I know it’s been a while, but we are finally continuing our series on the story of humanity. Today, we’re going to be looking at the ultimate Flat Arc—God Himself—and how He stays constant throughout eternity.

While some people would like to think that the story of humanity is all about God redeeming Man, that isn’t its main focus. God is actually the true main character of this story, and it is firstly about Him getting the glory He deserves.

As I said last time, this arc is meant to be merely a tool to help you look at the Bible from another angle. It isn’t perfect, so please do let me know if you think any of the plot points could have been different.

We will be talking about Flat Arcs later in our Plots and Character Arcs series, so don’t worry if you don’t understand all of these terms. And here is the filled-in template for the ultimate Flat Arc:

SETTING:

Place: Both outside and inside the universe

Time: Eternity

MAIN CHARACTER:

Name: God

Background: He has always been and always will be. He created Man to glorify Him, but they rebelled against Him and began to go their own way.

What does this character want? For His creation to fulfill their true purpose—glorifying Him.

Character’s Specific Truth: That He is worthy to be praised

The World’s Lie: That they do not need Him

ANTAGONIST:

Name: Satan

Relationship to MC: His former angel

Background: He used to serve God in Heaven, but became filled with his own pride. His rebellion against God ended up failing, and he was cast out along with the third of angels who followed him. He now preys on Man, using him to fulfill his purposes until he finally gets his chance to destroy God.

His Lie: He will prevail against God

His Want: To be like God

How does the protagonist get in the way of the antagonist’s goal: He is too powerful for Satan to defeat.

The connection between the antagonist and protagonist: Both believe they deserve the same position.

The conflict between the antagonist and protagonist: Only one of them is worthy to rule the universe, and He’s already on the throne.

The stakes: If God wins, He will keep His throne and Satan will be cast out forever. If Satan wins, He will take the throne and God will have lost His power.

(Note: Even human Flat Arcs have flaws—though they generally aren’t emphasized during their arc—and they can experience fear, anger, and discouragement. God, however, is perfect, which is why He is the ultimate Flat Arc. Any “low moments” in His arc are merely external, as God knows that He will triumph in the end.)

HOOK: (Believes Truth in Lie-ridden world) Man lives in constant rebellion towards God, somehow believing that they can be like Him. Meanwhile, Satan believes everything is working according to his plan.

INCITING EVENT: (Is challenged to use Truth to oppose Lie) God continues to show love and mercy towards Man—especially His people, Israel—as they continually sin against Him.

FIRST PLOT POINT: (World tries to forcibly impose Lie) When God sends His Son to earth, Man rejects Him and plots to kill Him. Satan enters into Judas, who ultimately betrays Him.

FIRST PINCH POINT: (Uncertain if Truth is capable of defeating Lie) Jesus is nailed to a cross and dies. It appears that the Lies of Man and Satan will end up prevailing.

MIDPOINT (SECOND PLOT POINT): (Moment of Truth: Proves power of Truth to the world) Jesus rises from the dead, defeating death and Hell, and proving that He has power to both save and destroy.

SECOND PINCH POINT: (Lie-driven characters fight back) Throughout the years that follow, the conflict continues to worsen. Man grows increasingly evil, following more and more after Satan.

THIRD PLOT POINT (LOW-POINT): (Lie seems to triumph externally) God eventually takes His children—those of Man who have chosen to follow Him—up to Heaven. From then on, evil abounds even more than it had before, and Satan enters into the Antichrist, who will rule the world for a time.

CLIMAX: (Final confrontation between Truth and Lie) The kings of the earth gather their vast armies together at Armageddon. Satan believe that this is it—he has finally gained enough power to defeat God and take His throne.

CLIMATIC MOMENT: (Truth defeats Lie) God descends from Heaven on a white horse, all of His children riding on horses behind Him. However, He needs no army to defeat His enemies. With only the word of His mouth, He will strike down Man and Satan.

RESOLUTION: (New, Truth-empowered normal world) The world enters 1,000 years of peace, during which Jesus reigns in Jerusalem. While Satan tries to rise up one last time after the 1,000 years, God’s fire rains down from Heaven, and they are quickly demolished forever. God then creates a new Heaven and new Earth, where He and His creation will live forever.

(Note: I know that Jesus’ death and resurrection could have easily been placed during the Third Plot Point and the Climax, but I figured that it was also important to include the rest of the story of humanity—right up until Satan is defeated once and for all.)

Comment below if you have any thoughts or questions!