MAIN EVENTS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS

CHAPTER NUMBER WITH EVENT:

1    Jesus' body goes up into a cloud‑‑around 27 AD

2    Ten days later, the Holy Spirit gives special power to the disciples, and they preach about Jesus for the first time. 3000 people become Christians on that one day.

3    Peter & John heal a crippled beggar in the name of Jesus.

4     Peter & John are put in jail and warned not to speak about Jesus.

5     The disciples are put in jail, but escape through a miracle

6‑7  The first Christian to be killed for his faith: Stephen.

8      Philip leads an African official to believe in Jesus.

9     Saul becomes a Christian, at the age of 30 (around 35 AD).   Better known by his Roman name, Paul, he later went to many countries to preach the gospel, and wrote most of the letters which are in the New Testament.

10‑11 Peter leads a Roman army officer to believe in Jesus, and Peter also discovers that Christians no longer need to observe the Jewish food laws.

12   Peter is put in prison, but escapes :through a miracle.

 The rest of the events are all about Paul:

 13‑14   First journey of Paul (around 48 AD)

15   Important conference in Jerusalem, with Paul and the disciples, where they realize that non‑Jews who believe in Jesus do not need to observe the Jewish ceremonial laws.

15‑18     Second journey of Paul

(Paul writes letters to Galatians and Thessalonians. His letters mentioned on this page are all included in the New Testament)

18‑21 Third journey of Paul

                  (Paul writes to Corinthians and Romans)

22 Paul is arrested in Jerusalem.

23‑26 Paul is in prison in Caesarea, on the coast of Israel

27‑28  While being sent to Rome, Paul is shipwrecked

28 Paul is in prison in Rome, around 59 AD

     (From prison, Paul writes to Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and to his friend Philemon.)

END OF THE BOOK OF ACTS. Events in Paul's life after the book of Acts:

Paul is released from prison in Rome, around 62 AD.

Fourth journey of Paul

Paul writes to his co‑workers Timothy and Titus

Paul is put in prison again in Rome, and then killed around 68 AD, at the time of the Emperor Nero.

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For the story of Christianity after Bible times, up to the present, go to Sources of Denominations