Bible History

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (John 5:39).

Along the way, this study will testify of His mighty hand, as the authenticity of the Word of God will shine brightly.

The Bible consists of 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Bible history reveals that the Bible was written over a period of about 1600 years, with 32 writers of the Old Testament and 8 writers of the New Testament. The Bible was penned at different times, in different countries by 40 different men, for the most who never met each other. Yet, there is not one contradiction in the Bible. How is that possible? The Bible gives us the answer,

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)

Both the Old and the New Testament writers claim that "God wrote it!" There are over 3800 times when phrases like; "God said", "God commanded" and "Lord spake" when the writers claim that God inspired their writing. In fact the Apostle Paul who wrote more than half of the New Testament said,

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:37).

So what does "testament" mean? Webster's defines it as a "covenant with God". The "Old" Testament is the covenant God had with man about salvation prior to when He manifested himself in the flesh as Jesus Christ. The "New" Testament is God's covenant with man about salvation after Jesus came. Let us delve into this rich Bible history by starting at the beginning.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

and the Apostle John confirmed it in the New Testament,

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not (John 1:10).

The Fall of Man

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).

By one man's offence death reigned.....by one man's disobedience many were made sinners.....as sin hath reigned unto death (Romans 5:17,19,21)

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15).

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).

The Genesis Flood

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5).

Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water (1 Peter 3:20).

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21).

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh (Genesis 9:14-15).

The Tower of Babel

Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth (Genesis 11:9).

Abraham's Promise

And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be (Genesis 15:5).

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.(Genesis 17:7-8)

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise (Hebrews 11:8-9)

And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them (Exodus 1:7).

He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes (Psalms 105:37).

As part of Bible history, Moses penned this covenant with God about 1500 BC. As it turns out God's challenge to Abraham "to number the stars in heaven" still remains a challenge today for astronomers. Click here to read more on this subject and other scientific truths from the Bible.

The Deliverance of God's People

Lost in the Wilderness

And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea (Exodus 15:21).

And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink (Exodus 15:24)?

Even though God supplied them with water and food their unbelief continued resulting in them being lost in the wilderness for forty years. During these forty years as desert nomads, Jehovah introduced His laws, His expectations, His commandments and the necessity of obedience to them. God clearly described the blessings of being obedient children as well as the consequences of not keeping His commandments.

God also gave them His expectations about the proper form of worship, giving them specific instructions on how to build a mobile Tabernacle. They followed His instructions and used the mobile Tabernacle to worship Him. They used this mobile Tabernacle to worship God until King Solomon built the permanent temple during his reign.

The Bible history relating to the period from 1446 to 1406 BC can be found in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

In the laws that God provided, He gave many instructions that have been applicable through the ages. As an example, He provided mankind with instructions on how to live a healthy life. Unfortunately, humanity has not always listened! The Black Plague, where over 75,000,000 people died, was a direct result of not following the Word of God. Follow this link to learn more about God's instructions on living a healthy life.

Possessing the Promised Land

......pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it (Joshua 1:11).

So the Lord stopped the flow of the Jordan,

And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. (Joshua 1:17).

Governed by Judges

And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice (Judges 6:10).

This is exactly what happened when the Lord chose Gideon as His mighty man of valour to lead them into battle against the Midianites. With only three hundred men and the mighty hand of God,

Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon (Judges 8:28).

Read the Bible history of Judges to learn who the other twelve Judges were and the length of time they governed. There you will also find the Bible history of Ruth and how she became part of the genealogy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Make Us A King

........now make us a king to judge us like all the nations (1 Samuel 8:5).

And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee (1 Samuel 8:7-8).

King Saul

King David

... he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will (Acts 13:22).

David reigned for forty years, always praising and thanking God for the blessings God had bestowed upon him. David loved the house of God, going there always to worship Yahweh. David also encouraged others to worship God,

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men (Psalms 107:8)!

The Lord promised David that,

He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever (2 Samuel 7:13).

For the rich Bible history of all the Kings that ruled over Israel follow these links, Books of Samuel and Kings, Books of Chronicles.

King Solomon

Solomon was also blessed with the honor of building the permanent Temple for the Lord. In 966 BC the construction of the Temple began and was completed 7 years later. The pattern resembled the mobile Tabernacle, with a courtyard, brazen altar, brazen laver, Holy Place, "Holy of Holies" and many more rooms and porches.

Unfortunately, even with all his worldly wisdom, Solomon did not always listen to God. God gave His children clear instructions not to take wives that worshipped other gods, because

.....for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love (1 Kings 11:2).

Solomon didn't listen though as he had over one thousand wives and concubines who persuaded him to build shrines to false gods. This idolatry resulted in judgment by the Lord,

.....thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee....in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. (1 Kings 11:1)

The Divided Kingdom

And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions (1 Kings 12:14).

The Northern Kingdom, Israel

In 931 BC, the ten northern tribes revolted and appointed Jeroboam, king over the Northern Kingdom, Israel. Israel's capital was erected in Samaria. Over the next two hundred years, there were seven different families (or dynasties) nineteen kings that reigned over Israel. Every king of Israel was evil. Eight of these kings met a violent death. The epitaph written over every one of these kings was,

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin (1 Kings 15:34).

In 874 BC, Ahab became king and introduced Baal worship to Israel,

And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him (1 Kings 16:30-33).

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The country, totally consumed with Baal worship, was not willing to heed to the dire warnings of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Consequently God left them to their own devices and in 721 BC they were taken into Assyrian captivity. As a nation, the children of Israel never returned. The Israelites who remained, intermarried with the Assyrians and this mixture resulted in the Samaritans of the New Testament.

The Southern Kingdom - Judah

Rehoboam remained King of the Southern Kingdom over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. To ensure that the lineage to Jesus was not broken as promised by God,

....sceptre shall not depart from Judah (Genesis 49:10)

the dynasty of King David remained in control. Under this single dynasty there were nineteen kings and one queen. There were six of these rulers, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah who

....did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD......(1 Kings 15:11).

The remainder were wicked and idolatrous, some even desecrating the Temple of God.

Again God sent prophets like Isaiah and Zephaniah to warn Judah to repent or be destroyed. As was the case in the Northern Kingdom the leaders and the people for the most part did not obey their instructions and they too were left unprotected by the mighty hand of God.

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Babylonian Captivity

In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar became the king of Babylon and invaded Judah. A small portion of the population was carried away into captivity during this invasion. Twenty years later, the Babylonians returned and destroyed the city, including the Temple that Solomon built and took the last of the captives to Babylon. The captivity lasted for 70 years until the Babylonian empire was destroyed by the Medes and the Persians.

As part of Bible history, Click here to go to the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah to learn about the return of the Israelites to Palestine and the reconstruction of Jerusalem. Follow these links to read the Bible history of Esther and Job.

The Prophets

Not only did God use these prophets to issue warnings to the rebellious nations of Israel and Judah, He used them to prophecy about events that would happens hundreds of years later. For instance, the prophet Joel is known as the "Pentecost Prophet". He highlighted his prophecy of the future outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the body of Christ, the Church,

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit (Joel 2:28-29).

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).

the Apostle Peter, who was one of the one hundred and twenty in the upper room, preached the first sermon of the Church dispensation. Peter repeated Joel's sermon and when they heard it,

.......they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do (Acts 2:37)?

Peter immediately replied,

.....Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:38-39).

So on the day of Pentecost three thousand more lost souls were baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues,

....and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls (Acts 2:41).

THE NEW TESTAMENT

God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory (1 Timothy 3:16).

Yes, God came himself in the flesh as Jesus Christ. The only atonement that was going to put man right with God, was the sacrifice of a human life, one without sin. He didn't ask anybody else to make this sacrifice, He did it by Himself,

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:19).

There were many eyewitnesses to this selfless act of love, and fortunately for humanity they preserved in writing what they saw and heard and what they were taught by Christ prior to His crucifixion, and from the risen Christ, prior to His ascension.

Prophecy Fulfilled

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation (Isaiah 12:2).

The Hebrew word for salvation, from Strong's dictionary, is "yshuw`ah", pronounced "yesh-oo'-aw" or "Yeshua" which in English is "Jesus". Paraphrasing, we have,

...the LORD JEHOVAH...is become my Jesus.

Nothing in all of Bible history compares to the fulfillment of this prophecy,

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matthew 1:23).

The Good News

Euaggelizo {yoo-ang-ghel-id'-zo} (Strong's 2097) - to bring good news, to announce glad tidings

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people (Matthew 4:23).

So paraphrasing Matthew 4:23 we read,,

And Jesus went about.....preaching the "good news - announcing glad tidings" of the kingdom... (Matthew 4:23).

Now by "searching the scriptures because in them we have eternal life and they testify of Christ" (John 5:39), we find the Apostle Paul clearly telling us what the gospel, this good news, these glad tidings are,

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

The Four Gospels

Gospel According to Matthew

Jesus.....saith unto him, follow me. And he arose, and followed him (Matthew 9:9).

The name "Matthew" means "gift of God." In the Books of Mark and Luke, they called him "Levi". It is not known whether Jesus renamed him after he became a disciple or if the name "Levi" only described his tribal descent. The Bible does not tell us what happened to Matthew after the day of Pentecost. Christians from the early church commemorated his life as a martyr of Christ.

It is believed the book of Matthew was written in 65 to 70 AD, before the Temple was destroyed. Bible scholars believe that Matthew originally wrote it in Aramaic for the Jewish people, as the book has a definite Judaic background. This influence is readily seen when Matthew uses the phrase "the kingdom of heaven" thirty-two times. At a later date, Matthew translated the book to Greek, where it became known and well circulated.

In this book we meet John the Baptist, anointed to prepare the way for Christ,

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins (Luke 1:76-77).

For the first time in Bible history, John the Baptist discusses the concept of being baptized with water and with the Holy Ghost,

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire (Matthew 3:11).

In the Old Testament, Jehovah continuously instructed the Israelites to repent of their evil ways. As we noticed above, John the Baptist preached repentance, and in Matthew we observe that Jesus continues this preaching, and tells them why,

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).

For more Bible history on the Gospel According to Matthew, follow the link.

Gospel According to Mark

Mark, the evangelist was "John whose surname was Mark" (Acts 12:12). Mark was his Roman name, which gradually came to supersede his Jewish name John. He is called John in Acts 13:5 and Mark in Acts 15:39. Even though his name is not in the book, Mark has been traditionally assigned as the author. Mark's style of writing stresses facts and actions as opposed to themes. This results in the book being the most vivid account of Christ's life. The book was written about 63 AD.

John Mark was the son of Mary and the cousin of Barnabas. He resided in Jerusalem with his mother where Peter found "many were gathered together praying" (Acts 12:12) when God delivered him from prison. Peter refers to Mark as his "son" in (1 Peter 5:13) and so it is thought that Peter was his mentor and that he used the knowledge he gleaned from Peter about Jesus in writing the Gospel. Bible history tells us that he went with Barnabas and Paul (Acts 12:25) on Paul's first missionary journey, and left them when they reached Cyprus and returned to Jerusalem. About 10 years later in 60 AD, he was with Paul in Rome (2 Timothy 4:11). It is believed he was martyred in 68 AD when pagans of Serapis tied him to a horse's tail and dragged him through the streets of Alexandria.

In Mark we observe that Jesus sends his disciples to preach repentance,

And they went out, and preached that men should repent (Mark 6:12).

and He emphatically states that baptism is necessary for salvation,

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:16).

Follow the link for more Bible history on Gospel According to Mark.

Gospel According to Luke

Luke was a gentile and was called the "beloved physician" (Col 4:14) by the Apostle Paul. Luke states that he learned the message from others,

Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word (Luke 1:2)

Luke discloses his purpose for writing the book as follows,

It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus (Luke 1:3).

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (Luke 4:18).

At the end of Luke's Gospel, we observe that the risen Christ,

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45)

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49).

Gospel According to John

John tells us his purpose for writing the book,

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name (John 20:31).

In a moral or religious reference,

1) used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul
2) to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith
3) mere acknowledgment of some fact or event: intellectual faith.

John ensures that we know "what" and "who" Jesus is,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.(John 1:14).

God is a Spirit....(John 4:24)

For Bible history, John defined the essence of Jesus Christ,

1. He was on the earth in flesh as the only person "begotten" of God, and
2. He was God, the Holy Spirit.

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12)

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne (Revelation 4:2).

There are two other significant truths of Bible history that John wrote about. The other Gospels gave us glimpses of these truths, but John left no doubt. The first is that Jesus declared what it would take to get to Heaven,

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).

The second of these truths is that the Holy Ghost would be given to humanity after Jesus ascended to heaven,

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37:39)

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you (John 16:7).

Christ's Suffering and Death

It was in 33 AD in Bible history when Jesus was in Gethsemane praying,

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:42-44)

Shortly thereafter Jesus was betrayed by a Judas Iscariot for thirty pieces of silver,

And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver(Matthew 26:15). Betrayal for thirty pieces of silver - prophesied in Zechariah 11:12 and to be betrayed by a friend - prophesied in Psalm 41-9

And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in (Matthew 27:5-7). Betrayal money thrown in the Temple and used to buy a potter's field - prophesied in Zechariah 11:13

Jesus soon found that His disciples abandoned Him,

And they all forsook him, and fled (Mark 14:50). Forsaking by friends - prophesied in Zechariah 13:7

And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands (Mark 14:65). Spit upon and struck - prophesied in Isaiah 50:6

And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate( Mark 15:1).

But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled (Mark 15:5). Opened not His mouth - prophesied in Isaiah 53:7

And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified (Mark 15:15) Scourged with whip - prophesied in Isaiah 53:5

Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one (2 Corinthians 11:24).

And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head (Mark 15:17)

And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him (Mark 15:19-20) And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet (Luke 24:40). His hands and feet pierced -prophesied in Psalm 22:16

Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left (Matthew 27:38). Crucified with thieves - prophesied in Isaiah 53:12

And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take (Mark 15:24) Cast lots for His clothes - prophesied in Psalm 22:18

But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water (John 19:33-34). Bones not broken prophesied in Psalm 34:20 and pierced in the side prophesied in Zechariah 12:10

They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink (Matthew 27:34). Vinegar and gall to drink - prophesied in Psalm 69:21

But before He died, the omnipotent God who could have unleashed "twelve legions of angels" (Matthew 26:53) to destroy those crucifying Him,

....said Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). Made intercession for transgressors - prophesied in Isaiah 53:12

This section of Bible history, from Christ's betrayal to His death was about 16 hours in duration. As noted, there were fourteen prophecies from the Old Testament fulfilled during that period of time. What is the probability of that happening without it being orchestrated by God? The overall probability of it happening is simply the product of the probability of each individual event happening. So to solve the problem, we must assign a probability to each event happening. To make it easy we will only use three probability choices, and they will be:

High - 1 in 10
Mid - 1 in 100
Low - 1 in 100

When you look at the probability for each of the events, you must visualize yourself living back in 33 AD. Then ask yourself, "what is the probability that this event could happen to me at that time in Bible history?"

Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver -	1 in 100
Betrayed by a friend -	1 in 10
Betrayal money thrown in the Temple and used to buy a potter's field -	1 in 1000
Forsaking by friends -	1 in 10
Spit upon and struck -	1 in 10
Opened not His mouth -	1 in 1000
Scourged with whip -	1 in 100
His hands and feet pierced -	1 in 1000
Crucified with thieves -	1 in 100
Cast lots for His clothes -	1 in 100
Bones not broken -	1 in 1000
Pierced in the side -	1 in 100
Vinegar and gall to drink -	1 in 10
Made intercession for transgressors -	1 in 1000

Now by multiplying all of the individual probabilities together, we get a probability of:

1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or 1 in a 100 billion billion billion

Just to put this in perspective, if the chance of getting struck by lightning is 1 in a million, then the chance of these fourteen events all occurring are 100,000 billion billion less times likely than getting struck by lightening. That is why,

And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27).

The Acts of the Apostles Establish The Church

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

The Day of Pentecost

Bible history confirms that those that believed in Jesus obeyed His command when the first one hundred and twenty lost souls were born again,

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).

The people living in Jerusalem at this point in Bible history were well educated and spoke other languages. They could not understand how these Galileans could speak another language. In fact they thought that these first Christians had been drinking wine. Peter reminded the naysayers that it was to early in the morning for wine and he went on to preach the first sermon in the church dispensation.

After Peter preached,

....Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).

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three thousand lost souls were born again, that is born of water and of the Spirit just like Jesus had told Nicodemus,

.....Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God....... Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:3&5).

At that moment in Bible history it became clear why Jesus preached repentance and baptism,

And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2), and

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:16).

Also they were able to see, hear and understood what Jesus meant when He said,

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you (John 16:7).

that being,

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

Yes, the "Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost", the "power on high", "Christ in me, the hope of glory" became available as part of Bible history, in 33 AD to everybody that was obedient to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The omnipresent God, Jesus Christ had made himself available to live inside a human body through His death, burial and resurrection.

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This became their battle cry as they began to fulfill Christ's command,

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Samaria

Bible history is silent on the exact timing, but within two years of the day of Pentecost, the evangelist Philip was in Samaria,

And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city (Acts 8:6-8).

This is an intriguing part of Bible history! The Samaritans loved what Christ was doing in their lives and were filled with joy - but it didn't end there,

But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women (Acts 8:12).

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and it didn't end there either,

Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:14-16).

Watching and listening to all of these events was Simon, the sorcerer. He was delighted,

And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19  Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:8-9).

but for the wrong reason. Peter told him the Holy Ghost was a gift from God and that he needed to repent first before God would give him this gift,

But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity (Acts 8:20-23).

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This incident was preserved as part of Bible history to make an emphatic statement - without true repentance, God will never give the precious gift of the Holy Ghost.

God Is No Respecter of Persons

The year in Bible history is 40 AD. Christ's body was growing,

Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied (Acts 9:31).

God had given the Apostle Peter a vision, speaking to him,

And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common (Acts 10:15).

Immediately after this event, Peter was sent to minister to Cornelius, a centurion and a gentile, who was

A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway (Acts 10:2).

So God had sent Peter to a religious man's house to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Peter starts the sermon,

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).

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and as he was preaching,

...the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God...(Acts 10:44-46).

Peter knew that Cornelius and his household were not born again yet, so he kept on preaching,

Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days (Acts 10:47-48).

Truly Jesus was "no respecter of persons", the born again experience was for the gentiles, as well as the Jews, just as He had promised,

When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:10).

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Conversion of Saul to Paul

Saul of Taurus had persecuted Christ's body,

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison (Acts 8:3).

One day on the road to Damascus, Jesus confronted Saul,

.....suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (Acts 9:3).

Scripture reveals God's purpose for Saul,

...for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15).

Saul was converted through the born again experience,

....that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized (Acts 9:17-18).

Follow the link for more about the Bible history of Paul.

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The Mission Continues

Saul was now Paul and Jesus had given him a mission! At that point in Bible history, Paul did not know that he was going to make three missionary expeditions around the area of the Mediterranean.

First Missionary Journey

The first mission is preserved in Bible history in Acts 13 & 14. After praying and fasting, Paul and Barnabas left Antioch in Syria and went to Barnabas' home in Cyprus and then to the Island of Patmos. Afterward they sailed north to Asia Minor, which is now present-day Turkey and evangelized Perga and Antioch in Pisidia. In Antioch, the Apostle Paul preached,

...the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed (Acts 13:47).

The disciples were then expelled from Antioch by the Jews, but,

....being filled with joy and the Holy Ghost (Acts 13.52)

they continued on their journey to Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. After "they had preached the Gospel" to Derbe they back tracked to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. From there they preached the Word in Pamphylia, Perga and Attalia before returning to Antioch, Syria. This part of Bible history occurred in 46-48 AD.

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Second Missionary Journey

In this section of Bible history, the Apostle Paul, with Silas traveled north through Syria and Celicia, returning to Asia Minor, re-visiting Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Antioch in Pisidia,

And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily(Acts 16:4-5).

From there they traveled through Asia where they,

....were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia (Acts 16:6).

They ended up in Troas where Paul received the vision of the Macedonian man,

And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them (Acts 16:10).

So Paula and Silas sailed to Europe to the village of Phillipi where they continued to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The first born again Christians on European soil were Lydia and her household. Luke records this event for Bible history,

Lydia...heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.......And....she was baptized, and her household....(Acts 16:14-15

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They continued to do the work of the Lord in Phillipi, causing them to be whipped and thrown into jail. So what did Paul and Silas do?

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them (Acts 16:25).

Jesus, always hearing the praises of His people, answered,

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed (Acts 16:26).

The jailer ministered to their needs and asked,

....Sirs, what must I do to be saved (Acts 16:30)?

Never missing an opportunity Paul preached the Gospel, and the jailer

.....was baptized, he and all his, straightway......and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house (Acts 16;33-34).

From there, they went through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica and Berea where he preached Christ. The Jews conspired to have them arrested, resulting in Paul sailing to Athens, Greece. By this time Timotheus had joined Silas, so they both followed Paul to Athens. From Athens they went to Corinth and met Aquila and Priscilla. They abode with them and Paul worked in his profession, tent making. They planted a church in Corinth as,

...Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized (Acts 18:8).

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They resided in Corinth for eighteen months before sailing to Ephesus. Aquila and Priscilla went with them to Ephesus where they stayed. Paul preached to the Ephesians but left the planting of the church to Apollos, under the tutelage of Aquila and Priscilla. They left Ephesus in time to attend the "feast" in Jerusalem. Paul's second mission in Bible history occurred in 49-52 AD.

Third Missionary Journey

The Bible history of the Apostle Paul's third missionary journey has him traveling overland through Syria and Asia Minor to Ephesus. At Ephesus in 53 AD, Paul meets twelve disciples of John the Baptist, asking them,

....Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed (Acts 19:2)?

The disciples respond,

...We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost (Acts 19:2).

Paul then asks,

Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism (Acts 19:3)

Paul, knowing the Gospel, realizes these sincere believers are not born again, so he tells them,

John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus (Acts 19:4).

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The disciples got the message,

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:5).

Paul knew to be born again they still needed the Holy Ghost,

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied (Acts 19:6).

From Ephesus, Paul sailed to Macedonia and after a brief visit he went to Greece for three months. He escaped from the hands of the Jews and returned to Macedonia, traveling to Berea and Thessalonica. From there they went to Philippi and then sailed to Troas. From there he was determined to make it back to Jerusalem for Passover. Traveling by sea, he stopped in Ephesus to say goodbye to the elders,

And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship (Acts 20:36-38).

From Ephesus, they sailed to Coos, Rhodes and Patara and passing by Cyprus, they sailed to Syria. This portion of Bible history occurred in 53-58 AD!

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Bible history has the Apostle Paul being imprisoned at Caesarea in 59 AD and tried before Agrippa in 60 AD. After that trial Paul was imprisoned in Rome and was martyred there in 68 AD.

Follow the link to read additional Bible history of the Acts of the Apostles

Pauline Epistles

The Apostle Paul wrote thirteen, and if you include Hebrews as many do, fourteen letters admonishing born again believers about Christian behavior. Each of these letters, except for Hebrews, was either addressed to the "saints", "called to be saints", "brethren", "my own son in the faith" or "mine own son after the common faith". There is absolutely no doubt that these letters were written to people who had repented, been baptized in the name of Jesus for remission of sins and filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance.

The word "saint" in the Greek is,

hagios {hag'-ee-os}- Strong's 40 - meaning "most holy thing"

and the word "holy" in the Greek is identical to saint. In other words he did not write these letters to sinners to instruct them on how to find salvation. He wrote these letters to those that shared the same common faith, to those that were expected to live a life consecrated to God.

The letters that Paul wrote in Bible history later became known as the Pauline Epistles. Other than Hebrews, they appear in the Bible in descending order of size, Romans being the longest and Philemon the shortest. It is believed that the chronological order is as follows:

Follow these links for additional Bible history on the Pauline Epistles: Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians & Colossians,
I & II Thessalonians & I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon and Hebrews.

Seven General Epistles

Revelation

The Book of Revelation was written and preserved in bible history by the Apostle John around 100 AD It prophesizes the second coming of Jesus Christ to begin His one thousand year reign on earth. In Greek, "the coming" is,

parousia {par-oo-see'-ah} (Strong's 3952 )
1) presence

2) the coming, arrival, advent

a) the future visible return from heaven of Jesus, to raise the dead, hold the last judgment, and set up formally and gloriously the kingdom of God.

Just before Jesus was crucified, His disciples asked

.....what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (Matthew 24:3)?

Jesus told them that the "beginning of sorrows" would start when,

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places (Matthew 24:6).

Jesus went on to explain that the antichrist would take control before the second coming,

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)(Matthew 24:15)

Jesus said "whoso readeth, let him understand" so we will go to Daniel for the understanding,

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (Daniel 9:27).

and to understand the "midst of the week"

And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.(Daniel 12:11-12).

If we take the "thousand two hundred and ninety days" and divide by 365 days per year, we get 3.5 years. Therefore we conclude the middle of the week is 3.5 years, the whole week is 7 years.

Summarizing, so far Jesus has told us the "beginning of sorrows" would mark the advent of His return and that 3.5 years later the antichrist, the "abomination of desolation", would take control of the temple of God.

Jesus then tells when the "abomination of desolation" happens, the Great Tribulation would begin,

How long will the great tribulation last? The answer is straight forward, the rest of the week, another 3.5 years.

Then Jesus describes His return,

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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:30).

and the Apostle Paul describes the same event,

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)