Paul Speaks Before Agrippa—Christianity Locked Down for Insane Beliefs

Acts 26:1-32

Paul was allowed to speak at a politically charged hearing. There is only one reason that Paul was allowed to speak, to find incriminating evidence in the words he spoke about Jesus Christ. This was a political hearing with high-ranking military officials, experts in religious affairs, powerful political figures, city officials, and well-connected political affiliates. After Paul spoke about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the atonement of sin, Governor Festus shouted, “You are out of your mind, Paul!” That describes the world’s attitude against Christian beliefs nowadays. The governing authorities have no belief in Deity, as they discard the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the atonement for sin, the judgment to come, and eternal life.

• Paul speaks to a delegation looking to charge him with a crime: Sanctification within the fire.
• Born-again Believers are judged for our belief in the resurrection and eternal life.
• Persecuting Jesus Christ while living for the atheistic culture of today.
• Seeing the great light and being introduced to Jesus the Christ and Savior of the world.
• Turning from darkness to Light and from Satan to God.
• Dragged from the temple of God for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Gospel of Christ is a Light to be shared with the lowliest and greatest of people.
• The world says the testimony of Jesus is craziness, but it is truth and reason.
• Knowing how to be a Chrisitan is very different than being born-again in heart, mind, and soul.
• God’s people are innocent but kept in chains.

Paul speaks to a delegation looking to charge him with a crime: Sanctification within the fire.
“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.” Acts 26:1-3

This is Paul’s time to speak in defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, as we learned in the post on Acts 25:26-27, Festus was looking for a reason to charge Paul with a crime and planned to use Paul’s own words against him, as quoted, “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 would be speaking in front of Agrippa [an expert in Jewish affairs], military commanders [like the Department of Homeland Security], prominent people of the community, and Bernice, the sister-in law of Festus. They were seeking a crime relating to Paul being a security risk to the Roman Empire, which would carry the death penalty.

The sanctification of Paul’s spirit is obvious in how he responded to the group that only wanted to hear him speak to find a reason to put him to death. Instead of expressing bitterness, vengeance, frustration, hatred, hopelessness, and despair, Paul displayed an attitude of respect, reverence, and a degree of joy. He even expressed a willingness to speak against the accusations that the Jewish leaders brought against him. Paul also expressed his reverence and honor for Agrippa as an expert in Jewish affairs. Sanctification is the process of allowing the Holy Spirit to cleanse our spirit and mind. This is like when milk is brought to a boil, then the scum surfaces to the top and is skimmed off to make the milk purer. Likewise, when we feel negative and ugly feelings surface from within us, that is scum that needs to be skimmed from our spirit. That cleanses our spirit of hostile intentions and makes us more patient and Christ-like.

Sanctification, or Holiness, is explained in the Bible as being like gold or silver being refined in the fire. Gold and silver is refined in the fire in the same way that milk is refined by boiling, “…that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ…” 1 Peter 1:7 Also, “He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver… And purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:3

The entity that has power over physiology to give people what to think, feel, say, and do makes war against the sanctification process of our mind, feelings, spirit, and soul. We have to remember that the grace and mercy of God, through Jesus Christ, is what enables our sanctification to progress, even while enduring the fire. We have to be careful not to let bitterness, frustration, despair, lust etc. to creep into our interactions with others. “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Hebrews 12:14-16

Born-again Believers are judged for our belief in the resurrection and eternal life.
“My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?” Acts 26:4-8

There are those who know our previous way of life, before living for God through Jesus Christ. Like all of the Jewish people who knew Paul from his youth. They knew Paul when he was a Pharisee, a Pharisee of all Pharisees. Those who knew us before our born-again experience knew how we were part of the ways of this world. After our born-again experience, those who knew us before are now scrutinizing and being judgmental towards us because of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. That hope is in the resurrection from the dead and eternal life. Paul stood for the hope of the resurrection and eternal life and for that he was being judged.

The promise made by God, to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, was the inheritance of the promised land, Hebrews 11:8-10, Hebrews 11:13-16. That is the hope we have in Jesus Christ, to enter our heavenly country in the New Jerusalem of the new heaven and earth. Every Believer will enter the New Jerusalem through one of the twelve gates named after each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, “Also [the New Jerusalem] had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel…” Revelation 21:12 That describes how Christians are adopted into the Twelve Tribes of Israel, “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” Romans 9:6-8 “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29

Agrippa was an expert in the customs, laws of Judaism, and culture of the Jewish people, so he should not have been surprised at hearing how God raises the dead. Three people were resurrected from the dead in the Old Testament, spoken about in 1 Kings 17:17-24, 2 Kings 4:18-37, and 2 Kings 13:20-21

Paul clung to the Old Testament and never once sought to abolish it nor to scrutinize it in any way. In fact, Paul showed how the Old Testament revealed our Lord Jesus as being the Christ and Savior of the world. Speaking of those passing through the wilderness, Paul said, “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:4 Our Lord Jesus also said that Moses spoke of Him, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.” John 5:46 Our Lord Jesus also made it clear that he had no intention of abolishing the Old Testament, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Matthe w5:17 Today, the Old Testament and New Testament come together as the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, without the resurrection and eternal life, is an entirely different Jesus than what the Bible teaches. “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted…” 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 In fact, the Bible without the resurrection and eternal life is nothing more than the doctrine of humanism. Humanism is the fig leaf worn by those who serve the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do. Humanism is “An outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.”

Persecuting Jesus Christ while living for the atheistic culture of today.
“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” Acts 26:9-11

There was no question that the Jewish people persecuted Christians for no other reason than that they were born-again by the Spirit and not by the laws of Judaism. Paul was persecuting Christians on the authority of the chief priests. Now that he became a Christian, they wanted Paul dead too. Likewise, Christianity is driven into extinction by today’s atheistic culture, as described in Revelations 12.  “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.’” Revelation 12:17

Paul was serving the Jewish nation in his opposition to the way of Jesus Christ. Today’s culture oppose belief in God, Jesus Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit because they feel it is their obligation to do so. They live by the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do, and that entity cannot live in the presence of the Holy Spirit. The community family feels like they are doing a service to purge the faithful few of Christianity from the mainstream of their social network. Our Lord Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.” John 16:1-4

At times I wonder how Paul could have forgiven himself. He put Christians in prison, by the order of the chief priests of the Jewish people. Paul [called Saul at the time] consented to the killing of Christians, as seen from Acts 7:54-58. Paul/Saul routinely went around to the synagogues/churches and forced Christians to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ. Paul/Saul was so enraged against Christianity that he persecuted the followers of Jesus in foreign cities, as seen in Acts 9:1-2. At that time, Paul/Saul was the roaring lion seeking for whoever he could devour.

I’ve heard people say, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.” Fortunately for us, whether we are able to forgive ourselves or not, doesn’t matter because God has forgiven us through Jesus Christ. If our conscience bothers us about something, the Holy Spirit says this, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:20-21

By the standards of today’s culture, Christians are considered to be enemies of humanity, intolerant, bigoted, and haters of humanitarian polices. That’s because today’s culture lives by the teaching of humanism. Humanism is the fig leaf worn by those who serve the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do by replacing the conscience and spirit while oppressing the presence of the Holy Spirit. Humanism is “An outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.”

Our Lord Jesus says, “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matthew 15:9 “How can you believe when you accept each other’s praise and don’t look for the praise that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

Seeing the great light and being introduced to Jesus the Christ and Savior of the world.
“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Acts 26:12-15

Paul was occupied with persecuting, jailing, and giving permission for the followers of Jesus Christ to be murdered [by the commission of the chief priests]. He was heading towards Damascus to do the same to the Christians there. During that time, before arriving to Damascus, Paul saw a great light from heaven, not the sun but brighter than the sun. The light was shining all around him. Paul was sharing this with king Agrippa, an expert in Jewish affairs, but he had surely never heard anything like what Paul was describing. The great light also surrounded those with Paul.

Today, the non-Christian experts in religious affairs have no understanding or experience of seeing a great light. It must sound strange and mentally unstable to them to hear a born-again Christian talking about seeing the light, a great light. Seeing a great light is ludicrous to them because it implies that we have noticed that “…something is rotten in Denmark…” referring to the social culture we live in today. Others around us are surrounded by that great light too, as they notice “...something is rotten in Denmark…” referring to the invasion of what they call “socialism” or “communism”. The difference between born-again Christians and others is that we know that what they call “socialism” or “communism” is the global government of the beast and its global culture. We see the great light of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, while others see the great light of an earthly battle between political ideologies.

Everyone surrounded by the light falls down to the earth, referring to acknowledging the subduing power of the great light. The difference between those who fall in the awareness of seeing the invasion of “socialism” or “communism”, we fall down and hear the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ speaking to us. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27 In the process of our born-again experience, we hear Jesus speaking to us, “Why are you persecuting Me” We may not have ever physically hurt a Christian, but by living in the ways of this world we are enemies of God, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4

The phrase, “‘It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’” refers to the difficulty of subduing and forcing Christianity to go away. Even when the Roman Emperor Nero brutally persecuted and had Christians killed, the way of Christ survived and has now reached global proportions, being on all seven continents of the world. We know we are living in the days of the global government of the beast because there has been a great falling away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ after the United Nations was formed in 1945, as described in Daniel 8:1-14, and Revelations 17. The United Nations brought the government of the beast with it. Click here for a post on the global falling away and the “man of sin”. “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb…” Revelation 13:7-8

When we first see the great light surrounding us, and we become aware that “…something is rotten in Denmark…” and we begin to understand who Jesus is. We gain that understanding by reading the Bible and we realize that what is happening in the world is described in the word of God. As we began searching to know more about Jesus, within our heart, mind, and soul we are asking, “Who are You, Lord?” Jesus replies, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

The great light that I saw led me to understand Jesus as the Christ and my Savior, and to see exactly what was driving the people and nations of this world. The Holy Spirit showed me this verse, “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 I came to realize that this is the one that has power over physiology to give people what to think, feel, say, and do. This entity sets within the temple of God, our body, as if it is God. But our body is made to be the home of the Holy Spirit, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19 Click here for a post on the “man of sin”.

Turning from darkness to Light and from Satan to God.
“But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will  deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’” Acts 26:16-18

In the previous section, Paul had fallen down to the ground when the great light of Jesus Christ had surrounded him. Now, the Lord says to him,“…rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.” These are the same words that out Lord Jesus Christ speaks to us. He wants us to rise and stand in our faith in God through Jesus Christ. He has brought the born-again experience to us for the purpose of making us a witness of the things we have seen. What we have seen is the transformation of our life when we left the ways and lifestyles of this world and began to live for Him. There are also things that are being revealed to us through the prophecies within the Bible, which we are to minister to those we can. Click here for a post on some prophecies fulfilled since 1945, immediately after WW2, Habakkuk 2:1-4.

Paul’s ministry of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ was very dangerous during his day. The Jewish people wanted him dead and accused him of blaspheming the laws of Judaism and causing a raucous among the mobs of Jewish people. The Gentiles often came against Paul for speaking against their false gods and disrupting their worldly gains and fleshly pursuits. God promised Paul, “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you…” God kept His promise and made it possible for the testimony of Jesus Christ to be spread throughout the Roman Empire, and eventually all across the globe. Our Lord Jesus Christ was sent by His Father to do the same, and when His ministry was done on this earth, He gave His life on the Cross to atone for sin and was resurrected to eternal life. When Paul’s ministry on this earth was completed, he was executed and will be raised from the dead at the return of our Lord Jesus.

There is a difference between ministering to a church that has fallen away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and those who do not even try to say that they are serving God. Those who say they are part of a church fellowship have a sense of self-righteousness and do not want to be spoken to about the need to live for the sanctification of the Spirit through Jesus Christ. Others say that they do not need Salvation, forgiveness, or anything to do with Jesus Christ. Today’s church members and the general population do not want us to be anywhere near them with the message of the Cross. They do not want to hear about Salvation, sanctification, eternal life, nor of the judgment to come beyond the grave. They want us to be gone, to be out-of-sight and out-of-mind.

What today’s churches and general population have in common is that they give homage to the entity that replaces the conscience while oppressing the Holy Spirit to give people what to think, feel, say, and do. The churches have abandoned the Gospel of Jesus Christ to join with the values of the community culture. The spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been prohibited in today’s social network. Even then, as long as the Holy Spirit is alive within us, there will always be the urge to share our born-again testimony with others, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ written on our heart. We have to wait for the Holy Spirit to open those doors.

Apply these words of Jesus to our efforts to share the Good News, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:10 Even then, a day is coming when no person can do His work, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:4-5 “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

The purpose of sharing the testimony of Jesus is to open the eyes of people for the need of the forgiveness of sin and the life of Holiness. Not to be good people by the values of this world, but to live in the will of God who gives the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our inheritance of eternal life, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14 We are the “purchased possession”, purchased by the blood that Christ shed on the Cross. Our redemption is not just while on this earth, but there is an eternal redemption of our earthly body into an eternal body.

Sharing the testimony of Jesus is to turn others from darkness into the light and from the power of Satan to God. Today’s culture is living in darkness by the power of Satan. They embrace the atheistic entity that loves to keep them in darkness by giving them what to think, do, say, and feel. This entity opposes Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world. The world needs to know, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12 The is no earthly Garden of Eden as some suppose; there is only one paradise and that is the eternal Garden of Eden in the new heaven and earth. The Holy Spirit says these words about the dark hope of an earthly utopia, “A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them.” Joel 2:3

Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for one purpose, that others may receive the forgiveness of sins and be included in the eternal inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ.

Dragged from the temple of God for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.” Acts 26:19-21

Paul was not disobedient to the calling that our Lord Jesus Christ gave to him when He said, “I will  deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’” Acts 26:17-18

As born-again followers of Jesus Christ the heavenly vision given to us to share to others is this, “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

Paul first spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jewish people, then because of their hardened heart to the Holy Spirit, he went to the Gentiles. When Paul was at Corinth, this was written, “Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Acts 18:5-6 This is written about our Lord Jesus Christ, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:11-13

As followers of Jesus, we realize that only the Holy Spirit working within the heart of people can draw them to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. A heart hardened against the Holy Spirit is hardened against the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ and against belief in the Living God. We have to walk away from them and go somewhere where people are receptive to the Good News. Nowadays, it seems that mostly everyone has shut their door to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb…” Revelations 13:8 The “him” in this verse is the beast of the image and mark of the beast. Today, people everywhere are living for the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do as it gives life to the image of the beast to speak and live through them. They are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do.

Jesus says this, “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.” Matthew 10:14 Jesus also gives us the “heads up” that the night comes when no one will be able to do His work, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:4-5

For preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Jewish people dragged Paul out of the synagogue and tried to beat him to death, Acts 21:27-31. They were responsible for Paul’s arrest and eventual execution. Today, Christians recognize our body as being the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…?” 1 Corinthians 6:9 However, today’s culture sees the human body as being the sanctuary for the entity that lives within their thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors. They despise and work to drag Christians away from the presence of the Holy Spirit. The entity they serve is the one “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 The “he” in this verse is the man of sin. Click here for a post on the global falling away from God and the “man of sin”.

Click here for a post on the extinction of Christian births from Revelations 12.

Gospel of Christ is a Light to be shared with the lowliest and greatest of people.
“Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26:22-23

Paul obtained help from God to witness to small and great. The help is the Holy Spirit, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be witnesses to Me…” Acts 1:8 The work of the Holy Spirit is to lift up the testimony of Jesus Christ and only by Him is there a desire within us to speak of the message of the Cross. The “small” and “great” is not referring to how many people, height, nor weight but to the homeless and jobless as well as the most powerful and influential. Paul was addressing a group of prominent people, a king, a governor, as well as to the sister-in-law of Festus [the Governor]. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was for the king as well as for the sister-in-law. Our born-again testimony, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ written on our heart, is a message for the small and great to hear.

The message is about the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross to atone for sin, as described by the Prophet Isaiah 53. “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16, also from the Prophet Isaiah 9:2. Paul was preaching straight from the Old Testament prophets and from Moses. As Jesus said, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.” John 5:46 As followers of Jesus Christ, that is our mission, to preach from the word of God, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10

 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:6-9

Below are several major events in the modern world, from the prophecies of the Bible, that has happened since 1945:

• 1945: The global government of the United Nations was established immediately after WW2, which brought the government of the beast with it, as described in Daniel 8 and also Revelation 17.
• 1945 thereabouts. The entity that has power over physiology to give people what to think, feel, do, and say is here. This entity enables the image of the beast to speak and live through people in every city around the world. The masses of the global culture are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do. This is described in Revelation 13. This entity is the power center of the global government of the beast.
  
  The only place this is mentioned is in the Bible, so of course there are no public records of its beginnings. This is the one “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 The “him” in this verse is the “man of sin”. Click here for a post on the “man of sin”. “….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.’“ Revelations 2:24-25
• 1948: The Jewish people have been gathered to the State of Israel in 1948, where God unleashes the fury of His judgment on them, as described in Ezekiel 22:19-20, Ezekiel 36:22, and Ezekiel 20:34.
• 1988 or thereabouts: Global warming is here and is the Fourth Plagued mentioned in Revelation 16:8-9. The more powerful the United Nations becomes as the one world government the hotter and more intense the heat of global warming becomes. Global warming is instrumental in destroying the power center of the beast [Fifth Plague], rendering the world government and its global culture powerless. At this time, the entity with power over physiology to give people what to think, feel, say, and do will not be functioning. This leads to the Battle of Armageddon in the Sixth Plague, followed by the Day of the Lord and the return of Jesus Christ. Click for a full post on the Seven Plagues.
• 2025: the President of the United States signed into law a bill to make the USA the “crypto-capital” of the world, called the “GENIUS Act”. This lays the foundation for the cashless society. Click here for an article on the signing of the “GENIUS” ACT. “For before these days, there were no wages for man nor any hire for beast; There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in; For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.” Zechariah 8:10 The phrase, “for before these days”, refers to the days leading up to global tribulation. Click here for a post on Zachariah 8:10.
• Also, Jesus Christ has come in the flesh 2000 years ago to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible.

The world says the testimony of Jesus is craziness, but it is truth and reason.
“Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.” Acts 26:24-26

Paul had just described his born-again experience through Jesus Christ and how Christ suffered and died on the Cross to atone for sin and was resurrected to eternal life. Then Festus stood up and in a loud voice said, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” Paul wanted people to turn away from darkness and to the light, and from the power of Satan to live for God. This was for the Jewish people and gentiles alike. Paul spoke of the forgiveness of sin and receiving eternal life and sanctification through Christ Jesus. For that, Festus said Paul was out of his mind.

Today’s atheistic culture thinks it’s unreasonable and madness for people to believe it’s possible to change, to be born-again, for Jesus Christ to be able to forgive sin, and to believe in eternal life. That’s because they see people as being human animals, just another product of evolution, without the ability to change their inbred instincts. For them, they think the grave is the end. Paul responded to Festus, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.” We who are born-again know the truth and how reasonable it is to be able to change from living by carnal desires to live in the Spirit of sanctification through Jesus Christ. With Paul we respond to this atheistic world, “I am not mad but speak the words of truth and reason.”

The truth and reason of the word of God is in plain sight for all the world to see. How truthful and reasonable is it to believe in global warming? Global warming is the Fourth Plagued mentioned in Revelation 16:8-9. How truthful and reasonable is it to believe that the United Nations is here, which was formed in 1945 as described in Daniel 8 and also Revelation 17. How truthful and reasonable is it to believe that the Jewish people were gathered to the State of Israel in 1948, where God unleashes His judgment on them? This is described in Ezekiel 22:19-20, Ezekiel 36:22, and Ezekiel 20:34. How truthful and reasonable is it to believe in the entity that sits within people [the temple of God] to give people what to think, feel, say, and do? This is described in Revelation 13 and in this verse, “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

How truthful and reasonable is it to believe in the word of God? Very truthful and reasonable. And the word of God says whoever believes in Him through Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sin, will be given eternal life, “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

Paul said that king Agrippa, the expert on Jewish affairs, knew what Paul was speaking about. Nothing that Paul said escaped the notice of Agrippa, he could validate what Paul spoke about the word of God. Likewise, those of this world can validate what was written in the second paragraph above this one. Even so, they close their heart and mind to the truth and reasonableness of the Bible and refuse to believe in the hand of the Living God working in this world today. They reject the need for the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ and oppress the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Nothing written in the word of God, nothing that God has done and is doing in this world, nothing about our Lord Jesus Christ has been hidden. The work of God is not done in a corner.

Knowing how to be a Chrisitan is very different than being born-again in heart, mind, and soul.
“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.” Acts 26:27-29

Paul asked king Agrippa, the expert in Jewish affairs, if he believed the prophets of the Old testaments, and Paul asserted that he knew Agrippa did. Of course Agrippa would believe the prophets, according to the laws of Judaism, how else could he have the “inside track” on the Jewish culture. What Agrippa didn’t believe was that the prophets pointed to Jesus as being the Christ and Savior through the forgiveness of sin through Him. He believed as the Jewish customs directed him to believe.

In today’s culture, many might believe in the Bible without believing in Jesus as the Son of God, who was raised from the dead and brings eternal life in a new heaven and earth. They certainly do not believe the prophecies of the Bible [such as those described in the previous section]. Politicians routinely invoke the word “God” but never once mention Jesus Christ, the need for the forgiveness of sin, and eternal life in the New Jerusalem. In other words, they only believe what can be explained through human reasoning, limited to the elements of this earth. Their beliefs are rooted in humanism, which is the fig leaf worn by those who serve the entity that gives them what to think, say, do, and feel. Humanism is, “…an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems…”

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14

King Agrippa, the expert on Jewish affairs, customs, and their laws of Judaism, replied to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” Unfortunately, almost becoming a Christian and actually being a follower of Jesus Christ is a difference as far as the east is from the west. It’s one thing to have an understanding and knowledge of the scriptures and how Christians believe, but quite another to have a born-again experience within the heart, mind, and soul. After all, our born-again experience is the testimony of Jesus written on our heart. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:5-7

Paul said to Agrippa, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.” Acts 26:27-29 Paul was a born-again Pharisee and a born-again naturally born Roman citizen. One encounter with Jesus Christ, which caused Paul to see the great Light, changed his heart, mind and soul to erase his previous behavior as a Pharisee and Roman citizen. Paul wished that all of the Jewish representatives and Roman governors could have the same born-again experience that he had. Except for the chains that bound him in that courtroom. Today, true believers would not want the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be bound in chains, prohibited from circulating through the community. It’s one thing to invoke the word “God” and quite another to give freedom to the word of God, and Jesus is the word made flesh. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

God’s people are innocent but kept in chains.
“When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.” Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” Acts 26:30-32

Those in the courtroom, hearing the case of Paul, are mentioned in the post on Acts 25:23. These included king Agrippa [an expert in Jewish affairs], Governor Festus, Bernice [sister-in-law of Governor Festus], Roman military commanders, and prominent community members. Today, this is equivalent to a national or global leader, a state Governor, an expert on religious affairs, Homeland Security representatives, community leaders, and close personal affiliations. They were listening to Paul’s speech in an effort to uncover a crime that would reveal Paul as being a threat to the Roman Empire and an instigator of civil unrest, Acts 25:26-27.

Today, it’s imperative that Christians do not engage in rebellion, riots, protests, or civil disobedience of any type against today’s culture, the community, nor government leaders. Christianity is already considered an enemy to the atheistic values of today’s culture, which is global. Before long, we who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Christianity as a whole, will be put on a list of enemies of the state under suspicion of carrying out some type of terrorism. The Holy Spirit says 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

After Paul was finished speaking about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the need for the forgiveness of sin through Christ, and eternal life, those in the courtroom conferred privately together. The purpose of conferring together was to determine if Paul had said anything to incriminate himself. Was he a leader of a deviant religious cult? Did he show rebellious intent towards the Roman Empire or any jurisdiction therein? Was he a threat to the peace and security of the Empire? Did he instigate chaos in any jurisdiction of the Empire? Did he practice offense techniques against a group or individuals?

As followers of Jesus Christ, we want to avoid belonging to a religious cult that preaches the need for gun ownership as protection against government intrusion. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.” Zachariah 4:6 We do not want to engage in rebellion against the government, the community, or any person within today’s culture. We want to avoid being instigators that cause upheaval and unrest in the places where we are. The Holy Spirit speaks these words to us, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:17-19

The members hearing Paul’s case conferred together and determined that Paul was “…doing nothing deserving of death or chains.” Agrippa said to Festus that Paul would have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. However, Governor Festus knew that was not the truth. The reason Paul appealed to Caesar is because Festus was going to send Paul to the lower court of the Jewish leaders. They had already conspired to kill Paul, as revealed in the post on Acts 25:1-12. “Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed [Festus] against Paul; and they petitioned him, asking a favor against [Paul], that he would summon him to Jerusalem—while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him.” Acts 25:2-3 “…Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?” Acts 25:9 Paul said, “I appeal to Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you will go!” Acts 25:12

Today, we followers of Jesus Christ have done nothing deserving of imprisonment nor of death. Even so, today’s governing leaders and the community culture have no intention of allowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to spread freely through their social network. Christianity is kept imprisoned. We dedicate our body, the temple of God, to the Holy Spirit, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19. Those of today’s culture have made the temple of God, the human body, the home of the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say , and do. This entity is the one “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 The “he” in this verse is the “man of sin”. Click here for a post on the “man of sin”.

We followers of Jesus Christ are not part of an armed rebellion nor planning a hostile takeover of this present government. This is a perishing world, and we live for the eternal world in the New Jerusalem.

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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