Jan. 2. PREFACE TO THE GOSPELS. Luke 1:1-4; John 1:1-18 The Bible is composed of two grand divisions, The Old Testament and The New Testament. At the beginning of the Old Testament, we are told of the creation of the heavens, the earth and all living creatures on the earth (including man). As man began to populate the earth, he became very sinful. In fact, he was so sinful that God decided to destroy His creation by a giant flood. However, Noah and his family, who were righteous, were given the opportunity to save themselves by building an ark to weather the storm. Many years later, God spoke to Abram (Abraham) and PROMISED that he would be the father of a great nation and that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. This PROMISE was renewed to his son, Isaac and to his grandson, Jacob. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and he became the head of the twelve tribes of the Israelite (Hebrew) nation, a special people of God. The Israelites increased in number and they found themselves in slavery in the land of Egypt. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and persuaded him to lead them out of Egypt. After a series of plagues, Pharaoh, King of Egypt allowed the Hebrews to leave for a land that God had promised them. During forty years of wilderness wandering before entering the Promised Land, God established His laws to govern the Israelite nation. The Ten Commandments were given at this time and became the foundation of what is known as the Law of Moses. This Law was in effect until the beginning of the Christian Age. The remainder of the Old Testament relates the rises and falls of the Israelites, as they became hot and cold in their obedience to God. Prophets were sent by God to warn the people of the consequences of disobeying Him and to relate to them a most important PROMISE. Jesus, the Son of God was introduced to us by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the writers of the Gospels that bear their names.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 23:37:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015