Chronological New Testament

Transcription

1 Chronological New Testament Chronological New Testament Chronological Arrangement and Commentary by Ken Brown Using the World English Translation (WEB) Version Edited and arranged by James Dinsmore March

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3 Chronological New Testament All scripture is from the World English Bible (WEB) The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. It is in draft form, and currently being edited for accuracy and readability. ( Feb 21, 2011) "World English Bible" and WorldEnglishBible.org are trademarks of Rainbow Missions, Inc. Permission is granted to use the name "World English Bible" and its logo only to identify faithful copies of the Public Domain translation of the Holy Bible of that name published by Rainbow Missions, Inc. The World English Bible is not copyrighted. The domain names ebible.org and mpj.cx are trademarks of Michael Paul Johnson. ( Feb 21, 2011) The chronological arrangement of the New Testament and the commentary was written by Ken Brown and is from his Web site, ( htm, Feb 21, 2011) James Dinsmore simply rearranged the New Testament books using the World English Bible (WEB) and formatted them in accordance with Ken Brown's chronological order and commentary. The author and editor may be contacted via Ken Brown kbrown313@comcast.net James Dinsmore jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com 3

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5 Preface Chronological New Testament I embarked on this project to help me overcome the habit of prooftexting or quoting verses out of context. Worse, I have been guilty of knitting together unrelated verses to 'prove my point'. I am not alone in this; it is common practice to perform topical searches for Biblical passages that match one's agenda or preconceived notions. Such profane treatment of the Scriptures has always been the source of religious deception. Scripture must be examined in its context to be properly understood. The original intent, not man's bias, is what is valid. Much of my conviction in this came from reading, Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna. Chapter 11 of their book says it all, Re-approaching the New Testament: The Bible is Not a Jigsaw Puzzle. So I set out to retrain my mind by finding a chronological New Testament; but could not find one composed in the last century. The first step was to find someone who could provide an outline of the scriptural order, which I found in Ken Brown, the author of this chronology and the attached commentary. Then I had to wade through the many modern language renderings of the Bible to find one that had a copyright permissive enough to allow someone to publish the entire New Testament in an unconventional order. The only open, noncopyrighted modern translation was The World English Bible (WEB). It proved to be readable and accessible for this endeavor. After decades of studying minute fragments of verses for some new insight I can finally step back and get a proper view of the message of the New Testament in its historical context. 2 Timothy 2:15 (WEB) Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth. The Bible is Not a Jigsaw Puzzle. Frank Viola, George Barna James Dinsmore, Editor 5

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7 Chronological New Testament THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT The Need For A Chronological Order Several years ago while on business I observed a plaque prominently displayed in the foyer of a rather large church building of a denomination I ll not mention. It read: Our mission is to carry on the rich traditions and meaningful rituals of the church given to us by our fathers in order to preserve this important religious heritage. Now, I don t mean to be sarcastic (well, maybe I do), but I immediately thought, but what about carrying on the rich truths and meaningful reality given to us by our God in order to preserve what He revealed to us in the Scriptures? The sad fact of the matter is that man s religion has distorted God s truth to the point that truth is almost lost. I firmly believe that when it comes to man dealing with a Holy and Righteous God and relationship with Him, the tendency of most men is to give mere lip service to what He says and define for themselves the boundaries of that relationship. And our history bears that out. The result has been the formation of religion in all its many forms. I also believe that one of the things that has contributed greatly to these distortions and to so many different expressions of Christianity is the way the New Testament is presented in our printed Bibles. For over 500 years now men have developed a wide variety of traditional churches with a Bible made up of numbered sentences (verses) and books that are completely out of order when compared to the sequence in which they actually occurred in history. Chronological exposition is unknown and contextualism is practically extinct. Any idea that comes into the heart of man can be supported or seemingly proven with isolated Scripture verses. That s why there exist today scores of denominations and many other groups the denominations call cults though, in reality, there are only slight differences between the two. They all claim to have started with the church Jesus founded. And they all claim to be true to the Scriptures. But, how can that be, since they are all so different? The New Testament is a record of the development of the church in its first 100 years; yet, none of those denominations or cults resembles the church described in the New Testament in even the slightest way! The following is an attempt to put the New Testament in chronological order. I readily admit that some dates may be disputable (men who 7

8 have devoted their lives to such a study do not entirely agree, and absolute accuracy is really not necessary for our purposes). I m putting the New Testament together in this order because those who want to understand the church as Jesus originally founded it will have to forsake most everything they ve ever learned about church as it s known in the traditional sense and understand the New Testament and how it really portrays the Lord s church. To do this, we must look at the New Testament as a history of consecutive events and pay close attention to what those events actually show us. The New Testament is in the same order that you find it in every major translation and it has been the same ever since the first one was printed in It was organized the way you see it because an Augustinian monk thought this particular order made it easier to study doctrine. But in this form, it presents an incongruous and disjointed picture of what really happened in the church during it s formative years, making it easy for men to disregard history and bend it to their own will and purposes. The result has been gross deception in the formation of manmade religion in all its many structures and beliefs and an almost total disregard for what really constitutes Christ s church. We must compare the church in the New Testament to the traditional church of today, so we can understand why they are not the same thing. Just keep this in the back of your mind for now, the different churches we see today in the traditional form that we know them have evolved over the past 1900 years, with many variations following the same basic pattern only in slightly different directions (depending on the differing viewpoints and whims of men), especially since the Reformation and the availability of the printed Bible, both of which came on the scene in the 15th century. Then, we can use the chronological order of the New Testament that follows to begin to familiarize ourselves with what God originally intended for us to follow as the model for the church. There is one thing for certain: nowhere in the New Testament will you ever find even a remote justification for what you see in religion today. There is no blueprint, no instruction given for the religious institutions that make up what is called Christianity today. Maybe we should ask ourselves this question, when Jesus was on this earth, why did He not settle down in one location and establish what would surely have become the first mega-church? Let me venture two reasons. The first is that it was never His eternal plan. The second is related to the first; 8

9 Chronological New Testament the bigger something gets, the less personal it becomes, leading to an ineffectiveness that breeds dissention and deception. What happened in Jerusalem after Pentecost is a great example, the church started well (Acts 2:41) and with the best of intentions (Acts 2:42-47); but trouble came quickly (Acts 6:1) and God s remedy was to break it up (Acts 8:1). Religious Deception In This Age Jesus predicted with the parable of the mustard seed that His earthly kingdom would be filled with deception. In the Book of Matthew this earthly kingdom is called the kingdom of heaven (literally, the kingdom from the heaven) and represents the earthly realm of Christians in this age, beginning with Jesus public ministry, through the present and continuing on in the future to His second coming. Many of His parables clearly illustrate the fact that this time will contain both professing Christians and true believers. Matthew 13:24-30 is the parable of the wheat and tares (tares are a weed that looks like wheat, but produces no grain). Here, Jesus explains that both are allowed to grow in the field together; then the wheat is gathered to the master s barn, but the tares are gathered to be burned. In the parable of the dragnet in Matthew 13:47-50 the worthless fish are separated from the good fish and the worthless fish are thrown away. The symbolism found in these parables and others is clear. The parable of the mustard seed is found in Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13: This is Matthew s account. The kingdom of heaven is like a single mustard seed, which a man planted in his field. Even though it is the smallest of seeds, it grows into one of the largest plants. And when it is grown, it is the size of a tree, and the birds of the air come to live in its branches. Now remember, parables are comparisons and illustrations. The kingdom of heaven is like Like what? It s like the smallest of seeds that grows up to be one of the largest of plants. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds known; so small it s used as an illustration to emphasize smallness (Matthew 17:20). Yet varieties of this plant common to Judea grow into tree-like plants, often 12 feet high. So, this parable illustrates the smallness of the seed to the greatness of what the seed produces. Jesus influence on such a small group of people in a relatively small area surrounding Jerusalem seems insignificant when 9

10 compared to all the people in the whole world. Yet, it quickly led to the formation of a worldwide religious conglomeration unsurpassed in the influence and power it has held over people for almost two thousand years now for both good and bad (but as we ll see from this parable, mostly for bad). As in all the parables found in Matthew 13, the man in this parable is Jesus. He is the one who planted the seed. Here, as in others using this symbolism, the seed is the word or message of the kingdom and the field is the world. Then we get to the part of the parable that religious leaders would try to explain away. The birds of the air that lodge in the branches of this tree-sized plant are demons. The term used here is peteinon, that which is able to fly, with ouranos, heavens, and literally means those who are able to traverse the heavens, a reference to demons. This is consistent with what Jesus has already said earlier in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:3-9, specifically, verse 4 about the seed (the word) that falls by the side of the road being quickly eaten by birds and in His explanation of this parable that follows in Matthew 13:18-23, again, specifically verse 19, where He says the wicked one comes to snatch away or destroy the message. So from this we can conclude the birds in the parable of the mustard seed are the same as the birds in the parable of the sower, demons under the supervision of Satan, sent to lodge in this worldwide religious conglomeration called the kingdom of heaven to deceive those who reside there and rob them of truth. And if you remember, then, the parable of the tares follows the sower and leads up to the mustard seed. Jesus illustration of the activities and program of Satan is consistent. In His explanation of this parable Jesus explains that the tares are the children of the wicked one and the enemy that sowed them is the devil. The good seed (the message of the kingdom) sown by the master (Jesus) produced good wheat (children of the kingdom); but the other seed sown by the enemy (religious deception) produced something that looked like wheat, but was really tares or in some translations, darnel (children of the wicked one) (Matthew 13:37-43). There is absolutely no reason to think that these three parables (or the other parables that follow in Matthew 13, as well) are isolated, unrelated stories. Jesus meant for us to compare the illustrations contained in them in order to understand more fully their meaning and the characteristics of the kingdom of heaven they describe. And keep 10

11 Chronological New Testament in mind, the term kingdom of heaven is used to describe this current age of religious profession, a time clearly illustrated by these parables when true children of the kingdom live in the same realm with those who look like them, but are really the children of the wicked one. Therefore, the birds in the parable of the mustard seed are used to illustrate demons sent by Satan to deceive the inhabitants of the kingdom and steal away the truth. This deception comes in the form of the religious systems that make up the kingdom. The branches of the mustard plant represent all the different religious institutions and denominations that exist. And the parable of the mustard seed clearly illustrates the fact that demons lodge in every branch religious deception is not isolated or limited to certain groups, it s pervasive in the world. So, let me say it again for emphasis, there is no justification whatsoever in the New Testament for any of the religious institutions that exist today. They were never what God intended and are a product of spiritual deception. The Pattern Must Be Restored The purpose of the New Testament was to give us a pattern. When it was put together the way we know it, that pattern was destroyed. Where there is no pattern to follow, men could make up another to fit their purposes. And that s exactly what they ve been doing. I m amazed at the number of churches today who claim to be New Testament, but have nothing at all in common with the church described in the New Testament. Several years ago I was asked my opinion of a rather large singles ministry. It was thought to be successful because it had thousands of young people involved (in religion success is always measured by numbers). The pamphlet they used to promote their ministry began with this statement, In the absence of a clear model, we set out to create our own. In the absence of a clear model? Give me a break! In reality it was just another traditional church ministry looking for new and innovative ways to attract more people, while trying to figure out how to effectively entertain them, so they would enjoy the experience and come back the next week. And at the same time, slip something religious into the mix, so they ll think they had some exciting and emotional encounter with God that would make them feel good (though that s one aspect common to religion I could never quite figure out, 11

12 since those in the Scriptures who actually had an encounter with God were frightened, repentant and often fainted). My fervent hope for anyone who reads this chronology is that they would immerse themselves in the New Testament church that is portrayed by this history that spans approximately 100 years (from Jesus birth at 4 BC to the writing of the Book of Revelation at AD 95). As you go through the history of the early church you will see suffering, sacrifice, hardship, persecution and spiritual opposition, mixed with joy, humor, hope, not a little determination and an almost inconceivable commitment to the cause of Christ. And all of those things taken together illustrate one all-important dynamic that I believe has been mostly lost over these past two thousand years of practiced religion - a true, life-changing reality of Christ in the hearts and lives of believers! And, I believe this reality can only be found in the atmosphere and activity of His true church. It is a reality of Christ that can only be found in a moment-by-moment relationship with Him, where He is the first thing we think about when we wake up in the morning and the last thing we think about before we go to sleep at night. It is a reality that melts our hearts as we experience His love and a reality that makes us eager to know His purposes and willing to obey His every word. A reality that demonstrates the depths of His kindness and mercy, the scope of which constantly amazes us. The reality of a Lord that is so great that we know our constant praise of Him will never adequately define His greatness! A reality that takes us from glory to glory (actually from one personal experience to the next), transforming us into His wonderful image and a reality of Christ that constrains and consumes us. Then finally, it is a reality that causes us to know with certainty that His church is not comprised of some group that meets together on Sunday morning in the big building on the corner to enjoy their multimedia presentation, promote their programs and perpetuate their traditions and rituals. It is, instead, made up of people all over the world who meet with Him continually and individually, striving to maintain a personal relationship of intimacy with Him. Real Faith Is Defined By Personal Experience As has been my habit over the years, I like to examine Scripture verses from various translations to make sure the grammar and word meanings 12

13 Chronological New Testament are accurate, and then put them in more contemporary English. The following is my expanded paraphrase of II Corinthians 13:5 and is intended to serve as an earnest challenge to all who read this. Evaluate your life and see if you re holding to true faith. Do you see the proof, the reality of it? Have you not yet realized by an everexpanding personal experience that Christ is in you (motivating and directing your life)? If that is not the case, you have failed the test. You might want to stop here and read that verse a few more times. The point I m making here is that we tend to read something translated from one language (in this case, Greek) to another (English) and tend to miss or overlook the full meaning of what is being said. Part of this is the religious bias of translators; part of it is the weakness of the English language when only a few words are used. This is why we have libraries full of commentaries and other study helps written to help us understand the meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words found in the Scriptures. If you did as I asked and read that verse several times, hopefully you realized the connection between faith and personal experience. True faith is defined by the real experiences we have with Him that change us and make us more like Him. It cannot be the result of learning a denomination s statement of faith (more accurately, a statement of belief). It does not come from listening to someone else talk about Him week after week. It is not something that automatically results from singing songs specifically crafted to elicit an emotional response. It is not found in following religious traditions and rituals that are not reality, but mere representations of it. Faith is not something that automatically comes from a perfect attendance record in Sunday School. Faith is never defined by adherence to a list of rules that represent a particular group s moral standards (do this, don t do that, etc), standards that can vary significantly from group to group. Look at the Scriptures; Hebrews 11 is the great faith chapter. It talks about the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah and others. But, when you look at what is actually written about them, it is a record of their real experiences with God. Hebrews 11:6 explains the principle. But without faith (real experiences) it is impossible to please God, because anyone who wants to be close to God (in relationship with Him) must not only believe that He exists, but that He will (personally) respond to those who diligently seek Him. (My paraphrase) Their faith was borne out of their desire to know God, their diligence in 13

14 seeking Him and His response that resulted in their experiences with Him. And that is what is illustrated over and over in the Scriptures. This Is My Experience Let me explain something the Father taught me several years ago that changed my life dramatically. I come from a fundamentalist Baptist background. And one of the things they always said was, The Bible is our only source of faith and practice. But the Father led me to understand that He is my source of faith (again, real experiences) and practice. The Father wants to teach me what is right and true, and then He will hold me accountable as I struggle to apply it to my life. And the Bible is where I can confirm those things by seeing the experiences of others in the past are similar to mine. The Bible doesn t tell me what to do, He does! The Bible only reassures me that others have had experiences resembling my own. Let me try to illustrate this principle of going to the Scriptures to confirm our experiences with God. Several years ago I walked away from religion frustrated and disillusioned. I wanted to know God, but immersed in religion as I was, it was becoming more and more clear to me that I didn t. Slowly, but surely, over those 35 years in traditional ministry, I was beginning to realize that religion just didn t deliver as promised. Why it took that long for me to figure it out, God only knows. But I finally began to understand that I didn t know Him in the way that I should, and that what religion called a personal relationship with God was not really personal nor could it be called a relationship. So, I quit the church, isolated myself and began to cry out to God. And as God began to reveal Himself to me, the more He taught me about Himself, the more I understood why God and religion is not the same thing. What you re reading here is nothing more than my feeble, disjointed attempts to communicate what He s teaching me about Himself, about me and about the deception of religion. As I began to spend time alone with Him, eventually He brought to my mind some times in the past that I had (somewhat arrogantly) prayed and said I wanted to be known as a man who walked with God. And this is what He taught me about walking with Him: if you want to learn how to walk with God, you must first learn to talk to Him. This is the foundation of any relationship and our relationship with God is no 14

15 Chronological New Testament different! Then, as we talk to Him and He responds, our experiences with Him define our faith. What do I mean when I say you must learn to talk to God? Again, this is my experience. I had to learn to be honest with God and express myself openly to Him. And you can be sure; this was a new experience for me. I knew how to close my eyes and thank Him for my food before meals (if someone else was present and expected me to). I knew how to recite general, religious-sounding public prayers in church services (because it was in the program and part of my job). I knew how to tell God what to do, how to do it and who to do it to in so-called ministry times (so people could hear what they wanted to hear and feel better about themselves or their circumstances). And from time to time, as is required of religious leaders, I got out my long laundry list of prayer requests and told God how I wanted Him to manipulate other people or situations so they would line up with what I thought was best (though I could never quite figure out why I bothered, because things rarely turned out the way I thought they should). But God began to destroy all that foolishness. And as He tore down the religion, reality began to set in. I began to learn how to talk to Him about things that actually mattered. I began to learn that God wasn t interested in what I thought or what I had to say about others. I learned that when I was in the presence of a Holy and Righteous God, all I could do was submit to Him and agree with Him. I began to realize that when I got alone with God, He wanted to know what I thought about myself. Ouch! And as uncomfortable as that was, His gentle love and acceptance of my repentant heart made those times irresistible. I was drawn to Him like a moth to the flame. But I learned the flame didn t destroy, it only refined and changed. I experienced one of those ironies that can only be true in God, the pain felt good. Slowly, but surely, to the degree that I was able (or willing) to submit to Him and obey; He was conforming me to the image of His Son. Jesus Is The Example So, I repeat, if you want to learn how to walk with God, you have to learn how to talk to Him. Now, how do I know that s true? Two reasons. The first is that it has been my experience, my reality, literally, my faith. The second is that I can go to the Scriptures and confirm it, because it was the experience of men in both the Old and 15

16 New Testaments. But, I m not going to belabor the point. I ll just show you Jesus. He s the example of talking to God; He s the example of faith being defined by personal experiences. Let me clue you in on something. When you experience God, you can usually confirm the reality of it by looking at Jesus. I sometimes have to stop to chase a rabbit or two. I ll make this short. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to, Carefully consider Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Author is from archegos, meaning, originator. He set the example for us to follow. Finisher is teleiotes, the one who brings something through to the goal. He had a relationship with the Father based on His personal experiences with Him (real faith); then (when His work was through) He went to be with the Father. Jesus showed us both the example to follow and the result of following it. What did Jesus show us? And after He had dismissed the crowd, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. And when evening came, He was still there. (Matthew 14:23, my paraphrase, compare Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 11:1) As you go through the Gospel accounts you will see it was Jesus habit to spend time alone talking with the Father. As a result He experienced the Father s presence and learned Who He was and what the Father wanted Him to do. This is John 8:28. Then Jesus said, After you have lifted up the Son of Man (on a cross), you will understand that I am the One you seek and I do nothing on My own authority, but I say only what My Father has taught Me. (My paraphrase, read John 5:19, 30; 8:26, 38 for other examples) Can we not conclude that Jesus is our example of how to have a real relationship with God? This is the pattern that must be followed. Jesus spent time talking to the Father. The Father responded. Jesus submitted and obeyed, saying what the Father told Him to say and doing what the Father told Him to do. Can there be any doubt that Paul and others in the New Testament had the same kind of relationship? Was it any different for Abraham, Moses, David or any of the others we see in the Old Testament? I see no evidence that would convince me of that. And is there any reason why we should think it would somehow be different for us today? Did God change? Does He respond to us differently than He did to Jesus or others in the Scriptures? Should we subscribe to the nonsense common in religion today that God only speaks to us through the Scriptures? Should we believe that God only 16

17 Chronological New Testament speaks to us today through the traditions and rituals of long-established religious institutions? Or, worse yet, should we believe that God only speaks to us through a chosen few religious leaders? Not if you actually believe the Scriptures. For I Am the Lord, I will not change. (Malachi 3:6, my paraphrase, see also James 1:17). And not if you believe what Jesus says, It is written in the Prophets, And they shall all be taught by God (have Him as their personal Teacher). And everyone who listens to Him and learns, will come to Me. (John 6:45, my paraphrase, Jesus is quoting Isaiah 54:13) That looks like God relating to believers on an individual, personal basis, just like He did with Jesus and others we see in the Bible. That looks like personal experience to me. And, in my own experience I can say it is also a lifechanging reality. It s A Matter Of Perspective And if what I have presented in these last couple of paragraphs is true, the question begs to be asked: what is the purpose of all the religious group activities, the programs, the professional clergy and the big buildings they meet in? Like everything else, it becomes a matter of perspective. If you look at the New Testament assuming that everything there supports all this religious activity, then that is what you will probably follow. But if you look at it from a perspective that nothing there supports this religious activity, your point of view might change. Here s an example of this perspective. People always ask me, what about the verse that talks about not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together? You tell me. Does Hebrews 10:25 specifically instruct everyone to make sure they go to the big building at the designated time to participate in the programs designed and led by the professionals? That s the assumption of many, but it s not what I see from my perspective. I look at the context of what Paul is saying, starting in verse 24 and see him giving instruction to believers regarding their individual duty to one another. And let us be attentive to one another, to urge each other on to love and good deeds, not forsaking gatherings of believers (for this purpose), as some do, but always encouraging one another, and even more so, as you see the day (of His return) approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25, my paraphrase) 17

18 No matter which way I look at this, I cannot see how Paul s instruction regarding the responsibilities one believer has to another believer could possibly have anything to do with a requirement to participate in the group activities and programs of religious institutions. On the other hand, the individual responsibility I have towards other believers is perfectly clear. We should meet personally with other believers to encourage them and be encouraged. And it is encouraging to hear what God is genuinely doing in the lives of others as they strive to know Him. But that is vastly different than going into a building with scores of other people, sitting in a pew and watching and listening as the professionals work their way through the program. Do you see the difference? It s all a matter of perspective. The Starting Point For Every Believer Is To Follow Jesus Example Now, why have I said all of this? It is not my intention to simply give you a version of the New Testament presented in the chronological order in which it was written. I want you to be a participant in the church that is described in these writings. I want you to put yourself there. Not intellectually, but in the reality I ve been describing. I want you to experience God like the men and women you re reading about. I want you to follow Jesus example. This is what He says in Mark 8:34. And when He had called the people to come to Him, and to His disciples as well, He said, If you intend to go the way I m going (the way to the Father), then you ll have to forget about your plans and give up your self-interest, embrace the suffering that the Father will use to perfect you and follow my example. (My paraphrase) In the pages that follow I will attempt to tell you what was written, when it was written, why it was written and what I think might be some important lessons to be learned. But, all along the way I hope you will be diligent to spend time alone with God, experience Him on a personal level and prove (just as the men and women you re reading about had done) by an ever-expanding experience that Christ is in you (motivating and directing your life). That is the personal, individual function of the church that Jesus established. That is what He demonstrated to His disciples. And that is the foundation that must be laid if we are to fully understand and experience what is revealed to us in the Scriptures. 18

19 Chronological New Testament Table of Contents Acts, chapters James 47 Acts 12 through 18:17 53 I Thessalonians 68 II Thessalonians 72 Acts 18:18 through I Corinthians 79 Acts 20:1 101 II Corinthians 101 Acts 20: Galatians 117 Romans 125 Acts 20:4 through Gospel of Matthew 163 Gospel of Luke 222 Acts 27 through 28: Philemon 289 Colossians 291 Ephesians (Laodicea?) 297 Gospel of Mark 306 Philippians 343 Acts 28: I Timothy 351 Titus 357 I Peter 360 Hebrews 367 II Peter 386 Jude

20 II Timothy 392 Gospel of John 397 I John 444 II John 450 III John 451 Revelation

21 Time Line Chronological New Testament (Though the book of Acts was composed in AD64, the events described have been broken down to correspond with the Epistles) 5 BC AD 29 Events of the Gospels AD 29 Acts, chapters 1-11 AD 45 James Acts 12 through 18:17 AD 52 I Thessalonians AD 53 II Thessalonians Acts 18:18 through 19 AD 57 I Corinthians Acts 20:1. AD 57 II Corinthians Acts 20:2-3. AD 58 Galatians AD 58 Romans AD 59 Acts 20:4 through 26 AD 60 Gospel of Matthew AD 60 Gospel of Luke AD 61 Acts 27 through 28:16 AD 61 Philemon AD 61 Colossians AD 62 Ephesians (Laodicea?) AD 63 Gospel of Mark AD 63 Philippians AD 64 Acts 28:17-31 AD 64 I Timothy AD 64 Titus 21

22 AD 64 I Peter AD65 Hebrews AD 67 II Peter AD 67 Jude AD 67 II Timothy AD 85 Gospel of John AD 86 I John AD 87 II John AD 87 III John AD95 Revelation 22

23 Chronological New Testament Here is the New Testament in chronological order: 1. The first church was not the one in Jerusalem; it was Jesus and the 12 disciples. The real pattern for the church cannot be based on mere assumptions drawn from letters Paul and others wrote. Jesus set the example for His church. However, the four Gospel accounts of Jesus life and ministry were written at different times, for different reasons, and will be noted as we go through this sequence. For our purposes, we will begin with the events that took place in Jerusalem following Jesus ascension in May, AD This history begins with the Book of Acts, chapters Note that Luke wrote the Book of Acts in AD 64, about 35 years after Jesus ascension. But, since this is an actual historical account of many of the events that took place in the history of the early church, it makes sense to use it as a guide to keep those events in perspective. In these first 11 chapters we see the beginnings of the church in Jerusalem, Pentecost, the power of God displayed in the church, the persecution suffered by the early church, Peter s leadership, Stephen s ministry, the church in Jerusalem scattered due to intense persecution, Philip s ministry, Paul s conversion, his spiritual development, the beginning of his ministry in Antioch (where he begins to experience the church). These first 11 chapters in Acts span approximately 16 years, from AD 29, the year of our Lord s crucifixion, to AD 45. I point this out to give a broader view of these events. When we simply read the Bible, we tend to allow events to run together in quick succession, not realizing that we have just read an account of events that may have taken years to unfold instead of just the few short minutes it took us to read it. This is the time it took for God to prepare committed men like James, John, Peter, Paul and others to understand both the Gospel message and His purposes in using them to take it to the world. This is in fulfillment of what Jesus promised His disciples in John 14:26 But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send to act in My place, He will teach you all you need to know, and will cause you to remember everything I have told you. (My paraphrase) 23

24 Acts, chapters 1-11 The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 1 The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, 2until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God s Kingdom. 4Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, Don t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. 5For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 6Therefore when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel? 7He said to them, It isn t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. 9When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, 11who also said, You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky. 12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day s journey away. 13When they had come in, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying; that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, 24 Acts Chapters 1-11

25 Chronological New Testament Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. 15In these days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (and the number of names was about one hundred twenty), and said, 16 Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus. 17For he was numbered with us, and received his portion in this ministry. 18Now this man obtained a field with the reward for his wickedness, and falling headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines gushed out. 19It became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem that in their language that field was called Akeldama, that is, The field of blood. 20For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be made desolate. Let no one dwell therein; and, Let another take his office. 21 Of the men therefore who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection. 23They put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24They prayed, and said, You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen 25to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place. 26They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Chapter 2 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, 25 Acts Chapters 1-11

26 and one sat on each of them. 4They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. 5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. 6When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. 7They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, Behold, aren t all these who speak Galileans? 8How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God! 12They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What does this mean? 13Others, mocking, said, They are filled with new wine. 14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. 15For these aren t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day. 16But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. 18Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy. 19I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke. 20The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. 26 Acts Chapters 1-11

27 Chronological New Testament 21It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. 22 Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as you yourselves know, 23him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; 24whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. 25For David says concerning him, I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. 26Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope; 27because you will not leave my soul in Hades, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay. 28You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence. 29 Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left in Hades, nor did his flesh see decay. 32This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. 33Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear. 34For David didn t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit by my right hand, 35until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Acts Chapters

28 37Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? 38Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself. 40With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation! 41Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls. 42They continued steadfastly in the apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer. 43Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44All who believed were together, and had all things in common. 45They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need. 46Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, 47praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved. Chapter 3 Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2A certain man who was lame from his mother s womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple. 3Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive gifts for the needy. 4Peter, fastening his eyes on him, with John, said, Look at us. 5He listened to them, expecting to receive something from them. 6But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk! 7He took him by the right hand, and raised him up. Immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength. 8Leaping up, he stood, and began to walk. He entered with them into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God. 9All the people saw him walking and praising God. 10They recognized him, that it was he 28 Acts Chapters 1-11

29 Chronological New Testament who used to sit begging for gifts for the needy at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11As the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon s, greatly wondering. 12When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? 13The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. 14But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses. 16By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, 20and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, 21whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. 22For Moses indeed said to the fathers, The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you. 23It will be, that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people. 24Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days. 25You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, In your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed. 26God, having raised up his servant, Jesus, sent him to you first, to bless you, in turning away everyone of you from your wickedness. 29 Acts Chapters 1-11

30 Chapter 4 As they spoke to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came to them, 2being upset because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3They laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was now evening. 4But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 5It happened in the morning, that their rulers, elders, and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and as many as were relatives of the high priest. 7When they had stood them in the middle of them, they inquired, By what power, or in what name, have you done this? 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, You rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9if we are examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand here before you whole. 11He is the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner. 12There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved! 13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14Seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16saying, What shall we do to these men? Because indeed a notable miracle has been done through them, as can be plainly seen by all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we can t deny it. 17But so that this spreads no further among the people, let s threaten them, that from now on they don t speak to anyone in this name. 18They called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves, 20for 30 Acts Chapters 1-11