The history of salvation, from beginning to end
The Bible is not a collection of loose stories, but one great story with a single thread: God’s plan to rescue humanity and restore creation. Christians call it “salvation history”. It begins in Eden, runs through the people of Israel, culminates in Jesus Christ and continues in the Church until the final consummation. Knowing this story as a whole helps us understand every book, character and promise. On this page we trace it in great stages and link you to the 34 episodes of our series From Creation to Jesus, where each stage is told in detail.
1. The beginnings (Genesis 1–11)
God creates the heavens and the earth, and human beings in his image. Adam and Eve disobey and sin enters the world, but God promises that the woman’s seed will defeat the serpent. Then come Cain and Abel, the line of Seth, Enoch who walks with God, the flood in Noah’s day and the tower of Babel, where the peoples are scattered. Episodes: Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Babel.
2. The patriarchs (c. 2000–1700 BC)
God calls Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees and promises him a land, descendants and that in him all the families of the earth will be blessed. The promise passes to Isaac and to Jacob, called Israel, father of the twelve tribes. Joseph, sold by his brothers, comes to rule Egypt and saves his family from famine. Episodes: Abraham, Jacob, Joseph.
3. The exodus and the law (c. 1500–1200 BC)
Jacob’s descendants are enslaved in Egypt. God raises up Moses, sends the ten plagues, institutes the Passover and parts the Red Sea. At Mount Sinai he makes a covenant with Israel and gives the Ten Commandments. After forty years in the wilderness, Joshua leads the people into the promised land. Episodes: Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Joshua.
4. The judges (c. 1200–1050 BC)
Israel settles in Canaan but falls again and again into idolatry. God raises up judges such as Deborah, Gideon and Samson. In that dark age shines the story of Ruth, the faithful Moabite, David’s great-grandmother. Episodes: Deborah, Gideon and Samson, Ruth.
5. The united kingdom (c. 1050–931 BC)
Samuel, the last judge, anoints Saul as the first king. Then God chooses David, the shepherd of Bethlehem, to whom he promises an eternal kingdom. His son Solomon builds the first temple in Jerusalem. Episodes: Samuel, Saul, David, Solomon.
6. The divided kingdom and the prophets (931–586 BC)
After Solomon’s death the kingdom splits into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. God sends prophets such as Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Hosea, Amos, Micah and Isaiah, who denounce idolatry and injustice and announce the Messiah. In 722 BC Assyria destroys Samaria; in 586 BC Babylon destroys Jerusalem and the temple. Episodes: Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah.
7. Exile and return (586–400 BC)
In Babylon, Ezekiel and Daniel keep hope alive. In Persia, Esther saves her people. Cyrus allows the return in 538 BC; Zerubbabel rebuilds the temple, Ezra teaches the law and Nehemiah raises the walls. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi close the Old Testament, announcing the messenger who will prepare the way of the Lord. Episodes: Ezekiel, Daniel, Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah.
8. Between the testaments (c. 400 BC – 4 BC)
For about four hundred years there were no recognised prophets. Alexander the Great conquered the East and spread Greek culture. The Jews resisted the persecution of Antiochus IV in the Maccabean revolt, remembered at the feast of Hanukkah. The Old Testament was translated into Greek (the Septuagint), and synagogues, Pharisees and Sadducees emerged. In 63 BC Rome took Jerusalem, and Herod the Great rebuilt and enlarged the temple. All was ready for “the fulness of the time” (Galatians 4:4).
9. Jesus Christ (c. 4 BC – AD 30/33)
In Bethlehem Jesus is born, son of Mary, a descendant of David. John the Baptist prepares his way. Jesus preaches the kingdom of God, heals the sick, calls twelve disciples, dies crucified under Pontius Pilate and rises on the third day. Before ascending to heaven he sends his disciples to all nations. Episodes: John the Baptist, Mary and Joseph, Jesus Christ.
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
Galatians 4:4-5
10. The early Church (AD 30–100)
At Pentecost the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples in Jerusalem, and Peter preaches to a crowd: three thousand people are baptised. The Church grows despite persecution. Stephen becomes the first martyr. Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of Christians, meets the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and becomes the apostle Paul, carrying the Gospel through Asia Minor, Greece and on to Rome. The council of Jerusalem, around AD 49, recognises that Gentiles may follow Christ without becoming Jews. In AD 70 Rome destroys the temple in Jerusalem. Towards the end of the first century the last books of the New Testament are written.
After the Bible: the history of the Church
Salvation history continues in the Church. In the first centuries Christians suffered persecution under various Roman emperors, but the faith spread throughout the empire. In 313 the Edict of Milan granted freedom of worship. In 325 the Council of Nicaea confessed Christ’s full divinity in the Nicene Creed, still shared today by Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans and many other churches; its 1,700th anniversary was celebrated in 2025. Monasteries preserved the Bible and culture in the Middle Ages, and missionaries carried the Gospel to northern and eastern Europe. In 1054 the Eastern and Western churches separated. In the sixteenth century the Protestant Reformation, begun by Martin Luther in 1517, renewed the emphasis on grace and on the Bible in the people’s language. The following centuries saw great revivals, the modern missionary movement, the rise of the Pentecostal movement in the early twentieth century and the ecumenical movement seeking Christian unity. Today most Christians live in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Read more on our Ecumenism page and in the article Revival in the nations.
Why does knowing this history matter?
It shows God’s faithfulness: over millennia he kept every promise. It makes sense of every part of the Bible: each book has a place in the great story. It points to Christ: all the roads of biblical history lead to him. It includes us: believers today are part of the same story, which is not yet finished. And it gives us hope: the story has a glorious ending, when Christ returns and makes all things new.
“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Revelation 21:3-4
How to study biblical history
We suggest three paths. First, read the series From Creation to Jesus in order, one episode a week. Second, consult the timeline and genealogy to place each figure in time. Third, read the Bible’s historical books with a map at hand: places help us understand the stories.
Key dates at a glance
Around 2000 BC, the call of Abraham. Around 1446 or 1260 BC, depending on the dating scholars prefer, the exodus from Egypt. Around 1010 BC, David becomes king. Around 960 BC, Solomon’s temple is dedicated. 722 BC, the fall of Samaria. 586 BC, the destruction of Jerusalem. 538 BC, the decree of Cyrus. 516 BC, the second temple is completed. Around 4 BC, the birth of Jesus. Around AD 30 or 33, his crucifixion and resurrection. AD 70, the destruction of the second temple.