When you have finished reading this material, you be able to answer these questions:

• What is the Bible?
• Can we believe the Bible?
• Why should we read the Bible?
• How can the Bible help us?
• What does the Bible say about the future?

There is no book anywhere that can compare with the Bible. Forty different writers were used—some were kings, prophets, priests, leaders, doctors, fishermen or shepherds. They wrote over a period of 1,600 years.

It is unique. It is the WORD OF GOD. "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19,20). "All scripture is God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

The Bible is no ordinary book; it does not contain man’s ideas. It is God speaking to us. If you are not yet reading the Bible regularly and systematically start to do so without delay!

Why read the Bible?

Only from the Bible can we find out what God is like. Read these few verses. You are listening to God talking to you.

• "You are kind and forgiving, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call on you.” (Psalm 86:5)
• "And God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)
• "The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind.” (Psalm 115:16)
• "You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
• "The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” (Psalm 34:16)

How many facets of God's character have been revealed to us in these verses?

The Bible gives us a purpose to our lives

As we read we are listening to God. We are learning what God wants us to do. We are learning how to make every day worthwhile.

• "Your word is a lamp to my feet.” (Psalm 119:105).
• "What does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commandments and decrees … for your own good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12,13)

We ask God to help us each day. "… lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13)

The Bible always presents the same message. As you read a little of the Bible every day you will see that God wants us to obey Him.

In the Old Testament we have the guidelines in Exodus 20:1-17, often called the Ten Commandments. Similar guidelines are found in the New Testament too, for example in Matthew 5:21-48.

To please God, we try to keep to these guidelines. As you read more about the lives of the people in the Bible, you see that they find it hard to obey God all the time. Jesus, God’s Son, was the only person to obey God in every way. Jesus understood the same message.

He remembered:

• "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
• "Fear the LORD your God, serve him only." (Deuteronomy 6:13)

Read Matthew chapter 4 to see how Jesus obeyed these commands.

History shows us that the Bible is reliable

Jesus looked back at the prophecies about himself. All of these were fulfilled. "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

Here are some examples of Bible prophecies which have proved to be true:

• Look at Jeremiah 51:37 and Isaiah chapters 13 and 14. What was to happen to Babylon? Did it happen? Yes!
• Read Ezekiel 26:4, 5, 12, 14. What would happen to the city of Tyre? This is another prophecy which has been fulfilled.
• Deuteronomy 28:64,65 tells us about the people of Israel. They would be sent to every part of the world. Sure enough, the people of Israel, the Jews, are to be found everywhere today.
• God said that He would bring the Jews back to Israel: "I will … restore them to the land I gave to their forefathers to possess” (Jeremiah 30:3). Today we can see the Jews in their own land — another prophecy fulfilled.

The Bible does not just tell us of the past, it also tells us of the future. We know that what it said in the past really happened. Bible prophecies were fulfilled. So we can confidently believe what God says about the future.

God never lies. He tells us about real places, real people and the nations of today. The Bible is true!

The Bible tells of the future

God tells us that these things will happen:

• He will not allow a wicked world to continue for ever. (2 Peter 3:10)
• He will send His Son, Jesus Christ, back to the earth to judge mankind. (Acts 17:31)
• He will make Jesus the king of the whole world. (Psalm 2)
• All who oppose the king will be destroyed. (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
• All who become followers of Jesus and wait for his coming will be saved and given a place in God’s Kingdom. (Romans 2:6)
• It will be a kingdom of peace and happiness with plenty of food for all. (Psalm 72)

Only the Bible tells you of all these things and of God’s great plan for the earth. Read the Bible today for yourself to find out more about your future. In it you can find how you can have a share in the peace and blessings of the kingdom of God. You can be there! Pray that God will guide you as you read the Bible and learn of Him and His great plan and purpose.