I’d just like to share a system that I have recently been using to study the Bible in the 21st century.
I’ve been listening through Jon Courson’s most recent teachings through Revelation. I went through the whole previous series a few years ago, but I decided that I didn’t take enough notes. His Revelation teaching is awesome because he doesn’t take the “get in, get out” philosophy to the book. He takes his time to give practical lessons along with the talk about the end times, Rapture, Tribulation, Millennial Reign, etc. He is also extremely, almost annoyingly, thorough. He knows that that is the only way that it sticks to people who have grown to fear the final book of the Bible.
http://www.joncourson.com/teaching/teachings.asp?book=revelation
Because I must compulsively listen to music 24/7, I have - ironically - an artist called Two Steps from Hell playing really low in the background. All they do is trailer music, so it’s just epic. Excellent addition to Bible study.
http://youtu.be/GlzU4ftgvak for a taste
I also have 2 Bible Gateway tabs open: 1 for the main passage, 1 for the cross-references. Each has the passage in both the NKJV for a more literal approach and another newer translation - usually the Holman Christian Standard Bible - for an easier to understand wording.
For references to the Greek (and Hebrew), I use Biblos.com interlinear feature. The interface is kind of a nightmare, but once you get used to it, you’ll appreciate having essentially every Bible tool ever at your disposal.
And for taking notes: I try to take as much down in my Bible as I can, but I also just use a 2 column Word Document to keep everything organized. I also use this killer font that makes things more interesting to read. Yeah, that’s kinda middle-schoolish, but it has actually worked for me, especially when I messed with the colors and background.
http://www.dafont.com/orchidee.font
I encourage finding what helps the Bible stick to you. Feel free to join me in this Revelation study, too. I’m just starting Chapter 2, but Jon does a bunch of review each time, so jumping in is possible. I’ve been going through a few every day for the past week, but I’ll probably slow down when school hits.
Ches
