NextSteps

Next Steps: Big Picture Summary

Congratulations! You now have a basic understanding of the Bible and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. You now should also have more confidence in your ability to read, interpret and understand the Scriptures and feel empowered to continue your study of the Bible. This is exciting because, for the rest of your life, as you continue to read and re-read the Bible, you will likewise continue to gain a deeper and deeper understanding of the Bible and as a result, grow closer and closer in your relationship with Him.

The remainder of this study guide provides you with a proposed reading order to complete the rest of the Bible. Depending on your reading speed and the amount of time you commit each day, you can expect to finish the entire Bible between 3-12 months. The important thing is not how fast you read but what you learn during the process——speed reading through the Bible for the sake of finishing it does little good if you miss the message.

Like The Basics and Dig Deeper lessons, the following plans also take you through the Bible in a non-sequential order, again to facilitate better understanding of the Bible as you are reading it. Continue your daily prayer that God give you His Holy Spirit to help you understand what you are about to read——and expect that you will be wonderfully rewarded.

The Structure of the Hebrew Scriptures

The Law: known as Torah in Hebrew, which means “instruction;” the Law consists of the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Tradition states that Moses is the author of the Torah.

Historical books and Prophets: known as nevi-im in Hebrew, these are the books that contain detailed historical accounts of the leaders and rulers of the Israelite people. The books of the prophets must be studied closely with the historical books, since it was to the leaders that their warnings were directed. The historical books include: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. The prophetic books include: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and Lamentations.

The Writings: known as ketuvim in Hebrew, these are books of poetry and include: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs (also known as Song of Solomon). In Hebrew tradition, Ruth, Esther, Lamentations, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Daniel are considered part of the ketuvim, but a better understanding of the Bible as a whole is gained when these books are grouped with the historical books.

See Old Testament Structure and Timeline: bstot

The Structure of the Greek Scriptures

Historical books: consisting of the four Gospels and Acts. The Gospels are named according to the author: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Matthew and John were two of the twelve disciples of Jesus during His earthly life and ministry. Mark was likely a young man who was among the larger band of disciples that followed Jesus. Luke was a Greek physician who came to believe in Jesus through Paul’s missionary work. He also authored Acts.

Letters: as implied, these are letters written by the apostles, who were the leaders of the group of believers that emerged immediately following the resurrection of Jesus. Most of the letters were written by Paul, which include: Romans,1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon. Next comes Hebrews, the author is uncertain. Finally, are the letters by James (the half-brother of Jesus), 1-2 Peter (one of the 12), 1-3 John (one of the 12) and Jude, (Jude could either be one of the 12 or the half-brother of Jesus).

Prophecy: the only prophetic book of the Bible is Revelation, which tells of the return of Jesus to finalize His Kingdom after there has been sufficient time for all the nations to have a chance to hear and to respond to the message of salvation by believing in Jesus the Messiah.

See New Testament Structure and Timeline: bstnt

Proposed Reading Plans

The remainder of the Bible can be read and studied by breaking up into the following subjects:

The Law
Prophecy and end times
Life in the “Body of Christ”
Warnings against false teachers
Old Testament (OT) History: Conquest–Judges period
OT History: Monarchy period
The writings of David and Solomon
OT History refresher: David and Solomon
OT History: Divided Kingdoms period
OT Prophets to the Northern Kingdom
Detailed study on the Southern Kingdom
OT History: Exile and the Restoration
Post-Exile Prophets
Special books

The Law

The books of the Law describe how the Creator God called a nation of special servants, the Israelites, and gave them the task of telling the whole world about Him. You will quickly discover that the Israelites failed in this task time and again. Yet God never abandoned the people of Israel, even to this day and He will still fulfill the promise He made to Abraham in Genesis 12. The books of the Law lay the foundation for understanding all the historical and prophetic books of the Hebrew Scriptures and even more importantly, for understanding how Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) perfectly and completely fulfills the requirements of the Law on our behalf. If He hadn’t, we wouldn’t be able to have a relationship with our Creator and would remain His enemy (through our own doing, not His).

Here, instead of diving right into the details of the Law (where the chances of getting “lost” are pretty high), we start with the letter to the Hebrews, which is the best summary and explanation of the Law in the entire Bible. The Law begins with the book of Genesis, but since you’ve just completed reading that book, there is no need to repeat it in this study. Then, after reading Exodus through Deuteronomy, the study is again “framed” by another explanatory book on the Law——the letter by Paul to the Galatians, which provides a wonderful way to “stop and look back” on what you’ve just read.

Hebrews
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Galatians

The Law: Reading Order Hebrews: a detailed description of how Jesus the Messiah perfectly and completely fulfills the requirements of the Law on our behalf.

Exodus: the historical account of the rescue of the descendants of Jacob from slavery in Egypt in preparation of the formation of the nation of Israel. The first time the Creator God makes Himself widely known to the nations.

Leviticus: detailed regulations for the Israelite people and their leaders.

Numbers: the account of how the Israelites didn’t trust God and as a result had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years before entering the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy: after the unbelieving generation died in the wilderness, the new generation had to be re-instructed in the Law.

Galatians: a letter by Paul that gives a succinct summary of the Law and how through Jesus, we are released from the bondage of the Law to live Spirit-filled lives.

Prophecy and End Times

The Bible speaks considerably about future events——in both the Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek Scriptures (New Testament).

Some events described in both testaments have been fulfilled, whereas others events have yet to take place. Some prophecies are obvious in their fulfillment, such as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, whereas it is not as clear in other cases. As we read through the Bible, we should not overly focus on determining if a certain prophecy has been fulfilled or not, but rather try to learn what God is telling us through the words of the prophets. Here, we take a closer look at the books of the Bible that speak directly about end times. The readings are ordered so that by the time we get to the final book of the Bible, we can better understand the visions described in Revelation. You will notice that Revelation unveils and explains many of the mysterious visions of the prophets, particularly Zechariah and Daniel.

Matthew
1-2 Thessalonians
Isaiah
Joel
Zechariah
Daniel 7-12
Revelation

Prophecy and End Times: Reading Order Matthew: one of the 12 disciples of Jesus who was of the tribe of Levi. He wrote his gospel to a Jewish audience, emphasizing how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies and Law of the Hebrew Scriptures.

1-2 Thessalonians: letter by Paul to the believers in Thessalonica, who had questions and some anxieties about the end times.

Isaiah: the prophet that wrote the most about the coming Messiah. Considered second only to Elijah in importance and prominence of the Old Testament prophets.

Joel: visions of the coming judgment and of an age when God’s Spirit will be poured out upon many people.

Zechariah: visions of the coming Messiah and His new kingdom.

Daniel 7-12: visions given to the Hebrew named Daniel during the Exile period (6th century BC) and are a prelude to the visions given to John in the book of Revelation.

Revelation: visions of the end of the age, when Jesus returns to finalize His Kingdom.

Life in the Body of Christ

The Bible and Paul in particular, speaks frequently of life in the “body of Christ”——the gathering together of local believers for the purpose of enlarging the Kingdom of Jesus and to encourage, help and support one another. This study takes us through the books in the Bible that speak most directly on the “body life” of the believer——that is, how we should live our lives as disciples (that is, followers) of Jesus.

1-2 Corinthians
Philippians
Colossians
James
1 Peter
Titus
Philemon

Life in the Body of Christ: Reading Order 1-2 Corinthians: perhaps the definitive books on life in the body of Christ.

Philippians: the joy of having a new life through Jesus Christ.

Colossians: how Jesus is everything that we need.

James: character traits of a disciple that truly believes and follows Jesus.

1 Peter: hope for the believer that is facing trials and suffering.

Titus: the virtue of self-control in the life of a believer.

Philemon: an example showing what true “body life” behavior looks like.

Warnings Against False Teachers

Four of the New Testament authors, Paul, Peter, John and Jude give specific and detailed warnings about false teachers that try to lead believers astray. When something is repeated so often by so many different writers, we should take special note, thus the reason why we have a specific study on this subject. The following letters are very brief, but packed with powerful lessons. Don’t feel the need to rush these short books, but instead spend some time contemplating and re-reading their message before continuing on to the next study.

1-2 Timothy
2 Peter
2-3 John
Jude

Warnings Against False Teachers: Reading Order 1-2 Timothy: Paul’s instructional letters to Timothy, a young leader in the church in Ephesus (located in modern-day Turkey).

2 Peter: a prophetic letter cautioning believers to be ready for the forthcoming day when apostasy (turning away from God) is common.

2-3 John: very brief letters warning against false teachers and those that would hinder believers in their work for the Kingdom.

Jude: warnings about false teachers that had infiltrated the community of believers and were already in positions of leadership.

OT History: Conquest–Judges period

After the death of Moses, Joshua led the people into the Promised Land to establish the nation of Israel. Following the settlement, there was a long period where Israel was ruled by decentralized leaders called Judges. Ruth and the beginning of 1 Samuel also take place during the Judges period, which is why they are included here in this reading section. These books set the stage for the next period, where Israel was ruled by a king.

Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel 1-7

Conquest–Judges period: Reading Order Joshua: account of the Israelites conquest of the land promised to them by the Creator God and the division of the land among the 12 tribes.

Judges: a period of approximately 400 years when Israel was ruled by leaders called Judges. When the people turned away from God, their enemies conquered them, but God called up judges to deliver the people and restore peace.

Ruth: the account of the family line of King David. Ruth and her husband Boaz are the great-grandparents of David.

1 Samuel 1-7: introduction to the Kings period of Israel’s history. Samuel was the last of the Judges and a prophet that God used to select the first two kings.

OT History: Monarchy Period

After the Judges period, three monarchs or kings ruled over Israel. This period lasted 120 years during which time Israel’s wealth and prominence among the surrounding nations greatly increased. This lesson takes us through the so-called United Kingdom period of Israel’s history, so named because all 12 tribes were united under the rule of a single king.

The first king, Saul, had great potential but his heart did not follow God. The second king, David, was a “man after God’s own heart” and is still today considered the one of the greatest figures in all of Israel’s history. His son, Solomon, was the third and final king of the United Kingdom period. He started off with a heart for God, but over time, he drifted away, which set in motion the events that led to the division of Israel into two nations.

1 Samuel 8-31
2 Samuel
1 Kings 1-11

Monarchy Period: Reading Order 1 Samuel 8-31: the first king Saul and the rise of David.

2 Samuel: the rule of David after the death of Saul.

1 Kings 1-11: the passing of David, the reign of Solomon, his wisdom and the temple that he built to honor God.

The Writings of David and Solomon

In this section, we take a break from the historical books to read through the literary and poetry books attributed to David and Solomon. For this study, we’ll focus just on the books of the Psalms and Proverbs.

Psalms
Proverbs

The Writings of David and Solomon: Reading Order Psalms: most of the Psalms are attributed to King David——74 of the 150 bear his name. Twelve are ascribed to Asaph, nine to the Korahites, two to King Solomon, and one each to Ethan the Ezrahite and Moses. The remaining 51 Psalms have no designation. The Psalms are considered the most beautiful and moving portions of the whole Bible. They are worship songs (note that the English word song is derived from the Hebrew word psalm) and many contain instructions on what instruments are to be played or what tune is to be used. Thus it is no wonder that believers of the Creator God throughout the ages have used the Psalms as their source of inspiration for the worship music of their generation. See a visualization of the beautiful structure of Psalm 119 and how this psalm helps us better understand the Creator God of the Bible.

Proverbs: a compilation of wisdom sayings, most of which are attributed to the wise King Solomon but also includes the sayings of other wise men of Israel, including Agur and Lemuel.

OT History Refresher: David and Solomon

Whenever anything is repeated in the Bible, whether it is the repetition of a single word, phrase or verse, or whether it is entire narratives, this is God’s ways of saying to us: “pay very close attention.” Thus, before moving any further in our historical study of Israel, let’s revisit the lives of David and Solomon, the two most prominent and important kings in Israel’s history.

The historical account given in the book of Chronicles is very similar——oftentimes identical——to the accounts we recently read in the books of 1-2 Samuel and 1 Kings. However, the Chronicler (and we don’t know the identity of the author) makes a special point of highlighting and commenting on the rule of King David. Recall that it is from the line of David that the Messiah (Savior) is to come, thus the importance that God has placed on this period of Israel’s history. Don’t think of it as boring repetition, but instead look at the special emphasis that God wants you to pay very close attention to——having this kind of mindset as you read through Chronicles will allow the Holy Spirit to teach you more about God.

1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 1-9

David and Solomon: Reading Order 1 Chronicles: a commentary on the life of King David.

2 Chronicles 1-9: a commentary on the life of King Solomon.

OT History: Divided Kingdoms Period

Among the most exciting and epic writings in the entire Bible. The remainder of 1-2 Kings tells how Israel became divided: the Southern Kingdom of Judah, consisting of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, consisting of the remaining ten tribes. Immediately, the first king of Israel adopted the Egyptian idolatrous practice of bull worship and as a result, there never was a ruler out of the 19 kings in Israel that did what was right in the sight of the Lord.

The Northern Kingdom was conquered around 722 BC by Assyria and the people scattered throughout the Assyrian empire, never to return. Non-Hebrews inhabited the land and it became known ever-after as a defiled land full of idolatrous mixed-bred people. This region would come to be called Samaria in Jesus’ day. The Southern Kingdom of Judah fared only a little better. Out of 20 kings, there were eight that did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Nevertheless, Judah too was punished and was conquered by the Babylonians around 586 BC. The people were taken into captivity and it is here that the Hebrew people became known as “Jews” which is a shortened version of Judah.

1 Kings 12-22
2 Kings

Divided Kingdoms Period: Reading Order 1 Kings 12-22: the account of the kings of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

2 Kings: the continuing account, including the fall of both kingdoms.

OT Prophets to the Northern Kingdom

Most of the prophets spoke against the idolatries and wickedness in both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Hosea and Amos are two prophets whose message was directed solely against the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Interestingly, Amos was a prophet in Judah at the time of his prophecy against Israel.

Hosea
Amos

OT Prophets to the Northern Kingdom reading order Hosea: a stinging indictment against the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Amos: judgment of Israel is at hand.

Detailed Study on the Southern Kingdom

As mentioned earlier, repetition in the Bible speaks volumes. A considerable amount of the Prophetic books are directed against the evil rulers of the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Much of the historical material will be familiar from earlier reading from 1-2 Kings. Here, we revisit the demise of Judah and take a closer look at what the prophets of that day were saying against Judah. This study prepares us for the final historical portion of the Hebrew Scriptures: the Exile and Restoration period.

2 Chronicles 10-36
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Jeremiah
Lamentations

Detailed Study on Judah: Reading Order 2 Chronicles 10-36: the remainder of the Chronicler’s commentary on the kings of the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Note that the Chronicler almost completely ignores the Northern Kingdom (Israel) except in passing, when they fought against Judah.

Micah: although mainly directed against the evil kings of Judah, Micah speaks of the impending destruction of both Israel and Judah.

Nahum: this book is actually directed against Nineveh and the Assyrians, but is included here in this study since the events were relevant at the time when the Northern Kingdom had already been conquered and only the Southern Kingdom remained.

Habakkuk: warning to Judah of the coming Babylonian invasion.

Zephaniah: warnings against Judah that doom is at hand.

Jeremiah: known as the “weeping prophet,” Jeremiah frantically warns a hard-hearted people of Jerusalem’s eminent destruction.

Lamentations: a poetical lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. Attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, thus it is included here in this study.

OT History: Exile and the Restoration

The day that the prophets had warned of had finally arrived——the kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians. Unlike the Assyrians that completely destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel nearly two centuries earlier, the Babylonians were different kinds of victors. They allowed the people of Judah to retain their cultural identity even though many were deported from Jerusalem to Babylon (modern day Iraq). It was here that the Hebrew people became known as the “Jews” (short for Judah)——from which we get the modern term “Jewish” when referring to someone descended from the 12 tribes of Israel.

Exile was the most humiliating thing that could possibly happen to the descendants of Abraham——it seemed that God abandoned His people. But God did not abandon His people and moved in amazing and miraculous ways to restore a remnant of the people to the capital city of Jerusalem and rebuild it. The Exile lasted 70 years, and the events of that time, as well as the restoration are what we will read in this lesson.

Ezekiel Daniel 1-6 Ezra 1-6 Esther Ezra 7-10 Nehemiah

Exile and the Restoration: Reading Order Ezekiel: some of the most amazingly descriptive and horrifyingly vivid visions in the entire Bible. Ezekiel spans the events leading up to and including the Exile as well as the first phase of the Restoration process.

Daniel 1-6: the account of 4 young Hebrews drafted into the Babylonian court during the Exile; and the conquest of the Babylonians by the Persians.

Ezra 1-6: the first phase of the Restoration, where the Persian king allows Zerubabbel to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.

Esther: an account of a Hebrew girl that was chosen to marry the Persian king just in time to prevent a plan to annihilate the Jewish exiles. If it weren’t for Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah would not have lived to lead the remainder of the Restoration process.

Ezra 7-10: the second phase of the Restoration, where Ezra returns to Jerusalem to rally the people.

Nehemiah: the final phase of the Restoration, led by Nehemiah who oversees the rebuilding of the walls and fortifications around Jerusalem.

Post-Exile Prophets

There are three prophets to Judah after the Restoration: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. We read Zechariah earlier in the study, so we won’t repeat the reading here. Here, we also include Obadiah, even though his message was against the neighboring kingdom of Edom——distant relatives of Israelites, who were descended not of Jacob’s line, but that of his twin brother Esau. The two groups had always been at war, just as Jacob and Esau were.

Obadiah
Haggai
Malachi

Post-Exile Prophets: Reading Order Obadiah: punishment of Edom for their participation in the plundering of Jerusalem in four invasions documented in 2 Chronicles.

Haggai: rebuilding of the temple after the return from Exile.

Malachi: a final warning to the disobedient Israelites.

Special Books

There are four books that complete our study of the Bible. These books are last because they are the most difficult or the most widely misunderstood. Saving them for last hopefully helps us understand them better than if we had attempted to read them earlier in our study.

Job
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Jonah

Special Books: Reading Order Job: an exhaustive and profoundly enigmatic (much like the subject) analysis of the issue of suffering. It is almost entirely a work of poetry, making interpretation on this difficult subject even more challenging. See The Book of Job in Color from basics of the bible.org and Ten Principles for Understanding the Book of Job (pdf) for more help in understanding the Book of Job.

Ecclesiastes: a commentary on the futility of living without making the Creator God a central part of your life.

Song of Solomon: beautiful poetry with sensual imagery that speaks about love on many levels——between a husband and wife, and between the loving Creator God and His people.

Jonah: the well-known account of the prophet that was swallowed by a whale, but one in which most readers completely miss the point. This book is all about the grace of God and how we as depraved humans, much like Jonah, don’t understand what God is trying to do. Today, we are no different than Jonah was in his day.

Suggestions on Other Reading Material

Before giving some recommendations on reading material that will help you understand the Bible better, let me emphasize the primacy of the Bible with respect to other books——the Bible stands alone because it is the inspired Word of God. Other books may be helpful, thought-provoking and some can even be life-changing, but don’t let them take a higher place in your mind than the Bible. Be on your guard (remember the study on false teachers!), for some books may have an appearance of godliness, but will actually lead you astray. This is why we should not let ourselves be overly dependent on other people’s commentaries and opinions on the Bible——and by the way, that includes this study guide! Remember to let the Bible speak for itself. If we are open to hearing what the Bible has to say to us, the Holy Spirit will speak to us and instruct us in God’s ways.

With this in mind, I don’t want to discourage you from using helpful tools either. Below are some recommendations to get you started:

  • Other versions of the Bible, including paraphrase translations and Greek word study Bibles. You can even buy parallel Bibles, which contain several translations side-by-side, so that you can get a deeper perspective of the Scriptures by seeing different ways that the original language can be expressed (this is especially useful if you speak two languages).
  • My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers.
  • A Bible handbook such as Halley’s.

A Final Word

You’ve begun an amazing journey and I hope that this study guide has been helpful in getting you started. The importance of the Bible in the daily life of a follower of Jesus is told to us in Psalm 1:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

It is my prayer that God will continue to lead you into a deeper and deeper relationship with Him through faith in His son Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. As you now continue on your journey, I leave you with the encouraging words found in Jude, verses 24-25:

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy——to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

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