Year Event
4 BC The birth of Israel’s Messiah in Bethlehem.
Circa 4 AD The birth of Saul of Tarsus, Cilicia.
20-30 Saul’s education in the school of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), Result: Saul becomes a
Pharisee, one half of the governing body in Israel.
26 – 30. The teaching ministry of Messiah.
30 The death, resurrection, and ascension of Messiah. The Holy Spirit falls upon the
followers gathered in the upper room. Peter preaches repentance and water
baptism to Jews at Jerusalem for salvation and in preparation for the coming
kingdom.
THE END OF THE ECONOMY OF LAW AND THE BEGINNING OF THE ECONOMY OF THE KINGDOM
32 The Jews of Judea and Jerusalem respond to the message and offer of the
Messianic Kingdom by stoning Stephen. Saul sanctions the murder and thus
begins the persecution of Christians (Acts 7 – 8:3), much advanced by his own
treachery.
Christians of the remnant assemblies scattered from Judea.
33 Saul is converted in a direct confrontation with the ascended Jesus. He receives a
three-fold commission – “to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings
and the sons of Israel (Acts 9:1-19).”
Saul ministers at Damascus, then goes into Arabia (Galatians 1:17).
34 -36 Saul returns to Damascus and ministers for three years before going up to
Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18-21; Acts 9:20-25; 2 Corinthians 11:32-33). He returns
to Tarsus.
37 Paul goes up to Jerusalem.
Peter opens the way of the Messiah and His kingdom to the Gentiles at the house
of Cornelius (Acts 10;1-23). This ushers in Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles.
37 – 48 During these years Paul preaches in Syria and Cilicia from his base in Tarsus. He
endures most of his sufferings (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).
Circa 40 John writes the Revelation to the scattered saints in Asia to prepare them for the
imminent return of the King and the establishment of His kingdom.
44. Barnabas brings Paul to Antioch (Acts 11:25-26).
45 Paul and Barnabas minister to the saints.
46-48 Paul ministers in Antioch, confronts Peter (Galatians 2), and visits Jerusalem to
deliver aid (Acts 11:29-30).
50 Paul’s first journey with Barnabas from Antioch to Cyprus, to Pisidium Antioch, to
Iconium, to Lystra. to Derbe, and returning through the same places (2
Corinthians 11:24-26 and Acts 13:1 – 14:28).
Herod murders James of the twelve (Acts 12:2).
Paul, Barnabas, and Titus attend the council in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-30 and
Galatians 2:11-14) and return to Antioch.
Paul and Barnabas contend over John Mark and separate (Acts 15:36-39).
51 Paul’s second journey from Antioch to Cilicia, Lycaonia, Galatia, Troas,
Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth (Acts 15:36 – 18:17).
52. Paul and Silas go through Syria and Cilicia (Acts 16:1-5) and at Troas Paul sees
a vision of the Macedonian man (Acts 16:6-10).
Paul remains at Corinth where he writes 1 Thessalonians.
53 Paul writes 2 Thessalonians from Corinth.
54 In the spring Paul leaves Corinth and reaches Jerusalem for the feast
of Pentecost and moves to Antioch in the summer (Acts 18:19 – 28).
In the autumn he begins his third journey, ending the year in Ephesus
(Acts 18:23 – 19:1).
55 – 56 Paul ministers in Ephesus (Acts 19:1- 41). He writes 1 Corinthians in the
spring and departs for Macedonia (Acts 20:1).
He writes 2 Corinthians from Macedonia and returns to Corinth.for the
winter. He writes Galatians.
58 – 60 From Corinth in the spring he writes Romans. He leaves Corinth for Philippi,
Troas, and Miletus. In the summer he visits Ephesus on his way to Jerusalem
(Acts 20:17 – 38). Here he is arrested by the Romans and escorted to Caesarea
for safekeeping until his transport to Rome.
In response to his treatment in Jerusalem, he writes Hebrews to show the
superiority of Christ to all things Jewish.
60. In autumn Paul is sent to Rome but is shipwrecked at Malta (Acts 27:39 – 44).
61 In spring Paul arrives at Rome (Acts 29:14 – 16).
He confers with the Jewish leaders of the dispersion, arguing from the law and
prophets for the Messiah and His kingdom. They reject the arguments and offer
for the third and final time (Acts 13:46; 18:6, 28:16 – 31). Israel as a nation is
temporarily set aside fir a future day, as is the economy of the kingdom.
John writes his biography of Jesus once he learns of the national rejection (John
1:11),
Luke writes Acts.
THE MOVE FROM THE ECONOMY OF THE KINGDOM TO THE ECONOMY OF THE GRACE OF GOD AND THE ONE NEW MAN.
62 In the spring from his rented house, Paul begins the most important work of his
ministry – revealing the mystery of the body of Christ to Jews and Gentiles without
distinction.
He writes Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.
63 Paul is acquitted and goes to Macedonia (Philippians 2:24) and Asia (Philemon 2:2).
He sends Onesiphorus with a letter to Philemon.
64 – 65 Paul goes to Spain.
66 Paul returns to Asia (1 Timothy 1:3).
The Jews revolt against Rome.
67 From Macedonia Paul writes 1 Timothy and Titus.
68 Paul is reimprisoned in Rome. He writes 2 Timothy and is martyred in the summer.
70 The Roman general Titus sacks Jerusalem and destroys the Temple.
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF PAUL’S LETTERS
1 Thessalonians, 52 from Corinth
2 Thessalonians, 53 from Corinth
1 Corinthians, spring of 55 from Ephesus
2 Corinthians, autumn from Ephesus
Galatians, 56 from Corinth
Romans, 58 from Corinth
Hebrews, 59 from Caesarea
Acts 28:17-29, circa 61
Ephesians, 62 from Rome
Philippians, 62 from Rome
Colossians, 62 from Rome
Philemon, 63 from Rome
1 Timothy, 67 from Macedonia
Titus, 67 from Ephesus
2 Timothy, 68 from Rome
The early letters belong to the dispensation of the kingdom in which the Holy Spirit, through the apostles – “them that heard Him” – were fervently carrying on Jesus’ ministry to Israel of repentance and water baptism for the coming kingdom. Here is Acts 3:17-20:
“Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
This message went out through the apostles, especially through Peter, James, John, and Jude in preaching and in writing. The best and oldest manuscripts divide the writings into five groups:
The four gospels (biographies of the Messiah)
The Acts of the apostles (“them that heard Him”)
The Apostolic Epistles (Peter, James, John, and Paul’s first seven during the Acts period)
The later seven Pauline letters (written after the Acts period)
The Apocalypse
This order suggests that the message went first to Israel to solicit her national repentance and acceptance of the Messiah. Had she done this, He would have thrust His bride Israel into a time of purging, would have returned to Earth from His heavenly exile, and would have established His Messianic Kingdom. This explains the urgency in the letters written during the Acts period about His soon return. During the time covered in the book of Acts, Israel was on probation due to Messiah’s murder, but ultimately rejected Him and were set aside temporarily by the Father. Paul unveiled the revelation of the mystery of the One New Man comprised of Jews and Gentiles in one body, and turned to the Gentiles, who instead of being grafted into Israel while the cultured olive tree still stood, were now divinely placed directly into Christ.