God created the heavens and the earth.  He created all of the things that we can see today in the Universe [ Genesis 1:1 ].  Once God had created plants and animals, last of all he made people.  People are different, since God made them in his image [ Genesis 1:26 ].  He placed the first man called Adam in a wonderful garden with many different plants to eat from.  He also gave him an instruction not to eat from one plant [ Genesis 2:16-17 ].  This proved to be too difficult for Adam.

God made Adam a wife, who he was delighted with.  One day, Satan came into the garden in the body of a snake [ Genesis 3:1 ].  He approached Adam’s wife, rather than Adam and challenged God’s clear instructions.  Satan lied to the woman, who believed him [ Genesis 3:4 ].  Her husband stayed silent and accepted the fruit that he should not have eaten.  In a moment, the man and women knew that they had sinned against God [ Genesis 3:7-8 ].

God in his grace called to Adam [ Genesis 3:9 ].  Adam blamed his wife and God for making her.  The woman blamed the snake and all were lost.  Then came God’s grace,  God promised to send one son from Adam’s wife to crush Satan and destroy him [ Genesis 3:15 ].  Adam called his wife Eve, because in God’s grace she is the mother of the living.  Then God killed some animals, clothed the people and drove them out from his presence [ Genesis 3:24 ].

Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel.  Abel offered the best to God, but his brother just brought what he had [ Genesis 4:3-4 ].  Cain hated Abel, since God had accepted Abel’s sacrifice.  Cain killed Abel.  The Lord drove Cain away, but the woman had another son Seth.  As more and more people were born, they turned away from God until the wickedness of the people caused God to act [ Genesis 6:5 ].

There was one person that still followed God, his name was Noah [ Genesis 6:9-10 ].  God instructed Noah to build an enormous boat, in which God would save Noah, Noah’s family and some of the animals.  Noah followed God’s instructions and built the boat.  God sent the animals to Noah.  Then God shut the door of the boat and sent rain and water upon the Earth.  After everyone else had drowned [ Genesis 7:21 ], God brought Noah and the people with him to safety [ Genesis 8:1-3 ].

Noah’s children had more children and the people spread out across the land.  However, they were quick to fall away from following God and built a tower to challenge God [ Genesis 11:1-9 ].  In his grace, God did not destroy them, but confused their language.  The people were scattered and many years past.

Then one day, God called to Abram [ Genesis 12:1 ].  Abram lived in Ur of the Chaldeans to the East of the land of Canaan.  God called Abram and his father Terah to leave their home and travel West towards the land of Canaan [ Genesis 11:31 ].  They travelled as far as Haran, where Terah died.  Then God called Abram into the land of Canaan, a land that was foreign to him.  God promised to bless Abram [ Genesis 12:2-3 ], such that all the families of the Earth would be blessed through him.  He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, since Abraham would be the father of a multitude [ Genesis 17:5 ].

Abraham had a son called Issac.  Issac had two children, Esau and Jacob.  God chose Jacob, rather than his older brother [ Genesis 25:23 ].  The blessing that God had given to Abraham rested on Jacob.  God wrestled with Jacob and changed his name to Israel.  Jacob had twelve sons, who lived with him in the land of Canaan.  However, Jacob loved his son Joseph more than the rest of his children [ Genesis 37:3 ].

Jacob’s other sons hated their brother Joseph.  Therefore, they sold him as a slave [ Genesis 37:28 ].  He was taken away into Egypt and thrown into jail.  God taught Joseph and redeemed him.  He make him the ruler over Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.  When a famine came upon the land of Canaan, Jacob’s sons went to Egypt to look for food.  Joseph saved them and their father, knowing that it was God’s plan [ Genesis 50:20 ].

The people of Israel lived in Egypt for 400 years [ Genesis 15:13 ].  Finally, there arose another king that did not recognise what Joseph had done for the Egyptians [ Exodus 1:8 ].  He was scared of the Israelites, because they were now a great nation.  Therefore, he punished them and tried to destroy them.  God heard their cries [ Exodus 2:24 ] and sent Moses to lead them out of Egypt, but the Egyptian Pharaoh would not let them go.

God send ten plagues upon the Egyptians, until they gave their riches to the people of Israel and sent them away [ Exodus 12:35-36 ].  God brought the people through the wilderness and into the land of Canaan.  While in the wilderness, God gave the law to his people by communicating with Moses his servant [ Exodus 19:20 ].  However, the people were stiff necked and quickly sinned against God [ Exodus 32:9 ].

When the people finally reached the land of Canaan, God allowed Moses to see the land from the top of a mountain opposite it [ Deuteronomy 34:4 ].  Then Moses died and Joshua took over.  At God’s command, Joshua led the people across the river Jordan and into the city of Jericho [ Joshua 6:2 ].  God delivered his people and gave them victory.

Once Joshua died, the people quickly turned away from God and did what they thought best [ Judges 2:12 ].  Therefore, God sent other armies and raiders to attack his people [ Judges 2:14 ], until they called out to him for help.  God sent a judge to rescue his people, but they forgot him as soon as the judge died [ Judges 2:19 ].  This cycle continued until Samson.  The people did not help, but Samson died to save his people [ Judges 16:30 ].  Finally, God sent Samuel to judge his people [ 1 Samuel 1:24 ].

The people cried out for a king and rejected God once more [ 1 Samuel 8:5 ].  Therefore, God told Samuel to anoint Saul as king [ 1 Samuel 9:17 ].  Saul looked like a king, but was a coward.  He failed to follow the Lord’s instructions and was afraid of the people.  Therefore, God rejected Saul [ 1 Samuel 15:11 ] and sent Samuel to find David [ 1 Samuel 16:1 ].  David was anointed as king and reigned after Saul was killed in battle [ 2 Samuel 5:3 ].

King David listened to the Lord [ 1 Kings 3:14 ].  God chose David’s son Solomon to rule after David [ 2 Samuel 12:24, 1 Kings 1:13 ].  Solomon started well by asking God for wisdom [ 1 Kings 3:9 ], but married many different foreign women [ 1 Kings 11:3 ].  Solomon built altars for his wives and caused the people of Israel to worship other gods [ 1 Kings 11:7 ].  When Solomon died, God tore Israel in two.  He gave the North to Jeroboam and the South to Solomon’s son Rehoboam [1 Kings 12:16 ].

Over the years, the Northern kingdom of Israel quickly turned away from God.  God sent many prophets to them to challenge the king to repent.  However, they did not listen.  Therefore, God finally sent the Assyrian’s to take away the Northern kingdom [ Isaiah 8:4, Isaiah 8:7 ].  The Assyrian army reached Jerusalem in the Southern kingdom, but God delivered Hezekiah and the people with him [ 2 Kings 19:16, 2 Kings 19:35 ].

The people of the Southern kingdom did not learn from the judgement of the North or the prophets that God sent to warn them [ Jeremiah 3:8 ].  They continued to sin against God, until God sent the Babylonians to attack Jerusalem [ Ezekiel 23:28-29, 2 Kings 25:1 ].  Unlike the people of the North, the people of Judah were not completely destroyed and scattered [ 2 Kings 19:31 ].  God promised to bring them back into the land [ Jeremiah 27:22 ].

The Medes and the Persians conquered the Babylonians.  Then God caused the Persian kings to send his people back to the land [ Ezra 1:1 ].  First, some were sent to rebuild the temple building that had been destroyed by the Babylonians [ Ezra 1:3 ].  Then more were sent to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem [ Nehemiah 2:5 ].  However, the heir to the throne did not rule in Jerusalem and the glory of the Lord did not return to the new temple.

After four hundred years had passed, with no prophets providing the people with guidance, Jesus was born in Bethlehem [ Luke 2:4-5 ].  Most of his people did not welcome him and he was born in a stable [ Luke 2:12 ].  God was pleased with his Son [ Matthew 3:17 ].  Jesus came preaching about the kingdom of God [ Mark 1:15 ] and healing many people [ Mark 1:34 ].  He fed the people in the wilderness [ John 6:10-11 ] and walked on water [ John 6:19 ].  He cast out demons [ Mark 5:7 ] and raised the dead [ Mark 5:41-42 ].

Jesus followed the Father’s plan [ Matthew 26:39 ].  He is the son that was promised to Eve and unlike Adam he did not fail [ Matthew 4:1-11 ].  He was nailed to a cross and died, to save all those that believe in him [ John 3:14-16, John 19:18 ].  However, Jesus did not stay dead [ Matthew 28:5-6 ] .  Instead, he rose as he promised he would.  He ate with his disciples and was seen by many others [ Luke 24:40-41 ], before he returned to the Father [ Luke 24:51 ].

Jesus’ disciples were together and waited for the Holy Spirit to come [ Acts 1:4-5 ].  The Spirit came upon them and gave them boldness and understanding [ Acts 2:17 ].  They preached to many how Jesus had died and was raised, such that others could be saved [ Acts 2:38 ].  The Church grew and salvation in Jesus was accepted by many [ Acts 2:41 ].

God found others and caused them to repent from their sins.  He found Saul and made him blind [ Acts 9:4-5 ].  He taught him the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ and sent Paul out with others to proclaim the gospel [ Acts 9:15 ].  The apostles teaching spread across the world and the church grew.

Now we are waiting for Jesus to return and take his people home [ Revelation 1:5-7 ].  We are looking forward to the time when he will reign over the heavens and the Earth [ Psalm 110:1 ].  Before Jesus returns, there is still time to repent from sins and find salvation in the Son.