This week we are starting a new class: A Case for the Bible, The Story Continues. The presentation will focus on an overview of the class, its purpose and Ministry Statement, along with a preview of how we will look for Jesus in the Old Testament as part of our study. We will also overview the acronym MAPS-S to help with our “case-making” for the Bible. For the Bible study portion of the class, we will look at the hermeneutics for the book of Judges as an introduction. The website will post basic answers for the Bible study the week following the class for your review.

As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done effectively if we know what God’s Word teaches, especially the big picture that always points to Jesus!

All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, an “apologetics” presentation, and a Bible study section. You will find the presentation notes and Bible study survey format below. Basic answers to the Bible study will also be posted here during the week following the class for your review and to use as a future leader’s guide.

Watch the class presentation for this first class:

2025 A Case for the Bible, The Story Continues

Presentation Notes

Class Introduction

Prayer Cards: Do you have anyone that you are hoping to share what you are learning with? Write that person(s) name down on your prayer card along with any other prayer request you might have (exchange with your group at the end of the evening).

1. Introduce yourself and then share what past experience you have had in a Bible study, a rooted group or life group. (If you have never done a study before what brought you to this class?)
2. How much time do you spend reading and/or studying the Bible?

On a scale of 1-5:

1 = Never;  2 = Very little;  3 = Occasionally;  4 = Often;  5 = Daily

(Returnees: Have you improved since previous classes?)

Class presentations posted here and on YouTube; Facebook; and X (Twitter)

Recommended Study Bible and Resources

The Life Application Study Bible in the NASB, NIV or NLT version

Or a study Bible of your choice is fine…

Additional Resources to help you study (optional)

To build on your knowledge, and your Christian library, the following are recommended resources to help in your journey of faith…

Recommended Apps/websites:

biblegateway.com (for Bible reading and study – all versions)

gotquestions.org (for Bible and Apologetics’ related questions)

Recommended Study Aids:

The Essential Bible Companion, by John Walton, Mark Strauss and Ted Cooper Jr.

Knowing the Bible 101, by Bruce Binkel and Stan Janz

Rose Publishing

– Maps, charts, timelines and overviews

MINISTRY STATEMENT

The purpose of this class is to provide participants with the information and tools needed to address the questions asked of Christians in our culture today (1 Peter 3:15). This includes an emphasis on…

1. Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; John 17:1-3 the entire chapter is a model)
2. Bible Study – proper Biblical interpretation through the use of hermeneutics (Matthew 22:37; 2 Timothy 2:15)
3. Apologetics – a defense of the historicity, inerrancy and inspiration of the Christian Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
4. Discipleship (Matthew 28:18-20; Hebrews 10:23-25)

• This ministry believes that it is the responsibility of every person to invest serious time looking into the claims of Christianity because what we believe to be true about God, human purpose and destiny defines us in this life and more importantly in the next (John 14:1-3).
• This ministry is committed to providing Biblical truths based on the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles (John 14:6-7; 2 Peter 1:16-19; 1 John 1:1-4). The most important question we must answer in this life is the one Jesus asked of his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:18-20).

How Jesus Is Hidden in EVERY Book of the Old Testament!

JESUS BEFORE TIME BEGAN…

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1 (NASB)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1:1-3 (NASB)

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 

Colossians 1:16-17 (NASB) 

Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Revelation 22:12-13 (NIV)

GENESIS

THE SEED OF THE WOMAN

The Protoevangelium = The First Gospel

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.

Genesis 3:15 (NASB)

The Abrahamic Covenant: Genesis 12:1-3

A Nation (Israel) – A Land (The Promised Land) – A Blessing (Our Savior Jesus)

The Promise of A King to rule forever: Genesis 49:8-10

The Scepter shall not depart from Judah (King Jesus)

The genealogy of Jesus: Adam… Abraham… Judah… King David… Mary

(See Luke chapter three for complete list)

EXODUS

THE PASSOVER LAMB

The Passover Lamb – Israel’s Salvation

The blood [of the lamb] shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped.

Exodus 12:13; 26-27 (NASB)

The Final Sacrificial Lamb – once and for all

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:29 (NASB)

LEVITICUS

OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST

The Day of Atonement: Leviticus chapter 16

For it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you [by the High Priest] to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

Leviticus 16:30

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:11-12 (NASB)

NUMBERS

THE SAVING BRONZE SERPENT ON THE POLE

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

Numbers 21:8-9 (NASB)

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

John 3:14-15 (NASB)

Note: The book of Numbers also has an emphasis on the tribe of Judah leading the other tribes as they went out from camp and into battles.

DEUTERONOMY

THE PROMISED PROPHET LIKE MOSES

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses} from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.

Deuteronomy 18:15 (NASB)

And now, brethren, I [Peter] know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you.’

Acts 3:17-22 (NASB)

A Christian Apologetic Tool
MAPS-S

Evidence from…

M = Manuscripts

A = Archeology

P = Prophecy

S = Science

S = Saved Lives

Bible Study

Each week we will have Bible study following the presentation. There will be questions presented here on the weekend, and basic answers will be posted mid-week for your review. This can also be used to make a leader’s guide for your own small group and future studies!

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

How Do We Study the Bible?
Hermeneutics

• Hermeneutics is studying the Bible in its proper context, like you would do with any other book.
• Hermeneutics helps us to make an accurate interpretation.
• Hermeneutics provides some basic guidelines for studying the Bible so that we can be sure that what we are reading and sharing with others is correct:

Principle #1: Never read a Bible verse by itself (until you know it’s proper context within the big picture of the narrative)

Principle #2: Let the Bible interpret the Bible (get the big picture and use cross-referencing within the Bible itself)

Principle #3: Use the Hermeneutical format as you read and study…

AUTHOR-AUDIENCE-PURPOSE-CONTENT-APPLICATION

Hermeneutical Format

1. Author: Who wrote the book and when?
   • Include anything you can find about the author and when it was written.
2. Audience: Who was it written to?
   • Include anything you can find about the people, the culture or societal norms of that day
3. Purpose: Why was it written?
   • Include anything you can find about their circumstances and what was, or had been, going on in their world at that time; you also want to include the genre.
4. Content: What is in each chapter?
   • Reference homework page
5. Application: How does the book apply to us today?
   • Always done last, after the content of the book is complete.

BACKGROUND OF THE OLD TESTAMENT TO THIS POINT:
GENESIS THROUGH JOSHUA

• God gives Moses the story of creation; the fall of man; the judgment flood of Noah’s time and the subsequent start of a new world through Noah’s descendants (Shem, Ham and Japheth). 1-10
• At the Tower of Babel (after the flood) we see the defiance and pride of man take hold again (as they had been told to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth), so God scatters the people with a change of language. 11
• The narrative turns at this point to follow a specific line through Shem to the person of Abraham, through whom God promises (makes a Covenant) a nation, a land, and a blessing. 12-21
• The Covenant begins to be fulfilled through Abraham’s lineage: Isaac, Jacob (renamed Israel) and his 12 sons. 22-50
• These 12 sons (tribes of Israel) grow in number to become a large nation of people and are eventually put into slavery in Egypt where we get the story of Moses and the Exodus. Book of Exodus
• The rest of the Torah (Leviticus through Deuteronomy) includes specific Laws and requirements for the Nation of Israel (Mosaic Covenant) to follow in order to be protected by God, and be distinct from the other nations as representatives of God.
• The Torah also narrates the downfall of the people over and over through disobedience; but we also see God’s hesed (unconditional love, mercy and grace) as He reconciles them to Himself when they repent.
• Deuteronomy ends with the death of Moses, and then the book of Joshua narrates the conquest of the Promised Land under new leadership (Joshua). Although this is a partial conquest, most of the tribes settle the land in peace as they enter the time of the Judges following the death of Joshua. 

LET’S PRACTICE…

***BEFORE STARTING YOUR TABLE GROUP DISCUSSION, REVIEW ANYTHING FROM THE CLASS PRESENTATION YOU’D LIKE TO COVER, THEN…

1. Author: Who wrote the book and when? (Include anything you can find about the author and when it was written)
2. Audience: Who was it written to? (Include anything you can find about the people, the culture or societal norms, of that time period)
3. Purpose: Why was it written? (Include anything you can find about their circumstances and what was, or had been, going on in their world at that time; you also want to include the genre or literary style of the book)

4. (Going Deeper) Background: What had been going on prior to this book? (What is the history leading up to this period of time?) – You can use the class notes above.

5. Review of the Covenants: The two major Covenants that are prominent in the Old Testament History Books that we will focus on are…

The Abrahamic Covenant: An unconditional promise from God that is not dependent on what the people do; He will bring it to fulfillment.

1. 1. A Nation (Israel)
   2. A Land (The Promised Land)
   3. A Blessing (culminating in the Messiah – Jesus)

The Mosaic Covenant: A conditional promise that is dependent on what the people do and how they follow God’s commands in the Law, and His directions for conquering and occupying the Promised Land.

1. 1. Obedience to God will result in His protection and success in the Land
   2. Disobedience to God will result in loss of that protection and the consequences thereof

Concluding thoughts: It will be important to understand some attributes of God as you study

• He is sovereign, and will always rule with righteousness and justice.
• He is omniscient, knowing the end from the beginning.
• He is omnipotent, showing His power and might over all things.
• He is holy and perfect, and expects His people to be His representatives to the other nations as such by following His laws, decrees and directions.
• He displays hesed towards His people (the word is indescribable, but includes the idea of mercy, grace and undeserved love; Jesus’ offer of salvation is rooted in this term).

HOMEWORK:

1.  Work on remembering “where’s Jesus” for the book of Genesis at this time (we will work on the other books later on).

2.  Bible Study:

Read Judges chapters 1 through 3:6, then do one or more of the following:

Note: There are several ways to study a book of the Bible, you can choose the level you’re most comfortable with:

• Basic: Read the chapter, then write down a title for each chapter (you could include more than one depending on topics in that chapter or what your study Bible might have).
• Going Deeper: Take notes to summarize the chapter (no more than three to five sentences). However, you can add to your summaries if you glean something important from your study partners each week (leave some room).
• Advanced: Look for these things to put in your summary notes:
  • Answer the attached chapter questions to go along with your summaries.
  • Look for Covenants: Abrahamic (unconditional promise of a Nation, Land and Blessing) or Mosaic (Conditional promise of protection for obedience; loss of protection for disobedience)
  • Look for Jesus? Is there anything in this chapter that foreshadows or pictures Jesus; or is there any prophecyin the chapter (Messianic or other types)?
  • The Shelf: Note any questions or a-ha’s you have about the chapter.

3.  Practice memorizing the “Protoevangelium” (First Gospel):

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Genesis 3:15 (NASB)

Please join us as we continue our Case for the Bible, The Story Continues, with a study in the Book of Judges!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15