8 replies to this topic

[Josh Bond]

Thank you to everyone who created modules, uploaded modules, negotiated with copyright holders, and helped spread the word about this website, e-Sword, and the Gospel itself! And thank God for affording us this incredible, limited-time opportunity!

It's been such a blessing to help provide Bible study material to people in nearly every country — from the wealthiest spots in Palm Beach, USA to the poorest parts of South America and South Africa — to places in the Middle East and China where Christianity is dangerous, if not outlawed — to missionaries, to foreign and domestic seminaries, and to teachers, preachers, and Bible students everywhere!

For you preachers and teachers who study the Bible to create your own sermons and classes, as opposed to preaching what a parent organization suggests or publishes, you have my ultimate respect and I'm glad our ministry helps.

So how much is one million?
We've become desensitized to large numbers because the US government spends $7 million an hour and trillions a year, while scientists float theories involving "billions". Most people cannot visualize how really large one million is, let alone one billion or trillion.

The Jewish Community Center of the Great Palm Beaches launched the ‘One Penny…One Soul’ Holocaust Remembrance Project. Their goal was to illustrate how large one million is (six times). They are filling six hollow Plexiglas columns with one million pennies each, one penny for each soul in the holocaust.

 pennies-case.jpg   112.18K   1 downloads

Another way of visualizing one million is comparing one thousand pennies to one million pennies:
 thousand-pennies.png   218.18K   1 downloads

 million-pennies.png   155.56K   1 downloads

What's Driving The Downloads?
Bible study software has done for Bible study what the Gutenberg printing press did for printing the Bible. Read that again if you need to. The analogy is perfect. Before the printing press, almost no one had a Bible—it was too too expensive and time consuming (life consuming) to manually print!

Similarly, before Bible study software, you had a printed Bible to study and maybe reference material. Many felt lucky to have a few volumes of a large commentary or they spent time cross referencing one dictionary with another, or one book with another (or one translation with another), comparing, highlighting, and flipping pages. And it was limited to the resources they had in their personal, church, or seminary library. For many, the limitation was money and shelf space, not to mention the physical shuffling of books.

But now with Bible study software, like e-Sword, you can have at your fingertips, search results and comparison analysis of thousands of Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries, and books, with the click of a mouse—and for free. Just taking the Biblical Illustrator, Pulpit Commentary, and Lange's Commentary—the shelf space alone is staggering, and then there's the issue of how many printed resources can you use? I mean really, practically use?

Digital Bible study with e-Sword has changed everything by making massive content accessible in an understandable, organized way!

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[LarryG]

"And thank God for affording us this incredible, limited-time opportunity!"

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--
(Ecclesiastes 3:1 NASB)

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. - (Revelation 22:17 NASB)

Amen Josh, Amen! For such a time as this Biblesupport.com has been raised up.

[jonathon]

Similarly, before Bible study software, you had a printed Bible to study and maybe reference material. ... And it was limited to the resources they had in their personal, church, or seminary library. For many, the limitation was money and shelf space, not to mention the physical shuffling of books.

How many people realize that the typical resource collection for the major Bible study software programs contains more resources than the typical pastor had a century ago? Or that the large collections offered by some Biblical software programs contain more resources than found in the typical seminary in the US a century ago?

It is theoretically possible for an individual to have every work that was in the Harvard Theological Library in 1920, plus every work that was in the Yale Theological Library in 1920, in their Bible Study Software collection, today. The stumbling block is converting the resource to the format used by their Bible Study Software.

jonathon

[dartmaster644]

Jonathon....
Thats simply amazing.....thanks for passing it along to all of us !! You're somewhat of a Library....
all by yourself. I appreciate ya Jonathon....you have a way of putting things into perspective !

Dartmaster644

[Tim Butterfield]

Josh, one of your comments "But now with Bible study software, like e-Sword, you can have at your fingertips, search results and comparison analysis of thousands of Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries, and books, with the click of a mouse—and for free. Just taking the Biblical Illustrator, Pulpit Commentary, and Lange's Commentary—the shelf space alone is staggering, and then there's the issue of how many printed resources can you use? I mean really, practically use?"

hits my dilemma square on, even with e-copies (as opposed to print) there is a saturation point.

I have a to read list that will never reach an end if for no other reason than (despite the fact I have promised myself to quit downloading more topx and refx files) I keep finding more that look like a must read, adding to the list.

At least with dictionaries and commentaries it is not necessary sit down and read them through to get use from them.

[MJ_]

1,000,000 is a huge milestone. Congrats to all the support staff here at biblesupport.com. I am sure there are hours and hours of time spent keeping the site working smoothly. Great job!

[journey]

I offer my sincere thanks to the leadership and staff of Bible Support. I have been blessed many times with materials that I have downloaded from here. I give thanks for the huge selection of great materials and the sure knowledge that God will use it for His Glory.

Isaiah 55:6-13 KJV Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

[APsit190]

Hi Josh,
Well mate, it confirms my previous comments about what happens on this site ... If God is in it, he blesses it. And really its as simple as that.

I think in the last few months the quality of the resources have hugely improved. James Rice, Tom Rightmer, Dr Dave and his merry little band, yourself, and many others have contributed to producing some very professional work of a very high standard. And I think this too has helped in what is happening on this site with the number of downloads.

I realize that I'm totally rehashing my cabbages, but I really think its worthwhile repeating that God actually honors those who walk in obedience, and delights in serving him, even in this kind of way. I really praise God for the work that is done here, and I praise God for you blokes who tirelessly put up fantastic modules.

Blessings,


[

[APsit190]

How many people realize that the typical resource collection for the major Bible study software programs contains more resources than the typical pastor had a century ago? Or that the large collections offered by some Biblical software programs contain more resources than found in the typical seminary in the US a century ago?

It is theoretically possible for an individual to have every work that was in the Harvard Theological Library in 1920, plus every work that was in the Yale Theological Library in 1920, in their Bible Study Software collection, today. The stumbling block is converting the resource to the format used by their Bible Study Software.

jonathon

Hi Jonathon,
Now you've sparked off something that is really interesting, and it reminds me of something the Apostle John said:

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. (Joh 21:25 NKJV)

So I wonder, with that alone, and then add that on top of what you have mentioned, and add the rest of the material in every Theological Seminary and Bible College, you would have one really huge massive library. Wooo! Glory to God, now that would have to be exciting.

Blessings,