HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
Text Copied, Word For Word, From The PTL 1975 KJV Bible For Significant Explanation. The Bible is the greatest book that has ever been Written. In it, God Himself speaks to men. It is a book of divine instruction. It offers comfort in sorrow, guidance in perplexity advice for our problems, rebuke for our sins, and daily inspiration for our every need.
The Bible is not simply one book. It is an entire library of books covering the whole range of literature. It includes history, poetry, drama, biography, prophecy, philosophy, science, and inspirational reading. Little wonder, then, that all or part of the Bible has been translated into more than 1,200 languages, and every year more copies of the Bible are sold than any other single book. The Bible alone truly answers the great questions that men of all ages have asked: "Where have I come from?" "Where am I going?" "Why am I here?" "How can I know the truth?" For the Bible alone reveals the truth about God, explains the origin of man, points out the only way to salvation and eternal life, and explains the age-old problem of sin and suffering. The great subject of all the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ and His work of redemption for mankind. The person and work of Jesus Christ are promised, prophesied, and pictured in the types and symbols of the Old Testament. In all of His truth and beauty, the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in the gospels; and the full meanings of His life, His death, and His resurrection are explained in the epistles. His glorious coming again to this earth in the future is unmistakably foretold in the book of Revelation. The great purpose of the written Word of God, the Bible, is to reveal the living Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ (read John 1:1-8). Dr. Wilbur M. Smith relates seven great things that the study of the Bible will do for us:
You do not need a whole library of books to study the Bible. The Bible itself is its own best commentator and explanation. And together with all of the wonderful helps that you have in this new Bible, you have a whole lifetime course of Bible study.
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BOOKS OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
MONIES, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES
The standard of Hebrew weights and measures was proclaimed by the Lord to Moses with the admonition that Hebrews were to use just weights and measures (Deut. 25:13-15). The standard was deposited in the Ark of the Covenant (Deut. 31:24-16), and was lost at the destruction of Solomon's Temple.
Minted coins before 700 B.c. have not been found in Bible lands. Financial transactions were carried on by a system of barter using cattle, grain, spices, and precious metals as a means of exchange. As the Hebrews had transactions with other countries, and as they fell to various conquerors from time to time, they would adapt some of the weights and measures of their conquerors. Therefore, standards were changed and varied. The mention of shekels and talents in Hebrew history refers to weights, not coins. The exactness of Hebrew metrology is difficult to determine and remains intricate and indecisive. In fact, the exact worth of gold and silver is difficult to ascertain because purchasing power fluctuated during various times, just as today. Also, even among today's English speaking nations, terms are not common for capacity, distance, weight, or money. Extensive care has been taken in chart of metrology to use as nearly exact measurements as possible, remembering that we are studying an era that began thousands of years ago and has been affected by changes through numerous nations during those centuries. The value of all gold and silver money in THE OPEN BIBLE has been converted to prices for gold and silver that were current at the time of writing. These prices were: silver at $3.30 per avoirdupois (U.S.) ounce, ($3.62 per troy ounce); gold at $120.00 per avoirdupois (U.S.) ounce ($131.66) per troy ounce). This has been done in order to give the reader a better understanding of the monetary values in the Bible. If and when gold and silver fluctuate on the current market, insertion of current values for those above will retain the accuracy of the printed values. While some of the dollar figures may seem astronomical, the actual worth in terms of today's purchasing power may have been even greater. |