An overview of Bible Study and God's timeline of events

Answers in Genesis has an awesome ministry covering Genesis 1-11. Some stops along the way check out the Tower of Bable and the flood.  Also, the three ancient civilizations of Ham, Shen and Japheth. (If you like white boards and chasing scripture, check out Les Feldick). 

The "Golden Rule of Interpretation" by Miles Coverdale in the 16th century. "It shall greatly help you to understand Scripture if you mark not only what is spoken or written but of whom, and by whom, with what words, where, at what time, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what goes before and what follows."

The Basics of Understanding the Bible.

Even though God is the same God throughout all of the Bible (Hebrews 13:8), he dealt with mankind differently.

Learn the different covenants.
Adamic – Genesis 3:15
Noahic– Genesis 9:1 
Abrahamic – Genesis 12:1-3 and Genesis 15:18 
Mosaic – Exodus 19:25
Land – Deuteronomy 30:3
Davidic - 2 Samuel 7:16
New - Jeremiah 31:31

Print off a timeline and take notes.  You'll thank me later.  

God can keep things hidden or a secret until He's ready to reveal it (Ephesians 3:9 and Deuteronomy 29:29), so even though we have the whole Bible, try to stay within the context as we go through the scriptures. Put yourself in the place of the author writing it and the person in the time and place they are living it.

Let's begin...

From Adam to the flood is a period of about 1600 years during which time the whole human race had opportunity to have a knowledge of God after the format that He gave to Cain and Abel, that if they would bring a blood sacrifice when they sinned, God would accept them on the basis of their faith, but for the most part the human race then was no different than it is now, and so they walked it all underfoot, until finally God had to destroy them.

Between Noah’s flood and Abraham at approximately 2200 BC or 200 years before Abraham was the Tower of Babel. Every false religion, every pagan religion, every cult, every mythological, every idolatrous religion, has its roots at the Tower of Babel.

God had ordered mankind to scatter after the flood, and they would not. So that group of people was determined to find an alternative way to approach God, and that was the whole idea of the Tower of Babel. It was a place of false worship. So, from the Tower of Babel for the next 200 years the human race just goes deeper and deeper in false religions so that by the time you get to the call of Abraham at 2000 BC, there wasn’t hardly any believer in the true God left on earth. Once again, the whole human race has succumbed to Satan’s counterfeit religions which had begun at Babel. In other words, they were all idolaters including Abraham himself.

Joshua 24:2 (KJV), "And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods."

So, after that debacle at the Tower of Babel, God does something totally different when He calls out Abraham. Remember from Adam to Abraham, approximately 2000 years mankind has had opportunity of experiencing a salvation as Adam, Abel, Noah and so forth, but for the most part mankind had rejected it. So, God had seen in 2000 years of human history man would not succumb to His offer of simply being obedient and believing what He said, and so now He’s going to do something totally different, when He calls out this man Abram (Abraham).  He’s going to give him a covenant in Genesis chapter 12, and He’s going to tell this man, "That out of him will come a nation of people," the nation of Israel or as we better know them "the Jews." So, from Genesis chapter 12 all the way up into our New Testament, the Bible is dealing almost totally with the nation of Israel.

Acts 7:2-3 (AMP), And he answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory [the Shekinah, the radiance of God] appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and He said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come to the land that I will show you.’

Genesis 12:1-3 (KJV), "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee, shall all families of the earth be blessed."

God put that nation of people in one geographical area of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, which we call the Holy Land. The ancients even before Abraham, for one reason or another referred to that land as the Divine land. It was evident that God had his finger on that little piece of real estate.

Well after Abraham had been promised a nation of people, in a geographical area of land, the third part of that covenant, was the coming of a government, in the person of a king.

So here is the beginning, then, of God dealing with the nation of Israel, under covenant promises, and is setting the stage for the coming of their King who would be the government. You know common sense tells you that you can’t have a nation of people operating as a society if there is no kind of a government, because then all you have is anarchy. Of course that happened often in Israel’s history. The Book of Judges tells us so plainly as we see in the last verse of the Book.

Judges 21:25 (KJV), "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

Well, that’s anarchy, but they had that constant promise out there in front of them, that the time would come when God would provide their government in the person of the King, the Messiah, who would be the Son of God! 

So, your whole Old Testament, whether it’s history, Psalms, or the Books of the prophets, is preparing the nation of Israel for the coming of their King, and their Messiah, and Redeemer, because there had to be salvation before any of the rest of the promises could come to past.

Now then as you come up through the Old Testament, and you reach the time of Christ and His three years of earthly ministry, this is going to be the whole vortex of His ministry. The reason for all His signs and miracles was to prove to this nation of Israel that He was the Messiah.

For example, in Matthew chapter 16 as they have nearly come to the end of that 3 years of earthly ministry, and Jesus and the twelve are up there in northern Israel, up at the head waters of the Jordan River, and Jesus asked them the question:

Matthew 16:13b-16 (KJV), "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14. And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elisas; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Peter didn’t add anything about the cross to his profession of faith because he didn’t know about the cross. Peter doesn’t say a word about resurrection, because he doesn’t know about the resurrection, and yet Peter said everything that needed to be said, because Jesus never said a word against it, but rather He commended him by saying:

Matthew 16:17 (KJV), "Blessed art thou; Simon Barjonia, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

So, was Peter, right? Absolutely he was right, and we see this throughout the four gospels account. Then there was Martha at the account of Lazarus’s death, and she was a little up tight you know that Jesus had been absent when He should have been there to heal him from his sick bed, but Jesus’ answer was what?

John 11:23-27 (KJV) "Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. 26. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27. She said unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world."

Next you have Philip [the evangelist]. An angel of the Lord said to him, “Get up and go south to the road that runs from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” There he had an interaction with an Ethiopian eunuch (Read the story in Acts 8 starting at verse 25). Before Philip baptized the Eunuch in water he asked “If you believe with all your heart” that Jesus was the Messiah and the source of his salvation. The eunuch replied, “I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Then you can come all the way up to Saul’s conversion, before the Gospel of Grace had even been whispered, and Saul has that tremendous conversion experience on the road to Damascus. After he had his body replenished with food, and he’d gotten his sight back, he goes straight to the synagogue of the Jews, and what does he preach?

Acts 9:20 (KJV), "And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God."

So, the whole thrust of the Old Testament promises is that their government, in the person of the King and Messiah and Redeemer, would one day come to the nation of Israel. Well, we know now from history, as well as from the Bible, that Israel didn’t believe who Jesus was, for the most part. Only a small percentage believed that He was the Promised One, and so the majority cried out for His death. And that is where we have another classic statement, which was word for word from the Old Testament Scriptures "We’ll not have this man to rule over us!"

And so, Rome carried it out at Israel’s request, and He was crucified.

Alright then, that takes us into that area of the timeline beyond the cross when Israel now, because of their rejection, is funneled back into the mainstream of humanity which is called the dispersion. This is when they were sent into every nation under heaven. This is when the temple was destroyed, and the priesthood was destroyed, and when Israel almost loses her national identity, for sure, as they are dispersed into the main line of humanity. And it was all because they rejected their Messiah and their opportunity for their king.

Even though Satan may have thought that he had won the victory, and he may have thought he was close to destroying everything that was prophesied through the nation of Israel, what Satan didn’t know that just shortly before 70 A.D. when the temple would be destroyed, that God raises up the other apostle, the Apostle Paul.

Paul’s preaching of the Gospel of the Grace of God, which the Bible calls the Body of Christ, which is the Church, was a whole new concept which was never known back there in the Old Testament or the four gospels or even in the early Book of Acts. They had no idea that God would, without Israel, pull off of the mainstream of Gentile humanity, as well as the Jew, and would put them into one Body, which we call the Church, and it’s all by Grace.

This period has been going on now for 2000 + years. Now when the Church is complete and filled up then God has to take it out. So, I am a strong proponent of the Rapture of the Church just shortly before the beginning of that final seven years. The Old Testament prophesied this final seven years of Tribulation, and always split it into, 3 ½ and 3 ½ . So, as we come to the end of the Church Age and she is taken out of the way by what we call the Rapture, then God can finish where He had left off with Israel when they crucified their king.

Then after the 7 years of Tribulation Christ will return at His Second Coming and then He will be ready to set up the Kingdom that has been promised to Israel ever since Genesis chapter 12. And so there we have in this sort of an overall nutshell, the whole picture of human history from Adam to the cross, to the calling out of the Body of Christ, the Church, whereupon the Tribulation will come in under the rule of the anti-Christ, another world ruler. And then at the end of that, Christ returns victoriously, and the earth will revert back as it was in the Garden of Eden. And then we go into those final 1,000 years when He will rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

My next post I'll cover the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. And how they were still under the law. 

I think the average church person, whether they are members or not, somehow have the idea that as soon as you get into Matthew Chapter 1, that this is Christianity. And that's not correct. This is not yet Christianity. This is still an extension of God dealing with Israel, based on all those Old Testament covenants and promises, and Christ is going to come on the scene, as you can read in Luke 1, as the angel announced it, not with the message that He's going to the Cross to die for the sins of the world, although that's certainly in the mind of God, and don't think for a moment it isn't. But He's going to come first to fulfill the promise made to the Nation of Israel. So, it's all Jewish with few exceptions. And as we come through the Four Gospels, I will point them out.

Remember, too, it's all under the Law, The Temple is still operating, sacrifices are still being offered. And even these people who become believers and followers of Christ don't shed their Judaism, they still maintain everything that is associated with the Law. And Christ doesn't rebuke them for it, and neither should we. No one has told them that they're not under Law, until a lot further down the road when Paul the Gentile Apostle will. This demonstrates that the Bible is a progressive revelation. God doesn't just suddenly tell the Old Testament people everything that's coming. Now there is a lot of prophecy, but always remember God hid some things until He saw fit to reveal them.

1. Genesis: The beginning of all things. God creates the world, humanity, and establishes a covenant with Abraham.
2. Exodus: The story of Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt, led by Moses.
3. Leviticus: Laws and regulations for worship, purity, and moral conduct.
4. Numbers: Israel’s journey through the wilderness, including the 40-year wandering.
5. Deuteronomy: Moses’ final speeches and instructions to the Israelites.
6. Joshua: The conquest of Canaan under Joshua’s leadership.
7. Judges: A cycle of disobedience, oppression, and deliverance.
8. Ruth: A beautiful story of loyalty and redemption.
9. 1 Samuel: The rise of King Saul and the anointing of David.
10. 2 Samuel: David’s reign and his covenant with God.
11. 1 Kings: Solomon’s wisdom, the construction of the temple, and the division of the kingdom.
12. 2 Kings: The fall of Israel and Judah, leading to exile.
13. 1 Chronicles: Genealogies and history of Israel’s kings.
14. 2 Chronicles: A focus on the temple and worship.
15. Ezra: The return from exile and rebuilding of the temple.
16. Nehemiah: Rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls and spiritual renewal.
17. Esther: God’s providence in preserving the Jewish people.
18. Job: A poetic exploration of suffering and faith.
19. Psalms: A collection of songs, prayers, and praises.
20. Proverbs: Wisdom for daily living.
21. Ecclesiastes: Reflections on life’s meaning and purpose.
22. Song of Solomon: A love poem.
23. Isaiah: Prophecies about the Messiah and Israel’s future.
24. Jeremiah: Warnings of judgment and hope for restoration.
25. Lamentations: Mourning over Jerusalem’s destruction.
26. Ezekiel: Visions, prophecies, and God’s presence.
27. Daniel: Faithfulness in exile and apocalyptic visions.
28. Hosea-Malachi: Various prophets addressing Israel’s faithfulness and God’s promises.