by Shawn Boonstraand Pacific Press Publishing AssociationEdited by Fred Hardinge, DrPH Art Direction & Cover Design by Fred Knopper Cover Illustration by Steve Creitz Layout by Brent Hardinge Text Typeset: 11 pt. ITC New Baskerville Copyright 2007 by It Is Written. All Rights Reserved. Additional copies of this bookand a host of other spiritual resources are available from It Is Written. For more information call toll free 1-888-664-5573 or visititiswrittenUnless otherwise noted, all Bible texts are from the New King James Version, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Usedby permission. The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan is included courtesy of the Discipleship Journal and is also available on their website: discipleshipjournal. Used by permission. Printed in the United States of America by Pacific Press Publishing Association Nampa, Idaho / Oshawa, Ontario, Canada pacificpress ISBN 10: 081632199X ISBN 13: 9780816321995ContentsIntroduction...............................................................5 Mary Jones and the Bible ..........................................8Bible Study Basics.....................................................19 Getting Even More From Your Bible Study ............27 Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan.................41 Read the Bible in a Year...........................................54 Bible Study Resources ...............................................60For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalm 119:105I n t r o d u c t i o nThe Bible is undeniably a most remarkable book. It has outlived all of its critics, survived centuries of prohibition and has changed countless lives for the better. It has a power that no other book has. It has made thieves honest, cheaters faithful and drunkards sober.It has transformed warring savages into upright and peace-loving people. No wonder itcontinues to be the best seller of all time, in spite of numerous authorities and governments who have tried to ban it and the godless people who have burned and destroyed it. Many Christians have given their lives to protect and preserve it. Why has this ancient book had such an impact on the world? Because the Bible is the very Word of God. Over a period of hundreds of years God chose faithful people from a variety of backgrounds to write what He wanted to communicate to this world through a process called inspiration. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:20-21, ¡°Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spokeTHE SWORD OF THE SPIRITas they were moved by the Holy Spirit.¡± Today we read God¡¯s Word in our own language¡ªeven though it was originally writtenin Hebrew or Greek, it has been carefully translated from the original languages into ours. Though the Bible was written hundreds of years ago, the message it expresses is powerful today because it is the Word of God. Paul wrote, ¡°All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work¡± (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This special book provides encouragement, hope, guidance, inspiration and comfort as well as solutions to life¡¯s most perplexing problems. While it may look to the casual observer like one book, it is really 66 books¡ª39 of which are called the Old Testament, and 27 called the New Testament. Because 44 authors wrote these books, each one is unique. There are exciting adventures, beautiful poetry, inspiring stories, and wise counsel and instruction. What is most remarkable is that each author and each bookexpresses God¡¯s love for us and His plan to save us from our sins. In studying this Book ofbooks you will find intriguing lessons in how God worked in the lives of people long ago, from which you will learn important truths and gain the strength to apply them in your life. As you read and study your Bible, never forget that the Author, God Himself, is speaking to you, asking you to follow Him. James 1:22-25 entreats, ¡°But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not aInTRODucTIOndoer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goesaway, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfectlaw of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.¡± Chances are that you have one or more Biblesin your home. How often do you pick one up to read? This little book will help you maximize the time you spend reading, searching and meditating on God¡¯s Word. These principles will help make the Bible come alive for you!C h a p t e rO n eMary Jones and the BibleJust imagine, before 1907 nobody had ever vacuumed a carpet, because the vacuum cleaner had not been invented yet. Before 1914 nobody had ever run a red light, becausethere was no such thing as a traffic light. Before 1914 no one had ever snagged a zipper. Before 1920 nobody had come up witha Band-Aid solution to a problem, because there was no such thing as a Band-Aid. Before 1921 no one had ever been subjected to a lie detector test. In 1928 the black and white picture tube was invented. The first color tube did not appear until 1940. Before 1941 nobody had ever used an aerosol can. Before 1953, no one had ever received a kidney transplant. Nonstick cooking first appeared in kitchens in 1954, and no one ever dreamed of laser eye surgery before 1962. The 1970s brought us floppy disks, laser printers, testtube babies and VHS players. The 1980s brought us cell phones, computer animation, space shuttles, soymilk and GPS systems. The 1990s introduced us to the World Wide Web, gene mapping, anMaRy JOnES anD THE BIBlEtimatter and cloning. The 20th century was a whirlwind of scientific discovery. Technologically speaking, it may go down as the most significant period of earth¡¯s history. The face of human existence was radically altered. In fact, it was so revolutionary that some Bible scholars see it as a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Let me show you what I mean. Daniel the prophet lived more than 2,400 years ago. He was a young, aristocratic Jew who had been taken captive by the Babylonians. He lived in the court of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar as one of hisspecial trainee captives. During his lifetime as a royal prisoner, God repeatedly gave him visions of the future of our planet. These visions spelled out the world¡¯s history from Daniel¡¯s day right down to the close of time. They are literally a detailed timeline between Daniel¡¯s time and the day Jesus comes back for us. To date, not one detail in any of Daniel¡¯s prophecies has been wrong, and since most of what he predicted has already happened, millions of people have come to trust what Daniel says about our future. But what does the book of Daniel have to do with the inventions of the 20th century? Quite a lot,some people think. There is an interesting verse near the end of the book that has arrested the attention of many Bible scholars in recent years: ¡°But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the timeof the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.¡± (Daniel 12:4) The Book of Daniel plainly predicts that just before the end of time, there will be a dramatic increase in knowledge. Some Bible students believe this is a reference to the sensa-10THE SWORD OF THE SPIRITtional explosion of technology over the last 100 years or so. I won¡¯t dispute it entirely¡ªit may indirectly refer to that¡ªbut I don¡¯t believe that is truly what the angel had in mind. Let me explain. If you read the book of Daniel closely, you will find all through it ¨C (in the ninth chapter in parti
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