Ted,
You are right! I am reading these scriptures to gain wisdom and understanding. Just as I want to grow closer to God. Thank you for pointing this out. I am currently following a bible reading plan from Faithlife. I am on the Luke 1 month plan. Going decent so far.
Hi ashley,
Good for you! God will bless you for He has promised that He will be found by those who diligently search for Him. You will find that the new covenant writings are a bit easier to read and understand overall.
Just for something to keep in the back of your mind as you read, I'd like to give you what He has revealed to me in a short form. As you read and understand and gain wisdom you will be able to agree or disagree that what I understand from the Scriptures is correct. Don't waste a lot of time on what I'm going to write, but as I say, just something to keep in the back of your mind as you read.
God created this realm.
We live in a created realm. It consists of stars and planets and asteroids and comets and other bits and pieces of 'space' stuff. It also includes the earth which then includes the plants and creatures who have in them a form of life. Plants and animals both literally 'breathe' as they exist. Plants not so noticeable, but animals much like us. God created it all. All of it! He created it all so that man, His ultimate goal in creating this realm, could live.
If you'd like to take a minute, I'd ask you to read Genesis 1 chapter 1. Only that much. Then turn in your copy of the Scriptures and read Revelation 21 chapter 3. This describe the overarching plan of God. That He created this realm and that the purpose of His creating was that one day, for those who love Him, we will live with Him and He will be our God and we will be His people.
All that is written between these two claims of God is His working within this realm to bring about His final and ultimate goal in creating this realm. That one day, God is going to end this existence as we know it. He is going to judge all men and take those who love Him to be with Him.
He called Abram.
Through Abram God set in motion a plan to reveal Himself to created mankind. He raised up from this single solitary man an entire nation of people to do His bidding upon the earth. God used this nation as His spokespersons on the earth. He also used this nation to bring about the nuts and bolts of our only way of salvation. A righteous man had to die!
Jesus comes.
After God used His people to record all that God wanted to be written that we might understand all that was going on. He sent His Son into the world to be that righteous man. However, while he was here Jesus proved himself to mankind so that there should be no confusion as to who he is and what he was doing for us. He gave us, straight from God himself, another testimony of God.
The final writings.
The remainder of the new covenant writings explain how God's message has been carried throughout the known world and also gives us some practical answers to the 'how now shall we live' question. They also clearly give testimony that God knows the beginning from the end as many of them also give prophetic messages to us about how the world is going to become more and more wicked until we get to that passage of Revelation 21 chapter 3 and then ends by giving us each fair warnings and encouragements.
God bless you.
In Christ, Ted
