Featured Bible Study Program

The Bible is Word of God to us. In the Bible, we hear the very voice of God, revealing himself to us, instructing us how to live, and guiding us in the path of salvation.

In the past few hundred years, our civilization has developed to a high level in the distribution of specific knowledge and skills. People only have a relatively fair understanding of their own profession or career related, while lacking balance and even losing common sense in other fields.

If you come into contact with the reality of church members, or churchgoers, and those who claim to be Christians, you will not be surprised to find that they know very little about the Word of God.

However, knowledge-based theoretical approach is necessary but intelligence-based practical application is much more important when study the Word of God. Become a “book smarts” of Bible is not we are looking for, but “smart” when applied to actual situations in your both private and pubic life.

It’s about approaching your study with intentional goals and having practical plan. Studying the Bible is neither dry nor arduous. While it does require effort, the rewards are truly remarkable. Give yourself an opportunity to explore an incredible journey, test yourself and becoming mature in Christ.

“The Bible as it is for man as they are.”

Very interesting indeed! “A Book of this nature and with this tremendous impact upon the human family certainly deserves the intelligent consideration of men and women.” This is how I am going to introduce our teacher.

He excels at using concise and easy-to-understand language. We found that a requirement aims to describe things but avoids resorting to theological or technical explanations. It seeks a straightforward, practical explanation that does not involve any overly complex academic interpretations.

About Dr. J. Vernon McGee

We highly recommend what Dr. J. Vernon McGee calls “The Bible Bus” journey, which takes people through the entire Bible every five years. What also makes the program unique is the systematic way via mainly audio format by radio, podcast and mobile apps. Written notes and outlines are available for free access or download at TTB website.

John Vernon McGee (1904-1988) was born in Hillsboro, Texas. Dr. McGee remarked, “When I was born and the doctor gave me the customary whack, my mother said that I let out a yell that could be heard on all four borders of Texas!” His Creator well knew that he would need a powerful voice to deliver a powerful message.

After completing his education (including a Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary), he and his wife came west, settling in Pasadena, California. Dr. McGee’s greatest pastorate was at the historic Church of the Open Door in downtown Los Angeles, where he served from 1949 to 1970.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee loved to tell the story more than anything else. He began teaching on the radio in 1941, knowing as The Open Bible Hour, hoping that the San Gabriel Valley and the metropolitan Los Angeles area would pay attention and respond to the wonders of the Bible, simply told. That little program aimed at “Mr. Average American” was the foundation stone for what would eventually become Thru the Bible Radio.

Between the year of 1955 to 1967, the radio program known as High Noon Bible Class. Again in 1967, he began teaching Thru the Bible. After retiring, his radio ministry expanded rapidly. The second language, other than his native tongue, Spanish broadcasting stated in 1974. When Dr. McGee passed way in 1988, the radio program was heard in 35 languages.

Just days before McGee quietly passed into the arms of Jesus in 1988, he gave the Board of Directors specific instructions about how to proceed with the program after his death. He said, “Just keep playing the tapes until the money runs out, then turn out the lights and close the door.”

The continued success of this ministry, even after the death of its founder, gives testimony to God’s abundant blessings.

Program Overview

“To put the cookies on the bottom shelf so that the kiddies could get them.” – This is Dr. McGee has definitely and deliberately attempted to do for the needs of lay Bible readers as well as clergy.

This “Thru the Bible” program will guide listeners through the entire Bible over five years. The broadcast airs Monday through Friday for 26 minutes. The audio study sessions average about 20 minutes. The remaining time can be used to connect with previously sessions, or to introduce upcoming study, including a few minutes of updates on current radio program information. We note that the audio editing and related broadcast session description vary with each study cycle (5-years). If you are using a podcast, a website on your computer, or an app on your smartphone, you can speed up the playback approx. 10% if needed, and/or rewind/fast forward while listening.

Interestingly, you may occasionally hear Dr. McGee’s special recording likely produced in different recording cycles. You can learn his teaching on special topics such as God’s covenants, Eight judgments and Dispensation or his listeners’ feedback and the radio program policy in his own voice. It may take up few minutes, and sometime longer than expected.

Customized approach for advance Study

The learning materials are also available in offline MP3 audio versions. We strongly recommend that you control your own learning pace. Furthermore, these materials (MP3 audio descriptions) appear to be more accurate than each broadcast of the radio program on the internet. You can purchase a USB drive/CD from the official publication or download them for free from trusted websites certified by TTB.

Furthermore, the 5-yr program were transcribed, edited for reading audience into a book. It is not the word-for-word recording of the broadcast or the offline audio MP3 messages. However the changes were necessary to accommodate for this purpose. It remains the best way to further your study of the material.

Thru the Bible, 5 Volumes (By: J. Vernon McGee) – A complete reference edition of the 60-volume Thru the Bible commentary series, this five-volume set is an excellent choice if you need a complete Bible commentary in durable hardcover bindings. It includes Dr. McGee’s insightful study of each book of the Bible with in-depth, paragraph-by-paragraph discussions of key verses and passages.

Thru the Bible, Complete Index (By: J. Vernon McGee) – With this book you can customize your study by theme, scripture reference, or doctrine, by bible character or concept. Under one index entry, you will find every reference to your topic or scripture that Dr. McGee makes in all these volumes. Imagine how helpful this quick, powerful access will be when you’re pulling your thoughts together for a sermon, bible lesson, or personal study.

You can find Dr. McGee’s publication in most Christian Book stores. This is what Amazon online describes:

"Radio messages from J. Vernon McGee delighted and enthralled listeners for years with simple, straightforward language and clear understanding of the Scripture. Now enjoy his personable, yet scholarly, style in this 60-volume set of commentaries that takes you from Genesis to Revelation with new understanding and insight. Each volume includes introductory sections, detailed outlines and a thorough, paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of the text. A great choice for pastors - and even better choice for the average Bible reader and student!"

In addition, Dr. McGee also provide many free booklet and materials on topic with published as written materials in addition to his audio source at Thru the Bible.

Unique Arrangement

This featured program takes you going back and forth between the Old and New Testaments with an interesting sequential variation by mixing Books with each canonical segment. You can start studying at any time, as TTB claims. When you finish Revelation, it will restart at Genesis, so if you listen to the program for five years, you will not miss any part of the Bible. It is one of effective systematically learning approach for the Bible if you have not done so.

Here are the groups or sections’ arrangement we found very interesting and unique!

  • The Old Testament Pentateuch (5 books) and the New Testament Gospels (4 books) appear alternately, forming the first group of a total of nine (9) books.
  • The second group starts with History (12 books), Poetry (5 books) and Prophets (17 books) from the Old Testament and the New Testament Theological/Salvation History (1 book) and Epistles (21 books), appear alternately by each canonical (specification follows a principle or rule) section.  Within each canonical section, the canonical order of each books remains unchanged.

    Very detailed information may be needed to further subdivide the total of 56 books into more meaningful subgroups. Here is the flow and break down of these five (5) sections:

    History > Theological/Salvation History > History > Epistles (Pauline) >
    Poetry > Epistles (Mixed Incl. Hebrews) > Prophets > Epistles (Catholic)

    You can prioritize classifying these books into study sections according to the Old Testament or New Testament canonical divisions, which will be explained in the study plan later.
  • The last group contains New Testament book Prophecy (1 books), only one book.

Study Plan and Time Allocation in details

The time spent studying each book of the Bible is one of the main practical considerations. Of course, the time allocation depends primarily on the length and complexity of the book. This is also a factor frequently considered by scholars and other learners.

We believe that, without exception, there were specific motives or conditions behind this. J. Vernon McGee seemed to intentionally spend more time giving speeches and emphasizing books or topics that were not popular at his time. As he proceed with this process (studying the Bible in its entirety, rather than skipping certain selective content for convenience), his main focus remains on studying the situation as comprehensively and completely as possible.

As McGee himself stated, the state of the church in the United States and around the world, disturbed by liberalism and many other factors, made him feel that study “The Whole Word to the whole world” had become even more important.

Here is the sequence of the canonical 66 books’ arrangement in details with time allocation to each book:

The Old Testament Pentateuch1 and the New Testament Gospels2 appear alternately, forming the first group, in the following order.

  1. Genesis (Pentateuch) 55 Broadcasts or 244 tracks
  2. Matthew (Gospel) 39 Broadcasts
  3. Exodus (Pentateuch) 36 Broadcasts or 134 tracks
  4. Mark (Gospel) 19 Broadcasts
  5. Leviticus (Pentateuch) 31 Broadcasts or 130 tracks
  6. Luke (Gospel) 29 Broadcasts
  7. Numbers (Pentateuch) 19 Broadcasts or 87 tracks
  8. John (Gospel) 40 Broadcasts
  9. Deuteronomy (Pentateuch) 20 Broadcasts or 95 tracks

The second group contains all the other chapters except for the Book of Revelation. Therefore, dividing the study into several groups may help in understanding the study plan and arrangement.

First subgroup starts with total 12 books of History3from Old Testament, rotate with the New Testament starts with Acts also consider as Theological / Salvation History4, and the canonical order (specification follows a principle or rule) of the first 3 Epistles5 from Paul (3 of 14).

  1. Joshua (History) 13 Broadcasts in 2+weeks
  2. Judges (History) 11 Broadcasts in 2+weeks
  3. Ruth (History) 7 Broadcasts in 1+weeks
  4. Acts (Theological / Salvation History) 35 Broadcasts in 7 weeks
  5. 1 Samuel (History) 17 Broadcasts in 3+weeks
  6. 2 Samuel (History) 13 Broadcasts in 2+weeks
  7. 1 Kings (History) 14 broadcasts in 2+weeks
  8. 2 Kings (History) 14 broadcasts in 2+weeks
  9. Romans (Epistle) 36 broadcasts in 8+weeks
  10. 1 Chronicles (History) 12 broadcasts in 2+weeks
  11. 2 Chronicles (History) 17 broadcasts in 3+weeks
  12. 1 Corinthians (Epistle) 24 broadcasts in 4+weeks
  13. Ezra (History) 7 broadcasts in 1+week
  14. Nehemiah (History) 12 broadcasts in 2+weeks
  15. 2 Corinthians (Epistle) 20 broadcasts in 4 weeks
  16. Esther (History) 10 broadcasts in 2 weeks

The second subgroup starts with 5 books of Poetry from Old Testament, rotate with the next 4 Epistles from Paul (4 of 14) in the canonical order.

  1. Job (23 broadcasts)
  2. Galatians (Epistles)
  3. Psalms (54 broadcasts)
  4. Ephesians (Epistles)
  5. Proverbs (33 broadcasts)
  6. Philippians (Epistles)
  7. Ecclesiastes (12 broadcasts)
  8. Song of Solomon (13 broadcasts)
  9. Colossians (Epistles)

The third subgroup begins with the first 5 books of the Prophets (5 of 17) and continues in rotation through the remaining Pauline Epistles (7 of 14) in the New Testament (Please note some dispute the authorship of Hebrews, but the argument offers little value as our position for our study purpose).

  1. Isaiah6 (Prophets) 49 broadcasts with 219 tracks
  2. 1 Thessalonians (Epistle)
  3. 2 Thessalonians (Epistle)
  4. Jeremiah (Prophets) 20 broadcasts with 96 tracks)
  5. Lamentations (3 broadcasts in 1-week)
  6. 1 Timothy (Epistle) 12 broadcasts with 44 tracks in 2+weeks)
  7. 2 Timothy (Epistle) 8 broadcasts with 31 tracks in 1+weeks)
  8. Ezekiel (Prophets) 25 broadcasts with 108 tracks
  9. Titus (Epistle) 5 broadcasts with 15 tracks in 1 week
  10. Philemon (Epistle) 1 broadcast with 5 tracks in 1 day
  11. Daniel (30 broadcasts in 6 weeks)
  12. Hebrews (Epistle) 43 broadcasts with 115 tracks in 8+ weeks

The forth subgroup begins with the remaining 12 books of the Prophets (12 of 17) and continues in rotation through the remaining 7 catholic Epistles.

  1. Hosea (15 broadcasts in 3 weeks)
  2. James (Epistle) 16 broadcasts with 53 tracks in 3+ weeks
  3. Joel (8 broadcasts in 1+week)
  4. 1 Peter (Epistle) 15 broadcasts with 50 tracks in 3 weeks
  5. Amos (Prophets) 16 broadcasts with 58 tracks
  6. 2 Peter (Epistle) 14 broadcasts with 36 tracks in 2+weeks
  7. Obadiah (Prophets) 5 broadcasts with 11 tracks
  8. Jonah (11 broadcasts in 2+weeks)
  9. 1 John (Epistle) 25 broadcasts with 75 tracks in 5 weeks
  10. Micah (17 broadcasts in 3+weeks)
  11. 2 John (Epistle)
  12. 3 John (Epistle)
  13. Nahum (8 broadcasts in 1+week)
  14. Habakkuk (10 broadcasts in 2 weeks)
  15. Zephaniah (7 broadcasts in 1+week)
  16. Jude (Epistle)
  17. Haggai (9 broadcasts in 1+week)
  18. Zechariah (34 broadcasts in 6+weeks)
  19. Malachi (15 broadcasts in 3 weeks)

The last group also the sixth’s, contains only one New Testament book Prophecy (1 book) 7– Revelation.

  1. Revelation (Prophecy) 66 broadcasts or 208 tracks
  1. Pentateuch (5 books – Old Testament) classification ↩︎
  2. Gospels (4 – New Testament) classification ↩︎
  3. History (12 books in the Old Testament) ↩︎
  4. History classification in the New Testament (1 Book) ↩︎
  5. Epistles (21 books – New Testament) ↩︎
  6. Prophets (17 books – Old Testament) ↩︎
  7. Prophecy (1 book in the New Testament) ↩︎

Study Guideline and A Step further in-depth study review and suggestions

If the Bible is like any other book, there’s no reason for diligent Bible study. If the Bible falls into the same category as a piece of literature or non-fiction book, and even history textbook, then there’s no need to focus on the Bible over any other book.

There are dedicated airs on this program for “Guidelines for the understanding of the Scriptures” before the study of the first book in the Bible. Dr. McGee writes:

“I want to mention seven very simple, yet basic, preliminary steps that will be a
guide for the study of the Word of God.

Begin with prayer
Read the Bible
Study the Bible
Meditate on the Bible
Read what others have written on the Bible
Obey the Bible
Pass it on to others

You may want to add to these, but I believe these are basic and primary.”

Let’s explore few of these steps now.

Read what others have written on the Bible

For serious readers, we complied all books of Dr. McGee mentioned and have written by others. The links and review of these extended study will be available to you one at a time when each item or book is ready to publish.

Last, we believe the condition of the study incl. your listening environment and yourself is very important. On your journey of this program, you may experience miss the study here and there, or important topics that matter to you, or get interrupted during the listening hour at your favorite radio stations or podcast even at your own scheduled time. We trust the Holy Spirit will guide you through the exciting journey. May God richly bless you!

Dr. McGee wrote:

Someone has put it in a very brief, cogent manner: “The
Bible—know it in your head; stow it in your heart; show it in your
life; sow it in the world.”