For a master copy of the outline, click here: Basic Bible Doctrine
To Listen on YouTube, click here: An Overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation (Part 1) - Genesis
I. The purpose of this study
1. Many of us grew up learning about the Bible or have been studying it for many years and we take the basics of it for granted.
2. This is not the case with billions of people in this world though.
3. This study will attempt to take nothing for granted and cover the basics of the Bible and its history and teachings.
II. What is the Bible?
1. The Bible is a book made up of 66 small books of varying sizes written by about 40 different authors over a period of about 1600 years (approx. 1500 BC - 90 AD).
2. The Bible was written by men who were under the inspiration of God (2Pe 1:21; 2Ti 3:16).
3. The Bible is divided into two major sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament.
A. The Old Testament has three major sections: the Law (Genesis - Deuteronomy), the Psalms or the Writings (Joshua - Song of Solomon), and the Prophets (Isaiah - Malachi).
i. The Old Testament was written during the period between approximately 1533 BC - 400BC, and it covers world history from creation in 4000BC to around 400BC.
ii. The OT is not entirely laid out in chronological order, though some sections are.
iii. We will cover the OT in detail later.
B. The New Testament has four major sections: the Gospels (Matthew - John), the book of Acts, the Epistles which are letters to churches and individuals (Romans - Jude), and the book of Revelation.
i. The New Testament was written during the period between approximately 48AD - 90AD and covers events from 2BC to 70AD and prophesies of future events up to the last day of time.
ii. We will cover the NT in detail later.
III. An overview of the Old Testament and its major characters and events
1. "The Law" - Genesis to Deuteronomy
A. "The Law" was written by a man named Moses and covers the period from the creation of the world (approx. 4000 BC) to the death of Moses (approx. 1494 BC). (More on Moses later)
B. The book of Genesis
i. The book of Genesis was written by Moses between 1533 - 1494 BC.
ii. Genesis 1&2 records the creation of the universe, the earth, and all life therein, culminating in the creation of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve.
a. God created everything in six days and rested on the seventh day.
b. God created Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life.
c. God placed Adam in a garden called the garden of Eden and his job was to dress and keep it.
d. God made a law that Adam was not to eat of one of the trees of the garden called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
e. God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone so he made a companion for him out of one of Adam's ribs named Eve and they were married and became one flesh.
iii. Genesis 3 records what is called "the fall of man."
a. During the creation, God created millions of angels which are spiritual beings that are God's helpers (this is not recorded in Genesis, but it found in other parts of the Bible).
b. The highest of the angels was called Lucifer who desired to like God and led a rebellion to try to usurp God's place, in which he and one third of the angels were cast out of heaven and have been at war with God and His chosen people ever since.
c. When Lucifer fell he acquired the name of Satan and the Devil.
d. The Devil came to Eve in the form of a serpent and deceived her into eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
e. Once Eve ate of the tree, she gave it to Adam and he also ate.
f. God had told Adam that he would die in the day that he ate of that fruit and so he died spiritually that day and was immediately ashamed of his nakedness, hid from God, and blamed his wife.
g. God cursed the ground for Adam's sake, cursed Eve with painful child birth and increased conceptions, and banished them both from the garden of Eden.
h. God prophesied of a coming seed of the woman (Jesus Christ) which would crush the serpent's head (Satan).
iv. Genesis 4 records the birth of Cain and Abel.
a. Abel offered God an animal sacrifice which God accepted, but Cain offered God the fruit of ground which God rejected.
b. Cain was envious of Abel and killed him.
c. Such is the story of world history.
v. Genesis 5 records all the generations from Adam to a man named Noah.
vi. Genesis 6-9 records how God destroyed the earth with a global flood.
a. The earth had become very corrupt and filled with violence.
b. God decided to destroy all of humanity with a flood with the exception of Noah, his wife, and his three sons and their wives.
c. God told Noah to build an ark that could house Noah and his family and pairs of all land animals.
d. God destroyed the earth with the flood and repopulated the earth through Noah's family.
vii. Genesis 11 records how God scattered the people of the earth and confused their languages when they tried to build a tower at Babel to unite themselves.
viii. Genesis 12-25 records how God called a man named Abram from Ur of the Chaldees and promised to make him a father of many nations when he was 75 years old and childless and his wife Sarai was barren.
a. God changed Abram's name to Abraham and his wife Sarai's name to Sarah and gave them the promised child Isaac in due time.
b. God promised to make Abraham's seed as numerous as the stars of heaven and that he would be a father of many nations.
c. This promise was made to the Messiah, Jesus Christ - Abraham's seed, who would be born thousands of years later.
ix. Genesis 25-27 records how Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau.
a. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for some potage.
b. Later Jacob acquired Esau's blessings from Isaac by nefarious means.
x. Genesis 28-36 records how Jacob had 12 sons.
a. Jacob was renamed Israel which is where the people of Israel got their name.
b. Jacob's 12 sons became the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel.
xi. Genesis 37-50 records the story of Jacob's favorite son Joseph.
a. Joseph's brothers hated him and sold him into slavery in Egypt.
b. Joseph found favour in Potiphar's house where he was a servant and his was promoted to be the master of his house until Potiphar's wife framed Joseph and had him thrown in prison.
c. Joseph became the head of the prison and interpreted some dreams of the Pharaoh and was promoted to be the Prime Minister of Egypt.
d. Joseph wisely stored up corn during seven years of plenty in Egypt which he used to provide for the people during seven years of famine.
e. During the famine, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy corn.
f. Joseph was reunited with his family and moved them to Egypt where they lived for over 200 years.
