may be compared to a magnificent

1 May be compared to a magnificentedifice that took seventeen centuries tobuild. Its architect and builder is this beautiful world, the work of theAuthor, it bears on it everywhere theimpress of a Divine majestic temple contains66 chambers of unequal size 66 books of the Old and New of the 31,173 verses is a stone,a beam, a panel of the building which isa Temple more glorious by far than thatof Solomon or of you have fellowship with theFather?You will be sure to find Himwithin the precincts of His holy house. Selected1 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSEHow to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 12 HOWTOSTUDYTHEBIBLEANDHAVEITMAKESENSEHow to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 23 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSET able of ContentsChapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1An Age-Old Conflict 1 Men Need an Authority 1 What is the Bible?

2 2 Chapter 2: METHODS OF STUDY 3 Five Separate Interlocking Approaches 3 Exhaustive Topical Examination 4 Study of Symbolic Language 11 Study by Time-Frame 13 The Importance of Context 16 Study by Type and Antitype 20A Review 21 Messengers to the Church 22 Chapter 3: THE PURPOSES AND REASON-INGSBEHIND CREATION 23 Unresolved Questions 23 God s Plan 24 The Scriptural Summary 29 Appendix: OTHER LITERATURE AVAILABLE 31 CHAPTERONEINTRODUCTION5 An Age-Old Conflict 5 Men Need an Authority 5 What is the Bible? 6 CHAPTERTWOMETHODS OFSTUDY9 Five Separate Interlocking Approaches91.

3 Exhaustive Topical Examination102. Study of Symbolic Language183. Study by Time Frame 224. The Importance of Context265. Study by Type and Antitype33 A Review34 Messengers to the Church35 CHAPTERTHREETHEPURPOSES ANDREASONINGSBEHINDCREATION37 Unresolved Questions37 God s Plan38 The Scriptural Summary46 BIBLESTUDYESSENTIALS48555699101822263334 353737384648 How to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 34 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSEHow to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 45 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSEAn Age-Old ConflictThe Bible has for centuries been a sourceof confusion to men everywhere. Many peo-ple have concluded that it cannot be a reliablesource of information because so many con-tradictory theories claim to be based upon itscontents. The purpose of this booklet is toshow that the Bible, carefully studied, can bea consistent, reliable source of need an AuthorityIt is in the nature of man to want a goodauthority for his thought and his behavior.

4 Inreligious thought, especially, it would seemHow to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 56 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSE desirable to have sound evidenceas a basis forconclusions. Yet, today man faces a chal-lenge in the field of religious thought: Isthere a religious authority? Or is every manto believe what he believes with no more evi-dence than his own personal preference?Actually, there isan authority. In practice,few men recognize this booklet an effort will be made todemonstrate that the Bible can answer rea-sonably and consistently any question pro-vided the student learn how to use it. Thisbooklet will endeavor to show that the Bibleis, indeed, the ultimate authority which menhave been is the Bible?If the idea is accepted that a personal Goddoes exist, then the student must next decideif he has access to knowledge relating to Bible claims within its covers to be thesole source of information about God andabout what He is to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 67 INTRODUCTION This booklet, therefore, is based on a veryimportant assumption.

5 It is assumed from thebeginning that the Bible is what it claims to be the Word of if every studentdoes not also make this assumption, it is sug-gested that he temporarilyaccept it as suchwhile examining the Bible. If its contents donot live up to its claim, he is not obligated toaccept it as anything more than another its contents do reveal the answers beingsought, he has found what few have found:THE initial hypothesis that the Bible is theWord of God is made because there is greatstrength in studying any matter from a posi-tive rather than a negative point of view. Sucha position of study allows a person to see intri-cate beauties which another person mightquickly dismiss as has been for some time the practice oftheological seminaries to study the Bible uti-lizing various kinds of criticism (text, form,etc.)

6 This approach, however, has been nega-tive. It has, in essence, begun the study ofHow to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 78 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSES cripture by saying, What can we findwrong? The method of study presented inthis booklet will be totally different from thatwhich is commonly being practiced, but itshould give a positiveconfirmation of thevalidity of this great Book, the to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 89 Five Separate Interlocking ApproachesBecause man s mind is not capable ofretaining and cross-referencing all of the pas-sages in the Scriptures, study which examinesone book of the Bible at a time is somewhatfruitless. How can one be certain that con-clusions are correct on any question unless hehas examined ALL that the whole Bible saysrelative to that question?

7 After all, if the Bibleis the Word of God, its testimony on a givensubject should be consistent and revealingfrom Genesis through order to know ALL that the Bible sayson a given subject, therefore, it becomes nec-essary to study a single TOPIC at a to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 910 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSEThe study of many topics, one at a time, then,can be carefully molded into a larger, compre-hensive picture of what the Bible is first of the five important methods ofstudy, therefore, must be the examination ofone topic at a Topical ExaminationExamination of everyScripture on asingle subject was once an impossibil-ity. Now it is relatively easily necessary help is available in either oftwo large books:STRONG SEXHAUSTIVECONCORDANCEandYOUNG SANALYTICALCONCORDANCEEach of these books lists every word in theKing James translation of the Bible, some-times called the Authorized Version.

8 Alsolisted are the Hebrew and Greek words fromwhich they come (with definitions) and otherHow to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 1011 METHODS OFSTUDY ways in which these same words are translat-ed. Libraries and good bookstores regularlyhave copies of Strong sand Young sConcordances.*As an example of the kinds of benefitsreaped from exhaustive topical comparison,note what happens when the traditionallycontroversial subject of hell is examined. Onthe following page is the listing of hell asfound in Strong s immediately that every occurrence ofhell in the Old Testament is a translation of asingle Hebrew word (sheol)as represented bynumber 7585in the right-hand column. Notethe definition as reproduced from the lexiconof Strong s Concordance shown on page 13.* Exhaustive Concordances are now available for anumber of translations and are frequently also availableon computer programs.

9 Some newer versions havebeen abridged and are therefore missing some impor-tant information. Be sure to obtain an unabridged ver-sion to make the most of your to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 1112 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSES trong s Concordance list continuesOLDTESTAMENTHow to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 1213 Following the colon and dash (:-), Strong sConcordancelists the other ways that thissame Hebrew word (sheol) is translated inthe King James version. It is interesting tolearn that the translators occasionally ren-dered this word grave and pit. Findingthis information, it is now important to lookup grave and pit to see the Scriptural usage ofthese words since they are still a definite partof our topical study on OFSTUDY How to Study 7/10/98 5:20 PM Page 1314 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSES trong s Concordancelists the usages of graveand pitas follows: [look for number 7585]Strong s Concordance list continues How to Study 7/10/98 5:21 PM Page 1415 METHODS OFSTUDY Strong s Concordance list continues How to Study 7/10/98 5:21 PM Page 1516 HOW TOSTUDY THEBIBLE ANDHAV E I TMAKESENSELook in the right-hand column for number7585.

10 (This, remember, means that theHebrew word sheolis the word being used.)This reveals the interesting fact that good menexpected to go to hell! Genesis 37:35 showsthat Jacob expected to go there and that hethought his favorite son was there! Job 14:13shows that Job actually prayed to go to hell toescape God s wrath!Is the value of this kind of study becomingclear? Without pursuing the matter further, itshould be becoming clear that the teaching ofhell as a place of eternal torment is contraryto the Scriptures when they are studiedexhaustively and impartially! If this matter is studied to its logical con-clusion, it will be found that the word obliv-ion is the best synonym for the Hebrew wordsheoland its Greek (New Testament) counter-part, hades. Hell is not eternal torment; it isoblivion.