BIBLICAL STUDIES

Overview

This diploma is awarded to students who complete 30 credits/10 courses in the First Level Track.

It is designed to provide a comprehensive curriculum primarily centered around the Old Testament books of the Bible.

Students of Biblical Studies will learn how to study the Bible and how to interpret it within a historical context; also considering the philosophical aspects of religion and practical aspects of ministry.

What You Will Learn

Students who enroll in the Biblical Studies track will learn to identify Biblical themes in each book of the Bible. You will be introduced to the primary characters, the author, the purpose, key events, historical contexts and more as you proceed through an overview of the 66 books of the Bible. Students will learn to identify in which division each book is located, and more.

We will teach students how to evangelize and disciple using time-proven methods. They will learn to apply these methods as they go about spreading the gospel; fulfilling the Great Commission.

Careers

Classes

FEASTS OF ISRAEL:  Why study the feasts? Why are the feasts important to us in the 21st Century as it was important in the Old Testament times? The Old Testament furnishes us with the shadow of things to come (Col.2:17 and Heb. 10:1). Understanding the connection of the Old Testament with the things of the New Testament enables a true searcher of scripture  to be fully equipped for every good work (2Tim. 3:14). The feasts emphasize the shedding of the blood of the Lamb that enables the redemption from the bondage of sin, the resurrection of Christ, as the firstfruit. We will learn about the feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, and Trumpets and how they are connected to the New Testament,

GENESIS - CREATION V. EVOLUTION: A study of the biblical account of the creation of man, animals, the earth and universe in comparison to various scientific theories and speculations such as evolution.

DISCIPLESHIP: An in-depth study of the true meaning, cost and results of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Making disciples is essential to carrying out the Great Commission, and being a disciple is essential to making disciples.

DISPENSATIONS & COVENANTS: The study of the seven dispensations (periods of time) and the eight covenants (agreements) in Scripture.

FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES: A survey of the major events recorded by Moses in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

INTER-TESTAMENT HISTORY: Many people refer to this period of time as the 400 years or silent years because there is a general belief that during these years from the closing of the Old Testament text with Malachi until the time of John the Baptist, you had roughly a 400-year period in which no prophet spoke in the land of Israel and no official text of scripture was being developed. It was as if God was silent; however, one needs to understand that though God may have seemed silent, He was not inactive. He was very much at work and that is what we will address in this Inter-testament course. s the course for you.

KINGS OF ISRAEL: A study of the kings of the divided nation of Israel - Judah and Israel; their rule, failures, and impact on Israel's relationship with God.

GENERAL BIBLE: An overview of the books of the Bible, including the origin, canonization, structure, and writers of the Bible, as well as major characters and events.

HISTORY OF ISRAEL: An enlightening study of the historical Books of the Old Testament (Joshua-Esther) giving the student an application of each Book as a unit, its contribution to God's plan of redemption, as it developed in the Old Testament; as well as a study of the fall and captivity of the Divided Kingdom.

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE: Have you ever noticed that sometimes you'll hear a person share the Word of God from a scripture that you're very familiar with and yet you say to yourself “I didn't see that in the scripture, how did they get all of that”? Well they have probably been trained how to look for and how to unlock scripture, so in How to Study the Bible, we wil be writing on several different perspectives of study: devotional study, chapter study, thematic study, bibliographical study, and a word study and how you apply the scripture to yourself. 

LIVES & TIMES OF KINGS SAUL, DAVID, & SOLOMON: An in-depth study of the choosing, character, deeds, relationships, and reigns of the three rulers of the United Kingdom of Israel.

MAJOR PROPHETS: A study of the major prophetical Books in the Old Testament: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

MINOR PROPHETS: A study of the Minor Prophets - Hosea through Malachi - and their prophetic messages focusing on the Messiah, judgment and restoration of Israel.

MINISTRY OF PRAYER: This course seeks to show the vital contribution of prayer developing the whole person mentally, physically, and spiritually. A study is made of both Old Testament and New Testament prayer life, with special emphasis on the prayer life of Jesus and the early Church. This approach helps the student to realize how prayer becomes resident active creative force in Christian living.

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY: An overview of the 27 books which comprise Testament, the writers and major characters and events.

PERSONAL DIVINE LIFE: A study of the Christian's spirituality. The course focuses on the believer's personal life in Christ. It covers personality, prayer, and service.

POETIC BOOKS: An analytical approach to Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.

TABERNACLE OF DAVID: This tabernacle is an Old Testament picture which foreshadowed worship based on faith and grace. The study involves a comparison of the structure ceremony, and order of service instituted with this Tabernacle as it differs from the Tabernacle of Moses.

TABERNACLES & TEMPLES: An insightful study of the various tabernacles and temples erected in Israel throughout the Bible.

TEN COMMANDMENTS: An in-depth study of the Law of Moses and its relevance today.

THE BOOK OF JOB:  It tells the story of a man who loses everything, his wealth, his family, his health and wrestles with the question, Why?

WORSHIP & PRAISE: This course is designed to establish a connection between the Old and New Testaments of the biblical pattern of God's requirements of man to approach Him. Considered are the patterns of the Tabernacle of Moses, the Levitical system and Sacrificial system.

1 & 2ND SAMUEL:  First and Second Samuel deal with a transitional period in the history of ancient Israel. There is a transition of leadership first from the priest Eli to the judge Samuel, then from the judge Samuel to the king Saul, and then from Saul to David. Samuel thus is the link between the judgeship and the kingship in Israel. He is the prophet God uses to anoint both Saul and David.

THE PENTATEUCH: The Pentateuch is the first five books of the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible. Sometimes it’s referred to as the Law of Moses. In the class we are going to discuss if the Laws of Moses should be referred to as the law.

1. 1. The Pentateuch is: Genesis--it’s the beginnings. Whose Beginnings? In Genesis, we are going to find some roots in there. Not only for Hebrews or Israelites, but for us as believers.
   2. Exodus is about deliverance. Whose deliverance?
   3. Leviticus is about holy living. Who is to live holy
   4. Numbers is about the organization of Israel.
   5. Deuteronomy is the summation of Moses’ perspective – how he looked backward, how he looked inward, and how he looked forward; and God’s purpose and the fall of Israel.

 THE PSALMS: The Psalms, like all scripture are inspired and given by God and yet each Psalm originated with a human author as a prayer, praise or song. Each psalm is an expression of a writer who responded to God in the light of his particular circumstances. It reflects his worship, devotional life, and religious sentiment of approximately 1,000 years of Israel's history and today its universal language is still being used by us. Although the Book of Psalm is packed full of theology, it's primarily not a book of theology; but it’s a songbook, a set prophetic lyrical sheets, the breath of poetry used in the temple. 

It was a devotional guide to Jewish believers. As you read this book, read it like a choir. We willl give you a guide to developing the best method of reading and interpreting the Psalms. We will focus on the setting and background in ancient Israel and social and religious life, exploring the historical, doctrinal and Christology and histological purpose of the Psalms.

THE BOOK OF DANIEL: Everything that is happening in the world today has already been foretold by God. It's in the book, but we don't connect the Word of God to what is happening today. When we think of Daniel, we think of basically four young men who were taken into captivity, but the truth of the matter is the Book of Daniel is about the God of history. He created history. Everything that is happening, everything that will happen, God has already foretold. We’re told that the Southern Kingdom of Judah would be taken into captivity by Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar; and they would be there for about 70 years. He said that when they came out of captivity, they would not be guilty of idolatry anymore; so, 70 years of captivity cured Israel from idolatry. One of the things we will find out is that it's dangerous to take God’s glory. Nebuchadnezzar took God's glory by taking credit for himself and God punished him. That lets us know not to mess with God’s glory. For seven years the man walked around like an animal. He didn’t even know who he was or where he was.

History is already written. All we must do is read the book, follow God's instructions and live the life that we are supposed to live; and you will find Daniel himself and the other three friends, and all the interesting characters in this book.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: There are 630 specific commandments that the Jews recognized as the commandments that commanded them to order their lives. Those laws we're given in the Old Testament under the dispensation of law; so are we, as Christians, subject to those 10 commandments?  That is the question we do not know how to answer or if we do answer the question, we do not  know how to provide a clear biblical basis for our answer. This class will provide you with the ability to answer that question clearly.  In this class you will be studying the setting of the journey of the commandments, the commandments themselves and how they relate to the dispensation of grace.

JEREMIAH: We will explore Jeremiah’s call, his message, his ministry and his courage, as well as his faithfulness, his obedience and trust in God during his tribulation. We will consider the prophet’s life in regards to his courage, his faithfulness, his trust in God, during tribulations. We will carefully look at the following: the fulfillment of God’s prophetic word spoken by his prophet reminding us that God is true to his word. God’s judgment of sin is balanced with His grace and His mercy and hope. That there is a blessing for obedience, that God is going to present His new covenant. Finally we will discuss the importance of this book and the application to the 21st Century church, as well as to us individually.

 MINOR PROPHETS: This course will explore the 12 minor prophets. In the Bible we are very familiar with groups of 12. We have the 12 tribes of Israel, we have the 12 apostles; but many are not familiar with this group of 12 books that’s called the minor prophets. The minor prophets, even though they are small in size as far as chapters are concerned, are powerful in their impact and in their message; and so as we work though these 12 books, you will learn about each individual prophet, how they were unique.

POETIC BOOKS: The poetic books is mankind speaking to God, its mankind expressing the good and bad experiences they had. The first book is the Book of Job and the book questions the reasons for suffering. We will talk about the mystery of suffering and the background of Job. We will study the Psalms. Psalms is man’s response to God’s revelation of Himself, and we worship Him. It’s a book of prayer and praise and the hymn book of the Old Testament. We will study them by category. We study Proverbs also the rules from heaven, Ecclesiastes — man’s search for life, and the Song of Solomon or Song of Songs which is about the love between a man and a women, according to evangelicals, between Christ and His bride and between Solomon and the Shunammite women. We will look at the different perspectives and discuss the different views.