Agrippa Looking for a Charge—Show of Human Power in Push to Extinguish Christianity

Acts 25:23-27

• Paul faced governors, military commanders, and prominent people at his trial.
• Jewish leaders claimed Paul deserved the death penalty, but he had not committed a crime.
• Festus sought a crime to charge Paul with by trying to cause Paul to incriminate himself.

Paul faced governors, military commanders, and prominent people at his trial.
“So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’ command Paul was brought in.” Acts 25:23

For a description of who Agrippa and Bernice were, click here for a post on Acts 25:13. In short, Agrippa was an expert on Jewish affairs, the customs of the Jewish culture, and on the laws of Judaism. Bernice was the sister-in-law of Governor Festus. The next day after hearing about Paul’s case from Festus, they came to the state hearing room to hear from Paul himself. Agrippa was hoping that Paul would incriminate himself in order to find a crime, as quoted, Festus said, “I have nothing certain to write to my lord [Caesar] concerning [Paul]. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write. For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him.” Acts 25:26-27

Agrippa and Bernice are described as coming into the hearing room with great pomp, accompanied by military commanders and prominent people of the community. Paul was being held as a suspect, or “person of interest”, and looked at as an enemy of the state to the Roman Empire, for allegedly inciting riots among the Jewish culture. In the process of looking for a crime within the words of Paul, they would use the expertise of military commanders and the prominent men of the community. In essence, they were looking for charges against Paul of terrorism, treason, etc. in order to have him executed. That would have been very pleasing to the Jewish culture, and to Nero. Nero was the Roman Emperor known for his brutality in his persecution and killing of Christians.

The pomp of gathering together experts, Governors, military leaders, and prominent people is something we see routinely today. This is seen constantly nowadays during televised news conferences to announce the detainment of a suspect or “person of interest”. This usually has to do with people who are or have been a threat to a local community or to a state or to national interests. The gathering includes prominent local law enforcement, lawyers, prominent community leaders, Department of Homeland Security, Department of War, Governors, experts, and always the presence of a prominent woman leader. They seek to root out crimes against today’s family culture.

How surprised we would be as Christians to be called into a hearing before a gathering like mentioned in the previous paragraph. Unfortunately, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is already considered a threat to today’s culture. That’s because we consider our body to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, but they claim ownership of the body as being the home of the atheistic entity that replaces the conscience and spirit while oppressing the presence of the Holy Spirit. The battleground is the soul. The atheistic entity gives people what to think, feel, say, and do. The spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a threat to the governing authority that governs through the thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors of people in every city across the globe. For a Chrisitan to cause an uproar in today’s culture would amount to treason, terrorism, and being an enemy of the state.

To understand how serious of a threat living for Jesus Christ is to the culture of today, which is global, know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being driven into extinction. The churches have abandoned the message of the Cross, and the testimony of Jesus is not found. The churches are aligned with the community agenda. Government lawmakers no longer integrate the values of the Bible into laws, polices, and executive orders. The educational system does not allow the teaching of the Bible in classrooms, and the Gospel of Christ is unwelcomed in all sectors of society. Today’s governing authorities and its culture are eliminating what they view as the Gospel threat. Click here for a post on the extinction of Christian births from Revelations 12.

The Jewish people, wanting Christ killed, tried to solicit words from Him that would incriminate Him against Caesar, as quoted, “Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” So they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Mark 12:13-17

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

The Holy Spirit says this to us, “…be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. Titus 3:1-2

Jewish leaders claimed Paul deserved the death penalty, but he had not committed a crime.
“And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer. But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.” Acts 25:24-25

Today, cities all around the world are in an uproar against the testimony of Jesus Christ. If you are not hearing the uproar verbally, then it can be heard shouting through the absence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even then, we have not committed a crime against today’s culture nor against the governing authorities. We hear the voice of the Holy Spirit who says, “…be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Titus 3:1-2

Paul was setting in the courtroom listening to Festus speaking about him, and how Festus was not being completely truthful. Festus said that he determined Paul to be an innocent man, not deserving of being put to death, and therefore he granted Paul’s appeal to be tried in the highest court of the land. The truth is that the reason Paul appealed to Caesar is because Festus tried to return Paul’s case to the lower court of the Jewish leaders, Acts 25:9. Festus did this even after knowing that the Jewish leaders had already condemned Paul and planned to have him killed, Acts 25:1-3.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we will never hear the truth from government leaders about the intent to exterminate the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Christians, and Christianity in its entirety. We are like Paul who hear what the governing authorities are saying but nothing they say rings true. They portray themselves as being the Christ and savior that protects from the elements coming against God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. They leave out the part that they realize there is the intent to extinguish Christianity on the grassroot level of the social network. They also leave out the part that they are not doing anything to bring the protection of the Christian faith to the Supreme Court. If Christians want to bring an appeal to the highest court in the land, it will be because one individual initiated it to avoid the condemnation of the lower courts.

We have to realize we live in a world where government leaders make their agenda look Godly, but at the same time they deny the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing they say can be accepted on face value. For example, the killing of the unborn is called “Reproductive Rights” or “Healthcare” or “Planned Parenthood”. The truth is, there is no reproduction, healthcare, or parenthood when the unborn child does not see the light of day. In the same way, the LGBQT+ agenda is disguised. For example, the “Respect for Marriage Act” has nothing to do with the family as God designed [with Jesus Christ as the head of the family] but has everything to do with promoting same sex marriages. In fact, the “Respect for Marriage Act” repeals the “Defense of Marriage Act” that designates marriage as being between a man and a woman.

We are seeing the beast with two horns like a lamb everywhere we turn nowadays [Revelation 13:11-12]. This is Satan’s version of the Holy Spirit and is also known as the wolf in sheep clothing.

Our Lord Jesus has prepared us for these days when He said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:16-22

In coming verses, we will see how Paul did not focus on, or challenge, the lies and half-truths told by Festus when it was his turn to present his defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus, we have to see our way past the stigma that society has placed on us so that we solely focus on our born-again testimony, which is the Gospel of Christ written on our heart.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

Festus sought a crime to charge Paul with by trying to cause Paul to incriminate himself.
“I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write. For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him.” Acts 25:26-27

Paul is setting in the courtroom hearing everything that Festus is saying, in front of Agrippa [the expert in Jewish affairs], the military commanders, the prominent people of the community, and Bernice, the sister-in law of Festus, Acts 25:23. Festus plainly said that the purpose of the trial was to find a crime [against Paul] through the speech that Paul was expected to give. Festus would then use that criminal charge to send to Caesar [Nero] to have Paul prosecuted in Rome, the highest court of the nation. Nero is the Roman Emperor who brutally persecuted and killed Christians for being a destabilizing force to the Roman Empire. The charge sought against Paul was that he was stirring up the crowds and destabilizing the Roman Empire.

Envision how Paul would have felt to know that every word he spoke would be used in search of some wrongdoing he was guilty of. Just being a Christian was enough to consider Paul a liability to the Roman social structure. On top of that, the crime sought would relate to violating the laws of homeland security, being a threat to community leaders and the community culture. The death penalty was sought against Paul.

If today’s culture gave a Christian the opportunity to share their born-again experience, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it would be to find wrongdoing and even a crime against us. They would have their ears open to our born-again testimony to determine if we had committed any crimes before coming to Jesus Christ. They would use that against us. They would listen to what we had to say about the testimony of Jesus and the Kingdom of God to determine if we had any mal-intent towards their culture here on earth. Forgiveness, leniency, understanding, and compassion towards born-again Christians is not part of who they are.

Our message to those of this world is, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 For that message alone, we are considered a destabilizing threat to today’s culture. That’s because they live for the entity that speaks and lives through them by giving them what to say, think, feel, and do. As Christians, we live for Jesus Christ who speaks and lives through us through the Holy Spirit.

As a reminder, the Roman commander who arrested Paul accused Paul of being a terroristic threat who stirred up a rebellion against the Roman Empire. As quoted, “Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?” Acts 21:8 As followers of Jesus Christ, that is the charge brought up against us, that we are leading a rebellion, in the name of Jesus Christ, against today’s atheistic culture, which is global. This is why the Holy Spirit speaks these words to us, “…be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Titus 3:1-2

In today’s culture, the entity that governs through thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors is to be thought of as the governing authority. Violations against that entity is considered an act against the community values and against the people of the community. In that light, we can see how Christians will be considered outlaws and enemies of humanity, having legal consequences. Even today, Christians and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are locked out of mainstream society and considered a bad influence on their atheistic culture. Our Lord Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11