Biblical Timeline Overview

Biblical timelines serve as essential tools for bridging the gap between ancient events and our modern comprehension of Scripture. By placing biblical stories and characters in chronological order, we see how God’s plan unfolds across the centuries with intentional design. Timelines can highlight key junctures, showing how pivotal occurrences—like covenants, conquests, exiles, and resurrections—fit into the larger tapestry of God’s redemptive work. This bigger picture helps believers appreciate the unstoppable continuity of His plan and observe the patience and faithfulness of God throughout history.

Moreover, understanding the “when” of biblical events can clarify the “why.” Aligning certain Biblical happenings with known dates in world history can provide insights into cultural influences, political shifts, and prophetic fulfillments. These connections bolster our confidence in the historical reliability of the Bible and affirm its divinely orchestrated nature. In essence, timelines enable believers to see both the overarching storyline of Scripture and the precise moments in which God demonstrated His sovereignty, weaving together countless details into a perfect and purposeful plan.

175 BC

Reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes Begins

During the roughly 400 year intertestamental period, between the writing of the last book of the Old Testament and the advent of Jesus, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV (175-163 BC) destroyed the temple and executed many Jews. A few years later Judas the Maccabee—the leader of the Maccabean revolt (167-134 BC) against the Seleucid empire—liberated Jerusalem, and the Jews were able to restore the temple. In 63 BC, the Romans besieged and took the city, making Judah part of the Roman empire. In 40 BC, Caesar Augustus made Herod the Great king over Judah. In 20 BC, Herod began renovating the Jewish temple that had been built in the sixth century. That renovation project was completed in AD 66. The Romans subsequently destroyed the temple in AD 70, as a part of their crushing of Jewish zealots during the Jewish Wars (67-73 AD). This persecution resulted in a massive dispersion of the Jews throughout the world.

  1. 4000 BC — The First Adam
  2. 3870 BC — Seth is Born
  3. 3750 BC — Enosh is Born
  4. 3660 BC — Kenan is Born
  5. 3605 BC — Mahalalel is Born
  6. 3540 BC — Jared is Born
  7. 3380 BC — Enoch is Born
  8. 3310 BC — Methuselah is Born
  9. 3125 BC — Lamech is Born
  10. 3000 BC — The Birth of Noah
  11. 2450 BC — Shem is Born
  12. 2350 BC — The Great Flood
  13. 2270 BC — Tower of Babel
  14. 2000 BC — Abraham
  15. 1950 BC — Isaac is Born
  16. 1700 BC — Jacob and Sons go to Egypt
  17. 1570 BC — Moses is Born
  18. 1500 BC — Exodus From Egypt
  19. 1020 BC — King David of Judah
  20. 990 BC — King Solomon of Judah
  21. 586 BC — Babylonian Exile Begins
  22. 331 BC — Alexander the Great is defeated
  23. 175 BC — Reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes Begins
  24. 167 BC — Maccabean Revolt
  25. 4 BC — Jesus, the "Second Adam" is born
  26. AD 30 — Jesus’ Crucifixion
  27. AD 70 — Roman Conquest of Jerusalem