The New Testament Books
If you look at your Bible's table of contents, you'll find that the Bible has two main divisions: the Old Testament and the New Testament. While the Old Testament is bigger (about 77% of the whole Bible), the New Testament is the part with the stories of Jesus' life,...
Malachi: the faithful God and the disconnected people
The Jews had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. They'd obeyed the messages of God from the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. They’d rebuilt the temple of God. And nothing happened. No Messiah, no great divine war against Israel's enemies, no worldwide kingdom of...
Zechariah: return to God, and He will return to you
When God had a message for the people, He sent His prophets. The prophets would then speak forth the word of God to kings, priests, and the people. The prophets warned the people of God's need to punish sin, and pleaded with the people to turn to God. But the Jews...
Haggai: consider your ways!
After spending 70 years as captives in Babylon, the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem. The Persian emperor Cyrus issued a decree: the Jews were to rebuild the temple of the Lord. Zerubbabel, who was of the royal line of David, led the Jews back home. They made...
Zephaniah: God removes everything, God restores everything
Judah was doomed. Judah had been doomed long ago. The old king Manasseh had lead the nation away from God and into heinous idolatry, including human sacrifice (2 Chr 33:9). Manasseh's son only made it worse (2 Chr 33:22–23). God had shown mercy during those days, but...
Why you don’t have to start at Genesis
There are three ways you might resolve to read the Bible in the new year: You want to read it all the way through in a year. You want to spend more time in it than you did last year. You just want to read it, period. I'm a fan of all these goals, mostly because...
Habakkuk: the Babylonians are coming
"How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and you will not hear?" The people of Judah had grown wicked, violent, and corrupt. There was no justice in the land that was supposed to be known by God's name. Habakkuk couldn't take it anymore. These people shouldn't be...
Nahum: it’s over for Nineveh
When Jonah warned Nineveh of God's wrath, the Ninevites repented and God spared them. But their repentance didn't take. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and the Assyrian empire had only grown more mighty and more wicked since the time of Jonah. Nineveh continued to...
Micah: the just God demands justice
God had made Israel His own special nation, and He had special expectations of them. God is holy, and His people were to be holy. God is faithful, and His people were to be faithful to Him. God is merciful, and His people were to be merciful. God is just, and His...
Amos: the sovereign Lord roars against Israel
Amos was a simple shepherd in the Southern Kingdom of Judah (Am 1:1). He wasn't a prophet. There were no prophets in his family. But God had a message for the rebellious Northern Kingdom of Israel, and He chose Amos to deliver it (Am 7:15). God had made Israel His...
