The Short Bible: A Chronological Summary of the Old and New Testaments

By Peter J. Bylsma

The Bible is widely considered to be the most profound collection of books in all of history, and it includes messages and stories that are still referenced today in the secular world. But it’s long, complicated, hard to read, and not organized in chronological order.

In The Short Bible, author Dr. Peter Bylsma offers basic facts about the Bible, discusses the development of the modern Bible, and reviews its themes. He summarizes all the books of the Old and New Testaments in 25 short, easy-to-read chapters, capturing the epic stories, characters, and main ideas. Structured like a modern book, it also includes historical and geographical facts to help clarify the context of the events.

The Short Bible is appropriate for those who are already familiar with the Bible, those who want to better understand its overall themes, and those who simply want to know the fascinating stories and messages of the most read book of all time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664239166

Peter J. Bylsma

Peter J. Bylsma earned a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College (IL) and a master's in public administration and doctorate in education leadership and policy from the University of Washington (Seattle). Dr. Bylsma served 10 years in Christian agencies before working 30 years in government positions at international, federal, state, and local levels. He has reserached many topics in an objective and nonpartisan manner and summarized the issues for busy leaders. He's lived in seven states and four other countries. Bylsma now lives with his wife in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

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Copyright © 2021 Peter J. Bylsma.

The Short Bible™

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Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

Maps created by David C. Hoerlein

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3914-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3915-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3916-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021913332

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/02/2023

CONTENTS

Preface

Essential Overview

Part 1: The Old Testament

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter 2: Jacob Returns to Canaan

Chapter 3: Life in Egypt

Chapter 4: The Israelites Leave Egypt

Chapter 5: Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 6: The Occupation of Canaan

Chapter 7: Israel Struggles in Canaan

Chapter 8: Crowning a Unifying King

Chapter 9: King David and King Solomon

Chapter 10: The Divided Kingdom

Chapter 11: Both Kingdoms Fall

Chapter 12: Life in Exile, Then Restoration

Chapter 13: Biblical Poetry

Chapter 14: Unique Books in the Old Testament

Part 2: The New Testament

Chapter 15: The Messiah Arrives

Chapter 16: Acts of Jesus

Chapter 17: Teachings of Jesus

Chapter 18: Arrest, Trial, and Execution

Chapter 19: Life After Death

Chapter 20: The Apostles Respond and Scatter

Chapter 21: Paul’s Travels

Chapter 22: From Jerusalem to Rome

Chapter 23: Paul’s Letters to Believers

Chapter 24: Other Letters to Believers

Chapter 25: Predictions About the Future

Epilogue

Author’s Perspective

Appendixes

Appendix A: Books in the Bible

Appendix B: Chronology of Main Biblical Characters and Events

Appendix C: Suggestions for Further Reading

Appendix D: Index/Glossary

Appendix E: Scripture References

Appendix F: Alignment with Bible Books

Appendix G: Maps

This book is

dedicated to Aaron, Erica,

Kevin, Peter, Skylar, and Naomi.

May this book help you understand and love the world better.

I love all of you!

PREFACE

In the spring of 2020, I was getting ready to retire from my ninth career. I was starting to shelter in place for an unknown amount of time until the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic subsided. My planned trips had been canceled, and I still wanted to make a difference—I still had a lot of gas in my tank, and I didn’t want to waste a crisis.

Severe economic troubles accompanied the COVID lockdown, and political tensions in the United States increased as a controversial president sought reelection and the Black Lives Matter movement blossomed. Bad news, pessimism, cynicism, and angst abounded; good news, optimism, empathy, and hope were hard to find. In an age of abundant information, the truth had become relative and arbitrary.

I had lived an unusual life and wondered how I could use my life experiences for good purposes while waiting for life to become somewhat normal again.

o I had been a student of the Bible for more than 50 years but still felt I didn’t understand how parts of it fit into the overall story. It was as if the Bible stories I heard as a child were random pieces of a puzzle that couldn’t be put into their proper places until I could see the picture on the box. As a Christian, I had focused my studies on the New Testament and had spent 10 years working in different types of ministry, including several with disenfranchised populations (those experiencing homelessness and refugee status in the Unites States and in less-developed countries). I had benefitted from having two parents who served their entire lives in various types of ministry. I had heard thousands of sermons and had taken Bible classes at Wheaton College. I knew many people who served God in some way, and I had experienced a number of miracles myself and witnessed them in many others.

o I had spent more than 30 years working in various nonpartisan public-sector organizations at the international, national, state, and local levels. Much of that work involved researching complex organizational and societal problems and summarizing the issues and possible solutions in reports written in a linear and logical manner and using language that was easy to understand. Through training in graduate school and at work, I had learned to write concisely and objectively using a style geared for busy people who needed to grasp the issues quickly and make decisions about what to do next based on available evidence.

o I was a world citizen and aware of many different cultures, languages, and religions. I lived in many states growing up, and as an adult, I had lived in four other countries. Two of them had large populations that were Buddhist, Muslim, or Hindu. My work had taken me to 20 countries, including Israel and Turkey. I served the government overseas with diplomatic status and several top-secret clearances, taught world geography and world history at the secondary level, and took courses related to international affairs and economic development in graduate school.

o I had an unusual family. I had adopted three children who each faced significant challenges in their lives. I was in my second marriage and adopted a grown stepson who was an atheist with no interest in anything involving religion.

With all these experiences in mind, a thought popped into my head: Maybe I should summarize the Bible. If nothing else, I will understand it better. The Bible is a very long and complicated collection of books that was not organized in chronological order. Understanding it is a challenge, and I thought a shorter version that summarizes the key events and characters in historical order might help me and others understand it better—less is more.

I didn’t know how long it would take. I would first need to understand all of the Bible’s messages and then decide what parts were essential and what could be omitted. Although it was all important in some way, certain parts were more central to the messages than others. It was a wild idea, but I kept thinking about it. Every word would need to count, and I had the time.

I had two reservations about writing such a book. I first thought, Do we really need another book about the Bible? There are already thousands of books about its parts and implications and many different translations and paraphrases of its contents. I realized this was a symptom of the problem: the Bible is so long and complicated that many books have been written to explain all its intricate meanings.

After searching what had been written, I was surprised to find that no summary existed that laid out the entire set of books in a logical sequence while explaining all the key messages. Some books came close but left out major parts of the content, and these books were still quite long and written for a Christian audience. I wanted my book to be relatively short but still include the essential messages. I also wanted to write in a way that non-Christians would find appealing—more like a novel that could be read in a few days. After all, the Bible is widely considered to be the most profound collection of books in all of history, and it includes messages and stories that are still referenced today in the secular world. While there are more Bibles in print than any other book in history, many who own a copy have not read it because it’s very long and confusing. Many others have not read any part of the Bible because they aren’t interested in religious issues, and many have only read parts of it. I’ve been surprised at how many people have never heard the timeless stories of David and Goliath, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan or know little about some of the Bible’s key characters. And if they know about the stories, they often don’t know the context or essential meanings. I figured any educated person should at least know the basic stories and messages of the Bible, and a shorter book would help accomplish that purpose.

Once I realized there was a need for such a book, my second reservation was a concern about my ability to summarize the Bible accurately. Many others were much more qualified than I was to write a summary. Some can read the original texts in Hebrew and Greek, and many have devoted their entire careers to conveying its teaching to those who attend churches and faith-based institutions. What if I were to miss the point of an essential message or leave out an important point altogether? But as a confident optimist, I decided to try and see how it would all unfold. I could stop at any time if it became obvious it was too difficult or time-consuming.

With these reservations in mind, I sought input from others. I started by talking to my father for two hours as we waited in the emergency room of the Kirkland hospital that had the first COVID deaths in the country. I talked with people from my church about what they thought were the Bible’s essential messages. I mentioned my idea to others, and everybody was enthusiastic and wanted to read it when I was finished. Many who wanted to read the entire Bible had not been able to finish it because it was so long and complicated in places and they didn’t have the time. Friends who had spent many years sharing the Bible’s stories in other countries said a summary with the essential events and messages in chronological order would be helpful in their work.

With this encouragement, I plunged in and started reading Genesis to see how the process would unfold. I surrounded myself with my college textbooks and various commentaries and study Bibles that I had collected over the years.

I soon faced a number of challenges.

1. I had to decide how to handle accounts for which there were no possible eyewitness accounts but that described events as if the author was present. In some cases, the accounts were not meant to be taken literally. The seven days of creation is an example.

2. Some events were described very briefly and were somewhat peripheral to the main messages (e.g., the Tower of Babel). What should I do with these passages?

3. Key details were missing from some of the stories. Where was Ur, and how far did Abram travel on his way to Canaan? Those who lived at that time knew the answer, but today’s reader doesn’t know these details. I felt the reader needed to understand the geography and context of the stories, especially when the places mentioned no longer exist or use different names in modern times.

4. I found conflicting accounts about the same event, and I had to find a way to describe an event accurately. For example, two different descriptions were given about how Judas Iscariot died. (I decided to write that he committed suicide; how it occurred was not a crucial detail.) The gospels also have different accounts of Jesus’s encounter with a demon-possessed man in the Gerasene region: was it one man or were there two men?

5. I had to determine which translation from the original Hebrew and Greek to use. On one website, I found 60 versions available in English, and each was slightly different. I accessed the text online and examined various translations, and then I simplified and paraphrased the text so the book would be shorter and easier to understand. I used several study Bibles but relied mainly on the New International Version (NIV) as the initial version from which my summary started. The First-Century Study Bible, New International Version (Zondervan, 2014) was especially helpful. (Appendix E lists the paraphrased scripture verses that I quote in this book.)

After writing a few chapters, I invited others to read the draft to get their reaction. I wanted to know if I was on the right track, if my writing was clear and logically sequenced as well as accurate and easy to read, and if I had left out anything that was important. Thus, the writing process was iterative as I added and changed words and explained the context to add richness to the narrative.

The only resistance I experienced was something that proved to me that I was doing something good. As I researched and wrote, I was sometimes distracted by what I believe were evil forces that seemed determined to slow my progress. Yet I felt God’s encouragement and protection as I wrote. In fact, my state of mind was like a continual prayer as good ideas popped into my mind about what I should include or change as I quietly meditated alone while performing routine chores.

I read, researched, wrote, and revised over an 8-month period while keeping multiple audiences in mind. I wanted Christians who have never read the entire Bible to read this summary to help them understand how all the main messages tie together. Those who had already read the Bible would also benefit from reading a shorter version; I gained new insights and learned new things while connecting the pieces of the puzzle. I also wrote for those who simply want to read an interesting book that has important messages about life. I tried keeping the text free of religious jargon and excessive wording, similar to how a journalist would report events and relevant quotes along the way. I hoped educated atheists and agnostics, the curious, and those who have never heard or read any of the stories would read the book. I believe that those who disagree with the Bible’s messages should at least understand its key points and events before rejecting it outright—it’s not wise to draw conclusions about the forest by examining just a few trees.

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I could not have written this book without the support and advice of many others. My parents, Bud and Patti, have provided valuable insights into the scriptures through my entire life, and they continued providing input by reviewing drafts of the chapters. I asked many others to read parts of the book and provide feedback about its readability and accuracy. I’m thankful for Belinda Kelly and Karen Banks, who caught numerous typos, cited the need for further details and provided helpful feedback and ideas about the content. I’m grateful for the encouragement of various members of the We’re Still Here group from Eastlake Community Church, an unconventional post-evangelical gathering of believers and searchers who have challenged my thinking and faith. I’m thankful that my wife Noreen was very patient with me as I spent time researching, writing, and revising during a time we had set aside to travel together. She provided me with just the right kind of support and feedback on the book that I needed. I am also thankful for Kurt Campbell, Peter Gadd, Anne Lider, Sue Nienaber, Earl and Shirley Palmer, Rich Perdue, Jeanne Smith, and Judy Steele who provided comments about the book. I’m also grateful for Dave Hoerlein, who created the maps that appear in Appendix F, and for JoAnna Weeks, who helped create and manage the websites related to this book and its other versions.

Finally, I’m thankful to God for the blessings and protection I have received all my life. When hard times have come my way, God has used them to develop my character and empathy for others. Subtle and periodic reminders in times of crises have assured me that God has my back, so there is no reason for me to worry or be afraid. Having been blessed so greatly, I want to bless others, so I will donate nearly all the royalties I receive from the sale of this book through the Bylsma Foundation to nonprofit organizations that help people in need, promote justice in the world, seek and spread the truth, help others understand the stories and meanings of the Bible, and encourage those who need good news.

ESSENTIAL OVERVIEW

BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE

The Holy Bible is a collection of ancient documents written by many authors over nearly 2,000 years. When combined together, the 66 books in this small library would total about 2,000 pages in a typical 21st-century book. In this context, the Bible means the authoritative set of little books, and its content is called scripture, which means something written. Some of the books are quite long; others are only a few paragraphs. Centuries after the documents were written, they were divided into chapters and verses so readers could find specific texts more easily. Unlike modern books, chapters are rarely more than one page long, and sometimes these divisions do not occur in logical places (there are more than 1,100 chapters in the entire Bible).

Almost all the authors were Jewish, and nearly all the books were written in Hebrew or Aramaic, then translated into Greek. All the known authors were men, and some books had more than one author. The authors had their own styles, which reflected various literature genres.

The Bible has two parts. The Old Testament has 39 books and spans about 1,500 years of history of God’s people (the Israelites). The New Testament has 27 books and covers events in the first century AD in Palestine and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean region. The two parts are also called the Old Covenant and New Covenant. A period of 400 years separates the events described in the Old and New Testaments.¹ (The names of the books are found in Appendix A.)

Development of the Modern Bible

The New Testament books were all written during a 50-year period in the first century (AD 45–95) to describe the main events and teachings related to Jesus and his initial followers. The authors usually described the events and ideas to a writing secretary who was sometimes given latitude to put the author’s ideas into their own words. The words were initially recorded on papyrus, and more durable materials like sheepskin were used later. The original documents were copied by others so more people could read them. As demand for the documents increased, many copies were made, and sometimes those producing the copies made minor errors and clarifications along the way, which were then copied by others. Some authors read the original books and corrected misunderstandings that had been recorded earlier. Thus, there are slightly different accounts of some events. None of the original documents have been recovered.

Other documents were written about the life of Jesus and his followers in the next few centuries. Some people wrote using false names in order to create an air of legitimacy for their documents. In the late fourth century, all the available documents were reviewed and discussed by church leaders at the Council of Carthage. There were disagreements about which documents should be considered divinely inspired and authoritative. The church leaders decided on a final list based on certain criteria, and the final set of documents was known as the canon. The books were then organized in their present order and translated into Latin.

Various versions of the books have been written over the centuries. The earliest translations did not reflect insights learned from later discoveries about the meanings of the original Greek and Hebrew words. The earliest English version was created in the early 1600s by religious scholars working for King James of England. That began the creation of translations into other languages. Archeological findings in the past 150 years have added further insights into the meaning of the books, and many more translations and versions of the Bible have emerged based on these insights. More recently, paraphrased versions have been written to make the text more easily understood by those living in modern times and in different cultures. Appendix C has information about resources that provide more details about the Bible and about several helpful translations.

CONTENTS OF THE BIBLE

The books of the Bible reflect various types of literature. These include heroic and embellished narratives, historical accounts, legal presentations, biographies, poetry and songs, genealogies and census information, wisdom literature and proverbs, collections of short stories, parables, inspirational letters, and highly symbolic predictions about the future.

The Bible’s content often lacks details that the reader might want to know, which makes the stories subject to much interpretation and can create doubt about their authenticity. In contrast, some sections include many details. The contents are not presented in sequential order, making it difficult to get a comprehensive view of some of the main events and ideas. Since most of the writings occurred in an agrarian culture, there are many references and metaphors using common items at that time (e.g., sheep, goats, soil, seeds, water, wheat, fish, vineyards, the desert, and wilderness). The stories are often rich in symbolism, and dialogue is mixed in with a narration provided by the authors.

The overall tone is somewhat somber and serious. There is little humor, romance, or fiction (some fictional stories were written to convey important messages). All the complexities of life appear in the writings: life and death, good and evil, guilt and forgiveness, justice and judgment, grace and mercy, love and hate, reason and emotions, individualism and community life, sibling rivalry, reflections of the past and visions of the future, patience and expediency, discipline and impulsiveness, power and servanthood, selfishness and sacrifice, health and sickness, trust and deception, sequential logic and paradox, idealism and realism. There are many tragedies and heroes, many disappointments and victories.

Main Themes

The collection of the writings in its entirety has a beginning that moves progressively to a conclusion. No one document tells the entire story, but together they build on many common themes. Despite their diversity, the documents all contribute to a plot that centers on the nature of God and the invisible conflict between the spiritual forces of good and evil in the world.

The plot includes a number of unifying themes that run from the beginning to the end.

o The world has two planes of reality—one that is physical and can be seen and measured, and another that is invisible, supernatural, and spiritual, that cannot be measured empirically.

o Invisible forces have unusual magical powers. Some forces have good and loving motives, but others have evil motives that destroy what is good.

o There is only one true and supreme force (God) that has different forms. Some people believe there are many gods, but these gods don’t have the characteristics or power of the true God.

o There is life after physical death, and the quality of one’s life after death depends on God’s decision regarding the life a person leads when they are alive. God’s forgiving and gracious nature gives hope that everyone has the possibility of entering some form of a heavenly afterlife.

o God is good, just, merciful, forgiving, loving, and gracious. God wants people to live life abundantly and gives people far more than what they deserve (grace). God’s mind can change from judgment to forgiveness and healing when hearing people’s earnest appeals (prayers).

o God chooses people to show the world how life and relationships should look on earth. At first, God worked through individuals and families, then through a special tribe of people (the Jews of Israel) that was chosen in one area of the world. An assortment of people provided special messages to this tribe to remind them how they should live. Eventually, people throughout the entire world were chosen to become God’s people. These people are to exhibit specific qualities that distinguish them from others—they are to be known by their love for others and by their provision of and advocacy for justice.

o God wants to maintain relationships with all people without regard to their actions, beliefs, gender, tribe, race, age, or birthplace, even when they don’t obey. The gradual increase in the revelation of God’s character and desires for the world reveals a movement from exclusiveness to inclusion.

o There are right and wrong ways to live, things to do and things to avoid. Obedience to God’s principles and guidance helps us through life’s struggles in a world filled with evil. Not following these principles may result in more severe struggles and separation from God. Great effort is needed for good to overcome evil, but with God’s help, personal transformation and change are possible, and good can prevail.

o God’s people often fall away from living the right way. As a result, they suffer the consequences of their disobedience, including a refining process that reduces their numbers and brings them much pain. But a remnant of God’s people always remains to continue the mission to communicate the loving nature of God and how we should live in harmony with God and each other.

o Some form of offering or sacrifice is needed to restore a broken relationship. Blood symbolizing life is sometimes used in the offerings and sacrifices to acknowledge that we have fallen short of expectations and that we must forego our interests to make matters right. However, these symbolic gestures are only outward expressions and don’t automatically communicate a changed heart. God looks for a changed heart that is shown by obeying God’s commands and treating others with justice, mercy, and love.

o Life is unpredictable and often unfair. Our plans are interrupted by unexpected events beyond our control. God challenges our lives, hearts, and priorities in unusual ways that change our direction. In a world that has both good and evil, everyone suffers. While many people get what they deserve, good people may suffer and evil people may thrive. Faithfulness to God and our response to our circumstances are what matter the most, especially during times of trial. God’s unlimited love, forgiveness, and grace are wonderful gifts to all people, even though we don’t deserve them.

o God is very concerned about justice and helping those who are disadvantaged. God is especially passionate about helping foreigners and the sick, poor, abandoned, despondent, and disenfranchised. Acts of service, compassion, and sacrifice for these groups provide evidence of a God-like disposition.

o A tension exists in how we live our lives on earth. We are not to conform to the ways of an ungodly world, but we are asked to serve others in that world. Some choose to separate themselves physically from anything that is ungodly while others live and work alongside those with other value systems while practicing godly principles. Each of these two forms of resistance and approaches to bring salt and light to the world has its own benefits and dangers.

o God’s principles and guidance often contradict prevailing earthly values and priorities. The paradoxes and counterintuitive nature of biblical teachings are at the heart of some of the more difficult actions God wants people to follow. For example, loving your enemy may not make sense, but it is required of those who follow God. Dependence on God and the faith community is more important than personal independence and self-sufficiency. Allegiance to God is more important than national patriotism and following cultural norms. Being a humble servant is more important than attaining power. The pursuit of happiness by any means other than being centered in God’s ways will not satisfy humans’ deepest needs.

Interpreting the Bible

Interpreting the writings can sometimes be a challenge. In some cases, the author or character in the story tells the audience the meaning of a story. At other times, the author just tells a story without describing its significance, probably because the audience at that time would understand the point being made. Hence, one needs to understand the historical context to understand the full meaning of some stories. Since the local context influenced what was written, specific guidance provided to people in one location at a particular time may not be appropriate to those living in other areas or times—the guidance may be cultural instructions rather than universal truths for all to always follow. Correct interpretations are generally those that are consistent with the main themes running through all the documents. It’s also important to understand the meaning of the words used, which might not be translated accurately into other languages. For example, the word love has several meanings, and idioms may be confusing to the modern reader. Thus, in-depth study is important to get the best interpretation of the writings.²

While the biblical writings tell the world about truths related to good and evil, not everything that was written is literally true. The various authors used different literary devices to convey essential meanings: allegories and metaphors, irony and hyperbole, satire and similes, parodies and parables. The authors used these devices to convey their messages, and their audiences usually knew they were meant to make a point rather than to be taken literally or report historical facts.

THE NATURE OF GOD

The Hebrew term God is a plural noun denoting a powerful force that has different forms, similar to how elements and compounds have different forms (solid, liquid, gas). The term Lord is used in the biblical writings as another word for God. The different terms for God were typically masculine pronouns (he, his, him) or the term Father. However, God is not a masculine deity and is neither male nor female. As a multidimensional force, God created both male and female humans in God’s own image, able to distinguish between right and wrong, possessing a soul, having self-consciousness and awareness of our surroundings, able to have meaningful relationships with God and others, and willing to love others in a sacrificial way.

God communicates with humans in many different ways.

1. The awesome beauty of the universe and its predictable cycles and laws of nature have inspired humans to see the planet and the worlds beyond as an orderly and beautiful creation that is not randomly designed.

2. God communicates by way of God’s Spirit form, which influences the human mind and emotions and provides direction to humans about their moral choices related to right and wrong.

3. When humans take time to listen and seek direction, communication can occur through divinely inspired insights and an inaudible small voice in the mind.

4. Sometimes communications are more direct—through dreams, visions, or messages from angels or holy strangers.

5. On rare occasions, God disrupts the normal laws of nature to intervene directly in human activities, and God sometimes intervenes using rare natural events at strategic times. These obvious deviations in how the world normally works as well as the timely coincidences are called miracles.

6. Sometimes humans themselves are inspired or possessed by the Spirit to speak the words of God to others in extraordinary and convincing ways.

7. Other believers can provide godly advice and rebuke others by using their spiritual gifts.

8. The Bible itself is available to study so we can learn about God’s ways long after the events occurred.³

9. Finally, God took on a human form and lived on earth, giving us the most concrete example of how we are to live and love one another.

Although the events of the books took place centuries ago, there is ample evidence that God has communicated with people in all these ways throughout history and even today.

God uses many different strategies and tactics to meet the overall goal of showing the world how to live and how God intervenes in human history. Many characters in the Bible speak for God, and some of them act and speak in unusual and bizarre ways. Different types of miracles occur. Punishment comes in different forms, sometimes in unexpected ways, including letting evil forces administer the punishment. While the intrinsic nature of God does not change, God’s methods are unpredictable and often changing.

ORGANIZATION AND CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK

Part 1 summarizes the Old Testament, with chapters 13 and 14 describing unique books that don’t fit into a chronological account. Part 2 summarizes the New Testament. A period of 400 years separates the events described in the Old and New Testaments, and chapter 15 provides information about what happened during this time.

This book provides a summary of many of the stories and lessons that are described in the biblical documents. Some parts are totally excluded because they are redundant or are peripheral to the main themes, and some parts are replicated entirely as they were written because they contribute to our understanding of the main themes. In order to make the events and ideas clear, this summary does not always follow the sequence in which they are revealed in the original documents, and nearly all the quoted sections are paraphrased or shortened. Also, this summary is augmented with archeological findings, historical and geographical facts, and other clarifications to explain the contexts and meanings of the stories. Readers of this summary may want to read the entire collection of the biblical writings, even if they have already done so, to get more details and insights about the themes and messages that run through the entire collection of books. (Appendix F lists the parts of the Bible that are summarized in each chapter.)

The other appendixes in this book provide a timeline of the key events that occurred, an index of key names and subjects, the sections of the Bible that are quoted, and maps to show where the main events took place. (The exact location of some of cities, geographical locations, and events are still debated by scholars.)

USING THIS BOOK

While this summary will help readers understand the main messages of the Bible, it should not be used to conduct in-depth Bible study; only the complete and unabridged documents themselves, along with commentaries that explain the documents, should be used for this purpose.

This book is not meant to be read to children or by children. The readability of its content (e.g., vocabulary, sentence structure, concepts) is appropriate for people who are at least 16 years old. Moreover, the concepts of the Bible are deep, and many of the events require emotional maturity. If the Bible were condensed into a movie or television series, it would be R-rated.

While reading this book, consider using a highlighter and/or pen to mark or note quotes, concepts, and stories that are especially important or meaningful.

PART ONE

THE OLD TESTAMENT

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1

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THE BEGINNING

THE CREATION, EVIL INFLUENCES,

AND THE INITIAL AGREEMENTS

B efore time began or anything existed, a cosmic and multidimensional God who had a number of qualities was present. God was all-powerful, existed everywhere, and knew everything. God’s character was entirely good, gracious, and merciful, with a creative and relational nature. Being alone, God first created other cosmic beings called angels who were meant to adore the creator and assist in God’s work. God continued creating—light out of the darkness, then a physical world composed of an extraordinary number of stars and planets. On one unique planet, God created waters and dry lands that eventually yielded living organisms—plants and animals on land and in the waters that were all self-sustaining. And everything was good.

But some of the angels envied God’s power and wanted it for themselves. They rebelled, causing a schism in the universe. All that was good now coexists with corrupted and deceptive forces that offer appealing alternatives. But this is a subtle deception: what is not good, just, and gracious ultimately produces pain and suffering and broken relationships—that is, it produces nothing that is good.

Despite the intrusion of evil, God continued creating. Its most important creation was the human, a unique being on the unique planet, who shared important qualities of God—creative, relational, and able to distinguish between right and wrong and to love unconditionally and sacrificially. The two human images of God, male and female, joined to each other so the species would be self-sustaining. God gave humans the entire planet and all its living things to enjoy. Humans were to care for the planet and obey certain rules to help them all be self-sustaining and maintain harmony. God believed all of this was very good.

At first, humans enjoyed an idyllic life on the planet. But at some point, the leading evil angel (an adversary called Satan) infiltrated their awareness, sowing seeds of doubt about how good life really was. Humans ended up believing the evil angel’s deceptions and violated one of the rules God had instructed them to follow. As a result of this disobedience, humans were infected with the invisible disease of sin that coexisted with their invisible nature of goodness. Evil brought with it pain and made life a struggle; it was no longer blissfully pleasant.

God was angry that Satan had corrupted