reflection and meditation, and stopping to pray at any point.

But it requires some self-discipline and time management, and if you run into a passage of Scripture you have questions about, sometimes it can stall your momentum a bit.

Group Bible study, on the other hand, merges study with a sense of community and allows for discussion. Group members keep each other accountable and can share insights or even testimonies.

However, you’re also tied to a specific topic and sometimes you might want to move a little faster…or a little slower.

So could it be that combining these two approaches is the best way to experience the pros and avoid the cons of both?

See what you think as we look at the following:

• What makes an enriching individual Bible study?
• What are the typical components of a group Bible study?
• Similarities and differences between the two approaches
• How to have an effective group Bible study

We’ll make sure each type is properly defined before we get into the comparisons.

What makes an enriching individual Bible study?

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Individual Bible study gives you time to privately dig into a topic or passage in the Bible, or you can read it through at your own pace.

In this kind of study, you may choose to follow a study guide that contains questions and directs you to certain passages. Or you might pick a passage and go through it verse by verse, writing down questions you have and comparing it with other passages.

For more depth, you may have a Bible dictionary or historical references that help you understand the text in its original context.

Some people also like to use a concordance to look up other passages that have the same keywords or phrases.

Learn more about the different study methods by reading our page about starting an individual Bible study.

What are the typical components of a group Bible study?

A group Bible study usually involves about three to twelve people getting together regularly to study. Oftentimes, the group will agree on a topic to study or use a pre-made study guide to follow. One person will take the lead each time you meet, and that duty may rotate depending on the group.

This group leader, who is more of a facilitator rather than a teacher, will make some preparations ahead of time to be able to direct the discussion to hit all the key points. They will often begin with an introduction to engage the group members. Then, they lead them through the study guide or Bible passage and ask thought-provoking questions.

Some Bible study groups may have some homework. The members might decide to go through a certain passage that will be discussed during the study. That can be helpful in formulating questions beforehand, or taking note of some interesting things you’d like to point out.

Regardless of the exact details, the purpose of a group study is to create an open and safe space for people to learn more about the Word of God together. The format and dynamics will of course differ from group to group, but many will follow similar models. It might almost feel like a book club meeting in some ways. (Because in most ways, it is!)

Biblical examples

Though people in the Bible didn’t have the Scriptures all collected in a book the way we do today, they still gathered together to learn more about God.

Jesus Himself had a small group that He trained and taught—His twelve disciples (Mark 3:13-19).

And when the early Christian church started, believers met in homes for fellowship, prayer, and learning about the doctrines of the Scriptures (Acts 2:42-47).

The apostle Paul encouraged this practice—an encouragement we can take to heart today:

“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV).

Bible study groups are one way that we can meet together to encourage each other and “stir up…love and good works.” They allow us to support one another, hold one another accountable, and grow together.

Different kinds of group Bible studies

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Group Bible studies come in all kinds of varieties and formats.

Many of them are categorized by age group or stage of life. There are Bible studies for men, women, new parents, and young adults—to name a few.

For Adventists, group studies happen in different settings too, such as:

• Within a small group in someone’s home
• During Sabbath School (the Adventist version of Sunday School) at church every week
• During a midweek gathering (often known as “prayer meeting”) at church

Sometimes, the group Bible study might have a special purpose, such as preparing the members for baptism. These studies, called baptismal studies, are often led by a pastor or a trained Bible instructor.

To learn more about getting involved with baptismal studies, reach out to your local church’s pastor.

Now that we know a bit more about group Bible studies, let’s see how they compare to individual ones.

What are the similarities and differences between a group Bible study and an individual Bible study?

Both group and individual Bible studies usually involve an in-depth dive into the Word of God, and a study guide may be used in either case. But the biggest difference is the change in dynamics from studying alone to studying in a group.

Being in a small group provides a sense of community. It allows people to connect with like-minded individuals and learn together about God’s Word. They’re able to encourage each other.

A group study will also have more structure—which can be a pro or a con. Often, the study will be based on pre-prepared material, so you may not get to choose the topic. As a result, you may not get to study something you’d like to study, and perhaps the discussion heads in a different direction than you were hoping.

In the process, however, you might learn something new and interesting!

And though individual study can lead to some incredible discoveries, people in a group setting get to share insights from their diverse backgrounds and experiences. You may reach conclusions you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.

Proverbs 27:17 puts it this way: “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another” (CSB).

Part of this sharpening occurs as the group offers the motivation and accountability for applying the insights from the Word of God.

When we’re on our own, we can spend a lot of time in prayer and make efforts to journal, or if we want to keep on reading, we can. But sometimes we need some external motivation to help us grow. Sometimes we’re hesitant to tackle some challenging concepts on our own, and it can be tempting to skip over some parts. But a group can stretch and challenge us beyond our comfort zones and broaden our perspectives.

So, how can we experience these benefits?

How to have an effective Bible study group

A Bible study group doesn’t have to be difficult to start. It simply takes some intentionality to create an engaging experience for everyone involved.

Here are some basic principles:

Pray

Prayer should be the foundation of every Bible study group. As you plan your first one, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide your decisions. And pray for the personal growth of each of the individuals who will be in the group.

Decide on a purpose

Consider what you want the group’s focus and target audience to be.

Will it be about getting acquainted with the different aspects of God’s character? Or learning relevant lessons from lesser-known Bible stories? Or finding biblical wisdom for parenting?

Once you’ve decided your purpose, it’s time to get practical.

Make a plan

Decide when and where the study will take place. Be sure to develop a consistent schedule—such as weekly, biweekly, or monthly—so the members will come to expect the study.

Also, pick a topic to study or a workbook to use. What you choose will depend on the purpose you decided for your group.

Prepare

If you plan to facilitate the study, take some time to pray and prepare ahead of time. You’ll want to be familiar with the contents of the weekly plan or lesson.

Highlight important points or questions you want to ask. Make a list of the passages you want the group to read. And think of experiences and insights you could share to help get the ball rolling.

If you feel uncomfortable with leading the study, you could also ask someone else to facilitate it. That’s totally okay too! You could even create a rotating facilitator list.

Create a nurturing environment

A key to an enjoyable Bible study atmosphere is providing an opportunity for everyone to share thoughts without feeling judged. When people know their ideas won’t be immediately shot down, they will be more willing to take part in a discussion and explore the concepts.

Encourage your group to be open and accepting of different perspectives while gently directing them to the Word of God for answers. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences, and it can be easy to take for granted the things we’ve already learned. It’s best to take on each concept, each question, each story, with an open heart and mind that can look at it in a new way each time.

Stay grounded in Scripture

At times, Bible study groups can veer away from their purpose, becoming discussions about opinions rather than what the Bible says. That’s why it’s so important for the facilitator to guide the discussion back toward Scripture passages so that all the members are nurtured in their relationship with Christ.

At the same time, it’s not wrong to be open to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Sometimes “rabbit trail” discussions can lead to unexpected insights of biblical truth, or new ways to apply the concepts you’ve been learning about.

And that’s the value of a small group study—experiencing those organic discussions and striving together to understand the truth in a practical way. It can also bond you as a group in ways other activities can’t.

The two types of Bible studies meet different needs

Individual or group Bible studies? Both have their place!

Someone who is new to the Word of God and wants to study its teachings may prefer to study alone to have time to think through concepts.

If you’re a busy mom with young children, it may be easier to study early in the mornings when the kids are asleep.

Or maybe you’re fresh out of college and would love the social aspect of a group that meets weekly.

Depending on your personality, interests, and needs, one may be more relevant to you at a certain season in your life than the other. Or, you may find both beneficial for different aspects of your spiritual growth.

Curious to learn more about Bible study groups in the Adventist Church? Reach out to your local church to find out if it offers any groups like this. If not, maybe you can help start one, using the steps above.

Also, learn more about Sabbath School, a weekly Bible study group that happens at nearly every Adventist Church each Saturday.

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Ever felt that studying the Bible is challenging, and you’re just not sure where to start? Or looking for fresh ideas to improve your current Bible study habits?

We’ve got you covered with simple techniques and plans to improve your Bible study experience.

Bible study is an essential part of the Christian life because it’s how we build our relationship with God and understand His will for our lives.

And He has promised to give us understanding and guide us every step of the way (James 1:5). Spiritual discernment isn’t restricted to pastors or theology professors—it’s given to everyone!

To help you create a custom Bible study plan that’s both practical and meaningful, we’ll give you:

• 6 study steps
• Additional tips
• Bible study plans

Bible study can sometimes feel like a mental workout, but we’re here to simplify the process. Let’s go!

6 steps for personal Bible study

Though Bible studies vary, the following six steps provide principles of personal Bible study to help make it relevant to your everyday life.

1. Prepare

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Set aside some quiet time for daily Bible study. While there’s no prescribed time for how long you should study, try starting with 15 minutes.

As you begin, prayer is one of the best ways to prepare your mindset.

Pause and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to truth and give you understanding (John 14:26). Because the Bible is a spiritual book, we won’t be able to grasp its concepts if we’re not guided by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10–11).

And we all have our bad days; we all get angry, frustrated, sad, or anxious. Share your feelings with Jesus and ask Him to help you focus on your study. Or if it’s an issue you can address by studying Scripture, ask God to guide you and give you peace.

Another aspect of preparation is making sure that you’re coming to the Bible with a teachable and willing heart (John 7:17). Hebrews 4:12 describes the Word of God as something “living and powerful” that pierces the motives of our hearts (NKJV).

So be prepared to not only be informed but also transformed by what you study (Romans 12:1–2).

Then, take a moment to think about the topic you want to study and the tools you’ll use. Draft a quick plan if you don’t already have one, and move to the second step.

2. Read

Decide what Bible version you’d like to read. You can stick with whatever version your personal Bible is, or find other versions online at places like Biblegateway.com. We recommend the New King James Version (NKJV) for beginners, but the English Standard Version (ESV) or King James Version (KJV) are great options as well.

Open your Bible to the passage you intend to study. First, read it over to get a general understanding.

And don’t feel like you have to rush in your Bible reading!

Read slowly and intentionally. Don’t hesitate to read your passage two or three times. Remember, it’s not about how fast you read but the quality of your reading.

3. Observe

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For this step, you may want to get out a binder or notebook and summarize what you just read. Notice any repeating words or phrases, major characters, or themes. Write down your reactions to what you read as well as any questions you have about the text.

If you’re a more tactile person, you can mark your Bible—or if you feel more comfortable, a printed copy of the passage. From there, circle, underline, and highlight to your heart’s content.

God invites us to reason with Him (Isaiah 1:18), and asking questions about a passage can be a great way to do this. The journalist questions are a great place to start:

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• How?

4. Go deeper

After you’ve spent some time observing your passage, you will no doubt have some thoughts and questions.

You can go a little deeper by using a Bible dictionary or concordance—an index showing the locations of different keywords in the Bible. These will help you understand the meaning of words and phrases.

Other ways you can go deeper include:

• Reading the surrounding verses and passages to understand a text in its context (2 Peter 3:16–17).
• Comparing other passages with each other to get a complete picture of a topic (1 Corinthians 2:13).
• Looking up all the verses on one topic before developing an idea about what they mean (Isaiah 28:10).

Another way to add richness to your study is to understand the historical and cultural context of the passages you’re reading. Some Bibles, and many Bible commentaries, include this kind of information in the introduction before each book of the Bible.

And even if you don’t find all the answers you are looking for, don’t be discouraged. Sometimes, the gems in God’s Word take time and diligence to discover (Matthew 13:44).

5. Reflect

Think about what you have learned (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:15).

Then, ask yourself:

• Did I learn anything new? 
• Can I connect what I learned today with any other subjects I’ve studied before? 
• Do I have any more questions about this subject, and what can I do to get them answered? 
• What have I learned in this study of God and His character? What is my reaction to this revelation? 
• What have I learned about myself? 
• What did my study give me? Hope? A new way of doing things?

Answer these questions in your notebook.

6. Apply

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Finally, it’s time to take what you’ve learned and make it practical to your life (James 1:22).

Claim your passage’s promises, and accept its correction.

If it’s a call to take action, write up a plan.

For example, if you read about Jesus feeding the 5,000, think about how you can serve the needs of those around you. You can serve at a soup kitchen or make a special meal for your neighbors. The possibilities are endless!

After all, what’s the point of learning if you don’t do anything with your knowledge? It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, but at the same time, don’t be afraid to try something big.

As you finish your Bible study, thank God for the time in His Word.

You’ll find the more studying you do, the faster the time goes by. You might even want to spend extra time poring over what you just learned!

See the next section for other tips to help you find that joy in the experience.

Additional tips

Aside from the basic framework of a Bible study, here are some other pointers to guide you:

• Make a plan: Draft a plan before you begin, or plan for the month in advance. Don’t be afraid to deviate from the plan, but have a basic schedule to keep you on track. See the section below for more ideas.   

• Start small: Keep your study goals realistic. If you give yourself too much work, you’ll lose interest in studying altogether. Start small, and slowly build up your study load.

• Don’t rush: Go at whatever pace you need to get the most out of your study. Avoid tracking your study by how many pages you’ve read. It might encourage you to rush to get it done. Start instead by giving yourself a time frame, such as 30 minutes rather than 30 pages. 

• Find a time that works for you: Some people like to study in the morning, while others like to study in the afternoon. Whatever you choose, keep your study time consistent to build a habit. 

• Make it a special time: Remove distractions from the room, or go to a private place where you can focus. Create an environment you’ll look forward to studying in. For example, you may want to play worship music or light a candle.  

• Ask others to keep you accountable: If you have a hard time motivating yourself to study, ask someone to be your accountability partner. They can encourage you to stick to your study schedule.  

• Get study supplies:
  

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  New pens, notebooks, and highlighters can help motivate you to study.

• Build your resource library: Use commentaries, concordances, dictionaries, and atlases to deepen your study. (See Biblehub.com for online versions of these tools. Or check out Vines Expository Dictionary and KJV Bible with Strong’s for app versions.)

• Use your learning style: Study the Bible in a way that suits your learning style. If you’re more visual, try taking notes, doodling, or making charts. If you’re more auditory, listen to an audio Bible. 

• Use your imagination: When you’re reading, visualize your passage. If it’s a story, imagine what the setting was like and what the characters were feeling. Doing so will help the Bible become more personal and real.

• Store your notes: If you handwrite your notes, copy them over to a computer at some point. It’ll come in handy if you ever lose your physical notes.

• Tell others what you learned: Test your understanding of whatever topic you studied by explaining it to someone else. If they’re familiar with the Bible, they may have their own helpful insights. If they’re new to the Bible, your discussion might make them curious to learn more.

With all these tips in mind, remember there isn’t just one way of studying the Bible. Keep experimenting to discover what works for you.

And the possible study topics are numerous too. We’ll share some ideas next.

Bible study plans

You don’t have to make your own Bible study plan from scratch. If you’re struggling to know where to start, here’s a list of proven plans to get you going:

• The Gospels: The Gospels in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are a good place for beginners to start because they are relatively easy to read and help readers understand the character of Christ. 

• Bible study guides or plans: Using a pre-made Bible reading plan or study guide is an easy way to dive deeper into specific topics or passages of Scripture. Some also cover Bible doctrines like salvation, baptism, or death. Many are available online or as physical copies and come in sets of lessons. 

• Parables: These fictional stories Jesus used to teach lessons are a great source of practical life lessons. But they must be studied carefully. Look for the main point or comparison Jesus makes rather than trying to interpret every detail. 

• Bible stories: These parts of Scripture are full of valuable information and insight, offering us a way to relate to the Bible and its characters. They help us see how God relates to humanity and how we, in turn, can respond to Him. Not to mention that stories are easier for people to remember and reflect on! 

• Character studies: Pick a Bible character—perhaps your favorite one or one you’re not very familiar with. Make a timeline of the individual’s life or a chart detailing their early life and personality. Search for every single Bible story where they’re mentioned. Think about how you can relate to them and what you can learn from their life. 

• Topical study: Focus on one topic or theme of Scripture, like prayer, forgiveness, or victory over sin. Use a Bible concordance or sites like Bibleinfo.com to find passages that match your topic. 

• Keyword study: Use a Bible concordance to find every single verse that mentions a specific keyword you’ve chosen. Find how many times your word is mentioned and how it’s used across different passages. Use a Bible dictionary to find the word’s meaning in its original language.
  

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• Book of the Bible: Pick a book to study thoroughly. You might want to start with a smaller book so it’s not too overwhelming. Reread the entire book several times. As you do, you’ll get a deeper grasp of the book and be able to make an outline with quick summaries of each chapter. Then, list the events or themes in each section.

• Devotionals: Devotionals contain daily verses and short essays that reflect on those verses. Use the devotional of the day as the topic for your Bible study. (A great option is the book The Desire of Ages. It goes through the life of Christ in chronological order. You can study each Bible story and follow that up by reading a chapter of this inspiring book.) 

• Scripture memorization: If you feel stuck in a rut with Bible study, spend time memorizing Scripture instead—perhaps something that can encourage you in your current season. Write the verses down on notecards or use the Bible Memory App. 

• Drawing the Bible: This study is an engaging option for all you creatives out there. Draw a passage of Scripture as you read. Start with the book of Genesis and draw one picture for each chapter. It’ll help you better memorize the events in each chapter. (See “How to Study the Bible: Access Your Photographic Memory” by Ivor Myers.) 

• Jesus in the Bible: Whenever you read a Bible story, see if you can spot a Bible figure that has similarities to Christ and His mission. (For instance, Moses was a shepherd like Jesus. And as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, Jesus Christ leads us out of sin.) Keeping your eye out for these patterns will help you see familiar Bible verses in a new light while also reminding you that all Scriptures point to Jesus (John 5:39). 

• Questions: Have a specific question? Use that as a starting point for your study, and find verses that address it.

• Bible history: Create a timeline based on the stories in Bible history that you’ve read. Supplement your study with maps, history books, or documentaries. You’ll find the majority of Bible history in the Old Testament.

Try one of these methods for a month and see how it goes. We recommend you stick with one of these methods for at least 18 days (the time it takes to form a habit).¹

But if you’re one of those people who can’t stand the thought of sticking to the same routine every day, consider having something specific you do each day of the week.

You might study a certain topic on Monday, memorize a passage on Tuesday, go through a devotional on Wednesday, and so on.

The beautiful thing is that you can tailor your Bible study time to your needs, interests, and learning style. It’ll look different for each person.

Bible study connects us to the God of peace

The Bible is not just a book of doctrines or a collection of texts that prove a point. It’s a story that shows us who God is and how He wants to be in a personal relationship with each one of us.

That’s why Satan will help us think of every excuse not to study. He’ll try to discourage us from it because he knows it’s our main connection to God and the way in which we can discern between truth and error.

If you’re feeling unmotivated, plan engaging activities during your study.

If you’re finding yourself discouraged, stressed, or anxious, take a deep breath and say a prayer. Put the worries of the day behind you and ask the Holy Spirit to help you focus on His Word.

And as you study, you just might begin to feel more peaceful because the Bible connects you with the God of peace (Romans 15:33).

Want to incorporate Bible study into your everyday life?

1. Frothingham, Scott, “How Long Does It Take for a New Behavior to Become Automatic?” healthline.com, Healthline Media, Accessed Sept. 22, 2022, https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-it-take-to-form-a-habit#base-figure. [↵]

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The Bible is the number one bestseller in the world of all time.¹ It’s translated into thousands of languages, read by people of all ages and backgrounds.

Its popularity is incredible. But what’s the history of the Bible?

That’s incredible too. The Bible, made of 66 books, was written over a span of 1500 years by 40 (or more) different authors—during a time when there was no Microsoft Word, keyboards, or electronic printers. Scribes meticulously copied its messages by hand and preserved it. And faithful believers cherished it, even at the risk of death.

That was all so that we could have this book today.

So let’s get an overview:

• How old is the Bible?
• Who wrote it?
• How was it transmitted?
• How were its books compiled?
• How has it survived through history?
• What impact has it had?
• Why does it matter today?

How old is the Bible?

It depends on which part of the Bible you’re talking about! But from what scholars have been able to measure, the oldest part of the Bible is at least 3,400 years old.²

When was the Old Testament written?

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Because the Bible is a collection of books, it wasn’t written all at once. We believe the Old Testament was written roughly between 1500 bc and 400 bc. It covers about 3,500 years of history from Creation onward.

Moses most likely wrote the first five books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) around approximately 1500 bc.³

The prophets, such as Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Micah (to name a few) were the last to write their books. Many of them lived around the 8th century bc and would have authored the books with their names as the title.⁴

And Malachi was likely the final author—in the 5th century.⁵

When was the New Testament written?

The books of the New Testament were written between approximately ad 50 and 100.⁶ They cover history from the birth of Jesus (~5 bc) to John’s writing of Revelation—a span of fewer than 100 years.

See the approximate dates of the writing of each New Testament book.

Who wrote the Bible?

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From what historians have been able to tell, the Bible was written by at least 40 different authors in three different languages over about 1,500 years.

Here are some of the most well-known authors of the Old Testament:

• Moses (the Pentateuch, Job, and Psalm 90)
• Joshua
• Samuel (Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel 1–24)
• Ezra (Ezra and the Chronicles)
• David (most of the Psalms)
• Solomon (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon)
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Daniel

And the New Testament:

• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John
• Paul
• James
• Peter

These writers came from varying walks of life. They had different jobs and roles.

Some were prophets (Samuel, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc.), and some were kings (David, Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar). Others were scribes or scholars, such as Baruch, who helped Jeremiah to record his book (Jeremiah 36:4, 17–18). Then there was Nehemiah, who was a cupbearer to a king, and Isaiah, who was a priest.

And don’t forget—many of the New Testament writers were fishermen (James, John, and Peter).

What variety! And there was a reason. It has to do with the way God inspired the Bible’s writing.

How did God inspire the Bible writers?

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16, NKJV). But this doesn’t mean God dictated its contents to the writers word for word. Instead, they wrote “as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21, NKJV). God impressed them with messages, which they recorded through their own experiential and cultural lenses.

For example, if God had wanted to simply dictate the full account of Jesus’ life, He wouldn’t have needed four Gospel writers.⁷

But He valued the human perspective of the divine and chose four different men to share their encounters with Jesus.

This is also why Luke spent time researching and compiling the story of Jesus for his Gospel (Luke 1:1–3).

God didn’t tell Luke exactly what to say. Instead, the Holy Spirit guided him in uncovering information and gathering eyewitness accounts.

Yes, some portions of the Bible are direct quotations of God, but much of the Bible reflects the unique voices of its writers.

How was the Bible transmitted?

The transmission of both the Old and the New Testaments follows a basic pattern: They were transmitted orally before being recorded in manuscripts and carefully copied and preserved.

The Old Testament

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The early accounts of the Old Testament (Creation, the Flood, Abraham’s life, the Israelites’ journey) were passed down by oral tradition, or word of mouth, until Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch or Torah.

The same was the case for the later history of the ancient Israelites.

Jewish scribes and priests copied the texts of the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible.⁸
Today, the oldest known books and fragments of the Hebrew Bible are the Dead Sea Scrolls—some of which date to the third century bc.⁹

Scholars who have compared the Dead Sea Scrolls and more recent manuscripts have found that the message has remained nearly unchanged.¹⁰

The New Testament

Followers of Jesus also passed down accounts of Him and His teachings by oral tradition—stories, songs, and poetry.¹¹

In Judaism, disciples would memorize the teachings of their rabbi and then share them with others. We see this in the way that the authors of the New Testament spoke of having “received” a teaching or it being “delivered” to them (1 Corinthians 15:3–8; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).¹²

Over time, the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life realized the need to record their accounts. With the persecution and death of Christians, they didn’t want the history and teachings to be lost.

Some of the apostles also wrote letters, known as epistles, to encourage believers throughout the then-known world.

The churches cherished these messages and read them out loud in a first-century practice called communal reading. Because the people heard the epistles often and were familiar with them, it was more difficult for errors to creep into the text.¹³

Thus, the culture of the time helped preserve the message of God’s Word.

How were the books of the Bible compiled?

The books of the Bible were compiled by scribes and scholars who used certain criteria to recognize their divine origin. This process of deciding which books should be in the Bible is called canonization.¹⁴ Understanding how carefully scholars searched for verification of the Bible’s authenticity gives us reason to trust it today.

But note:

Canonization doesn’t give the Bible books authority. Instead, it acknowledges the authority that they already carry.¹⁵

Here’s a bird’s-eye view of the criteria used to select the books for the biblical canon:

• Evidence of inspiration—The messages had to be consistent with messages God had already given. For example, the New Testament writings had to harmonize with those of the Old Testament, and the writings of the prophets, with the Pentateuch.
• Authority of the authors—The books of the Bible carried authority because their authors received revelations from God and were eyewitnesses of the events.¹⁶
• Wide acceptance—The writings were being used and accepted by people who knew the accounts well and had contact with their writers and eyewitnesses.

Now that we understand the reasoning behind canonization, let’s look at how it played out.

The Old Testament canon

People viewed the Old Testament writings as authoritative from the start. We can see this in the way that later writers reference the earlier books. (See Nehemiah 8:1; Zechariah 7:12; Daniel 9:2, 11.)¹⁷

We don’t know for sure who compiled the books of the Old Testament, but Ezra or Nehemiah may have been the ones.¹⁸

The Jewish historian Josephus speaks of 22 books existing by the time of Artaxerxes (400 bc).¹⁹
They most likely correspond to the 39 books that exist today because the Jews had a different organizational system for their Scriptures.²⁰

It’s almost certain the Hebrew Bible had been canonized by the time of Jesus because of the way He and the New Testament writers refer to it. Jesus Himself divided the Old Testament into “the law, prophets, and psalms” (Luke 24:44)—not much different from the Hebrew Bible divisions: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.²¹

The New Testament canon

The early Christian church viewed the epistles as authoritative at the time of their writing. Peter’s epistle speaks of Paul’s writings as “Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16, NKJV).

Church fathers of the first and second centuries, who had parts of the New Testament, did also.²²

But the need to canonize the New Testament became urgent in the middle of the second century.

Why?

Heretical teachings were spreading.

One individual, Marcion of Sinope, rejected the Old Testament and parts of the New, compiling his own list of books instead.²³ This was in addition to other circulating writings that claimed to be Scripture but contradicted it—such as the Gnostic gospels and apocryphal books.²⁴

One of the earliest records of New Testament canonization is the Muratorian Fragment, which is thought to be from around this time. Its list contained 22 of the 27 books of the New Testament that we know today.

But the first one to list all 27 books was a bishop of Alexandria named Athanasius.²⁵

Not much later, the following church councils affirmed the same canon:²⁶

• Rome (ad 382)
• Hippo (ad 393)
• Carthage (ad 397)

How are the books of the Bible organized?²⁷

The books of the Bible are not in chronological order. Rather, they are organized according to their types of literature—what is called canonical order: the main narrative, historical accounts, and other writings.

We see this pattern in the Old Testament, though biblical scholars don’t know the exact reason or who determined it.²⁸

The New Testament follows this order as well. Before its compilation, it was circulated during the first couple of centuries ad in groups like the following:

• The Gospels and Acts (Matthew to Acts)
• The Pauline epistles (Romans to Hebrews)
• The general epistles (James to Jude, plus Revelation)

These groups became the order we know today.

How has the Bible survived through history?

The Bible has weathered a tumultuous history over the past couple thousand years. But God protected it and used faithful believers to carefully preserve it. This in itself is a miracle that attests to its trustworthiness!

Here are a few highlights.

Suppression of the Bible

Image by dozemode from Pixabay

The Bible has been withheld and even banned at different times, particularly during the Middle Ages. But it has never been completely eradicated.

From ad 303 to 306, the Roman emperor Diocletian persecuted Christians and burned their Bibles. Things seemed to improve after this, though.

But even when the Bible was available, the common people often could not read it for themselves because they were illiterate or the Bible was not in their language.

The clergy took advantage of this situation and encouraged the people to trust what the clergy said about the Bible.²⁹ As you can imagine, this opened the way for many corrupt practices within the main church of the time—the Roman Church.

Then, events took a turn for the worse.

The Inquisition, lasting from the 12th century to the 18th century, made it heresy to read the Bible in one’s own language. The Roman Church set up courts of inquisition to condemn and punish people who committed such “crimes.” This movement, strongest in Spain, spread throughout Europe.³⁰

Even so, God had faithful people—such as the Waldensian people of Italy—who maintained the religion of the apostles. They preserved pure manuscripts of the Bible, known as the Textus Receptus (received text), that had not been corrupted by Greek philosophy or teachings.³¹

The printing of the Bible

From the time before Christ down to the early first millennium, scribes copied the Bible by hand. Monks continued this practice during the Middle Ages.³² But the printing press would change everything.

When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1450, the first book he printed was the Latin Bible, or the Gutenberg Bible.³³

The impact was huge:

• Bibles became more available and less expensive for everyone
• More “common” people began learning to read
• As people read Scripture for themselves, it exposed the corrupt religious system

Not surprisingly, the Reformation soon followed.

The Reformation

Image by Tobias Albers-Heinemann from Pixabay

The Bible and its printing fueled the Reformation, which had the theme sola scriptura—“the Bible alone.” As people began to read the Bible for themselves, they stood up against church traditions that contradicted it.³⁴ At the same time, the Bible began to be more widely translated.

One of the earliest Reformers was John Wycliffe, who completed the first English Bible translation in 1382.³⁵ Though his translation came from the Latin Vulgate, which contained some theological errors, it was a start.

In 1516, a Dutchman named Erasmus put together a Greek Bible translation from the Textus Receptus. Faithful Christians had preserved this manuscript, and it hadn’t been corrupted like many of the Latin manuscripts.³⁶

Not many years later, Erasmus’s work became a major source for both Martin Luther’s German translation and William Tyndale’s English translation.³⁷

Unfortunately, the Roman Church did not take kindly to translations that did not come from the Latin Vulgate, the “official” version of the time. Many of Tyndale’s Bibles—and eventually he himself—were burned.

But more English Bible translations followed:³⁸

• The Coverdale Bible (1535)
• The Geneva Bible (1560)
• The Bishop’s Bible (1568)

The most well-known is the King James Version of 1611. In a political move to unite the religious factions in his kingdom, King James commissioned 50 biblical scholars. These scholars used Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, especially Erasmus’ translation.³⁹

The result?

A classic version of the Christian Bible that has stood the test of time and is still cherished by many today. Though other modern translations have become popular now, the King James Bible remains a respected source for study.

How did the Bible become so widely published?

Distribution of the Bible exploded after the Reformation, especially with the Bible societies of the late 1700s and missionary movements of the 1800s.

At the time of the Reformation, the Bible was only in 33 out of the 6,000 languages worldwide. But by 1992, parts of it were in at least 2,009 languages, reaching 80% of the world’s population.⁴⁰

Missionaries and organizations, such as the Wycliffe Bible Translators, have been key in making this happen.⁴¹

The British and Foreign Bible Society has published over 550 million copies of the Bible in 700 languages.⁴² The American Bible Society has also had a huge impact and still distributes many millions of Bibles each year.⁴³

What impact has the Bible had throughout history?

The Bible’s impact throughout history is much greater than we even realize. Though we can’t deny that Scripture has certainly been misused, many of the Bible’s core principles have influenced government, literacy and language, science, technology, art, and music—to name a few.

For example:

• The Christian Bible has shaped western government with its principles of respect for individual rights, the value of human dignity, and the authority of the law.⁴⁴
• It has encouraged science. Pioneers of science were Christians who took their inductive method of Bible study and used it to study nature.⁴⁵ Think of Robert Boyle or Isaac Newton.
• It has spurred literacy because people wanted to read the Bible in their languages.
• Beautiful classical music sprang from the Holy Bible. Some composers that found inspiration in the Bible are Purcell, Bach, and Handel.⁴⁶
• Humanitarian work has often come from people who wanted to follow the Bible’s instructions to care for “the least of these” (Matthew 25:45, ESV). As a result, abolitionists rallied for the end of slavery. Christians like Elizabeth Fry worked for prison reform. And people like William and Catherine Booth (founders of the Salvation Army) committed their lives to help the hungry and homeless.

Why does the Bible matter?

The Bible, though written within a certain culture and context, has endured the test of time. It has proved itself applicable to people across the ages with its timely and timeless principles.

How?

The biblical narrative traces an overarching story that is just as relevant to us as it was to those who wrote it. It shows how humans exercised their freedom of choice, lost their connection with God, and experienced untold suffering as a result. It gives us insight into the battle between good and evil that has raged throughout history.

But it also shows us how God is working to rebuild His relationship with us through Jesus—who is central to this story. The paradise that was lost at the beginning (Genesis 1–3) will be restored (Revelation 21–22) because of what Jesus is doing for us.

We’ve gotten a small glimpse into the history of the Holy Scriptures that holds this narrative. We’ve learned about its authors, how it was written, and the way it’s been carefully compiled and preserved through history. We’ve also seen how it has impacted society and individuals.

And that gives us confidence that we can trust the Bible. We can trust that this ancient book is God’s Word and has the power to impact our lives, too.

Its teachings guide, comfort, and transform us—as no other book can.

If you’re in search of answers, why not give the Bible a try?

1. “Best-Selling Book,” Guinness World Records.[↵]
2. Arnold, Clinton, How We Got the Bible (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2008), p. 6.[↵]
3. Lightfoot, Neil, How We Got the Bible (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2003), p. 23.[↵]
4. Kenyon, Frederic, The Story of the Bible (J. Murray, London, 1936), ch. 2.[↵]
5. Lightfoot, Neil, How We Got the Bible (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2003), p. 155.[↵]
6. Albright, W. F., Discoveries in Bible Lands (The Biblical Colloquium, Pittsburgh, 1955), p. 136.[↵]
7. Davidson, Richard, “Who Authored the Bible?” Ministry, March 2012.[↵]
8. Schniedewind, William, “Origins of the Written Bible,” PBS, Nov. 18, 2008.[↵]
9. “The Dead Sea Scrolls,” The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.[↵]
10. Millar Burrows, The Dead Sea Scrolls (Viking, New York, 1955), p. 321.[↵]
11. White, L. Michael, “Importance of the Oral Tradition,” PBS[↵]
12. Moreland, JP, “The Historicity of the New Testament,” BeThinking.org.[↵]
13. Lindgren, Caleb, “Reading Together, Early Church Style,” Christianity Today, April 20, 2018.[↵]
14. Donkor, Kwabena, “Who Decided Which Books Should Be Included in the Bible?” Ministry, March 2012.[↵]
15. Lightfoot, Neil, How We Got the Bible (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2003), p. 153.[↵]
16. Donkor, Kwabena, “Who Decided Which Books Should Be Included in the Bible?” Ministry, March 2012.[↵]
17. Ibid.[↵]
18. Ibid.[↵]
19. Josephus, Against Apion 1:7–8.[↵]
20. Lightfoot, Neil, How We Got the Bible (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2003), p. 155.[↵]
21. Ibid., p. 153.[↵]
22. Donkor, Kwabena, “Who Decided Which Books Should Be Included in the Bible?” Ministry, March 2012.[↵]
23. Miller, Stephen, “How We Got Our Bible: A Gallery of Mavericks and Misfits,” Christian History, no. 43, 1994.[↵]
24. Donkor, Kwabena, “Who Decided Which Books Should Be Included in the Bible?” Ministry, March 2012.[↵]
25. Miller, Stephen, “How We Got Our Bible: A Gallery of Mavericks and Misfits,” Christian History, no. 43, 1994.[↵]
26. Donkor, Kwabena, “Who Decided Which Books Should Be Included in the Bible?” Ministry, March 2012.[↵] 
27. Prahlow, Jacob, “The New Testament in Order,” Conciliar Post, April 14, 2021.[↵]
28. Oxford Companion to the Bible (Oxford University Press, New York, 1993), p. 98.[↵]
29. Armstrong, Dave, “Did Pope Innocent III Forbid the Bible in 1199?” Patheos, May 11, 2021.[↵]
30. Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, 2004), pp. 78–79.[↵]
31. Wilkinson, Benjamin, Our Authorized Bible Vindicated (Takoma Park, MD, 1930), pp. 23–24.[↵]
32. Arnold, Clinton, How We Got the Bible (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2008), p. 42.[↵]
33. Comfort, Philip, “How We Got Our Bible: Christian History Timeline,” Christian History, no. 43, 1994.[↵]
34. Pelikan, Jaroslav, Whose Bible Is It? (Viking, New York, 2005), p. 164.[↵]
35. Lightfoot, Neil, How We Got the Bible (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2003), p. 176.[↵]
36. Wilkinson, Benjamin, Our Authorized Bible Vindicated (Takoma Park, MD, 1930), pp. 33–34.[↵]
37. Miller, Stephen, “How We Got Our Bible: A Gallery of Mavericks and Misfits,” Christian History, no. 43, 1994.[↵]
38. “Pre-KJV English Translations,” Christian History, no. 100, 2011.[↵]
39. Curtis, Kenneth, “How the King James Bible Was Born,” Christian History, no. 100, 2011.[↵]
40. Metzger, Bruce, “Circulation of the Bible,” Oxford Companion to the Bible, p. 122.[↵]
41. Metzger, Bruce, “How We Got Our Bible: Christian History Interview,” Christian History, no. 43, 1994.[↵]
42. “Bible Societies,” Encyclopedia.com.[↵]
43. “American Bible Society,” Britannica.com.[↵]
44. Mangalwadi, Vishal, “Bible Societies,” Truth Matters, YouTube video, Oct. 2, 2017.[↵]
45. Mangalwadi, Vishal, “The Source of the Scientific Revolution,” Truth Matters, YouTube video, Nov. 6, 2017.[↵]
46. Heighes, Simon, “How the King James Bible Inspired and Influenced Composers and Their Music,” Classical Music, classical-music.com, Feb. 11, 2022.[↵] 

Want to learn more about History of the Bible?

More Answers

The New Testament may very well be the most life-changing compilation you could ever read.

It is the second section of the Bible, consisting of 27 books written by 7 men, describing Jesus and how He came to this world to reveal the love of God. It tells about His ministry, His death and resurrection, and the church that resulted.

But what makes it so life changing?

It’s the truths it contains.

Those truths, lived out by Jesus, reach across culture, time, and country. They have changed lives over the past two thousand years, giving millions of people freedom, hope, and purpose.

So don’t miss out! If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the New Testament, here’s your chance.

This overview will look at the following:

• Why the Bible has two testaments
• The books of the New Testament
• The authors of the New Testament
• What the gospels are
• Major themes and events in the New Testament
• Key lessons from the New Testament
• God’s promises in the New Testament

Let’s dive in.

​​Why is there a “New” Testament, and how is it different from the Old Testament?

The Bible is divided into two major sections known as the Old Testament and the New Testament. These two sections function like books in a series. The Old Testament provides the backdrop to the New Testament, which is like its sequel.

The golden thread throughout?

Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of humanity. He is the central theme of the Bible (John 5:39).

But why is one “old” and the other “new”?

Here are three major reasons:

1. The New Testament fulfills the Old Testament promises.
2. In it, Jesus confirms the covenant of grace.
3. The New Testament helps categorize biblical history and shows us God’s people after the birth of Christ.

Let’s explore each one.

Fulfillment of the Old Testament promises

Photo by Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash

The New Testament is all about fulfilling the promises God made to His people in the Old Testament. These are promises about the Messiah, the way He will deliver us from this evil world, and the sinless world that we will someday live in.

But let’s get a little backstory to these promises.

The Old Testament starts off with a perfect world and perfect people (Genesis 1–3).

But all that changed.

Adam and Eve, given the opportunity to exercise their freedom of choice, doubted God. They allowed themselves to be tempted with the possibilities of power and knowledge.

Unfortunately this “knowledge” was that of evil (Genesis 3:5, 22). Up until then, they had only known goodness.

In a matter of speaking, this unleashed evil onto the world. It immediately began affecting everything about them and their environment. Death was the only way to pay for their sin.

Thankfully, God had a plan.

He promised to send a Deliverer (Messiah) to free His people from the consequences of sin and evil. They wouldn’t have to die forever. He would take the ultimate consequences upon Himself, demonstrating perfect love in the process.

The Old Testament is about the making of this promise. It traces the loss of perfection and the longing of God’s people for redemption, and for the Messiah.

It promised that the Messiah would carry the sins of the people and suffer so that they could be set free (Isaiah 53).

The New Testament, then, is about the keeping of this promise.

It shows how God sent that Messiah—Jesus Christ. He came and fulfilled the prophecies and the symbols of the Old Testament, dying the death we deserved. And because of this, those who accept His death can live forever! God will restore the world to perfection once again (Revelation 21–22.)

The Covenant of Grace confirmed

In detailing the life and death of Jesus, the New Testament shows how God confirmed His covenant of grace.

What is this covenant of grace?

In short, it was God’s agreement to save His people by faith and grace alone. Because the people could not keep God’s law and obey Him in their own ability, God sent Jesus to demonstrate the perfect keeping of the law.

By dying on the cross, He took our penalty for sin. And His perfect life makes it possible for God to put His law in our hearts and minds! In this way, obeying Him becomes part of who we are!

This covenant of grace started all the way back in the beginning.

When Adam and Eve doubted God and sinned, God had a plan to deal with their sin. He showed them what this was like by sacrificing a lamb to give them clothing to wear (Genesis 3:21).

But that lamb represented more than clothing.

It represented Jesus’ death, which would confirm the covenant of grace.

In Genesis 12, God made a covenant with Abraham, promising that

• the nation that came from Abraham would be God’s chosen people.
• the Messiah would come through this nation.

Jesus’ death confirmed this covenant too.

When the Israelites came from Egypt, God made a covenant with them when He gave them the sanctuary system. This became known as the old covenant.

The covenant of grace, however, is known as the new covenant because it was not confirmed until the death of Jesus. Even so, it existed from the time of Adam and Eve, so it was actually “older” than the old covenant.

God’s people after the birth of Christ

Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

The Old and New Testaments divide the story of God’s people into two major sections: the time before Christ’s birth and the time after. The New Testament is the story of the church from the birth of Christ onward.

Interestingly, even history divides at this point.

That’s why we often use the terms BC and AD. BC stands for “before Christ” and works back from around the time Christ was born. AD is anno domini in Latin, meaning “in the year of our Lord.” It counts forward from the birth of Christ.

In this way, then, the Old Testament is pre-Messiah.

It shows the beginning and development of God’s people—the Israelite nation. God chose them to be a blessing to the world and to prepare the way for the Messiah—Jesus.

On the other hand, the New Testament is about God’s people after the birth of Jesus.

Now, instead of God having one specific nation as His chosen people to spread His message throughout the earth, He has given everyone the chance to join in the responsibility of sharing the good news of Jesus.

1 Peter 2:9 refers to the church like this:

“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (NASB).

And it’s not exclusive.

Anyone who believes in Jesus can become part of this group of people (Galatians 3:28).

The book of Acts details the way the church fulfilled its mission after Jesus’ ascension. Through small letters called epistles, they​ shared Christ’s teachings and guided this growing church.

You may be wondering if these instructions are still relevant to us.

The answer is yes! They speak of events that are about to happen. Some of the letters, as well as the book of Revelation, foretell the second coming of Christ and help the church to prepare for the last days of earth’s history.

What are the books of the New Testament?

The New Testament consists of 27 books that were originally written in Greek.

They are in canonical order, meaning that they have been organized according to Christian tradition to thematically express its ultimate message.

Their order is similar to that of the Old Testament, starting with the core story in the first few books, followed by a historical account and other writings.¹

The books of the New Testament include²

• 4 Gospels
• The Acts of the Apostles
• 21 letters written to the churches, church leaders, and larger groups of Christians
• Revelation, a book of prophecy

For a chronological list of the books according to date written, see the chart below.

These books came together in stages.

At first, Christians passed on the accounts of Jesus and the teachings of their leaders through oral tradition.

Oral tradition—through storytelling, singing, and reciting poetry—was a the common form of sharing history during those times. In this way, eyewitnesses of Jesus kept their experiences alive.³

But as time went on, they recognized the need to record them.

After all, eyewitnesses of Jesus couldn’t be everywhere at once! Persecution was increasing and many of the apostles were dying. Their teachings needed to be preserved so that believers would have them for years to come.

Bible scholars generally agree that the books of the New Testament were written sometime between 50 and 100 AD. Paul most likely wrote his letters first, followed by the Acts of the Apostles.⁴ Matthew, Mark, and Luke may have written their Gospels around the same time, though scholars disagree on the dates. John authored his Gospel, epistles, and the book of Revelation last.

Because the writings came from respected leaders and eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life (2 Peter 1:16), the believers treasured them. They read them in worship services and memorized them, making it difficult for them to be tampered with.⁵

Near the third century, the whole biblical canon began to take shape. Church councils convened to determine what should and shouldn’t be included.

But God was guiding the whole process. The councils were simply acknowledging the inspiration and authority of the books.

How did they recognize this inspiration?

Each book was consistent with the other books in its records of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The New Testament books were also consistent with the already-established Old Testament.

By the fourth century, the New Testament was considered Scripture and part of the biblical canon.⁶

Who are the authors of the New Testament?

Seven men authored the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James, and Jude.

These men came from a variety of backgrounds and professions. Some were fishermen, one was a physician, and another was a tax collector. One even persecuted Christians before encountering Jesus.

Let’s look at each one.

Matthew (also known as Levi Matthew)

Matthew was a tax collector before Jesus called him to be one of His twelve disciples (Matthew 9:9). Later, he served as an apostle in the early Christian church.

He wrote the book of Matthew.

Mark (also known as John Mark or Marcus⁷)

The Bible doesn’t give any evidence that Mark spent time with Jesus in person. But he worked closely with the apostles of the early Christian church and joined Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary trip (Acts 12:25; 13:5).

He wrote the book of Mark.

Luke

Luke was a physician who worked and traveled with Paul (2 Timothy 4:11). Paul calls him “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14).

Luke had an eye for detail, as seen in the introduction of his Gospel:

“It seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you” (Luke 1:3, ESV).

Luke also wrote the book of Acts, or Acts of the Apostles.

John

John was a fisherman and the brother of James.

They were both disciples, but John had a particularly close relationship with Jesus—so much so that he referred to himself as “the one whom Jesus loved” (John 20:2, ESV).

He wrote five books in total—the Gospel of John, the three epistles of John, and the book of Revelation.

Paul (previously Saul)

Paul was not among the first twelve disciples.

A zealous Jew, he instead persecuted Christians until he had a dramatic turnabout (Acts 9:1–19). Through a vision, Jesus appointed Paul as an apostle. He became one of Jesus’ most ardent followers and helped spread the gospel throughout the Mediterranean region.

He is the author of Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and possibly Hebrews.

Peter (also known as Simon Peter)

Peter was a fisherman, one of Jesus’ disciples (1 Peter 1:16), and a brother to the disciple Andrew.

After Jesus’ ascension, Peter assumed a leadership role in the early Christian church (Acts 15:6–7). He wrote the two epistles with his name.

James (James the Just)

James was a brother of Jesus (Galatians 1:19). Though not one of the twelve disciples, he saw Jesus after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7).⁸

Later, he became a leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:2, 6, 13).

Not surprisingly, he wrote the book of James.

Jude (also known as Judas)

Jude was a brother to James the Just (Jude 1) and a stepbrother of Jesus. Though he is sometimes called Judas, don’t confuse him for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

Now that we’ve become acquainted with the authors of the New Testament, let’s learn more about their writings. We’ll start with the Gospels.

What are the Gospels?

The core Gospel message, that Jesus saves, is told by four different people in four different books. While each of them present the Gospel story, sometimes they are referred to together as “The Gospels.” They are the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and historical accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus.

The word gospel comes from the Greek word euaggelion, which means “good news.” Isaiah 52:7 uses the Hebrew equivalent:

“How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him who brings good news” (NKJV).

Jesus also mentioned the gospel, often in the context of the kingdom of God. He commissioned His disciples to share this message with the world (Matthew 24:14; 28:18–20).⁹

No doubt, the Gospel writers believed that their writings shared this good news.

Scholars call Matthew, Mark, and Luke the synoptic Gospels because they follow a similar pattern in telling the story of Jesus.

The pattern looks like this:

• Jesus’ life and ministry
• His death
• His resurrection
• His ascension
• The commission to preach the gospel and make disciples

The Gospels show how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and came as the promised Messiah. Many times, their writers refer to these passages.

One common example of this is when they justify Jesus’ actions with the words “that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”¹⁰ They then refer to a passage in the Old Testament that foretold that specific action of the Messiah.

There’s another way the Gospels connect back to the Old Testament:

They show aspects of Jesus’ life that coincide with Old Testament characters.

Take a look at how Jesus parallels Moses:

• Moses left a position of royalty to free the Israelite slaves. Jesus left a position of power to free people enslaved by sin (John 3:16).
• Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting and praying (Matthew 4:1–11).
• Moses ascended Mount Sinai, becoming illuminated by God’s glory (Exodus 34:29). Jesus ascended the Mount of Transfiguration and radiated with glory (Matthew 17:2).

Why Four Gospels?

Photo by Fredrik Öhlander on Unsplash

The New Testament includes four Gospels—four different accounts of the same story— because they provide four different perspectives on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. These accounts build the details and credibility of the events.

Think of it this way:

If you and three other people saw a crime happen, the police would want to interview each witness.

Why? Isn’t one witness enough?

Investigators would tell you no. Each individual has a unique perspective and emphasis.

And having many witnesses who notice different details helps corroborate the testimonies.

Same with the Bible, particularly the Gospels. The writers viewed Jesus through their own viewpoints and shared different aspects of His character.

Even then, they were only scratching the surface (John 21:25)!

But the beauty of the Gospels is how they encapsulate the essential story we need to know.

Each one of the books brings out the following:

• Jesus’ divine nature¹¹
• His teachings and miracles¹²
• His betrayal, trial, and death¹³
• His resurrection¹⁴
• His encouragement for us today¹⁵

Together, the four Gospels provide a layered history of the life of Jesus.

Matthew

Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and the first of the four Gospels.

Because the author, Matthew, was Jewish, he addresses that audience. The Jews had been longing for the kingdom of God, which would come through the Messiah.

Here are some instances of this theme:

• Jesus’ royal lineage from King David (Matthew 1:1–17).
• The wise men who worshiped Jesus as the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2, 11).
• Jesus’ parables about the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13, 20, 22, 25).

Mark

The target audience of Mark was the Romans, who valued power and military prowess. For this reason, he presents Jesus as a powerful miracle worker.

Instead of devoting large sections to Jesus’ words and teachings, Mark focuses on His ministry and miracles. He brings out how Jesus had the authority to cast out demons (Mark 1:23–27).

Luke

Some scholars believe that the author of Luke was a Greek, making him the only non-Jewish author of the New Testament. Luke’s careful research and methodical approach would have appealed to the Greeks.

Luke emphasizes Jesus’ identification with humanity and His mission to save the lost (Luke 19:10).¹⁶ The underlying message is that everyone—Jews and non-Jews—can have access to the blessings of Christ. This helps us understand why he traces Jesus’ genealogy all the way back to Adam, the father of humanity (Luke 3:38).

John

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This book and the last of the Gospels was written by John, Jesus’ disciple.

His desire was for all to know about the salvation that comes through Jesus, so he highlights the divinity of Jesus.

How does he do this?

He begins his narrative at Creation where Jesus was One with God who spoke the world into existence. He shows that Jesus was fully human but also fully God (John 7:29; 8:58; 10:36).

And don’t miss the powerful “I am” statements of Jesus:

• “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
• “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
• “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7).
• “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14).
• “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
• “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
• “I am the true vine” (John 15:1).

In these last few sections, we’ve explored the way the four Gospels express the core story of Jesus.

Next, the Acts of the Apostles shows how that core story impacted the first-century world. Keep reading to learn more!

The Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles (often referred to as Acts) is the story of the early Christian church after Jesus went back to heaven. It bridges Jesus’ ministry with the ministry of His followers.

It continues where Luke’s Gospel left off—right before Jesus’ ascension.

In its first verses, Jesus commissions His disciples to preach the gospel to the whole world. He promises to send the Holy Spirit to empower them.

Then, it documents the energetic missionary efforts of these apostles. It shows the growth and unity of the church amid controversy and persecution.

But Luke had another purpose.

He wanted to provide evidence of Jesus’ resurrection and the power of the gospel (Acts 1:3).

The remaining books of the New Testament expand on this evidence, showing how it’s practical to believers.

Most of the books are letters, addressed to three groups of people:
1. Local churches
2. Church leaders
3. Larger groups of Christians

The following sections will give us an overview of the letters.

Apostle Paul’s letters to individual churches

Paul was a committed church leader and the most prominent ambassador of the gospel during the first century. He helped establish churches throughout the then-known world.

Because of his travels, Paul had to find other ways to support the churches he started.

He did this by writing letters (epistles) to them. These epistles provided the believers with instruction on various spiritual and practical matters.

This counsel, crucial to the survival of the young church, is still needed today.

The names of the epistles come from the cities where the churches were located. Let’s look at each one:

Romans

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Paul encourages the church in Rome and affirms their beliefs. He addresses the Jews in the churches and shows them that all—both Jews and Gentiles—have sinned and need a Savior.

His emphasis?

Jesus, His teachings, His work, and His sacrifice.

After presenting a thorough argument for salvation by faith, he gets practical. Romans 12–16 outlines the church’s duty to respond to Jesus’ salvation by loving and serving one another.

1 Corinthians

Paul helped establish the Corinthian church (Acts 18) and spent 18 months nurturing it.

But what do you do when your baby church is struggling and you’re a long boat ride away?

You send them a letter of rebuke, tempered with love and encouragement. Paul also answers questions that the believers had on various topics. These include marriage and singleness, freedom in Christ, conduct in the church, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection.

2 Corinthians

The epistle of 1 Corinthians had its effect on most of the believers in Corinth.

But not everyone.

Some had resisted Paul’s counsel and were trying to stir up doubts about his ministry.

So, Paul wrote another letter to them, defending his legitimacy as an apostle.

At the same time, he discusses faithful ministry. It involves enduring affliction, depending on God, and allowing God to work through weakness.¹⁷

Galatians

False teachers had infiltrated the church of Galatia, teaching that salvation comes through obedience to the law of Moses.

On hearing the news, Paul acted quickly.

He wrote to the Galatians, urging them not to accept a false gospel (Galatians 1:6–7). Jesus Himself fulfilled the law, so we are saved through faith in Him (Galatians 2:20). Obedience is the result of His Spirit working in our lives (Galatians 5:13–26).

Ephesians

Paul established the church of Ephesus over the course of two years (Acts 19:1, 10). The believers in this church had left their idols and sinful practices to accept the gospel.

Now, they were thriving.

In his letter, Paul speaks of the richness of the gifts God bestows on His followers (Ephesians 1:3–14; 2:4–8; 3:14–20).

Then, he encourages them to reveal this rich grace through seeking unity with one another.

Philippians

Paul sent this letter from prison during a time of persecution. Even so, he rejoices because the message of the gospel continues to spread.

The believers in Philippi were in a similar situation to Paul.

They were suffering too (Philippians 1:7). But who better to encourage them than someone who could empathize?

Paul shares his experience and gives the believers advice on dealing with adversity (Philippians 3:8; 4:11). He assures them that God is capable of providing for their every need (Philippians 4:19).

Colossians

The believers in Colossae were a faithful group.

But this didn’t exclude them from danger.

Like in Galatia, false teachers had been misleading the people about salvation.

Paul knew that, more than ever, the Colossians needed to be rooted in Jesus (Colossians 1:27; 2:6–7). He reaffirmed their belief in Jesus as sufficient for salvation and urged them not to give in to pressure.

1 Thessalonians

Timothy had returned from Thessalonica and brought news to Paul of the thriving church there (1 Thessalonians 1:1).

With joy, Paul praised them for their excellent example in receiving the gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:2–8).

He also emphasized three key doctrines:

1. Growing in holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:1–12)
2. The resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18)
3. The Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 5:1–11)

2 Thessalonians

Misunderstandings happen—even to the best of us.

Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians created some confusion. Some claimed that Jesus was coming back soon, so they had neglected their responsibilities.

How did Paul respond?

In his epistle, he described some events that needed to happen before Jesus could return. He also charged the believers to “stand fast” in God’s work despite persecution (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

Paul’s letters to church leaders (The Pastoral Epistles)

The next four epistles are written by the apostle Paul to church leaders (pastors). Each one is named after the people Paul was addressing.

Church leadership always poses many challenges.

Turns out, the challenges of the early Christian church were not that different from the challenges today.

These include

• Church roles
• False teachings, truth mixed with error
• Interpersonal challenges

In the Pastoral Epistles, Paul offers special encouragement—and straightforward counsel—to church leaders.

1 Timothy

Timothy was like a son in the faith to Paul (1 Timothy 1:2). He traveled with Paul and received training from him. Then, Paul appointed him as a leader in the church of Ephesus—a task that required much counsel.

So, what kinds of challenges was Timothy facing?

Once again, false teachers were infiltrating the church. Paul urges Timothy to maintain sound, Jesus-centered teaching and advises him on dealing with those teachers.

Being young did not disqualify Timothy from leadership (1 Timothy 4:12–14). Paul highlights the importance of Timothy’s work, instructing him in other areas of church administration. He encourages Timothy to “wage the good warfare” and “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12).

2 Timothy

This epistle is the last one that Paul wrote. At this time, he was in Rome, awaiting his execution.

What would you say if you knew you were writing your last words?

Paul’s time was short and he wasn’t sure he would see Timothy again. He gave Timothy some final advice and instructions.

But most of all, he encouraged the young man. Paul was passing his baton to Timothy. Timothy would carry on Paul’s teachings and guard the truth in the churches he led.

This wouldn’t be easy. There would be suffering, challenges, and temptations. But Paul presented the Scriptures to Timothy as the ultimate guide
(2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14–17).

The epistles of Paul are organized by type and recipient rather than by date of writing. Thus, letters to other church leaders follow the ones sent to Timothy. We’ll look at Paul’s letter to Titus next.

Titus

The churches on the island of Crete needed help. Paul enlisted another one of his sons in the faith—Titus—for the job.

Paul’s letter provides Titus with an administrative to-do list (Titus 1:5):

• Appoint church leaders
• Deal with false teachers
• Teach correct doctrine

This outline is still pertinent to church leaders today.

Philemon

Philemon is perhaps the most unique of all Paul’s epistles. It takes the form of a short letter to a friend.

He was a “beloved friend and fellow laborer” of Paul (Philemon 1).

Philemon had held a slave, Onesimus, who escaped and met Paul. When Paul shared the gospel with Onesimus, the young man accepted Jesus and became like a son to Paul. He assisted Paul, who was imprisoned at this time (Philemon 13).

Eventually, Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon. He urges Philemon to accept Onesimus back not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. Paul would repay the young man’s debt.

In short, the theme of Philemon is this:

Reconciliation.

Letters to large groups (The General Epistles)

These next letters were written to large groups of Christians throughout the Roman Empire during the first century. They are sometimes called the General Epistles because they contained counsel for a general audience rather than specific churches.

What kind of counsel?

They provide practical instruction and guidance on walking with God. The love of God in Christ will lead us to live out His law of love in the way we treat others.

The letters also address the time before Christ’s second coming. The authors provide advice to handle false teachings that might creep into the church.

Hebrews

Scholars are unsure of the author of this book, though evidence seems to show it was Paul.

For one, the line of reasoning in Hebrews points to Paul’s education and intellectual ability. The book also references people and places that Paul mentions in his other epistles (Hebrews 13:23–24). Finally, the early church chose to include it in the biblical canon for the very reason that they believed Paul wrote it.¹⁸

Though not explicitly stated, the audience was Jewish converts to Christianity.

And they were struggling. Many had fallen back into keeping the law of Moses in order to become worthy of salvation.

In Hebrews, Paul presents the all-sufficiency of Christ. Jesus fulfilled the old covenant and the Israelite sanctuary services. His life, death, and ministry in the heavenly sanctuary are far superior to the symbols used in those services.

Through faith in this living Christ, believers can live victorious lives (Hebrews 12:1–2).

James

James was a leader in the church at Jerusalem. His epistle addresses an important conflict that had arisen.

The members wondered: What was the connection of works to salvation? Was salvation found through good deeds or was it through faith in Jesus?

James wrote this letter to answer those questions. Works don’t save us, rather they are a reflection of our faith.

It’s an issue of where the motivation for our works comes from. He proclaimed that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17, 26).

1 Peter

Jesus’ disciple Peter receives credit for authoring the two epistles with his name.

At the time, severe persecution had distressed the believers.

How should they respond?

Peter encourages them that their trials were temporary. Joy and glory would be their reward, and God’s Word would endure.

Besides this encouragement, Peter discusses submission—submission to rulers (1 Peter 2:13–24), submission in family relationships (1 Peter 3), submission to one another within the church (1 Peter 5:5), and most importantly, submission to God (1 Peter 5:6).

2 Peter

Trouble for the church didn’t only come from outside.

It came from within.

After advising the believers to grow in holiness, Peter warns the church about false teachers.

With all the challenges ahead, some of the believers wondered if Christ would ever come. Peter encourages them that God is not delaying His promise; He wants as many as possible to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). The believers could help Jesus to come sooner by living in a way that pointed others to Christ (2 Peter 3:14–15).

1 John

During the time of this epistle, leaders were emerging in the church who were denying Christ’s divinity and messiahship. John’s letter reads as a father addressing his children and seeking to guide them through the challenges.

He answered questions, such as:

How can the church know if they are children of God? How can they tell if they are being deceived?

As an eyewitness of Christ’s majesty (1 John 1:2), John confirms that God’s true children will believe in Christ. This belief will be seen in their obedience to His commandments and their love for one another.

2 John

Though most of the general epistles don’t address individuals, 2 and 3 John are exceptions. This second epistle addresses “the elect lady,” whom we know little about. In the letter, John continues the theme from his first letter:

The importance of love and living it out through obedience.

He encourages believers to walk in this truth and not deviate from the doctrine of Christ (2 John 8–9).

3 John

In this letter, John addresses Gaius, a believer who had been baptized by Paul and afterward traveled with him. John commends his hospitality and encourages others to imitate him.

According to the letter, Gaius had considerable influence in his church because of this godly behavior.

So, John informs him of an issue.

Diotrephes, who seems to have been a leader in the church, had turned fellow Christians away. John promises that he will come shortly and deal with the issue face to face (3 John 14).

Jude

In 25 verses, Jude addresses some problems he noticed in the early Christian church:

Some were denying Jesus Christ and creating division.

He gives examples from the Old Testament of how these false teachers will face the judgment. At the same time, he urges:

“Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 21, ESV).

Revelation

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Revelation is the last book of the Bible and of the New Testament. Its message was given as a vision to the apostle John, who wrote it down while exiled on the island of Patmos.

The message of Revelation is unique in many ways.

For one, it is full of symbols, some of which are directly defined and others that require more study. It also focuses on prophecy and events surrounding the last days.

Because of this focus, it acts as a sequel to the book of Daniel, which contains many prophecies related to the last days too.

Revelation begins with John’s vision of Jesus. It continues with a glimpse of heaven and future events through a series of prophetic visions:

• The seven churches
• The throne room of heaven
• The seven seals
• The seven trumpets
• The controversy between the woman and the dragon
• The seven plagues
• Deliverance and judgment
• The new heaven and earth

Though the symbols seem strange, the focal point of Revelation is “the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 13:8). John uses this name for Jesus 30 times.

Revelation assures us that despite the battle between good and evil, the Lamb and those with Him will be victorious (Revelation 17:4).

Major themes and events in the New Testament

The Old Testament is the narrative of God’s promise to send a Messiah and redeem His people from sin. The New Testament is about how God kept that promise.

This may be the greatest theme in the New Testament: God’s fulfillment of His promise through Jesus.

Sin and selfishness separated humanity from God, but God sent Christ to save His people from sin (Matthew 1:21).

The four Gospels record how He lived out this mission. Then, the Acts of the Apostles follows with the story of Jesus’ followers proclaiming Him throughout the world.

As they recognized how Jesus had fulfilled the promise of the Messiah, they wrote out these teachings, which we find in the remaining books of the New Testament.

Finally, the book of Revelation builds to the restoration of all things. God will once again reunite with His people in a world free from sin and full of love. We will regain the paradise that was lost.

These themes are woven throughout the major events of the New Testament:

• Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection
• The gospel to the world
• Last day events and the Second Coming
• The millennium and the final judgment
• The new earth

Let’s get an overview of each one.

Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection

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The New Testament zooms in on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. These events are the focal point of the Gospels as well as the driving force behind the accounts of the Acts of the Apostles. They form the foundation for the epistles too.

The Gospel of Matthew and Luke capture various aspects of the miraculous birth of Jesus. These miracles and fulfillments of prophecy include:

• The angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary, a young Jewish virgin, telling her that her child would be the Son of God (Luke 1:26–35)
• Mary’s conception by the Holy Spirit
• Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem
• The announcement of Jesus’ birth by angels
• A star which led wise men “from the East” to Jesus’ birthplace (Luke 2:1–20).

After Jesus’ birth, the Bible writers spend little time on His childhood or early adulthood. The reason for this may be that the writers were focused on why He came to earth, so they jump directly to His ministry.¹⁹

Jesus’ public ministry began when He was baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew 3, Luke 3, Mark 1). After choosing disciples,²⁰ He spent three and a half years traveling with them.

Matthew 4:35 summarizes Jesus’ ministry as one of:

• teaching
• preaching
• healing

But ultimately, the Gospels move toward His death.²¹ All four of the Gospels detail His betrayal, arrest, secretive trial, torture, and death.

The death of Jesus was crucial to God’s plan. The penalty for sin was death, and the only one who could pay that penalty was someone who had no sin. Jesus’ sinless life qualified Him as the perfect sacrifice.

But their accounts didn’t end there.

Jesus came back to life on the third day after His death and burial.²²

Don’t miss this thought:

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is so central to Christianity that, without it, Christianity wouldn’t even be valid (1 Corinthians 15:13–18).

This event is what promises us forgiveness and salvation from sin (Romans 6:4). This event is what inspired the disciples to proclaim Jesus with passion and courage. And this event is what fueled the early Christian church in the face of severe persecution and death.

Let’s turn next to the events surrounding the beginning of this church.

Spreading the Gospel to the world

Jesus’ last words were a special charge for His followers of all time.

What did He tell them?

He called them to preach the gospel—the good news about Jesus—throughout the world and make disciples:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20, NKJV).

Christians call it the Great Commission.

The book of Acts shows us how the followers of Jesus took that commission to heart. Though they started by sharing the gospel with the Jews, a vision given to Peter helped the new Christians to understand that the gospel was also for the Gentiles (non-Jews) (Acts 10).

As the apostles traveled and shared the gospel, they established groups of believers. Eventually, the whole then-known world had heard the message of Jesus.

Followers of Jesus still have the responsibility to share the gospel. It’s a call we can’t ignore as we prepare for the last days.

Last Day Events

The New Testament doesn’t just include events in history; it also contains prophecies of the last days of this world.

What can we expect and how do we prepare? It gives us the answers for these questions and more.

Jesus described the signs of the last days in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. He also told His disciples how He would return, urging them to prepare for this visible, loud, and glorious event (Matthew 24:29–31).

Many of the epistles speak of the Second Coming. For example, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 explains how God’s people will experience the event, while 2 Peter 3:1–9 describes the condition of the world right before that time.

The symbols and prophecies of Revelation 12–19 delve deeper into religious and political happenings before Jesus’ coming. Then, Revelation 20 tells about the millennium and the final judgment that occur after His coming.

Perhaps the most important event in Revelation, however, is what comes at its end. Read on to find out about it.

The New Earth

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Revelation 21 and 22 end with a beautiful prophecy about the re-creation of the earth. This will take place after the millennium and final judgment.

Take a moment to reflect on this vision that John saw of the new earth:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4, ESV).

Sin and evil will no longer exist. God will reunite with His people in this paradise.

This event is why Jesus came and died. And it is this event that God’s people look forward to today.

In the next section, we’ll find that all the key lessons of the New Testament are meant to prepare us to live on the new earth forever.

Key lessons from the New Testament

As you can imagine, the New Testament offers many lessons! In short, they relate to who God is and what He wants to do in our lives.

Here are some of the major ones that surface over and over again:

• His self-sacrificing love
• The process of salvation
• What God wants to do for us
• Growing as a follower of Jesus
• God’s desire to restore His relationship with us

We’ll briefly expand on each one.

Self-sacrificing love is the essence of God’s character and law.

Jesus Himself summarized the whole law as love to God and love to humankind (Matthew 22:37–40; Galatians 5:14). God revealed this love to us through Jesus as He befriended the outcasts, healed the sick, gave attention to the neglected, and rebuked corrupted religious leadership.

This culminated into the ultimate demonstration of love—Jesus taking on our penalty of death just so we could have opportunity to be reconciled to God (John 15:13).

In response to God’s love and salvation, we will desire to keep His law of love (1 John 4:7–8, 19).

Salvation is a gift we receive through faith.

God gave His Son Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).

Do we deserve it? No.

Can we earn it? No

Instead, we receive it by believing in Christ (Ephesians 2:8–10).

God wants to change our hearts.

Our actions are not the core issue.

Then what is?

It’s what’s fueling the actions—our hearts.

Jesus took the law to another level by showing that people could break God’s law in their hearts long before ever committing a sin (Matthew 5). He wants to write His law in our hearts and minds so that obedience becomes a natural part of who we are (Hebrews 8:10).

Following Jesus is a process of growth.

Many times, the New Testament speaks of our Christian journey as a process of growth (Ephesians 4:15). It sometimes refers to it with the fancy word sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3; Romans 6:22).

How do we grow?

Peter encourages believers to grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, ESV). This growth takes place within the context of a church community (Colossians 2:19).

God longs to restore His relationship with us.

He has promised that Jesus will return soon and bring us to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

Then, He will recreate the earth to the perfection of Eden once again (Revelation 21–22). Sickness, sorrow, pain, and death will be gone forever (Revelation 21:4).

The Bible teaches us to live prepared for that day.

How? It reminds us that eternal life begins today through knowing Jesus Christ (John 17:3). Then, it provides us with principles to do just that!

As we study both the Old and New Testaments, we get to know Him and how to live in light of eternity.

Bible Promises in the New Testament

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Second Peter 1:3 tells us that God has given us “precious and very great promises” (ESV).

We can claim these promises in any situation, trusting God will fulfill them.

The New Testament is a treasure chest full of these promises.

Here are some to get you started:

• God will be with us (Matthew 28:20).
• He will forgive us (1 John 1:9).
• He will set us free from sin and its condemnation (John 8:3; Romans 8:1).
• He will make us new (1 Corinthians 5:17).
• He will complete the work He has started in our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24; Philippians 1:6).
• He will give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13).
• He will hear and answer our prayers (1 John 5:14–15).
• He will give us peace amid difficulty (John 16:33).
• He will provide for all our needs (Matthew 6:31–33).
• He will come again (Revelation 22:12).

The Old and New Testaments work together

The New Testament is an incredible collection of history, teaching, and prophecy.

Think about it:

It was written over a period of fifty years by seven different authors from varied backgrounds.

Even so, the message of each of its 29 books is consistent. An amazing achievement!

But the New Testament is only part of the Bible.

It’s easy for Christians to focus on the New Testament, but we can’t forget that the Old Testament’s teachings and prophecies were fulfilled in the New Testament. The promises of the Messiah became reality in the life Jesus lived.

This is why Seventh-day Adventists uphold the whole Bible as the Word of God. As we study both the Old and New Testament, we’ll get the full scope of what Jesus wants us to know.

Want a closer glimpse of Jesus?

Study both the Old and the New Testaments. Pay attention to their connections with one another. As a result, your relationship with Him will grow richer and stronger!

1. Jacob Prahlow, “The New Testament in Order,” Concillar Post, April 14, 2021. https://conciliarpost.com/theology-spirituality/the-new-testament-in-order/ [↵]
2. Keathley, J. Hampton, “2. Introduction to the New Testament,” Bible.org, August 4, 2004. https://bible.org/seriespage/2-introduction-new-testament [↵]
3. L. Michael White, “Importance of the Oral Tradition,” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/oral.html [↵]
4. “History of the Bible – New Testament,” History World. ​​http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=aa11 [↵]
5. Caleb Lindgren, “Reading Together, Early Church Style,” Christianity Today, April 20, 2018. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/may/communal-reading-together-early-church.html [↵]
6. Kwabena Donkor, “Who Decided Which Books Should Be Included in the Bible?” Ministry, March 2012. https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2012/03/who-decided-which-books-should-be-included-in-the-bible [↵]
7. “Mark or Marcus,” American Tract Society Bible Dictionary. https://biblehub.com/topical/m/mark_or_marcus.htm#amt [↵]
8. Chilton, Bryan, “Who Wrote the Letter of James?” CrossExamined.org. https://crossexamined.org/wrote-letter-james/ [↵]
9. R.C. Sproul, “What Does the Word ‘Gospel’ Mean in the New Testament?” Ligonier, Nov. 30, 2020. https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/what-does-word-gospel-mean-new-testament [↵]
10. Matthew 26:54, 56; Mark 15:28; John 19:24, 28, 36 [↵]
11. Matthew 1:23; 3:13–17; Mark 1:1, 9–11; Luke 1:32–35; 3:21–22; John 1:1, 29–34 [↵]
12. Matthew 4–25; Mark 1–13; Luke 4–19:27; John 2–17 [↵]
13. Matthew 26–27; Mark 14–15; Luke 22–23; John 18–19 [↵]
14. Matthew 28:5–7; Mark 16:1–7; Luke 24:1–12; John 20:1–18 [↵]
15. Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 16:15–18; Luke 24:44–49; John 17; 20:19–23 [↵]
16. Agan, C.D. “Jimmy,” “Knowing the Bible: Luke,” TGC, 2015. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/course/knowing-bible-luke/#week-1-overview [↵]
17. 2 Corinthians 1:3–7; 3:4–6; 4:7–18; 8:1–2; 12:9–10 [↵]
18. Swindoll, Chuck, “Hebrews,” Insight for Living. https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-general-epistles/hebrews [↵]
19. Edersheim, Alfred, “Jesus’s Childhood: The Missing Years?” Christianity.com, April 12, 2010. https://www.christianity.com/jesus/life-of-jesus/youth-and-baptism/jesuss-childhood-the-missing-years.html [↵]
20. Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; 2:13–15; 3:14 [↵]
21. Matthew 26:24–25; Mark 14:18–21; Luke 22:21–23; John 13:21–30 [↵]
22. Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20 [↵]

More Answers

Prophets were individuals in the Bible who received messages from God and communicated those messages to the recipients—whether through speaking or writing. Their writings, known as prophetic books, comprise a huge part of the Bible.

So who were these people? And why did God choose them to be prophets?

Here, we’ll introduce these prophets and look at how God used them.

Learning about the prophets of the past can help us better understand the whole story of the Bible—and how God relates to humanity with love and encourages freedom of choice. We’ll cover:

• Who can be a prophet
• Who the prophets of the Bible are
• How God calls prophets
• Why the Bible’s prophets are relevant today

Let’s start at the basics, defining what a prophet is and who can serve in this role.

Who can be a prophet?

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A prophet is someone called to speak on God’s behalf to His people. The common denominator among the prophets was that each one had a willing heart to follow God. Other than that, there isn’t one type or model for the kind of person He calls to this role. The Bible is full of prophets, and each one is unique.

Some were young, like Samuel and Daniel.

Some were very old, like Anna and Simeon.

Some were also priests or judges, like Jeremiah and Deborah.

And both men and women were prophets.

Others were regular people with regular jobs. For example, Paul was a tentmaker, and Moses was a shepherd.

Most of the time, prophets weren’t exactly popular among their people because they had to deliver messages of change. The messages may have called the people to abandon certain cherished-but-harmful behaviors or exposed secret sins held by those in leadership.

But when it comes to what God needs in a person for them to be a prophet, He looked for willingness. They had to have an open heart and a desire to listen and follow the Word of God.

So, anyone—even the most ordinary individual—can be a prophet if called by God.

Who were these Bible prophets?

When we hear of Bible prophets, we often think of the ones who wrote the Old Testament prophetic books—the 16 major and minor prophets.

But many others in the Bible didn’t write books—or the books they wrote were not named after them.

The total number of prophets in the Bible is around 88, though this number will vary depending on who you talk to. People within certain Christian circles may consider some characters prophets, while others don’t.

Let’s look at who they were in different categories.

The major prophets of the Old Testament

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These four prophets are called “major” because they wrote longer books that applied to a broader audience. They are:

• Isaiah, who wrote the book of Isaiah, which contained many Messianic prophecies. He prophesied for at least 60 years during the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.¹
• Jeremiah, who wrote both Jeremiah and Lamentations. Christian scholars believe he may have also compiled 1 and 2 Kings.² He prophesied in the years just before and during Judah’s Babylonian exile.
• Ezekiel, who wrote the book of Ezekiel and served among the Jews in the years right before and during the Babylonian captivity.
• Daniel, who wrote most of the book of Daniel. He was one of the Jews taken captive in Babylon. He served as a top official in the Babylonian government and later the Medo-Persian government. Through it all, he remained faithful to God.

The minor prophets of the Old Testament

The 12 minor prophets wrote shorter books—all of which carry their names. They are also known as “the twelve” in the Hebrew canon.

• Hosea prophesied in the darkest period of the history of the northern kingdom of Israel—just before the nation was taken captive by Assyria. God asked him to marry a prostitute named Gomer to demonstrate God’s commitment and love for His people.
• Joel was a prophet in Judah. Through him, God pronounced a drought and a terrible invasion of locusts as judgments. But Joel also prophesied Judah’s restoration to God’s favor.
• Amos was a herdsman from Judah. He was called to prophesy in Israel, where he rebuked the idol worship promoted by King Jeroboam.
• Obadiah was from Judah and prophesied the punishment of the Edomites, an enemy nation that had treated Judah cruelly in war.
• Jonah was sent to warn Nineveh, a city of Assyria and one of Israel’s bitter enemies. He is best known for being swallowed by a fish and surviving the ordeal.
• Micah was from Moresheth, Judah. He wrote to God’s people in a very poetic way, warning them of the judgment coming upon them because they’d turned from God’s covenant. At the same time, he also offered hope of God’s mercy.
• Nahum’s name means “comforted.” He foretold the fall of Nineveh, which was the capital of Assyria, one of Israel’s most cruel oppressors. By this prophecy, he comforted Israel that God would vindicate them.
• Habakkuk prophesied during the times of the most corrupt kings in Judah—Manasseh and Amon. He knew their evil would lead to Babylonian captivity and was greatly saddened and concerned for the destiny of his people. But God assured him that the end of the wicked would surely come and the righteous would be saved.
• Zephaniah was a prophet in the time of King Josiah. He warned of the coming judgment on Judah and other neighboring countries. But his main burden was to call the people to repent.
• Haggai supported the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity during the times of Zerubbabel and Joshua (Ezra 5:1–12).
• Zechariah worked together with Haggai. He especially encouraged Joshua, the high priest, in a vision that showed God forgiving the guilt of his people (Zechariah 3:1–10).
• Malachi was the last Old Testament prophet. His ministry came a long time after the Babylonian captivity and the return of the Jews to Jerusalem—after the time of Nehemiah. The people had forgotten God’s ways and their experience in captivity, so he rebuked them and urged them to return to God.

So, in total, we have 16 Old Testament prophets who wrote books named after them (except Lamentations). Their books form the last 17 books in the Old Testament.

They are also known as “the latter prophets” or “the literary prophets” because their words were each separate books or pieces of literature.

This is unlike the prophets in the earlier parts of the Bible, whose words and ministries are recorded within the historical books of the nation of Israel. They are often called the “earlier prophets” or “former prophets.”³

Let’s look at some of them next.

The earlier prophets of the Old Testament

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The former prophets date back to the earliest history of the Hebrew nation. Some wrote major parts of the Bible, though the books don’t carry their names.

They are:

• Moses, who wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Job. He was the first leader of the Israelite nation (Deuteronomy 18:18).
• Samuel, who most likely wrote Judges and parts of 1 Samuel.⁴ He worked with Eli the priest, and then anointed and worked with the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David. He also started the schools of the prophets.⁵
• Nathan wrote parts of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel.⁶ He worked with King David and is perhaps best remembered for rebuking David after his sin with Bathsheba.
• Gad co-authored the books of 1 and 2 Samuel with Nathan. He also communicated messages from God to King David (1 Samuel 22:5).

Other former prophets didn’t write any books, but they are talked about in the Old Testament—some at length and some very briefly. They include:

• Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses (Exodus 15:20–21).
• Deborah, who was also a judge in Israel and, together with Barak, led Israel to victory against an enemy nation (Judges 4–5).
  Ahijah the Shilonite, who announced the division of the Israelite nation after the reign of King Solomon and rebuked King Jeroboam’s idolatry (1 Kings 11:29–39; 14:1–13).
• Elijah, who worked to bring Israel back to God from idolatry during the time of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. He is the one who met the prophets of Baal in a showdown at Mount Carmel, where God proved He was the real God by sending fire from heaven.
• Jehu, the son of Hanani, who was a contemporary of Elijah. He rebuked King Jehoshaphat for forming alliances with ungodly kings (2 Chronicles 19:2).
• Micaiah, the son of Imlah, who prophesied the death of King Ahab in battle (1 Kings 22:8–28).
• Azariah, the son of Oded, who encouraged King Asa to abolish idolatry in Judah, resulting in prosperity and peace (2 Chronicles 15:1–19).
• Elisha, who was mentored by Elijah (1 Kings 19:19–21).
• Huldah, a prophetess who encouraged King Josiah’s reforms (2 Kings 22).

Now that we know some of the most well-known prophets in the Old Testament, let’s jump over to the New Testament.

New Testament prophets

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The greatest prophet in the New Testament is Jesus Christ. He taught the people, warned them, and gave prophecies that stretched from His time to the end of the world.

Prophets also existed among the followers of Jesus and those who formed the early Christian church. Paul writes about prophecy being one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit among the believers (1 Corinthians 12:8–10; Ephesians 4:7–13; Romans 12:3–8).

Here are some of the prophets mentioned:

• Anna, the daughter of Phanuel. She was an old widow who served God in the temple. She blessed Jesus when His parents presented Him at the temple as a baby (Luke 2:36–38).
• John the Baptist, who was Jesus’ cousin and prepared the way for the Messiah, even baptizing Jesus. He was martyred by Herod. Jesus Himself said that John was the greatest prophet (Luke 7:26–28).
• The apostle John, who was one of the 12 disciples and became a leader in the early Christian church. Near the end of his life, he wrote the book of Revelation.
• Barnabas, who was Paul’s companion in his first missionary journey. He had a special gift of mentoring new believers, including Paul (Acts 9:26–27; 12:25; 13:1; 15:37).
• Simeon Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, all prophets and teachers who prayed and fasted with Paul and Barnabas on the day they were called to go on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:1).
• Judas (not the one who betrayed Jesus), who was Silas’ companion before Silas joined Paul. Together, Judas and Silas “exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words” (Acts 15:32, NKJV).
• Silas, who was Paul’s companion in his second missionary journey (Acts 15:32).
• The four daughters of Philip the evangelist. Their father was one of the seven deacons who lived in Caesarea and hosted Paul and his companions while on their missionary journeys (Acts 21:8–9).
• Agabus, who lived in Jerusalem after Jesus’ ascension. He predicted a severe famine in the Roman Empire in the first century and Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10–11, 27–30).

So you may be wondering, How did these individuals become prophets in the first place? We’ll find out next.

How did God call the prophets in the Bible?

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God often called prophets through dreams or visions. At other times, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they prophesied (2 Chronicles 15:1). And in the case of Elisha, it began with a conviction to follow and serve Elijah (1 Kings 19:19–21).

But when the calling came through visions, God would give the prophet a message to deliver to the people.

Sometimes, the message was one of encouragement. Sometimes, it was a warning.

Each vision and message was unique to the prophet because these prophets served in specific times and situations.

Let’s dive deeper into the examples of Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and John to understand how and why God called them.

Moses

Moses was one of the earlier prophets of the Bible, preceded only by Noah and Abraham. He was used by God to liberate the Israelites from Egypt and give them the Ten Commandments—making him a remarkable Bible character.

He had quite the resumé: escaping death as a baby, becoming a member of the Egyptian royal family, leading the Israelites through the Red Sea, and acting as a mediator of God’s covenant—to name a few.

The prophetic call came to him when he was in the wilderness of Midian, living as a shepherd after becoming a fugitive from Pharaoh. God appeared to him in a burning bush:

“Come, I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭3:10,‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

Moses seriously doubted himself and his ability to speak for God (Exodus 4:1, 10). But God assured him:

“Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak” (Exodus 4:11–12,‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

Not all the prophets felt worthy of prophesying for God, but He always provided what they needed to get the job done.

Moses is a good example to us that prophets are not perfect.

While they communicate on behalf of the divine, they are not divine themselves. They make mistakes just like everyone else. At times, Moses resorted to doing things his way, almost completely ignoring God’s direction.

For example, when the Israelites didn’t have any water in the desert, God gave Moses specific instructions to speak to a rock, and it would spew water. Instead of following God’s instructions, Moses struck the rock with his staff (Numbers 20:10–13).

That might seem like a minor difference, but the bottom line is that Moses did what he saw fit instead of what God explicitly asked him to do.

Whenever Moses tried to do things his way, things usually took a lot longer or were a lot more difficult.

However, what matters is that Moses always came back to God in humility. When God calls prophets, He uses them to accomplish His work and facilitates the growth they themselves need.

Isaiah

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Isaiah, a prophet to the kingdom of Judah, is known for writing the book of Isaiah, the Old Testament book most quoted in the New Testament because of all its prophecies about Jesus’ birth and role as the Messiah.

God called him through a spectacular vision of the heavenly throne room and asked,

“Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” (Isaiah 6:8, ESV)

Isaiah responded with a willing heart:

“Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8, ESV)

Even though he felt like a “man of unclean lips” and like one who lived “among a people of unclean lips,” an angel touched a coal to Isaiah’s lips to symbolize God taking away Isaiah’s guilt and giving him a message to share (Isaiah 6:5, ESV).

Isaiah worked with four kings at the height of constant attacks from the Assyrians.

He also gave many prophecies to the people of Judah for that specific time—particularly prophecies of warning and rebuke (Isaiah 6:11–13).

It was a time of moral decline among the people of God. He labored to call them back to ways of peace, righteousness, and justice so that they could avoid the consequences of their actions—captivity to another nation.

But he also shared hope and encouragement about the future Messiah.

This is fitting since Isaiah’s name means “the Lord is salvation.”

Isaiah lived out the meaning of his name through his several prophecies of Jesus’ birth:

“Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV).

 

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV).

Beyond the failures of his people and threats from their enemies, his prophetic messages pointed to the coming deliverer and the kingdom of God that will last forever.⁷

Jeremiah

Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah. He lived through the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, which resulted in the Jewish exile in Babylon.

The book of Jeremiah starts with his call:

“Then the word of the Lord came to me saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations’” (Jeremiah 1:4–5, NKJV).

Before Jeremiah was even born, God chose him to be a prophet.

This call highlights how God’s choices for a prophet are sometimes unexpected.

Jeremiah was probably just a teenager, and after God told Jeremiah He had chosen him, Jeremiah claimed that he was too young:

“Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth” (Jeremiah 1:6, NKJV).

However, God reassured Jeremiah that his youth didn’t disqualify him from filling the prophetic office. God promised to guide Jeremiah and give him the wisdom to speak before the people (Jeremiah 1:7–8).

And God did give Jeremiah the wisdom he needed.

Though many of Jeremiah’s messages were calls to repentance, Jeremiah also delivered messages of encouragement.

One such passage is Jeremiah 29:11–13:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart” (ESV).

God used Jeremiah to give the Jewish exiles hope for the future. And just as God had plans for Jeremiah to be a prophet, He also has plans for each of us if we’re willing.

Daniel

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When we hear about Daniel, we often think about his experience of being thrown into the lion’s den. But Daniel was a prophet, too.

The book in the Bible with his name is particularly interesting because the first several chapters aren’t really prophetic. Instead, they give us insight into who Daniel was and what kind of situation he lived in.

Daniel was not much older than a teenager at the beginning of the Jewish exile in Babylon. And though he grew up in a culture that didn’t respect God, he remained faithful.

He chose to uphold the dietary guidelines of Israelite culture and received praise from Babylonian officials for his strength and wisdom (Daniel 1).

He also showed his commitment to God when he was given the power to explain King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, even when the king’s wise men and advisors couldn’t (Daniel 2, 4).

When he was in danger of persecution, Daniel remained loyal to his beliefs and open to God’s guidance. Ultimately, he gained the respect of the Babylonian and Persian kings and gave them God’s insights into the future.

Unlike the other prophetic books we have discussed, the book of Daniel doesn’t mention a specific moment when God called Daniel.

Many times, Daniel received visions he didn’t understand, so he had to seek God for an explanation (Daniel 8).

In all scenarios and situations—exile, persecution, exaltation, confusion, and clarity—Daniel went to God for guidance. His prophecies point to the triumph of God’s kingdom at the end of history.

John

John, or John the Revelator, was one of Jesus’ disciples. He wrote the Gospel of John as well as the book of Revelation, where we can read his prophetic writings.

John was in exile on the Greek island of Patmos when he received visions from God and wrote Revelation. They were messages for the church from John’s time all the way to the end of this earth’s history (Revelation 1:10–11).

John’s prophecies can be a bit confusing because they are symbolic. But in the end, they offer hope for the future as they show how God will do away with sin and evil for good, and then save and restore humanity (Revelation 20–22).

John’s messages are a great example of how prophetic messages in the Bible are both timely and timeless, leading us to our last point…

Why the Bible’s prophets are relevant today

So many of the prophetic messages might at first seem like they don’t apply to life in the 21st century.

We aren’t wandering in the desert.

We aren’t exiled in Babylon.

And we aren’t waiting for the Messiah to be born.

But that doesn’t mean that our stories are all that different from the people in the Bible. Here are just a few lessons we can learn:

• Moses’ role as a prophet shows us how God’s grace and mercy cover our imperfections. He can work through us even when we make mistakes.
• Jeremiah’s message teaches us that even when we are surrounded by destruction and faithlessness, God has a hopeful plan for our future.
• Daniel’s message exemplifies how we can impact the people around us through our loyalty to Him.
• And though we aren’t Babylonian exiles, we live in this world, waiting for deliverance (the Second Coming of Jesus). Throughout our “exile” time, we can patiently and faithfully live out God’s message of hope and salvation.
• Isaiah’s prophecies of Jesus’ birth, often heard quoted around Christmastime, are an incredible reminder of God’s plan of salvation and Jesus’ sacrifice.
• And finally, John’s Revelation shows us that there is a future joy for believers in Jesus.

Yes, the Bible prophets spoke to a specific time and specific people. But when we get to know them, we realize they are a lot like us. They were human too.

And truly, a servant of God can come from anywhere.

Now, whenever we read any prophetic books in Scripture, we can find ways to relate to the Bible writers, learn from their messages, and apply them to our lives today.

To keep learning about prophets, check out our other pages on the kinds of messages the Bible prophets share and how to tell a true prophet from a false prophet.

And to find out how the Bible prophets have shaped Adventist beliefs,

1. Nichol, Francis D., ed., The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4 (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1977), p. 83. [↵]
2. Ibid., vol. 2, pp. 715–716. [↵]
3. “Situating the Prophets in Israel’s History,” Theology of Work Project. https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-testament/introduction-to-the-prophets/situating-the-prophets-in-israels-history. [↵]
4. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 302. [↵]
5. White, Ellen G., Patriarchs and Prophets, (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1890), pp. 592–601. [↵]
6. Ibid., p. 448. [↵]
7. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, pp. 88–89. [↵]

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