ADAM - Adam was the first human created by God. He was placed in an ideal environment, assigned work to do, and granted a "suitable helper" in Eve. Yet he rebelled against God's one restriction, resulting in separation from God.
EVE - Eve was the first woman created, being made by God from one of Adam's ribs. She was approached by the serpent and deceived into eating the forbidden fruit.
CAIN - Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve, is best known for murdering his brother Abel. Angry that his sacrifice was not accepted by God, Cain led Abel to the field where he killed him. In response, God assigned Cain to be a restless wanderer.
ABEL - The second son born to Adam and Eve, Abel is best remembered for being murdered by his older brother, Cain. While both Cain and Abel brought sacrifices to God one day, only Abel's was accepted. Cain became furious and, luring his brother out to a field, attacked Abel and killed him.
NOAH - In an evil time, Noah was a righteous man and found favor with God. God instructed Noah to build an ark, so that he and his family, along with the animals, would survive the flood.
HAM - Ham was Noah's youngest son. Sometime after the episode of the flood, Ham saw his father's nakedness, resulting in God cursing his descendants.
SHEM - Shem was Noah's second son, and the progenitor of the Semitic race (Gen 11:10). He is lifted in the genealogy of Christ (Luke 3:36).
JAPHETH - Japheth was Noah's oldest son, and the progenitor of the more remote northern peoples of SE Europe.
ABRAHAM - God called Abraham, the future of the people of God, out of an idolatrous background (cf. Joshua 24:2) to father the Hebrew nation. He constantly exhibited faith in God, trusting God to lead and provide.
SARAH - Sarah, Abraham's wife, was the mother of the chosen people. She was barren for many years until she gave birth to Isaac at about age 90.
HAGAR - Hagar was an Egyptian handmaid who, following the marital customs of the day, was given by Sarai to Abram (Gen. 16:1-16). She gave birth to Ishmael, the ancestor of the Arab peoples.
ISHMAEL - Ishmael was the son of Abraham by Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid of Sarah. Seen as a threat to Isaac's inheritance, Sarah urged Abraham to send him away along with Hagar.
LOT - Lot, Abraham's nephew, traveled with Abraham from Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan. Lot chose to live near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and later escaped their judgment with only his two daughters. Through his daughters he fathered the nations of Moab and Ammon.
ISAAC - Isaac, the only son born to Abraham and Sarah, followed in his father's faith. He married Rebekah and fathered Esau and Jacob.
REBEKAH - After Abraham's servant persuaded her to return with him from Haran, Rebekah became Isaac's wife. After their marriage, she was barren for twenty years, when God answered Jacob's prayer and she gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob.
JACOB - Jacob, along with his twin brother Esau, was born to Isaac and Rebekah. He tricked Esau out of the family birthright and blessing, forcing him to flee. He married Leah and Rachel, and together with them and their handmaids, fathered the twelve sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel.
ESAU - Esau was the oldest of the twin brothers born to Isaac and Rebekah. However, he lost out on the family birthright and blessing through the trickery of his brother Jacob.
LABAN - Laban was Abraham's nephew who lived in Haran. He played a prominent role in the marriage of Rebekah, his sister, and Isaac, as well as the account of his two daughters, Leah and Rachel, marrying Jacob.
LEAH - Leah was Jacob's first wife, given to him by her father Laban. She birthed six sons, including Judah who is in the line of Christ, and one daughter.
RACHEL - Rachel was Jacob's second wife, but his first love. Barren for years, God heard her and she gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel died while delivering Benjamin.
THE 12 SONS OF JACOB - With his two wives and their two handmaids, Jacob fathered twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
CHILDREN OF ISRAEL - While enslaved in Egypt, the Israelites increased from seventy at the beginning to being "exceedingly numerous" (Ex. 1:7).
EGYPTIANS - The Egyptians at first welcomed the children of Israel, but later enslaved them to hard labor.
MOSES - Delivered at birth from certain death, Moses was shaped by Egyptian culture and by God to be a leader. He was God's human instrument to lead the nation Israel out of their slavery. Moses also guided the people through the Red Sea, communicated God's law to them, and lead them through the wilderness.
AARON - Aaron, Moses' older brother, served with Moses as spokesman to Pharaoh. During the wilderness wanderings, he assisted Moses in the leadership of the people. When the tabernacle was built, Aaron became the nation's first high priest.
PHARAOH - The nation of Egypt was invested in an individual, known as "Pharaoh." He was revered as a god.
JOSHUA - Joshua served as Moses' assistant during the forty years in the desert. Upon Moses' death, he was selected by God to assume the leadership of the nation. Under Joshua's command, Israel succeeded in conquering much of the land of Canaan.
CALEB - Caleb, along with Joshua, was one of only two spies to encourage the Israelites to take possession of the Promised Land. To reward his trust, God allowed Caleb to enter the land forty years later. At the age of 85, Caleb conquered Hebron and the hill country.
OTHNIEL - Othniel is the first judge listed in the book of Judges. He delivered Israel from the king of Aram, resulting in peace for 40 years.
EHUD - Ehud is the second judge listed in the book of Judges. A left-handed man, he killed Eglon, the king of Moab, delivering the Israelites from the Moabites.
BARAK - Barak went into battle against the Canaanites, but only after begging for support from the prophetess Deborah.
DEBORAH - Deborah was the fourth of Israel's judges. Under her leadership, Israel defeated Jabin, a king of Canaan.
RUTH - A Moabitess, Ruth returned to Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi, where she met and married Boaz. She is the great-grandmother of David and an ancestress of Jesus.
TOLA - Of the tribe of Issachar, Tola judged Israel 23 years.
JAIR - Jair, a Gileadite, was a judge who served 22 years.
GIDEON - Gideon served as Israel's fifth judge. After twice making sure of God's decision with a wool fleece and letting God pare down his army, Gideon and three hundred men routed the Midianite army.
SAMSON - Samson was one of the last of Israel's judges. Although he was a slave to his passions, God used him to gain vengeance on the Philistines.
ELI - Eli was a judge and high priest in Israel, who served when Samuel ministered as a boy. Although a godly man, Eli's sons were wicked men.
SAMUEL - Samuel is described as both a judge (1 Sam. 7:6, 15-17) and a prophet (1 Sam. 3:20). As a young child, he heard God speak to him. Years later, God responded to Samuel's prayer, defeating the Philistines. Samuel poured oil on both Saul and David as God's anointed ones.
SAUL - Israel's first king, Saul reigned for forty years with less than full devotion to God. At the end of his reign, Saul jealously sought to kill David. He died in battle, along with three of his sons, falling on his own sword.
DAVID - David, Israel's second and greatest king, was the youngest son of his father Jesse. He reigned as king for forty years, expanding Israel's size and strength. Although David committed a series of moral failures, he is known for his love for God, being called "a man after God's own heart."
SOLOMON - Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, was the third and last king of united Israel. During his reign, he oversaw the construction of the magnificent temple of God. Solomon was incredibly wise and wealthy, yet in his later years lost his spiritual discernment.
JEREBOAM - Jereboam was the first king of the northern kingdom known as Israel. Shortly after being selected to the position, Jereboam established two additional centers of worship.
REHOBOAM - Rehoboam, a son of Solomon, was the first king of the southern kingdom known as Judah. Under his rule, Judah quickly shifted to pagan worship.
ELIJAH - Elijah was a prophet during the days of wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. A man of prayer, he was God's instrument through which he displayed his power. Most notable was Elijah's "duel" with the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel.
ELISHA - Elisha was Elijah's successor as prophet of God. He had a long ministry that included helping a poor widow, bringing a boy back to life, and healing Naaman of leprosy.
ISAIAH - Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of four kings of Judah, from Uzziah to Hezekiah. He warned the nation of God's judgment through the Assyrians and Babylonians. He also gave the people hope of the coming Messiah.
JEREMIAH - Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah. His ministry covered the last five kings of Judah and continued past the destruction of Jerusalem. He urged the people to return to God and let him change their hearts.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR - Nebuchadnezzar was the great king of the Babylonian Empire. Under his reign, Judah was defeated and carried away into captivity.
DANIEL - Daniel was among the select, youthful hostages of the first Jewish deportation, taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. Although in a foreign land, he continued to faithfully serve God. In his book, he relates several visions which have great significance to world history.
EZEKIEL - Ezekiel, a contemporary of Jeremiah and Daniel, prophesied before and after the destruction of Jerusalem. He was deported to Babylon in 597 B.C.
CYRUS - Cyrus, the king of Persia, defeated Babylon in 539 B.C. He allowed the Jews to return to their homeland.
ZERUBBABEL - Zerubbabel, the grandson of King Jehoiachin, was appointed governor of the returning Jews from Babylon. Upon returning to Jerusalem in 538 B.C., he helped to rebuild the altar and the temple.
HAGGAI - Haggai was a prophet who, along with Zechariah, encouraged the Jews to rebuild the temple.
ZECHARIAH - Zechariah, a prophet, returned from the Babylon captivity under the leadership of Zerubbabel. He was a contemporary of Haggai.
EZRA - Ezra, a descendant of Aaron the high priest, returned from Babylon to Jerusalem in 458 B.C. and initiated a religious reform.
NEHEMIAH - Nehemiah led the third group of exiles back to Jerusalem in 444 B.C. God used him to rebuild the city's walls and reorder the people's social and economic lives.
AHASUERUS - Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes, reigned as king of Persia from 486 to 465 B.C.
ESTHER - Esther, raised by her cousin Mordecai, became the queen of Persia. Through her the Jewish people were spared persecution.
MALACHI - Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, prophesied in the middle of the fifth century B.C. He spoke out against the sin and the apostasy of the people of Israel.
Events
CREATION - The creation of the heavens and the earth is described in Genesis 1:1-2:3. In six days God shaped the earth and filled it, pronouncing his work "very good." On the seventh day, God rested.
FALL - Although in an ideal environment, Adam and Eve rebelled, thus "falling" from their untarnished relationship with God. As a result of their sin, Adam and Eve tasted separation from God as well as the curses he placed on them in Genesis 3:16-19.
SPREAD OF SIN - Following the first sin in the garden of Eden, mankind increasingly rebelled against God. This wickedness was so great that God was grieved (Gen. 6:6).
FLOOD - The world's sinfulness had become so great that God was "grieved that he had made man on the earth" (Gen. 6:6). He sent an enormous flood that eradicated every creature except those with Noah in the ark.
BABEL - As the people of the world moved eastward, they decided to live in one place and erect a huge tower in order to make a name for themselves. God descended to them, confusing their language and scattering them abroad.
GOD CHOOSES A NATION - As mankind's sin increased, God selected one individual to father a nation which was to be set apart. God vowed to make Abraham into a great nation for the purpose of blessing all peoples on earth.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABRAHAM'S FAMILY: ISAAC & JACOB - God's promises to Abraham continued through his descendants Isaac and Jacob.
JOURNEY TO EGYPT - When the eleven brothers discovered that Joseph was alive in Egypt, they moved to Egypt with their families to survive the famine. Scholars place this in the year 1876 B.C.
THE DEATH OF JOSEPH - Joseph died in Egypt at the age of 110. His last request was to have his bones buried in the Promised Land.
430 YEARS OF SLAVERY - The total length of time that the Israelites spent in Egypt was 430 years (Exodus 12:40). During much of that time, they served as slaves to the oppressive Egyptians.
PLAGUES - To persuade Pharaoh to release the Israelites, God sent a series of ten plagues that decimated the land. The plagues began with the Nile river turning to blood and ended with the death of every firstborn.
EXODUS - After the ten horrendous plagues, the Egyptians eagerly let the Israelites "exit." In addition to their freedom, the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for.
RED SEA - With the Egyptian army in hot pursuit, God divided the waters of the Red Sea, enabling the Israelites to pass through on dry ground. When the Israelites had crossed, the waters flowed back, engulfing the entire Egyptian army.
MT. SINAI - In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt, they camped at the base of Mount Sinai. On the top of Sinai, Moses met with God and received the Law.
WANDERING - Because of Israel's refusal to trust God for possession of the land, God sentenced them to wander in the desert for roughly 40 years. With the exceptions of Joshua and Caleb, that whole generation died during this wilderness wandering.
CONQUEST - After Israel's forty years in the wilderness, the nation finally entered the Promised Land in 1406 B.C. Over the next seven years, Israel defeated most of the inhabiting peoples to assume possession.
DEATH OF JOSHUA - After a lifetime of serving God, Joshua died at the age of 110. He was buried in the land of Israel.
JUDGES - Between the Joshua and the times of the kings, Israel was ruled by men and women known as judges. Twelve are recorded in the book of Judges, including Deborah, Gideon, and Samson.
UNITED MONARCHY - Saul, David, and Solomon comprise the three kings who governed over the united monarchy. Together they reigned for 120 years. After Solomon, the country split into two factions, Israel and Judah.
SAUL'S REIGN - Saul reigned as the first king of Israel (1050-1010 B.C.). His rule was marked by failure to trust God and jealousy of David.
SAUL'S DEATH & DAVID'S ASCENSION - Wounded in battle, Saul took his own life by falling on his sword. David was first anointed as king of Judah and then all of Israel.
DAVID'S RULE - David's reign was marked by righteousness and military victory. He served as king from 1010-970 B.C.
DAVID'S SIN - David committed adultery with Bathsheba and tried to cover it up by having her husband Uriah killed. When confronted by Nathan the prophet, he confessed and repented.
CIVIL WAR & SOLOMON'S ASCENSION - David's son Absalom usurped the throne, but was soon killed in battle. Another son, Adonijah, later attempted to assume the throne, but David affirmed Solomon as his choice.
FIRST TEMPLE BUILT - Solomon orchestrated the construction of a magnificent temple to God. It took seven years to build, being completed in Solomon's eleventh year (c. 950 B.C.).
SOLOMON'S EXPANSION & BUILDING PROGRAMS - In addition to the temple, Solomon undertook other construction projects including a palace which took thirteen years to complete. Also, under his leadership, Israel expanded her borders considerably.
DIVIDED KINGDOM - After King Solomon's reign, the nation of Israel divided into two separate kingdoms. The northern ten tribes united and were called Israel, or Ephraim, the largest of those tribes. The southern kingdom was comprised of Judah and Benjamin, and was called Judah.
ASSYRIAN CONQUEST OF ISRAEL - After extended warfare, Assyria conquered the northern kingdom (Israel) in 722 B.C. The Assyrians were a cruel military power who subdued conquered nations by deporting their peoples and making them resettle outside of their homelands.
BABYLON CAPTURES ASSYRIA - Babylon conquered Assyria in 612 B.C., when the capital city of Nineveh fell. At that point Babylon assumed the role as the dominant power of that day.
BABYLON CAPTURES JUDAH - The Babylonian army subjugated Judah in 605 B.C. At that time, Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon the treasures of the temple and members of the nobility. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY OF JUDAH - Judah, the southern kingdom, was taken captive by the Babylonians in 605 B.C. On three occasions, the Babylonians deported and exiled many of the Jews (including the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel) to Babylon.
JERUSALEM DESTROYED - The city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The temple was burned and the city walls broken down.
EXILE - When Judah was defeated, many of the Jews were deported to Babylon. This exile lasted roughly 70 years as prophesied by Jeremiah.
MEDO-PERSIANS OVERTHROW BABYLON - In 539 B.C., Babylon fell to Cyrus king of Persia. Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.
ZERUBBABEL LEADS THE FIRST RETURN - After Cyrus' decree permitting the Israelites to return, Zerubbabel led roughly 43,000 back to Jerusalem. Their focus was in rebuilding the temple.
EZRA RETURNS TO REFORM TEMPLE WORSHIP - Ezra led a second group of 1,800 Jews back to Jerusalem in 458 B.C. Upon his arrival, he instigated a spiritual revival among the people.
TEMPLE REBUILT - Despite opposition, Zerubbabel and other returned exiles rebuilt a simple and less expensive version of Solomon's temple in 516 B.C.
NEHEMIAH RETURNS TO REBUILD JERUSALEM WALLS - The third return of exiles from Babylon occurred in 444 B.C., led by Nehemiah. Despite opposition, Nehemiah rallied the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
OLD TESTAMENT CLOSES - For all practical purposes the Old Testament closed with Malachi's writing of his book around the year 430 B.C. After that are often what are called the 400 silent years.
