The Apocrypha is a group of books written during a time of turmoil in the history of the Jewish people, from about 150 BC to about 70 AD. These books fall into two main divisions: Old Testament apocryphal books and New Testament apocryphal books. The Old Testament apocryphal books were: 1 I and II Esdras 2 Tobit 3 Judith 4 II Esther 5 Wisdom of Solomon 6 Ecclesiasticus 7 Baruch 8 Song of the Three Holy Children 9 History of Susanna 10 Bel and the Dragon 11 Prayer of Manasses 12 I and II Maccabees 13 III and IV Maccabees (probably written during the Christian era)
The strength of Athens, Sparta, Corinth and Thebes had departed. In 337 BC, the congress of Greek states had elected Philip of Macedon as supreme power over united Greece. This brought on the ominous sound of doom for Greek liberty. First, Philip and, after him, Alexander, wiped out the last remnants of this liberty. Greece became a fighting machine for the conquest of the world in the swift career of Alexander the Great.
Rome meanwhile was strengthening herself, by ceaseless wars, for her goal of world-conquest. By the Latin, Samnite, and Punic wars she became proficient in the art of war, thereby extending her territorial power. She became dreaded everywhere. During the Roman Period between the Testaments, she conquered Italy, North Africa, Greece, Asia Minor, and the lands of the northern barbarians.
In Asia, the Persian Empire, heir to the civilization and traditions of the great Assyrian-Babylonian world power, was fast collapsing. It was ultimately wiped out by the younger Greek empire and civilization. In far-away India, the old ethnic religion of Brahma—a century or more before the beginning of the period between the Testaments—passed through the reformatory crisis. This was inaugurated by Gatama Buddha, and thus Buddhism—one of the major ethnic religions—was born.
Egypt. In the four centuries preceding Christ, the Egyptian empire—the oldest and in many respects the most developed civilization of antiquity—was tottering to its ruins. The 29th or Mendesian Dynasty made way, in 384 BC, for the 30th or Sebennitic Dynasty.
The complete Persian Period extended from the cessation of prophecy about 539 BC to the Alexandrian Period in 334 BC. This was an uneventful period for the Persians and the Jews. It was a breathing spell between great national crises, and comparatively little is known about it.
This was the abomination of desolation and, as you might expect, it caused an uproar. The fifth period, from 165 BC to 163 BC, was the Maccabean Period , which is also known as the Hasmonean Period. It began in revolt with the slaying of an idolatrous Jew at the altar in the temple.
And 2 Timothy 3:14 describes the Old Testament Scriptures as “sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”. All in all, Jesus Christ is the goal of the Old Testament, and without him, the Old Testament stands incomplete.
In other words, typology is best understood as a feature of God’s providential working in redemptive history. 17 In Israel, God established various types to prepare the way for his Son.
The Unity of the Bible—Progressively Revealed. Second Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God.”. Likewise, 2 Peter 1:21 reads, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”.
That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” ( 2 Cor 1:20) And again, Paul says that God’s plan was and is “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things in earth” ( Eph 1:10 ).
In Acts 2, Peter applies Psalm 16 to Christ’s resurrection and argues that David is a prophet who knew that God had “sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne” ( Acts 2:30 ).
This means the Old Testament has enduring importance for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness ( 2Tim 3:16–17) but only as it leads to the revelation of Christ and his finished work. As mentioned previously, the unity of God’s revelation is organic—i.e., it grows over time.
If we define typology as “the study of patterned correspondences in Scripture,” types are the historical persons, events, and institutions that escalate in covenantal history and terminate in Christ and his church. 14 Jesus is the antitype—i.e., the one who fulfills the earlier patterns of the Old Testament. 15 It is important to see the way biblical patterns (“types”) contribute to God’s progressive revelation in Scripture. So, here are three basic principles about typology that help us to see how types contribute to relationship between the testaments.
In many ways, they are complementary. The Old Testament is foundational; the New Testament builds on that foundation with further revelation from God. The Old Testament establishes principles that are seen to be illustrative of New Testament truths. The Old Testament contains many prophecies that are fulfilled in the New. The Old Testament provides the history of a people; the New Testament focus is on a Person. The Old Testament shows the wrath of God against sin (with glimpses of His grace); the New Testament shows the grace of God toward sinners (with glimpses of His wrath).
The Old Testament establishes principles that are seen to be illustrative of New Testament truths. The Old Testament contains many prophecies that are fulfilled in the New. The Old Testament provides the history of a people; the New Testament focus is on a Person. The Old Testament shows the wrath of God against sin (with glimpses of His grace);
For example, the prophet Isaiah spoke of the death of the Messiah ( Isaiah 53) and the establishing of the Messiah’s kingdom ...
The New Testament clarifies that the Law was meant to show men their need of salvation and was never intended to be the means of salvation ( Romans 3:19 ). The Old Testament saw paradise lost for Adam; the New Testament shows how paradise is regained through the second Adam (Christ). The Old Testament declares that man was separated ...
The Gospels record Jesus’ life, and the Epistles interpret His life and how we are to respond to all He has done. In summary, the Old Testament lays the foundation for the coming of the Messiah who would sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world ( 1 John 2:2 ). The New Testament records the ministry of Jesus Christ and then looks back on ...
The idea of a class identity is a powerful tool for campus ministries in building a village. But perhaps the most important thing is for leaders to model true community themselves. They need to take the lead and initiate praying with others and sharing their faith. Leaders need to model vulnerability and authenticity.
In order to comprehend the relationship between community and discipleship, let’s first clarify what we mean. Discipleship is the process where believers help one another become better followers of Christ. Let’s look at the impact a village plays in developing disciples.
God promised blessings if they obeyed God and curses if they did not (Deuteronomy. 28). To help foster interconnectedness, Moses organized the people of Israel first by tribe, then by family (Numbers 26). The community was held responsible for Achan’s sin, and his entire clan paid the price (Joshua 7:24).
However, evangelism too explo des in the context of community. The early church understood this power, for as a community they preached the gospel with boldness, and people responded. “The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).
The New Testament also shows a focus on community times of teaching the Scriptures (Acts 2:42, Acts 19:9, etc.). Paul exhorted Timothy to “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” (1 Timothy 4:13). The Bible shows clearly the impact of God’s Word read and taught in communities.
The book of Judges shows a pattern of God’s people sinning, then corporately crying out to God. Only then does God bring forth a judge who restores His people and brings revival. Jesus often modeled the value of community prayer (Matthew 18:19-20).
The village is a place where groups of believers freely involve themselves in each other’s lives, and challenge each other to take those next steps of faith. The village includes believers both mature and young, mentors and peers, and is a place where the lost are welcome to join.