by Chris Reeves
Putting Together the Puzzle of the Old Testament. Bill Jones. Inter-Varsity Press, 2005. 225 pages, softback. ISBN: 978-0-8308-5741-8
Understanding a broad survey and history of the Bible is like putting together the pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle. This is how Bill Jones looks at it and it is a good approach especially for those new to the Bible. In Putting Together the Puzzle of the Old Testament, Jones writes in a popular style for a large audience to help them understand the basics of the big picture of God’s word. Jones wants the Bible student to learn how to put God’s word together just like he would a puzzle. First, Jones suggests you start by examining the “box cover” – the overall story of the Bible (God’s plan to save mankind). Next, you look for the “corner pieces” – the way the Old Testament books are grouped together (law, history, poetry, and prophets). Next, you locate all the “straight edged” pieces – the books of history telling the story of God’s plan to save mankind from the beginning to the coming of Jesus Christ (primarily the books of law and history). Finally, you locate all the other pieces of the puzzle – the books of poetry and prophecy – and place them in their historical setting with the books of law and history. After laying out the basic puzzle-making guidelines in his introduction, Jones offers a basic overview of the eight eras of the Old Testament story. In each era, Jones answers the important questions about that time period – the Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why of the story. These are the very questions that all good Bible teachers and students should be able to answer. Jones approaches a survey of the New Testament the same way in his follow-up volume, Putting Together the Puzzle of the New Testament (2009). It is a good idea to get both volumes and read then together to get the best overview of the Bible. (Reader beware: Jones inserts his premillennial bias on pages 213-231 when he gets to the book of Revelation.)
Leaving A Mark: The Lectures of Phil Roberts. Nathan Ward, Editor. Florida College Press, 2013. 266 pages, hardback. ISBN: 978-1-890119-34-8
Phil Roberts, who has passed from this life, was one of the many teachers at Florida College who helped me to learn God’s word better and who influenced me greatly while I was a student there years ago. Just like others whose influence lives on posthumously, the teachings of Phil Roberts will continue to instruct Bible students for many years to come in a work titled, Leaving A Mark: The Lectures of Phil Roberts. In Leaving A Mark, Nathan Ward has pulled together six Florida College lectures delivered by brother Roberts and three of his essays. Brother Roberts’ material is both rich and rewarding. His lecture on “The Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9:24-27” is worth the price of the book and should be read by any Bible student approaching this challenging Old Testament passage and a study of premillennialism. His essay on “The Text of the King James Version” remains timely as new Bible versions continue to be published and Christians try to decide which translation to use. I thank Nathan for putting this valuable material together under one cover.
Six Days: The Age of the Earth and the Decline of the Church. Ken Ham. Master Books, 2013. 256 pages, softback. ISBN: 978-0890-517895
Many so-called “Bible” colleges, “Theological” seminaries, “Christian” schools, and even some parts of the home school movement, do not accept the first eleven chapters of Genesis as literal history. Can you believe it? For years, some “Bible” scholars (including some brethren among us) have said that the days of Genesis 1 are not literal, 24-hour days. But now, some teachers are going even farther to say that Adam and Eve were not the first humans and the flood was not worldwide. (Will some of our brethren begin to say the same? Time will tell.) In his recent book Six Days, Ken Ham seeks to educate and inform the reader about how many so-called “Christian” teachers in this country have been in decline in upholding the truths of Genesis 1-11. Ham discusses how important it is for the Bible interpreter to remain true to the foundational truths laid down in Genesis 1-11. When a so-called “Christian” teacher ceases to defend the literal and historical truths of Genesis 1-11, the foundations of all of God’s word will begin to crumble and terrible consequences will follow. Six Days is a must read book! Your eyes will be opened to what is actually going on in the world of teachers who compromise with evolutionary ideas. Brethren, preachers, and elders need to read this book and be forewarned about the false ideas that can come into the Lord’s church starting with the very first book of the Bible.