Jesus is Coming

Many people seldom read the Bible, because all they see is a book more than 1,000 pages long, that is split up into 66 smaller books with over 30,000 verses in all. Because the Bible was written by men living at least 1,900 years ago, and is about men and women who lived as far back as Creation, some people get the idea that "the Bible is just too difficult to understand."

The truth is, the Bible is not too hard to understand. But it does take time and effort. One helpful thing to remember, whether you are just beginning to study the Bible, or whether you have been studying it for a long time, is that Jesus is the central theme. The Bible briefly can be outlined by making three points: (1) Jesus is coming; (2) Jesus has come; and (3) Jesus is coming again. These last two points are the main theme of the New Testament. The first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) say a great deal about what Jesus did while He was here on Earth. The New Testament books of Acts through Revelation tell about Jesus' Second Coming, and what we need to be doing in the meantime. They give us details about the Second Coming, but they mostly give instruction on how to live godly lives, so that we will be ready to go to heaven with Jesus when He does return.

The 39 books of the Old Testament are summed up by the first phrase mentioned above, "Jesus is coming." [This refers to Jesus' departure from heaven, when He came to Earth in human form 2,000 years ago "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).] In the Old Testament, we read about many of the ancestors of Jesus. One of those ancestors was Abraham, a faithful servant of God. On two different occasions, God told Abraham that through one of his descendants, God would bless the world (Genesis 12:3; 22:18). In the years to come, this promise also was made to Abraham's son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 26:4; 28:14). Throughout the Old Testament, many prophets spoke about the coming of this Savior. The New Testament says that this descendant of Abraham, who would bring salvation to the world, was Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16; John 3:16). It is our hope that you will draw closer to Him as you study about His life that is recorded in the Bible.

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