Biblical Text: Moses 1 and Abraham 3

College Text: The First 2,000 Years chapters 1 and 2

W. Cleon Skousen narrates a series of lectures on the Old Testament that were recorded decades earlier at the university and recently recovered. He recounts his return to BYU at the request of President David O. McKay, and writing three Old Testament textbooks, namely The First 2,000 Years, The Third Thousand Years, and The Fourth Thousand Years. These works are available at bookstores or on his website skousenlibrary.com. Dr. Skousen brings the events and people of the Old Testament to life and relatable to us today. 

In this episode, listeners will learn key “hook” dates from Adam through Christ, lessons on the spirit vs. temporal creation accounts, Moses’ visions and prophetic experiences, and overviews of major prophets such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Lehi, and others. He describes important timeline anchors to make it easier for the student to remember, and gives insights into early scriptural manuscripts and restored teachings—offering both historical context and doctrinal interpretation for students of the Old Testament.