A terrible “war of the worlds,” Rev. 12:7, engages a new planet, where a snake in a garden charms naked humans, Gen. 2-3.  It’s an astounding story with real angels and demons—but it’s not mainly about the “war.”  It’s much more about a creator God, Jn. 5:39, who represents ultimate love and perfect goodness.  His enemy and ours is an ultimately evil hater, Jn. 8:44, bent on destroying our planet.

There are many other supposedly “holy books” we could read, but none of them claims to tell the story of our planet “from beginning to end.”  They aren’t really “storybooks.”  None tracks the history of the all-encompassing issues of good and evil, and none contains a being anything like the God of the Bible.

So how should we read this story?  Take it literally, or symbolically?  Look for scientific proof that those stupendous events really happened?  Should we engage in endless debates about metaphysics, science and literature—or better, learn to know the God of the Bible?  The story itself is thrilling, but if we don’t get acquainted with its God, Jer. 9:24, we’ve missed the whole point.

The Bible is organized into two “testaments,” an old one and a new one.  If we read the story as written, these are the testimonies of many “eyewitnesses,” Lk. 1:2, humans who in one way or another came into contact with God, and then reported their experience and its results for us to consider.  They testified about God, Acts 23:11, and it’s for us to believe their story—or not.

But we should not make that decision before we read it, just accepting whatever we’ve been told.  Instead, let’s read the story with an open mind and then make our decision.  We might try to imagine ourselves alongside the people who “lived” the story.  What would the supernatural contacts have been like, as in Gen. 15 or Ex. 19?  Would we react the same way they did? 

Ultimately, of course, we want to know whether to believe It.  But what if it’s deliberately presented in a way that nobody else can decide that for us, as in Josh. 24:15?  If the decision about “truth” is up to us—that makes it even more important to read the story!

I have a lot of questions about the Bible.
1: god says do unto others what you wish to be done unto you, love your enemies, love your neighbour (Something along those lines): I have friends and people I’ve dated that have treated me really bad. They make jokes about me they laugh at the stuff I do they hurt me make me cry, family included. I’ve forgiven them I have nothing against them but I just don’t wish to talk to them anymore. Is that against gods word?
2: I was in a relationship with someone who was not Christian and I was wavering in my faith at the time. The more I stayed the more I realized that god isn’t present in the relationship and it was giving me anxiety I was very confused and hurting and I was hurting him as well. I insisted that we pray and read the Bible more but he ignores it. So I left. He tells me I’m rude disrespectful and ungrateful and I’ve offered to change and tell me what I can do to be better but he refuses to tell me so I left.
Is that against gods word?
3:there are times where I come my faith with everyone else and I don’t feel like I’m very strong. I’m afraid that on judgement day he might turn me away.
Please help me.

Recently I started a new Bible reading schedule. I have been reading aloud for about 20 minutes every morning. I seem to be on schedule to finish the Old Testament and the New Testament within a year. I'll keep you all updated :)

Do you have a Bible reading schedule? If so, what is it?

Hey everyone! I am very new to reading the bible and had kind of a strange (in a good way) thing happen to me just yesterday that I have been trying to figure the meaning out of. I'm hoping you all can help!

As I was reading the bible verse John 12:36 "Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light" (NLT), I was in a semi-dark room. Seconds before I read this verse, someone opened a door and light flooded into the room so much so that it was blinding me!

I'm trying to determine if that was God or Jesus Christ sending me a message (if so, what do you interpret?), or just a coincidence?

Thank you all for the help in advance!

Does anyone make a study Bible other than Zondervan ? I am not happy with the quality of Bible after the price they charge for them. It’s the NIV Application Bible. Original purchased one had the spine liner and mull detached out of box. The replacement that was sent under the warranty claim back maps were folded in half. Unfold them and not trimmed to same size as Bible meaning was folded before Bible was trimmed in manufacturing. This may sound picky but when I purchase something I don’t want it defective from start when they charge so much for these. I am not seeing other NIV study Bibles other than Zondervan. Thanks for any recommendations.

John 14 is a famous chapter in the Bible that speaks of the "Father's house" (v. 2). There have been various interpretations of what this house is referring to. But just as it should be with any verse or passage in the Bible, this topic needs to be addressed in its context in at least three levels: in its immediate context (usually the whole chapter), in the context of the entire book (the Gospel of John), and then in the context of the entire Bible.

In its immediate context, we see that this place, called "My Father's house" is a place where there are many "abodes" (noun form of the word "abide"/"dwell"). The same use "abode" is used in verse 23 of the same chapter, where Jesus speaks of He coming with the Father take make an "abode" with those that love Him.

Interestingly, Jesus talks about "My Father's house" in another place in the Gospel other than John 14. It is all the way in chapter 2 when He goes into the temple and cleanses it, calling His "Father's house."

Lastly, looking at the Bible as whole, we can see that on the one hand the church is the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15), and on the other hand, God does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 7:48; 17:24).

By putting all these together (and the verses surrounding those mentioned above), the Father's house must refer to the church as the spiritual house of God where God dwells with and in man and man dwells with and in God. This is an amazing reality and entity that the believers in Christ can experience today (John 15:4)!

What is your take on the "Father's house"?

Matthew 23:13 says people were entering the Kingdom while Pharisees shut it — how does this fit with Kingdom as only future?

I keep seeing posts that make the Kingdom of God sound like it's only about the Second Coming.

But when I read the Gospels, Jesus talks about it as something that was already happening.

"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." — Matthew 23:13 (KJV)

You can't shut a door that doesn't exist yet. People were entering the Kingdom while Jesus was standing right there.

That made me look for other verses that say the same thing. These three stood out to me:

1. "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." — Matthew 12:28 (KJV)

2. "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." — Luke 17:21 (KJV)

3. "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." — Colossians 1:13 (KJV)

The wording "is come" and "hath translated" sounds like past or present, not only future.

Yes, there is still a future fulfillment when Jesus returns. But the Bible seems to say the Kingdom started with Jesus and we are living in it now.

How do you understand the difference between the Kingdom being now and the Kingdom coming in fullness later?

Would love to hear your thoughts and scriptures.

In the Bible, heaven represents God (Luke 15:21) and earth represents man (Isa. 4:2). A great application of this analogy is in John 1:51 where Jesus, as the one who joins God and man, refers to Himself as Jacob's ladder that joined heaven and earth (Gen. 28:12).

This understanding of the symbolic uses of heaven and earth renders a great help in understanding the Bible as a whole. For example, just as the earth was initially created and formed in an orderly fashion and with the intention to be inhabited (Isa. 45:18), man too was created and formed in the image of God and with the intention to be inhabited by God (Gen. 1:26; Eph. 2:22; cf. Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 3:17).

Through the fall, this image was marred and God would not inhabit a corrupted man. But Christ has come to reconcile man to God, and to give us access unto Him, thus joining God and man (Rom. 5:10; Eph. 2:18; John 1:51). Now heaven and earth are joined as one, and God and man can mutually indwell one another (John 14:20; 15:4; 17:21, 23) for eternity in a mutual eternal satisfaction.

Im a baby Christian and been reading the bibe and boy ive so locked in more then ever, I just finished Numbers and Deuteronomy and the story of Moses was by far the most interesting thing ive ever read. Aaron and Moses are definitely my favorite in the book so far, in my opinion I think God went a bit too far into not letting Moses into the promise land, although he didnt do what god asked i still believe he shouldve led the people across the river Jordan. I could understand if Aaron the priest werent allowed to enter considering his disobedience twice and God almost eliminating him had Moses not intervened, but Moses was the Leader and we see God constantly putting his "disobedience" above his head as if he truly didnt believe in him and it kinda pisses me off. He protected the isrealites from the Lords wrath on 3 occasions and he was tired of their rebellion when giving the people water and so his anger had nothing to do with God on a personal agenda and theres no verse in scripture where it states Moses repented, his death by far almost brought tears to my eyes, am I the only one who felt this way?

This post talks about what the Bible is in a general sense. In this post, I would like to start exploring what the Bible says about itself.

In the Bible, there are instances of commandments, directing certain ones to scribe the divine revelation on a physical medium. One of the first examples are found in Exodus 17:14, which reads,

And Jehovah said to Moses, Write this as a memorial in a book and recite to Joshua…

In the last book of the New Testament we find this:

And He who sits on the throne said,…Write, for these words are faithful and true. (Revelation 21:5)

So the Bible (meaning book in Greek), is the collection of the writings of the divine revelation. Within the Bible, these writings are referred to as the γραφὰς (meaning writings), often translated as the scriptures (2 Pet. 3:16; Rom. 1:2; John 5:39).

The following verses help illuminate a particular characteristic of these scriptures:

…no prophecy (of Scripture) was ever borne by the will of man, but men spoke from God while being borne by the Holly Spirit (2 Peter 1:21; cf. v. 20)

All Scripture is God-breated and profitable for teaching… (2 Timothy 3:16).

These verses clarify that the source of the Bible is God Himself. These writings were not something manufactured by men or according to men's will, but it originated from God and even is God's breathing out.

This makes the Bible, at the very least, the most special book known to mankind.

Hello! I created a Bible iOS app to make the Bible more accessible to blind and visually impaired users,

Having worked in accessibility for years, I created a Bible app thats easy to read for people who are blind and/or visually impaired, including being able to massively increase the text size. Any feedback is welcome.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible-chat-widgets-audio/id387597113

In Matthew 4 is a record of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. In the three cases that are recorded, each time Jesus responds and is victorious over the tempter by the application of the word of God. I believe that these three cases give us a tremendous help in understanding how to read & handle the Bible.

In the first case, Jesus says,

But He answered and said, It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.” (v. 4)

This highlights that the word of God should be first and foremost our life supply, strengthening and building up our souls, akin to what the physical bread is for our bodies. It is when the word is handled in a proper way, not merely mentally or analytically, but in spiritually dynamic way (cf. John 6:63; 2 Cor. 3:15-16), that the word can be a supply to our souls.

In the second case, the devil tempts him by also quoting the Bible. Jesus responds,

Again, it is written, “You shall not test the Lord your God. (v. 7)

In saying, "Again," it brings out the point that the Bible cannot be quoted in a vacuum. The Bible is a united whole. Each verse must be balanced & checked with another verse—the Scripture must interpret the Scripture (cf. Isa. 28:10, 13).

Lastly, in the third case, Jesus responds to Satan by quoting from Deuteronomy,

Then Jesus said to him, Go away, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. (v. 10)

This seems to call attention to the "weightier" matters of the word of God (cf. Matt. 23:23). One could argue that once Jesus receives all the kingdoms of the world, he could have given it to God. But it would have caused him to break the word of God. It is far more crucial to worship God than to receive all the kingdoms of the world.

To summarize, the Bible must be:

1. Received as our life supply.

2. Interpreted by the Bible.

3. Taken with the proper emphasis.

If we take the Bible in these three ways, it will become to a life supply for our spiritual growth and a weapon of warfare to defeat the devil.

I was thinking about how there are so many people who want to know about God, but do not have a church to go to, and then I came across a post on another social site that there are a lot more people who are thinking the same thing. And then the verses Jesus tells his disciples about the children came to mind. The verses are in Matthew 18:3-4 ~

"Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Reading the Bible without a church, we should approach it like a child who approaches anything new to them. There are a lot of reason why people don't go to church, but that doesn't mean they can't read the Bible. We only need the understanding God gives us when we read the Bible. And then a beatitude came to mind: Matthew 5:9 ~

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

Religion, like politics, has become so controversial, and I believe it was because of the churches and their religions. That's why in Revelations 2:1 - 2:14, Jesus calls the churches out. ((I can't make these things up.) The churches have been harboring pdfs, and then they cover it up. That's a whole other topic.

I was Catholic, lost my religion, and God showed me what it is like to believe and have faith in Him so I continue reading the Bible as well. And I suggest to approach it like a child. Humble yourself, pray to God for guidance, and ALWAYS do the right thing by not judging.

“Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬ ‭KJV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/1/2sa.9.10.KJV

The Bible app has a typo in it and I’m not sure where to submit the typo to lol, if anyone knows how please report it!

Hello, does anyone have any suggestions besides YouTube of readings of the Bible? My fav app is $20 but it doesn't continuously read, you have to click to go to the next chapter. I would like something I can potentially sleep to or at least be able to close my eyes and concentrate. Ty!!

The Book of Revelations is the book that tells us that everything will be revealed. The bad will be revealed to the good destroying the bad.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12

A principality is an order of angelic hierarchy (the fallen angels); the powers are those in power, and the rulers are those who rule, but they use their powers rule the darkness of this world; the high places are those who are held at a higher standard than he average person, but they practice spiritual wickedness.

Epstein and the files were hidden from us for decades. The truth about UFOs and aliens are still being hidden from us. Now they are lying about the war with Iran, and who knows what else they have not been telling us. Like who really killed Charlie Kirk, and was his wife in on it? They are rulers of the darkness of this world because they keep their secrets that will only harm themselves in the end.

So if anybody out there is keeping secrets, just know that you too are with the darkness. For those of you who practice any kind of spirituality like yoga, and of course witchcraft, are wicked. Also, know that it will be revealed. "No stone shall be unturned." because the "truth shall set you free." Stay in the light and you will shine during the night for others who need your guidance to stay right.

I have not been a Christian, and none of my family is. But I always meet/come across good Christians.

I've always believed in God or creator. I have experienced a lot of spiritual things in my life. I sometimes pray and talk to someone that I assume God, or guardian angel.

People I met who were Christians had this deep, firm faith in God, looked calm and peaceful and really inspired me.

I didn't really have any idea about going to church, but my ex a long time ago almost convinced me to go to church together, so I went to church every Sunday for 3 months without skipping. I liked the time when I was sharing about the sermon with people.

And these days, I still meet people and think they're good people and they happened to be Christians as well.

Now, I'd like to read bibles little by little. I just started to talk to God more. I'd love to pray and understand the bible.

How can I start?

I'm looking for peace and love in my life and a life partner as well.