The subject is studying our Father's word and here's the deal.  Our Father's word contains vital  information concerning our past, present, future and our ultimate salvation.  Sadly, it is not being properly published or taught today in our religious and educational institutions.  When it is taught it is oftentimes misconstrued either deliberately or through lack of knowledge.

In any case, it has become incumbent upon us as individuals to prove all things.

If you desire to study our Father's word in depth you desire a good thing, but don't make the mistake of thinking that simply reading the Bible is the same as studying it.  It isn't!

You probably know someone who says that they don't study the Bible because they can't understand it.  Know why?  We can sum it up by saying that their eyes are closed.  They are in a kind of stupor when it comes to our Father's word.  They may read the Bible occasionally but are usually content to let someone else do their deeper studying for them and tell them what it says.  When this is the case they are sheeple instead of people, and chances are good that they are already being led around by a shepherd more interested in their money than their salvation.

So, its very important to be an individual and prove all things for yourself.  When judgment comes, no other man, teacher or preacher, can stand before God in your place and represent you.  You will stand alone when your time has come.

If you are serious and really want to understand God's word there are some things you must know.

First, you must ask Him for understanding.

Secondly, you must be willing to put forth the effort.  Studying is hard work!

Thirdly, you must always keep an open mind and use common sense.  When you search deeply into our Father's word you will see things that are contrary to what you have been taught in the past. Don't be hasty!  If you can't resolve something immediately, simply put it in a later file until you can work with it.

I recommend using the following study tools available at your local library or book store:

King James Version of the Holy Bible.  I highly recommend E. W.  Bullingers The Companion Bible because it contains additional information and study aids not found in any other.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.  This reference work is absolutely critical to the success of your studies.  Why?  Because it contains every word in the KJV and gives each a reference number to use with the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries which it also contains. This work along with the KJV will give you a decent working copy of the manuscripts.  IT MUST BE THE EXHAUSTIVE VERSION!  THE CONCISE OR ABRIDGED VERSIONS DO NOT CONTAIN ALL WORDS IN THE BIBLE, OR THE LEXICONS!

A good Bible dictionary.  Your choice but choose carefully.  I like the Smith's, the Davis, and  the New Bible Dictionary  (Tyndale House).

A copy of The Apocrypha.  These books contain valuable information and were once included in most Bibles.  They have been removed from the KJV but are still found in Catholic Bibles.  I like the Goodspeed version.

A copy of The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha.  It comes in two volumes published by Doubleday and edited by James H. Charlesworth.  These writings also contain information not available in the Bible.  The incredible books of Enoch and Jubilees are contained in them along with other works of great value.

Various other versions of the Bible.  Your choice.

A good harmony of the Gospels.  I cannot not tell you how much this will help you understand more about what Jesus said and did, but be sure that your choice contains all the text and not just Bible verse numbers.  I use an old one by A. T. Robertson that I found at a flea market.

PC programs for Bible study.  A WORD OF CAUTION!  If you use programs containing Dr. Strong's concordance be aware that the definitions presented in them may not always agree with those in the book. The book should always be the controlling document.

A general encyclopedia.  I use the Compton's Interactive version with my personal computer.

A dictionary of the English language.  The bigger the better.  I like the American Heritage which is also available for your PC.

All of the original Holy Scriptures were inspired of God, but the ones we have today contain some errors.  They have been written, rewritten, translated and retranslated throughout the centuries with the attendant scribal errors brought about by inattention to detail, mental lapses, personal beliefs and improper translation due to language difficulties.  Believe it or not, there are deliberate interpolations and corruptions within the Bible text especially in the New Testament.  The Companion Bible mentioned above will alert you to these and other errors that have crept into the writings.

Statements in the Bible and Holy Scriptures are not always literal.  I can't emphasize that fact enough.  The Bible is literally filled with figures of speech, metaphors, idioms, analogies, etc.

Events recorded in the Bible and other Holy Scriptures may or may not be in chronological order.  They may be out of order by design of the author or due to scribal error.  Written information has to be set down on paper in serial order but described events may actually be parallel, or concurrent, events.  Text may be an afterthought, an inset, a digression, something yet to happen when the author wrote it, or it may simply be out of order for whatever reason.

Examples:  The verses in John 7:53 through 8:11 are not found in many manuscripts and were inserted here in error because they interrupt the story flow which ends in 7:52 and resumes in 8:12.  This doesn't mean the story of the adulterous woman is not true, it simply means it is in the wrong place.  The 38th chapter of Genesis concerning Judah and Tamar is inserted right in the middle of the story of Joseph.  The books of Daniel and Revelation jump back and forth chronologically.

Always ask yourself these questions when analyzing text.  What conditions were extant when the described event took place?  What conditions were extant when the author wrote about it?  What conditions might exist when an event is to take place in the future?  By conditions I mean location, weather and climate, topography, fauna and flora, traditions, mores, customs, dress, armaments, modes of transportation, economics and money, education, religion, politics, the author's personality, etc.  Get the big picture.  Use your imagination.

We tend to shape newly acquired information to fit within the confines of  what we have already accepted as truth.  The translators of our Bibles were no different.  In other words, their translations were influenced by their training, and above all, by their traditions.  Keep this in mind and try to lay aside the traditions of men.

Now, having said all that, I want to encourage you by telling you that it is exciting and tremendously rewarding spiritually to uncover hidden truths in the scriptures.  Within them can be found the way to eternal life and a position with authority in the world to come.  It is worth the effort!