The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Read online

  * * *

  Amos

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

  * * *

  Obadiah

  1

  * * *

  Jonah

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4

  * * *

  Micah

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

  * * *

  Nahum

  1 | 2 | 3

  * * *

  Habakkuk

  1 | 2 | 3

  * * *

  Zephaniah

  1 | 2 | 3

  * * *

  Haggai

  1 | 2

  * * *

  Zechariah

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

  * * *

  Malachi

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4

  * * *

  NEW TESTAMENT

  * * *

  Matthew

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28

  * * *

  Mark

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

  * * *

  Luke

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

  * * *

  John

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

  * * *

  Acts

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28

  * * *

  Romans

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

  * * *

  1 Corinthians

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

  * * *

  2 Corinthians

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

  * * *

  Galatians

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

  * * *

  Ephesians

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

  * * *

  Philippians

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4

  * * *

  Colossians

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4

  * * *

  1 Thessalonians

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

  * * *

  2 Thessalonians

  1 | 2 | 3

  * * *

  1 Timothy

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

  * * *

  2 Timothy

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4

  * * *

  Titus

  1 | 2 | 3

  * * *

  Philemon

  1

  * * *

  Hebrews

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

  * * *

  James

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

  * * *

  1 Peter

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

  * * *

  2 Peter

  1 | 2 | 3

  * * *

  1 John

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

  * * *

  2 John

  1

  * * *

  3 John

  1

  * * *

  Jude

  1

  * * *

  Revelation

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

  * * *

  Index of Charts and Maps

  Genesis

  The Flood Chronology

  Major Mountains of the Bible

  The Nations of Genesis 10

  Abraham’s Journeys

  False Gods in the Old Testament

  Jacob Returns to Canaan

  Joseph’s Journey to Egypt

  Adam to Israel’s Twelve Tribes

  Joseph—A Type of Christ

  Exodus

  Moses’ Flight and Return to Egypt

  The Ten Plagues on Egypt

  Chronology of the Exodus

  The Exodus Route

  The Ten Commandments

  The Plan of the Tabernacle

  Leviticus

  Christ in the Levitical Offerings

  Old Testament Sacrifices Compared to Christ’s Sacrifice

  Christ Fulfills Israel’s Feasts

  Jewish Feasts

  Numbers

  The Placement of Israel’s Tribes

  From the Wilderness to the Jordan

  Deuteronomy

  The Death Penalty

  Israel’s Calendar

  Joshua

  Joshua’s Preparation for Ministry

  The Peoples Around the Promised Land

  The Central and Southern Campaigns

  The Northern Campaign

  Division of Land Among the Twelve Tribes

  The Cities of Refuge

  Judges

  The Judges of Israel

  The Geography of the Judges

  Ruth

  Moab to Bethlehem

  Ruth: The Proverbs 31 Wife

  1 Samuel

  Locations of Samuel’s Ministry

  Locations of the Ark’s Journey

  Locations of the Philistine Threats

  Locations of Saul’s Military Campaigns

  Before David Became King

  2 Samuel

  The City of David

  The Kingdom of David

  1 Kings

  The Kings of Israel and Judah

  Solomon’s Jerusalem

  Solomon’s Temple

  The Land of the Divided Kingdom

  The Kings of the Divided Kingdom

  Resuscitations from the Dead

  The Ministries of Elijah and Elisha

  2 Kings

  The Assyrian Empire

  Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s Time

  The Babylonian Empire

  Nebuchadnezzar’s Campaigns Against Judah

  1 Chronicles

  A Short Harmony of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles

  The Chronicles’ Sources

  The Davidic Covenant in Chronicles

  Temple Duties

  2 Chronicles

  The Spread of Solomon’s Fame

  Ezra

  Post-Exilic Returns to Jerusalem

  Routes of the Jews’ Returns

  The Persian Empire

  Nehemiah

  Time Line of Nehemiah

  Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s Day

  Seven Attempts to Stop Nehemiah’s Work

  Esther

  The Historical Chronology of Esther

  Job

  Biographical Sketch of Job

  The Script

  Job’s Living Death

  Psalms

  Types of Psalms

  Historical Background to Psalms by David

  Messianic Prophecies in the Psalms

  Images of God in the Psalms

  Anointing of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

  Christ in the Psalms (Luke 24:44)

  Proverbs

  Symbols for the Bible

  Ecclesiastes

  The Vanities of Ecclesiastes (1:2; 12:8)

  Solomon Reflects on Genesis

  Song of Solomon

  Local Color in the Song of Solomon

  Geography of Solomon’s Song

  Isaiah

  Isaiah Fulfilled at Christ’s First Advent

  God’s Judgment on the Nations

  Isaiah’s Description of Israel’s Future Kingdom

  Jeremiah

  Illustrations of God’s Judgment

  Major Trials of Jeremiah

  Object Lessons

  Lamentations

  Second Kings, Jeremiah, and Lamentations Compared

  Other Laments

  Beyond Lamentations—Hope of Restoration

  Ezekiel

  Dates in Ezekiel


  Ezekiel’s Sign Experiences

  Scope of Ezekiel’s Prophecies

  Ezekiel’s Temple

  Millennial Sacrifices

  The Holy District

  Millennial Feasts

  The Restoration of the Land

  Daniel

  An Overview of Daniel’s Kingdoms

  Alexander’s Greek Empire

  Hosea

  God’s Lovingkindness to Israel

  Joel

  Day of the Lord

  Amos

  Five Visions of Amos

  The Ultimate Restoration of Israel

  Obadiah

  God’s Judgment on Edom

  Jonah

  Ten Miracles in Jonah

  Micah

  God’s Forgiveness of Sin

  Nahum

  God’s Judgment Against Assyria/Nineveh

  Habakkuk

  Other Psalms

  Zephaniah

  “Day of the Lord” Fulfillments

  God’s “I Wills” of Restoration

  Haggai

  Zerubbabel

  The Temples of the Bible

  Zechariah

  Other Names for Jerusalem

  Malachi

  Old Testament Names for God

  Roman Control of Palestine

  Introduction to the Intertestamental Period

  Expansion Under the Maccabees

  Matthew

  Family Tree of Herod

  The Parables of Jesus

  Christ’s Trials, Crucifixion, and Resurrection

  Mark

  The Miracles of Jesus

  The Plan of Herod’s Temple

  Luke

  New Testament Women

  John

  The Eight Signs

  The “I AM” Statements

  Acts

  Ministries of the Holy Spirit

  Major Sermons in Acts

  Romans

  First Century Rome

  1 Corinthians

  Appearances of the Risen Christ

  2 Corinthians

  The Agora of Corinth

  Ephesians

  The City of Ephesus

  Colossians

  The Glories of Christ

  Titles of Christ

  1 Thessalonians

  Communities with Christian Churches—ca. A.D. 100

  1 Timothy

  Names of Satan

  2 Timothy

  A Comparison of Paul’s Two Roman Imprisonments

  Jude

  Profile of an Apostate

  Revelation

  The Seven Churches

  Introduction to the Bible

  The Bible is a collection of 66 documents inspired by God. These documents are gathered into two testaments, the Old (39) and the New (27). Prophets, priests, kings, and leaders from the nation of Israel wrote the OT books in Hebrew (with two passages in Aramaic). The apostles and their associates wrote the NT books in Greek.

  The OT record starts with the creation of the universe and closes about 400 years before the first coming of Jesus Christ.

  The flow of history through the OT moves along the following lines:

  • Creation of the universe

  • Fall of man

  • Judgment flood over the earth

  • Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel)—fathers of the chosen nation

  • The history of Israel

  • Exile in Egypt—430 years

  • Exodus and wilderness wanderings—40 years

  • Conquest of Canaan—7 years

  • Era of Judges—350 years

  • United Kingdom—Saul, David, Solomon—110 years

  • Divided Kingdom—Judah/Israel—350 years

  • Exile in Babylon—70 years

  • Return and rebuilding the land—140 years

  The details of this history are explained in the 39 books divided into 5 categories:

  • The Law—5 (Genesis—Deuteronomy)

  • History—12 (Joshua—Esther)

  • Wisdom—5 (Job—Song of Solomon)

  • Major Prophets—5 (Isaiah—Daniel)

  • Minor Prophets—12 (Hosea—Malachi)

  After the completion of the OT, there were 400 years of silence, during which God did not speak or inspire any Scripture. That silence was broken by the arrival of John the Baptist announcing that the promised Lord Savior had come. The NT records the rest of the story from the birth of Christ to the culmination of all history and the final eternal state; so the two testaments go from creation to consummation, eternity past to eternity future.

  While the 39 OT books major on the history of Israel and the promise of the coming Savior, the 27 NT books major on the person of Christ and the establishment of the church. The 4 gospels give the record of His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Each of the 4 writers views the greatest and most important event of history, the coming of the God-man, Jesus Christ, from a different perspective. Matthew looks at Him through the perspective of His kingdom; Mark through the perspective of His servanthood; Luke through the perspective of His humanness; and John through the perspective of His deity.

  The book of Acts tells the story of the impact of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lord Savior—from His ascension, the consequent coming of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the church, through the early years of gospel preaching by the apostles and their associates. Acts records the establishment of the church in Judea, Samaria, and into the Roman Empire.

  The 21 epistles were written to churches and individuals to explain the significance of the person and work of Jesus Christ, with its implications for life and witness until He returns.

  The NT closes with Revelation, which starts by picturing the current church age, and culminates with Christ’s return to establish His earthly kingdom, bringing judgment on the ungodly and glory and blessing for believers. Following the millennial reign of the Lord Savior will be the last judgment, leading to the eternal state. All believers of all history enter the ultimate eternal glory prepared for them, and all the ungodly are consigned to hell to be punished forever.

  To understand the Bible, it is essential to grasp the sweep of that history from creation to consummation. It is also crucial to keep in focus the unifying theme of Scripture. The one constant theme unfolding throughout the whole Bible is this: God for His own glory has chosen to create and gather to Himself a group of people to be the subjects of His eternal kingdom, to praise, honor, and serve Him forever and through whom He will display His wisdom, power, mercy, grace, and glory. To gather His chosen ones, God must redeem them from sin. The Bible reveals God’s plan for this redemption from its inception in eternity past to its completion in eternity future. Covenants, promises, and epochs are all secondary to the one continuous plan of redemption.

  There is one God. The Bible has one Creator. It is one book. It has one plan of grace, recorded from initiation, through execution, to consummation. From predestination to glorification, the Bible is the story of God redeeming His chosen people for the praise of His glory.

  As God’s redemptive purposes and plan unfold in Scripture, 5 recurring motifs are constantly emphasized:

  • the character of God

  • the judgment for sin and disobedience

  • the blessing for faith and obedience

  • the Lord Savior and sacrifice for sin

  • the coming kingdom and glory

  Everything revealed on the pages of both the OT and NT is associated with those 5 categories. Scripture is always teaching or illustrating: 1) the character and attributes of God; 2) the tragedy of sin and disobedience to God’s holy standard; 3) the blessedness of faith and obedience to God’s standard; 4) the need for a Savior by whose righteousness and substitution sinners can be forgiven, declared just, and transformed to obey God’s standard; and 5) the coming glorious end of redemptive history in the Lord Savior’s earthly kingdom and the subsequent eternal reign and glory of God and Christ. It i
s essential as one studies Scripture to grasp these recurring categories like great hooks on which to hang the passages. While reading through the Bible, one should be able to relate each portion of Scripture to these dominant topics, recognizing that what is introduced in the OT is also made more clear in the NT.

  Looking at these 5 categories separately gives an overview of the Bible.

  1. The Revelation of the Character of God

  Above all else, Scripture is God’s self-revelation. He reveals Himself as the sovereign God of the universe who has chosen to make man and to make Himself known to man. In that self-revelation is established His standard of absolute holiness. From Adam and Eve through Cain and Abel and to everyone before and after the law of Moses, the standard of righteousness was established and is sustained to the last page of the NT. Violation of it produces judgment, temporal and eternal.