There is no proper order to reading The Bible to glean its complete meaning. It is recommended that one reads it in its entirety from Genesis to Revelation though. To understand 'context' of a verse of Scripture, it is a good rule to read the whole paragraph/chapter to get the correct topic and message.
Some have suggested starting with Proverbs as it is a collection of small 'tidbits' of wisdom. Others have suggested starting with the Gospel of John and then his 3 smaller letters - his Gospel is sometimes called the Gospel of Love and that is what God is all about.
We are each individuals with different tastes, desires, needs so it is really an individual's choice. But reading it fully is a great accomplishment. Don't get discouraged as it has been said that one can read the first book of Genesis every year of a long life and still not fully understand it. Prayer for understanding is a vital step for anyone interested in unraveling the puzzle.
Additional AnswerThere are a couple of Questions asked here:
" How do I understand what it means?"
" Where do I start and then where do I go?"
(1). To begin to understand it remember God is the Author and the writer of the book is just a scribe, so if you have a query ask the Author - He'll be glad to help.
(2). Take it seriously but use Common Sense: just as in our day-to-day speaking, most of it is literal, but some is figurative and there are metaphors and figures of speech.
(3). Download a Bible Program off the Net. (Many are Free!) But which one? One of the most popular is "e-sword" and you can download whatever additional Bible versions, Commentaries, Dictionaries you like. At the other end of the spectrum there are programs with just one Bible, usually the 'King James' version. An in-between program that comes with multiple Bibles is the " Berean Bible" and I personally like it as it has a magnificent "Search" facility. (However, that is personal preference).
(4). Remember the Bible interprets the Bible, so if you have a sticky passage put the relevant word/s in "Search" in the Bible program you choose and follow the list of verses through until you get the answer.
(5). Ensure you have a Bible Program, it is essential that you have you have a printed TRANSLATION of the Bible (NOT a paraphrase) and that it has a CENTRE-REFERENCE column showing other relevant verses. This cannot be stressed too much. Relevant translations would be either the King James [KJ], New King James [NKJ], or New American Standard Version [NASB].
(6). For the order of reading, if you do NOT have a centre reference Bible, start at Genesis and read a couple of chapters, and then immediately after read a couple of chapters from Matthew (the first book of the New Testament) and so on to Revelation.
(7). if you DO have a centre reference Bible, START at REVELATION, and follow the references through. There are over 800 references in the rest of the Bible to the 404 verses in Revelation, and doing this will take you to almost every book of the entire Bible. This is a fantastic learning tool.
(8). To understand the Book of Revelation, before reading it do a search in a Bible program on 'Day of the Lord' and read every verse, and picture it in your mind. Only then read Revelation and then, believe it or not, it will make a lot more sense.
Following these steps ill answer your Question.
And then:
...after you've done all your preparation and are ready to begin -- take a moment to pray to the Father in heaven, through His Son, Jesus Christ, to lead you into the path of His Truth. To open your mind and heart to His Word that you are about to take up and read.
Millions of scholars and ordinary people have read God's Word for centuries... and many just "never got it"... never understood it. Even Christ's own disciples who were reared in the Word of God didn't really know the Truth of what they'd been taught, until Jesus "opened their understanding" to it.
"THEN He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24:45 NIV)
God told Daniel that His Word would not be understood until the "end time." DANIEL, HIMSELF, DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HE SAW IN HIS INSPIRED DREAMS... or much of what he wrote:
"...I DID NOT UNDERSTAND. So I asked, 'My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?' He replied, 'Go your way, Daniel, because THE WORDS ARE CLOSED UP AND SEALED UNTIL THE TIME OF THE END." (Dan.12:8-9 NIV)
The mysterious Truth of God's inspired revealing of Himself has always been hidden from most men... especially, coming down through the early millennia VERBALLY.
But the writing down of His Truth... and its subsequent global publication, has made it possible for a greater saturation of His Truth to be absorbed by more people in these last days.
And it is the advent of Spiritual Enlightenment by JESUS CHRIST, who has "stripped away the seals" [see Rev.6] that once "closed up" God's Word, that has created the ability, here at the "time of the end" to understand what Daniel and the other writers of the Bible are still saying to us, today.
Daniel was told: "...Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." (Dan.7:4 NIV)
Not only is global travel a common thing in today's fast-paced world... the magnetic power of the Internet has made it possible for people to travel around the world and never leave their house... and to gather knowledge [useful or useless] of just about anything anyone would care to investigate. More knowledge than anyone can possibly use.
And that includes the organized search and study of God's Word.
We're there... at the time of the end. Any number of "structured study" programs are available now, as we go here and there to increase our knowledge of biblical understanding -- or anything else.
But, Jesus Christ is the "Revelator." He is the One who gives the reader of God's now opened and revealed Word... understanding... as He did [and still does] with His disciples.
Any study of God's Word begins and ends with a faithful, heartfelt plea to the Father in heaven, in innocent child-like trust; to open our minds and hearts to understand His Truth -- asking it in His Son's Holy Name.
Study programs can be good... but only the Spirit of Christ can provide the ultimate understanding to our spirits. In other words... we have to simply choose to "believe what Jesus tells us." Unlike so many others who chose and choose not to:
"I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence..." (John 8:38 NIV).
"Yet because I tell you the Truth, you do not believe Me!" (verse 45)
Studying the Bible isn't so much the "order" in which its read... but in simply "believing" what it says.
Mostly -- JUST READ THE BIBLE with a pure heart -- and YOU WILL BE BLESSED!
"Blessed is the one who reads the Words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and TAKE TO HEARTwhat is written in it, because the time is near." (Rev.1:3 NIV)
And understanding will come.
