Bible in Bullets

"Bible for Dummies"? Not really, but this is a very condensed version of the Bible to get across it's message. Hopefully, the reader will want to learn more and read the inspired Word of God to mankind in the Bible! There is a mystery to to the Bible and in the New Testament the mystery is revealed! It's easier to read the Book if one reads the ending first. Learn what the mystery is before you read the Old Testament! If you don't it won't be understood and you'll have to read it again in light of the mystery revealed. Start with the Book of John, then read the entire New Testament. Then read the Old Testament with this question always in mind: "What's this got to do with Jesus?"

• The beginning...
• God has always been and always will be. God existence is holiness called "light".
• Coexisting with God was nothingness
• He created the angels in a supernatural realm
• Some disobeyed out of pride and left God
• The lead angel was Lucifer, God's adversary, called Satan or the devil.
• God is omnipotent and omniscient. He is truth.
• God is the One and Only God whose name is "I AM" (YHWH)
• God's personality or aspects are the Father, His Son (The Word) and Holy Spirit. All are God and all existed always with God in the beginning. God nor none of his personalities were created.
• God's role is Father. We are to love the creator. He's so holy he's can't be beheld by mankind.
• "The Word" is the voice of God. He's the mediator between man and the Father. Whenever man spoke with or saw God in an aspect, it was "The Word" they were seeing. Our patriarchs have always communed with "The Word".
• God is so Holy he must be approached only with love and reverence
• "The Word" was God and was with God in the beginning.
• "The Word" was to be made flesh in time.  God knew what Jesus would be from day one!
• God created everything in six days: The heavens, the earth, the vegetation, the beasts and mankind.
• Man was created in "their image". Man was created with mind, body and soul. Man's body was created after the fashion of who Jesus was to be. Man had a soul, a container for holding the spirit.
• Adam was the first man. He was created from the dust of the ground and his role was to have dominion over everything and tend to the Garden.
• Within the Garden was the :Tree of Life" which represents Jesus. Adam was to tend to that Tree.
• The fruits of the Tree were of the Holy Spirit. Faith, hope, love and the remainder of the twelve fruits were gifts of the Spirit and free to take. Adam didn't choose them!
• Eve was created of Adam and was to be subservient to him. Adam was the be the priest to God. That was his role. Eve was to listen to him for the good of all.
• God created man for one purpose: to love him (tend to him).
• Man was created innocent, but with a propensity to sin.
• Man was created with a free will. He had the choice to love God by obeying or not.
• God had one command he made. That command forced Adam and Eve to make a choice: Love God or love the world. 
• Eve assumed the role of Adam and fell to temptation from the devil, symbolically called "the serpent".. She exercised her free will. She failed to love God by obeying him.
• Eve abridged her subservient position and misled Adam. Adam who was the have dominion over everything, let Eve have dominion over him.
• Adam sinned. They ate of the wrong fruit. They now had reason and sought pleasure and desire. Satan was chosen over God!
• "The Word" or called "the voice of God" walked in the Garden in the cool of the evening. He saw that he was betrayed by his creation. This was the aspect of God which would come to be God incarnate, called Jesus.
• "The Word" continued to speak with the patriarchs throughout the entire Old Testament. For those who had faith, they knew that this was "The Word" who was to become flesh. They worshiped Jesus before he became incarnate.
• All mankind was cursed because of the sins of Adam and Eve. We are all born in sin. Everyone (mankind) is sinful and have always been.
• Man was intended to be immortal. However, because of sin, man died spiritually and became mortal.
• To be redeemed it was always by the "Covenant of Grace". "The Law" was always intended as a means for man to show God his love by obedience. 
• The biblical patriarchs were saved by faith just as you and I are. That faith was in the coming Messiah called Jesus. They knew Jesus as well as we do because they communed with him face to face since he was manifested as "The Word". Emmanuel (God With Us) was always with them. He appeared as a burning bush, the angel of God, a cloud, as a man in the fiery furnace, and even wrestled with Jacob! 
• God punishes and rewards. He created a fiery pit called "Hell" for those who never have faith in Jesus and a "Garden" called "paradise" somewhere beyond the heavens. This is "the kingdom of God".
• Those who're faithful are rewarded by eternity in paradise. Those who are not faithful suffer eternal punishment in hell.
• All mankind is predestined to have saving faith, but few will exercise the faith required.
• Faith must be in Jesus and his blood sacrifice (himself) because without blood there is no salvation.
• The Old Testament is all about Jesus! Jesus is the only way to salvation. There is no other way. 
• God had a plan for the redemption of mankind from the beginning for he knew that we would fail!
• God made "Laws" so we are without excuse for without laws we cannot be blamed.
• "The Law" wasn't a means to salvation (ever), but was a device of God in order that man could demonstrate love.
• Consequently, we can do nothing to deserve heaven. It's a free gift of God and our only "work" is to have faith. That's the exercise of our free will which too is a gift of God!
• The Bible stories are "pictures" of Jesus and are there to provide a source of faith to the patriarchs (and us). The events in times of old foreshadowed things to come. Hence, early man knew about Jesus because they understood from The Word what these things meant!
• Prophets were inspired to translate what was happening to Jesus. The focus of worship was on Jesus. The place on the Mercy Seat reserved for God was The Word's seat. Mercy is through Jesus.
• All that was foretold about Jesus came true.
• John the Baptist was the reminder. He was the link between the Old Testament and the New Testament. He announced the ministry of Jesus and prepared hearts by his ministry. People repented of their sin and were baptized in expectation of Jesus's blood sacrifice.
• Nothing changed with Jesus. He complemented what was all along. That means The Law was never a means to salvation, but only a way to demonstrate our love. Salvation was always by grace and the patriarchs were rewarded for their faith in The Word "Emmanuel". (This is the mystery of God and that salvation is for all!)
• Jesus was immaculately conceived being fathered through the Holy Spirit and a virgin woman. 
• Thereafter "The Word" was called "Jesus" and "Emmanuel". He was still YHWH, but now he was here with us!
• Jesus was baptized by John and the Holy Spirit descended upon him and stayed there, not as with ordinary men!
• Jesus was tempted by the devil and never even one time sinned. He felt what we feel!
• Jesus preached that all should know the Way. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father (or heaven) except by him!
• Jesus worked miracles. He demonstrated even his power over death!
• The world accused Jesus of heresy and even of being Satan himself.
• Instead of retribution Jesus taught love: love of God and love of others, even enemies! This command and it's corollary were a summary of the Ten Commandments and a demonstration of love that God sought back in the Garden with the "Original Commandment" (Thou shalt not eat).
• Jesus was transfigured. He received the filling of God's Holy Spirit. The Spirit was no longer on him, but in him!
• Jesus, an an innocent person was punished by flogging, a crown of thorns and even death on the cross. Prophets inspired by God told of the plan hundreds, even thousands, of years before!
• Scripture is the inspired word of God. It's instructions from our creator on how to live our lives and how to have eternal life. Scripture is the autobiography of Jesus. Being "The Word", Jesus is the author. He told of his own coming life, death and resurrection!
• Since salvation has always been about Jesus and always will be, it's by his grace that we're saved. By that we all deserve death, but he took on our sin himself and paid the price for us. Because of his sacrifice for us all, we all are commanded to love him!
• We get salvation for free. We demonstrate our love by obedience! That's the way it always was! Salvation was by faith in Jesus before Jesus was even born! We become a temple of the Holy Spirit who resides in our previously empty souls.
• Part of our obedience is to witness by baptism. Total immersion is best even with moving water. Baptism doesn't save, faith does, but it's a commitment to God to change. A born-again person is changed by the Holy Spirit using our self-control. He helps us!
• When Jesus was crucified, he died physically. His Spirit left him for a brief time as he bore all the sins of mankind: past, present and future. He was forsaken for a spell by his Father in heaven.
• Jesus's body lied in the grave for parts of three days. He arose, appeared outside his tomb, rolled away the stone; not so he could escape, but to show he was no longer there! Jesus was resurrected. His body was made alive and reunited with his Spirit!
• Because Jesus died yet lives, that's the promise available to us all! Jesus is alive and well in paradise and will be alive forever!
• Jesus shed his blood for us. Salvation has always been and always will be with the shedding of blood only, but not by the blood of animals; but Jesus's blood!
• In order to be saved (redeemed) we must feel sorrow for our sins, repent, believe in Jesus, accept Jesus, and have faith in Jesus! As a result of our obedience we are born a new person and can start all over! Our slate is wiped clean and we're justified (made righteous) by Jesus. God forgets our sins!
• Because we are given a second chance we show our love by doing what God wills. His only command is that we love him! How do we do that? As we always did. We obey his commands!
• Jesus ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God.
• God left the third personality, the Holy Spirit, here to help and comfort us. He is the third "person" of the Trinity.
• When we die our bodies remain in the grave, but our spirit is taken to paradise.
• Jesus will return and those dead who had faith and those living will arise to meet him in the sky. That's God's children being raptured!
• Great battles will take place on earth, persecutions and finally Satan and his legions will be cast into the fiery pit. Jesus will rule for 1000 years here on earth. The kingdom of God will again include Earth as it originally did!
• There will be a "Great White Throne Judgment". The righteous and the unrighteous will stand before God and give account. Jesus will be the judge. Those who had faith and loved God will be commended "Well done good and faithful servant!" Those who were not faithful will have their names removed from the Book of Life and will be judged. Their punishment will be eternity in hell! Hell is real!
• Those who are rewarded for their faith will have healthy perfect bodies and will again be immortal. Perfect peace will exist in heaven and there will be no more strife nor death. The faithful few will live forever in the perfect Garden in the kingdom of God, and will constantly sing praises to the Lord!
• Warning: The gate to heaven is narrow and few will enter. The path to destruction is wide and it's the road most traveled. Take the narrow path. That's your choice. That's why you're human.
• No end!