Back in November we announced the release of our 7 lesson series on Seeing Jesus in the Feasts of Israel. There were many resources I used while studying and presenting this series. Below are listed just a few of them:
Feasts and Holidays of the Bible foldout chart produced by Rose Publishing. Also worthwhile to make copies available to serious students in your audience. A set of 80+ Powerpoint slides is also available: Feasts & Holidays of the Bible PowerPoint CD-ROM.
Instructor: Richard Cravy
This package includes 18 hours of classroom study over 14 lessons on 7 DVDs. Also included with this product is an additional CD containing the resources and presentations utilized in this study. These resources include three PowerPoint presentations and five printable handouts in PDF format.
We have released a series of 7 lessons on 4 CDs on the prophetic fulfillment in Jesus of the seven Jewish festivals of Leviticus 23. Entitled Seeing Jesus in the Feasts of Israel, we examine both the plain and implicit fulfillments
by Jesus found in the annual Jewish feasts. His death and burial and resurrection, the preaching of the gospel, His second coming, the Judgment, and eternal rest with Him in heaven were all (unknowingly) celebrated each year by the entire Jewish nation beginning 1400 years before His arrival.
The Christian community and western culture in general have been pummeled lately with books, magazine articles, movies and television specials purporting to expose the faulty foundations of the New Testament and Christian faith. Examples include The Da Vinci Code (book and movie), the Gospel of Judas (book and TV), various theories about the gnostics and their writings, Mary Magdalene, Brad Ehrman’s Misquoting Jesus, and many more! Invariably, a stream of men and women with D.D.s and Ph.D.s after their names from prestigious universities are presenting claims that the original New Testament documents are corrupted, other documents have been suppressed, that ugly truths about Jesus or others have been kept hidden, etc.
Believers may feel both assaulted and helpless in the face of such “firepower” and media blasts. Here are four suggestions:
Having a deep personal interest in the land and culture of the Bible, I am always on the lookout for new resources useful for teaching in these areas. One of the best I have found is the 7 set video series entitled, “Faith Lessons,” by Ray Vander Laan.
Each set is available in either VHS or DVD, and consists of six to ten 15-20 minute videos recorded live at significant archeological sites connected to the Scriptures.
As a preacher and teacher, my research and preparation is wide-ranging. . . including basic Bible study, gathering background information, original languages research, and so forth. One need which often comes up is the best way to present material on a certain subject. At those times I often resort to my print library and the internet to discover how others have already arranged the same material. In other words, I try to establish what “outline” would be most beneficial to my hearers. My favorite site online for such lesson arrangements is Executable Outlines by Mark Copeland.
I had a good friend and preacher ask for my recommendations concerning well-written books on supposed Bible contradictions. Below is the list of books I have found useful in studying this subject and in helping others who are seeking answers.
The www.bible.org website is a treasure for those who can take advantage of what it has to offer. Now, I am amazed they were able to actually get the “bible.org” name! Beyond the name, their homepage claims to have over 40,000 pages of free content for Bible students, ministers, missionaries, etc. While I can’t verify the specific quantity, I know from extensive use there is a tremendous amount of content in the form of articles, audio and video, course materials, and access to the text of the NET Bible (more below).