Pros: Small size, good material, and easy to understand
Cons: Limited content
The Bottom Line: This book is a handy reference guide but it lacks a little in its content. This would be a good for someone looking for quick answers about the Bible.
scoobysnack00's Full Review: Mark Water - The Bible Made Easy: An Easy-To-Under...
Throughout modern history many inventions have been developed that changed the landscape of our society. These products have made major impacts on the way we live our day-to-day lives. The development of the telephone brought people together in ways never thought of before. Now a person from Florida could talk to their friend in Boston while sitting in the comfort of their living room. The automobile added to travel what the phone did for communication. Now people could go from town to town, county to county, or state to state in less time than it ever took them before. The country was an open road that anyone could travel. Another device came along that would revolutionize the way people interpreted the world around them, the television. Now the good, the bad, and the ugly of the world could be seen while sitting on the couch and eating a TV dinner. As we look at these three products we see innovations in technology that made an impact on the way people lived their lives. As we take this idea of the innovation there is one significant invention that gets looked over time after time, the pocket. If there is a glue that holds this great nation together it is the pocket. Where did people put spare change before they had pockets? Where did cold hands go before the pocket was invented? In a world of hi-tech gizmos you can never underestimate the reliability of the good old pocket.
As the invention of the pocket took off people started creating things that could be put in pockets. One such creation is the pocket reference book. These books can be purchased in wide variety of categories and subjects. There are bird watching pocket books, Spanish dictionary pocket books, and many different survival pocket books. These books are created to serve many different purposes but there is one underlying similarity to all of them, they all can be stored and transported in a pocket. In the world of religion many of these books can be found. The Bible Made Easy: An easy-to-understand pocket reference guide is just one of the hundreds of pocket Bible reference books.
The Bible Made Easy
There are many different Bible reference books that sit atop my bookcase. Most of them are very large and take up lots of space. They are handy to have around if I am doing an in depth study but they are too cumbersome for me to take to a coffee shop or my weekly Bible study. Thats when I decided to pick up The Bible Made Easy. I wanted a reference guide that I could put in a small backpack or shove in my Bible cover.
Content
Well if you guessed this book contains stuff about the Bible you are right! This 64-page book contains many facts and references about the Bible that are quick and easy to find. There are 31 different chapters of reference material in the book. Basically there are 31 different topics covered in the book.
A few facts about the Bible
This chapter includes information about who wrote the Bible, how many books there are, and when it was written.
A birds-eye view of the Old Testament
This chapter lays out the books of the OT into four different categories, law, history, poetry, and prophecy. It nice to see what role each book of the OT plays in the Bible.
17 keys to unlock the Old Testament
This chapter gives a main theme and key verse to each chapter of the OT.
Ten Names of God
This chapter lays out the different names of God. to hi
22 more keys to unlock the Old Testament (like the first 17 werent enough!)
This chapter is similar to the one above.
Ten visions of God
This chapter tells of the people who had visions of God.
Jesus and the Old Testament people and places
This chapter tells of when Jesus makes reference to people and places of the OT.
Jesus in the Psalms
This chapter lays out the prophesies about Jesus in Psalms and tells when each one was fulfilled.
Bible wisdom
This chapter gives ten wisdoms from the Bible and a verse for each one. This wisdoms include gossip, correction, and prayer.
Bible prophecy
This chapter gives prophesies about Jesus's life from the OT and their fulfillment according to the book of Matthew.
What seven prophets did
This chapter gives a description of the seven prophets from the OT and what they did.
Ten people raised from the dead
This chapter tells of the 3 people raised from the dead in the OT and the 7 people who were raised from the dead in the NT.
A birds-eye view of the New Testament
This chapter breaks down the books of the NT down into four categories, history, letters, other letters, and prophecy.
What's new about the New Testament?
This chapter covers the New Covenant of Jesus and how that relates to the Old Covenant of the OT.
27 keys to unlock the New Testament
This chapter gives a main theme, key word, and key verse for each book of the NT.
The life of Jesus
The chapter gives account for 20 important events in the life of Jesus. It starts with the birth and ends with ascension.
18 Names of Jesus
Just like God has many different names so to does Jesus. This chapter gives those names along with a verse for reference about the name.
The seven I ams of Jesus
Jesus had seven 'I ams' in the course of the NT and this chapter gives those along with the verse for reference.
Parables
Jesus taught by using parables and this chapter lays out his 40 parables that he used to teach many who crossed him path.
Miracles
Turning water into wine was Jesus' first miracle but certainly not his last. He had 35 in all and this chapter lays each one out with a verse.
Jesus seven words from the cross
Jesus said seven things on the cross each one has a specific meaning to the specific of why he had to die on the cross.
Sayings of Jesus
There are ten sayings of Jesus each one gives a specific lesson that Jesus wanted to teach to others.
517 people see Jesus alive
It has been recored that at least 517 people say Jesus alive after his death. This chapter gives an account to those people and the verse for reference.
Gods armour
In Ephesians Paul relates each part of the Christian faith to the armour of a soldier. This chapter gives account of each piece of armour and what each piece represents in a Christian's life.
Words and phrases from the Bible
Some words and phrases we use today come from the Bible. This chapter give account to nine from the OT and nine from the NT.
Did you know?
This is kind of like the summary to the book. All the little tidbit that didn't find their way into any of the other chapters are put here.
Where I can find ?
This chapter is a reference guide to some of the favorite passages form the OT and the NT.
When I am feeling
This chapter gives verses to read when you are faced with certain challenges in life.
Reading the Bible in a year
This chapter gives a step by step process to reading the Bible in a year. Each month requires ten minutes a day of reading from the OT and the NT.
Model prayers
There are many examples of prayer in the OT and the NT. This chapters gives account to those prayers and tells what kind of prayer each one was.
Who said what about the Bible?
This chapter gives eight quotes about the Bible from famous people in history.
~Special~
A pull-out chart of a birds-eye view Bible history
These chapters are very easy to understand and follow. The depth of the content is a little sparse because it is a pocket reference guide. In order to cut down on the size you have to lose a little content. Since it is a reference book it will be handy to use this with a Bible. It is straightforward enough to read alone but it is always handy to have a Bible around in order to cross-reference the material
My Experience
I use this book as a travel reference tool. Though the small size of the book is nice the content is limited because of its size. The book has some good quick reference material but it only scratches the surface of information on the Bible. I guess thats why they call it The Bible Made Easy. When I am studying at home I will usually use one of my more in-depth reference books. If anyone is looking for a small cheap reference book I would recommend The Bible Made Easy. However, if you want a reference book for in-depth study I would probably pass on this book. It is a nice book to have is looking for quick answers about the Bible but not for use as a heavy duty reference tool.
An easy-to-use introduction to Gods Word! This colorfully designed pocket guide is topically arranged to provide seekers, new Christians, and longtime...More at Christianbook.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.