Acts 9 Before his conversion, Paul (or Saul, as he is sometimes called in Acts) was a Jew who was zealously seeking out those who followed Jesus to throw them into prison (Acts 8:1-3). He had obtained permission from the High Priest to go to Damascus to arrest any believers he found there and bring […]
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Palestine under Roman Rule
At the time of Jesus’ birth, the land of Israel (now called Palestine by the Romans) was ruled by the Romans, who had granted Herod the Great the title of “king” over the region. His domain included most of the land that once belonged to Israel. After his death, the Romans granted Herod’s wishes that […]
Nations at Pentecost
Acts 2:1-41 Soon after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven, Jews from all over the world came to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of Pentecost. It was during this pivotal gathering that the Holy Spirit first came upon believers in a very visible way, and Peter preached a message that led 3,000 […]
The Kingdoms of Saul, David, and Solomon
When Israel first settled in Canaan, they operated as a coalition of twelve tribes with no single ruler, though from time to time local leaders would rise up as needed to face certain threats (Judges 2-16). Beginning with Saul, however, the twelve tribes of Israel united under a single king in order to be more […]
Jerusalem during the Later Old Testament
The Babylonians destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord in 586 B.C. and exiled many Judeans to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21; Jeremiah 39:1-10; 52:1-30). Several decades later (539 B.C.), King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon and declared that the Judean exiles were free to return to Judah and […]