This history begins with the Lord’s revealed purpose concerning His church in Matthew 16. Other parts of the New Testament have been carefully examined as to the early history of the church, but its actual history beyond the time period covered in the Acts has been traced in the light of the prophetic history of the church given in the addresses to the seven churches in Revelation 2 to 3.To aid in learning about a specific period in church history, the chapter headings show the time period covered by the chapter. Also, the book includes a general index, an index of persons and an index of places.