I went through a class on the phenomenal website www.biblicaltraining.org, called Bible Survey, A Big Screen Perspective by Dr. Bert Downs from Western Seminary. In the class you get an overview of the Bible that puts the pieces together. Here is his awesome big screen, or birds eye view, way to break down the 66 books of the bible. It's awesome. He challenges you to get it memorized so you can write it down on a napkin. If you want to take his whole class with 10 great lectures getting into detail check out the link above for the class! Below the 2 diagrams below you'll find all my notes from the class I took while listening to the lectures.
Bible Survey, A Big Screen Perspective | Notes
by Dr. Bert Downs
The Pentateuch
3 Key Words
Culture, Creation, Character
Rough Timing of 4 Key People
Abraham about 2000 years before Christ
Moses about 1500 years before Christ
David about 1000 years before Christ
Ezra about 500 years before Christ
7 Key People
1. Adam – father of firsts
2. Noah – walked with God
3. Abraham – made a blessing
4. Isaac – provided a lamb
5. Jacob – a rebel redeemed
6. Joseph - sovereignty in action
7. Moses - a shepherd sent
7 Key Themes
1. Creation - beginnings explained
2. Judgement - expectations meant
3. Redemption - failures reconciled
4. People - called agents
5. Leaders - called shepherds
6. Covenant - agreements established
7. Promise - outcomes revealed
Foundational Books and Themes
1. Genesis - beginnings and generations
2. Exodus - slavery and redemption
3. Leviticus - ritual and relationship
4. Numbers - failure and fulfillment
5. Deuteronomy - law and land
General Timeline (Not exact)
2,000 BC - Abraham
1,500 BC - Moses
1,000 BC - David
500 - Ezra
430 - Nehemiah, Malachi (end of OT)
Historical OT Books
————————-
Job - Enduring faithfully
Key phrase - Sovereignty
Psalms - 150 poems
Present what’s going on in the heart of the people
Key theme - worship
All of life should be worship, good & bad
Proverbs - wisdom literature
Theme - living skillfully
Take them in pieces, not tons in a row
teaching elements from the historical time, instructional, help us to live skillfully
Job - lives foundational things when things are good and bad
Acknowledges God is God
Psalms - tells us what the people of the historical books were feeling in that time and reflects on their lives
Ecclesiastes - author had a lot of life experience both good and bad. Teaches us there are different seasons of life and which presents different needs. Author devoted himself to man things and finds they’re all vanity. He pursued all these different things fully and they all left him empty. Fear God and keep his commandments. This applies to everybody.
Song of Solomon - about a marriage relationship, marriage and the move that goes with it is a huge building block in God’s economy and it’s marvelous and soecial and kept strong when the foundational things are keys to it.
Key words: Love, Marriage
Instructional OT Books
——————————
Prophetical (17 books)
| Pre-Exile Prophets ~920 BC - 600 BC
Prophesied to Israel
- Hosea
- Amos
Prophesied to Edom
- Obediah
Prophesied to Assyria
- Jonah
- Nehum
Prophesied to Judah (Remember by saying first letter of their names HIJJMZL)
- Habakkuk
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Joel
- Micah
- Zephaniah
- Lamentations (Written by Jeremiah)
Messages of Warning
| Exile Prophets ~600 BC
Babylonians take them to their own land
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
Messages of Endurance
Messages of Hope
| Post-Exile Prophets ~530 BC - 420 BC
Persia releases then to go home
- Haggai
- Zachariah
- Malachi
(Contemporaries w/ Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther from Historical books)
Messages of Restoration
Messages of Renewal
Messages of Sustaining Yourself for the longterm
Faith through the Bible
—————————-
Faith builds on foundational things
A life of faith is built o. Foundational things, there’s a content to it, foundational stones
Faith matured through the application of foundational things
It’s not enough to know it, you have to apply it
When face is applied to your life it brings forth maturity
Faith thrives in the celebration of foundational things
Faith renews through the correction of foundational things
400 Silent Years (between OT & NT) Intertestamental Years
————————————-
| Rulers
Persia (331 BC)
Greece (331 BC - 164 BC) Alexander the Great
Jewish Rebellion (Maccabean Revolt) - Independence (164 BC - 63 BC)
Rome (63 BC - 135 AD) Two Jewish brothers can’t relive who should be in charge so they ask Rome to remove it and Rome does so by just taking over
| Readings
Apocrypha (hidden things)
Even Jews of the time called them outside books. Not considered scripture, but do show culture and history of the time and it would be valuable to read a summary of them to get s better understanding of the time
Pseudepigrapha
A look into a lot of things that were found on in that time if history
Some are named as if they were authored by important people of the gospels but they were actually authored by those people
Dead Sea Scrolls
Separatists established communities apart from Rome and it’s influence and many of these were found in the Dead Sea area
They help us understand their communities and thoughts on the time
It would be valuable to read a summary of these
Philosophies that impacted the time
People who admired the Greeks
Plato, Socrates, Aristotle,
Septuagint
Greek translation if the Hewbrew scriptures
| Religions
Temple vs Synagogue
Traditions vs Way of Life
Staying in Power vs Upholding Way of Life
Ceremonies vs Grass Roots
Sagucees vs Pharisees
Sanhedrin vs Scribes
Herodians vs Essenes
Publicans vs Zealots
Sanhedrin - take care of the civil law
Head of Sanhedrin is the High Priest
New Testament
———————
| The 4 Gospels
Foundational
Biographies / Portraits
Why are there 4?
They're like a faceted diamond that looks different from different angles.
Or 4 paintings looking at the same subject from 4 different angles.
The 4 authors saw Jesus from different perspectives
Mathew - Publican, hated tax collector
Jesus as King
Audience: Jewish
Author: Tax Collector
Focal Point: making of disciples
Distinctive Feature: genealogy
Themes: messiah, new faith community / church, kingdom citizenship, character of said citizen,
Leader Applications: words - works - responses, OT fulfillment related to the Messiah which builds confidence cd in the veracity that Jesus is the promised Mesiah
Additional Notes: more OT than other gospels
Mark - Missionary
Jesus as Servant
Audience: Roman
Author: Missionary
Focal Point: life in service
Distinctive Feature: immediately
Themes: power and authority (gained by servanthood)
Leader Applications: strength of servanthood, qualities of character, action matching words, emotional reactions to Jesus
Additional Notes: shortest Gospel
Luke - Physician, historian
Jesus as perfect man
Audience: Greek
Author: Physician, historian
Focal Point: Humanity of Christ
Distinctive Feature: seeking & saving the lost
Themes: God’s rule over history, affirmation of teaching, emphasis on Godly practices, first shall be last
Leader Applications: beauty of humanity, Jesus’s love for all persons, intentionality in seeking out those in need
Additional Notes: likely a Greek Gentile, captivated by person of Christ
John - Fisherman
Jesus as God
Audience: Global
Author: John the aplostle, fisherman
Focal Point: believing in Jesus to have life
Distinctive Feature: builds the book around 7 miracles
Themes: Jesus is God, the source of eternal life, unity in the God head
Leader Applications: eternal life received not earned, Jesus 100% grace and truth, belief
Additional Notes: often first book translated into another language because of the global audience it speaks to
Acts
_____
| Jerusalem
Chapters: 1-7
Person: Peter
Audience: Jewish
Pattern: Birth
Keys: Ascends - Spirit, Power, Persecution
Cities: Jerusalem
Dates: 33-35 AD
| Judea / Sumaria
Chapters: 8-12
Person: Philip / Stephen
Audience: Samarian
Pattern: Growth
Keys: Vision -> Mission, Persecution
Cities: Jerusalem, shifting toward Antioch
Dates: 35-48 AD
| Beyond
Chapters: 13-28
Person: Paul
Audience: Gentile
Pattern: Expansion
Keys: Preaching, Paths, Mission, Multiplication, Persecution
Cities: Rome
Dates: 48-62 AD
Instructional (22)
__________________
Drawing of a house below:
Foundation (4) Gospels (rectangle on bottom)
Historical (1) Acts (another rectangle above foundation)
House Shape w/ roof on top split in 2 including:
| On the left
Paul's Letters to Churches (9)
- Romans is the corner stone, up to 2 Thessalonians
- written to a community
- birth
- teaching
- principles
- doctrine
- justification
| On the right
General Letters to Believers (9)
- Hebrews is the corner stone, up to Revelation
- written to individuals
- growth
- applying
- practice
- practical
- sanctification
| Across top of Roof to Leaders (4)
- Letters from Paul to Leaders
- 1 Timothy to Philemon
Authors:
Paul 13 letters
John 4
Peter 2
James 1
Jude 1
Unknown Author 1 (Hebrews)
Dates: 40-90 AD
Organization: Opening and Closing similar, bodies all over the place
These are personal letters, read them with that mindset - written by someone who loves who they're writing to
Cornerstone Books:
| Romans
1. Starts with sin, moves to salvation
2. Outside family of God, inside through Christ, set apart, sanctified, called to be disciples
3. Reminds of sovereignty of God
4. Works into a life of service
|Hebrews - Warnings
1. Have word deep in life, warns not to let that drift from your life
2. Importance of obedience and immediate obedience
3. practice what you know, don't just know it. Grow up and practice what you know
4. Warning about sin, with regard to maturity sin is deadly, if you willfully sinful so draw near to God
5. Correction - we all need it at times, great mark of maturity is the receiving of correction
Final Words
____________
If we're going to stay on our game as Christians, we need to be
1. Rooted - keep yourselves in the love of God, build one another up, pray in the spirit, expect the return of Christ and live that way
2. Reaching - grow roots so you can reach others and fulfill the great commission, have mercy on some who are doubting, save others snatching them out of the fire, have mercy on some who bring you fear
3. Real - Jesus is about the business of keeping you from stumbling, he is keeping you, holding you, because of that we can build each other and reach others and go beyond our fear to reach others because Christ is holding us. He will make us stand in the presence of his glory. We miss the mark, he doesn't
Isn't that worthy of living a life following the foundational things? Contend for the faith!
Comments
Post a Comment