Spivey's Unauthorized Biblical Timeline
a Scripture-centered journey through God's redemptive story from a historic perspective.
Starting Point
Every timeline begins somewhere. This one begins at the intersection of Scripture and history — where the biblical record meets archaeological record.
The Bible-Is-History timeline seeks to trace world chronology from Creation forward by using the same kind of anchoring historians use: dates tied to identifiable historical evidence.
What Is the Starting Point of This Biblical Timeline?
This timeline does not begin with assumption—it begins with evidence.
It starts at a fixed point in history where the Bible and archaeology intersect: the invasion of Judah by Pharaoh Shishak, also known as Shoshenq I in 925 BC. This event is recorded in Scripture and is also reflected in Egyptian inscriptions at Karnak.
From this fixed point, the timeline works backward through the internal chronology of the Bible — genealogies, reign lengths, and dated events — to build a continuous record from Adam to the Messiah. Rather than treating the early chapters of Genesis as symbolic or mythic, this timeline treats them as literal history recorded through inspired witnesses. When Scripture gives overlapping reigns, age statements, or connected time markers, the earliest reliable line is followed so the chronology remains consistent.
Evidence
At the center of this starting point is the campaign of Pharaoh Shishak. A wall known as the Bubastite Portal located in the Temple of Karnak, records the military campaigns of Pharaoh Shoshenq I. In the Hebrew Bible, this same ruler is called Shishak, King of Egypt, and he appears in 1 Kings 11:40 and 1 Kings 14:25-28.
Many of the cartouches (see below) on the Bubastite Portal identify cities in Israel and Judah, and scholars have dated this campaign to 925 BC. Some cartouches are damaged or missing, but there is evidence that one has been hidden and may refer to Jerusalem as the "highland of David" or the Hills of Judea. Whether one accepts that identification or not, the campaign itself provides a major synchronizing point between the biblical text and the archaeological record.
Why Shishak matters?
The campaign of Shoshenq I is independently recorded in Egyptian inscriptions, providing an external historical reference point that aligns with the biblical account. Without a fixed historical anchor, biblical chronology becomes speculative.
By beginning with a verifiable event recorded in both Scripture and archaeology, this timeline provides a structured and consistent framework for understanding the entire biblical narrative.
This is why 925 BC serves as the anchor for this timeline.
This approach demonstrates that the biblical record is not isolated from history, but operates within it—anchored to real events that can be identified and examined.
How this timeline is calculated?
The BC/AD system was introduced long after the biblical events themselves and does not necessarily reflect the exact dating of those events. This timeline is constructed by beginning with a fixed historical anchor (925 BC – Shishak’s invasion) and then identifying the biblical events tied to that moment.
From there, the timeline is traced backward using the Holy Bible’s own chronological data:
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Reign lengths of kings
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Genealogies
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Explicit time references recorded in Scripture
This allows Scripture to define its own chronology rather than relying on later calendar systems.
Timeline from Shishak to Creation
The following timeline traces backward from 925 BC using the chronological data provided in Scripture:
Logical Flow of the Timeline
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Shishak’s invasion is historically dated to 925 BC
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The Bible places this event in Rehoboam’s reign
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The Bible provides durations for earlier events
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These durations allow time to be counted backward
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This results in a continuous timeline to Adam
925 BC - Shishak I invades Israel and sacks Jerusalem.
+ 5 = 1 Kings 14:25-26 and 2 Chronicles 12:1-9 Jerusalem attacked in the fifth year of King Rehoboam.
930 BC - 1st year of King Rehoboam, son of King Solomon and year of King Solomon's death.
+40 = 1 Kings 11:42 King Solomon reigned 40 years.
970 BC - 1st year of King Solomon, son of King David and year of King David's death.
-4 = 1 Kings 6:37-38 and 2 Chronicles 3:2 4th year of King Solomon's reign
966 BC - The foundation of Solomon's Temple were laid.
+480 = 1 Kings 6:1 Israel came out of Egypt.
1446 BC - The Exodus
+430 = Exodus 12:40-41 and Galatians 3:16-17 Length of time that the "children of Israel" were in Egypt.
1876 BC - Jacob, son of Isaac, moved his family to Egypt after Joseph was made Vizier of Egypt during famine.
+130 = Genesis 45:6-10 and Genesis 47:9-11 Jacob tells the Pharaoh his age
2006 BC - Jacob, son of Isaac, was born.
+60 = Genesis 25:26 Isaac's age when Jacob was born.
2066 BC - Issac, son of Abraham (Abram), was born.
+100 = Genesis 17:17 and Genesis 21:5 Abram's age when Isaac was born.
2166 BC - Abram, son of Terah, was born.
+70 = Genesis 11:26 Terah's age when Abram was born.
2236 BC - Terah, son of Nahor, was born.
+29 = Genesis 11:24 Nahor's age when Terah was born.
2265 BC - Nahor, son of Serug, was born.
+30 = Genesis 11:22 Serug's age when Nahor was born.
2295 BC - Serug, son of Reu, was born.
+32 = Genesis 11:20 Reu's age when Serug was born.
2327 BC - Reu, son of Pelag, was born.
+30 = Genesis 11:18 Pelag's age when Reu was born.
2357 BC - Pelag, son of Eber, was born.
+34 = Genesis 11:16 Eber's age when Pelag was born.
2391 BC - Eber, son of Shelah, was born.
+30 = Genesis 11:14 Shelah's age when Eber was born.
2421 BC - Shelah, son of Arphaxad, was born.
+35 = Genesis 11:12 Arphaxad's age when Shelah was born.
2456 BC - Arphaxad, son of Shem, was born.
+2 = Genesis 11:10 Shem was 100 years old two (2) years after The Flood Event.
2458 BC - The Flood Event (a civilizational reset point)
+98 = Genesis 11:10 Shem's age during The Flood Event.
2556 BC - Shem, son of Noah, was born.
-502 = Genesis 9:28-29 Noah's age during The Flood Event (2458-350 [died] = 2108+950 = 3058 (born]).
3058 BC - Noah, son of Lamech, was born.
+182 = Genesis 5:28-29 Lamech's age when Noah was born.
3240 BC - Lamech, son of Methuselah, was born.
+187 = Genesis 5:25 Methuselah's age when Lamech was born.
3427 BC - Methuselah, son of Enoch, was born.
+65 = Genesis 5:21 Enoch's age when Methuselah was born.
3492 BC - Enoch, son of Jared, was born.
+162 = Genesis 5:18 Jared's age when Enoch was born.
3654 BC - Jared, son of Mahalalel, was born.
+65 = Genesis 5:15 Mahalalel's age when Jared was born.
3719 BC - Mahalalel, son of Kenan, was born.
+70 = Genesis 5:12 Kenan's age when Mahalalel was born.
3789 BC - Kenan, son of Enosh, was born.
+90 = Genesis 5:9 Enosh's age when Kenan was born.
3879 BC - Enosh, son of Seth, was born.
+105 = Genesis 5:6 Seth's age when Enosh was born.
3984 BC - Seth, son of Adam, was born.
+130 = Genesis 5:3 Adam's age when Seth was born.
4114 BC - Adam was created. The Beginning Point (see Adam to Noah)
This timeline continues forward through the kings of Israel and ultimately connects to the events described in the book of Revelation.