Acts 24:1-27 Felix Heard Paul Concerning the Faith In Christ

[Study Aired September 24, 2023]

Act 24:1  And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul.
Act 24:2  And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence,
Act 24:3  We accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness.
Act 24:4  Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words.
Act 24:5  For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
Act 24:6  Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.
Act 24:7  But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,
Act 24:8  Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.
Act 24:9  And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so.
Act 24:10  Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:
Act 24:11  Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship.
Act 24:12  And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city:
Act 24:13  Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
Act 24:14  But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Act 24:15  And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
Act 24:16  And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.
Act 24:17  Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings.
Act 24:18  Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tumult.
Act 24:19  Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me.
Act 24:20  Or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the council,
Act 24:21  Except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day.
Act 24:22  And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
Act 24:23  And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.
Act 24:24  And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
Act 24:25  And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
Act 24:26  He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.
Act 24:27  But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

In chapter 23 we saw that the chief captain, Claudius Lysias, had assembled the Sanhedrin and placed Paul before them to help the chief captain understand why the Jews so passionately despised Paul. If Paul has spoken the day before in Greek, Claudius Lysias might have noticed that it was Paul’s insistence that God had sent him to the Gentiles which had set the Jews into an uproar. However, Paul was speaking to the multitude in Hebrew, and the chief captain had no idea why the Jews were so upset with this man, Paul, who was a fellow Jew. The chief captain witnessed Paul being smacked in the mouth. Paul realized that this time he was between a rock and a hard place. He noticed that the Sanhedrin was split between Pharisees and Sadducees, and he cried out “in hope of the resurrection of the dead am I called in question this day.” Since the Sadducees do not believe in a resurrection, another uproar ensued, and Claudius Lysias, for the second time in as many days, had to rescue Paul from the hate-filled mob.

That same day Paul’s nephew heard a group of “above forty men” conspiring to kill Paul, and he went into the castle and told Paul what he had heard. Paul called a centurion to himself and instructed him to take his nephew to the chief captain because the young man had something to tell him. Claudius Lysias, the chief captain listened to what the young man had heard, and that very night he had Paul transferred to Caesarea with a letter to Felix the governor of Judea, under the guard of 470 men for 42 miles of a 68-mile trip. The last third of the journey Paul was still guarded by 70 horsemen and delivered safely to the governor, Felix, who told Paul that he would be kept in “Herod’s judgment hall” until his accusers came down from Jerusalem. That took place five days after Paul arrived in Caesarea.

A ‘bodyguard’ of four hundred and seventy men demonstrates the Lord’s ability to minister to our needs “abundantly above all that we ask or think”:

Eph 3:13  Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Eph 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Eph 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Paul would never have even thought of asking for a 470-man bodyguard against his enemies, but that is what the Lord gave him. He can and He does do the same for us as He sees fit to provide for our needs.

Act 24:1  And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul.

The highest principality of the church in the wilderness, along “with the elders”, all made the 68-mile trip down to Caesarea from Jerusalem in the hope of destroying the ‘seed of the woman’:

Act 24:2  And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence,
Act 24:3  We accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness.
Act 24:4  Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words.
Act 24:5  For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
Act 24:6  Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.
Act 24:7  But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,
Act 24:8  Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.
Act 24:9  And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so.

The high priest and the elders all conspired to accuse Paul of sedition and of profaning the temple:

Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed,

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

Paul pointed out the obvious fact that there was no proof of anything he had been accused of. The lesson for us is that God’s elect are so hated by the established churches that even the church leaders think nothing of falsely accusing us of heresies, the very thing of which they themselves are guilty, and they will lie and bear false witness against us and our doctrine.

Christ gives us these instructions:

Mar 13:11  But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

Act 24:10  Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:
Act 24:11  Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship.

Here are those twelve days. There is absolutely and manifestly no time anywhere in these twelve days for Paul to have been a “mover of sedition”, and he certainly would never have done anything while he was in Jerusalem that would have “profaned the temple.”

Day one:

Act 21:15  And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem.
Act 21:16  There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge.
Act 21:17  And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

Paul had brought a gift of alms from the Gentiles to the Jews (Act 24:17). The apostles and elders of the church knew that Paul was “walking orderly and keeping the law (Act 21:24) and the brethren received [him] gladly.”

Day two:

Act 21:18  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
Act 21:21  And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Act 21:22  What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Act 21:23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Act 21:25  As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.

That statement by James, referring to the letter to the Gentiles mentioned in Acts 15, was the fruit of the Jerusalem conference. That conference had produced an eleven to three consensus that the Jews had to keep the law of Moses, but the Gentiles had to “observe no such thing.” That consensus is later referred to as “the decrees of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem”, and that is what Paul was really “teach[ing] all of the Jews which were among the Gentiles”, and that is what the scriptures reveal in these verses:

Act 16:4  And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
Act 16:5  And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

Paul was a physical Jew, and he was living by and keeping “the decrees… that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.” He had no problem demonstrating that ‘he himself was walking orderly and keeping the law of Moses.’

Day three:

Act 21:26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.
Act 21:27  And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
Act 21:28  Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

We are not given the hour of the day when the chief captain rescued Paul from the Jews, but we do know that Paul became a Roman prisoner on this third day since he had gone up to Jerusalem to worship. At this point Paul had been in Jerusalem less than three days when he became a prisoner of Rome.

His accusers had conspired to lie against him, but it demonstrates how the religious leaders of this world will tell outright lies about the Lord’s elect. “Think it not strange” when this world tells lies about you (1Pe 4:12).

Day four:

Act 22:30  On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

The high priest commanded the men next to Paul to slap him in the mouth as soon as he began to speak, and the holy spirit gave Paul the words he needed to deliver himself “out of the mouth of the lion” (2ti 4:17):

Act 23:6  But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.
Act 23:7  And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.
Act 23:8  For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
Act 23:9  And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
Act 23:10  And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

The Lord sends out armies in our defense when the need arises!

Day five:

Act 23:11  And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

It is in “the night” in our darkest hour, that the Lord comes and gives us correction, direction, hope and instructions:

Job 33:14  For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
Job 33:15  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
Job 33:16  Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
Job 33:17  That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
Job 33:18  He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

Paul himself was blind and in total darkness when he was given his instructions from the Lord:

Act 9:6  And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Act 9:7  And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
Act 9:8  And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
Act 9:9  And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

Joseph also received instructions through dreams he had at night when all his brothers “hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him.”

Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
Gen 37:5  And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

The same is true for Abraham (Gen 15:12-17), Pharaoh (Gen 41:1-40), Abimelech (Gen 20:33), Laban (Gen 31:24), and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2:1, Dan 4:5). In every case, the Lord gave each of these men corrective instruction, and He does the same with us.

In the New Testament, Joseph was instructed in a dream to take Christ and His mother, Mary, into Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod (Mat 2:12). Peter refers to the prophecy of Joel 2 which tells us the Lord will speak to His elect in dreams (Joe 2:28, Act 2:17).

Christ told Paul he would go to Rome in the night of the fifth day. Let’s get back to what else occurred on the fifth day since Paul went up to Jerusalem to worship:

Act 23:12  And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
Act 23:13  And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

Act 23:16  And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
Act 23:17  Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.
Act 23:18  So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.
Act 23:19  Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him,  What is that thou hast to tell me?

“The night following” (Act 23:11) is the night after Paul’s appearance before the Sanhedrin. Remember, the Jews begin the day at sunset, so all the events related in Acts 23:11-19 took place on the fifth day since Paul had come to Jerusalem to worship. The promise to Paul that he would testify of Christ in Rome, and the conspiracy of “above forty men” to kill Paul, and Paul’s nephew overhearing the conspiracy were all on the fifth day.

The sixth day:

Act 23:23  And [the chief captain] called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
Act 23:24  And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.
Act 23:25  And he wrote a letter after this manner:
Act 23:26  Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.

Claudius Lysias made his plans to send Paul to Felix, the governor of Judea, on the fifth day, but those plans began to be executed “at the third hour of the night”, which means they began to be implemented on the sixth day because the Jewish day begins at sunset.

The two hundred soldiers, the seventy horsemen and the two hundred spearmen marched all night long, forty-two miles, on the sixth day and then left the seventy horsemen at Antipatris and returned to Jerusalem. From Antipatris the seventy horsemen took Paul the remaining 26 miles to Caesarea and delivered him to Felix. This all took place on the sixth day after Paul had first arrived in Jerusalem from Caesarea.

Act 23:31  Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.
Act 23:32  On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:
Act 23:33  Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.
Act 23:34  And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;
Act 23:35  I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.

The Lord saw fit to use an incredible amount of taxpayer dollars, and an overwhelming show of force and manpower, to save Paul and deliver him safely to the governor, Felix, in Caesarea. Paul signifies all of God’s elect.

The seventh day through the eleventh day was spent in Herod’s Judgment Hall, waiting for Paul’s accusers to descend from Jerusalem to Caesarea.

Act 24:1  And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul.

Five days after Paul arrived in Caesarea, Ananias the high priest conspired with the elders, and they all arrived in Caesarea to accuse and tell lies against the apostle Paul once again falsely. It was the same lies that the Jews of Asia were spreading, accusing Paul of teaching the Jews which were among the Gentiles to forsake Moses. They also falsely accused him of bringing Gentiles into the temple at Jerusalem. All these false accusations were being made once again before Felix on the twelfth day since the apostle Paul had gone up to Jerusalem to worship as a practicing Jew who was “walking orderly and keeping the law” (Act 21:24).

That accounts for all twelve days until this second appearance before the high priest and the elders in Jerusalem where Paul once again defends himself. Knowing that Paul was a prisoner for over nine days of those twelve days makes it obvious that he had very little time to prepare a sedition against the Jews.

Act 24:12  And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city:
Act 24:13  Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
Act 24:14  But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Act 24:15  And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
Act 24:16  And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Paul had said the same thing just before he was slapped in the mouth when defending himself before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem:

Act 23:1  And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
Act 23:2  And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

That did not happen here in Caesarea while the Sanhedrin was under the watchful eyes of Felix the governor. Now Paul is at liberty to defend himself:

Act 24:17  Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings.
Act 24:18  Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tumult.
Act 24:19  Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me.
Act 24:20  Or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the council,
Act 24:21  Except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day.

“Except it be for this one voice…” What Paul is confessing is that he did indeed cry out before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem that he, as a Pharisee, believed in the resurrection of the dead, knowing the Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection of the dead. It was indeed that statement which caused all the contention which occurred when he was testifying before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. That move was by the inspiration of the holy spirit:

Mar 13:11  But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

Luk 12:11  And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
Luk 12:12  For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

Christ has already instructed us:

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Whenever we obey those words, it is a work of the holy spirit and not of ourselves. The Lord had in mind just such a situation as Paul was in there before the council when He gave us that admonition as the very next verse demonstrates:

Mat 10:17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils [G4892: ‘sunedrion’, Sanhedrin] and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

Felix, being a Roman, was given to favor the apostle Paul who was also a Roman citizen. Paul’s defense of himself before Felix took place on the twelfth day after Paul went up to Jerusalem to worship. For nine of those days and part of his third day in Jerusalem Paul was a Roman prisoner in no position to carry out a sedition of any kind.

Act 24:22  And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
Act 24:23  And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.

We know that Paul had the acquaintance of Philip, and no doubt other Christian brothers there in Caesarea, who would want to visit their brother in prison for the Lord and the gospel’s sake, being aware of the Lord’s words:

Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat 25:42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

The fiery trials we endure during this age (1Co 3:13-15, 1Pe 4:12) are not “prepared for the devil and his angels.” The lake of fire/second death at the white throne judgment is “prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Act 24:24  And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
Act 24:25  And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

The Greek word translated as ‘reasoned” is G1256 (dialegomai) from which our English word ‘dialogue’ is derived. It suggests strongly there were some back-and-forth discussions between Paul and Felix and his Jewish wife, Drusilla. Notice that Paul did not preach that “the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17) to an unconverted Roman nor his unconverted Jewish wife. However, he did witness against them that there was indeed “judgment to come”.

Act 24:26  He [Felix] hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.

Felix was hoping Paul would give him a bribe. Instead of a bribe, Christ, through Paul, gave Felix a great witness.

We are given no indication that either Felix or his wife Drusilla were being dragged to the Lord, but they were certainly witnessed to by the Lord’s apostle, and at the appointed time Paul’s words will yet perform their fiery work of burning out all the false doctrines within Felix and Drusilla.

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

Act 24:27  But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

Like all politicians and like all men, Felix was attempting to please everyone, including the Jews who wanted Paul dead.

Act 23:10  And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.
Act 23:11  And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

As we pointed out, Jerusalem signifies the Lord’s chosen people to whom we witness and who are being judged in this present time (Gal 4:26). Rome signifies the rest of mankind who are not being judged in this life and to whom we will witness and be merciful judges at the great white throne judgment.

Audio Download

Acts 23:19-35  I Came With an Army and Rescued Him

[Study Aired September 17, 2023]

Act 23:19  Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?
Act 23:20  And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.
Act 23:21  But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
Act 23:22  So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.
Act 23:23  And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
Act 23:24  And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.
Act 23:25  And he wrote a letter after this manner:
Act 23:26  Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.
Act 23:27  This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.
Act 23:28  And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:
Act 23:29  Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.
Act 23:30  And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.
Act 23:31  Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.
Act 23:32  On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:
Act 23:33  Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.
Act 23:34  And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;
Act 23:35  I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.

In our last study we read how Paul’s sister’s son heard “above forty men” who were conspiring to kill Paul the next day after he had given witness to the Jerusalem Sanhedrin. Here is what they said to “the chief priests and the elders:

Act 23:14  And they [the “above forty” conspirators] came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
Act 23:15  Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring [Paul] down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.
Act 23:16  And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
Act 23:17  Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.
Act 23:18  So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.

In this study we will witness just how important we are to our Lord and how He spares no expense to keep us safe as we serve Him. It was the Lord Himself who gave Paul’s nephew the opportunity to overhear this conspiracy of “over forty men” who wanted to murder his uncle Paul, and the Lord is the person who gave this young man the desire to help ‘uncle Paul’ and save his life from those murderers. It appears outwardly that the chief captain, Claudius Lysias, was also given a fondness for the apostle Paul, but the Truth once again is that it was Christ who considered the apostle Paul to be the apple of His eye. Any fondness or sympathy the chief captain may have had for Paul was also a work of the Lord who ‘rules in the kingdoms of men’ and who is ‘working all things after the counsel of His own will’:

Dan 4:17  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Act 23:19  Then the chief captain took [Paul’s nephew] by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?
Act 23:20  And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.
Act 23:21  But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
Act 23:22  So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.

Here now is a story which reveals how very much the Lord spares no expense in providing for the safety and protection of those whom He loves:

Act 23:23  And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
Act 23:24  And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

“Bring him safe unto Felix the Governor” by 200 footmen, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen! That is a total of 470 men to deliver the apple of the Lord’s eye safely to Felix the governor. The Lord uses the ‘ten horns on the beast’, signifying the secular powers of this earth, to protect His people from the religious powers of Babylon who want to destroy anyone who tells the Truth about all their false doctrines. The scriptures reveal that any time the great harlot comes into a conflict with the secular powers of the state, in the end the harlot will always come out on the short end of the stick and will at the appointed time be destroyed by the secular powers of the beast:

Rev 17:12  And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast [signifying the secular political leaders of this world].
Rev 17:13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Rev 17:14  These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

This story of a conspiracy by more than forty men, who signify the great harlot, to destroy and kill the Lord’s elect, but being saved from physical death is an example of the hatred the beast has towards the great harlot who rules over the kings of this world.

Act 23:25  And he wrote a letter after this manner:
Act 23:26  Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.
Act 23:27  This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

While it is true that the chief captain, Claudius Lysias, was made aware of Paul’s Roman citizenship, it was only after he first rescued Paul that he was made aware of that fact. Claudias Lysias was given the commission to keep the peace in Jerusalem, and he welcomed the opportunity to exercise his power over the Jews, just as the “ten horns” welcome the opportunity to hate the whore and make her desolate and naked, and eat her flesh and burn her with fire:

Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Here is a link which demonstrates the Biblical and spiritual significance of the number ‘ten’:

Spiritual Significance of the Number Ten

Here are just a few of the verses in scripture which demonstrate that the word ‘horn’ or ‘horns’ signifies power and strength – 1Sa 2:10, 2Sa 22:3, Lam 2:3, Psa 18:2.

Claudius Lysias glosses over the fact that when he first rescued Paul, he had no idea Paul was a Roman citizen and was preparing to “examine him by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him” (Act 22:14). Claudius Lysias had no intention of incriminating himself in binding a Roman citizen before giving him a trial.

Act 23:28  And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:
Act 23:29  Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.
Act 23:30  And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.
Act 23:31  Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.

Here is what John Gill tells us about the distance from Jerusalem to Antipatris:

“and brought him by night to Antipatris: they set out from Jerusalem at the third hour, or about nine o’clock at night, and travelled all night, and by break of day came to Antipatris; a city which lay in the road from Jerusalem to Caesarea… It was forty two miles from Jerusalem.” (End Quote)

Act 23:32  On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:

The two hundred soldiers and the two hundred spearmen, who were all on foot, went back to Jerusalem after bringing Paul two-thirds of the way to Caesarea. There was no longer any danger from the Jews in Jerusalem at that point. Nevertheless, the seventy horsemen still accompanied Paul to Caesarea to be delivered safely to the governor, Felix.

Act 23:33  Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

The Lord provided 470 men to escort the apple of His eye for two-thirds of the journey to Caesarea, which is 42 miles from Jerusalem to Antipatris. According to Gill, here is what was involved in traveling all the way from Jerusalem to Caesarea, north west of Jerusalem on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea:

“the way from Jerusalem to Caesarea lay through Nicopolis, Lydda, Antipatris, and Betthar; from Jerusalem to Nicopolis, according to the old Jerusalem Itinerary, were twenty two miles; from thence to Lydda, ten miles; and from Lydda to Antipatris ten more (which make forty two miles, as before observed); and from Antipatris to Betthar ten miles, and from thence to Caesarea, sixteen more: so that when the apostle was at Antipatris, he had twenty six miles more to go to Caesarea; and hence it appears, that the length of the journey from Jerusalem to Caesarea was sixty-eight miles;” (End Quote)

Act 23:34  And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;
Act 23:35  I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.

As we will see in the next chapter of Acts, Paul had great liberty within ‘Herod’s judgment hall.’ The centurion who was guarding Paul was ordered to permit any of his acquaintances to minister to and come visit him:

Act 24:22  And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
Act 24:23  And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.

The Lord always provides protection for His elect. They may indeed be required to go into the dungeons of Egypt, go through the Red Sea, the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, and through the burden of carrying the cross of Christ, but He never has, and He never will forsake His elect:

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

There is one requirement for having this protection, and that requirement is to be willing to forfeit this life rather than to disobey the Lord. If we are given the grace to put obedience to the words of Christ above saving our physical life, then the Lord will protect us in this age and give us spiritual life in the age to come. Christ Himself gives us this promise:

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 19:30  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Peter wanted to know what kind of deal he was making with Christ by ‘forsaking all to follow Him.’ Here is Mark’s account of Christ’s response to Peter’s question:

Mar 10:28  Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
Mar 10:29  And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
Mar 10:30  But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world [Greek: ‘aion’, age] to come eternal life.
Mar 10:31  But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

Christ was very clear about just how dedicated we must be in His service:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

God is not mocked by half-hearted worship. If our worship is “with [our] whole heart” His provision and protection is abundant, as this story of Paul’s protection against the church of his day demonstrates. If we are ‘wholehearted’, then that is a work He is doing in us, but that work is accomplished only through many admonitions, tribulations and chastening. The Lord’s protection and blessing always has this one caveat:

Deu 11:13  And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deu 11:14  That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Deu 15:5  Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.
Deu 15:6  For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

Deu 28:1  And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
Deu 28:2  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

2Ch 6:38 If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:

Psa 119:2  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

Paul’s service to the Lord was “with the whole heart”, and the Lord made even his enemies to be at peace with him:

Pro 16:7  When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Paul had spent “many days” at the home of Philip in Caesarea just before going up to Jerusalem:

Act 21:8  And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

Act 21:10  And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.

“Certain disciples of Caesarea” went up to Jerusalem with Paul:

Act 21:16  There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge.
Act 21:17  And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

Without a doubt there were many members of the church at Caesarea who ministered to Paul’s needs, and comforted and encouraged him while he was “kept in Herod’s judgment hall” for over two years.

Act 24:23  And he [Felix the governor] commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.
Act 24:27  But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

The Lord has given Paul a two-year rest from the traveling and preaching, and from the accompanying persecutions, beatings and “much tribulation” he had constantly endured from the beginning of his ministry at Damascus. The Lord gave Paul favor in the eyes of every Roman ruler under whose custody he was placed by the Lord. The chief captain, Claudius Lysias, the governor of Judea; Felix, who will be replaced by Festus; and even King Agrippa and his wife, Bernice, are all made to treat Paul very well. Not only does Paul get to continue to meet with his friends and acquaintances, but he also is given the privilege and the opportunity to witness to his Roman custodians.

Shortly after he was apprehended by the Jews who ‘went about to kill him’, Paul had been told by the Lord that he would witness for Christ in Rome also, just as he had done in Jerusalem:

Act 23:11  And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

That promise was no doubt of great comfort to Paul as he waited to see how the Lord would make that happen. In chapter 24 we will see Paul defend himself once again before Ananias the high priest with the elders who travel all the way down to Caesarea to once again falsely accuse Paul of the same blatant lie saying Paul was guilty of “profaning the temple”. This time it will be before Felix, the Roman governor of Judea.

We are witnessing the Lord “coming with an army and rescuing [us]”, His ambassadors to this earth. It is all intended to give each of us hope of His faithful loving guidance and protection over our own lives as ‘sheep among wolves’ in this dark world.

Luk 21:11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luk 21:12  But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
Luk 21:13  And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14  Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15  For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

When we acknowledge our transgressions and serve the Lord humbly with our whole heart, the Lord is well pleased with us, and He will protect us and prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies (Psa 23:5), as Paul’s experience demonstrates for us.