INTRODUCTION
“JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE”
Suppose, for a moment, you are about to watch a video at home. It is a film you’ve heard about but have not seen… until tonight! You settle down into your favourite chair; the popcorn is on the table within immediate reach; and the tall, cold, beverage is carefully positioned on the other table to your right. You even remember to put a coaster underneath the glass, so to avoid making marks on the surface.
The film begins. The beginning is far more gripping than you’d imagined. You recognise some of the actors. ‘Say, this is lookin’ pretty good!’ you say to the others whom you invited tonight. Suddenly, the TV screen goes blue and there is a loud burst of static. ‘What the…?’ You move forward and up out of your chair, stoop before the video player. No problem, it is just a matter of hitting stop and play. Then: nothing. Try it again. This time there is a picture and sound; yet, it seems, the player advanced the video because what you are watching now doesn’t appear to make any sense. Something is out of sequence. It’s beginning to look like one of those foreign art films!
So you get up and attempt to adjust the video player, just short of hitting the machine (something you’d normally do but, what with guests in the room, you decide it would look rather dumb). This time there’s a whirl, a burst of static and then… a picture and sound. Things look way out of sync, but you all watch anyway. Within 5 minutes, however, you realise the film is ending. Your clue is the credits rolling.
A promising evening with a great film - but you only saw a bit of the beginning, something out of the middle and 5 minutes of the film’s conclusion. Your friends tell you this film wasn’t just two thumbs down, it was thumbs, fingers, hands, feet and, well, everything down!
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For most of us, our knowledge and reading experience of the Bible is sort of like the video experience above. We may have heard bits and pieces, even read a section or two. Perhaps, we might have sat through a sermon series on, say, the Gospel of Mark but haven’t a clue as to how what we heard relates to, say, Genesis. The bottom line is: without knowing the major themes and story of the Bible, every time we dip into one small part we may get a ‘thought for the day’ or ‘a precious promise for the day’ but we’ll, for the most part, find the Bible strange and irrelevant. We will miss the point.
What we all need is a big picture of Scripture – what we’ll call a Journey Through The Bible. This helps us understand how the history, characters, and teaching of the whole Bible all relate to Jesus Christ and is, therefore, relevant in a special way to us. We’ll discover, for example, that Solomon, the Prince of Peace and wise king of God’s glorious Kingdom, who welcomed visitors from all nations into his happy people, is really teaching us about… Jesus!
This Journey Through The Bible is chronological. It examines, stage by stage, the central Bible story line of God’s commitment to establishing the Kingdom of God. We’ll briefly review the Bible story from the Garden of Eden to the Promised Land (session 1), then through the history of the Kingdom of Israel (session 2), the writings of the Prophets (session 3), to its glorious conclusion in the New Testament (session 4).
We could approach things in a different, but complementary, way. A thematic guide would trace one Bible theme as it developed from the beginning to the end of the Bible. For example, how God’s passionate concern for all the nations, or the victory of God over evil, or the meaning of the Sabbath, are gradually and progressively revealed from the beginning to the end of Scripture. Yet, this is for another study!
When, on the road to Emmaus, the risen Lord Jesus taught two disciples how the Old Testament was fulfilled in him, they were totally exhilarated. They said, afterwards, ‘were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’ (Luke 24:32 in the New International Version). Today, with the help of the Holy Spirit, may these four studies likewise open our eyes and set our hearts ablaze with obedient love for him – of whom all the Scriptures speak!
So, let’s begin…
“JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE”
Part 1
Why do we need it? To learn about Jesus Christ!
What’s the Bible really all about? In other words, what’s the point? Well, let’s do what we often do when reading a book and want to know the gist – yep, look at the end of the story! Turn to Revelation 21:22 – 22:5.
What do we see? Lots of things, but in essence we see:
God’s People in God’s Place enjoying God’s Blessing
To be sure, more needs to be said about this; but here is the sum of the Bible. To explain this, let’s move from the end of the Bible to the beginning – as the song put it, ‘A very good place to start…’
THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
CREATING THE KINGDOM OF GOD (Genesis 1 – 2)
God’s Place (Genesis 1: 1-25)
God’s People (Genesis 1:26-31)
God’s Blessing (Genesis 2:1-3)
BUT SOMETHING WENT WRONG, VERY WRONG!
Genesis 3: 1-24
We see God’s people punished, expelled, condemned! How can this be? Did God blow it? Is this what it means to be God’s people, in God’s place under God’s blessing? If it is, no thanks!! This is Paradise Lost!
Things seem to move from bad to worse. Cain to Noah to Babel!
YET
THE PROMISED KINGDOM OF GOD (Genesis 12: 1-3)
What do we read here? Three promises.
1. I will make you a great nation.
2. Blessing and make your name great.
3. Bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.
4. In you all of the nations will be blessed.
And this is, we’re told the Gospel ( look now at the New Testament letter of Paul to the Galatians, Gal. 3:6-9)
The promise is repeated to Abraham (Gen15: 5-18 and 17: 2-8), to his son, Isaac (Gen 26:2-4) and to his son, Jacob, known as ‘Israel’ (Gen 28:13-15). Is this the seed hinted at in Genesis 3:15? We’ll wait and see!
God’s People (Genesis 12- 50)
Genesis is the story of how, despite infertility, sin and famine, God protects Abraham’s family so as to keep his promise. The book ends with Joseph as prime minister in Egypt, looking forward to the Promised Land (Gen 50:19-26). So, when we read in Exodus 1: 7, 12, and 20, we notice the report that in Egypt the children of Israel have, indeed, become a great people – God’s People. But are they experiencing God’s blessing in God’s place?
God’s Blessing (Exodus 1 to Numbers 1)
God’s blessing is revealed in two epic and foundational events in Israel’s history: (1) the redemption out of Egypt and (2) the relationship established at Mount Sinai. In both we see two important themes:
1. REDEMPTION = LIBERATION from CAPTIVITY upon payment of a RANSOM
Consider,
Passover Red Sea
The NEED
For Redemption Ex 12:12 14:10-14
The MEANS of
Redemption 12:13 14:21-25
The RESPONSE to
Redemption 12:14 15:11-13
We also see, secondly,
2. RELATIONSHIP = THE PURPOSE OF REDEMPTION (Exodus 19:3-6)
At Mount Sinai (Exodus 19 to Numbers 10)
Look at Exodus 19: 1-6
How is Redemption described?
What condition is set upon the relationship? (verse 5)
What three phrases describe Israel’s relationship with God? (verses 5 and 6)
The privileges, or we can call them, the blessings of the covenant are:
God’s Rule: Law for the Redeemed (summarised in the Ten Commandments)
God’s Presence: the Tabernacle (the climax of the book of Exodus!)
And as we continue reading,
Leviticus
A kingdom of priests: engaged in sacrifices (1-7), priests (8-10), and the times of sacrifices (11-27).
A holy nation: holiness to be in every area of life (18-27)
What do sacrifices do?
Two lessons:
1. Without the shedding of blood the people cannot relate to God.
2.
So, we see God’s people, under God’s blessing but what about place?
God’s Place (described in Numbers 10 to Joshua 24)
Numbers
Yet we read here of rebellion: Numbers 14: 1-25 and it all depends on how you look at it!
Deuteronomy
Three speeches by Moses to the new generation of Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land
The Focus of Life in the kingdom of God is
God’s past Redemption and God’s Word (Deut 4:10-14, 32 –34)
The Character for Life in the kingdom of God is
Obedience (7:6-11; 12:1,4 and 8)
Joshua
Introducing Joshua (Yeshua) who is courageous and the obedient conqueror and distributor of the Land (Josh. 1)
Who fights the good fight (Josh 2 – 12)
Who receives the promised inheritance (Josh 13 – 22)
Yet who also challenges the people: the choice is yours! God has kept his promises (Josh. 23), so you choose, ‘whom will you serve?’ Joshua 24
1. What does the Lord say to his people and why?
(24:2-13)
2. What is the choice the people face?
(24:14-15)
3. What will happen to the people if they rebel?
(24:19-20)
4. What must be done in order to follow God?
(24:23-24)
5. Why do you think the book of Joshua ends the way it does?
(24:28-33)
So, we’ve come a long way from Genesis 1. By the end of Joshua, we see God’s People are in God’s Place under God’s Blessing. Yet, something is not quite right.
It would all end it tears….
“JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE” (Part 2)
Why do we need it?
Because the Bible is Progressive
As we last saw, God’s people were in God’s place, and under God’s blessing
BUT
Something is not at all right. The problem begs resolution:
God’s people’s sinful rebellion
RULING THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The Judges
Summarised in Judges 2:6-23. We see the cycle of:
tested a sin a compromised a suffering a supplication a salvation
A sad cycle: Judges 3: 7-11. ‘Everyone did right in his own eyes’ Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1 and 21:25
Who will accomplish the work of ruling God’s people in the right way to change God’s people to the right way? The question hangs in the air…
Ruth
Demonstrates the rile Israel might have played in welcoming foreigners into the land at ‘rest’, bringing blessing to the other nations – had God’s people really been Gods people! Ruth (a Moabitess) and Naomi (a Jewess), both bereaved, return to Israel and through the ‘redemption’ of a kinsman are blessed with a home, family, and the privilege of an offspring – the son of Jesse… the son of David.
Samuel
He is a prophet, 1 Samuel 3:19-21
At a time when the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines (but caused them more problems then they’d bargained for!) Samuel brought the Word of God to Israel, resulting in Israel returning to God from idols.
He is a judge 1 Samuel 7:5-17
Samuel interceded (as a priest!) for Israel and won the decisive victory at Mizpah. He ruled Israel as judge all his life.
He is a king maker 1 Samuel 8 to 10
Samuel anointed the first king of Israel. God had already given permission for a king, provided he was God’s choice – an Israelite, non-materialistic, obedient, and humble. In other words, God wanted a servant king (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). But Israel asked for the wrong reasons: ‘We want a king to be like the other nations… to lead us… and fight our battles.’ (1 Samuel 8:19-20) but this was really a rejection of God himself (8:4-9)!
Who will rescue God’s people from their rebellion against their God and their inability to live in God’s place under the fullness of God’s blessing?
The Kings
SAUL – The first king of Israel
The anointed one (Messiah/Christ)
- chosen by God (1 Samuel 9:16-17)
- anointed by God’s prophet (1 Samuel 10:1)
- Spirit-filled (1 Samuel 10:10)
- Proven by victory (1 Samuel 11:1-11) which leads to a coronation/celebration (1 Samuel 11:14-15)
The one called to be obedient
- Samuel tells Saul what to do (1 Samuel 10:8)
- Samuel tells Israel the regulations of kingship (1 Samuel 10:25)
- Samuel tells Saul and Israel to obey God (1 Samuel 12:12-15)
- Thus, the king must be obedient to God’s Word and subject to God’s prophet
But Saul failed. He offered sacrifices (in Samuel’s place 13:7-14), oppressed his army (14:24-28) and then disobeyed God (15:1-35).
So, do we look for another? Who is the ‘man after God’s own heart’?
DAVID
He was chosen, anointed, Spirit-filled (1 Samuel 16) and proven (1 Samuel 17)
The victorious one – 1 Samuel 17:1-58
- What sort of enemy does David face? (4-11)
- How is David regarded? (28,33, and 42)
- What sort of victory is it? (50)
- What part do the Israelites play? (24 and 52)
- What are the contrasting reactions? (18:5-9)
How does this compare with Jesus Christ?
The humble one
Having captured Jerusalem, David acknowledges that he has been exalted for the sake of God’s people (2 Samuel 5: 6-12). He then brings in the Ark of the Covenant in recognition that God is the King of Israel. God’s presence is shown to demand careful obedience (the story of Uzzah) and joyful celebration (2 Samuel 6)
The one to whom the promise is made – His Son
2 Samuel 7: 1-29
- What did David wish to build but God insisted on building? (1 and 11)
- What for God’s people will be great about David? (9)
- What will God’s place be like? (10)
- What will God’s blessing be like? (11)
- What will the Son of David do? (13)
- What authority will the Son of David have? (13)
- Who will the Son of David be in relation to God? (14 and 15)
Yet David fails: his sin with Bathsheba (his son dies?), his failure with Absalom (his son fails?). David dies!
SOLOMON The Prince of Peace?
He established rest
Solomon ruled over Israel at the height of its glory, when the land extended to the limits promised to Abraham at a time of peace and safety, prosperity and happiness (1 Kings 4:20-24; 5:4: 8:56)
He built the Temple
Solomon built a great temple as the dwelling place for God’s name. It was the palace from which God judged, ruled, and protected his people and to which the people could come with sacrifices to meet with him and ask for forgiveness (1 Kings 6 to 9)
He ruled wisely
Solomon asked God for wisdom to rule in preference to wealth (so God gave him both, see 1 Kings 3). This was demonstrated in his famous decision between two prostitutes and the one child. Solomon’s wisdom – in philosophy, music, literature, and science etc) is available to us in the Wisdom literature of Proverbs, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes (but question about authorship here). When the Queen of Sheba arrived to visit Solomon, she was overwhelmed by Solomon’s wisdom and the glory of the kingdom at rest. See 1 Kings 10.
- it brought great……………………………..to the king (10:5,10,14-29)
- it brought great…………………………….. to the people (10:8-9; 4:20)
- it brought great………………………………. to the nations (10:2,13, 24; 4:29-34)
Yet, how tragic would Solomon’s failure be – as seen in the very next chapter
1 Kings 11
The great king, of the greater king, to whom the promise was given
Forgets his God
Forgets his responsibility
Forgets the promise
THE RUIN OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Solomon’s son Reheboam/Jereboam brings civil war. This leads to division -Two Kingdoms – Israel and Judah.
Israel: alternative altars of worship; evil kings and final conquest by Assyria 722 BC
Judah: with the exception of Josiah and Hezekiah, her kings were not much better than Israel’s. Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem in 587 BC and the Temple is destroyed. God’s people are taken into exile.
FROM GLORY TO RUBBLE BECAUSE OF SIN
God’s People rejected and exiled!
God’s Place ravaged and far away (Babylon)
God’s Blessing evaporated
“JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE” (Part 3)
Why do we need it?
To avoid ‘selective Christianity’!
Last time, we saw the people of God in exile, the city of God in destruction, and the promise of God seemingly suspended. Does this mean that everything was revoked? Has all the hope vanished?
THE PROPHETS
What is a prophet?
See Exodus 4:16 and 7:1 for a prophetic description.
Who were they?
Before, during, and after the Exile into Babylon, God spoke to his people through the prophets in a wide variety of visions, dreams, and ideas. Early prophets tended to belong in groups – calling the kings of Israel back to God’s Word (Think of Nathan’s relationship with David). Later prophets were more solitary figures who addressed the people regarding:
God’s faithfulness,
God’s anger towards their sin,
God’s plans for judgement,
God’s extended call for repentance, and
God’s intention to accomplish a great work of redemption.
The grid for reading the Prophecies.
We now have some of their prophecies (for often they were committed to written form, even in the life of the prophet).
What did they say?
First, as God had always stressed in the covenant: repentance and faithfulness are good and necessary. Repent from drunkenness, vanity, and ignorance of the Law, materialism, injustice and corruption.
Second, the promise still stands. God has not forgotten, he has not revoked his pledge. See 1 Kings 19 and Jeremiah 33:14.
Third, something radically new is coming. See Isaiah 42:9; 43:19 and 48:6. See the gospel of Mark and the themes he opens with.
This announcement, however, had important implications.
1. The wise way to live, even in exile in Babylon, is to trust and obey God. For ‘the most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men’. The book of Daniel reveals this: not only does Daniel live differently (as he trusts God in a pagan nation) he sees better and more clearly. Daniel also sees a coming day when the kingdom of God, far more glorious than any earthly kingdom or power, would arrive in awesome power. Significantly, there would come one like a Son of Man who would receive all authority, glory, and sovereignty to rule with his people. Who would this be? Israel? The Davidic king? Someone else? !-6 are moral. 6-12 are prophetic about end times. Visions are about human . Daniel 7:9. Judgement.
2. The something new would take place on the Day of the Lord when God would judge the nations. As Joel put it: ‘Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near … But the Lord will be a refuge for his people’ (Joel 3). Yet, as the prophet Amos explained, disobedient Israel would also be included in this judgement. ‘Why do you long for the Day of the Lord? That will be darkness, not light’ (Amos 5)
Fourth, the Kingdom of God will, indeed, come!
GOD’S PEOPLE will be:
Ezekiel 34: 11-16
Isaiah 10: 20-22
Ezekiel 37: 15-22
Micah 4: 2-5
GOD’S PLACE will be:
Isaiah 65:17 and 66:1-22
Ezekiel 47:21-23
Isaiah 65:18-19
Ezekiel 43: 1-7
Summarised as,
Ezekiel 36:5 and Isaiah 51:3
Isaiah 11:10 and 32:18
GOD’S BLESSING will be:
A new redemption:
Isaiah 43: 1-2, 14-19
A new relationship:
Ezekiel 37: 1-14
What is the problem?
What will be done?
How will it be done?
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Why will God’s Spirit be given?
Ezekiel 37:26-28 and Jeremiah 31:25-27
What are the main features of the new arrangement?
A new King:
Ezekiel 37:24-25 Isaiah 9:6-7
Isaiah 53:3-6
In 539 BC, Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian Empire of Cyrus. The Jews were allowed to return home. Ezra and Nehemiah record how, despite opposition, they reconstructed Jerusalem and the Temple. But this was still a small, disobedient and vulnerable restored kingdom – ruled in turn by the Persians, the Greeks and, after the Maccabean period, the Romans. The prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi clarified that this was not the magnificent kingdom of which the prophets had spoken. Indeed, the Jewish arrangement of the Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) ends with the Jews still in Exile. This is a significant point! The big question on everyone’s heart for the next five centuries was, ‘Where on earth is the kingdom of God?’
“JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE” (Part 4)
Why do we need it?
To understand our hope!
JESUS CHRIST – THE KING
His life, death, and resurrection that reveal and inaugurate the Kingdom
Just imagine the impact: ‘The time has come (is fulfilled), and the kingdom of God is at hand (near). Repent and believe (put your trust in) the gospel.’ Mark 1:15
As we read the beginning of Mark’s Gospel (1:1-28), we see the authority of the King in:
Word Teaching about the kingdom Deed Over creation, demons, sickness and death
Indeed, if we compile a composite picture of Christ from the New Testament we find that the Old Testament features of the kingdom are consistently attributed to Christ! Furthermore, we see that to become a member of the kingdom of God, we must trust in Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour and in doing this we are united with him in a dynamic relationship. Ultimately, we see the promise that for all who are Christians, when Christ returns in history as judge, all his people will be raised from death and enter the long-awaited kingdom in the new creation.
HOW IS ALL OF THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?
First, Jesus Christ is ‘God’s People’
‘the image’(Col 1:15) ‘the last Adam’ (1 Cor 15:45) and ‘firstborn’ (Col 1:18) all point to a new humanity (2 Cor 5:17; Eph 2:13-16)
‘the vine’(Jn 15:1 comp with Isa 5:1f), ‘the chosen one’(Lk 9:35), he who was ‘tested in the wilderness for forty days’ (Lk 4:1) all point to the ‘true Israel’(Lk 4:3-13)
‘In Christ’, an expression Paul uses, is a way to describe a Christian. Christians are ‘born again’ and grafted into the vine of Israel and are adopted sons/daughters and co-heirs with Christ of all the promises extended to Israel.
Second, Jesus Christ is ‘God’s Place’
To be quite sure, Jesus Christ is still incarnate and bodily distinct from any place here on earth, yet descriptions of God’s place are still identified with him:
Creation: the creative work of God
Land: the inheritance of God’s people
Jerusalem: the place where God dwells with his people
Temple: the context of acceptable sacrifice, worship, reverence, and prayer
In Christ, Christians are a new creation, heirs of the kingdom, and the gathered people in the heavenly Jerusalem who are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Third, Jesus Christ is ‘God’s Blessing’
This, as we saw, is in two ways,
1. Redemption. Christ’s ‘exodus’… dying as the substitute for his people… his sacrificial blood averting (propitiating) the judgement of God that we deserve. His death conquered the power of Satan, sin, and death – establishing Christ not only as Saviour but also as Lord. His death, resurrection, and ascension also open the way beyond our physical death into an eternal presence with God the Father.
Thus, in Christ, Christians have ‘died and risen’ and been presented to God and declared ‘justified’ (acquitted, declared not guilty). We’ve been ransomed (set free or liberated) through Christ’s shed blood. We are free from the domination of Satan, sin, and fear of death to serve (worship) the one true God.
2. Relationship. Christ is ‘the Word’, establishing the covenant. He is the great ‘Priest’ who achieved the full, sufficient, and once-for-all sacrificial offering. His role as High Priest is one who intercedes and advocates on the behalf of his people. He is the King/Messiah, who is the Spirit-filled judge and the warrior greater than David and wiser than Solomon.
Thus, in Christ, Christians may all declare the Word and are all prophets and royal priests, charged with bringing blessing to the nations through Christian living, action, and evangelism.
BUT IS THIS ALL THAT GOD OFFERS HIS PEOPLE? IS THIS THE BEST?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19
CHRIST’S SECOND COMING
WILL FULLY ESTABLISH
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Jesus declared plainly, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ (meaning, most likely, not of this political or social realm – neither a overturned Rome nor a restored monarchy in Jerusalem). The author of 2 Peter argued, ‘everything will be destroyed… but in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth.’ (2 Peter 3:10,13)
While we wait now, God gives us his Holy Spirit, whose work is:
Romans 8:1-27
Galatians 5:16-26 and 1 Peter 1:1-3
Ephesians 1:13-14 and Titus 3:4-7
Revelation 2:7,11,29; 3:6,13 and 22
And God has also now given us a wonderful vision (revelation) of the coming kingdom in Revelation, chapters 21 to 22. When this comes (the then of Christian living) Christians will be:
IN GOD’S PLACE
Revelation 21:1-8
21:9-27
22:2-5
AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE
Revelation 21:12,14
21:27
22:3-5
ENJOYING GOD’S BLESSING
Revelation 21:4
21:7
21:27
22:14
Contrast this vision with that contained in Revelation 6:15-17; 14:14-20 and 20:15!
So, taken as a whole, we see in the Bible:
1. From start to finish, God is good and faithful
2. From start to finish, God makes promises he keeps
3. From start to finish, God accomplishes his plan in and through Jesus Christ
Preaching the kingdom is preaching Christ crucified, risen, ascended and returning.
Proclaiming the gospel we must look back to Christ and forward to Christ.
I am especially indebted to the Rev Richard Coekin, Wimbledon, England from whom I first received this material. I have made only slight modifications. For those wishing to consult fuller and more adequate resources, he and I would recommend:
Graeme Goldsworthy, According To Plan (InterVarsity Press, 1991) and another of his works, Gospel and Kingdom. Likewise, see Mark Storm, Days Are Coming (Hodder and Stoughton) and EP Clowney, The Unfolding Mystery (IVP)
Gavin J McGrath
