Many saints do not realize that there is a specific order in which to read the Bible to get clear understanding of it. You cannot read it in the exact order that it is written in and get the full understanding it. Below I will show the order in which it should be read, with dates to verify it. At the end I will give a brief explanation as to why it should be read this way.
Israel was split into two kingdoms, Israel / Samaria to the north and Judah / Jerusalem to the south. Jeroboam became king of the north and Rehoboam became king of the south. This book continues to Ahaziah king of the north and Jehoshophat king of the south. There are three other books that should be read with 1 Kings. These books are: #14 PROVERBS, # 15 ECCLESIASTES and #16 SONGS OF SOLOMON. These books were written during the time of 1017 BC - 898 BC.
Israel fell in 721 BC with Hoshea as king. Before their fall, God sent Prophets to them to tell them of their wicked ways, and to turn back to God. They refused, and God caused Israel to be sieged by Assyria. This is when they became known as the Lost Tribes of Israel. Below are the Prophets and their years of prophecy.
Judah was besieged in 606 BC and the final captivity was in 586 BC. As with Israel, God sent prophets to Judah to tell them to turn from their wicked ways. As with Israel, they refused and did not turn from their wicked ways. God then allowed them to fall into captivity. Taken by Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. Below are the Prophets and their years of prophecy.
Daniel is given visions into the book of Revelations and the last days. Things that must come to past. Daniel prophesied to Judah and also prophesied about the five kingdoms that would suppress God's people. Daniel went into captivity with God's people for 70 years. Being released in 536 BC.
When Cyrus released Judah from captivity in 536 BC he issued a decree to rebuild God's temple. Darius also issued a decree in 519 BC to finish rebuilding after the work of the temple had stopped. The temple was finished in 515 BC through the Prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah.
The temple was rebuilt but the walls of the temple were left undone. Nehemiah realized the walls was undone, so he went to king Artaxerxes to request of him to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Artaxerxes gave a decree in 446 BC to rebuild the wall in troublesome times. The walls and gates to the temple was finished in 433 BC. The temple had to be built because it had to be finished and ready for when Jesus came to the earth. After the temple was finished and some years had pass, the people went back to their wicked ways. God sent one final Prophet, Malachi to warn the people to turn from their ways or be cursed. They refused and they were cursed and God refuse to speak to them for about 400 years (the book of the Maccabees). God did not speak again until John the Baptist of the New Testament.
In this last book of the Old Testament, God is saying, do it His way or not at all. God is letting you know that He does not change. After the curse is lifted, God will send John the Baptist to set things straight. To make the crooked path straight, before the coming of God in the flesh (Jesus). John sees Jesus coming and says; behold! the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world.
Remember this: the Dispensation of Grace (CHURCH) was hidden from the foundation of the world!