The Bible Plainly Explained

By Wan M. Wong

Many people want to read the Bible but they find the Bible hard to understand. It is thick and speaks to topics relating to a foreign culture from a distant past. For Bible reading to be meaningful and enjoyable, a companion reading resource is desired, that aims to facilitate comprehension of the pages of the Bible.

This book is written to meet this need. It aims to remove the obstacles to understanding the texts of the Bible by making plain their core contents. For each book of the Bible, the explanations cover the following aspects:
|| Background information
|| Main content and its focus
|| Discussion of difficult texts
|| Special attention to important narrations and passages
|| Contemporary significance
|| Cross references to other biblical texts where appropriate

This book is written in plain everyday English. The explanations are consistent with the biblical texts. It aims to respect the truthfulness and authority of God's Bible.

About the Author
The author, Wan M. Wong, is a retired Chartered Engineer (Britain) and a retired Professional Engineer (Ontario). He was an accredited volunteer of a security prison in Ontario for ten years, leading inmates in Bible study. He published some of his study notes in a printed book and distributed it as a free gift to inmates. He lives in Ontario.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wan M. Wong
• Release date: Nov 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781370706235

Wan M. Wong

The author, Wan M. Wong, is a retired Chartered Engineer (Britain) and a retired Professional Engineer (Ontario). He was an accredited volunteer of a security prison in Ontario for ten years, leading inmates in Bible study. He published some of his study notes in a printed book and distributed it as a free gift to inmates. He lives in Ontario.

Book preview

Welcome to Readers

There are various reasons why people read the Bible. One reason is the desire to seek God and to know him more. Why choose the Bible to read and not something else? A commonly shared conception is that the Bible is the unique source of information concerning God and things of God. Through reading the Bible, a divine-human relationship may spring up or be enriched.

But many people find the Bible hard to understand. It is thick and speaks to topics relating to a foreign culture from a distant past. For Bible reading to be meaningful and enjoyable, a companion reading resource is desired, that aims to facilitate comprehension of the pages of the Bible.

This book is written to fill this need for people who want to read the Bible on their own. It aims to remove the obstacles to understanding the texts of the Bible by making plain their core contents. For each book of the Bible, the explanations cover the following aspects:

|| Background information

|| Main content and its focus

|| Discussion of difficult texts

|| Special attention to important narrations and passages

|| Contemporary significance

|| Cross references to other biblical texts where appropriate

This book is written in plain everyday English (British spelling). The explanations are consistent with the biblical texts. It aims to respect the truthfulness and authority of God's Bible.

Finally, if you are a first-time reader of the Bible, you may want to prioritize which books to read first. A suggested priority is indicated with the notation (#1), (#2) or (#3) appended to each book in the Table of Contents. Readers are, of course, at liberty to decide how they may want to proceed.

Enjoy your Bible reading. Please consider taking this book along. Thank you.

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About the Author

The author, Wan M. Wong, is a retired Chartered Engineer (Britain) and a retired Professional Engineer (Ontario). He was an accredited volunteer of a security prison in Ontario for ten years, leading inmates in Bible study. He published some of his study notes in a printed book and distributed it as a free gift to inmates. He lives in Ontario.

A Quick View of the Bible - God's Own Story

We have noted that the Bible is hard to understand and to see its relevance to us. Hence comes this companion resource to meet the challenge. The crux of the solution is to realize that the Bible is actually God's own story. In this quick view, you will discover the core of its storyline and its beauty and grandeur.

The Bible is the story about God and who he is. It recounts history from the beginning of time all the way to its end. The core of the story is pivoted on one thing: God's redemption of humanity. After the first man and woman were created, Satan caused them to fall into sin and rebellion against their Maker. Ever since, humans have become lost to serve as Satan's pawns in usurping God. God then set his redemption program in action to bring back his lost people, ultimately culminating in a triumphant end. This is God's amazing story. It is a real drama that unfolds in four major scenes:

|| Scene 1: Creation

|| Scene 2: Fall in Eden

|| Scene 3: Redemption set in action

|| Scene 4: New heaven and new earth

Scene 1: Creation

The curtain is raised with this proclamation, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God called the universe into being in six days. God saw that the whole universe was very good. He was very satisfied with his own creation work. Then came the pinnacle of his creation work. He made the first man (Adam) and the first woman (Eve) and bestowed on them his divine nature of love, righteousness, harmonious disposition and more. He lavishly gifted them the whole garden-like land (Eden) to care for it, to cultivate it and to live in it. God blessed them to multiply. They were the crown jewel of his creation. God granted them complete freedom to enjoy his creation except for one restriction: They must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they did, they would surely die.

The script of this scene is written in Genesis 1-2.

Scene 2: Fall in Eden

The second scene opens with the serpent's entrance into Eden. This serpent was not a regular snake that we are familiar with, but it is enough in this scene to understand his schemes.

In just a few words, the serpent was able to dethrone God from Eve's heart. Eve accepted his prompting. She ignored God's restriction and became attracted by the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Not only did she eat the forbidden fruit, she gave it to Adam who also ate. So the serpent succeeded in turning God's crown jewel into his pawns, subjecting them to serve his evil agenda of usurping God.

God's judgment came in two parts. First the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman would be unrelenting antagonists, yet the seed of the woman would ultimately prevail to defeat the serpent. Second, Adam and Eve were cut off from the presence of God. Their bestowed divine nature became warped and blurred, though not totally destroyed. God gave them garments of skin to put on and then drove them out of Eden and barred them from re-entry. These effects of sin would persist until Scene 4.

The script of this scene is written in Genesis 3.

Scene 3: Redemption Set in Action

Do not be bothered by this word redemption for the time being. Its meaning will become clear as the scene unfolds. In the Bible, it basically refers to God bringing back his lost human creatures to him in a special way. (See also explanation notes on the book of Exodus.)

This scene is a long one. The script of it spans from Genesis 4 to nearly the end of the Bible. We in the present generation are part of the cast in this scene.

The devastating effects of sin upon humanity and the natural world form the general setting of this scene. But what is sin? In essence, sin is a collective term for all things that are contrary to the nature and will of God. Genesis 4-5 presents a long string of deaths and lawlessness, meant to display the consequences of sin. As well, God orchestrated two historic events to show that he was still the God who ruled over all creation. One event was the great flood where God destroyed the entire humanity except Noah's family which revered God (Genesis 7ff). The other was the incident at the towel of Babel where God scattered the humanity because it defied God's will to spread throughout the earth (Genesis 11).

Then God unveiled a definitive roadmap of his redemption plan. Out of the natives of the city of Ur (in today's Iraq), he called one man Abraham and instructed him to leave his country and his people and move to a land which God would give him for his new homeland (Canaan). Along with this instruction, God promised Abraham on oath that God would raise a great nation through him, that he would bless him and that he would use him as the channel to bless all people of the world (Genesis 12). Abraham obeyed God and began his journey.

Four hundred years passed away. Then a most remarkable milestone of God's redemption program was reached. God sent a man named Moses to lead the people (also known as Israel) out of the oppressive slavery in Egypt (the Exodus) to move into Canaan. After 10 fierce contests of supernatural power between Moses and Pharaoh (the Egyptian king), the people were freed and they started to make their journey towards Canaan. God's presence was continually with them day and night. He provided food and all necessities for them (Exodus 1-11). The Exodus is a foreshadow of God's ultimate redemption.

As the people reached Mt. Sinai, God gave them a formal set of law (the Ten Commandments and subsidiary laws) which would be the constitutional law of Israel (Exodus 20ff). Following this, God gave them detailed instruction to construct a tent (the Tabernacle) as the designated place for worshipping God. By these two measures, God shaped Israel to live and serve God according to God's way and for the people to be blessed by God.

Finally, the people reached Canaan and after brave fighting with the inhabitants, they took possession of the land. But the continual effects of sin often caused havoc in the people. They petitioned God to let them have a king to rule and protect them as their neighbouring people did. God saw this cry as desertion of him, but he conceded to their cry. So they had their first king, Saul, and then David (1 and 2 Samuel). After David's son Solomon died, God divided the kingdom into two because of Solomon's idolatry. There were frequent civil wars as well as wars with outside nations. They never recovered from the descent. God sent prophet after prophet to teach and warn them to turn back. Some of the prophetic messages reached forward to foretell the coming of the Messiah (Messiah means the One anointed (by God), the Saviour and Redeemer. In Greek, it is translated Christ.)

But the kings and the people had gone too far and were not salvageable. Finally, the two kingdoms were overrun by Assyria and Babylonia respectively and most of the ruling class and rich people were exiled to the foreign countries. The two kingdoms were utterly destroyed (1 and 2 Kings). Up to the end of this period, all the books of the Bible were written by the people of Israel in Hebrew. This group of books is traditionally called the Old Testament.

By God's mercy, a small fraction of the exile was allowed to return after 70 years of exile, but the Israelites continued to be ruled by foreign nations - Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and the Roman empire in turn.

Those were very dark days but there was a minority who continued to look forward eagerly for the promised Messiah to come. It was now due time for God's redemption program to reach an historic milestone. The Messiah came! He was born in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth! Who would accept this Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah? He was born of a lowly family, without a biological father and was mocked as such. His own people, the Jews, disowned and despised him, especially the ruling class and the religious Pharisees. Well, God had well prepared a few people of unwavering loyalty to seek and receive him. They keenly searched the prophecies and were able to draw out testimonies from the prophecies that this Jesus is indeed the Messiah. John the Baptist was the unmistakable herald for him as prophesied in the book of Isaiah and documented in the four gospel books. So to people who were, and those who are, willing to believe, they see Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, not a parachuted spiritual head coming on demand, not a mystic god fabricated by religious opportunists.

After Jesus was put to death on the cross by the Romans under the riotous demand of the Jews, and was buried and after three days, God raised him from the dead. He appeared to his believers and apostles for 40 days and then ascended back to heaven. As he was ascending, two angels appeared and told the people who were watching that he would return in the same manner one day.

Very soon after, persecution of believers began in Jerusalem. Believers fled to neighbouring regions. The hardship and dangers could not shut up their testimony for the risen Christ. So the good news (the gospel) spread and before the end of the first century, the gospel reached as far as Rome (the Acts).

The apostles of Christ also wrote letters to nurture and encourage the nascent communities of believers (the called-out communities) on how to grow in the knowledge of God through reading the Old Testament and their letters, and practising their faith in life. These letters were collected and became the second part of the Bible (the New Testament). They are written in the common language of the day - the Greek.

We are still living in Scene 3 and are part of the cast. No one knows when Scene 3 will end and Scene 4 will begin (Acts 1:6-8). What shall believers look up to in the meantime? Jesus Christ and his disciples have taught at length about this subject on preparation.

Scene 4: The New Heaven and the New Earth

Scene 4 is mainly narrated in the last book, Revelation. Much of it is written in cryptic language. It would be unadvisable for us to over-speculate on its details. There are unprecedented catastrophic episodes of upheavals in heaven and on earth, and extreme suffering for people who choose to resist God and his offer of redemption.

Then Satan, the instigator of sin and usurper against God, will be thrown into eternal fire. In the renewed creation, there will be no more sin, no more illness, no more condemnation, no more fight against God in an attempt to dethrone him. The tree of life (Genesis 2:9) will remain in the new garden. God will be present with all of his redeemed people for ever and ever. All of God's promises will be fulfilled. God's redemption of his crown jewel will be finally complete. The love of God for his creation shines through the long history of God's dedication to his redemption plan! All of history affirms the truth that . . . there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men (and women - as the original Greek word implies) by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12 NASB). (NASB stands for New American Standard Bible.)

This is God's own story that his Bible narrates. As we grasp more and more this story of God, our eyes will be be opened to the Bible's immeasurable worth. A day is coming when the people of God will live forever in his presence, rejoicing more than in the days of Eden.

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Genesis

Background

Moses is the author of the first five books of the Bible. He was the preeminent leader of Israel. He had the special privilege to speak with God face to face. He was specially raised by God to lead the people of Israel out of the oppressive slavery in Egypt to move into the land (Canaan) promised by God to Abraham. (See Exodus 1-4.)

His books were written during the Exodus in the 15th century B.C. They hold foundational truths for all generations. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ made numerous references to the truths contained in these five books.

Briefly, the main subjects of Moses' books are:

Genesis: History from creation all the way down to the family of Jacob (Abraham's grandson) migrating to and settling in Egypt

Exodus: God's deliverance of the people of Israel out of the oppressive slavery in Egypt, using Moses as his human instrument; establishing a nation under God's kingship en route at Mt. Sinai

Leviticus: Promulgation of all laws and prescription of practices in religious, social and individual lives for the people of Israel to live as the people of God

Numbers: Diary of the Exodus journey through two generations until the people reached the border of Canaan

Deuteronomy: Moses' refresher course of God's commandments for the younger generation of the Exodus population on their arrival at the border of Canaan; Moses' farewell mentoring messages for them before his imminent death

What Is Genesis About?

In essence, Genesis takes the crucial issues concerning this universe and early human history and points them back to God himself.

In the opening two chapters the book narrates, as a matter of fact, that God created all things in six days, bringing a perfect universe into being by his word. Then in chapter 3, it tells what went wrong that brought the entire creation into ruin ever since. The problem is sin instigated by Satan. He caused Adam and Eve to go along with his persuasion to eat the forbidden fruit, against God's command not to eat. In this single act, the first man and woman committed treason against their Maker. This is the beginning of sin.

Being the Creator, God alone has the inviolable rights and prerogatives to own, rule and enjoy all that is his, and this includes the human race - the beloved crown jewel of his creation. So God judged and condemned all three to death and declared that persistent enmity would ensue between the seed of Satan and the seed of the woman.

In what follows, Genesis traces God's plan of redemption to restore the ruined creation, with a very particular goal of bringing back to himself his beloved human race. Chapters 4-50 records human history following Adam and Eve's expulsion from the garden of Eden all the way down to the migration and settlement of the family of Jacob (Abraham's grandson) in Egypt because of severe famine in Canaan.

Section by Section

1:1-2:25 God's Creation Acts

Note the terse language of verse 1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. It asserts that God is supreme, sovereign, and all powerful to act on his own will by himself; he had no obligation to create anything.

Note that all of creation came to exist through his word. Note the wisdom, beauty, harmony, magnificence and science exhibited in the created universe. Even though the creation had been corrupted by sin, the ongoing magnificence of God's created order is still so praiseworthy as Psalm 19:1-6 writes.

Note God's own joy and delight in his creation works: Chapter 1 says six times that God saw that it was good (verses 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25).

Verses 2:4-25 may be called human race special. This passage expands the initial mention in verses 1:26-30. Note the special privileges God bestowed upon the human race especially verses 1:26-27 which separates us from all other creatures to have a unique relationship with our Creator God.

3:1-24 The Fall; Redemption Invoked

The most crucial point in this section is that the Fall and the Redemption are real events and they have ongoing impact throughout all subsequent ages of human history until God's ultimate redemption is accomplished. No one can be immune to the consequences of sin, although in his mercy, God would grant reprieve from some of these consequences from time to time. In order to be freed from sin and its consequences, we need redemption from God; otherwise, we will face God's judgment.

With the entrance of the serpent into the garden of Eden, the possibility of sin enters the world. In the Bible, this serpent is variously called Satan, the tempter, the deceiver and other names. He was originally a high angel who sinned against God and became the prince of darkness. His all-consuming passion is to attempt to replace God and his hallmark tactic is deception and falsehood. In Eden he showed an attractive appearance, with an amiable personality. He was so engaging that he convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, thereby sinning against God. By this treasonous act, he succeeded in hijacking the whole human race to follow him to death. Throughout history, he would continue to challenge and defy God, wreaking havoc in the world and in individual lives. He will not cease to do evil until he is thrown into eternal fire at the end.

Subsequently, God pronounced his judgment, on the serpent first, then Eve and then Adam. Note that the judgment is both long-term and fatal, and this judgment would pass on down to the entire human race.

The antagonism between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman have two aspects. One refers to the general enmity between darkness and light. The other refers to the future defeat of Satan by the seed of the woman - the Messiah. While Satan would bruise the heel of the woman's seed (causing Jesus to suffer at the cross), the Messiah would ultimately crush the head of the serpent by defeating Satan through his death and resurrection.

4:1-11:26 Fast Forward: Sin and Redemption Beginning to Take Effect

The several centuries after the Fall saw rapid growth of population to fill the earth. At the same time, death became a regular phenomenon of the human population (chapter 5). As sin rapidly spread and became more ruthless such as murders (4:8, 22-23) and carefree wilfulness in life (6:1-5), two events of God's unprecedented judgment came. One was the great flood in which the entire human population perished except the family of Noah which God saved (chapters 7-9). The other was the scattering of the population at the tower of Babel which defied God's will of having the human population to fill the earth (chapter 11). These two events demonstrate that God was still the ruler of all the creation and he disapproved the sinfulness of the world. But his love for the sinning human race remains and is shown in his mercy to save the family of Noah.

11:27-25:11 God's Redemption Plan Unveiled - Abraham Called

In this section, God unveiled his definitive plan for his redemption work. He chose an individual, Abraham, to be the human instrument to partake in his plan. He instructed Abraham