Joe Kovacs - Shocked by the Bible 2: Connecting the dots in Scripture to reveal the truth they dont want you to know

Welcome back, Bible fans!

I m thrilled to see you still have an interest in learning Bible truth, because its quite a rarity these days. So many people are very busy spending their days distracted by other activities, whether its making money, watching TV, listening to music, traveling, looking for romance, checking social media or posting funny photos and videos about their pets on the Internet, that they have no time left to consider and pursue the very reason they exist. And that reason has everything to do with their Creator, the God of the Bible. And the Bible is the one book you can confidently read, knowing that what youre seeing on its pages is the truth.

When the original Shocked by the Bible was published, there was strong reaction, both favorable and unfavorable. The positive reaction came from people who understood what I was doing, and that was to stun and enlighten people with verses from their own Bibles to reveal how different the truth of Scripture is from what so many erroneously believe. So to all those who have helped to champion Bible truth, I thank you with all of my heart.

The negative reaction came from people who thought I was somehow trashing the Bible, or attacking Christianity, when nothing could be farther from the truth. So as I start this book, I again need to stress that the Bible is completely true. I want people to read the words on the pages of their own Bibles, and believe them. It is when people dont believe the Word of God that confusion and errors are created.

The first book was a primer that covered a wide variety of topics. Some were very serious, like the fact that people dont go to heaven immediately upon death. Others were rather light-hearted, such as the numerous appearances of hemorrhoids in the Holy Writ. While some may have viewed the book as a collection of random facts, I was merely showing people how to read the Bible, and that is to accept the words that are on the page. The reason it was needed is because too many people, including many self-professing Christians, do not even know whats in the Bible or claim that it doesnt mean what it says. It most certainly does.

Incidentally, some folks have wondered about my own religious affiliation. The answer is that I am a Bible-believing Christian, a worshiper of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, as is revealed in the Holy Bible. I dont belong to any particular denomination, because the people in Scripture did not belong to any. They merely worshiped God in spirit and in truth, which is the type of person whom Jesus said His Father is seeking. So for those trying to lump me in with some organized church or man-made religion, you wont be able to because Im not part of any of them.

A few readers of the first book told me they were not too shocked by the material, because, as they explained, they read the Bible regularly and have a good understanding of the basics. I dont doubt them on that, because there is nothing in the first book that people who have read all of Scripture should be shocked by if they accept what the Bible states.

But being shocked is in the eye of the beholder because many others indicated they were completely stunned by the content of the highlighted Scriptures. Reading the first book caused them to dig deeper into the Bible for themselves, which is what I had hoped for. Its not an easy task to ascertain the exact level of Biblical insight a reader has at any given moment, so I try to provide both some basics and more advanced material.

This new book that youre reading should seem a little different than the first, because it is not a bunch of random facts. It needs to be read in order, as concepts often build upon each other through the chapters. It is definitely more advanced, because its time to grow and mature into the person youre meant to be, making the transition from spiritual milk to spiritual meat. There is an extraordinary purpose to the Bible, and this book will help you understand that purpose.

Now that you know how to read the Bible, accepting it for what it says, this book will connect the dots on a variety of issues that will give you a much greater understanding of what God intends for us. We all need to keep growing spiritually, and if we avoid studying Scripture just because we think we know it already, then we are in danger of stopping our growth. We need to put what is on the page into practice, letting Gods Holy Spirit guide us as we continue to have our personal character perfected.

Many dont realize that the Bible is more than an ordinary book. It is actually a code. It is the code for living now in this physical world, and it is the code that will get us into the spirit world. It is like a treasure map that has tremendous riches awaiting us at the final destination in the kingdom of God. If we dont follow the maps directions, well never reach the destination with the treasure, which is everlasting life. And there are forces, both seen and unseen in this world, which keep you from understanding the Bible and the real reason for your existence, thus preventing you from reaching your intended destiny.

One specific feature of this book is that it will crack open a window into the unseen dimension of heaven, the spirit dimension that remains invisible right now to our physical eyes. Please allow me to explain. As you read, youll note that on occasion I will focus on a certain passage to highlight more than one meaning, because many verses of the Bible have more than just a single essence. There is an ostensible, physical meaning that is often obvious, but there is often a secondary connotation, a spiritual meaning, that should be considered as well. After all, the Bible is a book ultimately designed and produced by a Spirit being, and He is broadcasting ideas that apply both in our physical, flesh-and-blood world, as well as in the spirit dimension that we dont see at this moment. Heres a simple example of a Scripture that has both a physical and spiritual meaning: