Fifteen Periods of Bible History

Introduction:

It can be easy to get confused about the chronology of the Bible events. Did Nehemiah live before Job? Did Isaiah live before or after the Babylonian captivity? How many years lapsed between the prophecies of Malachi and the coming of John the Baptist? These questions can be more easily answered by breaking up Biblical history into fifteen periods. This will help us become much better students of God’s Word and better understand God’s plan of redemption. [This division is not original with me, but I cannot find the person who first presented this separation. It is one that helps my study.]

Body:

  1. The Antediluvian Period
  • Before the flood
  • Time period – from creation to the flood
  • Scripture: Genesis 1:1 – Genesis 8:12
  • About 1650 years
  1. The Postdiluvian Period
  • After the flood
  • Time period – from the flood to the call of Abram
  • Scripture: Genesis 8:13 – Genesis 11:26
  • About 420 years
  1. The Patriarchal Period
  • Time period – from the call of Abram to the descent into Egypt
  • Scripture: Genesis 11:26 – Genesis 46:7
  • About 215 years
  • Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
  1. Egyptian Period
  • Time period – from descent into Egypt to crossing of the Red Sea
  • Scripture: Genesis 46:8 – Exodus 14:31
  • About 210 years
  1. Wilderness Wandering Period
  • Time period – from crossing of Red Sea to crossing of Jordan River
  • Scripture: Exodus 15:1 – Joshua 3:17
  • About 40 years
  1. Conquest Period
  • Time period – from crossing of Jordan River to appointment of Othniel, the first judge
  • Scripture: Joshua 4:1 – Judges 3:9
  • About 20 years (The actual conquest itself seems to have taken seven years.)
  1. Judges Period
  • Time period – from appointment of Othniel to appointment of Saul
  • Scripture: Judges 3:10 – I Samuel 10:17
  • About 335 years
  1. United Kingdom
  • Time period – from appointment of Saul to division under Jereboam
  • Scripture: I Samuel 11:1 – I Kings 11:43;

I Chronicles 1:1 – II Chronicles 9:31

  • About 120 years
  • Saul, David, Solomon
  • Includes most of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon
  1. Divided Kingdom
  • Time period – from division of Kingdom into Judah (South) and Israel (North) to fall of Samaria (Capital of Israel)
  • Scripture: I Kings 12:1 – II Kings 17:41;

II Chronicles 10:1 – II Chronicles 28:27

  • About 250 years
  • Includes books of Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Jonah, Micah
  • All of Israel’s kings were bad.
  1. Judah Alone Period
  • Time period – from fall of Israel to fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.)
  • Scripture: II Kings 18:1 – II Kings 25:30;

II Chronicles 29:1 – II Chronicles 36:21

  • About 135 years
  • Includes books of Jeremiah, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah
  • Four good kings: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah
  1. Captivity Period
  • Time period – from fall of Judah to return home by decree of Cyrus
  • Scripture: II Chronicles 36:22 – Ezra 1:4
  • About 50 years
  • Includes books of Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
  1. Restoration Period
  • Time period – from first waves of returnees to completion of Nehemiah’s restoration and end of Old Testament Canon
  • Scripture: Ezra 1:5 – Nehemiah 13:31
  • About 100 years
  • Includes books of Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
  1. Prophetic Silence Period
  • Time period – from completion of Old Testament Canon to angel of the Lord appearing to Zacharias foretelling the birth of John
  • Scripture: addressed in Daniel 2,7,8,11
  • About 430 years
  • It was during this period that the religious and political parties of Israel developed such as the Sadducees and Pharisees.
  1. The Coming of the Messiah
  • Time period – from the angel appearing to Zacharias to the establishment of the church on the Day of Pentecost
  • Scripture: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1
  • About 35 years
  1. The Church Period
  • Time period – from establishment of the church to Christ’s return
  • Scripture: Acts 2:1 – Revelation 22:21
  • Time not known

Conclusion:

We are now in the Church Period waiting for the return of our Savior. We do not know when that great event will occur; so we must always be prepared.

Bobby Stafford April 7, 2013