God has provided a way for all people, not just scholars, to know that the Bible is the Word of God. John Piper has devoted his life to showing us that the glory of God is object of the soul’s happiness. Now, his burden in this book is to demonstrate that this same glory is the ground of the mind’s certainty. God’s peculiar glory shines through his Word. The Spirit of God enlightens the eyes of our hearts. And in one self-authenticating sight, our minds are sure and our hearts are satisfied. Justified certainty and solid joy meet in the peculiar glory of God.

Presented here are two volumes of apocryphal writings reflecting the life and time of the Old and New Testaments. Stories told by contemporary fiction writers of historical Bible times in fascinating and beautiful style.

Shocked by the Bible sets the record straight with well-researched, controversial, myth-breaking assertions about what the Bible really does—and doesn’t—say. And guess on which day the Bible says Jesus died. Believe it or not, the Good Book doesn't mention Friday, and even more surprisingly, while the Bible says Jesus rose from the grave, it does not say it occurred Sunday morning. Remember, Jesus' followers found an empty tomb then. But don't feel bad if you've always assumed otherwise. Like countless millions of people, you've just been misinformed, misled or even (dare we say) lied to about what the Bible actually says. In a stunning investigation, news veteran Joe Kovacs goes on a mission to help both Christians and non-Christians alike find out what the Bible really contains, and what it doesn't. "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told" is an educational juggernaut that relies solely on the Holy Bible to reveal hundreds of Scriptural facts that many people of all persuasions simply don't know. The book instantly skyrocketed to the No. 1 position in three Bible-related categories on Amazon.com. "I'm among the biggest fans of the Bible of all time," says Kovacs. "My goal is to educate people about the solid truth of Scripture and to stop the spread of erroneous information. I want people to crack open their Bibles and see with their own eyes what's actually printed on the pages, and what's not. It's shocking!" According to Scripture, you won't find "Three Wise Men" mentioned anywhere in the story of Jesus' birth. For that matter, none are said to have shown up at the manger in Bethlehem. The truth straight from your own Bible is that an unspecified number of wise men first met Jesus as a "young child" in a "house," not a babe in a manger, and it might have been more than a year after He was born. Go ahead, look it up for yourself. Also, according to Scripture, you won't find a single mention of Easter eggs, but you will find God warning His people not to have anything to do with a pagan fertility goddess, whose name is synonymous with "Easter." "Yes, I'm a Bible-believing Christian," says Kovacs. "But I'm not here to convert anyone. People are free to believe whatever they wish and can come to their own conclusions. I just want to show them the biblical record is often very different from what many assume. Not only will Christians love this book, but I think Jews, Muslims and even agnostics and atheists will get a kick out of it as well."

The Bible contains more mind-blowing information than most of us can possibly imagine. And it's anything but trivia. It's tons of Biblical facts ... and big yet neglected ideas, that we all need to know and understand. Here are just a few examples: Did you know the Bible is the likely origin for the fear of the number 13 as well as Friday the 13th? Are you aware that some prayers are actually detestable to God? Did you have any idea that important Bible themes are secretly embedded inside famous Hollywood movies such as "The Matrix," "Star Wars," "The Big Short," "Blade Runner," "The Shawshank Redemption," "Groundhog Day," "The Truman Show," "The Walking Dead," and many others? These are just some of the surprising issues addressed in the highly anticipated Shocked by the Bible 2. Here are some others: The disturbing truth behind the little drummer boy; the horrifying origin of Yule logs; God's serious problem with "every green tree" used to worship him; the Bible's most shocking statement, and why it's avoided and suppressed by most pastors; Satan's destiny―it's is not what most people think; the three words of Jesus that most Christians don't believe; the destiny of unrepentant evildoers―it's completely different from what most churches teach; the resurrection that no one talks about; Judgment Day―it does NOT mean that everyone is thrown into a fire; the important reason why God allows evil, and many pastors don't even know what it is. In a fascinating, highly readable new sequel to his bestselling Shocked by the Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2008), author Joe Kovacs not only gives us key, meaty Biblical facts and ideas, but he connects the scriptural dots. Result? Readers can grow spiritually and perfect their personal characters. Most important, readers can come to a greater understanding about what God intends for us--eternal life, provided we adhere to the Bible's code for living in this, our physical world.