Have you ever tried to put together a jigsaw puzzle? Most people begin by looking for the flat edged pieces that will form the outer edge. Once the “Big Picture” framework is in place, fitting the other pieces into the picture is easier. This “Big Picture” helps make sense of the other little pieces and how they fit together to make a beautiful and complete picture.
Often people find the study of the Bible to be confusing. With the different books in the Bible and the different teachings in different eras of history, seeing the “Big Picture” can be difficult. However, God gives us the “flat edged pieces” that make the framework for understanding the Bible. This study is designed to help you put that framework into place in your faith and understanding of the Bible.
When you begin to see how the framework gives the proper context for each piece of the Bible to fit within a bigger, glorious picture, your faith will be strengthened. You will even be able to more easily share your faith with others.
The Bible says that God is working through Jesus Christ “in bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). We were all individually created to be a child of God. God presents Himself and His plans within the “Big Picture” of His eternal kingdom, a kingdom existing before the world was created.
For supplemental study of this topic, a scholarly treatment of this “Big Picture” vocabulary of God’s Kingdom may be useful. The Everlasting Kingdom by Dr. Everett Ferguson (A.C.U. Press, 1989) gives a concise presentation of terms and tenses of Kingdom terms along with a helpful bibliography.
The aim in this series of lessons is to show what the Bible reveals about the big picture of God’s eternal kingdom in relation to His plan to add a new dimension. This new dimension is made up of people with the status of children of God. Because of this plan God created us with the potential to develop His attributes of character and personality. They have been revealed to us by Jesus Christ.
There is a kingdom of God described in the Bible. Its territory includes both heaven and earth and its citizens are those who subject themselves to God’s will. A unified and glorious life is enjoyed by its inhabitants. This life transcends the world and outlasts the ages; therefore, it is eternal life. Presently, God’s kingdom on earth is referred to as the church where people subject themselves willingly to the rule of God. Jesus is the head of His church, and He rules from the throne in heaven. Although the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, it contains many of the same elements as a physical kingdom. God’s kingdom has a territory, citizens, and a culture, or quality of life. This life is described in the New Testament as God’s law of life for His children. This kingdom also has a sovereign personal power, or king.
Over two thousand years ago Jesus appeared in this world by physical birth in the nation of Israel. He revealed the nature of God’s person so mankind might understand the quality-of-life God possesses. By this incarnate manifestation of deity, the law of life was revealed for the citizens of God’s kingdom. With this revealed truth from God, we can know how to perceive and attain our unique potential; therefore, God is able to achieve His purpose for His creation of mankind. This is the purpose of Jesus’ reign.
This study has been divided into six parts. The first part is about the nature of God. When we speak of God, we mean the One and only God who created mankind and the world (I Cor. 8:6). We will consider the concept of time and eternity and God’s purpose for creating man. Furthermore, we will see the compatibility of how God created Adam, the first man, with His purpose for creating all people. Finally, we will consider the phenomenon of “life” as Jesus Christ revealed it and show how His life is the quality of life in God’s kingdom. Consequently, we will understand Jesus’ life as the law of life for mankind (John 1:4).
Part Two is a study about what went wrong on man’s part after Satan began to communicate his schemes to separate mankind from our Creator. Satan’s nature and his action against God’s plan for man will be revealed. The Biblical concept of sin and death will be defined; therefore, the person in the world who has succumbed to the rule of Satan can be understood, as well.
Part Three is about God’s creation of the world and the man-dimension of His kingdom. In other words, we will start at the beginning of time, which is the beginning of the Bible narrative. Adam and Eve were the first citizens of God’s kingdom on earth. Because God created them for the role of children (and not angels or animals), He gave them opportunity to exercise their own free will. Unfortunately, they chose to become self-willed rather than choosing God’s will for their way of life.
The remainder of Part Three is about how the spiritual condition of mankind determined the approach God employed to maintain the man dimension of His kingdom. God adjusted His way of dealing with people at key points in history until Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came to finalize God’s plan. For instance, when God’s faithful people became nearly non-existent, He chose a faithful man, called Abram, whom He renamed Abraham, to develop a special nation. Physical Israel was the nation. It is now Spiritual Israel. This is the story revealed in the thirty-nine books commonly referred to as the Old Testament portion of the Bible. The written narrative closed after the prophecy of Malachi more than four hundred years before the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
A part of the Old Testament books is classified as books of prophecy. In Part Four, consideration will be given to some prophecies proclaiming the arrival of Jesus Christ in the world during the time of the Roman Empire. We will learn from these prophecies how, for a time, God used Israel to maintain His kingdom on earth and as a tool to evangelize the other nations, the Gentiles. From the New Testament portion of the Bible, we will see how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies about Himself that were made several hundred years before His coming. Part four also contains lessons about Israel crucifying Jesus on the cross according to prophecy. God used their evil deed to offer mankind a new covenant in His blood. God raised Jesus up from the dead and gave Him the reign over His kingdom.
In Part Five, we will view the new spiritual realm which is established for believers in Christ. We will learn how God calls people out of the world and into Christ where Jesus serves as our king, priest, and sin offering. The root meaning of the word church is “the called out”; therefore, those who accept the Gospel (or Good News of Jesus) are Christ’s church, His people “called out” of the world. We will learn what the Gospel is and how we obey it to be “in Christ”, wherein is salvation. The gracious blessings “in Christ” produce a healthy environment for Christians. This serves us in our sanctification as we are growing and maturing in Christ’s kingdom.
In the final part, Part Six, we will explore the Bible teachings on physical death and things beyond. After mankind acquired the knowledge of good and evil, many bad things now happen in this world. Consequently, God blessed us with physical death, a resurrection, and the potential for eternal life with Him where these bad things no longer happen. He also tells us of His judgement and how to be prepared. Our final lessons will reveal how those who are judged unfit for eternal citizenship in God’s kingdom will be condemned to hell, and how the innocent and faithful will inherit eternal life in God’s kingdom.
May this study help you understand the “Big Picture” of the Bible and become a sharer of God’s good news in Jesus Christ!
(All scriptures are from the New American Standard Bible unless stated otherwise.)