Bible

In the Bible room today, we continue reading the book of Acts with Session 12, the summaries of chapters 24 and 25.

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Acts

Session 12

Chapter 24. Resurrection

Five days later the high priest, Ananias, comes to town:

• With him are the elders, and Tertullus, an orator;
• They have come to speak against Paul;
• Tertullus begins his accusations with praise for the governor;
• He says the governor has brought them peace and prosperity;
• And they are so thankful for what governor Felix has done;
• But, the orator says, he does not want to be tedious,
• So, he asks him for the courtesy of listening to what he says;
• He tells Felix that Paul is like a plague on the land;
• He has stirred up dissension among Jews all over the world;
• And he is the ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes;
• He says they caught him profaning the temple,
• And they would have judged him there, but commander
• Lysias took him away from them telling them to go to Felix;
• He says now Felix can question Paul and his accusers;
• The Jews tell Felix the accusations against Paul are all true;
• Then Felix nods toward Paul giving him the time to speak;
• Paul says he gladly welcomes the time to defend himself;
• And he trusts Felix who has been a judge for many years;
• Paul says twelve days ago he went to Jerusalem to worship;
• He was in the temple but not disputing with anyone;
• Neither was he inciting a crowd in the synagogue or in the city;
• The Jews have no proof of any of their accusations;
• He admits to believing in the Way that they call a sect,
• He worships the God of his fathers, believes the writings in
• The Law and the Prophets, and he has hope in God,
• For the resurrection of the dead, both the just and the unjust;
• So that he maintains a clear conscience toward God and men;
• When the Jews found him, purified, in the temple, he was
• There to bring alms and an offering, quietly, with no crowd;
• If they had any objections, they should be here to make them;
• When he stood before the council, they had but one charge:
• That he believes in the resurrection of the dead;
• Hearing these things, and learning more about the Way,
• Felix says he will wait for commander Lysias to arrive,
• And then he will make a judgement in this case;
• He tells the guard to keep Paul, but give him some freedom,
• So that his friends can visit and provide for him;
• A few days later, Felix and his Jewish wife, Drusilla, visit Paul;
• They come to hear more from him about faith in Christ;
• They talk about righteousness, self-control, and the judgement
• Which is coming, and when Felix becomes fearful, he tells
• Paul he will return at a more convenient time;
• Felix is hoping Paul will give him money to let him go;
• For two years, Felix keeps Paul bound as a favor to the Jews,
• But he visits him often so they can continue talking;
• Then, in time, Porcius Festus replaces Felix.

Chapter 25. Accusations

Festus is in Caesarea three days before he goes up to Jerusalem:

• There, he hears from the Jews, the chief priest, and the elders,
• As they lodge accusations against Paul, and ask for a favor:
• They want Festus to bring Paul to Jerusalem, so they can
• Ambush and kill him on the road, but Festus says Paul will
• Stay in Caesarea, where his accusers can come, and place
• Their charges and there Festus will sit in judgement of Paul;
• Festus stays in Jerusalem for more than ten days, after which
• He goes back down to Caesarea, and the next day,
• He sits in the judgement seat to hear the case against Paul;
• The Jews who had come down from Jerusalem, begin leveling
• Their charges against Paul, none of which they can prove;
• He speaks in his own defense, disproving all the charges,
• Explaining how he has not offended the Law, the Jews, the
• Temple, not Caesar, or in any other way at all;
• Festus, trying to gain favor with the Jews, asks Paul if he would
• Go up to Jerusalem and receive judgement of Festus there;
• Paul answers that he will stand before Caesar for judgement,
• As Festus knows that Paul has done nothing against the Jews;
• Paul says he has no fear of dying, but he appeals only to Caesar;
• Festus says: Then he can take his appeal to Caesar;
• In time, King Agrippa, and his wife, Bernice, come to Caesarea;
• They stay there many days, visiting with Festus;
• Eventually, Festus tells Agrippa about a prisoner named Paul;
• He was left there by Felix, and Festus has learned, from the
• Jews in Jerusalem, their accusations against this prisoner,
• And they are asking for the death penalty;
• Festus says he has told the Jews that the Romans do not
• Condemn a man to death until he can face his accusers;
• So, Festus says, he sat on the judgement seat, and when the
• Accusers stood up to speak their charges, they said nothing like
• What he was expecting; They spoke only about issues
• Concerning their religion, and questions about a man named
• Jesus who had died, and whom Paul has declared to be alive;
• Festus says he has no knowledge about such things, so, he asked
• Paul if he would be willing to go up to Jerusalem, and there
• Hear the charges against him, but Paul said he would only
• Stand before Augustus to be judged, so, Festus says he
• Ordered Paul be taken to Caesar;
• After hearing all of this, Agrippa says he wants to hear from
• Paul, so, a formal hearing is scheduled in the auditorium;
• Agrippa and Bernice enter in their finest apparel and pageantry;
• The commanders, the elders, and the prominent men are there;
• Paul is brought into the room at the command of Festus,
• Who then proceeds to introduce Paul to Agrippa and the
• Assembled dignitaries, saying: Here is the man about whom
• These Jews have petitioned me to declare that he is not fit to
• Continue living; But, Festus says, he could find no fault in Paul
• That was worthy of death, and when he appealed to Augustus,
• He decided to send him to Augustus; However, he has nothing
• Certain which he can write to the king concerning Paul;
• So, he has asked King Agrippa to question the prisoner, and
• Perhaps he will determine something he can write about Paul;
• Festus says it seems unreasonable that he would send a prisoner
• For judgement without specifying the charges against him.

End of Session 12 of the book of Acts.