Introduction
One night a religious leader and teacher, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council, came to Christ. Those Pharisees were very religious. They prayed six times a day; they fasted 48 hours every week and they kept extremely high moral standards such as avoiding even looking at women after they were married. They memorized God’s law and knew thousands of laws to keep from sinning against God. Perhaps you or you know someone extremely religious like this Pharisee.
This older religious teacher did something strange. He said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” This statement is strange because “Rabbi” means teacher. In other words, this older, devout religious leader and teacher called a younger man “teacher”. However, he had a good reason… Christ had performed many miraculous signs. When Christ came into town, he healed all the sick, he made the lame walk, he made the blind see and he healed lepers (an incurable horrible disease like SIDA is today). But Christ also denounced the religious leaders. He called them blind guides and hypocrites. All of this was puzzling to the religious teacher, yet he knew that the Messiah had truth from God so he came to him by night.
The Messiah jumped right to the point. He said, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” The religious leader was confused and said, “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” But the Messiah was talking about something much greater. All of the incredible works of righteousness this religious teacher had done was not sufficient for him to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Wouldn’t you like to know the rest of the story? Wouldn’t you like to know for sure how one can enter heaven? This religious leader’s acts were not good enough to get him into heaven. Wouldn’t you like to know for sure the way to enter the kingdom of God?
The rest of this story and others like it are contained in the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible combines all of the Torah, Zabor, Wisdom, and the Injil. To fully understand the Messiah’s response to this religious teacher, we need to understand the lessons of the prophets before him. This study guide will help you understand the essential truths from the lives of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist, and the Christ. Each day you will read a story or teaching from the lives of the ancient prophets and you will answer questions to help you think about the story and understand it better.
The lessons are arranged in chronological order. This is important because God works in history. He works in the lives of real people… real people just like you and me. Each of these ancient prophets knew about the lives of the prophets who came before them. One cannot fully understand their message without first studying key truths from those who preceded them.
The Bible is the word of God written by holy men inspired by God. It is composed of 66 different books written over a period of over 1000 years. When you complete this study you will be amazed at how God communicated one message to different men living in vastly different circumstances. This message is just as relevant today.
How to use The Ancient Prophets study guide
This study guide is intended to be completed in 12 weeks (3 months). Each day has a short reading from the Holy Bible which is generally one story from this great book. Arranged chronologically, the stories begin with the Torah and then include some readings from the Psalms (Zabor) and finally from the Gospels. Thus, in three months of reading one short passage each day, you will have a good overview of the teachings of the ancient prophets.
Each day includes questions to help you discover the meaning of the passage. Each week has five lessons. On the sixth day, you may want to review and write down any questions or catch up on any lessons that you missed. On the seventh day, you should meet with your study guide leader. When you meet with your study guide leader, be prepared to share your questions and concerns.
God wants to have a relationship with you. Allow him to speak to you through learning about the lives of the ancient prophets. Then, take time to talk with him each day. Tell him your concerns and thank him for his blessings and when he answers your requests. Use this guide as a personal journal to write down your questions and what you are learning.
To receive the most from this study, complete this study with a small group. Think about friends or family members whom you trust and who are interested in learning more about the ancient prophets. Especially consider your spouse if you are married. Invite them to do this study with you. Then meet each week with your study guide leader and the others who are doing this study with you.
Questions and answers about this study
What if I cannot complete the lessons before the small group meeting? It’s best if you complete the lessons. However, even if you cannot complete the lessons, attend the small group meeting. You will learn important lessons about the ancient prophets from the meeting with your small group leader.
What if I have to miss a small group meeting? Continue working through the material and then bring your questions to the next small group meeting.
What if my study group leader or someone in the group says something which makes me upset? People often get upset when they talk about what is most important in their lives. This is especially true when talking about God. This is because we forget something very important about God. God is almighty. God is mighty enough to defend himself. He does not need us to defend him. People often get mad when someone says something which touches our deepest hurts. In other words, if you feel mad or upset, it may be because there is something in your heart that God needs to deal with. God cares about you. He wants to meet your deepest hurts. In order to do this, you must open your heart to him. If you feel mad, then tell God what you are feeling and ask God to deal with the situation. God is almighty. If that person is sinning against God, God will deal with that person. On the other hand, if you take matters into your own hands, then you may find yourself fighting against God. So, tell God your feelings and then watch to see what he does about it.
You need to always respect the opinions of the others in the group. You may not agree, but you can respect their views. Do not stop this study just because someone says something which makes you upset. Continue the study until the end. Perhaps you are misunderstanding something.
Why do different translations of the Bible exist? The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek and some parts in Aramaic. The Bible has been translated into thousands of languages and dialects, including Arabic. Some old translations are accurate, but are difficult to understand since the words are not commonly used. Today, there are several different translations of the Bible in Arabic. Sometimes people study more than one to make sure they really understand the meaning in the original language. If you do this, you will see that the message is essentially the same across translations. One note…the chapter and verse numbers were not in the original texts. These were added later to make it easy to find a verse and therefore, different translations sometimes use different verse numbers, but you will find the same verse generally just before or after the number you were looking for.
Which translation does this study use? This study uses the New International Version (in English)…Arabic uses the Middle East translation (GNA) produced by the Bible Societies. You may complete this study with a different translation, but it is easier if you use the same translation for filling in the blanks.
Is the Bible corrupted? There are many reasons that we know that the Bible is not corrupted:
- God is almighty. He is capable of keeping his word. God will not allow men to corrupt his word. God said that “his word lasts forever”.
- There are thousands of manuscripts in the original language dating back to within 40 years from when they were first written.
- There are hundreds of prophecies concerning the Christ which were written hundreds of years before Christ and were fulfilled by Christ. Manuscripts, which were written over 100 years before Christ, exist today containing these prophecies.
- Many other archeological discoveries have repeated confirmed the truth of ancient events written of in the Bible.
- The early believers faced extreme persecution and death for their faith in Jesus. Why would they die for something they corrupted? After Christ, the Good News spread very rapidly and they made many copies of the texts. Only 150 years after Christ, the Gospel was being translated into other languages. Still during this period, many Christians died for their faith. Christianity spread very widely to include many diverse peoples. Yet with today’s many archeological discoveries, there is not one significant text change.
- There are many other detailed proofs beyond this. If you still have questions about the accuracy of the Bible, talk about this question with your study guide leader who can probably help you find outside materials to study this further. When you complete this study, you will see that the Bible is incredibly consistent. Only God is capable of communicating one message through many different writers in vastly different time periods.
What will I get from completing this study? Will I receive any financial gain? No. You will not receive any money or visa or job or any financial gain from this study. The only thing you will gain is a deep love for God. God cares about you. God wants to do mighty things, even miracles, in your life. By learning about the ancient prophets, you are opening the door to let him do this. If you complete this study and do what God commands, you will be greatly blessed.
