Charts
Learn it - Live it - Teach it
For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:10)
“Key Bible Characters” will help you wrap your arms around the big-picture of the Bible. These “anchor-points” provide some good hooks to hang things on, making it much easier to comprehend the Bible.
First, take a few minutes to seriously study the chart and the related half-page of text. Read and review it multiple times to get these few people, dates, and events firmly in your mind. They are referred to frequently throughout the Scriptures.
Then cultivate a habit of mentally placing other Bible people and stories relative to your anchor-points. For example, Joshua led the people into the Promised Land just after Moses’ time, so in the 1400’s BC. Isaiah and most of the prophets of Israel were in the Kingdom period, so that places them after King David in the 800’s to 500’s BC. Of course, all of the New Testament was written shortly after Jesus’ first coming, so roughly 50-100 AD.
(Click on the chart to load a printable chart which includes brief explanatory notes - suitable to fold and carry in your Bible.)
“The 500-Year View of Biblical History” provides an easy-to-remember view of approximate dates to help you develop a mental map of the flow of Bible history as God’s plan is revealed over time.
(Click on the chart to download.)
“The Bible at a Glance” chart highlights key landmarks of the Bible in a single page to help you follow the great drama as God works in history to rescue His people.
(1)The top portion in yellow traces the Bible History timeline identifying major sections of the Bible related to the developing narrative. (2)The lower section highlights God’s Major Interventions in the grand story of the Bible. These are the actions you want to grasp to integrate your understanding of the Bible fragments.
(Click on the chart to load a printable chart which includes brief explanatory notes - suitable to fold and carry in your Bible.)
A Brief Overview of the Bible
“A Brief Overview of the Bible” provides a short summary of the divisions, books, and content of the Old and New Testaments.
The Bible was written down by about 40 different human authors over a period of roughly 1500 years (~1400BC to 100 AD). It has two major divisions, known as the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT). There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. In the Old Testament God gave the Law and required people to live by a performance standard. The experience demonstrated that humans are incapable of living up to God’s standard. So, then God sent His Son, Jesus, to inaugurate a standard of grace through faith, described in the New Testament.
To download as a printable 8 ½ x 11” document, click here. Be sure to set printer for “Double-sided OFF”.
To download in a printable booklet format, click here. Be sure to set printer for “Double-sided ON (Short Edge)”.
