12 Periods Of Salvation

I’m so excited to share what I learned from last night. I joined a group that was led by a
knowledgeable speaker. According to his studies, there are 12 periods in salvation history. It is
recommended that we read the bible according to the timeline so that we may better understand
the terms used in the bible. Some terms used in the bible were greatly significant to certain age in
biblical history but symbolical to another age. It’s best to analyze the practices during the olds times.

According to the speaker, there are 12 periods, namely :

Early World

Patriarchs

Egypt and Exodus

Desert Wanderings

Conquest and Judges

Royal Kingdom

Divided Kingdom

Exile

Return

Maccabean Revolt

Messianic Fulfillment
The Church

The Early World – starts with Creation, Adam and Eve’s original sin, followed by curses down the line,
with Cain killing Abel due to jealousy. Cain and Abel were his first sons from Eve, and Seth cam after
his brothers died. Seth was born when Adam was 130 years old, and Adam died at age 930. By then
he had bore several generations of children who became the first generations of people to walk on
the face of the earth. The Early Age period goes down Noah with the flood down to Shem, Japheth,
and Ham, his offsprings. Genesis 11 :10 records that Shem was 100 years old at the birth of
Arpachshad two years after the flood, making him 98 at the time of the flood ; and that he lived for
another 500 years after this, making his age at death 600 years. Included in this period is the era of
the Tower Of Babel, which was built by people out of insecurities about floods after the the great
flood. The ark was said to have landed in what we commonly known now as Turkey. The chapters to
all these can be found on Genesis 1-11. This was from creation –2000 BC.

The Patriarchs- starts with Abraham down to Sodom and Gomorah (city of sin), the blinding of Isaac,
Abraham’s covenant with God, to Jacob wrestling with an ange, and Jacob and his 12 sons (Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulion, Issachar, Dan, Napthali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin) who eventually
led 12 tribes for Jacob’s Israel.. The story continues on to Joseph, who was sold by his brothers as a
slave. Joseph eventually saved his family, when there was a famine. His family moved to
Egypt.Genesis 12-50 covers this period. This was 2000 BC – 1700 BC

Egypt and Exodus- this was the period of Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nashon, and brothers Aaron and
Moses down to Joshua. Important events during this period are :

400 years of slavery of Israelites in Egypt

The burning bush

10 plagues of Egypt

Exodus/1st Passover (1280 BC)

Red Sea

Manna
Covenant with Moses at Mount Sinai

The Golden Calf

The Levitical Priesthood

The Tabernacle

And the readings for these can be found on Exodus/Deuteronomy 29. This was 1700 BC – 1280 BC

Desert Wanderings- This was the time Israel was saved again. Highlights are the covenant in Moab,
the bronze serpent, Moses striking the rock, Aaron’s rod, and the 12 spies sent out. The book of
Numbers covers this. This was 1280 BC – 1240 BC.

Conquest and Judges- the time of Salmon, Rahab, Boaz, Ruth, Obed, and Jesse, and Samuel and Saul.
There are 12 judges of Israel, (Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Barak, Gideon, Tola, Jair,
Jepthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson) each oppresed by different races. Othniel liberated the Israeli
tribe of Judah from the Mesopotamians. Ethud from the tribe of Benjamin liberated his people from
the Moabites. Deborah and Barak liberated Ephraim and Nephtali from the Canaanites. Gideon from
Manasseh liberated his people from the Midianites. Jephtah from Gad liberated his people from the
Ammonites. And the most famous one of all being Samson, who led the Israelites from the tribe of
Dan against the Philistines.(now known as Palestinians)

The key events here are : Israel crosses Jordan, the fall of jericho, the covenant renewal, the northern
and southern campaigns, the tribal allotment, and Israel asking for a king. The readings that cover
these are the book of Joshua, Judges, and the early part of 1 Samuel. This was during 1240 BC- 1050
BC.

Royal Kingdom- this was a time of peace as David’s dynasty ruled Israel in peace. The key evets here
are David killing Goliath, (a Palestinian, or Philistine as written in the bible) the covenant of God with
David, the Ark moved to Jerusalem, and the 1st temple built in 961 BC . The readings can be found on
the rest of 1 Samuel, II Samuel, 1 Kings 1-11. This was during 1050 BC – 930 BC.
Salvation History

-Adapted from « Welcome to Our Church » by FaithCatholic.

Our story is humanity’s story, and begins before time was even measured. It is recorded in the Bible,
which simply means « book ». Jews and Christians share the first books of the Bible – for Christians,
they are called the Old Testament.

Creation

We believe that God created everything that exists – and that He created a universe that was good.
We call the first humans Adam (from the Hebrew meaning « man » or « mankind ») and Eve (from
the Hebrew meaning « source of life »). Adam and Eve’s fall from the grace of God is called original
sin.

Covenant with Abraham

We believe God formed a special relationship with His people. He made a covenant with Abraham
and his wife, Sarah, in which God promised numerous descendants and a land of their own – the
Promised Land. Although their story is fraught with crises, Abraham and Sarah do have a son, Isaac.
Isaac is the father of Jacob, whose name is Israel. It is Jacob’s 12 sons who become the famous
Twelve Tribes of Israel.

The Exodus and Moses

Like the Jewish people, we believe in God’s intervention in human history during the Exodus. This is
the event where the Hebrew people (Israelites), who were living as slaves in Egypt, were liberated.
God heard the cries of His people and called Moses to lead them to freedom.

Moses led the people through the desert, and during the journey, received the precepts for faithful
living that we call the Ten Commandments. Although Moses did not live to enter the Promised Land,
God called his deputy, Joshua, to lead the people and take over the land.

The Kings of Israel

During the time of the Judges, the Israelites kept asking for a king. Saul, by God’s favor, became the
first king. He was followed by David, who was known for his great leadership and for making
Jerusalem the center of worship. David’s successor, his youngest son, Solomon, was famous for his
wisdom and for building the Temple. Unfortunately, the kingdom was beset by trouble and was
divided in two – Israel and Judah.
Prophets

The period that followed is known as the time of the Prophets. Three of the major prophets are
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. These men called the people of Israel and Judah to repentence and
faith in God. Isaiah’s prophecies are particularly significant to Christians, since he foretold the coming
of the Messiah, who would be known by this sign : « A virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and
shall name him Immanuel. »

Jesus Christ

As foretold by Isaiah ; around the year 4 B.C., a baby was born more than 2,000 years ago in the town
of Bethlehem in Judea. He was named Jesus (from the Hebrew meaning « God saves »). From an
early age, Jesus, born both fully human and fully divine, displayed a very special relationship with
God, whom he referred to as Father. As an adult, Jesus made God’s Word come to life in the midst of
those with whom he lived. Jesus performed miracles, taught with parables, and befriended the
outcasts of society.

Jesus’ Suffering, Death, and Resurrection

At the Passover, Jesus ate the traditional seder with his disciples – He took the bread, blessed it and
broke it, saying, « Take and eat : this is my body. » He then took the chalice, gave thanks and shared
it, saying, « Drink from it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf
of the many for the forgiveness of sins. » This is the foundation of the Catholic sacrament of the
Eucharist, or Holy Communion.

The local leaders were threatened by Jesus and his ministry, and had Him arrested, tortured, and
crucified. Three days after He died, His tomb was found empty. He had risen from the dead.

Christ’s resurrection fulfills the Old Testament promises and shows that He is the Son of God and God
Himself. Christ’s death liberates us from sin, and his resurrection opens up new life for us in heaven.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might
not perish but might have eternal life. ~ John 3 :16

Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He appeared to his disciples and told them the Holy Spirit would
descend on them. Fifty days after Passover, on the Jewish feast of Pentecost, the disciples were filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues. Pentecost would become the birthday
of the Church.
The Early Church

The disciples, as they had been instructed by Jesus, went out to spread His Gospel message. They
found an adversary in Saul, whose mission was to destroy the new religion. But Saul had a life-
changing experience in which he heard the voice of God. He became Paul, a Christian and tireless
preacher. Paul, and many of the other disciples, was eventually put to death. But not before the new
faith had taken root in the hearts of people all over the known world.

Some Important People in Salvation History

Primeval History

Adam and Eve

Cain and Abel

Noah

Patriarchs

Abraham and Sarah

Isaac and Rebekah

Jacob, Leah, and Rachel

Joseph and his brothers

Egypt and the Exodus

Moses

Pharaoh

Miriam and Aaron

Settling the Promised Land

Joshua

Deborah

Gideon

Samson

Ruth

Kingdoms of Judah and Israel

Samuel

King Saul

King David
King Solomon

King Hezekiah

King Josiah

Elijah and Elisha

Amos

Hosea

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Exile and Return

Ezekiel

Ezra and Nehemiah

Esther

The Maccabees

Life of Jesus Christ

Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ

Mary of Nazareth

John the Baptist

Peter

Mary Magdalene

Early Christian Church

Peter

Paul

Barnabas

Timothy

Priscilla and Aquila