The Overall Story of the Bible
Introduction
The Bible has had an
amazing influence.
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A prime influence on Western
Civilization
Millions across the world say
they have had their lives
changed through believing this
book
This has happened for centuries
by all sorts of people
The Bible has an
amazing composition.
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Written over 1600 years
Written by over 40 authors
Written on 3 continents: Asia, Africa,
Europe
And it all fits together coherently!
The Bible says it reveals
what we need to know.
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Who God is
God’s good intent for the world
What’s gone wrong with us and our world
How our lives and world can be restored
through God
The Bible reveals these things
through telling a big, overall story.
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Though containing many teachings and
smaller stories, an overall story emerges
that gives the big picture of how God is
redeeming humanity.
Knowing this overall story helps us make
better sense of the Bible’s parts too.
(Analogy of a novel)
How We Will Proceed
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Will briefly summarize the “plot” of the
Bible’s story
Will present this plot in three parts that
represent the beginning, middle and end
of the story
For each part, we will explore a set-up,
conflict/problem, and solution
Background on
How the Bible Is Organized
Old Testament
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Historical Books
New Testament
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Genesis through Esther
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Poetic Books
Matthew through Acts
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Job through Song of Songs
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Prophetic Books
Isaiah through Malachi
Ancient Time to ~400 BC
Historical Books
Epistles/Letters
Romans through Jude
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Prophetic Book
Revelation
~0 AD to ~100 AD
Part 1
The Beginning
A) The Story Set-up:
God Creates a Good World
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God creates the universe and
people
God tells man how to live
Everything is in harmony with
itself and God
Life is beautiful and people
can live forever as long as
they follow God
Genesis 1 & 2
B) The Conflict / Problem:
People Rebel and Throw the World
Into Disarray
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The first people choose to
disobey God
They experience shame, guilt
and fear for the first time
As a result, God says life will
now be full of pain, futility,
conflict, and death
People are cast out of God’s
presence on earth
Genesis 3
B) The Conflict / Problem
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Within one generation, we have the first
murder—brother kills brother
Genesis 4
B) The Conflict / Problem
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As people multiply, violence and
corruption spreads across the world
Genesis 5 - 6:5
B) The Conflict / Problem
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God grieves over how bad things get. He
sends a worldwide flood to destroy all but
the family of Noah and one pair of each
animal who can repopulate the earth.
Genesis 6:6-9
B) The Conflict / Problem
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Noah’s descendents ignore God and seek
to build a city and tower to their own
greatness.
Genesis 11:1-4
B) The Conflict / Problem
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God breaks them up by separating them
into different languages and nations
across the world.
Genesis 10; 11:5-11
B) The Conflict / Problem
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In summary, people have turned away
from God, messed up their lives and the
world, and they keep doing this over and
over.
B) The Conflict / Problem
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Puzzle: How can a world of corrupt people
in separate nations be turned back to God
and experience life as God originally
intended?
C) The Solution - First Phase:
God’s Chooses Abraham and Some
of His Descendents
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God talks to a man
Abraham. God says he will
bless Abraham, make of him
a great nation, and through
him all nations will be
blessed.
Genesis 12-20
(~2,000 BC)
C) The Solution, First Phase
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Though imperfect, Abraham believes God
and follows him, even though he and his
wife are very old and have no son.
Genesis 12 - 20
C) The Solution, First Phase
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After 25 years of waiting, God gives
Abraham and his wife a son, Isaac, who
will inherit God’s promises.
Genesis 21 - 24
(Job is set sometime around this time period)
C) The Solution, First Phase
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When he grows up, Isaac has twin sons.
God chooses the younger twin, Jacob, to
inherit his promises.
Genesis 25 - 27
C) The Solution, First Phase
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Jacob is a schemer,
but God changes him,
and changes his
name to Israel.
Genesis 28-35:15
C) The Solution, First Phase
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Israel has 12 sons.
One son, Joseph,
trusts in and obeys
God. But the other
brothers are jealous
of Joseph and sell
him into slavery.
Genesis 35:16-38
C) The Solution, First Phase
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Through amazing
circumstances,
Joseph becomes
prime minister of
Egypt, and the rest
of the family comes
to join him.
Genesis 39-50
C) The Solution, First Phase
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Puzzle: How can God bless all nations and
restore the world through these people?
Part 2
The Middle
A) The Second Part Set-up:
God Establishes Israel As
His Chosen Nation
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Many years later, Israel’s descendents
have grown to hundreds of thousands, but
they are now all Egyptian slaves.
Exodus 1
(~1,500 BC)
A) The Second Part Set-up
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God raises up a man, Moses, to lead them
out of Egypt.
Exodus 2 – 7:13
A) The Second Part Set-up
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After a series of 10 divinely caused plagues,
the Egyptian king agrees to let Moses and
the Israelites leave miraculously.
Exodus 7:14 - 18
A) The Second Part Set-up
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Once they are out of
Egypt, God gives Moses
and the Israelites 10
commandments and
other laws to follow,
saying they will be
blessed if they obey, but
cursed if they disobey.
Exodus 19 – Numbers 12
B) The 2nd Part Conflict / Problem:
The Israelites Usually Don’t Trust in
God
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The rescued Israelites
keep rebelling against
God. So God says He
will not permit them to
enter their promised
land. They have to
travel in the wilderness
until their generation
dies out.
Numbers 14 - 36
B) The Conflict / Problem
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After 40 years, God renews his covenant
with the next generation of Israelites.
Then Moses’ successor, Joshua, leads
them into the promised
land.
Deuteronomy 1 - Joshua 24
B) The Conflict / Problem
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However, the very next
generation turns to
worshipping other
gods.
Judges 1 - 2
B) The Conflict / Problem
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For the next 300 years, the Israelites
follow a pattern: They face a foe, they
call out to God, God sends someone to
help them, but once their problem is
solved, they turn away from God again.
Judges 3 - 1 Samuel 7
(~1,400 – 1,100 BC)
B) The Conflict / Problem
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The Israelites ask
God for a king, and
after warning them
about how kings act,
God chooses Saul to
be their first king.
1 Samuel 8 - 10
B) The Conflict / Problem
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Saul begins well, but
he starts disobeying
God and God tells
Saul (through a
prophet) he will
replace him.
1 Samuel 11 - 15
B) The Conflict / Problem
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God chooses David to be the next king,
David obeys and trusts in God, and Israel
prospers.
1 Samuel 16 - II Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 11 - 20
(David wrote many of the Psalms)
(~1,000 BC)
B) The Conflict / Problem
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God promises David that a dynasty and a
kingdom will come from him that will last
forever.
(Puzzle: how can this be?)
2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17
B) The Conflict / Problem
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When David gets older though, he
commits adultery and murder, and he and
his kingdom starts to deteriorate.
2 Samuel 11-23; 1 Chronicles 21
B) The Conflict / Problem
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David’s son Solomon
becomes king next, and he
rules wisely. But eventually
he worships other Gods.
God says he will remove
most of Israel from his
dynasty because of this.
1 Kings 1 - 11; 2 Chronicles 1 - 9
(Solomon many of the Proverbs, plus
likely Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs)
B) The Conflict / Problem
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After Solomon dies, Israel splits into two kingdoms.
The Northern Kingdom—”Israel”
- Ruled by many dynasties of kings
The Southern Kingdom—”Judah”
- Always ruled by a descendant of David
and Solomon
I Kings 11 - 12; 2 Chronicles 10 - 11
B) The Conflict / Problem
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For the next few hundred years, Israel’s
kings and people keep disobeying God.
After sending many warnings through
prophets, God has the northern kingdom
overrun by Assyrians in 722 BC. Most are
shipped away, never to return.
I Kings 13 - 2 Kings 17
Hosea, Amos, Jonah
B) The Conflict / Problem
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During this same time period, a few kings
and people in Judah trust in God, but
most don’t. After many warnings, in 586
BC, after Israel’s fall, God has Judah
conquered also. However, God promises
he will bring a remnant
back to their land.
I Kings 13 - 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 10 - 36:21
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel , Habakkuk ,
Micah, Zephaniah
B) The Conflict / Problem
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The Judeans (i.e.,
“Jews”) live in exile in
Babylon. But 70 years
later, the Persian king
who conquered
Babylon says Jews can
return to their land and
rebuild their capital and
temple.
2 Chronicles 36:22 - Ezra 1
Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
B) The Conflict / Problem
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These returning Jews are the first
generation to permanently forsake
worshipping other gods, and they show
concern to obey God.
However, they soon
start growing cooler
toward God.
Ezra 2 - Esther 10
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
(Old Testament ends ~400 BC)
B) The Conflict / Problem
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Summary Puzzle: With how they have
done, how will God “bless all nations”
through descendents of Abraham?
C) The Solution, Phase 2:
God Promises to Send a Savior
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In addition to warnings,
through prophets, God gives
the Israelites promises he
will raise up from them a
deliverer who will establish a
wonderful eternal,
worldwide kingdom—one
filled with people who trust
in Him.
Isaiah 40 - 66, Micah 4 - 5:15, Zephaniah 3:9-20, Zechariah 9:9 - 14, Malachi 4
C) The Solution, Phase 2
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Puzzle: How can someone sent to the
Jews save the world and change people’s
hearts?
Part 3
The End
A) The Final Part Set-up:
God Sends Jesus to Save the
World
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400 years after the Old Testament ends,
Jesus is born. His birth’s details fit the
ancient prophecies of the promised one.
Examples:
-A descendant of Abraham,
Israel, and David
-Born in the small town of
Bethlehem.
Matthew 1 - 2; Luke 1 - 2
(~ 0 AD)
A) The Set-up
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At about age 30, Jesus starts preaching in
Israel. He heals people, performs
miracles, and makes astounding claims.
Examples of Claims:
- I am the light of the world
- I came to save the world
- Whoever sees me, sees God.
- He who believes in me has eternal life
Matthew 3 - 25; Mark 1 - 13, Luke 3 - 21, John 1 - 17
A) The Set-up
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Jesus, though, is rejected
by his nation. He is
arrested, tried for treason,
convicted, tortured,
publicly executed on a
cross, and buried.
Matthew 26 - 27; Mark 14 - 15,
Luke 22 - 23, John 18 - 19
A) The Set-up
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On the third day, Jesus
rises from the dead. He
tells his disciples to
spread to all nations the
gospel (“good news”)
that they can have
forgiveness and eternal
life through believing in
Him.
Matthew 28; Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20 - 21
A) The Set-up
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After Jesus returns to heaven, the Holy
Spirit comes on his disciples and makes
them bold. They share Jesus’ gospel
message with Jews
and then others
throughout the
Roman Empire. Many
lives are changed.
Acts 1 - 28
B) The 3rd Part Conflict / Problem:
Evil & Suffering Are Still Widespread
1. Accepting the Gospel changes lives and
the world. But its spread is hindered by
disbelief and opposition.
Acts 2 - 28
B) The Conflict / Problem
2. Believers still find it hard to live
completely new types of life (and this
hinders the Gospel’s spread too).
Acts 5 - 20
(Mentioned in many of the Epistles)
B) The Conflict / Problem
3. Much suffering and
injustice still remain.
Believers not only
experience this,
sometimes they also
suffer because of their
faithfulness to Christ.
Acts 2 - 28
(also mentioned in many of the Epistles)
B) The Conflict / Problem
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Puzzle: How can you have a restored
world and full salvation in this situation?
C) The Transitional Solution:
The Holy Spirit’s Workings
1. The Bible says God’s Holy Spirit will work
in people’s lives so that the Gospel will go
to all the world and that eventually people
from all nations will believe.
Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10-11; Luke 24:47-48; John 16
Revelation 5:9-10
C) The Transitional Solution
2. The Epistles describe how Christians can
rely on Christ and experience the Holy
Spirit progressively transforming them into
joyful, holy people, even
through hardships and pain.
John 14 - 16
Romans through Jude
C) The Transitional Solution
Will evil and suffering
always remain though?
D) The Ultimate Solution:
Christ Returns and Establishes
His Full Kingdom
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The Bible says that after
the Gospel has gone to
all nations, Christ will
return to earth during a
time of severe hardships.
The dead will be raised
and there will be a final
judgment of all people.
Matthew 24 - 25; Mark 13; Luke 21
Revelation 4 - 20
D) The Ultimate Solution
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Those who have
resisted God will face
an eternity of paying
for their sins.
Matthew 25; Luke 21
Revelation 20:11-15
D) The Ultimate Solution
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Those who have turned back to
God and trusted in Christ will be
forgiven & welcomed into God’s
full kingdom. Their remaining
corrupt tendencies will be
purged and they will joyously
experience life as it was
originally intended under God.
Matthew 25
Revelation 21 - 22
D) The Ultimate Solution
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This story ends then, and a new one of
eternal wholeness and delight in God
begins—one we can only barely imagine.
Review
Part 1 - The Beginning
A) The Story Set-up:
God Creates a Good World
B) The Conflict / Problem:
People Rebel and Throw the World
Into Disarray
C) The Solution - First Phase:
God’s Chooses Abraham and Some of
His Descendents
Genesis
Ancient Times
~1800+ BC
Review
Part 2 - The Middle
A) The Second Part Set-up:
God Establishes Israel As His
Chosen Nation
B) The Conflict / Problem:
The Israelites Usually Don’t Trust in
God
C) The Solution - Second Phase:
God Promises to Send a Savior
The Rest of the Old Testament
~1500 BC
~400+ BC
Review
Part 3 - The End
A) The Final Part Set-up:
God Sends Jesus to Save the World
B) The Conflict / Problem:
Evil & Suffering Are Still Widespread
C) The Transitional Solution:
The Holy Spirit’s Workings
D) The Ultimate Solution:
Christ Returns and Establishes His
Full Kingdom
The New Testament
~0 AD
The Future
Some Story Implications:
1. God is patiently giving people
the opportunity to turn back to Him
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2 Peter 3:3-9: “First of all, you must understand
that in the last days scoffers will come . . . They
will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised?
Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on
as it has since the beginning of creation." . . .
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:
With the Lord a day is like a thousand years,
and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is
not slow in keeping his promise . . . He is patient
with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance.”
2. Our opportunities have
unknown time limits
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God gave people in the Old Testament
centuries of warnings to turn back to him,
but when they refused to do so,
eventually judgment came.
God offers us eternal life and a place in his
kingdom. But our opportunity to trust in
Christ can run out by our death, Christ’s
return OR our own hardness of heart.
(Hebrews 3 & 4)
3. How do you fit into the story?
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The Bible says God is actively drawing people to
Christ. (e.g., John 6:44)
God wants us on his good side, but he does not
force us.
Our responses fix our roles in the story, and our
eternal destinies.
Our world is currently in the 3rd part of the story,
nearing the very end.
The plot is revealed. Who plays what role is not.
Where do you want to be?
To Explore More:
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Review this PowerPoint at comumn.org
Download there, in English or in Chinese:
“A Short Guide to the Bible” (includes a Bible
timeline, Bible history, and key selections Bible reading
plan)
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Join a Bible study
Discussion Questions
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What questions do you have about this?