the big picture

There are 66 books in the Protestant Bible.  27 in the New Testament and 39 in the Classic (Old) Testament.  There are different types of literature such as historical narrative, poetry, instructional, and apocalyptic.  It's important when you come to such a vast collection of books that one learns to zoom out.  There are 40 different authors.  While the writing of the Bible took a span of over 1500 years, the time span that the books cover is at least 4100 years.  There are 2 major events in the Old Testament, the Exodus and the Exile.  Looking at an overview or big picture of the Bible helps you find how to contextualize the content of it. When we understand the big picture, we can see what one scholar referred to as the "Scarlet Thread" through Scripture.  It's redemptive. God wants a relationship with His people and He sent His son to save them.  Praise God!