THE HISTORY OF SALVATION Salvation History the saving plan and action of God in time, the transition from

m Old Testament to the New Testament Bible - a compilation of sacred books written by various authors, in different times, and which contains the religious traditions of the people of Israel (Old testament) and of the first Christians (New Testament). Old Testament highlights Gods initiative and commitment (covenant) to his beloved people - presents the life of the early believers, their community and their traditions of worship New Testament highlights Gods fullness of revelation, the EMMANUEL (God-with-us) - narrates the life of Jesus according to the actual and faith experience of the Apostles and disciples - presents the Good News of our salvation and the life and community of the early Christians Evangelist one that proclaims and announces the Good News of Christ The Period of Patriarchs biblical persons regarded as fathers of human race and faith in the one true God Abraham the Father of Faith in the One True God and Father of all Believers (died at the age of 175) Canaan the place where Abraham settled after he left his father at Haran; later this place would be given to his son Isaac as God have planned it Shechem the Promised Land which would be given to Abraham and his descendants Covenant a sacred agreement which is inviolable Loth the beloved cousin of Abraham who settled in Sodom Sarah the barren wife of Abraham; that later will bear a child named Isaac (died at the age of 127) Hagar the maid of Sarah which Abraham took to bear a child through her; the child was named Ishmael Ishmael the Father of Twelve Chieftains; claimed as the leader of Arabs Moriah the place in which Isaac will be sacrificed as a burnt offering as demanded by God Isaac the inheritor of all Abraham owned; claimed as leader of Jews Rebekah the wife of Isaac; has twin sons namely Esau (a skillful hunter favored by Isaac) and Jacob (good at household chores and loved by Rebekah) Bethel or House of God, the place where Jacob had a dream of God Jacob the one who inherited Isaacs blessing instead of his older brother Esau; after winning Gods favor, he will be called Israel which means you have struggled with God Israel named after Jacob, it was the Kingdom built by his descendants

(nb. Jacob and Israel are the same person being addressed in the Bible) Leah and Rachel the two wives of Jacob; he had twelve children who became the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel Joseph one of the twelve offspring of Jacob and his favorite son but hated by his siblings; regarded also as the dreamer and destined to become a great ruler Due to the great famine, the Tribe of Israel was allowed to settle in Egypt by virtue of Josephs authority. They lived in Goshen, in the Nile river delta in the northern part of Egypt. Hyksos the chief ruler of Egypt, later would be taken power and driven by the Egyptians Hebrews the descendants of Israel; were forced to slavery by the Egyptians The Period of Exodus and Conquest Moses this name means drawn out from water given by the daughter of the Pharaoh who adopted him, a Hebrew who became a prince in the Egyptian courts Jethro a priest in Midian and the father in law of Moses Ziporrah the wife of Moses Yahweh the God of the Hebrews forefathers (I AM WHO AM) Aaron the brother of Moses who is a priest, later he became his spokesman The Ten Plagues 1. The water in the Nile river was changed into blood. 2. Frogs covered the lands. 3. Swarms of gnats attacked both men and animals. 4. Thick swarms of flies invaded all houses. 5. Disease killed the livestock of the Egyptians. 6. Boils infected both the skin of both man and animals. 7. Hail beat down all the plants and splintered trees. 8. Locusts came and devoured all the plants left from the hail. 9. Darkness covered the lands for three days. 10. The angel of death came to take the lives of every Egyptian firstborn child. Passover the meal that commemorates the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egyptian Manna bread given from heaven that sustained the Israelites in their journey Ark of the Covenant the special box where the tablets of stone where kept In the Biblical times, wars were inevitable in order to own lands and set territories. The Canaan and its neighboring provinces were vast that it took many years to conquer all the lands owned by wandering tribes. The Hebrews wanted to unify all the lands into one single territory, Israel. Judges the important heroes who helped Israel become a nation, God was helping the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan through military leaders called judges

Joshua continued the leadership of Moses, won several victories for the Israelites in their conquest to the promised land Ehud fought the Moabites in the Jordan River and killed 10 000 of them Shamgar fought and killed 600 Philistines Deborah and Jael killed the Canaanite King Gideon lead the Israelites in the fight against the tribes in Midian Samson the man blessed by God with super strength whose weakness is a lady Samuel a prophet and a great military leader; he was born in answer to a prayer: (1) dedicated to serve before God, (2) called by God and (3) appointed by God to be prophet, priest and judge. Later, he would establish a school of prophets to keep the kings at the right course. The Period of Kings and Prophets Israel during the time of the Judges, was rather loosely link group of tribes. Aiming to unify all into one nation, the tribes would come to wage war against a common enemy. But at times of peace, they remain to be independent to one another. As time passed by, they demanded from God a King that would rule them as one nation. At first, God was not pleased with that idea but later he allowed them and gave them a King. Saul the first King of the Israelites who reigned for 40 years, chosen by Samuel David the youngest son of Jesse; defeated Goliath in combat, a shepherd who became the next King to Saul and a man after Gods own heart Solomon the son of David that ruled after he died; regarded as the wisest of all Kings The Divided Kingdom following Solomons death, the Kingdom split into two (1) Israel having Samaria as its Capital and (2) Judah with its capital Jerusalem. Israel from the beginning of its history, it succumbed to idolatrous worship but God did not gave up on his chosen people so He sent prophets to turn back the hearts of the people. Elijah (900 BC) (1 Kings 17 2 Kings 2); whose name literally means Yahweh is God, challenged the pagan god worshippers to abandon their faith Elisha (892 832 BC) (2 Kings 2 13); a disciple of Elijah who hold the office prophet when his master was gone Amos (775 BC) he condemned the unjust social practices, the extravagant but empty formal worship and the political corruption in Israel. His teaching was stern prepare to meet your God. (Amos 4: 12) Hosea (720 725 BC) He was instructed to take a wife of Harlotry, Gomer, who left him and played the harlot. Hosea was the to take her back, and this would be parallel to Gods willingness to forgive and accept the spiritually adulterous Israel.

Judah it had some good kings that attempted to destroy idolatry and restore the worship God has commanded. When Assyria tried to overthrow Judah, God spared her because of the righteousness of King Hezekiah and the influence of prominent prophets (2 Kings 19: 35-37). Joel (830 BC ?) his prophecy was occasioned by a calamity of locust which befell the nation. He saw this plague as a precursor to an even greater judgment on the nation by God. The day of the Lord is dominant theme in his message (Joel 2: 11). Isaiah (740 690 BC) he prophesied before, during and after Assyrian captivity. He prophesied against Judahs vices, warned her of Gods wrath and painted a bright picture future glory awaiting Israel after her Redemption. He painted more picture of the coming Messiah and his Kingdom than any other prophet (John 12: 41). Micah (735 700 BC) he was a contemporary of Isaiah and he too cried out against injustices of the evils which came from the nations prosperity. He also spoke of the Messiah and Zions future triumph. God spared Judah for 135 years because of the good influence of kings Hezekiah and Josiah. Josiah cast down all the idolatrous image, but could not take them from peoples heart. God sent more prophets to warn them from their impending doom unless they repented.