The History of Humanity and God's Plan of Salvation
Discover the grand narrative of the Bible - from creation, through the fall and redemption, to the new heaven and new earth. What is God's plan for humanity?
Most people read the Bible as a collection of unrelated stories. Adam and Eve here, Moses there, some poetry, some prophecy, and finally Jesus and the Apocalypse.
But what if I told you that the Bible is one grand story? One coherent narrative from the first sentence to the last? A history in which God has been executing a plan to rescue humanity from the very beginning?
In this article, I’ll take you on a journey through the entire Bible. From the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem. From creation to eternity. You’ll see how every piece fits together into one magnificent mosaic - and you’ll understand where you stand in this story.
Creation - A World Without Sin
In the beginning, there was perfection.
God created the universe - heaven and earth, light and darkness, seas and lands, plants and animals. And at the end, as the crown of creation, He made humanity.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
— Gen 1:26-27 (BT)
Humanity wasn’t just another creature. Humans were unique - bearing God’s image. They had reason, free will, the capacity for love and relationship. They were called to steward the earth as God’s representatives.
Eden - the garden God planted - was a place of complete harmony. Humans lived in direct relationship with God. There was no death, no disease, no suffering. There was no shame or fear.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
— Gen 1:31 (BT)
But there was one thing humanity needed to understand: God is God, and humans are humans. So the Creator gave one simple rule - one tree in the middle of the garden that was off-limits. This wasn’t a trap. It was something that tangibly demonstrated that free will is real - humans truly could choose.
The Fall - The Moment That Changed Everything
And then everything changed.
The serpent - Satan in disguise - appeared in the garden with one simple question: “Did God really say…?” He planted doubt. He made Eve question God’s word and God’s intentions.
You know the story. Eve took the fruit. She ate. She gave some to Adam. He ate too.
And in one moment, paradise became a nightmare.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
— Gen 3:7-10 (BT)
Before, they ran toward God. Now they fled from Him. Before, they knew no shame. Now they were hiding. Sin had broken the relationship between humanity and God.
The consequences were devastating. The ground was cursed. Work became toil. Childbirth became painful. And above all - death entered the world. “Dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Humanity was expelled from Eden. Cherubim with flaming swords guarded the way to the tree of life.
Is this the end of the story? Defeat? Failure?
No. This is where something incredible begins.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.
— Gen 3:15 (BT)
These words - spoken to the serpent - are the first announcement of salvation in the entire Bible. Theologians call it the Protoevangelium, the “first gospel.” God promises that one day the woman’s offspring will defeat Satan. Yes, he will be “struck in the heel” - meaning he will suffer. But the ultimate victory will be his.
From this moment on, the entire Bible is the story of this promise being fulfilled.
From Noah to Abraham - A New Beginning and a Promise
After the fall, humanity descended into greater and greater evil. Eventually, God declared that the earth was “corrupt” and “full of violence.” He decided to start over - but saved one righteous man: Noah.
The flood was judgment on sin, but also salvation for those who trusted God. The ark - the only place of safety amid destruction - is a beautiful picture of salvation in Christ.
After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah. He promised never to destroy the earth with water again. The rainbow became the sign of this promise.
But humanity soon went astray again. The Tower of Babel showed that pride and rebellion against God were deeply rooted in human nature.
And then God did something unexpected. Instead of acting globally, He chose one man.
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
— Gen 12:1-3 (BT)
This is a pivotal moment. God chooses Abraham not to favor one nation. He chooses him so that through him all nations would be blessed. Abraham and his descendants were to be the channel through which God’s salvation would reach all humanity.
The promise given to Abraham has three elements: land, offspring, and blessing. These three threads weave through the rest of the Old Testament - and find their fulfillment in Christ.
Israel - The Chosen Nation as Witness
From Abraham came a nation. Isaac, Jacob, twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel.
But before they became a great nation, they had to pass through slavery. 400 years in Egypt. Oppression, suffering, crying out to God.
And God heard. He sent Moses. Ten plagues. The crossing of the Red Sea. The exodus from bondage.
The Exodus is the central event of the Old Testament. The Israelites redeemed from slavery, saved by the blood of the Passover lamb, led through the waters to freedom. All of this foreshadows a greater redemption - salvation from the slavery of sin through the blood of the Lamb of God.
At Mount Sinai, God made a covenant with Israel. He gave them the Law - the Torah - as instructions for life. The Ten Commandments and hundreds of detailed regulations. The Law was meant to show who God is and how to live in relationship with Him.
But the Law had another purpose: to show that humans cannot meet God’s standard on their own.
So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.
— Gal 3:24 (BT)
The sacrificial system - daily, weekly, yearly animal sacrifices - was a constant reminder that sin has a price. Blood had to be shed. But the blood of bulls and goats could never ultimately remove sin. These were only shadows - foreshadowing the perfect sacrifice that was to come.
The tabernacle - and later Solomon’s temple - was the place where God dwelt among His people. But even the Most Holy Place was separated by a curtain. Access to God was limited.
Through the centuries, God sent prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and many others. They warned and rebuked, but above all - they foretold something greater.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
— Isa 53:5-6 (BT)
The prophets foretold the Messiah - the Anointed One who would come to save His people. They spoke of His birth in Bethlehem, His suffering, His death for the sins of others, His resurrection, and His eternal reign.
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt… I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
— Jer 31:31-33 (BT)
The old covenant was good, but imperfect. The Law was on stone tablets, not in hearts. The promise of a new covenant sounded revolutionary - God Himself would transform human hearts.
Jesus Christ - The Center of History
And then, “when the fullness of time had come,” God became human.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
— John 1:14 (BT)
Jesus of Nazareth - descendant of Abraham, son of David, born of a virgin in Bethlehem - is the turning point of all history. Everything before Him pointed to Him. Everything after Him flows from Him.
For three years, He taught about the Kingdom of God. He healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins. He showed who God really is - not a harsh judge, but a loving Father searching for the lost.
But He didn’t come to teach. He came to die.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
— Mark 10:45 (BT)
And here we come to the heart of the entire salvation story. Why did Jesus have to die? Because the penalty for sin is death.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Rom 6:23 (BT)
Since Adam’s fall, every human being has been born in sin and deserves death. No one can save themselves - because all have sinned. But Jesus was different. He alone lived on earth without sin. He was tempted as we are, but never fell. He was perfect.
And since He was without sin - He didn’t deserve death. Yet He went to the cross. Willingly. For us.
He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
— 1 Pet 2:22-24 (BT)
This is the heart of the Gospel: Jesus, the only sinless human, bore the penalty of death for sinners. Not because He had to - but because He loved us. He took our place. He bore our sentence.
On the cross at Golgotha, all the prophecies were fulfilled. The Passover Lamb was slain - the perfect Lamb without blemish. The sacrifice for sin was offered - not the blood of animals, which could only temporarily cover sin, but the blood of the Son of God, which takes away sin forever. The temple curtain was torn in two - the way to God was opened.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
— John 3:16 (BT)
But if the story had ended at the cross, we would be the most pitiful of people. Jesus died - but on the third day He rose again.
The empty tomb changed everything. Death was defeated. Sin was erased. The serpent from the Garden of Eden was crushed - just as God had promised.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
— 1 Cor 15:3-4 (BT)
Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven. But He didn’t leave His disciples alone. He promised to return.
The Church - The Age of Grace
Ten days after Jesus’ ascension, something extraordinary happened. The Holy Spirit descended on the disciples gathered in Jerusalem. Peter preached a sermon. Three thousand people believed and were baptized.
The Church was born.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. … They praised God and enjoyed the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
— Acts 2:42-47 (BT)
But pause for a moment. What exactly is the Church?
The Church is not a building. It’s not an institution. It’s not a religion.
Jesus didn’t establish any religion. He didn’t set up hierarchies, rituals, ceremonies, or complicated church structures. When you read the Gospels, you see something completely different.
Jesus sharply criticized the religious leaders of His time - the Pharisees and teachers of the law. He called them “whitewashed tombs,” hypocrites who load heavy burdens on people while unwilling to lift a finger themselves. He rebuked religiosity based on tradition, external forms, and human hierarchy.
But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant.
— Matt 23:8-12 (BT)
Jesus said it clearly: one Teacher, one Father in heaven, one Instructor. Everyone else is brothers - equals. Whoever wants to be great must serve others.
Does this look like a hierarchical institution with popes, patriarchs, archbishops, and complicated power structures? Does this look like a religion rich in gold, palaces, and political power?
The Church in the New Testament is something much simpler and more beautiful: a community of people who have personally believed in Jesus. The Body of Christ - He is the Head, we are the members. A new people of God, composed not of members of some organization, but of those who have a living relationship with God.
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
— Matt 18:20 (BT)
You don’t need a building, you don’t need an institution, you don’t need intermediaries between yourself and God. Jesus Himself is the only mediator.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.
— 1 Tim 2:5 (BT)
The promise given to Abraham - “through you all nations will be blessed” - began to be fulfilled. The Gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Not through institutions - but through ordinary people who had encountered the risen Christ.
This is the time we live in. The time between Christ’s first and second coming. The age of grace.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
— 2 Pet 3:9 (BT)
The door is open. Everyone can enter. Everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins and eternal life. This is the heart of the Gospel - the good news that changes everything.
The Return of Christ and Eternity
The final pages of the Bible describe what is yet to come. But before the end arrives, the world will face one more trial - the most difficult one.
The Great Tribulation and the Antichrist
The Bible warns that difficult times will come before Christ’s return. Jesus Himself told His disciples about this:
For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
— Matt 24:21-22 (BT)
This period - called the “great tribulation” - will be a time of persecution, false prophets, and worldwide crisis. But most importantly - the Antichrist will appear.
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
— 2 Thess 2:3-4 (BT)
The Antichrist - the “man of lawlessness” - will be a figure of immense political and religious power. Many people will be deceived by his lies. He will persecute true believers. For a short time, it will seem as though evil has triumphed.
It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.
— Rev 13:7-8 (BT)
But this is not the end of the story. The Antichrist will be defeated.
The Return of the King
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
— Acts 1:11 (BT)
Jesus will return. This time not as a suffering servant, but as a victorious King. His return will be visible to all - like lightning illuminating the sky from east to west.
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. (…) On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.
— Rev 19:11-16 (BT)
The Antichrist and his followers will be destroyed. Satan will be bound. The evil that seemed omnipotent will prove powerless before the true King.
The dead will rise. Judgment will come - everyone will stand before God and give an account of their life. Those who trusted Christ will enter eternal joy. Those who rejected Him will experience eternal separation from God.
And then - new creation.
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
— Rev 21:1-4 (BT)
Do you see the arc? We return to Eden - but a better Eden. God dwells with humanity again. There is no more sin, death, suffering, or tears. The curse has been lifted forever.
No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
— Rev 22:3-5 (BT)
This is the finale of history. And note - this is not eternal sitting on a cloud in a white robe, singing songs in a heavenly church. It’s something completely different.
We will receive new bodies - glorified, immortal, perfect. Like Christ’s body after His resurrection.
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
— Phil 3:20-21 (BT)
Think about it. Jesus after His resurrection had a real body. He ate fish with His disciples. He could be touched. He wasn’t a ghost - He was a man, just in a perfect, glorified body.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
— 1 Cor 15:42-44 (BT)
We will live on the new earth as humans - perfect humans in perfect bodies. Not as bodiless spirits, but as full human beings, just as God intended us from the beginning. We will eat, drink, create, discover, build, enjoy one another. Only without sin, without disease, without death - forever.
A new heaven and a new earth - real, tangible, beautiful. Life as God intended from the beginning - only better, because it can never again be threatened by a fall.
Why Is This Taking So Long?
If God is almighty, why has the plan of salvation stretched across thousands of years? Why didn’t He end it right away?
God’s Time Is Not Our Time
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
— 2 Pet 3:8 (BT)
For God, 4,000 years from Adam to Christ is like a few days. We live in time - He exists outside of it. What seems like an eternity to us is but a blink of an eye to Him.
God Is Gathering His Sheep
The longer human history continues, the more people can be born, hear the Gospel, and believe. Every day of “delay” means thousands more people who can be saved.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
— 2 Pet 3:9 (BT)
God patiently waits, gathering His sheep from every generation, nation, and era - for the new earth.
The Pedagogy of History
Through history, God demonstrates truths that humanity must learn:
- The Law doesn’t save. 1,500 years of Israel under the Mosaic Law proved that even the best commandments cannot change the human heart.
- Evil must be ultimately destroyed. It’s not enough to contain it - it must be uprooted completely.
- Life without God is catastrophic. Human history is a catalog of wars, genocides, injustice, and suffering. Every political system, every ideology, every “enlightened” society - all end in failure and millions of victims.
God allows history to unfold so that no one can ever say: “Maybe it would have worked without Him?” The evidence is irrefutable. It didn’t work. And it never will.
The Fullness of Time - Then and Now
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son.
— Gal 4:4 (BT)
Jesus came at the perfect moment in history: The Roman Empire had unified the world, roads enabled travel, Greek was the international language, Jews with synagogues lived in every major city. Ideal conditions for spreading the Gospel.
And today? Thanks to technological development, practically every person on earth has heard of Jesus. Internet, television, radio - the Gospel has reached the ends of the world. At the same time, many prophecies that once seemed impossible to fulfill are now becoming technically possible.
Are we living in the end times? I don’t know. No one knows the day or the hour. But one thing is certain - we must watch and be ready.
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
— Matt 24:42 (BT)
Where Are You in This Story?
The history of salvation is not an abstract tale. It’s a story that concerns you personally.
Creation tells you that you have value - you are made in God’s image.
The Fall explains why the world and your heart are broken - sin has touched everyone.
Israel and the prophets show that God didn’t give up - for centuries He prepared a rescue.
Jesus offers you salvation - His death and resurrection open the way to God.
The Church is a community you’re invited to join - you don’t have to walk alone.
Christ’s return is our hope - evil will not triumph, justice will come, everything will be made right.
The question is: which side will you be on when Jesus returns?
The entire Bible leads to one point: Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.
Have you trusted Him? Have you accepted His sacrifice for your sins?
If not - today is the day of salvation. The door is open. All you need to do is believe and receive the gift that God offers for free.
This Is Just the Beginning
What you’ve just read is a very condensed version of the history of salvation. A story spanning thousands of years, written across hundreds of pages, summarized in a single article. I’ve left out countless details, nuances, characters, and events. Every verse I quoted has depths I’ve barely touched.
But that’s exactly the point. This is an invitation, not an encyclopedia.
If this story has moved you - go deeper. Open the Scriptures and explore God’s plan for yourself. Start with the Gospel of John, then read the Letter to the Romans. Read, ask questions, seek.
I also invite you to explore other articles on this blog, where I delve into specific topics in more detail.
The truth is there - waiting for you to discover it.