The Connection of Christ from Garden to Cross

Copyright © 2015 Sandra Betz.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New International Version.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Where noted, Scripture is taken from the King James Version.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 (866) 928-1240

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8641-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8642-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8640-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015910291

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/05/2015

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 Starting with the Basics

What Is the Bible?

How Was the Bible Written?

Why Was the Bible Written?

How Was the Bible Put Together?

Chapter 2 Building the Skeleton

I. Creation to Abraham

II. Abraham to Moses

III. The Exodus and the Years of Wandering

IV. The Conquest of Canaan

V. The Judges

VI. The Kingdom of Israel

VII. The Divided Kingdom

VIII. The Southern Kingdom of Judah Alone

IX. The Captivity of Judah

X. The Restoration of Israel

Between the Testaments

XI. Life of Christ

XII. The Establishment of the Early Church

Chapter 3 Adding Meat to the Skeleton

The Old Testament

I. Creation to Abraham

A. Creation

B. The Fall

C. Cain and Abel

D. The Flood

E. Confusion of Tongues

II. Abraham to Moses

A. Abraham and His Wanderings

B. Isaac–the Son of Promise

C. Jacob and His Twelve Sons

D. Joseph–The Deliverer

E. Israel in Egypt

III. The Exodus and the Years of Wandering

IV. The Conquest of Canaan

V. The Judges

VI. The Kingdom of Israel

A. Saul’s Reign

B. David’s Reign

C. Solomon’s Reign

VII. The Divided Kingdom

VIII. The Southern Kingdom of Judah Alone

IX. The Captivity of Judah

X. The Restoration of Israel

Between the Testaments

The New Testament

XI. Life of Christ

XII. The Establishment of the Early Church

A. The Period of Waiting for the Holy Spirit

B. The Time of Pentecost

C. The Persecution

D. The Spread of the Gospel

Recognizing the Message

Now It Is Your Turn to Do the Digging

Appendix

From Me to You

Chart 1: Division of the Books of the Bible

Chart 2: Books of the Bible by Historical Period

Chart 3: Bible Chronological History Chart

Short Overview of the Historical Books of the Bible

Guide for Reading the History of the Bible

Editorial Team

Joining me in editing this book has been an outstanding group of editors. Each one has brought a different talent to the pages.

Ivan Parke, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Christian Studies and Philosophy, Mississippi College

Reclaiming the Real Jesus, co–author

Homer Walkup

Pastor, Lake Shore Baptist Church, Lake Dallas, Texas

More than 50 years in the ministry

Betty B. Wolfe

Veteran Bible Teacher

Over 40 years of teaching experience

Debra Martin

Bible Study Enthusiast

Amy Wolfe

Senior Technical Editor

SAS Institute Inc

Raleigh, North Carolina

Todd Betz

My wonderful husband

Acknowledgements

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving me the desire to dig. Please keep the tools in my hands and the desire in my heart.

Thank you, Debra Martin, for being my first reader. Another huge thank you to Dr. Ivan Parke, Pastor Homer Walkup, and Amy Wolfe for your professional guidance. Also thank you to Gene Anders for your expertise with the images. To the many friends at Lake Shore Baptist Church in Lake Dallas, Texas, thank you for your encouragement through the years of writing, rewriting, and editing. I could not have finished without you.

A very special thank you to my family for the time and patience you have given me through this journey: Love you Todd, Tejay, Matthew, and Dad and Mom (Don and Betty Wolfe).

We did it, Mom! What an unforgettable journey.

Dedicated to my two sons, Tejay and Matthew,

and the love of my life, my husband, Todd.

Preface

A Note to the Reader

What a pleasure it has been to pen this book. It is special to me because the work began with my precious mother. Ever since I can remember, Mom has been a Bible teacher. When I was young, she taught elementary-aged children during Sunday school. By the time I was in middle school, she was teaching high school girls. That was many years ago, but to this day, many of those now grown women remember her with fondness and speak of her love for the Lord. Shortly after she began teaching the older girls, she was asked to teach a women’s Bible study. Often while I was away at school, groups of women met in our livingroom studying different books of the Bible that she had enjoyed studying.

Some time back in the early 1980s, Mom came to realize that she knew many bits and pieces of the Bible but felt she was missing something in the whole picture. It was plain that Christ was the thread that tied the books together, but she did not understand how all the stories fit together to show the story of Christ and His love for us. Curious to know more, Mom started what would become a ten-year journey to dig out the big picture of the Bible. When she was finished, she had compiled a thirteen page teaching outline that she called The Bible Overview. Of course, I have no doubt there were many pages of notes and knowledge from previous studies used, but all I ever saw was the thirteen pages. Those years of studying taught her how all those stories fit together to tell God’s love for us and how they all point to God’s desire to have a relationship with us, His creation. The insight gained from taking the time to sort out the Bible was apparent in her life. Her passion became sharing what she had learned. By this time, I was living far from home and unable to attend any of her studies. Phone conversations or brief visits were not sufficient to help me comprehend what she had learned. I struggled to grasp what she was saying.

Sometime in the mid-1990s, she gave me a copy of the thirteen pages and told me that someday she thought I might want to study them. I remember looking at those few words and saying right back to her, How am I supposed to get an overview of the Bible in just thirteen pages?! Literally, there was not one complete sentence! The information was notes in outline form! Because I was not able to understand what she had learned by talking to her, I seriously doubted that a brief outline would make comprehension any easier. She responded by telling me that I had to dig it out for myself. This was not something that she could tell me or fully write down. If I wanted to see the big picture of the Bible, I was going to have to dig it out for myself. The brief outline would serve as a guide to give me direction in where to dig. Deep down I wanted to know what she had uncovered, but at the time, I was not willing to put in the work. Honestly, I wanted the easy way out. I wanted her easy-to-read unabridged edition! So, without much thought, except for thinking my mom was a little nuts, I dropped her thirteen pages into a folder and filed it away—secretly hoping someday I would feel differently. But, I had my doubts. Off and on for the next ten years, I would run across those thirteen pages, and every time, I would shake my head. I would then file them back into the folder and forget about them until the next time. It was not until 2007 that God finally got ahold of me, and I pulled the outline out never to hide it in the dark recesses of the filing cabinet again. God knew I had to be prepared for such a dig.

Shortly after I filed my mom’s outline the first time, I attended my first Beth Moore Bible study entitled A Women’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place.¹ This study centered on the tabernacle that God had Moses build, where He could dwell among His people. But the knowledge of the tabernacle I gained extended well beyond the confines of the building itself. Its relevance stretched all the way to the cross in the New Testament. I saw the tabernacle as the picture to mankind of our need for a savior. From that moment of revelation, I was on fire! I further recognized the story of the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham, as a picture of God calling us back into relationship with Him. Before I knew it, the Old Testament was alive with relevance to New Testament living. Through most of that study, I was calling my mom nightly sharing with her how I was seeing the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Bible was coming together, and an excitement was growing inside me that was difficult to contain. I could see glimpses of the big picture and wanted to see more. It was then that I was asked to teach a women’s Bible study. Teaching further increased my appetite, but it would take a few more years to gain confidence for a full-fledged dig into The Bible Overview.

By the spring of 2007, I had spent several years teaching and becoming a sponge for God’s Word. But, I had never attempted to teach a study that I had prepared. Planning for the fall study, I was unsure of what to teach. I spent time browsing through Christian book stores reading various studies, but none seemed to be the right fit. In the back of my mind, I had been thinking about The Bible Overview. Beth Moore’s study had remained heavy on my mind, and my curiosity to know more was intensifying. After several dead ends, I pulled out my mother’s thirteen pages and without as much as a pause, I picked up my Bible and started to dig.

At the time, my oldest son was working at a dinosaur dig site. There was much excitement as they dug up bones because with each find, they were putting together a