THE BIBLE ENLARGED

If you are an avid reader of best sellers, but have never considered the Bible, you might like to consider a few facts. The Bible is the ultimate best seller of all time! Between 5 and 7 billion copies of the Bible have been sold, and in 2023, 35.5 million copies were sold!  6.45 copies of the Bible are sold every 10 seconds. The Bible has been translated into 736 languages, and the New Testament into 1,658 languages. Absolutely mind boggling! However, the Bible is not a single book. 66 individual books form it: 39 in the Old Testament (pre -Christian era), and 27 in the New Testament. The books in the Bible are divided into categories. In the Old Testament the first 5 books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy tell of creation of the world, the fall of man and the history of the Israelites from their conquest of Canaan until their defeat and exile in Babylon. In the New Testament, we find the 4 Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John forming a category, and dealing with the life of Jesus Christ on earth from their own point of view. Two books in the Old Testament were written about women, Ruth and Esther, two beautiful, brave and amazing women.
 
The books of the Bible are divided into chapters which in turn are divided into verses.  Searching is entered like this on Google: John 3:16,17, which reads “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” There are many translations of the Bible, I use the King James Version when writing as it is in the Public Domain, but read the New International Version (NIV). The most important verse in the Bible is the one quoted above. It shows the central position Jesus Christ holds in our world, and in our lives. 
 
We all know the Christmas story! It’s on our Christmas cards, it’s on paintings in our art galleries, it’s in our hearts as we listen to or sing Christmas carols. The Archangel Gabriel tells Mary, a devout and unmarried Jewess, that she would be the mother of the Son of God,  of shepherds on a hillside watching their flocks at night, being amazed at the appearance of angels singing Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth Peace and Goodwill, how they followed the Star to where baby Jesus lay in a manger, because there was no room for his parents in the inn, and how Three Wisemen from the East followed the Star to Bethlehem, worshipped the baby, and gave him costly gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 
 
After Joseph, having been warned by an angel in a dream fled with Mary and Jesus to Egypt, nothing about Jesus is heard until he was twelve. Mary and Joseph had been searching for him as they returned to Jerusalem for some days. They found him at last in the Temple discussing the Scriptures with leaders of the Jews who were astounded at his wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures. When Mary and Joseph scolded him, he replied, “Don’t you know I must be about my Father’s business?”  The next record of Jesus’ life is when he was thirty, and came preaching “The Kingdom of God is nigh. Repent and believe!” Jesus did many signs and wonders. He changed water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana, he healed the sick, lame and blind, and raised Lazarus from the dead, He found faith in Samaria which amazed him, he miraculously fed the vast crowds that followed him by blessing a boy’s two small fishes and three pieces of bread, he told them parables, and afterwards explained their meanings to his disciples. 
 
Other people in the Old Testament told of the coming of Jesus Christ as Messiah, but the most telling one comes from the prophet Isaiah in Isa 9:2,6,7 “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”  “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, and upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth and even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” 
 
Jesus Christ’s life story is told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It recounts his birth, how the Archangel Gabriel came to Mary, a devout young Jewess, and told her she would be the mother of the Son of God. Mary was engaged to Joseph, and he was a kind and just man, and wanted to protect her. An angel told him of the virgin birth, and Joseph had no sex with her until after Jesus’ birth. 
 
From the beginning of the Bible to its end, the Triune God permeates its pages. God and the Holy Spirt are present from the dawn of Creation: “And the earth was without form and void… and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).  The Spirit is also present in the last book of the Bible. The Apostle John says, “I was in the Spirit.” (Revelation 1:1), and in the last chapter, we read, “And the Spirit and the bride say…” (Revelation 22:17).  The Triune God is formed by three totally different persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  However, they form a single unit, the “three in one.”  “For there are three which bare the record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7). In Christ’s Incarnation, the Father sends the Son, and the Holy Spirit “overshadows” Mary as she conceives. “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).  At Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan, the Holy Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove, and the Father speaks, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). Here are 3 quotes we are given from the Bible about the Holy Spirit. Firstly, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). This implies that God is the source of what is recorded in the Bible, and through the Holy Spirit used human authors for what he wanted them to write. Secondly, when Christians are persecuted, and arraigned in courts of law, the Holy Spirit will tell them what to say (2 Timothy 12: 11-12).  Thirdly, the Holy Spirit gives all Christians gifts in order to serve God. Some of these are found in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and include wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning spirits, different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues (languages).

From the beginning of the Bible to its very end, we find the Devil trying to thwart God’s plan for humanity made in his image. The 2 greatest prayers in the Bible were prayed by our Lord. In the first instance, his disciples asked him how they should pray, and he answered with the wonderful words of what we call The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in Heaven” (Matthew 6:9-13). In the second, he prayed for God’s protection for his disciples and future followers, including us, from the Devil (John 17:6-26).

In the Bible, in both the Testaments, humanity is seen in the raw, for example, in the Old Testament the wicked man, Cain who murdered his brother, and King David, the great warrior who wrote most of the Psalms and is remembered for his adultery with Bathsheba, and his great Psalm of repentance, “Against thee, O Lord, only have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). Samson was the last judge of Israel and Delilah was his third wife (Judges 16). Samson possessed great physical strength, and leaders of the Philistines bribed her to find out the source of Samson’s strength. After 3 failed attempts, she discovered it was in his hair. While he was sleeping, she cut his hair and gave him into the Philistines hands. Deborah was the only Judge of Israel to be called a prophet and was also the only female judge. The prominent part she played in the defeat of the Canaanites is told in Judges 4, and in Judges 5 by a poem called “The Song of Deborah”. She was a wise, courageous, and humble person, always giving praise to God. The story of Rahab is found in the book of Joshua 2. It is an exciting story, the story of the prostitute Rahab who sheltered and protected 2 spies sent from Joshua to Jericho. She risked her life and the lives of her family because she said, “I know that the Lord hath given you the land” (V 9). Rahab lived on the town wall and let the 2 spies down over it on a red rope. The 2 men had promised her that no harm would come to her or her family, but she must “bind the thread (red rope) in the window which thou didst let us down by, and bring all thy family, and thy father’s household unto thee” (V 18). And so, a prostitute saved her family and enabled Joshua to get control of the country and defeat the King of Jericho.

In the New Testament we also find wicked and good people. Jesus Christ is not included in this category. He did many good deeds like healing people, casting out evil spirits and even raising the dead, he was the “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Priscilla and Aquila were 2 of the Apostle Paul’s associates.  Like him, they were tent makers, and he lived with them in Corinth. They also evangelized in other cities, and “who have for my life laid down their own necks” (Romans 16:4). They also taught Apollos, who knew the Scriptures, to teach more accurately (Acts 18: 24-26). Many good people are mentioned in the New Testament like the disciples Matthew, Mark and John.  The Apostle Paul wrote several letters to newly established churches e.g. the church in Corinth, as well as personal letters, e.g. to Timothy.  These form books of the New Testament.  In James 1:1, we read: “A servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  It is believed that the books of James and Jude were written by the half- brothers of Jesus, i.e. the sons of Mary and Joseph (Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:19).  The Gospel of Luke is believed to have been written by Luke, a companion of Paul and a loved physician.

Now let’s consider women who followed our Lord and those who helped him or served him in the early church. John 20:14-17 tells of Mary Magdalene standing in the garden weeping in front of the empty tomb. She sees Jesus but does not recognize him. She thought he was a gardener and asked him where Jesus’ body had been taken.  Jesus said, “Mary” and she recognized him. “Jesus saith unto her: Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God.”  Mary Magdalene was the woman who was demon-possessed, and from whom Jesus cast out “seven devils.” (Luke 8:2). Matthew 26:6,7, 10,12,13 and Mark 14:3-9 tell of Mary Magdalene pouring costly perfumed ointment over Jesus’ head. Despite the criticism of Judas, Jesus said she had done a “beautiful thing” and “she has anointed my body beforehand for burial… wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”  Luke 7:36-50 tells how she washed Jesus’ feet weeping and drying them with her hair. Mary Magdalene was the first person to whom the risen Lord appeared. In Luke 8:2-3, we read of the women who followed Jesus and his disciples and provided for them out of their own resources. These include Mary Magdalene, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, steward to Herod Antipas, Susanna, who is mentioned only once in the New Testament, and it is thought she was healed of something or of demon-possession, and “many others”. Other good women in the early church are Dorcas, and the mother and grandmother Timothy, the Apostle Paul’s protégé and fellow worker. The Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5) writes “when I call to remembrance the faith that dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and a sound mind.” In Acts 9:36-43, we read of Dorcas, sometimes called Tabitha, who lived in Joppa, now Tel Aviv. She was known for her generosity to the poor, especially making clothes for them.  She died, and when the local church heard that Peter was nearby, they called for him. He knelt, and prayed privately for her, and “when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive” (V 41). There are 2 examples of bad or in the case of the second, very evil women in the New Testament. The first is Sapphira, wife of Ananias. The full story is found in Acts 5:1-10. Here is the essence of it. Ananias sold something of value and colluded with his wife to keep back some of it for themselves. (This was at a time in the early church when wealthy people were selling all they had and giving it to poor fellow Christians). Peter asked Ananias why he lied and kept back part of the profit. When Ananias heard this, he fell down, died, and was carried out to be buried. Three hours later, Sapphira returned, unaware that her husband had died. Peter asked her how much she had sold the “possession” for. She told him, and Peter said, “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” She collapsed, was carried out and buried with her husband. In the REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST (Revelation 17:1-18), we read of the “great whore,” the most evil woman in the Bible.

Why do we have the Bible? It is really quite simple. It’s Almighty God’s way of communicating with humanity, made in his image. He also communicates with us through his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. In John 3:16,17 we read: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”  The Apostle John calls Jesus Christ the WORD (John 1:1). This is God’s amazing plan to reverse humanity’s fall when Adam and Eve disobeyed him in the Garden of Eden, and to have a countless number of people in the new Heaven he will create for people of faith, like Abraham and Moses, in the Old Testament, and the redeemed who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord, Master and Saviour in the New Testament and those who have chosen to follow him since.
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May God use this blog for his glory.
Merle