Jesus in the glories of heaven rather than separated from Him in the punishment of hell is not based on how good we are, what church we attend, or whether we’ve been baptized. Though important, those things do not determine our salvation. They are not the bottom line.
Friend, what we do with Jesus Christ is the bottom line when it comes to where we will spend eternity when our mortal life is through. Jesus said so Himself in various ways, but probably most emphatically when He told His disciples, “I am the way the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father [goes to Heaven] except through me” (John 14:6).
Where are you with Jesus? God spoke through the Apostle Paul when he said that no one is good enough to deserve heaven (Romans 3:23). So, why should Jesus allow you or me to spend eternity with Him? Have you prayed and asked Him to forgive you for your sins? Have you received Jesus as your Savior? Do you truly believe the book of His life? He said that those who are His followers seek to know what He said. Then they do it (John 14:22-24). The amazing true story and words of Jesus are recorded in the Bible, which opens our eyes to know Him better.
Like the Bible itself, The 10 Minute Bible Journey begins with “in the beginning” and points to the future return of Jesus. The Bible’s journey is from rebellion to restoration, Genesis to Revelation, creation to heaven. It warns about the wide path to destruction, and it highlights the narrow gate to salvation (Matthew 7:14)!
In case the Bible is fairly new to you, here are some really important basic facts.
The Holy Bible is the error-free collection of 66 smaller books. There is no other book like it.
Over a period of at least 1,600 years, about 40 different authors from many walks of life wrote down the inspired text given by God’s Holy Spirit.
The first portion, the Old Testament, covers the first two-thirds of history. It runs from God’s creation of the universe and mankind, to the years just prior to the birth of the promised Messiah.
The final portion, the New Testament, covers the birth, ministry, death, and all-important Resurrection of Jesus, plus the rapid spread of Christianity in the first century A.D. It tells about the future Second Coming of Christ, how to be forgiven and spend eternity in heaven, and that those who are not forgiven will spend eternity in the very real place called hell.
However, this book is about the Bible; it is not the Bible itself. It is a carefully researched summary of the most strategic and faith-confirming accounts from the Bible’s first book, Genesis, to its last book, Revelation. It includes faith-facts known as “apologetics” that confirm from science and other proof tests that the Bible is true.
The chapters in The 10 Minute Bible Journey are in the order that the events actually occurred. In our present era — when in most churches only the last portion of God’s Word is taught — this “chronological” approach helps us to quickly understand the big picture of the Bible and the seamless storyline of Jesus. It helps us to easily place each event in relation to the others. It provides an overview, much like the picture on the box top of a jumbled jigsaw puzzle serves as a guide as to how the multitude of pieces actually fit together.
The Bible, as originally written down, is historically accurate. Therefore, in The 10 Minute Bible Journey approximate dates are included at the beginning of each account. These dates are based first and foremost on the Bible itself, and most are documented in the respected work of scholar and theologian James Ussher. His meticulous chronology of history is derived primarily from the dates of births, deaths, kingly rule, and other points in time. Though ridiculed by skeptics, especially those committed to belief in the idea of evolution, Ussher’s chronology holds enormous value even today.
Whether you know the Bible well, or you long to see how all its amazing key events fit together, you will appreciate our Creator’s plan for the restoration of creation and the salvation of mankind better than ever.
It is my prayer that you will be drawn passionately into God’s Word, and an even deeper relationship with His son, Jesus.
Welcome to God’s story — the true history and future of mankind!
—Dale Mason
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THE BEGINNING
(Days 1–5, c. 4004 B.C.)
The first page of the Bible reveals the answer to the biggest question of all time.
How did everything come to be?
Some people believe in a “big bang” where a pinpoint of energy mysteriously appeared and exploded billions of years ago, somehow resulting in our exceedingly complex universe.
Some even believe the idea that space-aliens somehow evolved and seeded life on earth.
However, we have a book that is the eyewitness testimony of the only One who was there. That book, the Bible, reveals that creation is the direct result of the Creator God.
Genesis is the very first part of the Bible. It is 50 amazing chapters of flawless history. In Genesis, God tells us how the world came to be, how marriage and the family are to be structured, the origin of pain and death, why we wear clothes, the beginning of beauty and pleasure, and much more. The fascinating early pages of the Bible even make known the foundations of biology, zoology, anthropology, astronomy, and geology.1
After revealing that the Creator made everything out of nothing by His Word,2 the Bible summarizes what happened on each day of the creation week.
On day 1, God created time, space, the earth, and light. He separated light from darkness, and He made evening and morning. The words that God used to describe how long He took are very specific.3 Each of the days in the first chapter of Genesis is a normal, 24-hour period. God could have taken millions of years, but He did not.4 He emphasizes repeatedly that He created in six consecutive, ordinary days. And science confirms that the Bible is true.5
On day 2, God separated the water by an expanse called heavens; He placed some water below the expanse and some above it. Then there was another evening and morning.
On day 3, He gathered the waters under the expanse into one place and made dry land appear — one big continent, and one big ocean with spring-fed rivers flowing into it. The angels shouted for joy when God laid the foundations of the earth.6 He made plants and trees with seeds to reproduce after their kinds,7 and He saw that it was good. Then there was evening and morning.
On day 4, three days after He created light, God made ongoing sources of light: the sun and stars. Plus he made the moon, which reflects the sun’s light for us at night. Because of the sun, earth has heat, photosynthesis, the water cycle, and more. The sun is a fireball, equal to thousands of hydrogen bombs exploding continuously. The Creator’s immense power is staggering. Scientists now estimate that trillions of billions8 of stars fill the universe — numbers far beyond comprehension.
On day 5, He created winged creatures and every kind of fish, including those the Bible describes as huge monsters of the sea.9 In addition to exotic and exquisitely colored animals, there were swimming reptiles and water mammals like whales. These would have included sea turtles and beasts like the shastasaurus, which grew to nearly 70 feet long. Besides the small and beautiful birds, there were flying mammals such as bats, plus enormous flying reptiles like the pterosaurs, whose wings spread as wide as an airplane.10 Because all animals were originally vegetarian,11 they lived in harmony
