Study of Acts, Chapter 25, Message 65, Week 30, Monday

DAILY STUDY OF ACTS

MESSAGE SIXTY-FIVE

THE SPREAD IN ASIA MINOR AND EUROPE THROUGH

THE MINISTRY OF PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS (30)

WEEK 30 – MONDAY

Bible Reading: Acts 25:1-27

Read and Pray: “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Take courage! For as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.’” (Acts 23:11)

In the last four chapters of Acts (25-28), Paul defended himself twice: first before Festus (25:6-8), and then before Agrippa (26:1-29). After his defense before Agrippa, he embarked on his fourth journey (27:1-28:31). In these chapters, we see a depiction of the Jewish religionists, the Roman politicians, and the church members.

THE JEWISH RELIGIONISTS

Let us first consider the depiction of the Jewish religionists. Judaism was formed according to the Word of God. Thus, the Jewish religion aligned with the Scriptures. The Jewish religionists possessed the Holy Bible, the holy land, the holy city, the holy temple, the holy priesthood, and all other holy items. However, what these religionists did, as recorded in the book of Acts, was entirely of Satan, not of God.

Acts 25:1-3 says: “Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way.”

Here we see that the Jewish religionists planned an ambush to kill Paul. Moreover, they lied and were hypocritical. There was nothing holy or righteous in them. Nothing they did could be said to be of God. In this religion, we cannot see anything spiritual or divine. On the contrary, what the Jewish religionists practiced concerning Paul was not only carnal and sinful but also diabolical and hellish. The origin of their actions was the devil.

THE ROMAN POLITICIANS

Acts also gives us a depiction of the Roman politicians. Specifically, it provides accounts concerning the commander, Felix, Festus, and Agrippa. The higher the rank of the Roman politicians, the more corrupt they were. Felix was more corrupt than the commander, Festus was more corrupt than Felix, and Agrippa was more corrupt than Festus. According to the Bible, Roman politics were full of corruption. As previously mentioned, along with Jewish religion and Greek culture, Roman politics was one of the three pillars of Western culture.

However, according to Acts, Roman politics were corrupt. Acts 24:24 speaks of Felix and Drusilla, his wife. Drusilla was the daughter of King Herod Agrippa. Felix fell in love with her, persuaded her to leave her husband, and marry him. This demonstrates the intemperance and corruption of Felix, a Roman politician. His corruption is further shown by his repeated summoning of Paul in the hope of receiving money (24:26).

In Acts 25:13, we read about Agrippa and Berenice. Berenice was the sister of Drusilla, Felix's wife. She was also Agrippa's sister, with whom she lived in an incestuous relationship. Perhaps this is why Berenice is not identified as Agrippa's wife in 25:13. Roman politics were certainly dark and corrupt, filled with sexual immorality and a love of money. The record in Acts exposes the corruption of the Roman politicians.

THE DISCOURAGING SITUATION

OF THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM

In 1 Corinthians 10:32, Paul mentions the Jews, the Greeks, and the church of God. This indicates that in New Testament times, there were three categories of people: the Jews (God’s chosen people), the Greeks (unbelieving Gentiles), and the church (composed of believers in Christ). We have seen that, according to the depiction in Acts, the Jewish religionists were hypocritical and even diabolical, and the Roman politicians were dark and corrupt.

What, then, was the state of the church? When Paul was detained for two years in Caesarea, he must have been disappointed with the church in Jerusalem. What he observed in the church there was weakness and compromise.

As God’s chosen vessel, Paul was greatly enlightened concerning the universe. In 2 Corinthians, written shortly before his final journey to Jerusalem, he testifies of being caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2) and also to Paradise (v. 4), the pleasant section of Hades. Having received much revelation, Paul was enlightened about the secrets of the universe. He received much understanding, especially regarding God’s New Testament economy. Now, in the final chapters of Acts, he found himself surrounded by Jewish religionists, Roman politicians, and his co-workers in the church life. He must have found this situation deeply disappointing.

Enjoy more: Hymn 60