Using the Bible to Teach History

There are many good history curriculum available to homeschoolers today. Why write another one? One reason is that we want to use the Bible as our primary textbook when homeschooling our children. We believe that the Bible is 100% accurate and was written by our Creator; therefore, it contains the most important information that our Creator wants us to know.

History is no exception. While the Bible’s account of history varies substantially from secular accounts, we believe that only the Bible’s record is accurate and true.

Only the Bible contains true history.

There are a lot of theories in history textbooks, which try to explain the origins of our world. Some theories say that mankind had its roots in Africa. Some say that Egypt was the first great culture. Some even say that aliens from other planets came to our world and taught us how to build great empires.

Yet how can we explain how so many cultures have similar temple structures, worship the same kinds of gods, and even have similar myths of creation and a worldwide flood? If we understand that the Bible contains true, eye-witness accounts of history, then we know that Genesis explains all these things.

God says that mankind had its origins with a single set of parents, Adam and Eve, but that all their children except the godly line of Seth rebelled against God and were destroyed in a flood of water. After the flood, Noah’s three sons and their wives became the parents of all people, cultures, and nations that exist on the earth today. The reason every culture has similarities is because they all originated in the same place.

The Bible says that before people were scattered over the face of the earth, they united in Babel in defiance of God. Before God changed their languages, they had one religion and a one-world government. They built a high place there, known to us as the Tower of Babel, that became the template for temples, pyramids, and ziggurats all over the world.

Knowing what the Bible presents about the history of mankind and believing in its truth makes all the rest of history make sense. It is imperative that we teach it to our children!

Babel (Babylon) is the empire that has tried to rise up against God.

Babel (Babylon) was a real place in history, where Nimrod, a real person, led a rebellion against the God of heaven. Babylon is also a world system, a philosophy, and a religion, one that continues to permeate our world to this day.

After the tower of Babel was abandoned, its world system, philosophy, and religion continued to survive all the way down to our present time. By searching for references to Babylon in the Bible and by reading what it says, we can have a much better understanding of our own Babylonian-like culture, as well as God’s plan for the future. It is imperative that we teach it to our children!

There are only two world religions: God’s and Satan’s (Psalm 2:1-2, Ephesians 6:12).

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand all the religions in our world today. We have choices such as Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Catholicism, Christianity, Islam, Baha’i, Unitarian Universalism, and so many more.

The Bible says there are only two religions, those who follow God and those who follow this world’s system. All nations and mankind have united themselves together in their opposition against God, and the Bible calls this “Babylon.”

When we learn how the people of Babel “worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:18-32), we can then easily spot the lies of Satan when they are presented to us today. It is imperative that we teach it to our children!

God says that Babylon will fall (Revelation 11:15, Revelation 18-19).

Every prophecy God has made so far has come true, exactly as God has said it would. In the same way, God’s prophecy of the downfall of Babylon, this world’s system, will also come true.

Author Christine Miller has written,

“The purpose of prophecy is not to give Christians a crystal ball into future events. Its purpose, once what is prophesied has clearly been seen to come to pass, is to produce the conviction that the God of the Bible is God, thus inspiring repentance, and faith.”[1]

One of the purposes of using God’s Word to teach history is that it instills great faith in our children. They can easily see that God always keeps His promises, which gives them the courage and strength they need to walk with God in their daily lives. It is imperative that we teach it to our children!

God wants us to “come out of Babylon” (Revelation 18:4-5).

Again, Christine Miller writes,

“God’s own people are portrayed as dwelling in Babylon! God calling the righteous to depart from Babylon before it gets judgment dumped on it sounds eerily familiar. Remember the two angels visiting Lot and leading him away from the city while fire rained down on it from heaven? Remember Lot’s wife, who Jesus told us looked back on the city with longing, and was turned into a pillar of salt? We were warned not to be like Lot’s wife.”[2]

We are to be different, from the inside out.

First, we are to mark our children on their foreheads, by firmly planting God’s Word in their minds. We are to help them use God’s Word as a standard for all their thoughts.
Next, we are to mark our children in their hands, by helping them do what God’s Word says, showing them how to be obedient in every way possible to God.

As you know, we accomplish these two goals by first placing God’s commands in our own hearts and then talking about them with our children all day long. This is why using the Bible to teach history in our homeschools is such a great opportunity! We have the time we need to study with our children and then to implement God’s Word (our textbook) into our entire lives. It is imperative that we teach it to our children!

As we’ve attempted to compile some lesson plans you can use as you teach history to your children, we’ve kept the following foundations in mind:

We believe that history is simply the unfolding of “His Story.” History (as well as the future) is all in God’s view, and everything that has happened and will happen is for His glory.
We believe that from Genesis to Revelation, God tells us about His Kingdom, why He created us, why sin is so destructive, and His amazing plan of redemption. (For more information on this, we highly recommend Myles Munroe’s book, Rediscovering the Kingdom.)
I believe that all of history (past, present and future) has been revealed in His Word. When we study prophecy in Scripture with our children, and as we see how God is always faithful to His Word, our faith and trust in Him is confirmed (Isaiah 40:8). This is a great reason to study history!

Our goal is to present history not just as another subject in school but as another opportunity for us to be thrilled and amazed by God’s Word. There are MANY good history curriculum on the market, but if you choose to use ours, remember these things:

The account of creation and the centuries before the flood in Genesis are accurate history. They should be taught to your children as literal, factual, and important.
The details of the spread of civilization recorded in Genesis 10 are accurate history. Show your children how there are really just two religions: the worship of the Creator and the worship of the creation. (From Genesis 10-11, you can teach all world cultures, geography, world religions, and more.)
Studying the Old Testament should be a priority over all other sources of ancient history. When dates disagree with God’s Word, dig in and find out why. Show your children tangible evidence why the Bible can be trusted.

One very nice feature of using Scripture to tell history is that, especially when Scripture is committed to memory, our children are provided with a mental timeline. They will be able to put all other historical and current events into their proper perspective, always seen from God’s viewpoint.

Our prayer is that, by telling all of history (from creation to modern times) from God’s perspective as written in the Bible, we will cover the most important details, the things that God most wants our children to know and understand. We hope you’ll enjoy the journey!

“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried [proven]: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him” (Psalm 18:30, KJV).
“Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:4-6, KJV).