The Bible is not just a book of stories; it is God’s plan of salvation for mankind

‘and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ‘

II Peter 3:15

This plan was not revealed all at once but gradually, over time, through different people and periods of history. For the first 2,000 years of human history, God dealt directly with all of mankind, and there were no laws or instructions for worshiping God. Then, God chose Abraham to start a new race of people for himself, the Israelites, and for the next 2,000 years, under the Mosaic Law, God directly dealt with the Jews, except for a few Gentile exceptions.

Download our Bible Timeline here.

The Lord’s earthly ministry was a continuation of God’s dealings with Israel and was based on the Old Testament covenants and promises of the King and the kingdom. But the nation of Israel as a whole rejected Jesus as their Messiah, and they, along with the Romans, crucified the Prince of Life. Even after the Lord’s ascension and Peter’s powerful preaching in Acts 2 and 3, the nation as a whole continued to reject Jesus as their promised Messiah.

Next was the nation of Israel’s pinnacle of unbelief and rejection with the stoning of Stephen. So God called Saul, now known as the apostle Paul, as God’s chosen apostle for the Gentiles with a new message of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles apart from the Mosaic Law and Temple worship. God’s grace has been pouring out on all mankind for over 1,900 years, and the only way to salvation today is by grace through faith alone in the finished work of the cross, which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

To better understand God’s plan of salvation, the Bible timeline can help readers understand the time element of events and greatly aid in Bible study. The prophetic timeline of God includes all of the above and the rapture of the church, the seven years of Jacob’s Trouble, the Millennial Kingdom, the Battle of Armageddon, the Great White Throne Judgment, and eternity with God in a new heaven and earth. As we study the Bible and learn more about God’s plan for us, we can have faith and hope that He is in control and working all things together for our good.

If you take the time to study the full counsel of God, not just read to read, you will see that all of Scripture fits perfectly. By making distinctions between Israel and the body of Christ, Peter and Paul, the gospel of the kingdom, and the gospel of the grace of God, the Bible will open up like a fountain, and reading the Bible will be so enjoyable you will not want to put it down.