Why use a "Timeline" for Bible Study?
"...Write my answer on a billboard.
Make it LARGE and CLEAR. Then anyone can read it at a glance and rush to tell the others."
The main purpose of this website is to magnify the Lord Jesus by helping people see His love for us. It is the prayer of the editor of BibleTimelines.com that all of us will come to know God better, to love and trust Him more, and to love and care for those who need a helping hand. Please understand that this web site is not meant to be controversial. If you study your Bible more, love and trust the Lord more, then this site will have served its purpose even if you believe that a portion of a timeline is not correct. The more we learn of Christ through His Word, the more we will feel our need of Him in our own lives.
"The Bible has little to say in praise of men. Little space is given to recounting the virtues of even the best men who have ever lived. This silence is not without purpose; it is not without a lesson. All the good qualities that men possess are the gift of God; their good deeds are performed by the grace of God through Christ. Since they owe all to God the glory of whatever they are or do belongs to Him alone; they are but instruments in His hands. More than this--as all the lessons of Bible history teach--it is a perilous thing to praise or exalt men; for if one comes to lose sight of his entire dependence on God, and to trust to his own strength, he is sure to fall. Man is contending with foes who are stronger than he. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in high places." Ephesians 6:12, margin. It is impossible for us in our own strength to maintain the conflict; and whatever diverts the mind from God, whatever leads to self-exaltation or to self-dependence, is surely preparing the way for our overthrow. The tenor of the Bible is to inculcate distrust of human power and to encourage trust in divine power." [inculcate means to teach until it becomes a part of you] Patriarchs and Prophets, page 717
Bible and Bible Timeline notes:
- The more we learn of God, the greater will be our admiration of His character.
- These timelines are designed to make it easier to learn of God while looking at the "Big Picture" and still be able to dig deeply into God's Word regarding specific details.
- Understanding the "Big Picture" will make it easier to understand why God chooses to do things the way He does.
- Our understanding of God is reflected in the doctrines we hold, so we must understand what the Bible says about Him.
- As stated in the quote above, the whole Bible is trying to teach us that we must never trust human power, but we must completely trust divine power.
- The whole Bible works together to:
- tell us who God is. (God can be seen by studying His great Bible truths. See the "Principles" category.)
- tell us what He has done. (God can be seen by studying what He has already done. See the "History" category.)
- give us a glimpse of what is to come. (God can be seen by studying what He is going to do. See the "Prophecy" category.)
- prove to us that God really does exist. (God gave us this proof and it even stands to reason.)
Exhibit A: Proof of God (Also see the Daniel 2 Timeline, God told us thousands of years ago what has already taken place showing that He is real.)
Exhibit B: Proof of God (Also see the Daniel 8 & 9 Timeline, Jesus baptism and death were right on time showing that Jesus is the Messiah.)
Exhibit C: Proof of God (Also see the Chart of Prophecies that refer to the Messiah, amazing specific prophecies and their fulfillment by Jesus)
"When the testing time shall come, those who have made God's word their rule of life will be revealed. In summer there is no noticeable difference between evergreens and other trees; but when the blasts of winter come, the evergreens remain unchanged, while other trees are stripped of their foliage. So the false-hearted professor may not now be distinguished from the real Christian, but the time is just upon us when the difference will be apparent. Let opposition arise, let bigotry and intolerance again bear sway, let persecution be kindled, and the halfhearted and hypocritical will waver and yield the faith; but the true Christian will stand firm as a rock, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, than in days of prosperity." The Great Controversy, page 603
Ask God to make what is taught in the Bible the center of your life and to make you as alive as an evergreen in winter, and as "firm as a rock".
