The New and Old Testaments also refer to the two sections of the entire Bible (see Lesson One, volume one).
The Old Testament refers to the first section of the Bible; it contains thirty-nine books which can be divided into:
The Law includes the five books from Genesis to Deuteronomy, which were written by Moses; hence they are called the Five Books of Moses, or the Pentateuch. Because all the commandments, statutes, and ordinances of the Old Testament are recorded in these five books, they are called the Law.
The historical books include twelve books, from Joshua to Esther. They contain the history of the children of Israel, from their journey through the wilderness into Canaan, passing through the period of the judges, the establishment of the kingdom, and the division of the kingdom, which led to their captivity, and ending in their return from the captivity. Therefore, they are called the historical books.
The books of poetry include five books, from Job to the Song of Songs. They are the writings of God’s people under the inspiration of the Spirit in which they expressed through poetry their spiritual experiences in their daily life.
The Prophets, consisting of seventeen books, from Isaiah to Malachi, were written by the prophets. They contain the prophecies concerning the children of Israel, the Gentiles, and Christ; they also include much history as well as exhortation, warning, and encouragement to the children of Israel.
The New Testament refers to the second section of the Bible; it contains twenty-seven books, which can be divided into:
The historical books include the five books from Matthew to Acts. The first four are the Gospels, which are a record of the life of the Lord Jesus. The fifth is the book of Acts, which is a record of the movement of the apostles on the earth after the Lord’s resurrection and ascension.
The Epistles include the twenty-one books from Romans to Jude, which are letters written by the apostles either to the churches or to individuals. They tell us in particular concerning the church in God’s eternal plan as well as the different aspects of the church. They also tell us concerning the saints’ proper spiritual life and living.
There is only one book of prophecy, the book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament as well as the last book of the Bible. It contains prophecies concerning the condition of the church, the future of the people of Israel, God’s judgment of the world, the second coming of Christ, the end of Satan, the ultimate judgment, the millennium, and the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem.