There is a definite starting date for this period, for it is marked by the coming of Pentecost exactly 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 2.1-4). On that occasion, the Holy Spirit came with power upon the disciples who remained in Jerusalem and they began to speak in foreign languages to all who were present. Just as those old pre-Messianic Covenants had been sealed by circumcision, the new post-Messianic Covenant of Grace was sealed by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Old Covenant of Law had seen the coming of God’s presence in the wilderness Tabernacle, now the New Covenant witnessed the coming of God’s in-dwelling presence as those who trusted God became living "Tabernacles". Thus, the Church officially began when about 3000 Jews and proselytes accepted the New Covenant on that first Century Pentecost.

The book of Acts records the events that followed for roughly the next 30 years. Therefore, this book is extremely important in setting several key dates for the early Church and understanding its character during those early years. Jesus’ statement in (Acts 1.8) serves as a convenient way to divide the book chronologically when He said,

The chronology for each segment is broken down using these three segments in the life of the early Church.

The Church in Jerusalem grew by leaps and bounds following that Pentecostal beginning. Jewish leaders quickly realized that this new "Way" was a serious threat to Judaism and began to take steps to stamp it out. (Acts 4) gives the account of the first imprisonment of Peter and John who were seen as the "ringleaders" of the movement. Nevertheless, all efforts at verbal and physical intimidation were futile, and the disciples continued to boldly proclaim a resurrected Jesus who they declared to be the Messiah. More arrests of the Apostles are recorded in (Acts 5), but the final indignation involved a disciple by the name of Stephen.

Few details of Stephen’s background are known, but it is recorded that his boldness in proclaiming his faith caused the Jewish leaders to charge him with the crime of "blasphemy". He was summoned to appear before the Jewish Sanhedrin, the highest ruling judicial body at that time. His bold statements made during that defense caused him to be stoned to death, so Stephen became the first recorded Christian martyr (Acts 6-7). His martyrdom probably occurred only two or three years after Pentecost although there is no way of precisely determining the date.

The death of Stephen produced an effect quite opposite from that intended by the Jewish leaders. It did cause the disciples in Jerusalem to flee for their lives to the surrounding regions, but as they fled the Gospel of Christ’s Kingdom went with them (Acts 8.1). A disciple by the name of Philip, chosen earlier with Stephen to minister to widows in the Church, traveled to Samaria preaching Christ to them. Then the Lord led Philip from Samaria to Gaza on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea where he came upon a man from Ethiopia. This Gentile proselyte to Judaism also accepted Christ and returned to his homeland of Ethiopia continuing to spread the message there (Acts 8.26-40). Some time later, Peter was sent to a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius. He was a God-fearing man but had not heard the Gospel, so when he and his family were all converted, it became clear that this new Way was spreading throughout the region even among the Gentiles (Acts 10.1-23).

It might seem most logical that the Gospel would continue to be spread throughout the Gentile world by those original disciples. However, the Lord had something else in mind as he enlisted someone from a most unlikely source.

If potential candidates for the spreading of the Gospel had been set down by Jesus’ early disciples, it is certain that the name of Saul of Tarsus would not have been on the list. Saul was not a disciple nor was he even a friend of the Church; he was its archenemy. Saul was first mentioned at the occasion of the stoning of Stephen, undoubtedly because he was the instigator of that murder. Even after his Damascus Road confrontation with the risen Messiah and subsequent conversion to Christianity, he was still greatly feared by other Christians (Acts 9.1-19).

Paul’s private ministry began shortly after his Damascus road experience, but his public ministry to the Gentile world did not begin for at least another 10 years. It is known that he made a trip to Jerusalem three years after his conversion to visit Peter and James, the Lord’s brother (Galatians 1.18). However, his missionary journeys did not begin until around AD 48-50 when he was called by God for that phase of his ministry. In about AD 49, Paul made a second trip to Jerusalem either just before (Acts 11.27-30), or just after (Acts 15.1-29) and that first missionary journey described in (Acts 13-14). Since there is considerable disagreement among the scholars as to which it was, we are left with this uncertainty concerning the starting date for his first missionary journey.

Although it is not possible to fix the starting date, it is possible to connect several incidents in his ministry with subsequently dated events.

(Acts 18.1-17) records a problem that occurred while Paul was in Corinth during his second missionary journey. At that time, he was prosecuted before the Roman proconsul Gallio on the charge of preaching an illegal religion. The Bible indicates that Gallio dismissed the charge, and the text also indicates that this occurred at the beginning of Gallio’s administration. Secular history records that his administration began in AD 51.

Following Paul’s third missionary journey, he returned to Jerusalem where he was arrested. Paul appealed on the grounds of Roman law, declaring that he was a Roman citizen. He was thereupon delivered before Felix, who ruled as governor of Judea during the years AD 52-60. Felix procrastinated upon hearing Paul’s appeal, hoping that the defendant might bribe him to be released. When that didn’t happen, Paul was forced to remain in prison for two years.

Now independent of Paul’s dealings with Felix, secular history also records that Felix’s soldiers put down a riot by the Jews in Caesarea in AD 58. It was done with such cruel violence that it brought about his replacement in AD 60. Festus, a more fair and honorable ruler, then took office. Since Paul’s second hearing was before Festus soon after his administration began (Acts 25), the time of Paul’s imprisonment following his third missionary journey is fixed in the years AD 58-60. Thus, Paul must have visited all of the regions described in his nine letters to the Churches during a period of only about 10 years, but his ministry was still not ended.

Festus gave Paul the choice of either going back to Jerusalem for final judgement or going before Caesar Nero who had begun to reign in Rome in AD 54. Paul chose to make his final defense before Nero in Rome. With that decision, the remaining chapters of the book of Acts tells of the voyage to Rome where he was able to continue his ministry while in house arrest for two whole years during AD 61-63 (Acts 28.17-31). Paul wrote Church letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, along with the personal letters of Titus, Philemon, and I Timothy during this period.

Nero’s first 10 years of rule were deceptively benign, but commencing in AD 64, he began to persecute Christians with the outrageous atrocities that have been vividly passed down through history to us. Therefore, Paul’s appeal to the Caesar came at the very advent of that persecution. During that time, he penned his final letter to Timothy predicting his imminent death (II Timothy 4.6-8). Consequently, Paul’s valedictory must have been written only a short time before his martyrdom. Paul prophesied in this second letter to Timothy a still future "last days" time of great trouble (II Timothy 3.1). Therefore, it is reasonable to place the time of his last letter about AD 66, shortly before the Jewish rebellion that broke out in that same year and led to the annihilation of the entire nation of Israel.

The chronology set down has focused on the Apostle Paul because his contacts with certain Roman officials facilitates the setting of dates at certain points during his journeys. The original Twelve Apostles engaged in their efforts during the same time frame as Paul, but the absence of definitive historical records makes it impossible to set precise dates.

Nonetheless, Peter clearly expected great tribulations in the near future (I Peter 4.12). He also voiced his expectation of early death (II Peter 1.15), so it is quite probable that he was similarly martyred with Paul during those Nero persecutions.

Conversely, the tone of John’s letters suggest a paternalistic attitude toward a younger generation, indicating the possibility that they were written late in life. This supposition is reinforced by other remarks made in the book of the Revelation also penned by John, where descriptions of current persecutions against believers seem to fit the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian (AD 51-96). In this respect, dates as late as AD 95/96 are accepted by scholars.

REDEMPTIVE PLAN