[Time: 6 minutes. Read below or listen here.]
Below is a panorama of the books of the Bible in approximate chronological order. Many of the books of the prophets overlap parts of the Kingdom books, and some of the Psalms were written after the departure into exile. In the New Testament, Many of the Church letters all the writings of John are placed at the end because John wrote them all at the close of the first century. This is the order we will follow in reading and learning about the sixty-six books of the Bible.
The Bible is the story of God’s dealings with a particular part of humanity, the descendants of Jacob, their interactions with their neighbors, and the culmination of God’s plan in sending the Son to bring a much more expansive salvation and the completion of God’s plan.
The Panorama of the Bible begins with the creation, the beginning of the spread of humanity, the great flood, and then the focus on a particular individual, Abraham. His grandson, Jacob, and all Jacob’s family move to Egypt and are enslaved for four hundred years. Under the leadership of Moses, they escape Egypt, meet God at Mount Sinai, and eventually enter the land of Canaan. For many years the descendants of Jacob are ruled by occasional Judges as needed. The kingdom begins with Saul who is replaced by David and then David’s son Solomon, the two of them responsible for much of the poetical books. Then the kingdom splits north and south into Israel and Judah, and God sends a long series of prophets to confront the people. Israel is first to go into exile under the onslaught of the Assyrians; Judah follows a little later during the attacks of Babylon. The Persian king Cyrus let those who wanted to return go home and rebuild Jerusalem. After several hundred years the star appeared over Bethlehem. Jesus Christ grew up and began his ministry of calling, healing, and teaching, culminating in his sacrificial and atoning death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension. When the Holy Spirit replaced Him among His followers, the church was born and expanded outward from Jerusalem and Judea, to Samaria, and to the surrounding nations. Paul, with Luke and others, was instrumental in spreading the Good News and establishing churches, to some of which he wrote letters. Others of the original followers of Jesus also wrote letters, more general and more widely spread. The apostle John wrote his own gospel account, three letters to churches around the area of Ephesus in Asia Minor, and completed the Bible with his unveiling of what lies ahead.
Read on to discover how the Bible is linked to human history.
