Rose Publishing - Bible Chronology Made Easy

Like all stories, the story of the Bible includes a few basic components. There are charactersthe men, women, and families that the biblical story is about. There are also the characters of the spiritual realmangels, demons, and the antagonist Satan. But the main character is God, his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The setting of the story takes place mainly in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, though we do get occasional peeks into heaven. And dont forget, all stories include a conflicta problem to be solved. What the characters do to overcome that problem is the plot of the story.

In the Bible, the conflict happens right at the beginning. Gods beloved creatures and beautiful world are ruined by sin. Adam and Eves rebellion brings the curse of sin and death into their perfect lives and pristine world. What will God do to rescue his rebellious creatures?

Shock of shocks, God handpicks an old, childless couple, Abraham and Sarah, and promises to make them into a great nation and bless the entire world through them! However, Gods chosen family often fails to live as he commands. The Old Testament stories feature men and women who sometimes turn their hearts toward God, but other times turn their backs on him. Kingdoms and rulers rise and crumble. The curse of sin is not broken.

Then, after the last book of the Old Testament, nearly four centuries pass. The people of God find themselves at the mercy of foreign powers. They wonder: What about all those divine promises of a glorious future? Where is the Messiah that the prophets talked about?

Enter Jesus. This son born to Mary and Joseph of Nazareth is actually the Messiah promised in the Scriptures. Jesus is the unlikely hero of Gods story. And what does Jesus do? He gathers followers. He claims to be divine. He tells people to put their faith in him. After living a sinless life, he willingly suffers an excruciating death on a Roman cross, offering his life as the payment for sin. He then defeats death, walking out of a borrowed grave! His followers take his message of love, forgiveness, and new life to the ends of the earth.

Most stories conclude with a resolution to the problem presented at the outset. Heres whats fascinating about Gods story: The Bibles last bookRevelationtells us that Gods ultimate resolution is yet to come. The story isnt over. We get to play a part in Gods holy plot to redeem and restore all things through Jesus Christ.

The Bible isnt simply a bunch of old writings from the past, as some might think. Its the portion of Gods story that the prophets and apostles recorded as examples for us (1 Cor. 10:11). Until Jesus returns, we get to add to the great, unfolding story. When Christ returns, he will conclude his two-part mission to vanquish evil and make all things new.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

The first chapter of Genesis tells how God brought form to the formless and filled the emptiness with life. Now the earth was formless and empty ... and God said, Let there be light, and there was light (Gen. 1:23). With the power of his word, God created light where there was none, put the galaxies in space, made birds to fill the air and fish to fill the seas, and like a potter at his wheel, he formed the first human being from the dust of the ground. What an extraordinary sight that must have been!

The creation story reveals who God is. He is the Creator who gives life to humanity and all living things. In this story, we see God as designer, artist, architect, and life-giver; a good and loving God who takes delight in his creation.

The first two chapters of Genesis portray a picture of the world that is very good (Gen. 1:31). God put the first man and woman in the garden of Eden, a place where they cared for Gods creation and God cared for them. Both Adam and Eve were naked and felt no shame (Gen. 2:25).