Understanding the Bible
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' [God] has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.'   2 Timothy 1:9,10.

This Bible time-line may be used in conjunction with the Bible Overviews contained on the page of that title on this website. Those overviews will help explain the spiritual significance of each stage of the history of Old Israel and its key characters, as God progressively revealed features of the coming of Christ and what He would achieve in the Gospel. Some notes to this effect are included in the description below.

Gen.1:1 to 2:2 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth .. And God saw that it was good.' Gen.2. God put Adam in the Garden of Eden and created Eve as his partner 'flesh of my flesh' (v.23). Gen.3. The Fall of mankind.. 'Did God really say? .. Eat and you will be like God'. God drives Adam and Eve from the garden.  Gen.4-11:9 Sin spreads from the one family and then, throughout antiquity to the nations, as mankind begins to organise himself while ignoring God (Tower of Babel -11.1). God's grace seen through His salvation of NOAH and His covenant promise of a new start.

Gen.12:1-3 God called ABRAM and made him great covenant promises: new people, new land, blessings to the nations. Abraham's faith credited to him as righteousness (Gen.15:6). The true beginning of salvation history.
The Age of the Patriarchs - ABRAHAM, ISAAC (born Gen.21), JACOB (Gen.27 >) and JOSEPH (Gen.37 >)
 

JOSEPH taken as slave to Egypt. After unjust imprisonment, rose to second in command in the land (Gen.41): brings the rest of his family, Jacob and the other 11 brothers to Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan. God's covenant family (70 strong) settle in Egypt. Reflecting the promise to Abraham, a chosen son from this family becomes a blessing to the nation of Egypt but has to endure suffering before he attains glory. (A foreshadowing of Christ)
Four-hundred and thirty year sojourn of the Hebrews in Egypt, initially prospering but eventually becoming slaves and suffering under a series of  Pharaohs who did not remember Joseph (Ex.1).

 

MOSES called by God to appeal to Pharaoh to let the People of Israel go free (Exodus 3) and God reveals who He is  - 'I am'. The Passover declares that rescue is achieved only by the covering of the blood of a lamb without blemish.

THE EXODUS - Led by MOSES: Israel, then about 1 million-strong, left Egypt (Exodus 12): the giving of the Law: God's covenant (Ex.19,20).  After refusing to go into the Promised land, wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  Eventually JOSHUA led the People of Israel in conquering Canaan. (Joshua 3) Strife with Canaanites and Philistines. Israel compromised with pagan Canaanite gods.
Period of the Judges (Saviours) Othniel, Ehud, Shgamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jepthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson.  SAMUEL the prophet came on the scene (1 Sam. 3).

SAUL became the first King of Israel (1020 BC). Upon his death (1002 BC) Saul's son Ish-Bosheth was made king of northern territory ('Israel') while DAVID ruled the southern territory ('Judah').  After two years David re-united the people with Jerusalem as his capital. (2 Sam.6 then 9). The foreshadowing of the Kingdom of God. God makes David the covenant promise that his descendant will have an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam. 7). Solomon becomes king (1 Kings 2)(962 BC). He built the temple and ruled in wisdom. But things went wrong. Jeroboam rebelled (922 BC) and ruled the northern kingdom with its capital at Samaria.
The Northern Kingdom (Israel) was ruled by various dynasties, often gained by the assassination of the current king. The Southern Kingdom (Judah) was ruled by a succession of descendants of David. The kings of Judah varied in their adherence to Yahweh and His covenant.
God sent the prophets to both kingdoms warning them to return to God's covenant otherwise there would serious results, as God had warned in Deut. 28.

In 721 BC Sargon II of Assyria captured Samaria, carried-off most of the people, moved others in, who inter-married, forming the Samaritans. Israel was never re-established.

 Judah continued for a further 120 years until God responded to their disobedience to the covenant. 

If you would like to see a time-diagram of the kings of Israel and Judah, together with the time-periods of the prophets, click here to go to a special page.

In 597 BC God sent Nebuchadnezzar who captured Jerusalem and deported the higher classes into exile in Babylon. After about 10 years of further resistance under a puppet king, Nebuchadnezzar razed Jerusalem to the ground, including the Temple, and deported most of the remaining population into exile for 70 years. (see Dan.9:1,2). Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesy.
In 539 BC Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian empire. The next year, Cyrus allowed the Hebrews to return home. They tried to rebuild Jerusalem but there was much local opposition especially from the Samaritans. Jerusalem remained largely a ruin. Relations with the Samaritans went from bad to worse.
About 458 BC Ezra was sent to Jerusalem to re-establish the Jewish Law. In 445 BC, Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem with express instructions to rebuild it  (see Neh.1:1-3 ; 2:11-20 etc). In 444 BC Ezra read the Law (Deuteronomy) to the people (Neh.8) and they confessed their disobedience.
Their determination never again to incur God's wrath by neglecting the Covenant Law, led the Jewish spiritual teachers to undertake a substantial categorisation of the Law. Unfortunately this resulted in an extreme inward-looking attitude.  In 336 BC Persian domination is replaced by Alexander the Great. The affect of Greek culture and religion seriously troubled their dependence on God's covenant promises.
The post-exilic community becomes the 'The People of the Book'. "Judaism" was formulated during this period. From 320 BC to 198 BC the region was dominated by the Ptolemies.
In 168 BC they suffered terrible persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes.  He desecrated the Temple and took away its sacred vessels. Many Jews were martyred. This period saw the rise of the Maccabees (freedom fighters) and the Pharisees (the Hasidim) and the Sadducees. In 143 BC the land become a province under Roman control.
In 63 BC Pompey captured Jerusalem and all of Syria: in 19 BC Herod began work on the new Temple. Date of Christ's birth uncertain but likely to have been in the year 4 BC. He was crucified in about 30 AD. Resurrection, Ascension. the giving of the Holy Spirit. The gospel preached, 1000's converted (Acts 2:41) Apostles face serious opposition and persecution.
Sometime in 32/33 AD, Paul was converted. New Testament was written (see the Information, Application and Implication page No.4 for the estimated dates for the writing of the NT books.) 70 AD Jewish uprising brutally put down by Rome: Jerusalem, including the Temple, destroyed. Daily sacrifices ceased.
The Christian Church grows and spreads, see the Book of Acts and the Epistles. The new heaven and the new earth foreseen by Isaiah (65:17) is seen again in the visions and imagery of John in the Book of revelation. 'Christ is victor in the end'. The new Jerusalem (Rev. 21). See Eph.1:9,10.

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