Year after year, the Bible is the world's best-selling book. Portions of the Bible have been available in more than three thousand languages around the world. Chances are that you have one on your coffee table, or stored away in a closet somewhere. But how many even read the Bible? If you don't read this book, you could be missing out on the most exciting, mind-expanding information and knowledge the world has ever known!
In the mid-1450s, more than 560 years ago, the German printer Johan Gutenberg gave the world its first printed Bible. A 2021 study by the British and Foreign Bible Society estimated that somewhere between 5 billion and 7 billion Bibles have been printed since then. And now, in our digital age, hundreds of millions of Bibles have been downloaded to people's smartphones and computers.
As of 2021, a popular Bible app by YouVersion had been downloaded more than 500 million times, and users have read or listened to more than 64 billion individual chapters of the Bible. The Bible is everywhere, it seems. But does anyone really understand the Bible? Can you understand the Bible? On today's program, we'll discuss seven simple but vital keys for studying your Bible. And we'll be offering you a free Bible Study Course. It's titled: Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course.
This free course will make your Bible study more meaningful than ever before. Be sure to write down the number on your screen. You can also order this free Bible Study Course at TWTV.org/Study. My friends, we are living in the prophesied "time of the end." Your Bible reveals the future of the world and your part in it. You need to understand Bible prophecy, and the awesome future of planet earth. The Bible reveals the way of peace and prosperity.
You need to understand the vital revelation that God Almighty wants you to know. On this program, you'll learn Seven Keys for Bible Study. These keys can change your life! You need this information! Stay tuned! ♪ If you're a regular viewer of Tomorrow's World, you probably read the Bible often. But how many people actually read the Bible? A 2021 study published by Statista.org found that 11 percent of Americans read their Bible every day.
About one-third, 34 percent, read it at least once a week. Another 29 percent say they never read the Bible! My friends, you need to read this book. But can you understand its mysteries? Yes, you can. On today's program we'll give you seven keys for effective Bible Study. And we'll be offering you an inspiring free Bible Study Course that can change your life and give you understanding that billions of human beings around the world do not have. Just how valuable is the Bible?
The Bible is a storehouse of valuable treasure. How can we reap the treasures contained in this book? Proverbs 2:4. Speaking of the true knowledge, the Bible states in Proverbs 2:4... The Bible was once at the center of our Western civilization. It was even a part of public school education. More recently, secularism, evolution, and materialism overwhelmed educational institutions, throwing God, the Bible, and the Ten Commandments out the window.
Since then, moral and ethical standards have declined in all sectors of society. This is no coincidence! My friends, the Bible reveals an unseen spiritual law that explains major trends and decline in our Western world. If you have your Bible, turn to Galatians 6. Galatians 6:7... Our Western world has been sowing sin, and it will reap disastrous consequences. Galatians 6:8 continues... Sadly, we have been reaping corruption in our Western world.
That's why you need to be watching world news in the light of Bible prophecy. Perhaps you saw our telecast titled, "Reaping the Whirlwind." The prophet Hosea stated it this way... Will our nations finally get the message that we need to repent nationally and individually? Will we finally turn to the God of the Bible and heed His warning, and finally obey His commandments? We need to study the Bible, and live by the Bible. As Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4...
Only obedience to, and a love of, the Scriptures can lead to moral and national prosperity. My friends, God will judge unbelievers. Let us understand! The Bible is God's instruction book to all human beings. If you have your Bible, turn to 2 Timothy 3:16... The NIV states it this way... Yes! All scripture is useful! Key number one for effective Bible study is: Some people believe that since the Bible was completed about 1,900 years ago, it cannot be relevant for us today. That belief is wrong.
As we've demonstrated in dozens of our programs, not only is the Bible relevant for us today, but its prophecies also reveal humanity's future, our incredible destiny and the good news of tomorrows's world. The good news is that mankind will not completely destroy itself. Jesus Christ will return at the most dangerous point in human history to save us from ourselves. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is always relevant. If you have your Bible, turn to Matthew 24:14. Jesus said...
Yes, we look forward to the end of this "present evil world," the end of this age and the beginning of a new age, tomorrow's world! The Bible is always relevant. The Gallup Poll discovered that: Yes, the Bible is relevant. It does answer the most basic questions of life! In the next part of our program, we will discuss more principles that will help you understand your Bible. But first I would like to offer you our free inspiring Bible Study Course.
The Bible has precious, priceless promises for you. And it reveals your potential future and the future of the world. The Bible is an up-to-date book. It's a timely book. In fact, the first lesson of the Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course is titled: "The Bible: A Book for Today!" You need this amazing free 24-lesson course. Please understand, we expect you to use your own Bible daily in conjunction with this course.
You'll learn from your own Bible amazing truths that have been totally overlooked, or even rejected by many religious teachers. Lesson two is "Are We Living in The 'Last Days?' Lesson three, "Can You Understand Bible Prophecy?" You need this free Bible Study Course. So pick up the telephone right now and request Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course. There's no cost or obligation. Just telephone or write, and we will send you the first four lessons of our free 24-lesson Bible Study Course.
You can also order your free Bible Study Course at TWTV.ORG/STUDY---or you can write to us at one of our regional addresses. For today's free offer call... Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine.
Ten inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective. Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now! Or go to... The Bible is God's gift to all humanity. Do we really treasure this book as we should? If we do, we really need to study the Bible regularly.
President Abraham Lincoln made this statement about the Bible: A survey by the American Bible Society found that Bible-reading increased during the Covid pandemic. More than 181 million Americans opened a Bible at least once in 2021, that's up from 169 million in 2020. Millions are discovering that the Bible is relevant to their lives. We discussed that key in the last part of our program.
Key 1: A second vital key is: Many cannot truly understand the Bible because they throw out its first 39 books, called the Old Testament. Let's understand. When Jesus quoted scripture, He quoted the Hebrew Scriptures, or the Old Testament. In His tremendous spiritual battle with Satan the devil, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 when He said... You'll find that in Luke 4:4. That profound truth is absolutely foundational to anyone's happiness, and their eternal life.
The Apostle Paul, writing to the young evangelist Timothy, spoke of the genuine faith that was in Timothy's grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice. They had taught Timothy the scriptures from childhood. And what were those scriptures? The first 39 books of the Bible. The New Testament had not yet been written. Read about that in 2 Timothy 3:15... Timothy was able to understand salvation through the Old Testament Scriptures, and through His acceptance of Jesus Christ as His Savior.
The Bible is a complete book. It begins in the book of Genesis and ends with the book of Revelation. In fact, God warns us in Revelation 22:18... Let's understand. When Jesus taught us the two great commandments, He quoted them from the Old Testament. The first great commandment, to love God with all our heart, soul and strength, is written in Deuteronomy 6:5! And Jesus' second great commandment, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, is from Leviticus 19:18.
These Old Testament verses Jesus quoted, are commandments of God. The point, my friend, is that we cannot understand God's truth, or His plan, unless we study the whole Bible as the Word of God. To understand the Bible, we must read both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Key #2 for effective Bible study is: A third key for effective Bible study is: We've discussed this principle on previous programs, and it is an extremely important principle.
More than 25% of the Bible is prophecy---and symbolic language is often used. The books of Daniel and Revelation contain much symbolic language. How can you understand it? In previous programs, we have discussed examples of symbolism in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 1:20, stars symbolize the angels of the seven churches. And the seven lampstands symbolize seven churches. In Revelation 17, the Apostle John sees in vision, a beast ridden by a woman, a harlot. Revelation 17:3.
John writes... She is called in verse 5... Verse 6 declares this woman persecutes true Christians. The following verses give us the meaning of these symbols. Verse 12, for example, reveals the meaning of the ten horns of the beast... And verse 18 tells us... Our third key for effective Bible study is: But how can you understand the Bible interpreting itself? We'll discuss that in the next part of our program.
But first, I would like to offer you our free inspiring Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course. You'll be able to study the promises, the prophecies, and the teachings of the Bible in your own home, and at your convenience. The Bible answers the most basic questions of life. Lesson Four is: "Revealed: The Master Key to Bible Prophecy!" Lesson Five is, "What Is God Really Like?
Lesson Six of our Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course is titled "Why Were You Born?" You need this amazing, free, twenty-four lesson Bible Study Course. There is no cost or obligation. So pick up the telephone right now and request the Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course. Just telephone or write, and we will send you the first four lessons of our free twenty-four lesson Bible Study Course. You can also order it on our Web
site at TWTV.ORG/STUDY---or you can write to us at one of our regional addresses. This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. Call now! Or go to... We have seen that the Bible interprets the Bible. But how can you understand what the Bible's symbols and signs and warnings truly mean? This leads us to our fourth key: Teachers who fail to do this often end up teaching false and misleading doctrines.
Take, for example, the controversy often called "Law or Grace." Does God's grace mean a Christian can live a life of rampant sin and blatantly disobey his Savior? Of course not. As Jesus said in Mathew 19:17... Jesus went on to mention several of the Ten Commandments. Let's understand. The Bible does not contradict itself. Jesus said in John 10:35... God's Grace does not give us permission to transgress God's law.
Some wrongly take Ephesians 2:15 as doing away with God's Ten Commandments and the moral law. Ephesians 2:15 states... Actually, this is speaking of ordinances, or in the Greek, "dogma"---in this case, man-made laws that caused division between Jews and Gentiles. Remember, the principle here is to study all the references on one topic. If we read Ephesians 2:15 apart from the rest of the Bible, we could come to a wrong conclusion.
Listen to this plain comment about Ephesians 2:15 from the NIV Study Bible: In other words, when you are consistent and honest with the scriptures, as in this commentary, the truth is "God's Moral Standard expressed in the Old Testament law is not changed by the coming of Christ." This is consistent with the second principle we discussed, Study the scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments of your Bible.
To have a true understanding of Bible truths, apply the fourth key: "Study all the scripture on a topic." When you honestly do that, you will see that, as in this example, Grace does not do away with the moral authority of God's law. A fifth key for effective Bible study is: When you study all the scriptures on a topic, go a little further. Read all the scriptures around a verse you are studying.
For example, some wrongly say that the Jerusalem Conference in Acts 15 abolished the Ten Commandments for the Gentiles. But notice the Apostle James' decision in Acts 15:19... When the Apostles specified these four prohibitions, did that free the Gentiles to sin in other ways? To transgress the commandment that says "You shall not murder"? "You shall not have other gods before the true God"? Of course not. The Apostles in no way repealed the moral law of God.
To understand this, we need to read the context. What was the main question? Read verse one of Acts 15... The issue was circumcision. The conference decided that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised in order to be saved. The Apostle Paul later wrote to the Corinthian Gentiles in 1 Corinthians 7:19... Be careful to read all the scriptures around the verse you are studying.
Remember our fifth key for effective Bible study: We will discuss two final keys for Bible study in the next part of our program. But first, I would like to offer you our free inspiring Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course. You'll be able to study the promises, the prophecies, and the teachings of the Bible in your own home, at your own convenience. The Bible answers the most basic questions of life! The answers will astound you.
Lesson Eighteen is, "Health and Healing" Lesson Nineteen is, "Building a Godly Marriage." Lesson Twenty is, "Building a Godly Family." You need this amazing, free, 24-lesson Bible Study Course. There's no cost or obligation. So pick up the telephone right now and request the Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course. Just telephone or write, and we will send you the first four lessons of our Bible Study Course. You can also order it on our Web
site at TWTV.ORG/STUDY--or you can write to us at one of our regional addresses. For today's free offer call... Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine. Ten inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now! Or go to... We've previously discussed five keys for effective Bible study. They are: A sixth important key for effective Bible study is: Turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:21. We often challenge our viewers to check in the Bible for themselves. Do not take for granted what we say on this program. Read it in your own Bible. 1 Thessalonians 5:21...
Or as the King James Version states... Notice the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17. Acts 17:11. The author, Luke, commends the Bereans for their positive, investigative attitude in reading the scriptures. Acts 17:11... Key number 6 is: A seventh key for effective Bible study is foundational. That principle is: The Bible emphasizes that we need a teachable attitude. Ancient King David was a man after God's own heart as it tells us in Acts 13:22.
Notice David's teachable attitude in praying for understanding. Psalm 25:4... My friends, pray for understanding as you read and study your Bible. Pray for guidance. God blesses those who respect the scriptures and reverence His holy word. Turn in your Bible to Isaiah 66:2. Almighty God states... The seventh key for effective Bible study is: The Bible is the most important book in the world. My friends, if you've neglected reading the Bible, now is the time to change. Read it daily.
If your attitude is right, you'll be greatly blessed and your life will be changed. As Jesus said in John 6:63... The seventh key for effective Bible Study is: The Bible is not only a book for today, but it is also the book of the future. As Jesus said in Luke 21:33... Thank God, that He has shared with us His awesome spiritual truth, and the very purpose of life. Again, my friends, be sure to request your free Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course.
This detailed and informative course will help you in your study of priceless spiritual truth; it will help you in your study of Bible prophecy; and it will help you prepare for the future. And it's absolutely free of charge. We invite you to join us every week on Tomorrow's World, or watch us online at any time. As our world continues to unravel and decline, you need the encouragement, faith, and truth that come from your Bible.
Gerald Weston, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair and I will continue to share with you the inspiring teachings of Jesus Christ, the encouraging good news of the coming Kingdom of God, and the exciting end-time prophecies and their meaning. So, be sure to join us again next week, right here, at this same time. For today's free offer call... Or go to... Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
♪ The preceding program is produced by the Living Church of God.