Romans is one of the more technical letters of the New Testament, almost a scholarly treatise on the nature of righteousness, salvation, and faith. But, it’s also framed in the form of a conversation. Paul anticipates and answers questions and objections that the reader will inevitably make to his core arguments. Keeping the “conversation” of Romans in mind can help us appreciate its message better.
The latter half of Acts centers on Paul’s mission work and eventual arrest and journey to Rome. I hope these maps will help you keep the flow of the story in your mind as you read.
One of the ways to think about the book of Hebrews is an exchange of better things between us and God. He gives us many better things through Christ, and he in turn deserves a better response from us than he received in the Old Testament.
As we transition out of the Gospels in our reading into the story of the early church in Acts, it can be helpful to be able to visualize what you are reading. Of course, you can find many versions of these kinds of maps online, but I hope these can be helpful to you.
Matthew focuses on the Jesus the Jew more than the other gospel writers, especially in the way that Jesus is the culmination of so much Old Testament Hebrew prophecy. While Jesus fulfills more prophecy than just the ones listed on this chart, these are some of the most explicit references in Matthew, along with some overarching prophetic themes.
Any Gospel parallels will be limited by John’s Gospel. A list of events common to Matthew, Mark, and Luke would be much longer than the following list. John acknowledges this (John 20:30-31), and by including John in our examination, we can dig toward the very core of the Gospel story. Even so, remember that everything mentioned by any of the gospels is important to the Christian message.
As we begin our read through the New Testament this year, I will begin to publish some charts that I hope will be helpful in placing what we read in context. First, an overview of the New Testament, and a map of locations in the gospels.
The return from Babylonian exile was not a single event, but rather a process that took place over the course of a century, during which time the temple and walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. I hope this timeline can help you situate the last part of the Old Testament story in its context.
The exilic writing of the Old Testament is some of the most powerfully applicable Old Testament Scripture to the modern reader. I am excited to arrive at them in our journey through the story of the Bible this year.
This was by far one of the most difficult charts/timelines to put together in our journey through the Bible this year. The Babylonian exile and eventual return serves as the backdrop for many Old Testament books. I hope this can give you a clearer overall picture of this momentous period of Biblical history.
Watts in the Word 