THE BIBLE STORY TOLD IN FIVE MINUTES
In the beginning God created everything in six literal 24-hour days. He ceased from His work on the 7th day. In love and justice God dealt with the rebellious act of Adam and Eve. In time, He passed judgments on a self-corrupted race through a universal flood, and the scattering from Babel's tower (Gen. 1:31-2:2; 3:15-24; 7:6-24; 11:4-9).
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph were the founding fathers of the Hebrew people, whom God had chosen to bring forth the Messiah into the world (Deut. 30:20; Acts 3:13; 7:8-19). Having developed into a great nation under the slavery of Egypt, the Hebrews were delivered by God through Moses. The Patriarchal Age ended at Mt. Sinai with the giving of the Ten Words and 603 other laws. The Mosaic Age was instituted with the worship at the Tabernacle and the instillation of the Levitical Priesthood. (Ex. 3:6-10; 20:1-24:8; 40:17-38; Num. 1:49-54). Some 2,500 years had passed from the creation to the assembly of the Israelites on Mt. Sinai. They were taught, tested, disciplined and taught again in the wilderness for some 40 years until Joshua led them into their promised land. The transition to their first 3 kings, Saul, David and Solomon, came about after the period of 14 Judges, of whom the last was Samuel (Num. 3,2:13; Josh. 1:1-3; 11:16-23; Deut. 16:18; 1 Sam. 8:1-7; 9:17; 2 Sam. 2:4; 1 Kin. 1:39).
After the reign of King Solomon, the Israelite kingdom was divided into Northern and Southern kingdoms. Israel, the Northern kingdom had 19 wicked kings and was taken into Assyrian Captivity never to be a nation again (2 Chr. 10:15-17; 2 Kin. 18:11). The Southern kingdom, Judah was ruled by 20 kings, some good and some bad. They were taken into Babylonian Captivity until King Cyrus defeated the Babylonians. The Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah sought to rebuild the temple and city walls. (2 Chr. 36:15-23; Ezra. 1:1-5; Neh. 6:15). While Ezra and Nehemiah were leading Jews back home to Judah, Esther was the savior-queen in Persia. There were four hundred so-called "Silent Years" between the last prophet, Malachi and the opening of heaven and the angels' announcement of God's plan to bring John the immerser and the Christ into this world. (Esth. 7:4-10; Mal. 3:1; Lk. 1:13, 30-33).
After 30 years, John called the Jewish nation to a baptism of repentance. Jesus the Christ, God's incarnate Son, showed the world what God was like and taught of His perfect ways for 3 years. Jesus died voluntarily on the cross at Golgotha for the sins of mankind and was raised from the dead on the third day by God the Father (Rom. 6:4; 10:9). Before leaving this earth forty days later, He gave the great commission to His disciples to go into all the world to teach, baptize and further teach (Jn. 10:17-18; 14:9; 1 Cor. 15:3-5, Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:16).
Christ returned to heaven to reign over His kingdom. On the first Pentecost after Jesus' death, burial and resurrection and ascension into heaven, His twelve apostles were given power by the Holy Spirit as prophesied (Jn. 14:25; 15:26-27; 16:13; Acts 1:4-5). The 1st gospel sermon was preached by Peter and 3000 souls responded. Having heard, believed, confessed and repented, they were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and were at the same time added to the church of Christ (Matt. 16:18; Acts 1:7-11;2:1-47). Some 1,500 years had passed from the giving of the Old Testament on Mt. Sinai to the nailing of the law on the cross at Calvary. The Christian Age began from that time and continues until the second coming of Christ. (Col. 2:14; Eph. 2:14-15; 1 Pet. 3:10-13; 1 Cor. 15:23-28).
The good news of salvation was first offered to the Jews and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10; Rom. 1:16-17). The apostle Paul delivered the gospel to the Gentiles during 4 missionary journeys. He wrote 13 letters of the New Testament and within 30 years from the Day of Pentecost, every creature under heaven had heard the gospel (Acts 13-14; 15:39-18:22; 18:23-21:16; 27-28:16; Col.l:23). The apostle John wrote Jn., 1,2,3 Jn. and Rev. The Bible begins and ends with God in complete control over His creation. Today almost 2000 years later, God's plan remains the only way of salvation for all mankind. (Gen. 1:1; Eph. 1:4-7; Rev. 22:13; Jn. 14:6, 23). Eternity is too long to be wrong (Eph. 5:15-17; 2 Tim. 2:15). Fight the good fight-keep the faith!