6th Century B.C. Medallion Found in Jerusalem Recently (1)
On September 10, 2013, an Old Testament Survey began at 7 p.m. at 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC. Our text is the iconic Gleason Archer A Survey of Old Testament Introduction.(2) Here are our notes from this first session:
Guidelines
1) Our study will provide simple and useable material for ongoing use.
2) Our study will adhere to a consistently conservative and orthodox view of total inerrancy.
3) Our study will fully address the skepticism of unbelievers.
General Purposes
1) To relay that the Bible is unique among books.
2) To relay that the Old Testament is 100% revealed truth of God for our learning, example and warning. (I Corinthians 10.1 - 13)
3) To relay the many proofs of the Old Testaments veracity.
4) To relay the many prophetic fulfillments contained in the Old Testament.
5) To relay the meaning of the various passages of the Old Testament exegetically.
Specific Purposes
1) To understand that the Old Testament is essentially a set of instructions for a certain people for a finite period of time that now "school master" us to Christ.
2) To understand the questions that all men have always, and always will, asked:
A) "Why are we here?"
B) "What makes us different?"
C) "What is our purpose?"
3) To understand that there are only two possible answers to the above questions:
A) We exist to glorify and serve God.
B) We exist to glorify and serve ourselves
4) To understand and appreciate the necessity of man's free will in God's Old Testament plan.
5) To understand that the Bible is the only book that answers man's most pressing questions.
Prediction and Fulfillment as Proof of Divine Inspiration
1) The test of prophesy and fulfilled prophesy is found in Deuteronomy 18.
2) The fact that the Old Testament is replete with examples of prophesy and fulfilled prophesy makes it unique among all "religious" books.
3) False prophets and false prophesies are exposed in Jeremiah 28
4) Approximately 200 Old Testament texts (not just single verses) are predictive.
5) J. Barton Payne assembled nearly 600 examples of predictive prophesy in his 754 page Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophesy published by Harper and Row in 1973.
6) The schematic of redemption is the focus of biblical prophesy:
A) Genesis 3.15
B) Genesis 15.13 - 16
C) Leviticus 26.44
D) Deuteronomy 28.36
E) Deuteronomy 28.68
F) Isaiah 13.19
G) Isaiah 52.13 - 15
H) Isaiah 53.1 - 12
I) Daniel 9.25 - 26
The Scope of Analysis for this Survey
1) Extant language
2) Extant History
3) Extant Religion and Culture
4) Authorship of the Various Books
5) The Date of the Various Books
6) Contemporary Situations and Problems
7) The Text of each Book
8) The Integrity of the Extant Texts
9) The History of the Transmission of the Text
You and your friends are invited to attend our next class session on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m., September 24, 2013. Sessions are held at the Archdale church of Christ, 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210.
(2) Archer, Gleason L. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. 4th Ed. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2007.
