What is the Bible? (Libya)

Summary: The Bible is the story of man: their creation and fall into sin and death. It also talks about our Jesus as our Savior, dying in order to release man from their death sentence. We also learn about the development of the “bride” of Christ, his faithful followers, and the full restoration of mankind back to life, health, and perfection lost through Adam. The Bible is a wonderful gift from God!

Discussion: The Bible is a compilation of 66 books inspired by God and written over thousands of years. It traces man’s history and prophesies man’s future. The Bible begins with the creation of man’s home, the Earth. Wonderfully, science today has found abundant evidence of the same sequence of events of Earth’s creation: the introduction of vegetation, the population of sea and air with a great diversity of life forms, then the development of astonishingly grand land creatures. Finally, God made Adam, the first man, in His own image as the perfect, loving, just and wise ruler over Earth.

The Bible records man’s fall into sin and God’s sentence for Adam’s disobedience to be suffering and death. However, even as God was pronouncing man’s penalty, He also gave a promise that one-day mankind would be released from this condemnation.

Then the Bible traces the history and prophesies the events of the human race for over a 6,000-year span. It records how sin quickly manifested itself with murder, lies, bloodshed, greed, etc. For several hundred years, God made promises (covenants) with and taught Israel righteousness through the Law of Moses. But Israel was idolatrous, seeking after the gods of the surrounding heathen nations. Then Gentile dominions (kingdoms/governments), most brutal and unjust, were permitted to dominate the Earth.

Four-thousand years after creation, God sent His only begotten son, Jesus, into the world. His mission was to die to pay for Adam’s sin and to take Adam’s penalty upon himself. Thus, Adam and all mankind could one day be released from sin and death – just as God had promised.

The purpose of the next 2,000 years between Jesus’s first and second advents is to develop a class of faithful and holy followers of Jesus to be resurrected n heaven. It’s a development through self-denial and suffering, but the glorious rewards include intimate fellowship with God, a heavenly resurrection, and the privilege of helping mankind return to the perfection Adam lost.

Finally, the Bible concludes with Jesus Christ’s second advent and the restoration of all that was lost when Adam sinned. Acts 3:21, “(Jesus Christ) whom heaven must receive (retain) until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Mankind will be restored to perfect health, have a just and loving society, live on a fruitful and healthy planet, and the animal kingdom will be harmonious. Then Revelation 21:4 will be fulfilled, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”