The Bible covers a long history of the nation of Israel and the beginnings of the Christian movement. It can be tough to wrap your mind around the 2,000+ year saga that the Bible tells, but fortunately for us, Matthew gave us a good way to break it down.
Four chapters of biblical history
The New Testament begins by splitting the Old Testament events into roughly three chapters (Matthew 1:17), and beginning a new era. These chapters are still useful for understanding the Bible’s timeline today.
This whiteboard video will give you a feel for the overall timeline of the Bible by breaking biblical history down into four simple chapters:
- Abraham to David
- David to the Babylonian exile
- Exile to Messiah
- The age of the Messiah, or “These last days” as some New Testament writers put it.
Granted, there are important stories that take place before Abraham’s time. The introduction of sin, God’s rescue of Noah from destruction, and the Tower of Babel all set an important backdrop for the bulk of the Bible’s material. But in terms of grasping the general timeline of events in the Bible, these four chapters are the most important things to know.
Four key covenants in biblical history
These chapters aren’t arbitrary: they’re only significant because of the relationships that existed between God and people when they were taking place. So another important thing to keep in mind when thinking about the Bible’s timeline is the agreements, or covenants, at play during these chapters. These key covenants are:
- God’s covenant with Abraham
- The Law of Moses
- God’s covenant with David
- The New Covenant in Christ
Here’s a snapshot of the whiteboard from the video
Feel free to print or share this image!
While I clearly see the broad overview nature of this presentation, I am curious as to how closely you adhere to Dispensational Theology?
I wouldn’t consider myself an adherent; it’s not something I’ve specifically explored.
Interesting. Were you aware that this had already been done in perhaps a more nuanced way by Jeff Cavins? See https://shop.ascensionpress.com/collections/the-bible-timeline-the-story-of-salvation.
P.s. my Jan says you should have include covered Matthew 24 in your summary,last week. Take a look,very important.
Thank you.
James
Dear Jeffrey,
Good job. You teach,educate and touch many,many people,including evangelical Christians like me.Keep up the hard work!
May God Bless you and family and keep you safe.
Dr.James
Great way of looking at the big picture. So necessary now in PNG