The Story-Line of the Bible

Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen

ACT ONE: GOD ESTABLISHES HIS KINGDOM (CREATION)
The curtain opens on the Biblical dramaits first act is Gods creation of the
universe. As a supreme ruler, God calls all things into being by His sovereign decree.
Each creature plays a part in this grand symphony of creation, and every part is declared
good.! Gods creative "or# clima$es in His creation of human beings to be li#e himself
and to rule the "orld as His ste"ards. These first human beings, Adam and Eve, en%oy
"arm and close fello"ship "ith God in the garden as they carry out their tas# of loo#ing
after the "orld, delighting in and developing its rich potentials, and than#ing God. By
the end of act one, the curtain closes on a &very good "orld.
ACT TWO: REBELLION IN THE KINGDOM (FALL)
Bright anticipation characterises the opening of act t"o. God gives Adam and Eve
everything they need' their lives are rich and full as they delight in God and the gifts He
has given. God places one restriction on them( they are not to eat from the tree that is in
the middle of the garden or everything "ill be ruined. By submitting to Gods "ord,
Adam and Eve learn the %oy of living as trustful and dependant creatures. But )atan
offers another "ord, a lie, by "hich Adam and Eve can live. *n a tragic t"ist, they listen
to the lie of )atan and contravene Gods command.
This treasonous act of rebellion sends shoc#+"aves throughout the "hole
creation. Adams and Eves rebellion corrupts the "arm friendship they had en%oyed
"ith God as they "al#ed together in the garden, delighting in Gods presence and gifts.
They find themselves estranged from God and hide from His presence. Their revolt also
damages relations bet"een human beings. Adams and Eves relationship to each other
becomes one of selfish mastery. The effects are soon seen as their son ,ain murders his
brother, Abel, and as violence and evil spreads among the earths gro"ing population.
Their apostasy further ravages the harmonious relationship en%oyed previously bet"een
humanity and the non+human creation. Every relationship and every part of human life
is no" defiled by their betrayal. Already, even death has entered the "orld. As the
curtain closes on act t"o, Adam and Eve are in the middle of a mess. The "hole "orld is
no" befouled by their rebellion.
ACT THREE: THE KING CHOOSES ISRAEL (REDEMPTION INITIATED)
Scene One: A People for !e K"n#
Rising Tide of Sin and Gods Faithfulness
As the curtain rises in act three, one burning -uestion remains( ho" "ill God
respond to a "orld that has chosen to go its o"n "ay and that continues to ignore his
good plans. To start, God brings %udgement' He e$pels Adam and Eve from the garden.
But God also brings hope "hen He promises to crush all the evil forces that Adam and
Eve have unleashed in their foolish mutiny /Gen. 0(123. The ne$t fe" millennia, recorded
for us in a fe" brief chapters /Gen. 0+113, are the story of t"o inter"oven developments(
the increasing dar#ness of sin and Gods faithfulness to His promise to banish that
dar#ness.
The tide of "rongdoing continues to rise. *t reaches a pea# in 4oahs time, and
God decides to destroy the earth "ith a great flood and start over again "ith one family.
God saves 4oah from the great flood on a large boat. After the flood, 4oahs descendants
turn out to be no different from their predecessors /cf. Gen. 5(2 and 6(713. 8i#e the
previous generation, they ignore God and go their o"n "ay. This continued rebellion
clima$es in the building of the to"er at Babel, a monument to humanitys treasonous
revolt /Gen. 9(16+11(1+93.
But amidst sins for"ard march, God has remained faithful to His promise. :hen
the righteous Abel "as #illed God raised up )eth and a godly line that "ould remain
faithful to Himself /Gen.;(72+2(073. :hen the "hole "orld became "ic#ed, God
preserved 4oah through His %udgement /Gen.5(63. After the flood, "hen 4oah set foot
on dry ground, God promised that He "ould protect the "orld from disaster and recover
it again from the ravages of human rebellion. <et this long period of human sinfulness
and Gods faithfulness ends on a sour note. *n the story of Babel the "hole "orld turns
against God.
Recovery Plan for Creation: Abraham, saac, and !acob
*n spite of human rebellion, God does not abandon His plans for His "orld.
About t"o thousand years before =esus, God sets into motion a plan that "ill lead to the
recovery of the "orld. This promised plan has t"o parts( >irst, out of this mass of
rebellious humanity, God "ill choose one man /=osh. 7;(73. God "ill ma#e this man into
a great nation and give that nation a land and bless them. )econd, God "ill e$tend that
blessing to all nations /Gen. 17(1+0' 16(163.
The rest of the boo# of Genesis traces the ups and do"ns of this t"o+fold
promise. The promise is given not only to Abraham but also to his son *saac /Gen. 75(0+
;3 and his grandson =acob /Gen. 76(10+123. ?any dangers threaten Gods promised plan
along the "ay( impotence and barrenness, foreign #ings and their harems, natural
disasters, hostility "ith surrounding people, and the unbelief of Abraham, *saac, and
=acob, themselves. Through it all, God sho"s Himself to be &God Almighty /Gen. 1@(1'
E$. 5(03, the Ane "ho has the po"er to carry out his plan.
4earing the end of his life, =acob moves his t"elve sons and all their families to
Egypt in order to escape a famine. The riveting story of his eleventh+born son, =oseph,
sho"s Gods faithfulness and control of history as He manages to preserve a people
through "hom He "ill bring salvation to the "orld /Gen. ;2(2' 2B(7B3.
Freed from Slavery and Formed as a Peo"le
>our hundred years elapse before the story resumes. Abrahams descendants,
no" #no"n as *srael /the name God gives to =acob3, gro" numerous in Egypt. But
success brings its o"n problems. Egypts #ing begins to perceive this e$panding racial
minority as a threat. To stamp out the perceived danger, Charaoh reduces *srael to
slavery. The boo# of E$odus opens at the height of *sraels oppression under Egypt. *nto
this scenario of intense pain and tyranny God chooses ?oses to liberate *srael from the
brutal rule of Egypt so that *srael can return to God.
*n a series of amaDing incidents, ten plagues bring Gods %udgement on Egypts
gods /E$. 17(173, and *srael is miraculously saved from the po"erful Egyptian army as
they cross the Eed )ea. >inally *srael arrives at the place "here they "ill meet God?t.
)inai. There God meets *srael in an a"esome display of lightning and fire. :hy has God
done all of this for *srael. God has a %ob for them to do. They are to be a nation and
#ingdom that function li#e priests. Their tas# is to mediate Gods blessing to the nations
and to act as a model people attracting all peoples to God /E$. 19(0+53. This is the calling
that "ill shape *srael from this point on( they are to be a sho"case people and model
before the nations that embody the beauty of Gods original design for human life. After
giving them this tas#, God gives them the la" to guide their lives, and the people of
*srael commit themselves to living as Gods faithful people. God then commands them to
build a tent "here he "ill ta#e up residence. >rom no" on, "herever they go, God "ill
live visibly among them.
*n 8eviticus "e see ho" *srael is to live in communion "ith a holy God. The boo#
of 4umbers contains the story of *sraels %ourney from )inai to ,anaan. Fnfortunately
*sraels unbelief re-uires that they spend forty years in the "ilderness before arriving at
?oab, on the threshold of the promised land. *n Geuteronomy, *sraels leader, ?oses,
instructs *srael on ho" they should live "hen they arrive in the land. *srael is poised to
enter the landthey are committed to being Gods people and sho"ing the nations
around "ho God is and the "isdom of His original creational design for human life. As
*srael sits poised for entry, ?oses dies and the leadership is passed on to =oshua.
Scene T$o: A L%n& for !e People
#ntering the $and: !oshua and !udges
The boo# of =oshua tells us ho" God #eeps his promise to give *srael the land.
The 8ord leads *srael in con-uering the land and %udging its "ic#ed inhabitants, and
then he distributes the land among the t"elve tribes. The boo# ends "ith =oshuas pleas
for *srael to remain faithful as Gods people. =udges opens "ith *sraels disobedience(
they refuse to "age "ar "ith unbelief and to purge idolatry from the land /=u. 13. God
comes in covenant %udgement and tells *srael that they "ill no" have to live among the
,anaanites /=u. 73. =udges tells a sad story of ho" *srael turns from God and continually
succumbs to the ,anaanite pagan "orship and lifestyle. God finally lets the ,anaanite
and neighbouring peoples rule and oppress them until *srael cries to Him for help. And
He responds in mercy, raising up military leaders, #no"n as %udges, to rescue them.
:ith each cycle of rebellion, though, the situation gets "orse. The boo# ends "ith t"o
stories that illustrate *sraels foul rebellion and "ith *sraels repeated cry for a #ing to
deliver them from this mess /=u. 71(723.
%ings and Pro"hets
)amuel is the last great %udge, as "ell as a priest and prophet. The boo#s of
)amuel, named after him, tell of a time of great change "ithin the *sraelite nation. *srael
as#s God to give them a #ing so they can be li#e the other nations /1 )am. 6(2, 19+7B3. )o
God uses )amuel to appoint )aul, and then Gavid, as the first #ings over His people. )aul
is a failure as a #ing, but Gavid serves God as a faithful #ing, defeating *sraels pagan
neighbours, enforcing Gods la", and moving Gods residence to =erusalem. Here, at the
hub of the nation, Gods presence is a constant reminder that God is *sraels real #ing.
)olomon, Gavids son and successor, builds the temple as a more permanent place for
God to live and hear the praise and prayers of His people.
Gespite being given great "isdom from God, )olomons marriages to foreign
"omen lead him to "orship other gods, and his ambitious building pro%ects earn him a
reputation as an oppressor. Guring the reign of his son Eehoboam, this oppressive spirit
results in the splitting of the nation. The ma%ority of the tribes brea# a"ay in the north
/*srael3, leaving behind a fe" southern tribes /=udah3.
>rom this time on, the t"o halves have their o"n #ings. The boo#s of 1 and 7
Hings and 1 and 7 ,hronicles tell their stories. The story is of a do"nhill slide into
rebellion led by unfaithful #ings. >ar from being a sho"case to the nations, Gods people
push his patience to the point at "hich He e$pels them from the land. God see#s to halt
their deadly course by raising up prophets to call them bac# to repentance. Eli%ah and
Elisha are the prophets "ho feature most prominently in 1 and 7 Hings. Through these
prophets, God promises that if *srael "ill return to him He "ill be gracious and continue
to "or# "ith them. He also "arns that if *srael continues to rebel He "ill bring
%udgement and finally send them into e$ile. As *sraels situation becomes more
incurable, the prophets promise that God has not given up. *n fact, He promises He "ill
send a future #ing "ho "ill usher in a reign of peace and %ustice. This promised #ing "ill
achieve Gods purposes for His creation.
The "ords of the prophets fall on deaf ears. And so, first the citiDens of the
northern #ingdom /@77 B.,.3, and then the citiDens of the southern #ingdom /265 B.,.3
are captured as prisoners by the ruling empires of the day.
#&ile and Return
The ten tribes of the northern #ingdom are scattered to the corners of the earth.
The t"o tribes of the south go into e$ile in Babylon. &Beside the rivers of Babylon "e
thought about =erusalem, and "e sat do"n and cried, says the "riter of Csalm 10@.
&Here is a foreign land, ho" can "e sing about the 8AEG. /10@(1, ;3. E$ile is a
devastating e$perience for the *sraelites. :hat happed to Gods promises and purposes.
Had he given them up for good. Guring this e$ile, God continues to spea# to them
through prophets li#e EDe#iel, e$plaining "hy this crisis has come and assuring them
that they still have a future. After over a half decade in e$ile, the "ay is opened for *srael
to return to =erusalem. )ome return' but most do not. *n time, under the leadership of
Ierubbabel, EDra, and 4ehemiah, =erusalem and the temple, "hich had been burnt by
=udahs invaders, are rebuilt. But *srael, =erusalem, and the temple are only shado"s of
their former selves.
The Ald Testament ends "ith *srael resettling in the land, but resettling on a
small scale and facing huge threats. They live in the shado" of the super+po"ers of their
day. :ith the promises of the prophets echoing in their ears they "ait for the day "hen
God "ill act to deliver them and complete His redemptive "or#. As the curtain falls on
act three, *srael has failed to carry out the tas# God gave them at )inai, but hope remains
because God has made promises.
INTERL'DE: A KINGDOM STOR( WAITING FOR AN ENDING
(INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD)
Bet"een the end of act three /Ald Testament3 and the beginning of act four /4e"
Testament3 there is an interlude of four hundred years. This period is called the
intertestamental period. Guring this time, *srael continues to believe that they are Gods
chosen people and that God "ill act in the very near future to bring His #ingdom. Fnder
the oppression of the Cersians, Gree#s, and, especially, the )yrians and Eomans, the
flame of hope ignited in =e"ish hearts is fanned into a raging inferno. Ho" Gods
#ingdom "ill come, "ho "ill bring it in, and "hat "ay to live until it comeson these
things there is much difference among the Charisees, )adducees, Iealots, and Essenes.
But all of *srael agrees( their story is "aiting for an ending. The #ingdom "ill come soon.
And so they "ait in hope.
ACT FO'R: THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM (REDEMPTION
ACCOMPLISHED)
Act four. The curtain rises. *nto this setting of feverish anticipation for Gods
#ingdom steps a young =e"ish man, =esus of 4aDareth. He announces the #ingdom has
comein him' God is no" acting in love and po"er to restore the creation and humanity
to live again under the #ind rule of God, the "ay God designed it all in the beginning.
The gospels, ?atthe", ?ar#, 8u#e, and =ohn, tell the story of this man =esus, "ho
claims to be sent by God to accomplish the rene"al of the creation. =esus, ho"ever, is
not the #ind of #ing *srael is e$pecting. He is not the freedom fighter "ho "ill thro" off
the Eoman yo#e and ma#e *srael great again. *n fact, he seems more li#e a "andering
teacher or prophet. Though he announces the arrival of Gods final entry into history,
nothing seems to happen. =esus goes about gathering a small community of insignificant
follo"ers around him and calls them the ne" vanguard of Gods coming ne" "orld.
Gods po"er to restore is evident as =esus heals people and frees them from evil spirits.
His invitation e$tends beyond the &"ashed and acceptable( he "elcomes religious and
social outcasts into his ne" community. As he challenges the customs and e$pectations
of the day, he arouses gro"ing opposition among the leaders. =esus teaches his follo"ers
to live lives steeped in love, forgiveness, and righteousness. He tells them stories to help
them understand the unusual "ay in "hich Gods ne" rule "as coming. The #ingdom is
coming, not by destroying your enemies but by loving them, not by using force but by
suffering, not by revenging but by forgiving, not by retreating from the &un"ashed but
by compassionately involving yourselves in their lives.
=esus does not meet the e$pectations of his contemporaries for "hat the coming
#ing "ill loo# li#e. )o, "ho is he. =esus poses this very -uestion to his follo"ers. Ceter
ans"ers in faith( &<ou are the ,hrist, anointed #ing, the )on of the living God /?att.
15(153. *ndeed, his follo"ers believe =esus is present to reveal "ho God is and "hat He is
doing to recover the "orld.
But the ma%ority of =esus fello" =e"s do not recognise him. Apposition to his
"or# mounts until they arrest him, put him on a moc# trial, and ta#e him to the Eoman
governor for e$ecution. =esus is handed over to suffer the most appalling of all deaths
Eoman crucifi$ion. )urely no #ing "ould die such a disgraceful deathJ <et his follo"ers
declare "ee#s later that it is at that very momentin the shame and pain of the cross
that God accomplishes his plan to recover his lost and bro#en "orld. Here =esus ta#es
the sin and bro#enness of the "orld on himself so that the "orld might be healed. He
dies, nailed to a cross, to ta#e the punishment that a guilty humanity rightly deserves. *t
is no" possible for the "orld, and all people in it, to be made right "ith God.
Ho" can his follo"ers ma#e such a preposterous claim. Because of the
resurrectionJ They believe =esus "al#ed out of the grave and is alive from the dead.
:hat astonishing ne"sJ ?any people, even a cro"d of 2BB, see =esus alive. His
resurrection is the sign of his victory over evil' it is the first evidence of a ne" "orld
da"ning. But before that ne" "orld comes fully =esus gathers his follo"ers and gives
them a tas#( &<ou are to continue doing "hat you sa" me doing /=ohn 7B(713. &<ou are
to ma#e #no"n Gods coming rule in your lives, your deeds and your "ords. Gods ne"
"orld "ill come in time. :hen that happens, everything that resists that rule "ill be
destroyed. But until then, announce its coming and sho" by the "ay you live that it is a
reality. * limited my "or#, =esus says, &to *srael. 4o" you are to spread this good ne"s of
Gods coming "orld through the "hole "orld. After these instructions =esus ta#es his
rightful throne, in heaven at the right hand of God.
ACT FI)E: SPREADING THE NEWS OF THE KINGDOM (THE CH'RCH*S
MISSION)
Scene One: Fro+ ,er-.%le+ o Ro+e
The boo# of Acts begins "ith the sudden and e$plosive coming of the Holy )pirit,
"hose coming the prophets and =esus, himself, had promised /Acts 73. He comes, intent
on bringing the ne" life of Gods #ingdom to all "ho turn from sin, believe rene"al has
come in =esus, and are baptised into the emerging #ingdom community. This ne"
community is established and commits itself to doing those things that God promises to
use to rene" in them the life of the resurrection( the :ord of God, prayer, fello"ship
"ith one another, and the 8ords )upper /Acts 7(;73. As they do this, the life of Gods
#ingdom more and more sho"s itself in =erusalem, and the church begins to gro". The
church spreads from =erusalem to =udea and into )amaria. Then a ne" centre is
established in Antioch /Acts 11(19+763. Here too, =esus follo"ers embody the life of the
#ingdom, li#e the =erusalem community does. But the church at Antioch also catches a
vision for ta#ing this good ne"s to places "here it has not been heard. And so they
commission t"o men, Caul and Barnabas, for this tas# /Acts 10(1+03.
Caul plays the biggest role in the spread of the good ne"s throughout the Eoman
Empire. He "as once a militant enemy of the church, but a dramatic encounter "ith
=esus turns him into a leading missionary to the non+=e"ish "orld. An three separate
%ourneys he travels throughout the Eoman Empire establishing churches. He "rites
thirteen letters to these ne"ly founded churches to encourage them and instruct them
about ho" to live as follo"ers of the risen =esus. These letters, along "ith others,
eventually are collected into the 4e" Testament. Each of these letters continues today,
in the t"enty+first century, to give valuable instruction on "hat to believe about the good
ne"s and ho" to live faithfully under Gods rule in our daily lives.
Getting bac# to Acts, Caul is finally arrested and shuffled from one official to
another, from one hearing to the ne$t. The boo# of Acts ends "ith Caul being
transported to Eome and living there under house arrest. 4ot a very satisfying ending to
a dramatic story of the spread of the gospelJ But Acts ends "ithout finality for a reason.
The story is not finished. *t must continue to unfold until =esus returns again.
Scene T$o: An& Ino !e En"re Worl&
This is our place in the storyJ The story of Gods people, gro"ing in numbers and
gathering from every nation into one community, has continued for 7BBB years, and it
continues today. Any "ho hear the call of =esus to follo" him must centre their lives in
him and commit themselves to living the life of Gods #ingdom. >aith in =esus brings the
gift of the )pirit, a foretaste of the full #ingdom meal that is yet to come. To use a
different metaphor, the church is no" a previe" of the coming #ingdom. The church
pic#s up *sraels tas# of being a sho"case of "hat God intends for human life /E$. 19(0+
5' cf. 1 Cet. 7(9+173. The church is to continue the #ingdom mission that =esus began
among the =e"s, a #ingdom established no" among all the people of the earth. The
church today is guided by the stories of the church in Acts as it faces ne" and very
different conte$ts for its mission. The mission of Gods people is to ma#e #no"n the
good ne"s of the #ingdom. This is "hat gives the contemporary time period its meaning.
And since the rule of =esus covers the "hole earth, the mission of Gods people is as
broad as creation. *n effect, Gods people are to live lives that say, &This is ho" the "hole
"orld "ill be some day "hen =esus returnsJ
ACT SI/: THE RET'RN OF THE KING (REDEMPTION COMPLETED)
=esus promised that one day he "ould return and complete the "or# he had
begun. And so his people live in the confident e$pectation that every challenge to his
loving rule "ill be crushed and that the His #ingdom "ill come fully. :hen he returns,
the dead "ill be raised and all people "ill appear before him in %udgement. Gods
opponents "ill be overthro"n, earth and heaven "ill be rene"ed, and Gods rule "ill be
complete.
The last boo# in the Bible is Eevelation. *n that boo# =ohn is ushered into Gods
throne room to see ho" things really are. He is sho"n that, "hatever evidence e$ists to
the contrary, =esus, "hom the church follo"s, is in control of "orld events. He is moving
history to"ard its appointed end. At that end, the old "orld dominated by evil, pain,
suffering, and death "ill be overthro"n. God "ill again d"ell among humanity as He did
in the beginning. He "ill "ipe a"ay tears. There "ill be no more death, mourning, pain,
suffering, or evil. :ith %oy, those of us "ho have follo"ed this story anticipate hearing
Gods o"n voice( &* am ma#ing everything ne"J /Eev. 71(23 The marvellous imagery of
the last chapters of Eevelation directs the readers gaDe to the end of history and to the
restoration of the "hole of Gods creation. He invites all the thirsty to come even no"
and to drin# the "aters of life but "arns all those "ho remain outside the #ingdom. The
Bible ends "ith a promise repeated three times&* am coming soon /Eev. 77(@, 17, 7B3.
And "e echo the response of the author of Eevelation( &<esJ ,ome 8ord =esus.