The Holy Bible: A Two Hour Narrative

by Daniel James Branagan

If you have not read the Bible, consider this, that it is the best seller of all best sellers, the #1 most printed book every week of every month of every year. It is estimated that over five billion complete copies of the Bible have been printed in 349 languages and with partial copies additionally printed in another 2,123 languages. Consider carefully that something inside the Bible must be profound and compelling since hundreds of millions if not billions of people have read it. Over the centuries, the Bible has been hated by various individuals, groups, governments, and rulers; and many have tried to destroy the Bible and eliminate it from the earth. In spite of these attacks, the Bible remains in its entirety today. The overriding question is why is the Bible the most printed and best-selling book ever? Notwithstanding all of the items mentioned previously, it is because the Bible represents the living word of God as described in the following passage, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible is unlike any other book ever written and in addition to being the inspired work of God, the Bible records the history of the universe from a time before the earth was created to a future time where it will be utterly destroyed. Thus, the Bible provides an insight of history and the future, which cannot be gained anywhere else. The Bible contains sixty-six books, which are divided into two parts, which are called the Old and New Testaments. The books were written by 40 different prophets over a period of ~1500 years from ~1450 BC to ~100 AD. While written by prophets, the Bible represents a collection of inspired works, which are perfectly aligned to tell one story about God’s eternal plan. If you are not familiar with the Bible, it may be difficult to start reading and understanding it, without some background information. This is the purpose of this book, to provide a foundation of understanding in order to facilitate and inspire additional more detailed studies. It is specifically written to provide a summary overview narrative of the Bible which can be read in ~2 hours by the average reader. Note that this narrative is not broken up into separate Old and New Testaments but instead one continuous story consistent with the design of Scripture. The information provided in this ~2 hour overview should be very beneficial for future Biblical studies, resulting in a lifetime of fulfilling learning, abundant knowledge, and eternal guidance.

76 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2021

About the author

Author writes under the penname Dan Branagan

Dr. Daniel James Branagan is an entrepreneur and scientist who also is a non-denominational evangelical Christian. He is in the mold of the scientists of old (and millions today) who had (and have) an innate passionate belief in the living God, and who’s beliefs exists in perfect harmony with science and the observable physical world. The Lord says: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me” (Jer. 9:23-24). Dr. Branagan wrote these Biblical books to testify to the good news of God’s salvation “so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope”. (1 Thess. 4:13).

Reviews

[Kirk Weikart · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author summarizes the Bible in a 2 hour read in order to encourage and entice people to delve deeper into the Book. The author leaves out a number of popular stories such as Samson and Jonah. As the "summary" proceeds, there is less scripture quotation and a lot more interpretation, especially dealing with the end times. I am not sure the book would encourage me to read to read the Bible more. I think the author was more interested in pushing his end times interpretation.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Branagan presents a clear and concise linear summary of the Holy Bible narrative from Genesis to Revelation.

Some events and characters are left out for the sake of brevity. However, the major themes of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration are all presented.

This book can be read in one sitting and the writing style is easy to read and enjoyable. While it does not contain a great deal of Bible verses, there are some references to scripture where appropriate in order to advance the narrative.

I would recommend this book for anyone that is unfamiliar with the Holy Bible, as well as anyone who has some knowledge of the Bible but does not have a complete understanding of the entire chronology.
It would also serve as a great resource for more mature Christians to share with new believers.


* I received a complimentary Kindle edition copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own and represent my honest review of the book

[susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this two hour recap of the Bible. It gives a summary and encourages the reader to dive deeper.