Can you explain how the Bible is put together?
The Bible consists of many books. They are not arranged chronologically; instead, they are grouped by type.
The first five books make up what is called the Pentateuch. They include the five books that Moses wrote: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books contain the creation account and the events concerning the Israelites, for example.
The next set of books-- Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther--gives an outline of the history of God's intervention in the lives of His people. All of the attributes of God are plainly seen in these writings.
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs are considered to be the Wisdom books. They contain poetry, prayers, prophecy and teachings about living a godly life.
The rest of the Old Testament books are the writings of the major and minor prophets. These include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
The New Testament contains four major sections:
The Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--give the account of Jesus' life and teachings.
Acts is the record of the history of the early Church and work of the Holy Spirit.
The Epistles, or letters, are teachings intended to guide believers as they live for Jesus Christ.
John's vision of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, as well as the events surrounding it and following it, is recorded in the Book of Revelation. This is a very important book, vital to Christians in these last days.
