Bible Study

Page Under Construction. I will still be adding more.

Sharing Bible study resources is a difficult task, for if I were to tell each and every step that the Father took me through to get me to where I am today, it would be a book. I had a long, long way to grow to get to a point that He could teach me and that I would be able to hear over the cacophony of the world and the traditions of men. Understanding that, I’ll share the resources that bless me today, those that I wish I had known about in the beginning of my walk with Yahweh.

I really am convicted that we need to do our own studying…outside of church…outside of just what we hear someone preach about. We need to own what we believe, and be ready at all times to give a reason for the hope that is within us in humility. That means we have to know for ourselves what is the reason that we have hope. When we stand at Judgment Day, we answer for ourselves alone… and there will be no place for excuses or “But my church said…”. This isn’t disrespectful to anyone’s pastor. In fact, a good pastor would love to have his congregation digging in the Word after his sermons.

Especially in these last days… if we expect to stand in the face of persecution or the wiles of the Antichrist…we have to know upon what we stand. So, in the spirit of encouraging you to study… here are the tools I use.

~Bibles~

King James Version ~ This is an old standby, but is not without error. I like the way the language flows, but am disappointed with some of the bias I find in certain translations in it. Just note that the words in italics in KJV were added to the original texts. If you’re a KJV only person… please don’t be offended and e-mail me to debate… just do your own homework.

New International Version~ Mr. Visionary prefers this one. It is a dynamic translation, which means it is translated idea-for-idea instead of word -for-word. That helps with understanding some of the Hebrew idioms that we Westerners aren’t familiar with.

Complete Jewish Bible ~ This is my favorite for just normal reading. The Older Testament is translated from the English version that most English-speaking Jews use today. The Newer Testament is translated from the Septuagint. This is a great version to help understand the culture and mindset of the Early Church when the Newer Testament was being written. It helps me understand better that the whole bible was Jewish… not just the Older Testament. I have found it to be much more accurate to the original texts than KJV.

Hebrew-Greek Interlinear Bible ~ This is my favorite for study. It has the full Hebrew and Greek texts (in the original fonts) with the English equivalent and the Strong’s Concordance numbers right above each word. It saves so much time studying! I’d read this one all the time except that the Hebrew is written correctly, right to left, and it makes my brain hurt after a few chapters.

~Websites~

Torah Class ~ A principle of bible study is that Yahweh works in patterns and types that repeat throughout history. Having a solid understanding of the patterns, in chronological order, that we have already seen, helps us understand the patterns that we can expect to see in the future (such as in End Times studies). They also help us understand Yahweh’s character better. Torah is the Hebrew name for the first five (foundational) books of the Older Testament, and knowing these books inside out makes all the Scriptures fall into place better. For us to think that we interpret the Older Testament based on the Newer Testament is foolishness, as the chronology matters. This study is a chapter-by-chapter in-depth teaching of the Torah. Just studying the first chapter of Genesis in this made me understand a whole new depth to my study. Be prepared to take notes. It can be done on your own time frame, fast or slow, via audio files or in print.

Restoration Ministries ~ Mike and Sue Dowgiewicz are a couple with a gift of teaching. Their website and ministry was instrumental to Mr. Visionary and Me revisiting many doctrines and traditions that we had held without question based on what we were told. Their teaching really spurs you to go and do your own study… they constantly tell you to check out what they’re saying, to go to the Word for yourself and own what you believe. This blog is hosting a study of Mike and Sue’s called Restoring The Early Church. If you’d like to join us, please start here. I want to state unequivocalbly that I DO NOT AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THEY BELIEVE! There are some teachings there that I find to be false. The ones I have studied and trust are Restoring The Early Church and Demolishing Strongholds. The rest I have either not studied enough to have decided, or I cannot recommend. I hope that isn’t too confusing.

Bible Gateway ~ This is a great little time saver when researching verses! It is a bit quicker than a print concordance because you can look up verses that have two or more words in the same verse (like “hear & ears”, or “love & commandments”). I use it a lot when I want to show what Scripture I am referencing in posts.

~Prophecy/Current Events~