Guide To Bible Study
If I Could Give Advice To My Younger Self
Download eSword - Free Bible Software for PC and Mac
I would first encourage you to download the free bible software for PC and Mac called eSword from e-sword.net. And I'd recommend you pay $7 for the smartphone or ipad version. I have used this program for almost 20 years and it's still one of my most used and valuable resources. Once you've downloaded the program you can download more free resources from within the program itself, including different Bible Versions, Dictionaries, Commentaries and Maps. Below is a good video tutorial on how to use the eSword program.
Why I Recommend The King James Version (KJV) Of The Bible
I encourage you to choose the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible and to familiarize yourself with some of the unique lingo in it, like for example the difference between thou, thee and ye. Admittedly it's probably one of the hardest versions to learn but it offers certain free tools that many of the other versions don't, and one of those tools is Strong's Numbers that lets you search up any word in the Bible and check it's meaning in the original Hebrew & Greek. It also lets you use the King James Concordance to find where that word has been translated throughout the whole Bible, which allows you to uncover any inconsistencies with the translation. This is often the key to uncovering many hidden Gems within the Bible text. One such example is the word that has often been translated as FOREVER in the New Testament. The word is AION in Greek which is where we get our word EON in English which means an AGE. So in many places where something says FOREVER it actually means FOR AN AGE. All you'll need, to do studies like these are the following:
KJV+ (the plus means + Strong's Numbers)
KJC (King James Concordance)
STRONG DICTIONARY (Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary)
These are all available for free on eSword, along with many other versions of Bibles and Dictionaries.
Start Reading Or Listening To The Bible
I recommend having a pen and pad or keyboard to jot down any verses, chapters of books that jump out to you. Try your best to keep going and don't give up until you've read or listened to the Bible from Cover to Cover. I recommend doing this so that you at least know what the entire text contains. And it will amaze you how quickly you start to recognize when quotes and teachings didn't come from the Bible, often without even having to look it up. The Bible has been written in such a way that the common deep thread that is strewn throughout all of it's pages, can't be missed by the sincere seeker. You will feel the deeper message in your heart as you peruse it's pages.
Diving Into Deeper Study
If you've finished reading or listening to the Bible the hardest part is over. The next step that I would highly recommend is to read Dr Stephen E. Jones' book (for free online) called Creation's Jubilee. You can also listen to it right here at Creation's Jubilee Audio Book, or on youtube. I highly recommend Creation's Jubilee, because it emphasizes the very Good News of God reconciling the whole world to Himself, as it is written:
...God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19
It's very easy to get sidetracked off this course, especially when we spend too much time looking at what's happening in the world around us. Before long, the word of reconciliation that has been committed to us as Christians, can easily get replaced with visions of endless doom and gloom. Trust me, I know this very well. End time prophecy was once very exciting to me, until I fell into a pit of anxiety, fear and bitterness the deeper I dove. Had it not been for Creation's Jubilee I doubt I would have been able to dig myself out. I now avoid almost all End Time Prophecy News, preferring only to focus on what the Lord is doing in the world. While the Lord Jesus did give prophecies of the End Times, He also said the following:
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28