Below is a guide to the books of the Bible - New and Old Testament. There are 66 books and 1,189 chapters. If you read four chapters a day you can complete the bible in one year. The books are catagorized, along with a brief descriptions. More explaination is given below the table.
| Books | Category | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | Pentateuch | Creation; the flood; Land promised to Israel |
| Exodus | Israel freed from Eqypt; wilderness; ten-commandments | |
| Leviticus | Laws; warnings and blessings to Israel | Numbers | Families of Israel | Deuteronomy | Israel in wilderness; warning and blessings to Israel | Joshua | History of Israel and Judah |
Joshua and the Israelites cross the Jordan River | Judges | Judges raised up to deliver Israelites from enemies | Ruth | 1 Samuel | Prophet Samuel; History of David | 2 Samuel | David anointed King over Israel | 1 Kings | History of Kings; Israel divided into 2 kingdoms | 2 Kings | Northern and Southern kingdoms carried away captives | 1 Chronicles | 2 Chronicles | Ezra | Return of captives to their land; rebuilding of Jerusalem | Nehemiah | Esther | Queen Esther prevents Jews from being destroyed by evil King |
| Job | Wisdom | Story of Job; his loses and triumph through God |
| Psalms | Prayers and praises to the Lord; majesty and wonder of God | |
| Proverbs | Truth about human life; right and wrong; good and evil | |
| Ecclesiastes | Vanity of living; truth about human life and its purpose | |
| Songs of Solomon | ||
| Isaiah | Major Prophets | Future and fulfilled prophesies | *Messianic Prophesies* |
| Jeremiah | ||
| Lamentations | ||
| Ezekial | ||
| Daniel | Hosea | Minor Prophets | Future and fulfilled prophesies | *Messianic Prophesies* | Joel | Amos | Obadiah | Jonah | Micah | Nahum | Habakkuk | Zephaniah | Haggai | Zechariah | Malachi |
| Matthew | Gospels | Birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ |
| Mark | ||
| Luke | ||
| John | ||
| Acts | Beginning and early Church; Pentecost; salvation to all | |
| Romans | Pauline Epistles *Salvation* through *Jesus Christ* |
Letters of Salvation of God's grace through Jesus Christ alone |
| 1 Corinthians | ||
| 2 Corinthians | ||
| Galations | ||
| Ephesians | ||
| Philippians | ||
| Colossians | ||
| 1 Thessalonians | ||
| 2 Thessalonians | ||
| 1 Timothy | ||
| 2 Timothy | ||
| Titus | ||
| Philemon | ||
| Hebrews | James | General Letters | Letters of truth and warnings to elect; after Jesus's resurrection | 1 Peter | 2 Peter | 1 John | 2 John | 3 John | Jude |
| Revelation | Judgment | Revelation and return of Jesus Christ; judgment on man and Earth |
In Genesis many things are established that flow down to the rest of the Bible. The creation and flood accounts are told. The covenant from God to Abraham is established, defining land given to the people of Israel. In Exodus the Israelites are free from the bondage of Egypt and given the 10 commandments from Moses. There are many valuable lessons that can be learned from the exodus in the wilderness that can be applied today.
The History books depict how the Israelites established the land given to them and their breaking away and returning to God. This pattern is repeated over and over in these books. They cried out for Judges to rule over the land and God responded; they then cried out for Kings to rule over them and again God responded. Over and over they strayed away from God, worshipping idols and interacting with the enemies of the land that God forbad them to do. Eventually the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms causing a rift. To bring wrath on the people for continued idol worship, the divided kingdoms were taken captive by the Assyrians and Babylonians. The stories and hardships of these events are captured in the Major and Minor Prophecy books. After the captivities the nations returned to their land to rebuild. Again the pattern of turning away and returning to God repeated.
As stated, the Major and Minor Prophecy books contain prophecies that have been fulfilled as well as future ones. Many of the ones fulfilled were prophecies of the captivity and the Messiah - the birth of Jesus Christ. Future prophecies include Israel restored in peace with Messiah, tribulation and judgment on earth, day of the Lord, and a new restored earth with Messiah ruling.
The Wisdom books are read by many people, especially Psalms. They provide relief and understanding in a confused, troubled world. Psalms make good models for prayers.
In the New Testament, the Gospels depict the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Each author writes in a different angle, but all point to the same thing. The parables of Jesus are excellent stories that have meaning in today's world also. Jesus was the greatest prophet and he prophesied about his second return in Matthew and Luke. The book of Acts is not a gospel, but is a result of Jesus's resurrection and how the first church was established.
The New Testament continues with the letters from Paul to various churches and people, telling that salvation is by the grace of God only and through his Son only. These books give accounts of Paul's missionary and give us proof of our salvation. The law is now replaced by grace, with the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Paul also tells about the rapture (caught-up with the Jesus in the air) and how the final false prophet will deceive the world. These books are powerful and give us guidance to Christian behavior and how we should live our lives according to God.
The final chapters include letters written to churches and peoples scattered after Jesus's resurrection. They warn the readers about false prophets and evil that will arise in the latter days and about the truth of God's love for us. Finally the bible concludes with the book of Revelation. A very powerful book read by many people today and taught by many scholars. Not only is it about the judgment of man and earth, it is the revealing of Jesus Christ. His return to earth and judgment is given in detail. The new heaven and new earth is unveiled and will be our final home. This book ties together all the other books in the bible; it acts as a central point where all things come together.
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It all ties together. All the books from the Old Testament and the New Testament make perfect logical sense how and when they were written. They support each other, despite written hundreds of years apart. They have one main theme, which is Jesus Christ. Many prophecies have been fulfilled and one day all of them will be fulfilled. There is no substitute for reading the bible, page for page. It will make a difference in your thinking, your actions and how you see life. By completing the entire book you resolve questions that linger with some of the books, chapters, or verses. For example when you read the Pauline epistles you will understand what Jesus meant in many of his parables. You will gain wisdom and knowledge to fellowship with other believers and spread the good news you have just gained. Reading the books in its original order (listed in table above) is suggested for the first time. Once completed, the Holy Spirit will guide and teach you how to discern their differences and similarity.