Bible Eye Witness

History's final chapter will be written in Jerusalem. When an Iranian president thunders a murderous threat or an obscure Turkish drunkard has a dream in Mecca or a Jewish couple from Brooklyn lands at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, these events might seem disconnected. But they’re not. In Dateline Jerusalem, CBN News correspondent Chris Mitchell connects the dots and unveils Jerusalem as the epicenter and crossroads of the spiritual, political, and, yes, supernatural worlds. Jerusalem’s powerful draw has always transcended simple economics, military strategy, and religious affiliation.

In Eyewitness: Tears of the Saints, John 9 comes alive with the story of the blind man, blind from birth, who is given new eyes by the Christ. But the miracle and blind man has a history. He came from Bethany, a little village less than two miles from Jerusalem. His village is the home to many other notable figures from the Scripture. The blind man's testimony will change the lives of many people, even those living 20 centuries later. It is a bible story of a spiritual journey that will inspire the faith of Christians and non-Christians alike.

Luke is the story of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. It tells of his origin, life, teachings, ministry, and miracles. It tells of his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Consequently, Luke may be the most informative book in the Bible. Before writing his book, Luke examined written materials and talked to eyewitnesses. Eyewitness Bible Series: Luke is meant to imitate some of the stories Luke might have heard, as well as explore their meaning and importance. This series is true to the Bible, but fills in storylines based on history, geography, and imagination.

A purpose of the Eyewitness Bible Series: Acts is to tell some of the information of the book of Acts from different vantage points. Luke said that he made a careful investigation of the facts before writing Luke and Acts. His three primary sources of information probably were his own experiences, written sources, and talking to people who were personally involved. Eyewitness Bible Series: Acts illustrates the stories that he might have heard from a dozen of the characters featured in the book of Acts.

James was possibly the first New Testament book written, probably penned in the very late 40s AD. It is generally accepted that the book was written by James, the leader of the Jerusalem Church, also known as James the brother of Jesus. From the very first, some people objected to having James in the New Testament. Martin Luther pushed for its exclusion (as well as some other books) because he thought it crossed some Protestant doctrines.

Revelation was likely the last book of the New Testament to be written and was placed last in the New Testament. It was probably written in the 80s or 90s AD by the Apostle John while he was exiled on the Island of Patmos. The apocalyptic imagery in Revelation makes the book difficult to understand and open to a wide variety of interpretations. Some believe the book describes events of John’s time, others believe it describes portions of the history of the Roman empire, while others believe it describes events that still have yet to occur.

The New Testament starts with the three Gospel books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three are known as the Synoptic Gospels. Gospel means “Good News,” and Synoptic refers to the fact that all three give an account of the same general events from the same point of view. The fourth book, John, is distinctly different from the three Synoptic Gospels and includes much information not in the other three Gospels. The four Gospels differ in what stories they include and how the stories are told. None of the four Gospels are meant to be a complete, detailed life of Jesus.