Apocalyptic Literature
Apocalyptic Literature focuses on the coming final judgment and salvation of the world at the end of history as we know it. It is both some of the most fascinating and the most confusing literature of the Bible. Extra care is needed when studying the Apocalyptic books because they deal with things that have not yet come to pass and express those things using highly symbolic language. Trying to understand what these works are teaching is much akin to the saints of the Old Testament trying to understand the Messianic Prophecies about Jesus – there was far more that was unclear than was clear. The Apocalyptic books include Ezekiel, Zechariah, Revelation, and parts of Daniel and Isaiah. Many of these works are also included in the list of books of prophetic literature. Revelation is a unique combination of epistle, prophetic and apocalyptic literature.
When reading apocalyptic literature, a position of humility is incredibly important. While there are certain things that we agree upon – Jesus will return to bring justice, set everything to right and defeat evil once and for all – there is great disagreement about the details of how all this will come to pass. When trying to interpret this literature we should 1) focus first on what is clear; 2) do our best to understand what the author was trying to say to his audience; and 3) be open to learning different views and understandings of this literature.
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Epistles
The Epistles make up over two-thirds of the entire New Testament (21 of the 27 books) and were written by Paul, James, Peter, John, and Jude, with the majority being Paul’s. The value of the Epistles to the church cannot be overestimated. These books unpack and...
Gospels
Four Books. That is all the information we have about the life of Jesus. Four books, 89 chapters, just under 65,000 words in the original language - that’s it. Yet these four books have done more to change the world than all other books combined. These four books tell...
Prophets
A Prophet is someone who speaks the words of God for the people. In this sense, the words and activities of prophets are a far broader presence in the Bible than what is recorded in Prophetic literature. The words of prophets such as Melchizedek, Moses, Samuel,...
Wisdom Literature
The term “Wisdom Literature” acts as a large umbrella covering a wide scope of writings found in the Bible. It includes prayers, songs, proverbs, stories, romance, philosophy and lament. Some of these works deal with great universal questions of meaning and purpose...
Old Testament Narratives
Over 40% of the Old Testament is made up of narrative – Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Job, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, A Crooked Line Straight to Jesus Week-2 Old Testament...
Bible Overview
The Bible is not one book, it is a collection of 66 books (63 if you consider that Samuel, Kings and Chronicles are not split in the Hebrew Bible). Sixty-six books written over the course of about 1500 years that tell one story – the story of God’s rescue of His...