Understanding when the books of the Bible were ‘penned’ helps us understand the events, stories and intended meaning so much more… including helping us discern what is past, present and still yet future.
I gave a brief little Bible overview in a small group setting this week, and a friend asked if I’d write it down for her – which was of course my great delight. So here it is…
The entire Bible points to Jesus. It isn’t just a random collection of strange disconnected stories. The books and stories are largely connected by the bloodline through which Jesus was born with accounts of the lives of those in that lineage, the events in which God was working to make a nation which was the context in which Jesus would be recognised. (The Messiah of the Old Testament [Hebrew language] and the Christ in the New Testament [Greek language]) Without a setting in which the prophecies could be recognised, how would we ever know that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed He?
While it may seem superflous to say this, The Bible is a book. By which I mean to point out that pages and chapters and the smaller books within it have to follow on from each other in some sort of sequence. The secions of it cannot appear concurrently which means we don’t always see that some of the accounts and events were happening alongside others sometimes quite far apart in their order of appearance. The chart above is my attempt to show the flow and progression of the books alongside or overlapping each other.
Each of the books has a ‘personality’ – a purpose or emphasis. And just like an artist, a lawyer and a brickie would all notice and record different elements of the same event they all witnessed – we see this kind of phenomenon in the Scriptures. Some are historical accounts, some are ancient poetry, some are foretelling the future, some are lists of varied types and some are combinations of all those and more.
Genesis means ‘beginning’ It it exactly that – the beginning of the story of the earth, and of man, the fall of man, and of the way through which the One who would redeem it all, would come. Jesus is the Author and Creator – present at creation – and the Redeemer foretold in the first few chapters of the beginning – 4000 years before His birth. The book of Genesis alone spans approximately 2500 years from Adam, through many generations to Abraham (> Isaac > Jacob [whose name was changed to Israel since he became the father of the nation]> His 12 sons) of whom Joseph was one – and and the family’s reason for setting in Egypt.
Exodus overlaps the end of Genesis by informing that Jacobs descendants (who became the Hebrews and a distinct nation while living in a very different culture) remained in Egypt for 430 years until God brought them out in the time of Moses (descended from Jacob’s son Levi). It is the story of their exit.
Job is positioned nearly halfway though the Bible yet is believed to have taken place somewhere closer to the time of Exodus. It reveals mysteries and shines light on the character of God, His ownership/rulership of the world and all that happens – yet is the story of one man who is separate to the lineage of Jesus and is not one of the ’Books of the Law’ by which Israel lived and gained its identity (the first five books) so is placed further back.
Leviticus is primarily a book of the laws God spoke to Moses and which the Israelites were to live by. It reveals much about God’s holiness, righteousness and tenderness – if you have a heart to see. But can’t be read expecting the same flow of ‘story’/account as the previous two books.
Deuteronomy is a speech. It is Moses last address to the Hebrews as an old man knowing he is about to die. He recounts their story, combining law and teaching into his entreaty to follow God and be obedient to His ways.
Joshua follows on from the death of Moses with Joshua’s leadership of the people at the end of the 40 years in the wilderness and on into the Promised Land.
Numbers is largely a ledger. A book of lists and numbers. A record of ‘this many people did that thing, at that time “and includes details from the periods that preceded.
Judges is an account of events that took place for the Hebrews, now in the Promised Land from the time before they had kings ruling over them. These Judges governed until the peoples restlessness demanded a king.
Ruth is a story taking place toward the end of the period of the judges. Jesus bloodline comes down through Jacob’s son Judah, many generations to Ruth who became the great grandmother of David, eventual king of Israel.
Samuel slightly precedes and overlaps the books of Kings and Chronicles and tells his prophetic involvement
Kings – tells the mostly sad set of stories of the kings of Israel – as they descended from David through until the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the reigns of kings. The first king (that the people demanded) was Saul – and not the chosen bloodline as he was descended from Jacob’s youngest son Benjamin, and the Kingly line was to be Judah’s.
Chronicles is a record book of events mainly overlaying the time of the books of Kings 1&2. Kings reads as stories. Chronicles not so much.
Psalms is largely attributed to David – though not entirely, and was mainly penned at the beginning portion alongside Kings. The are largely songs.
Solomon, being David’s son and the first descended king, is largely attributed books of Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and Proverbs so also were penned at the beginning of the era of the Kings.
Most of the remainder of the Old Testament books bearing males names are named for the prophets that wrote them down. The larger books are basically the ‘major prophets’ and the smaller, the ‘minor prophets’. They speak similar messages at similar times and were specifically called and sent by God to speak warning, repentance, coming judgement and return to obedience in cycles of disobedience. They brought an unpopular message and were largely ignored and killed by the people they were trying to save. Their books often contain prophecies of judgement coming soon in their times, but also of events still in our futures.
Lamentations is a book of laments written after the prophetically warned about destruction of Jerusalem at the end of the reigns of the kings. The people were dispersed (‘diaspora’) among other lands.
Esther took place in this period of dispersion.
Ezra and Nehemiah tell the account of the Israelites returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the temple (much less grandly).
Malachi is again a prophet with dire warnings. They didn’t listen. And silence from God then follows for the next 400 years
– until Jesus is born of the bloodline of Adam > Abraham > Judah > David > down through Mary who is of the line of David’s son Nathan, and Joseph who, was lawfully (though not humanly) Jesus father and was of the line of another of David’s sons; Solomon.
– which is told in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Acts is the story of what took place after Jesus death, resurrection. The coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the spread of the gospel to all nations.
All the New Testament was written between about 50-90 AD. The coming of Jesus wrought cosmically enormous change to the world and to the Israelites who recognised Him as the foretold Messiah. He was crucified for fear of the implications of what He said, and rose again for the truth of it all. He fulfilled the law and the prophets which at the grass roots level completely changed the way of life and the adherence to Levitical law which much of the remainder of the New Testament is helping the people see. Which also helps us to see who He is and what He’s accomplished. For them. For us. For all time. Once and for all.
There is no book of Paul, though he is believed to have written 13 of the NT books (Romans. 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon).
The writer of Hebrews isn’t known but would have been written prior to the next diaspora following the next destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem in 70AD since it says (after Jesus fulfilment of the law but while the temple was still functioning) that the obsolete, outdated system would soon disappear.
Peter, James and Jude wrote the books of same names.
John wrote the gospel of John, the 3 letters all named John and Revelation. The books of the New Testament contain many elements each, Revelation being mostly known as prophetic, but all books reveal Gods heart, love, plans, purposes, justice and faithfulness. He is Author, Perfector, Creator, Healer, Saviour and Friend.
Just as they slaughtered the prophets, they slaughtered Jesus and we cannot claim that we’d have responded differently. Hindsight is a different beast. We, today, still have prophetic warnings and calls which are just as ever unpopular. Popularity and truth aren’t equal.
God was silent for the 400 years between Malachi and Jesus birth. There is a sense in which we could say that God is silent now. We have the Holy Spirit, so He actually is neither silent nor absent, but there are no new books being written. He has spoken. His silence came to an end with Jesus first coming, and will again with His second. Many will say “but people have been saying that for 2000 years” which is a version of what Peter warns that scoffers will say in 2 Peter 3. May we not be found among them.
Coming soon: You can download the whole chart HERE . Or the text as above HERE.
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles.
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
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, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
2 Peter 3