24 Minute Bible - A Simple Journey to Understand the Bible

Episode #16– Returning to Jerusalem Before the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar lay waste to Jerusalem and burned it’s Holy Temple to the ground, the prophet Jeremiah issued a prophecy. The prophecy, found in Jeremiah 29:10, was that Jerusalem WOULD be destroyed... but that 70 years later the Jews would RETURN to Jerusalem. They would rebuild the Temple. They would re-establish the city walls. They would again dwell in the land of their Heritage. And it happened just as Jeremiah promised. Today’s episode looks at three books— Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. It is a heartening story of God’s restoration promise to His People. All of us! Enjoy Episode #16– Returning to Jerusalem!

Episode #15: The Prophets of the Old Testament Prophets and their lives can sometimes come off as scary, condescending... even weird. However, the purpose of most prophets is to get the attention of their hearers. They should be dramatic, loud and uncompromising. Especially when it is God Himself who has given the message. This episode looks at the 17 books of prophecy (the Major and Minor prophets) in the Old Testament.  The goal is to ‘plug in’ these individuals into the the time, place and context of the Bible. Their messages were important then. They are still important now. Welcome to Episode #15– ‘The Prophets of the Old Testament’!!

Episode #14– Going Into Captivity The end of the Kingdom and the country had come. The Babylonians surrounded Jerusalem, captured their wealth, deported their people to Persia and for an exclamation point— totally destroyed their Temple.    For those seeking to understand the Bible, however, the time the Jews spent in captivity in Babylon and Persia are important times. The Bible books of Daniel, Ezekiel and Esther were all written from Persia.  The  experiences of the Jews in this foreign land set the stage for the ultimate deliverance— the coming of a Messiah. Episode #14 comes from the final chapters of 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles and the book of Jeremiah.  It helps us understand the ‘back story’ of Jewish Captivity in Persia and the blessings that will come from this experience. Hope you enjoy this episode ‘Going into Captivity’!

Episode #13: The Civil War of Israel Any  war is deeply tragic but especially so when the war is a Civil War pitting brother against brother and dividing a nation. Israel had experienced a unified Kingdom under its first three kings— Saul, David and Solomon.  That unity was now over, however, as Israel splits into two separate countries. The 10 tribes of the north would be called the  Northern Kingdom or Israel. The Southern Kingdom would be known as Judah. In this episode we cover the Biblical books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles... and the destinies of a divided Israel. Welcome to Episode #13– The Civil War of Israel.

Episode #12: We Three Kings of Israel After the time of the Judges, the people demanded a king.  So it was a king they got. The first three kings — Saul, David and Solomon— led a ‘United States of Israel’. That is, all 12 tribes were unified and the ‘nation’ of Israel was created. For 120 years Israel would experience a United ‘kingdom’. In this episode we seek to understand Israel under the government of these three leaders. It was, in many ways, the most glorious time of all for Israel. Territory was won, a capital was established... and a Temple was  built.  Join us on the journey as, from the books of 2 Samuel and 1 Kings...  we learn about ‘We Three Kings of Israel!

EPISODE #11– Samuel the King Maker The children of Israel had experienced a number of ‘up’s and downs’ while settling into life in the Promised Land. The leadership of the Judges was not going well.  Maybe the answer was to become like ‘everyone else’. The nations around Israel all had Kings. ‘Ah, there’s the answer!  We want a King too!’ The books of 1st and 2nd Samuel detail the transition of Israel from a ‘theocracy’ (led by God) to a ‘monarchy (led by a King). To Samuel, the 'last Judge of Israel’ fell the job of anointing the first two kings of Israel.  Hope you enjoy and learn from this episode— Samuel The King Maker.

Episode #10: The Beauty of Ruth The book of Ruth is ‘beautiful’ on many levels. In it, we see the Hebrew Bible’s focus and honoring of women. In it, we see that one’s ‘country of origin’ does not matter to God as much as the ‘attitude of our heart’. And in it, we can ‘connect dots’ as God places a seemingly insignificant widowed Moabite women in the center of His will. Ruth will become the great grandmother of the greatest King in Israel and a heroine included in the family line of the coming Messiah Jesus. Continue on your ‘simple journey through the Bible’ as we look in this episode at The Beauty of Ruth!

EPISODE #9– The Judges of Israel The Book of Judges is an interesting and insight record of the timeframe before Israel had Kings. Interesting because of the flawed and sometimes odd people God raised up to lead the people in this newly conquered Promised land... and insightful in the similarities to today’s world and our propensity toward ‘doing what is right in our own eyes’! Enjoy the journey in this episode entitled ‘The Judges of Israel’.

Episode #8: Joshua and the Land The Promises God made to Abraham are ALMOST fulfilled. From Abraham’s ‘loins’ has come a mighty people— the million plus nation known as Israel.  Then God provides for this might Nation an amazing set of ‘laws’ to live by (Exodus thru Deuteronomy). In this Episode, God fulfills His Promise of a LAND to call their own, as Joshua leads the people into the PROMISED LAND.  Journey with Joshua and ‘connect the dots’ in this Episode: Joshua and the Land.

In this episode of The 24 Minute Bible,  we look at the incredible impact of Moses the Lawgiver as he listens to God and writes down the commandments, rules and regulations for this new nation known as Israel. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy may be seen as dry and boring to some— indeed they can be— but these new precepts provide the basis for a government for Israel.  And for us as well.  Learn and understand God's purposes as you listen to Episode #7 entitled Moses and the Government.

Moses sits at the very center of Western society. He is the man God used to form a New Nation— the nation of Israel.  In this Episode (#6) of the 24 Minute Bible podcast, we piece together the life of Moses, the timing of God and the events that forged a small tribe into a mighty Nation. Enjoy the journey as we learn about the foundational role Moses has in fulfilling God’s Promise to Abraham of a Holy Nation. Welcome to — MOSES and a New Nation!

EPISODE #5– Abraham and His Kids Every family has a ‘beginning’— a Matriarch or Patriarch from which the biological lineage can be traced.  Jesus’ family was no exception.  God chose a man and his kids as the human gene pool through which a Messiah would come. That man was ABRAHAM. In this episode we begin the 2000 year Biblical journey from the ‘calling of Abraham’ to the ‘Coming of the Christ. Hope you enjoy this episode called  ‘Abraham and His Kids’.

Episode #4– Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6-11): There have been historic change points... transitions in the history of the world. But none so amazing and far-reaching as the Flood Of Noah. Considering the Flood as an historical event, this episode contrasts the cataclysmic changes BEFORE and AFTER the Flood. Lifespans, dinosaurs, ice caps, fossil fuels, continental drift, carbon dating and many other ‘criticisms’ of the Bible are reasonably addressed when we take seriously the Biblical account of Noah and the Flood!

Episode #3: Adam and Humanity What if most of what we learn from textbooks and museums about ‘early mankind’—  Neanderthals discovering fire, Lucy, cave men, dinosaurs and ‘prehistoric earth’— what if those pictures and descriptions were entirely wrong? In today’s episode we look at the BIBLICAL description of the first 1600 years of mankind’s existence  (Genesis 3-5) on Planet Earth. From Creation to Adam to Noah, the Bible gives us a stereotype-challenging new outlook... and it’s definitely not  ‘The Flintstones’. Hope you enjoy Episode #3– Adam and Humanity. Click this link to download the Bible Cross Reference Graph & Bible Funnel

Every journey has to have a starting point . Genesis 1 and 2 provides the setting for this amazing Universe, our introduction to God... and to Life as we know it on Planet Earth. In this episode we will examine contrasting theories of HOW the universe came into existence— and how the Bible record of ‘Creation week’ holds together and makes genuine, scientific sense. Hope you enjoy this 24 Minute Bible podcast exploring CREATION.

Welcome to the 24 Minute Bible Podcast with Pastor Mark Minor. Today's Podcast is an introduction to this 'Simple Journey to Understand the Bible.' In this episode, we examine WHAT the Bible claims - it's own testimony, if you will - about it's ORIGIN and POWER. We also look at WHY the Bible stands alone as a UNIQUE and AUTHORITATIVE testimony of God among all other religious books of the World.