Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth and all in it...He made man in His own image to serve Him and represent God's rule to create order in the world. God is eternal with no beginning or end. No one created God...He simply is.
God Himself came to exist among mankind as the perfect human to die for our sins. Jesus Christ is God in human form...the only human to ever live a sinless life. As the only perfect sacrifice, Jesus gave himself which was the only way our sins could be forgiven so we may be saved from eternal damnation...for which, you must be born again by confessing and repenting of your sins & asking Jesus to come into your heart.
The Holy Spirit of God dwells within all followers of Jesus Christ who is the saviour. The Holy Spirit is God which guides believers to be rightuous in their faith. As Jesus promised, He sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples after His departure...which happened fifty days after His Resurrection at the Pentecost.
God created Adam, then created Eve from a rib of Adam. Influenced by the serpent, they ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge (mankind now knew sin). For their disobedience, God sent them out from the Garden of Eden to labor and toil for the rest of their lives.
Abel offered the best he had to God as a sacrifice, while Cain withheld his best for himself. For this, God favored the sacrifice from Abel. Out of jeolousy, Cain killed Abel for which God punished Cain by casting him away to wander.
The Lord became grieved as He saw great wickedness and evilness of men on Earth. God decided to blot out mankind...except for Noah who was a righteous man who walked with God. On God's command, Noah faithfully built an Ark which saved mankind and all the types of animals of the land and air from extinction during the Great Flood.
God founded a special relationship with the Jewish people through Abraham. God called Abraham to settle in Canaan (the Promised Land) where he would become the father of nations. God also tested the faithfulness of Abraham by commanding him to give his son Isaac as an offering...God stopped Abraham before the sacrifice could be completed.
Isaac was the miracle child of Abraham & Sarah who did not believe they could conceive in their very old ages. It is thought that they named their son "Isaac" (meaning "he will laugh") because of their laughter in disbelief of having a baby. Isaac was obedient to death when God tested Abraham's faith. Isaac lived a faithful life, but later picked Esau as his favorite son which pitted his twin sons (Esau & Jacob) against each other.
Foretold by God, Jacob was destined to be more powerful than his older twin brother Esau. Jacob bought Esau's birthright and tricked his aging father to bless him instead of Esau. Jacob was the father of 12 sons who are the ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel. After wrestling with God, Jacob's name was changed to "Israel". Bringing his descendants, Israel moved to Egypt to escape a severe drought in Canaan (his son Joseph who was second to the Pharoah lived in Egypt).
Jacob's (Israel) favorite son Joseph was sold by his own brothers and brought to Egypt as a slave. Joseph was imprisoned for a false accusation of rape. By God's grace, Joseph accurately interpreted Pharoah's dream of a famine 7 years later (thus preventing widespread hunger in Egypt) for which he was released from prison and made second in command to the Pharoah. Joseph sent for his father and family to move to Egypt to escape the severe famine in Canaan.
God tested Job's faithfulness through great suffering...teaching us to remain obedient to the Lord even in times of great pain.
Through the power of God, Moses brought various plagues onto the Egyptians as the Pharoah continued disobedience to free God's people. Only after the plague which killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians, the Pharoah freed the Hebrews from slavery. Moses led the Israelites through their Exodus towards the Promised Land through the Red Sea and the wilderness. Moses also delivered the Ten Commandments to the Hebrews.
Moses was not a great speaker so God provided Aaron (his elder brother) as a voice for Moses. Aaron was instrumental as a spokesman for Moses while speaking with the Pharoah of Egypt and the Israelites. Aaron would receive the honor of priesthood from God for both himself and his descendants. The rest of his tribe (Levites) were given subordinate duties in the sanctuary.
Led the Hebrews in the conquest of the Promised Land. First, Joshua sent spies to inspect the land (especially Jericho). The spies reported that all who dwelt in the land were in fear. On God's command, Joshua sent the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to cross the Jordan river. When the priests reached the Jordan river, it ceased to flow and backed up so all the people of Israel crossed firmly on dry ground. Joshua led the Israelites to defeat Jericho, Ai and kingdoms throughout the promised land...he captured all their kings and struck them down. The Lord hardened the hearts of all the kingdoms (except the Hivites in Gibeon), so they would receive no mercy being annihilated by Joshua as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Judges during the times before Israel became a kingdom...Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon & Samson (to name a few). God meant for the Israelites to drive out all Canaanites from the Promised Land...instead, many Canaanites remained in the land. The Israelites lived along side and married the Canaanites eventually adopting their ways and gods...spiraling into corruption, sinning against God.
The story of Ruth is a testimony of how the Lord is involved in our lives every day. Through a show of loyalty, Ruth (a Moabite) followed her mother-in-law Naomi back to her homeland in Israel from Moab. Both women were widows. Ruth met Boaz who redeemed her by marrying her and protecting her and Naomi. Thus, God ensured Ruth's family was restored. Ruth would become the great-grandmother of David...the future king of Israel (chosen by God).
Samuel was the prophet instrumental in ushering Israel into a unified kingdom from the tribes ruled by Judges. In all the corruption during the Judges, the Israelites cried out for a king. On the command of God, Samuel sought out a king to rule a unified nation. Saul became the first king of Israel. Displeased with Saul, Samuel notified him that God was going to raise up a new king. Samuel went out and found the humble shepherd boy David chosen by God and anointed him with oil to become the future king of Israel.
The Israelites cried out (during the corrupted times of the Judges and violent times with the Philistines) for a king to rule a unified kingdom. The prophet Samuel prayed to God, who commanded him to find a king. Saul was established the first king of Israel. Saul won early battles against the Philistines, but began to decline as he became disobedient to God. An angered Samuel told Saul that God planned to raise a new king. Samuel found and anointed God's chosen to be the future king of Israel...David. As David found favor from God, he won victories against the Philistines as a leader in the Israelite army...greater victories than king Saul. A jealous king Saul unsuccessfully sought to kill David. Saul continued to decline in his anger and pride. During a losing battle with the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, Saul took his own life so he would not be slain by the Philistines.
Displeased with the disobedience of king Saul, God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint His chosen future king of Israel...David. As a young shepherd boy, David rose up to defeat the giant Philistine warrior Goliath with a simple sling and a stone...once fallen, David beheaded Goliath's body with the giant's own sword. As a young leader, David claimed many victories greater than king Saul. David fled to the wilderness to escape being killed by the jealous king Saul. On two different occasions, David could have taken Saul's life...being humble, he did not. After Saul took his own life during a losing battle with the Philistines, David openly lamented his passing...even though Saul attempted multiple times to kill David. The Israelites asked David to unite the tribes and be their king...first Judah, followed by the tribes of Israel. David relocated the ark to Jerusalem. During a time of peace, David wanted to build a temple for the Lord. God declared that David's descendant would build a house in His name (not David). Though David was favored by the Lord, David did commit a great sin...he slept with and impregnated a married woman (Bathsheba) and had her husband assassinated. God forgave David of this sin, but as a consequence the kingdom declined into rebellion. Absalom (David's son) raised a rebellion against his father...David fled Jerusalem. Absalom was slain for which David lamented the death of his son. Ultimately David was restored to his throne...though a broken man.
Son of David, Solomon prayed to God for wisdom to best judge the Israelites to discern good and evil...God was pleased and granted wisdom to Solomon. Solomon showed great wisdom saving a baby in determining the correct mother between two women who claimed the child. The numerous people of Israel happily served Solomon all the days of his life. Solomon's wisdom was respected throughout the surrounding nations...men of all nations came to listen to Solomon. Solomon honored the wishes of God by building the temple of the LORD. Upon the completion of construction of the temple, Solomon had the ark of the covenant of the LORD brought to its place in the inner sanctuary. Solomon blessed the LORD and prayed a prayer of dedication in front of the whole assembly of Israel. Israel under Solomon prospered tremendously. However, king Solomon loved many foreign women from the nations the LORD had forebid the Israelites from intermarrying...these wives turned his heart to other false gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD as his father David had been. This angered God, who told Solomon that He would tear the kingdom apart after Solomon's lifetime. God fulfilled this promise after the death of Solomon during the reign of his son, Rehoboam.
In the northern kingdom (Israel) during the reign of the evil king Ahab and his evil queen Jezebel (who would slaughter most of the LORD's prophets) , the prophet Elijah told Ahab there would be drought except at his word. The LORD sent Elijah east to the Brook of Cherith where he would be fed by the ravens. Some time later the brook dried up, so God sent Elijah to be cared for by a widow in Zarephath of Sidon who had very little flour and oil used for food. God blessed Elijah, the widow and her household by making the flour and oil last until He sent rain. The widow's son died...Elijah cried to the LORD for the child's life, and he lived. Later on Mount Carmel, Elijah (only remaining prophet of the LORD) challenged the many prophets of the false god Baal to call on their god to light the fire of a bull offering. The prophets called out to Baal to light the fire...the false god did not respond. Then Elijah setup an altar and had his offering and wood drenched with water. Elijah prayed to the LORD who sent fire down and consumed the sacrifice, the wood and all the water. The observers fell to their faces and praised God. They then seized all the prophets of Baal...Elijah slaughtered them all at the Kishon Valley. An enraged Jezebel sought to have Elijah killed for slaughtering all the prophets of Baal...Elijah ran for his life. Elijah went to Horeb the mountain of God where the LORD spoke with him. God commanded Elijah to go to the Desert of Damascus to anoint Hazael as king of Aram and Jehu as king of Israel...and Elisha to succeed himself as prophet.
God sent Elijah out to anoint Elisha to succeed him as prophet of the LORD. Before the LORD took Elijah, Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan river. After they crossed over, Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for him before God took him away. Elisha asked for a double portion of the spirit that Elijah possessed. The LORD took Elijah to heaven on a chariot and horses of fire in a whirlwind. With a piece of the cloak of Elijah, Elisha struck the waters of the Jordan which parted so Elisha crossed back over...the sons of the prophets saw this happen and bowed before Elisha.
The LORD told Jonah to go preach against the wicked city Nineveh...however, Jonah fled the LORD to sail on a ship to Tarshish. God created a violent storm which frightened the sailors...Jonah had fallen into a deep sleep. The sailors held Jonah responsible and cast him into the sea. God had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah who spent three days and nights in the belly of the fish. Jonah prayed and the LORD commanded the fish to release Jonah onto dry land. Once again, the LORD told Jonah to go preach in Nineveh. Jonah told the people of Nineveh that their city would be overturned in forty days...the Ninevites asked for forgiveness and repented, which pleased God. Jonah was angered because the LORD had compassion and relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them...it was not Jonah's place to be angry about God's work.
Isaiah lived during the latter years of when Judah & Israel were ruled by kings through the early years after the northern kingdom (Israel) was defeated by Assyria (722 B.C.). Isaiah began preaching about this time as Assyria began to threaten Judah. With urging by Isaiah, the king of Judah (Hezekiah) humbled himself and prayed to God for deliverance...he was able to survive Assyrian invasion. Hezekiah then invited a delegation from Babylon (a rising power in the region) and tried to impress and build an alliance with them by showing them the temple and all the riches of Jerusalem. Isaiah confronted Hezekiah for his foolishness and prophesied that Babylon would one day return and destroy Jerusalem...which happened about 100 years after Isaiah died. Isaiah went on to describe hope for the exiles of Judah and the restoration of Jerusalem. Isaiah predicted that grace would be given to all sinners who trust in the LORD and that the Messiah would come to fulfill the work of the LORD of redemption and deliverance.
Jeremiah lived in Jerusalem during the final years of the southern kingdom (Judah). Like Isaiah before him, Jeremiah prophesied that Babylon would destroy Jerusalem and exile the Jews. Unlike Isaiah, Jeremiah lived to see both of these events. Jeremiah warned of the coming judgement of God for breaking their covenant with God by worshipping various Canaanite gods. Jeremiah accused the corrupted leaders of abandoning the teachings and covenant. Though the Israelites worshipped God inside the temple, they continued to worship Canaanite gods outside the temple...some even practiced child sacrifice. Jeremiah proclaimed his prophesy of destruction and exile to be at hand since Israel had not turned back to God alone. In the first year of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, God directed Jeremiah to warn the Israelites that the army of Babylon was coming to conquer and exile Israel for 70 years. Jeremiah also gave messages of hope in that God would not abandon His people and bring them back home. Jeremiah foretold that after using Babylon to execute His judgement on Israel and the surrounding nations, God will give Babylon over to their own destructon...paving the way for the return to the promised land.
Babylon besieged and defeated Judah (c.605 BC). The first wave of exiles from Jerusalem included Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) ordered that some of the sons of the exiles be groomed to enter into the king's personal service...among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (four sons of Judah). As part of the process, those being groomed were expected to consume the king's choice food and wine. The four sons of Judah refused to king's food and drink, instead consuming vegetables and water which did not defile their bodies. God rewarded them with wisdom...Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which none of his wise men could interpret, Nebuchadnezzar had not revealed any details of his actual dream. God revealed the details of the dream to Daniel in a night vision. Daniel correctly interpreted the king's dream of a large statue made of various materials which represented the rise and fall of future kingdoms. Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel to be ruler over the province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Later king Nebuchadnezzar made a large golden image which he required all to worship or be cast into a furnace of blazing fire. Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah refused and were tied up and thrown into a furnace which God protected them from burning or perishing. Amazed, Nebuchadnezzar decreed that noone may speak anything offensive against God. In another dream, Nebuchadnezzar had a vision of a once great tree that was cut down by an angel...which again, Daniel was the only one who could successfully interpret that Nebuchadnezzar would be driven away from mankind and become like a beast of the earth until he recognized that it was Heaven that rules. As the dream foretold, Nebuchadnezzar was driven away to live like the beasts of the field until he finally blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him. Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall for king Belshazzar (Nebuchadnezzar's son) during a feast where the king and his guests praised their gods while drinking wine from the gold and silver vessels taken from Jerusalem during the exile. With Belshazzar being slain by Darius, the kingdom was given over to the Medes and Persians. For refusing to put Darius before God, Daniel was thrown into the den of lions over night. God protected Daniel by closing the lions' mouths.
Ezekiel was with the first wave exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC. During exile, Ezekiel was called to become a prophet to deliver the message of stern divine judgement that Jerusalem would fall because of the sins of the Jews. On his calling to be a prophet, Ezekiel had a vision of "The Appearance of the Likeness of the Glory of the Lord" which appeared to him in Babylon (not as expected above the Ark of the Covenant in the temple in Jerusalem). Ezekiel began to perform bizarre sign acts to deliver his prophetic message of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. These sign acts included a staged siege of a tiny model of Jerusalem, chopping the hair from his shaven head and playing the role of a scapegoat by laying on his side in public for a year as a symbol of bearing the sins of Israel during which he ate food cooked over cow scat to be an example that the people will have to eat nasty food in the times to come...no one listened. In a vision of the temple, Ezekiel is shown the people of Israel worshipping idols at the temple in Jerusalem ending with God's throne chariot leaving His temple and headed east to Babylon to be with His people in exile. In 586 BC, Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Babylonians. With the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, Ezekiel began to share the message of the Lord of hope for revival and restoration. God promised to bring Israel a future messianic king who would transform the people from being rebellious by sending His Spirit into the hearts of His people to bring them back to life.
During the reign of Ahasuerus (king of Persia) ~100 years after the exhile of the Jews to Babylon, many Jews had returned to the promised land though many still remained in Persia. King Ahasuerus held a 180-day banquet for his princes, officers and nobles from all his 127 provinces where he displayed riches and royal glory. He held another banquet for all the people of the citadel in Susa which lasted 7 days. On the seventh day of the banquet, a drunkened Ahasuerus summoned Queen Vashti to display her beauty before all the people. Vashti refused which angered the king greatly. Ahasuerus pronounced that Vashti would no longer be allowed in his presence and that her royal position would be given to another. Beautiful virgins were gathered from all the provinces, from which the king would choose a new queen. A Jewish daughter Esther was being taken care of by her cousin Mordecai since her parents had died. Esther was brought to the king's palace as one of the young virgins where she did not make known that she was Jewish. King Ahasuerus favored Esther more than all other virgins...making her his new queen. Beginning at the time Esther had been gathered as a virgin for the king, Mordecai checked every day on Esther. One day Mordecai became aware that two of the king's officials plotted to kill King Ahasuerus. Esther informed the king in Mordecai's name. As written in the Book of the Chronicles, the two officials were hung. Haman was an Agagite (descendent of the Cananites)...recall that King Saul had rejected the LORD by not utterly destroying King Agag after defeating the Amalekites ~500 years earlier (see 1 Samuel 15). King Ahasuerus advanced Haman, establishing his authority over all the princes commanding all to bow and pay homage. Mordecai refused to pay homage, which enraged Haman. Haman sought to destroy all Jews (the people of Mordecai) throughout the kingdom. Haman convinced th king to make an decree to annihilate all Jews in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month. There was great mourning among all Jews in every province where the decree came. Mordecai tore his clothes and wailed at the king's gate. Esther's maidens told her what had happened. Esther planned a banquet for the king and Haman. Recalling that Mordecai had saved his life from an assassination plot, King Ahasuerus honored Mordecai by ordering Haman to lead Mordecai through the city square on the king's horse...Haman felt very shamed. Esther pleaded with the king to save her people from Haman's plans to annihilate the Jewish people. Haman begged Esther to spare his life. King Ahasuerus became infuriated accusing Haman of assaulting Esther. He ordered Haman to be hung on the gallows which Haman had prepared for Mordecai. The king gave the house of Haman to Queen Esther and promoted Mordecai to the position previously held by Haman. Honoring the wishes of Esther, Ahasuerus instructed Mordecai to write to the Jews however he saw fit in the king's name. With the full authority of the king, Mordecai granted the Jews throughout the kingdom one day to defend themselves and annihilate any army who attacked them. Esther with Mordecai ensured a great deliverance of the Jewish people (Purim would be established). Purim is a holiday to commemorate the day the Jews rid themselves of their enemies. The story of Esther is a great example that God has not abandoned his promises of hope as the Jewish people are saved.
Ezra went to Jerusalem to teach the Torah and rebuild the Jewish community. Earlier, Persia defeated Babylon in 539 BC. Prompted by God, Cyrus (king of Persia) allowed the remnants of the Hebrews in Babylon to return home to Judah and rebuild after 70 years of exile. Zerubbabel (born in Babylonian captivity) led the initial large group of exiles back to Jerusalem (in 537 BC) and to rebuild the temple (began 535 BC). Zerubbabel did not allow the Jewish reminants who remained living in Jerusalem during the exile to help rebuild the temple...this created conflict. In 458 BC, Artaxerxes (king of Persia) sent Ezra to Jerusalem to rebuild the Jewish community. Upon arrival, Ezra found many of the exiles had married non-exiles who had been living around Jerusalem. Ezra believed the non-exiles would corrupt the Israelites who had been exiled and enacted a divorce decree to send away the women & children...the leaders of Jerusalem (not God) led Ezra to make the decree (the decree was only partially carried out). In 444 BC, Nehemiah (Israelite exhile) came to Jerusalem to rebuild the city wall. On the completion of the wall construction, Ezra came forth and read the Book of the Law of Moses to all the people of the assembly. For seven days the Israelites held the feast of tabernacles...each day Ezra taught from the Book of the Law.
Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls around the city. In 444 BC, Artaxerxes (king of Persia) sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem to govern Judah where he led the rebuilding of the city wall around Jerusalem. People who lived around the land became furious and sought to hinder the building of the wall and put an end to the work...the builders armed themselves and continued constructing the wall. As the wall construction neared completion, the people who lived around the land feared the Jews would grow too strong. A leader of the people of the surrounding land sent a message to Nehemiah to come out and meet in one of the villages. Knowing they planned harm, Nehemiah denied as he had great work which required his attention. Through the grace of God, the wall was completed in fifty-two days. On the completion of the wall construction, Ezra the priest came forth and read the Book of the Law of Moses to all the people of the assembly. For seven days the Israelites held the feast of tabernacles...each day Ezra read from the Book of the Law. After the feast of the tabernacle, the Israelites seperated themselves from all foreigners, confessed their sins and made a covenant to not neglect the house of God. In 432 BC, Nehemiah found the priest of the storerooms of the house of God had done some evil...so Nehemiah had the temple cleansed. Nehemiah had tithes restored in order that all the Levites could return to the temple. Nehemiah saw people in Judah working and buying goods on the Sabbath, so he forbid anyone to work or buy anything from anyone else on the Sabbath. Nehemiah also forbade intermarriage of Jews with foreigners making them to take an oath before God.
The Son of God came to exist among mankind as the perfect human to die for our sins. Jesus came to earth in the flesh by a divine birth through the virgin Mary. Jesus performed many miracles during His ministry here on earth. Though every person is imperfect and undeserving, Jesus Christ died for our sins (past, present & future) so that each of us may have the opportunity to be saved by His grace and find a place near Him in heaven...you have to believe in Him and be His follower.
By the grace of God, the virgin Mary was chosen to give birth to Jesus Christ. Mary had to be a virgin in order to give birth to the perfect Jesus Christ. After giving birth to Jesus, Mary raised Him in Nazareth of Galilee. She was in Jerusalem during the crucifixion of Jesus and with the Apostles after His ascension.
Legal father of Jesus Christ here on earth. Following the wishes of God, Joseph took Jesus and Mary to Egypt from Bethlehem (after the birth of Jesus) to escape King Herod's wrath. The death of Joseph is not recorded in the Bible, though it is believed that he must have died before the crucifixion of Jesus as the Bible did not indicate that he was present during Jesus' adult life.
Many theologians consider John the Baptist to be the last prophet. He was sent by God to prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordon River. John the Baptist had a large following which Herod Agrippa (not to be confused with King Herod who ruled during the birth of Jesus) took notice. Herod Agrippa had John the Baptist beheaded.
Apostle of Jesus. Peter was a fisherman when first called by Jesus to follow Him and to be "fishers of men". It was Peter who proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ (Messiah). Leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, Peter denied Him three times...only to be restored after Jesus' resurrection. After Jesus had ascended into Heaven, Peter was imprisoned in Jerusalem then rescued by an angel. One of the twelve Apostles, Peter was one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. It is believed that Peter spread the word and ministered in Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth and Rome. Many consider Peter to be the first bishop of Rome (i.e. first pope) and the first bishop of Antioch. Peter was crucified c.66 AD in Rome during the time of Emperor Nero.
Apostle of Jesus. Andrew was a fisherman and brother of Peter. Andrew was initially a disciple of John the Baptist before becoming the first called by Jesus to follow Him. It was Andrew who introduced Peter to Jesus. It is believed that Andrew spread the word and ministered in Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, Caucasus, Central Asia and north of the Black Sea into what is now Russia. It is believed that Andrew was crucified c.60 AD in Patras, Greece on an X-shaped cross (now known as "Saint Andrew's Cross") during the time of Emperor Nero.
Apostle of Jesus. James the Great was the second apostle to die (Judas Iscariot was first)...but the first to be martyred. It is believed that the remains of James are in Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain. James, his brother John and Peter witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and were at the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus. Some believe James was martyred after he had preached the gospel in the Holy Land and Spain...others believe the remains of James was brought to Spain after he was martyred. James was martyred c.44 AD by the sword (possibly beheaded) on the order of Herod Agrippa, king of Judea.
Apostle of Jesus. John may have written many books of the New Testament (Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John & Revelation). John, his older brother James the Great and Peter witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and were at the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus. It is believed that John played a leading role in the Early Church in Jerusalem and may have traveled to Ephesus (in current-day western Turkey). John was the only Apostle to not have been martyred. Emporer Domitian ordered John to be boiled alive in oil, which John survived unharmed...so the emporer had John exiled on the island Patmos instead. John died naturally c.100 AD.
Apostle of Jesus. Philip was initially a disciple of John the Baptist before being called by Jesus to follow Him. It was Philip who introduced Bartholomew to Jesus. It is believed that Philip spread the word and ministered in Syria, Asia Minor and Greece. After converting the wife of a local proconsul, it is believed that Philip was crucified upside-down c.80 AD in the Greek city Hieropolis (some believe he was beheaded, rather than being crucified).
Apostle of Jesus...also known as Nathanael. It was Philip who introduced Bartholomew to Jesus. It is believed that Bartholomew spread the word and ministered in Armenia, and possibly what is now India, Ethiopia and Yemen. It is believed that Bartholomew was martyred/crucified c.71 AD near Maiden Tower in Azerbaijan during the reign of Roman Emporer Vespasian.
Apostle of Jesus. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" as he doubted the resurrection of Jesus until he saw the wounds inflicted on Jesus during His crucifixion. It is believed that Thomas spread the word and ministered to India and possibly China. It is believed that Thomas was martyred with a spear c.72 AD in Chennai, India during the reign of Roman Emporer Vespasian.
Apostle of Jesus. Matthew was a tax collector (not well-liked by the Jewish people) when he was called by Jesus to follow Him. Matthew may have written the book "Matthew" in the bible. The ministry of Matthew is believed to have reached Judea and Ethiopia. It is believed that the Ethiopian King Hirtacus ordered Matthew to be executed while preaching c.68 AD because Matthew would not persuade a nun to marry the king.
Apostle of Jesus. James is also known as "James the Less" which differentiates him from the other apostle James the Great. James the Less may have authored the book "James" in the bible. The ministry of James is believed to primarily be in and around the area of Jerusalem. Some believe King Herod Agrippa ordered the execution of James c.62 AD during the reign of the Roman Emporer Nero...others believe James was crucified in Egypt.
Apostle of Jesus...also known as Thaddeus, not to be confused with Judas Iscariot. Thought by some to have written the book "Jude" in the bible. It is believed that Jude spread the word and ministered in Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. It is possible that Jude was martyred by the axe c.65 AD in Beirut (then part of Syria) with the apostle Simon the Zealot during the reign of Roman Emporer Nero.
Apostle of Jesus. Simon was a Zealot (group with militaristic stance objected to Roman rule) before being called to follow Jesus. It is believed that Simon spread the word and ministered in Egypt, Syria, Persia and the Middle East. It is possible that Simon was martyred c.65 AD in Beirut (then part of Syria) with the apostle Jude during the reign of Roman Emporer Nero.
Apostle of Jesus. Judas may have been the last apostle called by Jesus before being crucified. For many people, Judas' name is synonymous with betrayal. As prophesied and foretold by Jesus, Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver by identifying Him with a kiss on the cheek in the Garden of Gethsemane culminating in the arrest of Jesus leading to His crucifixion (which had to happen in order to fulfill Jesus' purpose). Upon learning that Jesus was to be crucified, it is believed that Judas committed suicide by hanging himself c.30 AD.
Apostle of Jesus who replaced Judas Iscariot. Matthias was not personally called by Jesus before His crucifixion. Instead, Matthias was chosen by God through the apostles who casted lots to replace Judas Iscariot. Though not originally one of the 12 apostles, Matthias had been with Jesus from His baptism until His Ascension. It is possible that Matthias spread the word and ministered in Ethiopia and perhaps what is now central Turkey and near the Caspian Sea. It is believed that Matthias was martyred c.80 AD.
After the resurrection of Jesus, Paul became a follower and an apostle upon seeing Jesus in a vision. Prior to becoming a follower himself, Paul was known as a persecutor of followers of Jesus Christ. It is believed that Paul was at least a witness (if not taking a more active role) of the stoning of Stephen ("First Martyr") until death for declaring Jesus as the Messiah. On the road to Damascas, Paul had a vision of Jesus who questioned why he was persecuting Him. While Paul was blinded for three days, he converted and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul is known as the "Apostle of the Gentiles" following the command of Jesus to spread the word to all nations. It is believed that Paul ministered in various cities of Cyprus, Galatia, Asia, Thrace, Macedonia, Achaia and Italy. Paul was martyred c.66 AD in Rome during the time of Emperor Nero.
Follower of Jesus. Mary Magdalene is from the fishing town of Magdala near the Sea of Galilee. Jesus casted seven demons out from her. Mary Magdalene followed Jesus and supported His ministry. She witnessed the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. She also discovered the empty tomb of Jesus.
Lazarus from the village of Bethany (a friend of Jesus) had become very sick. His sisters sent word to Jesus. Jesus waited two days during which Lazarus died. Then Jesus and his disciples went to the tomb in Bethany where Jesus miraculously brought Lazarus back from the dead (Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days).