Full Bible Timeline

PART I — TIME, DEATH, AND THE WORLD BEFORE ABRAHAM

SECTION 1: TIME BEGINS WITH DEATH (130 AM)

Time, as Scripture presents it, does not begin as a neutral or eternal backdrop to existence. It is not introduced as an abstract dimension running independently of human experience, nor as a cosmic clock installed at creation and left to tick inexorably forward. Rather, biblical time—measured, numbered, and recorded—enters human consciousness as a direct consequence of death. This principle stands at the foundation of the Great Count AM Chronology presented by FullBibleTimeline.com and governs the logic by which Scripture itself begins to count years.

Genesis 1–2 describes a created order repeatedly declared by God to be “good.” That declaration must be taken seriously, not sentimentally. The goodness of creation includes the absence of decay, corruption, entropy, and death. Humanity is created for sustained life in the presence of God, with access to the Tree of Life, and with no indication of aging toward extinction. While sequence exists—day follows day—there is no evidence that time is experienced as loss, erosion, or movement toward death. There are no birthdays recorded, no genealogies measured, and no concern for lifespan, because life itself is not under threat. See our work on Life in the Garden.

The rupture occurs in Genesis 3. Sin introduces death into the human condition—not merely as eventual physical cessation, but as an immediate judicial reality. The moment of disobedience results in separation from God, the withdrawal of access to the Tree of Life, and the certainty of physical death. From this point forward, decay becomes inevitable. The human body is now subject to entropy; creation itself becomes unstable. Life is no longer sustained indefinitely but experienced as a measured span.

Scripture consistently presents death as an intruder rather than a natural feature of God’s design. God is repeatedly identified as the God of life. Death is named “the last enemy” to be defeated (1 Corinthians 15:26), not a neutral process to be embraced. The promise of eternal life is defined explicitly by the absence of death, and the final vision of restoration in Revelation is a world where death no longer exists. This means that what modern thought often labels “the natural cycle of life and death” is, biblically speaking, a condition of the curse, not the original order of creation.

This theological reality is reinforced by Paul’s declaration that “the whole creation groans” under bondage, awaiting redemption (Romans 8:22). Creation is not functioning according to its original design; it is trapped within death’s domain, longing for restoration through the revelation of the children of God. In this context, time is not neutral. It becomes the accounting system of a dying world moving toward redemption.

This shift is made explicit in Genesis 5:3:

“And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

This verse marks the first time Scripture records a human age in relation to birth, or in this case, the only case, to creation–not birth. It is not an incidental genealogical note. It signals that time is now being reckoned because death has entered human experience. 

Crucially, this does not mean that time began at Seth’s birth. Rather, Adam had been counting his own years for one hundred and thirty years prior. The act of counting presupposes mortality. Time becomes meaningful because life is now measured against death.

From this point forward, chronology becomes a theological tool. Numbers are no longer filler; they are witnesses. Every age recorded in Genesis exists because death exists, and every lifespan measured becomes a testimony to both loss and hope. Death drives history forward by forcing succession, inheritance, and expectation. Without death, there is no urgency. Without urgency, there is no need for promise. Without promise, there is no covenant.

Time, therefore, is not eternal. It is temporary. It exists because redemption is unfolding within a fallen world. The Great Count AM Chronology does not impose meaning onto Scripture; it exposes meaning already embedded in the text. Time begins when death enters, and it continues until death itself is finally undone.

CHRONOLOGICAL CONTINUITY

The numbering of years begins precisely where mortality becomes conscious. From Adam’s first recorded age onward, Scripture tracks time in order to trace the movement of promise through generations marked by death but sustained by hope.

KEY AM ANCHORS

· Counted time commences 130 years prior to the birth of Seth, when Adam becomes brings death into the world and begins reckoning years.

· Genesis 5:3 records the first recorded age, not the beginning of time itself.

· The number 130 reflects time already counted since the entry of death.

SECTION 2:

ADAM TO NOAH: WALKING WITH GOD BEFORE ABRAHAM

If Abraham is the heir of covenant faith, then that faith must have an origin beyond Abraham himself. Scripture answers this question not with abstraction or philosophical speculation, but with names, years, and lives carefully recorded. Abraham’s faith is not invented in Ur, nor discovered in isolation. It is transmitted through men who walked with God across centuries increasingly defined by death.

Genesis 5 introduces a pattern that becomes essential for understanding biblical faith: the phrase “walked with God.” This language does not describe casual belief, ritual observance, or moral alignment. It describes relational continuity—a life lived in conscious awareness of God’s presence and authority. Significantly, this language appears within the genealogical framework where time is being counted. Faith and chronology are deliberately intertwined.

Adam stands at the head of this chain as the first covenant witness. He knew unbroken fellowship with God in Eden, heard judgment pronounced after the Fall, and received the promise of a future Seed who would reverse the curse (Genesis 3:15). Adam’s long life ensured that this knowledge did not fade into myth. It was preserved orally, relationally, and intentionally.

Enoch, born while Adam was still alive, demonstrates that intimacy with God remained possible outside Eden. His life contradicts despair. Scripture states simply that “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” His translation without death functions as a theological signpost: death reigns, but it is not sovereign. God retains authority over it.

Methuselah extends this continuity across centuries. Born during Adam’s lifetime and living until the year of the Flood, Methuselah bridges Edenic memory and catastrophic judgment. His long life stands as testimony to divine patience. Lamech, Noah’s father, names his son with explicit reference to the curse, expressing hope for relief and restoration. This is inherited theology, not spontaneous insight.

Noah emerges from this lineage as both recipient and steward of covenant knowledge. Scripture does not portray Noah as discovering God; it presents him as responding faithfully to the God already known. When Genesis states that Noah “walked with God,” it places him squarely within an existing relational pattern. His righteousness is relational before it is moral.

The Flood does not erase covenant memory; it concentrates it. Humanity is reduced to a single family so that the redemptive line cannot be extinguished. The ark preserves not only biological life but theological continuity. When Noah emerges, his first recorded act is covenantal: he builds an altar. God responds by reaffirming preservation and order within a fallen world.

CHRONOLOGICAL CONTINUITY

The Great Count AM Chronology reveals overlapping lifespans that collapse the distance modern readers often assume. Adam overlaps Enoch and Methuselah. Methuselah overlaps Noah. Noah overlaps Abraham. Covenant knowledge moves through living testimony, not distant legend.

KEY AM ANCHORS

· Adam dies: 930 AM

· Enoch born: 622 AM

· Methuselah born: 687 AM

· Noah born: 1056 AM

· Flood: 1656 AM

· Both Methuselah and Noah’s father Lamech are alive and helpful during the construction of the ark. 1556 – 1656 AM

· Noah dies: 2006 AM

· Abraham born: 1948 AM

Abraham lived fifty-eight years alongside Noah.
He did not inherit stories; he inherited testimony.

SECTION 3:

THE FLOOD AND THE RESET OF THE WORLD (1656 AM)

The Flood is not merely a catastrophic episode in biblical history; it is a decisive structural reset within the biblical worldview. Within the framework of the Great Count AM Chronology, the Flood at 1656 AM functions as a fixed chronological and theological anchor—an irreversible dividing line that reshapes human history while preserving the redemptive line. To understand Abraham’s world, faith, and inheritance, one must first understand the Flood, not as myth or allegory, but as the crucible through which covenant memory was judged, purified, and preserved.

A WORLD BEYOND REPAIR

Genesis 6 presents humanity as having reached a state of terminal moral collapse. The text does not describe a society in decline, but one that has crossed a point of no return:

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)

The Hebrew construction emphasizes totality—evil without interruption, imagination severed from divine order, and violence normalized across the earth. This is not simply widespread sin; it is systemic corruption incompatible with the continued preservation of life as God designed it.

Yet within this judgment narrative, Scripture introduces a critical distinction:

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”(Genesis 6:8)

Grace appears prior to covenant renewal, prior to rescue, and prior to law. This sequence establishes a pattern that will later reappear in Abraham’s life: divine initiative precedes human obedience.

NOAH: COVENANT BEARER AT THE END OF AN AGE

Noah is described as “a just man, perfect in his generations,” and again as one who “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). These descriptors are not incidental. They identify Noah as the final steward of antediluvian covenant knowledge—a man whose righteousness is defined relationally rather than institutionally.

From a Great Count perspective, Noah’s lifespan positions him as a bridge between worlds:

· Born 1056 AM

· Flood occurs 1656 AM

· Dies 2006 AM

Noah lives nearly six centuries before the Flood and more than three centuries afterward. He carries forward not only biological continuity, but theological memory—knowledge of creation, judgment, and promise transmitted across generations.

THE ARK: PRESERVATION THROUGH JUDGMENT

The ark is not a means of escape from judgment but a vehicle of preservation through it. God does not remove Noah from the world; He sustains him while judgment passes around him. This pattern—judgment executed while covenant is preserved—becomes foundational to later biblical theology.

The ark’s dimensions, materials, and construction are given in exacting detail. This specificity underscores the historical character of the event. Obedience precedes comprehension. Faith, in this context, is enacted trust, not abstract belief.

THE FLOOD AS A CHRONOLOGICAL DIVIDER

Within the Great Count, the Flood marks the first major epochal boundary in human history:

· Pre-Flood world: extreme longevity, direct memory of Eden, unchecked corruption

· Post-Flood world: shortened lifespans, dispersed nations, restrained violence, preserved covenant

This transition explains the dramatic reduction in human lifespans recorded in Genesis 11. Death accelerates. Time compresses. 

History begins to move more rapidly toward covenantal specificity and eventual redemption.

Following the Flood, God reintroduces covenant language:

“I establish My covenant with you and your descendants after you.”
 (Genesis 9:9)

This is not a new covenant in substance but a renewal in form. Where Adam’s world emphasized expansion, Noah’s covenant emphasizes preservation. The rainbow functions not as a sign of salvation, but as a sign of restraint—assuring the stability of the created order so that the redemptive promise may continue.

Among Noah’s sons, Shem receives a distinct prophetic blessing:

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem.”
(Genesis 9:26)

This blessing marks the intentional narrowing of the covenant line. It is not favoritism but selection for purpose. From Shem will come Eber; from Eber, Abraham. The genealogy tightens because the promise advances through specificity.

BABEL: POST-FLOOD REBELLION

Genesis 11 records humanity’s first collective act after judgment: the construction of the Tower of Babel. This is not an architectural project but a theological statement—an attempt to secure unity, permanence, and identity apart from covenant.

God’s response—confusing languages and dispersing nations—is not punitive fragmentation but preventative restraint. Globalized corruption is halted before it becomes irreversible. The stage is set for God to call one man through whom blessing will later flow to all nations.

The Flood is not distant from Abraham’s life. Chronologically, it stands remarkably close:

· Flood: 1656 AM

· Abraham born: 1948 AM

· Noah dies: 2006 AM

Abraham lives 58 years alongside Noah. The accounts of creation, Eden, judgment, and preservation are not inherited as distant tradition but received as living testimony. Abraham’s faith is therefore grounded in eyewitness continuity rather than mythologized memory.

KEY AM ANCHORS (SECTION 3)

· Time reckoning begins: 130 AM

· Flood: 1656 AM

· Noah’s lifespan: 1056–2006 AM

· Abraham born: 1948 AM

WHY THE FLOOD MATTERS FOR ABRAHAM

The Flood establishes three foundational realities
that shape Abraham’s calling:

1. God judges corruption decisively

2. God preserves covenant faithfully

3. God restarts history without abandoning promise

Abraham’s later willingness to trust God with impossible promises does not emerge in isolation. It is the product of a preserved memory—one forged in judgment, sustained through covenant, and anchored in history.