The 5-Minute Visual Guide to the Bible (Review)

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The 5-Minute Visual Guide to the Bible by Michael Wittmer - The Bible contains lifetimes of wisdom and teachings about God and his plan for the world, but its story is simple enough for even a child to understand. Still, modern readers in western civilization often need help with the chronology, historical context, geographical settings, and cultural background of the Biblical narrative. This colorful guide does that in an easy-to-understand and visually appealing way. 

The guide works through the Bible chronologically, beginning with Creation and the foundational concepts of God's creative power, temple imagery, how humans are the crown of God's creation, and even the Biblical concept of marriage. The Fall and its consequences are similarly explained, then the remainder of Genesis and the historical books of the Old Testament are covered in detail in the chapters Israel and Exile. The Exodus, the giving of the Law, the significance of wilderness and covenant are explained. The major characters of Israel's history are introduced, and readers will see where characters like Ruth and Job fit into the historical timeline. The wisdom and poetry books are explained as well.

In the Exile section, you'll learn about the divided kingdom and get an overview of the kings and prophets during this time period and how they fit in. 

The section titled Jesus dives into the four gospels and breaks down what the gospel writers tell us about Jesus' birth and life, his miracles and teachings. To understand the context, it's helpful to know some of the other characters like Herod, the Pharisees, and the Saducees, and you'll get that info here. Near the end of the section are a couple of pages explaining the Christian doctrines surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection, and how we can be saved. Right there, simply explained, in the context of the story of Scripture. 

Following is another section of history, The Church, that discusses the events of Acts and how the early church developed. Paul's conversion and his missionary journeys and letters are explained. And finally, the last few pages explore Jesus' Return and the hope and promise of righteous judgment and the new heaven and earth.

I admit this beautiful full-color guidebook would take much more than five minutes to read cover to cover, but each page of valuable information takes five minutes or less to understand. You may wish to linger a little longer over some of the artwork, or pause to ponder some of the insights as well. I was absolutely delighted with the brilliant photos, beautiful artwork, and clear concise summaries of important events and teachings from Scripture. This is a book that is a valuable quick reference for personal Bible study, an introduction to the Bible for family reading, or as a guide to beginning an in-depth Bible study. 

From the publisher:

Want to read the Bible but find it daunting?

Wish there was a guide to simplify the overall storyline?

Think it would help to "see" the people, places, and events?

The 5-Minute Visual Guide to the Bible is designed to make scripture easier to approach . . . and come alive when you do. This brand-new guide keys beautiful, full-color illustrations - classic paintings, landscapes and artifact photos, maps and charts - to a helpful chronological time line of God's Word.

Inside, you'll find clear, succinct descriptions of

• events
• people
• places
• doctrines

of God's Word, along with numerous related references if you'd like to study further.

The 5-Minute Visual Guide to the Bible will point you to the most important, interesting, and inspiring aspects of scripture, helping you to get more from your time in God's Word.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

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