THE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE

by Stafford and Jo Anne North

What are these lessons all about?

When you discover the answers in these lessons you will discover the basic story God wants you to know from His Word. The story begins with the creation of man and closes in eternity. You will learn to draw 10 simple pictures that will help you remember and understand this life-changing story of the Bible. These lessons are written so that you may study with no other help than the Bible. Of course, a small group could also work on these lessons together.

Introduction

Some background information about the Bible.

  1. Read the following paragraph and then answer the questions which follow.

    The Bible is a very special book. Many believe it is the only book ever written that began in the mind of God. They also believe that God revealed it to men who wrote it down as He directed. The Bible is actually a book made up of 66 smaller books. These 66 books are divided into two groups called the Old Testament--39 books--and the New Testament--27 books. (Look at these two divisions in a Bible.)

  2. Now answer the questions below by filling in the blanks. Look back at the information above if you need to do so.
    1. Many believe that the Bible began in the _________ of ______ and that He revealed it to __________ who wrote it down. The Bible claims this in 2 Peter 1:20,21.
    2. The Bible has _____ main parts called the ______ Testament and the _______ Testament.
    3. In the entire Bible there are ______ smaller books. In the Old Testament there are ____ of these smaller books and in the New Testament there are ____ of these smaller books.
  1. About 40 men wrote the 66 books of the Bible. These men lived in different countries and spoke different languages. The earliest lived about 1400 B.C. and the last about 100 A.D. So the writers, were separated by as much as 1500 years. When all these 66 books are combined, however, they fit together very well. Each book tells a part of one story--the story of God’s love for the people He created and how He wants to help them. These lessons summarize the message of the entire Bible.

  2. Now, fill in the blanks below:

    1. About ____ different men wrote at least one book in the Bible
    2. They were separated by as much as years, spoke different ____________ and lived in different.
    3. When the 66 books are all put together, they tell one story--the story of God’s love for the people He made.