When I finally read the whole Bible, I felt a little like Dorothy at the end of the Wizard of Oz, who realized that she could’ve gone home anytime. I’ve always had a Bible in my house, but I never took the time to read or study the entire book.
So, I instead searched for answers by reading self-help, psychology, and spirituality books, and taking lots of classes on these topics. They were interesting, but they always pointed me to an endless horizon where answers were promised in the distant future.
I still felt empty, with this restless craving for love and inner peace. I was also trying to discover why I kept having supernatural experiences. Finally, at age 58, I read the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. And there were the answers that I had been seeking and crave in my entire life! I realized that, like all books, the Bible only makes sense if you read the entire book. Not only that, but I had to realize that the Bible is a history book that is reporting the violent history of humanity.
The devil does not want us to read the Bible, so he will distract us, and tell us lies about the Bible. I used to fall for his lies. When we look at the latest archaeological finds, we realize that the Bible is one of the most well-preserved ancient books in the world. Archaeological evidence supports Bible history.
So if you’re looking for answers, look no further than your bookshelf where your Bible may be covered in dust. I grew up with the King James Version, which is very difficult for beginners to understand. For that reason, the first few times that I read the whole Bible, I used the New Living Translation which is respected as an accurate “dynamic translation,” and accurately captures the meaning and essence of the original manuscripts. It is not a “formal translation” like the New American Standard Bible or the English Standard Version (which I read now).
There are free Bible apps, and wonderful Bible teaching videos on YouTube. And most Christian churches offer free Bible study classes. Just make sure that they view the Bible as inerrant, because taking a class from someone who doesn’t believe in the Bible is depressing and discouraging.
Since reading the entire Bible, I no longer have that gnawing sense of searching for the secret. I now understand why I’ve had supernatural experiences my whole life, and why I was craving love. I was convinced that the answers were in some old book or something. And they were! The answers are clearly spelled-out in the Bible.
The thing is: the answers are NOT a secret: They’re all about Jesus the Messiah, who was fully God and fully human during his earthly ministry, and who laid down his life and was resurrected so that we may be saved from the punishment for our sins. The entire Bible starting in Genesis points to Jesus. When you see that pattern, the whole Bible makes sense.
It’s about repenting and asking for God’s forgiveness and direction, and trusting Him with all of your mind, heart, and strength. It’s about loving God and others as Jesus loved us. That’s not an anything-goes permissive type of love. It’s a love that cares about our soul, so we are directed away from harmful practices such as idolatry. If you repent and believe and have faith in Jesus as the Messiah who was crucified to save us and was resurrected 3 days later, and if you follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then by God’s Grace, you are saved for eternity.