Biblical Timeline
Key events from Creation to the Early Church
The Patriarchs
~2000-1700 BCE
Call of Abraham
God called Abram to leave Ur of the Chaldeans and go to the land He would show him, promising to make him a great nation and bless all families of the earth through him. This covenant is foundational to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Abraham Offers Isaac
God tested Abraham by commanding him to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah. At the last moment, God provided a ram as a substitute. This event prefigures the sacrifice of Christ in Christian theology.
Jacob's Family Enters Egypt
Jacob (Israel) and his entire family of 70 persons moved to Egypt during a severe famine, settling in the land of Goshen at the invitation of Joseph, who had risen to become Pharaoh's second-in-command.
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone from heaven after Abraham interceded and God agreed to spare the cities if even ten righteous people could be found there. Lot and his two daughters escaped. Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Jesus later referenced this destruction as a warning (Luke 17:29).
Jacob Wrestles with God — Named Israel
On the night before meeting his brother Esau, Jacob wrestled with a man until daybreak. The man touched Jacob's hip socket, putting it out of joint, but Jacob refused to let go without a blessing. The man said: 'Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.' The name Israel means 'he struggles with God.'
Joseph Sold into Slavery by His Brothers
Joseph's brothers, jealous of their father's favoritism and Joseph's prophetic dreams, sold him to Midianite traders for twenty pieces of silver. They dipped his coat of many colors in goat's blood and told Jacob his son was dead. Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Joseph later said to his brothers: 'ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good' (Genesis 50:20).
Joseph Rises to Power in Egypt
After years of imprisonment on false charges, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams of seven fat and seven lean cows, predicting seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh appointed Joseph as second-in-command over all Egypt at age 30. Joseph's administration saved Egypt and the surrounding nations — including his own family — from starvation.
7 events · Sources: Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts