My Favorite Book Has Been The Perennial Best Seller For Many Decades
Posted: Monday, October 10, 2011
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
The Holy Bible has been my favorite book for a number of decades but has the yearly best seller for many more. There are definite reasons for both. Once Jesus made a few difficult statements which caused many of his listeners to get up and walk away.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 6:67-69 KJV)
You can have two men today, to write a 2,000 word essay on a particular subject and it is assured that one will unwittingly write something different to the other. And if you should pick 40 to write the same essay, some will be unrecognizable as the same subject. The harmony of the writings is much too precise to simply pass off as coincidence. Only one with a mindset in opposition to God, could talk himself into suggesting it to be coincidence.
My parents owned a large family bible in which births, deaths and marriages were recorded. And a somewhat smaller one which they read. But there was a small bible, approximately 4 inches by 7 inches as I recall, in the family, from whence I know not. But I asked my mother for it when I was about 12 years old and she gave it to me but cautioned me to care for it, and not to be writing in it. I did as she said, but I did start reading it at that time and read it rather diligently for several years. And I recall having friendly disagreements with older church going people when we would discuss the bible and it’s meanings.
There was a period of time when I was drafted into the army and even after I returned home, that I read it very little. My older sister and her husband gave me full sized bible shortly after this and I again began to read. After I was married and we had a couple of children, I determined to read the bible from cover to cover since that had not been my method of studying it, and it really is not the best way to study it. But I do believe all students of the bible should read it through once or twice. It doesn’t take long. I have since been from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22 six more times. Plus the equivalent of many more times in just studying a subject at a time and all references to it. I enjoy reading it because it is the only book I have ever known that never loses it’s intrigue. One learns something new every time they read it.
It’s massive size assures one that there will always be something which they did not notice before, or they forgot something. An extended study about the bible can be as informative and exciting as a study of the bible. Here are some facts that some know, but many do not.
When these 66 books (writings) were in the original format there were no chapter and verse divisions.
The chapters were added in an effort to be enable one to locate various scriptures and to record where they were in 1238, AD by a man named Hugo Caro. Then in 1551 after the beginning of printing, the verses were added by one Robertus Stephanus. To read these facts does not bring out the extremely laborious tasks of doing them. Now since we are accustomed to having them we are able to memorize certain beautiful and/or very pertinent scriptures and give the precise location. And extreme asset. However, these men were only men and not inspired of God so there are places where the divisions are not in the very best spots. The ending of a chapter should be where a particular subject changes, but often they are not. I assure you, however, I would in no way criticize the men who took the time and task to do those things. We are all indebted to them.
Speaking of the bible being a lasting best seller, according to the International Bible Society, there are on average,168,000 bibles sold or given away daily in the U.S. alone. And pay attention to these statistics numbers. There are in the King James bible…
66 Books (writings)
1,189 chapters
31,102 verses
783,137 words
3,116,480 letters
But that should not appear too formidable for one to determine to read it all. It can be read aloud and understandable in 70 hours. There are tapes available on 48 one and one-half hour tapes. So, by devoting 2 hours per day in reading, one can complete the entire book in 35 hours or less.
Almost everyone spends 2 hours or more per day at some unrewarding and worthless activity. If all put those two (+ or -) hours in the reading of God’s word, consider the results which might occur. Many, with out question, would accept the truths of the bible and strive to live accordingly. What a difference we would see.
Even in the extremely unlikely event, the book turns out to be untrue, there is no doubt whatsoever that the world would be a much better place if all tried to adhere to it’s teachings.
Many people will point fingers at so-called “Christians” and proclaim their lives to be bad. But, consider the first century Christians. Point out to me in the writings of the New Testament where the first century Christians brought evil. They even went to their deaths for the cause of Christ without fighting back.
The impetuous Apostle Peter (Before Christianity was established) took his sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers who came to take Jesus away. Jesus healed the ear and said:
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. (Matthew 26:52 KJV)
The Holy Bible has been my favorite book for a number of decades but has the yearly best seller for many more. There are definite reasons for both. Once Jesus made a few difficult statements which caused many of his listeners to get up and walk away.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 6:67-69 KJV)
This was recorded by John via inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And I feel as did Peter. This book contains the words of life. It has far too much wisdom within it’s pages to have been written by uninspired men, and especially during the ages that it was written. A conglomerate of writings by some 40 different writers over a period of about 1600 years. Some never knew any other of the writers, and yet their writings are compatible and one never contradicts another.
You can have two men today, to write a 2,000 word essay on a particular subject and it is assured that one will unwittingly write something different to the other. And if you should pick 40 to write the same essay, some will be unrecognizable as the same subject. The harmony of the writings is much too precise to simply pass off as coincidence. Only one with a mindset in opposition to God, could talk himself into suggesting it to be coincidence.
My parents owned a large family bible in which births, deaths and marriages were recorded. And a somewhat smaller one which they read. But there was a small bible, approximately 4 inches by 7 inches as I recall, in the family, from whence I know not. But I asked my mother for it when I was about 12 years old and she gave it to me but cautioned me to care for it, and not to be writing in it. I did as she said, but I did start reading it at that time and read it rather diligently for several years. And I recall having friendly disagreements with older church going people when we would discuss the bible and it’s meanings.
There was a period of time when I was drafted into the army and even after I returned home, that I read it very little. My older sister and her husband gave me full sized bible shortly after this and I again began to read. After I was married and we had a couple of children, I determined to read the bible from cover to cover since that had not been my method of studying it, and it really is not the best way to study it. But I do believe all students of the bible should read it through once or twice. It doesn’t take long. I have since been from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22 six more times. Plus the equivalent of many more times in just studying a subject at a time and all references to it. I enjoy reading it because it is the only book I have ever known that never loses it’s intrigue. One learns something new every time they read it.
It’s massive size assures one that there will always be something which they did not notice before, or they forgot something. An extended study about the bible can be as informative and exciting as a study of the bible. Here are some facts that some know, but many do not.
When these 66 books (writings) were in the original format there were no chapter and verse divisions.
The chapters were added in an effort to be enable one to locate various scriptures and to record where they were in 1238, AD by a man named Hugo Caro. Then in 1551 after the beginning of printing, the verses were added by one Robertus Stephanus. To read these facts does not bring out the extremely laborious tasks of doing them. Now since we are accustomed to having them we are able to memorize certain beautiful and/or very pertinent scriptures and give the precise location. And extreme asset. However, these men were only men and not inspired of God so there are places where the divisions are not in the very best spots. The ending of a chapter should be where a particular subject changes, but often they are not. I assure you, however, I would in no way criticize the men who took the time and task to do those things. We are all indebted to them.
Speaking of the bible being a lasting best seller, according to the International Bible Society, there are on average,168,000 bibles sold or given away daily in the U.S. alone. And pay attention to these statistics numbers. There are in the King James bible…
66 Books (writings)
1,189 chapters
31,102 verses
783,137 words
3,116,480 letters
But that should not appear too formidable for one to determine to read it all. It can be read aloud and understandable in 70 hours. There are tapes available on 48 one and one-half hour tapes. So, by devoting 2 hours per day in reading, one can complete the entire book in 35 hours or less.
Almost everyone spends 2 hours or more per day at some unrewarding and worthless activity. If all put those two (+ or -) hours in the reading of God’s word, consider the results which might occur. Many, with out question, would accept the truths of the bible and strive to live accordingly. What a difference we would see.
Even in the extremely unlikely event, the book turns out to be untrue, there is no doubt whatsoever that the world would be a much better place if all tried to adhere to it’s teachings.
Many people will point fingers at so-called “Christians” and proclaim their lives to be bad. But, consider the first century Christians. Point out to me in the writings of the New Testament where the first century Christians brought evil. They even went to their deaths for the cause of Christ without fighting back.
The impetuous Apostle Peter (Before Christianity was established) took his sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers who came to take Jesus away. Jesus healed the ear and said:
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. (Matthew 26:52 KJV)
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)When I am thinking non-fiction the Bible is definitely hands above anything else for my favorite book (I thought fiction for the piece I wrote though)Well, I first thought of fiction and figured that was probably what was intended. BUT, I was hard put to come up with one, since I haven't read a fiction book in years. Thanks for reading and the comment
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