How to understand the Bible

THE BIBLE ON ONE PAGE

An overview of the Bible can be summarized on a single page of paper.  Fifteen historical periods make up the Bible.  With a knowledge of these 15 periods a person can turn to any book of the Bible and have a general knowledge of what it is about.  These 15 periods are listed below, along with the approximate dates for the beginning of each period (as best as can be determined, recognizing that different Bible scholars use chronologies that vary slightly).  The scriptures given in ALL CAPITALS provide the continuing story line of the Bible, while the scriptures in lower case cover corollary matters occurring during that period.



1. The Creation & Early Civilization (n. d.)  (GENESIS 1-5)



2. Noah & the Flood (n. d.)  (GENESIS 6-11)



3. Lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, & Job (2165 B.C.) (GENESIS 12-50; Job)



4. Israelites in Egypt & the Wilderness (1876 B.C.)  (EXODUS thru DEUTERONOMY)

         

5. Israelites Enter Canaan (1406 B.C.)  (JOSHUA)



6. Israelites Ruled by Judges (1376 B.C.)  (JUDGES; Ruth; 1 SAMUEL 1-8)



7. Israelites Ruled by Saul, David, & Solomon (1050 B.C.)   (1 SAMUEL 9 – 2 SAMUEL 24; 1 KINGS 1 – 11; 1 Chronicles 1 –  2 Chronicles 9



(The books of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon belong to Period # 7.)



 8. Israelites Divide into Two Kingdoms (930 B.C.)  (1 KINGS 12  –  2 KINGS 25; 2 Chronicles 10 - 36

    * Israel (10 tribes)—Capital: Samaria

    *Judah (2 tribes)—Capital: Jerusalem



(Elijah and Elisha prophesied during the above period.  The following books of prophecy [in the probable order of the prophets] belong to Period # 8: Obadiah, Joel, Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Jeremiah's Lamentations.)



9. Israelites in Captivity:  Israel into Assyrian Captivity in 722 B.C.; Judah into Babylonian Captivity beginning in 606 B.C.  (EZEKIEL   and DANIEL)

   

10. Israelites (Judah) Return to Canaan (536 B.C.)  (EZRA, NEHEMIAH, and Esther)

                  

(The following books of prophecy belong to Period # 10: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.  It is important to note that Old Testament history ends with the career of Nehemiah, and that every book in the Old Testament after the book of Nehemiah can be placed some-where between Genesis and Nehemiah, as we have attempted to do above).



11. The 430 Years Between the Old and New Testaments (434 B.C.)



12. The Earthly Life of Christ (4 B.C.)  (MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN)



13. Beginning & Growth of the Church (30 A.D.)  (ACTS OF APOSTLES)                                     



14. Christianity Applied: Personally & Congregationally (50 A.D., for the approximate beginning of the writing of the following New Testament books) (ROMANS through JUDE)

         

15. The Ultimate Victory of the Church (90 A.D., for the approximate date for the writing of the following book) (REVELATION)



The earnest student of the Bible should reduce these 15 periods of Bible history to a single page of paper and attach it to the inside of his/her Bible as a quick reference to the Bible's contents.


Hugh Fulford