This week’s class presentation will focus on seeing Jesus in the first five books of the Bible. We will also look at the first part of the apologetics acronym MAPS-S with some evidence for the manuscript history and transmission of the Bible For the Bible study portion of the class, we will study Judges chapters 1 through 3:6 by discussing the content and going deeper on some topics for those chapters. 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 this week’s class presentation:
2025 A Case for the Bible, The Story Continues
Presentation Notes
Review and Discuss
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 table group at the end of the evening).
1. Where is Jesus in Genesis (Give the main tag line: Jesus is…)? Review what you learned last week about “seeing Jesus” in every book of the Old Testament.
2. Memory Verse: Recite Genesis 3:15
“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.”
SEEING JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Review “Where’s Jesus” in the first five books of the Bible
GENESIS
THE SEED OF THE WOMAN
Old Testament
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)
New Testament
From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.
John 13:19 (NASB)
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
John 8:24 (NASB)
So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
John 8:28 (NASB)
EXODUS
THE PASSOVER LAMB
Old Testament
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)
New Testament
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
Old Testament
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
New Testament
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
Old Testament
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)
New Testament
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
Old Testament
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)
New Testament
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
This tool helps answer questions like these:
How did we get our Bible?
How do we know the Bible has been transmitted correctly?
How do we know we got the right books?
How can we trust that the Bible is the Word of God?
Manuscript Evidence: Seven strong lines of researchable evidence
- Exceptional historical and literary support
- Excellent transmission over time
- Accurate translations
- Thorough canonization process – no inspired books are left out
- Contains multiple eyewitness accounts
- Authentication by both Christian and non-Christian sources
- The science of textual criticism eliminates errors in the copies
1. Strong historical and literary support
- 66 books, 40 authors from various stations of life such as kings, peasants, doctors, herdsmen, fishermen, tax collectors etc.
- Written over a period of 1500 years, from 10 different countries, with a cast of characters depicted in 1551 places.
- Various subjects and teachings are recorded, yet…
IT HAS A SEEMLESS AND COHESIVE STORYLINE!
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time and is considered by scholars to be a
Literary Masterpiece!
2. Excellent Transmission over time!
Old Testament: We can have confidence in these 39 books because of…
- God’s direction and inspiration: This would include God’s own eyewitness account of Creation and the antediluvian period; God spoke directly to the early authors and God Himself even penned part of the Law given to Moses.
- Oral transmission over time is very reliable – Example: Adam to Moses had only 5 generational links between them.
- Written transmission and Scribal preservation via Moses, the Levitical Priests and Jewish Scribes (there are over 4000 specific rules to be followed for Scribal copying of the Scripture).
Accurate transmission of Old Testament books can be confirmed by comparing…
1. The Septuagint: Dated 250 BC
2. The Masoretic texts: Dated AD 800-900
Note: There is approximately a 1000-year gap between these two – Do we have the right information that hasn’t been changed over time?
YES!
3. The Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Dead Sea Scrolls, are dated 200-100 BC, and they answer this question by matching both previous texts with minimal variants!
- These scrolls were discovered in 1947 in the Qumran Caves of the West Bank, about a mile north of the Dead Sea
- The DSS contain all of the Old Testament books (with the exception of Esther), and close the one-thousand-year gap, quieting the skeptics
- This discovery also helped confirm the prophecies in the Old Testament, fulfilled by Jesus, were not added or altered after the time of Christ but in fact was there centuries before his birth
What is so exciting is that we can see many of these ancient scrolls in museums, libraries, and Churches around the world today.
New Testament: We can have confidence in these 27 books because…
- All 27 books are primary sources, written in the first century within a generation of the events.
- All 27 books are based on eyewitness accounts.
- All 27 books were transmitted quickly (via the Roman Road and easy access to the Greek language).
- There are 5 main text families with over 25,000 early manuscripts in which to compare =100% certainty in meaning/verba; and 99.5% certainty in words/vox (.5% is difference in some spelling, grammar and word order).
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 during the 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.
Discuss anything in the presentation that you would like to address with comments, questions or concerns, then go over your homework from last week…
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:
- 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.
- Answer the attached chapter questions to go along with your summaries.
Chapter 1
- This chapter reviews some of the events that were already recorded in the book of Joshua. Give examples.
- What did the tribe of Judah do correctly (where were they obedient), and where did they and the other tribes go wrong (where were they disobedient)? Give a few examples. Note: This is related to the Mosaic Covenant and God’s promise of protection, or loss thereof.
- Going Deeper: Who were Caleb and Othniel, why are they important and what did they do? Use Bible Gateway (or another search tool) to cross-reference where else in the Bible Caleb and Othniel are mentioned, and why.
- Going Even Deeper: Who was Anak, the sons of Anak and the Anakim (how are they related to the Biblical group known as the Nephilim and who were the Nephilim)?
Chapter 2 through 3:6
- What did the Angel of the LORD tell the people, and why? Who do you think the Angel of the LORD might be?
- This chapter gives a preview of the book. What happened in this next generation after Joshua, and why? Review 2:13-19 – what kind of cycle do we see previewed here concerning the nation and judges?
- Going Deeper: Are the Abrahamic or Mosaic Covenants in view here? If yes, give an example.
- Going Even Deeper: Who, or what, were Baal and Ashtaroth, and why were the Canaanites so bad in God’s eyes? (Note: The term Canaanite is often used as an overarching term for all of the pagan people groups in this area during this time period).
HOMEWORK:
Choose from the above (basic, going deeper or advanced) to read and study Judges chapters 3:7 through chapter 5. Here are the guiding questions for the chapters:
Chapter 3:7-31
- Review from last week to help with this chapter:
- What is the cycle of sin and redemption we see in the book of Judges?
- Who is Othniel? Why do you think he would be God’s choice as the first judge, and how did he rescue Israel in this narrative?
- The narratives in the book of Judges can be very graphic. What did Ehud do to make himself a successful judge for Israel?
- Who was Shamgar, and what did he do for Israel? (Also see him mentioned in chapter 5:6-7)
- Going Deeper: How do we see the Mosaic Covenant play out here (the protection clause)? How is Jesus foreshadowed?
Chapter 4
- Who were Deborah and Barak and what can we know about them from this story?
- What lets us know Deborah was a true prophetess (what happened in the story that confirmed this title)? Cross-reference by reading Deuteronomy 18:22 and 2 Peter 1:20-21 (write out these Scriptures).
Chapter 5
- What, in this chapter, shows us Deborah and Barak were worthy of their leadership in Israel?
- It appears some of the tribes of Israel were not willing to help; who were they? Why do you think they might not have wanted to help (this would be speculation)?
- Discuss: What are some things we have learned so far about the state of the Nation of Israel at this time? Is there any application to us today?
- Going Deeper: How do we see the Mosaic Covenant play out here (the protection clause)? How is Jesus foreshadowed?
Some helpful notes as you study the Old Testament
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, modeling Him 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)
Additional things to remember when studying the Old Testament:
- It is mainly an historical narrative – it is descriptive (of people and events) not prescriptive (of the way God wants us to be).
- The consequences of a fallen world and fallen people are seen in these narratives, thus showing the need for a Messiah (Jesus) to come.
- As Christians we are not under the “Old Covenant” (Laws), but we are under Jesus and His teachings found in the New Testament (some of which mirror things in the Law).
Continue to Practice your memorization of …
- Where’s Jesus? The tag line and any Scripture support for the first five books of the Bible (Torah)
- 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!
———————————————————————
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