(The Jerusalem Council - Google Images 2014)
Main Events
As implied by the title Acts of the Apostles, the 5th book in the gospel is a contemporaneous document of what the apostles did after Jesus’ resurrection. It begins with recording the spread of the Christian church in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria (Got Questions.org, n.d.). The rest of the book's major focus is on Paul, the most prolific author of the New Testament. The first major event of Paul was his first missionary journey, when he left Antioch (Got Questions.org, n.d.). It was after his first journey in which he attended the Jerusalem council. In this chapter, Paul and Barnabas were appointed with the task of clarifying the old Jewish laws of circumcision (Acts 15) (Got Questions.org, n.d.). They preached to the gentiles that salvation is by God's grace alone, not by any act performed by man on earth. (Got questions .org). Eventually his overzealous evangelism led to his own persecution: imprisonment, beatings and stoning (Got Questions.org, n.d.). Close to death, he was spared by god and continued his preachings in a more ‘Christian’ way. Paul’s second mission led them to Greece after a disagreement caused him and Paul to split ways (Got Questions.org, n.d.). after preaching in Philippi, he and Silas were imprisoned, only to escape by God’s earthquake (Got Questions.org, n.d.). They then proclaimed on mars hill that God is the one true God, not man made idols (Got Questions.org, n.d.). The destination of Paul’s third journey was Asia Minor. It was there and Troas where he preached and revived a fallen man (Got Questions.org, n.d.). Shortly after Paul concluded his final journey he was arrested in Jerusalem. This led to Paul being transported to Rome for his trial (Got Questions.org, n.d.). On the way Paul preached and encouraged the men through the Holy Spirit when the ship wrecked (Got Questions.org, n.d.). On arriving in Rome, Nero had ordered both Paul and Peter to execution (Got Questions.org, n.d.). Several years later Luke had finished off the book with the documentation of the roman attack on Jerusalem to suppress the Jewish Revolt (Got Questions.org, n.d.).
For an extensive timeline of the Events in Acts of the Apostles, see below.
- Christ appears to the apostles after His resurrection (Acts 1:4-8).
- Christ ascends to heaven (Acts 1:9-11).
- Matthias is appointed to replace Judas as the 12th Apostle (Acts 1:15-26).
- The Holy Spirit comes to the apostles in the form of tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4).
- The apostles speak in tongues (Acts 2:5-13).
- Peter heals a lame man (Acts 3:1-10).
- Stephen is stoned to death and becomes the first Christian martyr (Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-60).
- Saul persecutes the Christians (Acts 8:1-3).
- Saul has a dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).
- Saul escapes from Damascus in a basket (Acts 9:23-25).
- Peter raises Dorcas (Tabitha) from the dead (Acts 9:36-43).
- King Herod Agrippa I orders the execution of the Apostle James (Acts 12:1-2).
- An angel rescues Peter from prison (Acts 12:3-10).
- Saul's first missionary journey - Cyprus, Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. Saul becomes known as the Apostle Paul. (12:2 - 14:28)
- Paul and Peter meet at the Council of Jerusalem to decide if Gentile Christians must observe the Jewish Law and customs (Acts 15:1-20).
- Paul writes his First Letter to the Thessalonians - the earliest New Testament book.
- Paul writes his Letter to the Galatians.
- Paul's second missionary journey - Philippi, Thessalonica, Beroea, Athens and Corinth (15:36 - 18:22)
- Paul's third missionary journey - Galatia, Phrygia, Ephesus, Macedonia, Troas, Miletus,Tyre and Caesarea (18:23 - 21:14)
- 16-year-old Nero becomes emperor of the Roman Empire.
- Eutychus falls asleep while Paul is preaching and falls out a window (Acts 20:9-12).
- Paul writes his First and Second Letters to the Corinthians.
- Paul writes his Letter to the Romans.
- Paul is arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-36).
- Paul is taken to Rome for trial and shipwrecked on the way (27:1 - 28:16).
- Nero orders the execution of both Peter and Paul.
- The Roman Army attacks Jerusalem to suppress a Jewish revolt. The city and the temple are destroyed.
Main Places
- Jerusalem
- Judea
- Antioch
- Samaria
- Rome