Visit to Philadelphia 

Jesus and his apostles traveled to Perea one last time before his arrest. This was his final public ministry tour. They camped at Pella and went out daily teaching in Perean villages from January until March of 30 CE.

Jesus and his apostles had been to Peria before; they spent all of 27 CE in Perea and Judea, taking over the work of John the Baptist, who had recently been killed. During this final visit to Perea, and before entering Philadelphia, Jesus, his apostles, John’s apostles, and seventy evangelists went into various Perean towns to spread the gospel message. It was not uncommon for hundreds to follow Jesus wherever he went. When the Master arrived in Philadelphia, over six hundred people accompanied him.

Jesus and his apostles entered Philadelphia for the last time on Wednesday, February 22, 30 CE, and spent Thursday and Friday resting from their recent travels and labors. That Friday night, James Zebedee spoke in the synagogue, and a general conference was called for the following evening. At that conference, the apostles and evangelists rejoiced over the progress of the gospel at Philadelphia and the nearby villages. They also received word of further advancement of the kingdom throughout Palestine, as well as good news from Alexandria and Damascus.

Except for the cleansing of ten lepers, there were no miracles on this final Perean mission. This was a period when the gospel was proclaimed with power, without miracles, and most of the time without the personal presence of Jesus or even of his apostles.

Philadelphia was unique because its synagogue had never been under the authority of Jerusalem's Sanhedrin, allowing Jesus' teachings to flourish there. This synagogue later became a significant Christian church and a center for teaching the gospel.

After Jesus died, Abner, leader of the Philadelphia congregation, often clashed with the Jerusalem church led by James, Jesus' brother. Abner also had conflicts with Peter over administrative issues and theological differences. This resulted in Abner and his congregants living in relative isolation despite Abner’s early support for Paul's mission to the gentiles. Later, Abner's staunch adherence to Jesus' original teachings led him to oppose even Paul's interpretations.

Within a short time after the destruction of Jerusalem (70 CE), Antioch became the headquarters of Paul’s version of Christianity, while Philadelphia remained the center of Abner’s version. From Philadelphia, Abner’s missionaries spread his version of the kingdom of heaven throughout Mesopotamia and Arabia.

Abner's leadership made the Philadelphia believers the most faithful to Jesus' teachings of any group at the time. He lived to be 89, passing away in 74 CE ever remaining a devoted teacher of the gospel of the kingdom. Because of his opposition to Peter, Paul, and James, Abner became a forgotten man. He is never mentioned in the New Testament.