We believe God’s word (39 books of the Old Testament and 29 books of the New Testament that we call the Bible) is the primary way in which God reveals Himself to the world. Our beliefs come from the teachings found in God’s word. There are many reasons why we consider the Bible to be God’s word. One of the foremost reasons is because of fulfilled prophecy.
The scriptures foretold that the national superpower that was Egypt would be reduced to a lowly nation that would remind the nation of Israel how relying upon them in the past was against what God called for (Ezekiel 29). As anyone can see, Egypt is no longer a superpower among the nations, but merely a tourist stop around the world because of its historical significance.
The scriptures foretold that a man named Cyrus would rise to power and permit the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple (Isaiah 44). This was written many generations before the temple was destroyed by the Babylonian kingdom, and many generations before King Cyrus was even born. The first century historian, Flavius Josephus, records that the Jewish people showed Cyrus the prophecy that was written, centuries before it happened, and this prompted Cyrus to issue the order to rebuild. The “Cyrus Cylinder,” which was discovered in the 19th century, dates back to the 6th century B.C. and records Cyrus’s actions confirming, again, the truth of scripture.
The scriptures foretold the fates of four kingdoms, the first being Babylon. It was foretold that the fourth kingdom’s timeline would be the time from which another kingdom, God’s eternal kingdom, would appear (Daniel 2). By simply following history, it is easy to recognize that the Medo-Persian empire (the 2nd kingdom) took over the Babylonian kingdom. Then, Greece (the 3rd kingdom) conquered Persia. The 4th kingdom, Rome, fully conquered Greece in 146 B.C. The scriptures proclaim that God’s kingdom would arrive sometime during the Roman Empire’s rule. The scriptures also proclaim that the King (Anointed One/ Messiah) of the kingdom of God would be put to death before the rebuilt city of Jerusalem was destroyed. From history, that places two clear markers: 146 B.C. (when Rome fully conquered Greece) for the point to start looking for the kingdom of God’s arrival, and A.D. 70 (the destruction of Jerusalem) as the final marker. God’s kingdom had to arrive during that time. Did it? Absolutely! Jesus, the Anointed One/ Messiah/ King, began proclaiming that God’s kingdom had arrived in approximately 27 A.D., and He was put to death in approximately A.D. 30 and rose from the grave on the third day! God’s word is amazing!
Jesus also foretold the future. During His ministry, he foretold that Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed before His generation had passed away (Luke 21). He foretold this around A.D. 30, and Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed 40 years later, in A.D. 70.
Though the Bible proclaims many prophecies, truths, and commandments, we will provide a summary of many of the teachings as follows:
God’s kingdom (also called the kingdom of heaven in the Gospel of Matthew) is here and was brought by the King of all kings, Jesus Christ. God’s kingdom is what we consider “now and not yet”. This means there are aspects of God’s kingdom that are already here, but the kingdom’s fullness will not be fully realized until Jesus’ second coming. When Jesus began His ministry of preaching, He specifically stated that God’s kingdom was at hand (Mark 1, Matthew 4). He called all to repent and believe the gospel (the gospel means “good news”). As Jesus ministry continued, He told the people that God’s kingdom was in their midst (Luke 17) and that because He’d demonstrated God’s power over all demonic forces, the kingdom of God had arrived (Matthew 12). This kingdom isn’t a physical kingdom but a spiritual one. Jesus led this kingdom to seek and save the lost through the power of sacrificial love, grace, and the work of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus’ death and resurrection provided the pathway to become part of God’s kingdom and His family. Jesus is that pathway. Jesus is also the representation of truth and life, and only through Him is everlasting life found.
The Old Testament (the first 39 books of the Bible) shows how humans disobeyed God and brought a great curse upon the earth (Genesis 3). This curse separated us from God and put us in need of redemption and reconciliation. The curse also damaged human nature. Now, even children are born with a nature that is prone toward wrongdoing. God had a specific plan to bring redemption and reconciliation and, slowly, began to unveil that plan. But why was redemption and reconciliation needed? Because in the world that God created, a sacrifice is needed to pay for every wrongdoing that has been done by humans. The first sacrifice we hear about is that in the Garden of Eden (when Adam and Eve were provided with animal skins). The Bible informs us that we don’t have the means to right our wrongs (Psalm 49). The Bible also confirms that animal sacrifice does not remove wrongdoing (Hebrews 10). This is why Jesus needed to come.
So, right in the very first book of the Bible, we are told that a future descendant of Adam (the first man) will strike the serpent (not a physical serpent, but an evil spiritual being known as Satan, as found in Genesis 3 and Revelation 12), who deceived both Adam and Eve (the first man and woman). Many generations later, we are told that this descendant (who will strike the evil serpent) will come from Abram (who is later called Abraham), and this descendant will bless all nations (Genesis 18)! Then, Abraham’s grandson Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, let us know that this descendant will come from Judah (Israel’s fourth son) and will be a king (Genesis 49). In the book of Exodus, several centuries later (after the time Israel confirmed the promised one would be a king), the prophet and leader, Moses (through whom God delivered His law), revealed that a Prophet like him would be coming and that all would need to listen to Him or suffer the severe consequences (Deuteronomy 18). Then, once again, several centuries passed, and the Bible revealed that this promised descendant would come from a man called David (a descendant of Judah), who was the second national king of Israel (2 Samuel 7). During David’s time, David wrote (in Psalm 110) that this coming king, this coming Messiah, would be of the priesthood of Melchizedek (the mysterious priest who blessed Abraham in Genesis 14). So, we then became aware that this coming man would be a king, a prophet, and a priest.
There are more clues as we continue to learn about this promised man. We learn that He is to be more than a man since the Bible indicates that He was from everlasting (Micah 5). We learn that He is to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5), which is the same town David was born in. We learn that He will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7). We learn that He is to die for our sin (Isaiah 53). We learn that He is to put an end to the power of sin, and bring in the power of everlasting righteousness, but will be put to death (Daniel 9). We learn that His death will be by crucifixion (Psalm 22), but that His body will not be left to decay, and He will be raised from the dead (Psalm 16).
During the time of the Old Testament, God provided the covenant (contract) of His law. In His law, it became clear that no one could faithfully keep this covenant, and failure to do so resulted in condemnation (Deuteronomy 28). God did this to help us see that we need His great salvation. This is why He spoke of a New Covenant (a New Testament) that was needed (Jeremiah 31).
This New Covenant became a reality by the work of Jesus, the Christ. He ushered in the New Covenant through His death and resurrection. He purchased, by His blood, the souls of all who believe and follow Him. This purchase brings us reconciliation and restores our relationship in a right standing with God. In addition, we become part of God’s kingdom and His precious family. This is accomplished by God giving us grace because of the great sacrifice of Jesus, the God-man. Our salvation is best understood to be “now and not yet.” We are saved when we believe and follow Jesus, but our inheritance in God’s kingdom is not fully realized until Jesus comes again. Yet, we receive an incredible gift as proof of our forthcoming inheritance. This comes in the person of the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit. The person of the Holy Spirit gives us power over the enemy and the desires of this world. We still have struggles and still need forgiveness, but we are set free from the practice of habitual sin. We receive the power to break the bondage of addiction and other sins that we were practicing, and we are called to break away from those practices. So, God’s great salvation is accomplished through the triune nature of God: God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Understanding the triune nature of God can be a bit confusing. However, God has made it a little easier since all of His creation is triune. For example, God created time, which is past, present, and future. God created matter, which has height, width, and depth. If you would like to better understand how the Bible proclaims that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one God, follow this link.
The Bible teaches that we (His family, His Church) are called to preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the world and to invite as many people into His family as possible before Jesus’ second coming. So, if you have not accepted the call to follow Jesus and received His great salvation, we are asking you to do so and become part of this great family. By doing so, you’ll become part of the everlasting kingdom of God. When you refuse to do so, or just do nothing, you remain in the kingdom of darkness (there are only 2 kingdoms), and those in the kingdom of darkness inherit torment and eternal destruction.