Paul had voluntarily submitted to the Jerusalem elders' request to undergo a purification vow with four local men at the Temple (Acts 21:20-24).

Paul's life was possibly minutes away from extinction. The religious mob in Jerusalem were already beating the apostle, but he was saved by the arrival of a troop of soldiers with their commander. Order had to be restored and so he was arrested and put in chains as a demonstration that the Roman authorities were in control and not the angry crowd. Even so it was not an easy job.

Paul was under arrest, chained to soldiers either side of him (Acts 21:33). They assumed that he was a terrorist inciting rebellion in Jerusalem.

Paul was under Roman guard, but allowed to address the crowd who had falsely accused him, of desecrating the temple in Jerusalem. Having told them how he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, and was blinded by a brilliant light, Paul explained what happened next. He was led by the hand into the city (