When dealing with any subject matter, the concept of perspective is
important. We can break down our perspective of the bible into two
separate, but complimentary viewpoints. One view is to look at the bible
through the lens of a microscope and examine its parts in detail,
such as a verse-by-verse study. The other view is to look at it through
the lens of a telescope and see how all the pieces fit together.
This study will examine the entire panorama of the bible through a
telescopic lens so we can gain a strategic grasp of the whole. Once
we’ve done this, each particular book becomes more meaningful because
we see how it fist into the whole of God‘s story.
We will break down God’s story into chronological eras:
The
Beginning
Abraham Through Solomon
Division, Captivity & Exile
The Return To Israel
Intertestament Period
Jesus
The church
The end
In each segment, we will see God’s plan to be with his people. While He
remains unchanging in His attributes and character, God chooses to
employ different methods of dealing with mankind during each separate
period of history.
The Beginning
[Genesis 1-11]
Creation:
God creates the universe.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
(Genesis 1:1).
Fall:
Man chooses to turn his back
on God.
“….but
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in
the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”
(Genesis 2:17)
Flood:
God judges a wicked world.
“And behold. I myself
am bringing floodwaters on the earth…..”
(Genesis 6:17).
Man's Frailty:
God dispersed mankind when
man tries to become like God.
“……its name is Babel, because -the Lord confused the language of all….”
(Genesis 11:9).
God’s Plan
Method: friendship
Desired response:
“I will trust you!”
Abraham Through Solomon
[Genesis 12- 1 Kings 10]
The promise of land
and descendants is given to Abraham:
Now the LORD had said unto
Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy
father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and
thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and
curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth
be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)
This promise is then passed from father to son as it goes from Abraham
to Isaac, to Jacob. At this time, God renames Jacob and calls him
Israel. We also see a tribal framework develop, twelve tribes who will
later rule twelve regions of the country.
One of these
brothers, Joseph, is sold into slavery and taken away to Egypt. Through
God’s providence Joseph becomes a very powerful Egyptian ruler and is a
key progenitor in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Moses comes through that
lineage, leads the Israelites out of Egypt and provides two important
devices:
1.
The Law, which is God’s standard for righteousness.
2.
The Tabernacle, a place where God desires to meet with His
people.
During this time God prolongs Israel’s time in the dessert because of
their ungrateful and disobedient hearts. At the end of a forty year
period of wandering in the wilderness, the mantle of leadership is
passed from Moses to Joshua. Joshua finally conquers the land by
following God’s orders to drive out its pagan inhabitants.
After the conquest is the pre-kingdom period of Judges and Ruth. Ruth is
a very Godly woman who seeks after God with all of her heart. She is a
key descendant in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, a bridge between the
time of the judges and the monarchy, and an example of love through
loyalty.
Samuel is also an important bridge, not only as two books in the bible,
but as a man. He is the last judge and the first prophet to anoint a
king. This first king is Saul and he fails. Due to a self seeking heart
the kingship is passed to David, a man after God’s own heart.
David then passes this blessing on to his son Solomon. Solomon’s
greatest achievement was building the temple, which David was not
allowed to build because of his sin. God’s glory inhabited the temple.
God’s Plan
His Method:
The Law
His Desired Response: “I will follow.”
He wanted, then and now, our obedience to His command. At this time the
primary message was “Fear Me (reverence Me). This is what Israel needed
for that time and what we still need for today. They were a rebellious
and stiff-necked people. This caused the Lord to deal harshly with them
at times.
Division, Captivity and Exile
(1 Kings 11 - 2 Chronicles
36)
Solomon’s heart turn’s to pagan idolatry. Upon his demise the kingdom of
Israel is divided into two regions:
1.
The northern portion of the region becomes the kingdom of Israel.
This is comprised of 10 tribes that turn to idolatrous worship.
2.
The southern portion is the Kingdom of Judah comprised of two
tribes, which stay faithful to God for a season.
In 722 BC the Assyrian kingdom attacks and carries Israel into
captivity.
The next world power to come on the scene is Babylon. Babylon conquers
Assyria, and in 605 BC attacks Judah. After a series of three attacks,
they carry Judah off into captivity.
God’s Plan
His Method:
Poetry
His Desired Response:
Intimacy
God is writing love stories to Israel. His desire is to create intimacy,
but Israel rejected Him. So God humbled them and, during their 70 year
Babylonian captivity, took them to a place in their walk where they
could relearn what it was to have an intimate relationship with Him.
During this time Israel is reflecting on the Psalms. They are listening
to God’s poetry and wisdom. Some of these divinely inspired poems are of
lament and sorrow with the attitude of, “I’m sorry. I wish things hadn’t
turned out this way.
The Return to Israel
(Ezra - Esther)
Babylon was then conquered by Cyrus the Persian. Under the rule of
Cyrus, we see three waves of Jews to return to repopulate Israel:
1.
Zerubbabel: Leads them back
2.
Ezra: Rebuilds the temple
3.
Nehemiah: Rebuilds the walls
God’s Plan
His Method:
Prophecy
His desired
response:
Repentance
Most of the prophets of the Old Testament had already spoken, lived and
died by this time. It wasn’t until their captivity that Israel began to
reflect on what God had said through the prophets.
Inter-Testament Period
The stage is being
reset. God’s plan is to be silent for approximately 400 years as we
watch the world powers rearrange themselves.
Persia
declines.
Greece takes over. Their
importance and relevance is culture and language.
Rome rises to power. Their
importance and relevance is government, stability, and means of
transportation for trade and commerce. Under the Greek empire of
Alexander, the pieces were united, but were disjointed. Rome connects
the pieces and makes them a single, unified commercial machine.
JESUS !!!
(Matthew - John)
Ties into the theme of God wanting to be with His people. “ In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God………The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:1, 14)
Jesus adopts the tribal framework of the old testament and chooses
twelve disciples to carry His word into all the world. “And when it
was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them he chose
twelve whom He named apostles” (Luke 6:13).
Among these He chose Peter, James and John for a closer deeper walk.
Through His ministry, Jesus:
Taught: “…seeing the
multitudes, He went up on a mountain, when He was seated His disciples
came to Him…He opened His mouth and taught them…”
(Matt. 5:1,2)
Died: “For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life”
(John 3:16)
Arose:
“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of
Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here”
(Mark 16:6).
Sent:
“…Jesus said to them…., Peace to you! As
the Father has sent Me, I also send you”
(John 20:21).
Ascended:
“So then, after the Lord had spoken to
them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of
God” (Mark 16:19).
God’s Plan
His Method:
Incarnation
His Desired
Response:
Restoration of His relationship to Israel and mankind
The Church
(Acts - Jude)
The Holy Spirit falls upon the Church and affects Jerusalem.
The Gospel is spread through the scattering of early converts.
Paul continues to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
We currently live in the age of missions: “And this gospel will be
preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the
end will come” (Matt. 24:14)
(We are rapidly approaching the end of the church age.)
God’s Plan
His Method:
To communicate through and be lead by His Word through the power of the
Holy Spirit.
His Desired
Response: A
re-established relationship with mankind, by grace through
faith.
The End of the Age
(Revelation)
Rapture
The beginning of the end. The
next major event on the biblical timeline. “Then we who are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1
Thess. 4:17).
Tribulation
A time of unprecedented,
worldwide horrors as detailed in Revelation 6-19. “For then there
will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of
the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21)
Return
Jesus returns to settle all
accounts and usher in the millennial reign of His kingdom. “And
then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall
all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Matt. 24:30
Reign
Jesus receives the title deed
for planet, which Satan formerly held. Upon His return Jesus takes
control and rules on earth (Literal) thousand year period. “ He laid
hold of the dragon , that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan,
and bound Him for a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:2) “And they lived
and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4c)
Retribution
Upon the completion of the
millennial reign, non-believers receive final judgment. “Then
Death and Hades were cast into
the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written
in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”
(Rev. 20:14,15).
Re-Creation
Believers receive their new
glorified bodies. “Now I saw a new heaven and earth, for the
first heaven and first earth
had passed away. Also there was no sea…..Then He who sat on the throne
said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write for
these words are true and faithful.”
(Rev.21:6-7) “And they shall reign
forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5b)
God’s Plan
His Method:
Completion
His Result:
Eternal communion with the Him. “In
my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
gain, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also.”
(John 14:2,3)
Food For Thought
1.
Why is it important to have a big picture perspective of the
bible?
2.
Having seen the big picture could you walk someone through this?
3. Name
one theme you see throughout this study?
4. How
does it help your faith to see an overview of scripture?
A verse to
remember;
“Search
me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if
there be any wicked way in me, and lead
me in the way everlasting.”
(Psalms 139:23, 24)