Bible Study 4:
Bible Timeline
Introduction

The timeline on page two gives a basic framework that provides the context for Bible events, people, books, and prophecies. When reading your Bible, the outline gives you a spot to "plug in" your passage. It also helps you see things such as: Abraham did not have the 10 commandments, or Malachi prophecied to Israel after it came back from captivity.

You will notice the timeline does not contain a lot of dates, but instead focuses on the timely order of major biblical events and people. Dates vary according to what source is reference, and often Bible readers have more awareness of early events, than early dates. This said, it is important to remember that dates before Christ are opposite of today's dates. In B.C. dating, the dates go from largest to smallest. (Example: Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebucanezzar in 586 B.C. and was rebult seventy years later in 516 A.D.)

The timeline can be printed off as a single page. To do so, click on "file" and in its scroll-down options, click on "print preview." At the top of the page, you will see buttons for landscape/portrait views, as well as a "scale" button that allows you to select a percentage that will fit well on a page. Try a few options until the timeline looks best. Then hit "print."

After printing the timeline, don't hesitate to write on it. If you are studying a book of the Bible, place it on the timeline. If reading about a lesser king of Israel, fill him in -- make the timeline your own.