THE BEST-SELLING AND MOST READ BOOK IN HISTORY!

My favourite Holiday, the Easter celebration, is only two days away, so herewith my official Happy Easter to my readers and fellow bloggers!

In the excitement of days off from work and colourful Easter eggs everywhere you look, some people find it easy to forget what Easter is truly about. In short:

The tomb is empty. He has risen!

Jesus Christ came to earth, took all of our transgressions on His own shoulders and died, in our place, for our sins. Jesus paid the price for every wrong committed. He redeemed us, saved us, and gave us the greatest gift ever: The promise of everlasting life, in Heaven, with Him. All you have to do is to accept and acknowledge Christ as your saviour. Easy as that :)

So, in the spirit of Easter, let’s talk a little about the Greatest Book ever; the bestselling and most read book in history, which also happens to be the first book ever printed – that’s saying something isn’t it?! I must say, though, I never feel comfortable talking about The Holy Bible as a book, because it’s not just a book - It’s so much more than that. It is the word of God, passed down us tiny, tiny humans. How amazing is that?!

The Holy Bible was written by over 40 different authors, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It was written over a period of approximately 1500 years from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to approximately 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ). The first translation of the Bible into English was made in 1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe. The Bible was first printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the "type mold" for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed, known today as the Gutenberg Bible (see my post on Gutenberg and the printing press).

The Gutenberg Bible on display in the New York Public Library

The Bible spans the entire existence of Earth, from the creation account in Genesis to the end-time visions of Revelation. The Bible contains 66 books of which 39 are in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The terms Old Testament and New Testament originated with the prophet Jeremiah when he said that God would “make a new covenant with the house of Israel.” Testament means “covenant,” and the long-awaited Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, made a new covenant with God’s people. The books of the New Testament provide the fulfillment of the promises made throughout the Old Testament books.

Now, check this out: The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119. The centre of the Bible is Psalm 118. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after Psalm 118, which add up to 1188. The centre verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8! So what does the centre verse of the Bible say? "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Pretty significant, I think.

Happy Easter, friends, and remember to give thanks for the greatest gift you have ever received, and ever will receive – REDEMPTION!