Two Posters, One Story
The Bible can feel like a pile of disconnected stories — a flood here, a giant there, a lions' den somewhere in the middle, a shipwreck near the end. These two posters put every era, king, prophet, journey, and letter on a single timeline so kids (and teachers!) can see it the way it really is: one big story.
The Old Testament poster runs from Creation to the return from exile — God makes, God promises, God rescues, God brings home, and everything is waiting for the forever-King. The New Testament poster picks the story right back up: the King arrives, the King rescues, the King sends. Hang them side by side and the arrow that runs through both is impossible to miss.
How to Use Them
- Hang them in your classroom and point to today's story each week — kids see where it fits before you even start teaching.
- Trace the line to Jesus. Whatever the lesson, follow the timeline forward and remind kids where the story is headed.
- Hang them together. The Old Testament journey ends coming home; the New Testament journey ends being sent. Side by side, that hand-off preaches itself.
- Pair them with the Name That Bible Story worksheet for review days — the posters are the answer key on the wall.
- Print them big. Both PDFs are 3:2 large-format sheets — they print beautifully at 36×24″ or 24×16″ from any local or online print shop.
Old Testament Timeline (Printable PDF)
Click the poster to open the full-resolution PDF
What's On It?
- The story arc. Creation → Promise → Rescue → Kingdom → Exile → Hope, with every era dated and summarized in a sentence.
- Every key person, in order. From Adam to Abraham to David to Nehemiah — with the kingdom split into Israel and Judah traced on parallel tracks.
- The prophets, placed by date. Each prophet sits where he preached, color-coded by who he spoke to — Israel, Judah, the exiles, or a foreign nation.
- Where the books fit. A band shows which Old Testament books tell each part of the story, plus where Job, Psalms, and the wisdom books belong.
- The Judges cycle and the Journey. The sin–trouble–cry-out–rescue loop kids can point to, and a map-style track of where God's people are living — Eden, Egypt, Canaan, Babylon, and home again.
Old Testament
One large-format sheet (3:2 — prints great at 36×24″). Free to download, print, and hang in your classroom or home.
Download the OT Poster (PDF)Old Testament Timeline at a Glance
Every era on the poster, in order, with the lessons that teach it.
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Beginnings
God makes the world; sin breaks it
Adam and Eve in Eden, the Fall, Noah and the Flood, and the Tower of Babel, where people are scattered.
Genesis -
Patriarchs c. 2100–1876 BC
God picks a family and makes a promise
God calls Abraham and promises land, a nation, and a blessing. The promise passes to Isaac and Jacob and his 12 sons, and Joseph is sold into Egypt.
Genesis -
Egypt & Slavery c. 1876–1446 BC
The family becomes a nation — in chains
Jacob’s whole family, 70 people, moves to Egypt. Over 430 years they grow into a nation, end up as slaves, and God raises up Moses.
Genesis · Exodus -
Exodus & Wilderness 1446–1406 BC
God rescues His people and gives His law
The plagues, the Passover, and the Red Sea; the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai; then 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
Exodus · Leviticus · Numbers · Deuteronomy -
Conquest c. 1406–1375 BC
God gives the promised land
Joshua leads the people across the Jordan, Jericho falls, and the land is divided so the 12 tribes get their home.
Joshua -
Judges c. 1375–1050 BC
Everyone does what’s right in their own eyes
The judges cycle on repeat: sin, trouble, cry out, a rescuer, peace. Deborah, Gideon, and Samson, plus Ruth, King David’s great-grandmother.
Judges · Ruth -
United Kingdom c. 1050–930 BC
One nation, three kings
Samuel, the last judge, anoints the first kings: Saul, the king the people wanted; David, a man after God’s heart, promised a forever-king from his line; and Solomon, who builds the Temple.
1–2 Samuel · 1 Kings · Psalms · Proverbs -
Divided Kingdom 930–586 BC
Two kingdoms, two roads to ruin
The kingdom splits: Israel in the north, Judah in the south. Elijah confronts Ahab and Jezebel on Mount Carmel, Elisha carries on, and the prophets warn both kingdoms. Assyria destroys Samaria in 722 BC; Hezekiah and Josiah lead Judah back to God.
1–2 Kings · 1–2 Chronicles · the prophets -
Exile 586–539 BC
Far from home, but not forgotten
Babylon destroys Jerusalem and the Temple. Daniel and Ezekiel are taken to Babylon, until Cyrus of Persia conquers Babylon and tells God’s people to go home.
Daniel · Ezekiel · Lamentations -
Return & Rebuilding 538–430 BC
Home again, waiting for the King
Three returns: Zerubbabel rebuilds the Temple, Ezra teaches the Law, and Nehemiah rebuilds the walls in 52 days. Esther stays in Persia. Then 400 quiet years until Jesus.
Ezra · Nehemiah · Esther · Haggai · Zechariah · Malachi
New Testament Timeline (Printable PDF)
Click the poster to open the full-resolution PDF
What's On It?
- The story arc. King → Cross → Resurrection → Church → Mission → Eternity, with every era dated and summarized in a sentence.
- Jesus' life, in order. Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth, the baptism and the first signs, the Final Week hour by hour, the empty tomb, and the Ascension — with the parables, miracles, and encounters grouped the way the Gospels actually tell them.
- The church spreading out. Pentecost, Stephen, Philip, Cornelius, the Jerusalem Council, and Paul's three journeys traced on a branching line all the way to Rome.
- All 27 books. The four Gospels compared side by side, plus every letter dated and color-coded by who it went to — a church, a person, or all believers.
- The Journey and the Vision. A map-style track from Bethlehem to the ends of the earth, and Revelation's ending: God wipes away every tear and the story runs on forever.
New Testament
A matching large-format sheet (3:2 — prints great at 36×24″). Free to download, print, and hang next to the Old Testament poster.
Download the NT Poster (PDF)New Testament Timeline at a Glance
Every era on the poster, in order, with the lessons that teach it.
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The King Arrives c. 6–4 BC
The promise comes true — a baby in Bethlehem
Jesus is born in Bethlehem; shepherds and wise men come. The family escapes King Herod to Egypt, and Jesus grows up in Nazareth, in the Temple at age 12.
Matthew · Luke -
Ministry Begins c. AD 27–28
Baptized, tested, and calling followers
John baptizes Jesus at the Jordan; Jesus is tempted in the desert, turns water into wine, and calls the Twelve.
Matthew · Mark · Luke · John -
The Kingdom in Word & Deed c. AD 28–30
Jesus shows what God’s kingdom is like
The parables, miracles, and encounters, grouped by theme rather than date, just as the Gospels group them.
Matthew · Mark · Luke · JohnParables 59.Parable of the Sower 60.Parable of the Good Samaritan 61.Parable of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin 62.Parable of the Lost Son 63.Parable of the Hidden Treasure & Pearl of Great Price -
The Final Week AD 30 (spring)
One week the Gospels slow way down for
Mary anoints Jesus, He enters Jerusalem and clears the Temple, shares the Last Supper and washes the disciples’ feet, prays in Gethsemane, and is crucified.
Matthew · Mark · Luke · John -
Risen! AD 30
The tomb is empty — 40 days of appearances
On the third day the tomb is empty. Jesus appears to His followers, gives the Great Commission, “Go, make disciples,” and returns to the Father.
Matthew · Mark · Luke · John · Acts -
The Church Is Born AD 30–47
The Spirit comes; the message starts to spread
At Pentecost 3,000 believe. Peter and John heal a beggar and the arrests begin; Stephen becomes the first martyr; Philip takes the gospel toward Africa; Saul meets Jesus on the Damascus road; Peter opens the door to the Gentiles at Cornelius’s house.
Acts -
To the Ends of the Earth AD 47–62
Paul carries the good news across the empire
Paul’s three missionary journeys, the Jerusalem Council (AD 49–50), and his arrest. He spends two years in Caesarea, is shipwrecked, and writes letters from house arrest in Rome.
- Journey 1 (AD 47–49): Cyprus and Galatia, with Barnabas
- Journey 2 (AD 49–52): Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth; Paul and Silas sing in prison
- Journey 3 (AD 53–57): Ephesus; then arrested in Jerusalem
- Rome (AD 60–62): House arrest, still writing letters
Acts · Paul’s letters -
Standing Firm AD 62–95
Persecution comes — the church keeps growing
Nero’s fire, Peter and Paul are killed, and Rome destroys the Temple in AD 70. Letters keep going out to scattered believers, and the church keeps spreading anyway.
Hebrews · 1–2 Peter · 1–3 John · Jude · 2 Timothy -
The Vision c. AD 95
John sees how the story ends
Exiled on Patmos, John sees Jesus in glory. Jesus wins, evil ends, God wipes away every tear, and His people live with Him forever.
Revelation