For one to obtain a proper appreciation and understanding of the scriptures He must first understand how they are divided. Much of the confusion in religious circles today comes from the application of the wrong text when discussing any particular question. This section of study will help the Bible student to better understand how God has arranged His book.

1. Old and New Testaments. 

The Bible is divided into two distinct sections. One is called the old testament and the other is called the new testament. The word testament is similar in meaning to will or covenant. For one to properly understand the scriptures, he must first establish which part of the Bible holds the information that applies to the question.

The old testament was written over a period of about 1000 years. Moses wrote the first five books of the old testament during the time that the people of Israel were in the wilderness, around 1446 to 1406 BC. This section of scripture is referred to as the law and we will discuss this in greater detail shortly.

The old testament was completed around 400 BC and from then until the coming of Christ no other revelation was received and recorded by the nation of Israel.

The new testament was actually completed in around 40 to 50 years, beginning around AD 55 and going until AD 96. Some books are possibly dated a little earlier and thus we cannot be totally precise.

All of the books of the Bible were written for our learning (Rom. 15:4). But even so, there is a difference of purpose and, therefore, a difference of application, between the old and new testaments.

2. Old Testament.

There are four major divisions found in the old testament. They are called (a) the law, (b) history, (c) wisdom literature, and (d) prophecy.

The law is that section which contains the creation, patriarchal history, Egyptian bondage, the growth of the tribes of Israel, their time in the wilderness, and their preparation to enter the promised land. It is commonly called the books of Moses and is made up of Genesis through Deuteronomy. This section of Scripture contains all the laws and ordinances given to Moses in the wilderness, a description of the tabernacle, the priesthood, and a host of other similar information.

History is the section which deals with the history of the people of Israel from the entrance into the promised land until the carrying away into bondage by Babylon around 586 BC. It begins with Joshua and continues through Esther. The final three books of this section, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, are later history, being written after the return from Babylon.

Wisdom literature consists of the writings found in Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.

Prophesy is the final section of the old testament and overlaps some of the other time frames. It begins around 845 BC and continues until around 430 BC. It contains all the final books from Isaiah unto Malachi.

3. New Testament.

There are also four divisions found in the new testament. The names of them are generally presented as the gospels, Acts, the letters, and Revelation. Since the new testament or the new covenant relates to Christ and His church, I prefer my own names for these divisions because I believe it aids in understanding them. They are (a) the head of the church, (b) the start of the church, (c) the rules of the church, and (d) the glorification of the church.

The head of the church is Christ and since the first four books of the new testament introduce us to Him, I chose this as my title for this section. This section tells us of the birth of Christ, the life of Christ, and the death of Christ. We learn about His character, His thoughts, His purity, His divinity, and His purpose. We learn about His compassion, His authority, and His commitment. We learn about the blood sacrifice for our atonement and the hope we have because of Him. It is in these four books we learn to know the Messiah and our need for a relationship with Him.

The start of the church is found in the book of Acts and shows the establishment of the church and its early growth. It shows what it takes to get into the church and it demonstrates how to spread it throughout the world. It also teaches us that with great motivation, enthusiasm, and zeal, the church can indeed be carried throughout the world to every creature. It demonstrates the need for the church to be missionary minded so that its purpose can be accomplished. It demonstrates great sacrifice but it also promises great blessings.

The rules of the church are recorded in the letters beginning with Romans and continuing through Jude. While there are rules found also in the other new testament books, this is the great storehouse for the directions of the church to follow. These letters were written for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction. They were written also for encouragement, edification, and motivation. It is in these books we find out how we are to live, act, and worship once we are members of the body of Christ.

The glorification of the church is the book known as the Revelation. It was written as a source of encouragement for the first century church and serves the same purpose today. It assures the church that even under persecution the people of God will survive as a people. It begins with a view of God on His throne and ends with the bridal activities of Christ and His church. It demonstrates and reminds that even when things seem desperate or hopeless, God is still on His throne and the promises received from Him to the church are guaranteed.

4. Covenants.

It is generally taught that there are three covenants discussed in the scriptures. Actually there are four covenants but only three are discussed in any detail. These four covenants are (a) Pre-Patriarchal, (b) Patriarchal, (c) Mosaical, and (d) Christian.

The first might also be called the Adamic covenant. It is the covenant between Adam and God before the fall from the garden. We know very little about this covenant but we do know that it contained some instructions concerning what Adam was to do (Gen. 1:28, 2:15,) and what he was not to do (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:1-3). Whether or not we have it in its entirety one cannot determine. But one thing is for sure. Adam broke his covenant with God and was expelled from the garden.

The second covenant is called the Patriarchal and was a universal covenant. God dealt with the heads of the various families and thus the term patriarchal. Again we know very little about this covenant. We do know that those under this covenant had priests (Gen. 14:18), prophets (Jude 14-15), blood sacrifices (Gen. 4:3-7), marriage laws (Matt. 14:1-4), and many other regulations to which they had to answer (Amos, Jonah, etc). This covenant continued until the time of Christ. It was taken from the Gentiles the same time the covenant with Israel was taken from them (Col.2:12-15, Rom. 1:18-23, 2:10-15, Acts 17:22-31).

The Mosaical covenant was established at Mount Sinai and included not only the ten commandments but many other regulations, directions, etc. This covenant was only with the Israelites, that is, it was a nationalistic covenant, not an universal one. While there was a method by which a Gentile could become a member of the commonwealth of Israel, the people were never commanded to evangelize and convert the Gentiles. Rather, they were generally warned to remain a separate people to avoid contamination brought about by the idolatry and immorality of the nations around them.

The final covenant recorded in the Bible is the Christian covenant and it is universal. It is in Christ that Jew and Gentile come together as one spiritual nation, the church (Gal. 3:26-29). All in this world, whether Christian or non-Christian, must obey this covenant or be lost because it is only through this covenant that one can have the guilt of his sins removed (Heb. 10:1-14). The covenant of Moses was primarily important because it brought us to Christ and this final and universal covenant (Gal 3:24).

5. Fifteen Historical Divisions.

There are fifteen historical divisions found in the Bible. We will not have time to discuss them in any great detail. But we will list them and examine their parameters so that in your further studies you may pursue a better and deeper understanding of them. This will help you greatly as you study out the issues of life as they relate to Scripture.

These several divisions are the Antediluvian, Postdiluvian, Patriarchal Period, Egyptian Bondage, Wilderness Wanderings, Conquest of Canaan, Judges, United Kingdom, Divided Kingdom, Kingdom of Judah, Babylonian Captivity, Return from Captivity, inner-testament times, the life of Christ, and the new covenant. Let’s briefly look at these divisions of history.

The antediluvian period covers the ten generations from Adam to Noah. They record the creation, the fall of man, and the continual corruption of mankind. They introduce us to the fact that man is lost because of sin. This section closes with God preparing to destroy life from the face of the earth.

The postdiluvian period is also ten generations in length and goes from the departure of Noah and his family from the ark to the call of Abram by God. During this period we have the cursing of Canaan in relation to the nakedness of Noah and the offence of the people in the construction of the tower of Babel.

The patriarchal period presents the lives of the three great patriarchs of Israel. They are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Along with these great men are presented the lesser patriarchs from whom the tribes came. This period of time ends with the people in the land of Goshen, part of the nation of Egypt.

The Egyptian bondage came about when a pharaoh who knew not Joseph arose and decided to enslave the people of God. This bondage lasted around 430 years before God finally liberated them.

The wilderness wanderings start with the people leaving the land of Egypt and crossing the Red Sea. Once across, they were to go and take the land God had promised them. But because of fear and a lack of faith, they did not want to go. God rejected that generation and kept them in the wilderness for forty years until they all died.

In the conquest of Canaan, God chose Joshua to be His representative to the people. It was through His guidance that the people went in and secured the land. The people never fully complied with the instructions of God and suffered throughout history for this decision. Once the land was secured, Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh took land on the east side of the river. The other tribes took land on the west side and the tribe of Levi took cities so that they would be dispersed to carry out their priestly duties throughout the land.

The period of the judges was a time when God periodically raised up servants to deliver His people from various enemies. Most of these judges were not national but only local in scope. Eli and Samuel, often considered as judges, are two exceptions to this rule.

The people were not pleased with the way things were under the judges and demanded a king. The united kingdom thus began with the reign of Saul, then David, and then Solomon. Each of these kings ruled approximately forty years.

God was not pleased with the reign of Solomon and as an act of judgment against his house, God divided the nation into two parts. The northern kingdom was under the rule of Jeroboam and was known as Israel and the southern kingdom was under the rule of Rehoboam and was known as Judah. The nation stayed divided for many years to follow.

The northern kingdom never had a good king. They were constantly involved in idolatry, immorality, and other such grievous sins. As an act of judgment against them, God brought the Assyrians against them in 721 BC and carried them away into captivity. This carrying away left only the kingdom of Judah as God’s chosen people. There were, however, remnants of each of the tribes living in Judah and so none of the tribes completely ceased to exist. This period we call the kingdom of Judah.

In 586 BC God brought the nation of Babylon against Judah and had them carried away into the Babylonian captivity where they remained for seventy years. It was for the same type of offences that Israel had committed which caused Judah to also be carried away.

In the return from captivity, Cyrus makes a decree that the people can return and rebuild Jerusalem. The people go but soon become frustrated and cease their work on the house of God. Finally, under the prophecy of Haggai and the leadership of Zerubbabel and several others, the people went back to work and finished the temple.

The inner-testament times are often referred to as the 400 silent years. Actually they are anything but that. While there are no recorded messages received from God at this time, the book of Daniel reveals vast amounts of information concerning what was to happen. Through this prophecy we also find out when basically the Christ would appear and establish His eternal kingdom.

The life of Christ is recorded in the four gospels. They tell us of His life, teachings, and mission. They tell of His death, burial, and resurrection. They also tell of His ascent to the Father to receive His kingdom and His commission to the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The new covenant began in Acts 2 at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This time period is also known as the last days and will continue until the return of Christ and the dissolution of time. All are under the instructions of this covenant and those who do not submit to it will spend eternity in Hell because only this covenant has the power to remove the guilt of sin through Christ.