In our English Bibles, the Old Testament is comprised of 39 books. The Hebrew Bible has the same books, but groups and combines them differently so that it contains 22 books, the last being 2 Chronicles. The New Testament contains 27 books, and we could group them in 3 or 4 categories. Commonly, the first grouping is history, which contains the four Gospels and Acts; the second is the epistles, beginning with Paul’s letter to the Romans and concluding with Jude, and the final section is visions or apocalypse, which is the book of Revelation.
The New Testament then is laid out in logical order. The Gospels tell us the birth, life, teachings, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ our Lord. Acts picks up the narrative at the ascension and then moves to the establishment of the church, then follows the ministries of the apostles, as they spread the Gospel and organize local churches throughout the Roman Empire. About half the book follows the life and ministry of the apostle Paul. The next 13 books are inspired epistles, or letters, written by Paul to various churches and individuals. Hebrews through Jude are Holy Spirit inspired letters written by five other men. John writes the final book, the Revelation, which is in essence “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” as the opening line informs us. But it also reveals God’s future judgments on the earth during a 7-year period we often call the Tribulation. By chapter 19, the Tribulation concludes with the return of Christ, who then sets up His kingdom on earth. The last two chapters describes the eternal state.
So, we have quite a marvelous journey in front of us as we now begin our travels on the second leg of our biblical Route 66 travels. Buckle up, and silence those cell phones, and let’s go.
