A Time Line for the Scriptures

My husband and I used family home evening to create a time line of scriptural events beginning with Adam and Eve. Then we added events from world history to give the children an overview of how these events fit together.

We started by teaching them about the seven 1,000-year periods described by the Lord in D&C 88:108–110. Then we made a book with seven pages, each page representing 1,000 years. We used the chronology in the Bible Dictionary to help us create a basic time line with approximate dates of the following key events: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; Enoch and his city; Noah and the Flood; the Tower of Babel; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Abrahamic covenant; Joseph taken captive into Egypt; Moses and the exodus of the children of Israel; Lehi’s exodus to the Americas; and the birth of Jesus Christ. We focused on these stories and dates until our children knew them well.

Next we added the story of Daniel and his interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (see Dan. 2:31–49). From this, our children learned about the civilizations of Babylon, Persia, Macedonia, Greece, and Rome. Against this historical background, we studied King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in detail and helped our children see that it was a prophecy of the coming forth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Then we moved our focus to American history and studied Nephi’s vision in 1 Nephi 13, the Apostasy, Christopher Columbus, the Reformation, the Pilgrims, and the Revolutionary War. Against this historical background, we helped our children see that these things helped prepare the way for the gospel to be restored on the earth.

We finished by studying Church history from 1820 to the present.

With this basic framework of scriptural events in place, we have found that our children are better prepared to place other events, scientists, explorers, composers, artists, and prophets where they belong on a time line.

Julie Proud, Bennion Heights Sixth Ward, Bennion Heights Utah Stake

Illustration by Beth Whittaker