| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| BatKol |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 13:25:31
Contexts of Apostle persecution in Acts
Act 25:8 While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.
Who is the terror to good works in context to the Apostles?
Was it really the GOVT or was it 'another group' given Paul's statement here:
I Thess. 2:14-16 - "For you brethren, are become followers of the churches of God which are in Judea, in Christ Jesus: for you also have suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they have from the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus, and the prophets, and have persecuted us, and please not God, and are adversaries to all men; prohibiting us to speak to the Gentiles, that they may be saved, to fill up their sins always: for the wrath of God is come upon them to the end."
Let’s look through the book of Acts and see who exactly was causing problems for the Apostles. Here is a step by step outline of each problem spot for the Apostles. This took me quite a while to put together but I would be greatly appreciative if anybody can add somethings I might have missed.
I think the identity of the the persecutors are well identified.
First instance:
Act 5:14-18
What: Jail for Peter and Apostles
Culprit: High Priest of the Sadducees.
Why: Preaching the Gospel of Christ and healing
Second instance:
Act 6:9-59
What: Murder of Stephen
Culprits: Certain Libertine Jews and the false witnesses
Why: Could not withstand the wisdom and Spirit of Stephen preaching Christ.
Third instance:
Act 12:1-2
What: Murder of James
Culprit: King Herod of the Jews
Why: To afflict certain of the Chuch
Fourth instance:
Act 12:3-5
What:Imprisonment of Peter
Culprit: King Herod of the Jews
Why: Because it pleased the Jews
Fifth instance:
Act 13:6-8
What: Paul and Barnabus harassed in Paphous
Culprit: Elymas the sorcerer
Why: To stop them from converting proconsul Sergius Paulus
(He failed)
Sixth instance:
Act 13:9 - 50
What: Paul and Barnabus run out of Antioch of Pisidia
Culprits: Jews
Why: Jealous of the number of people Paul and Barnabus attracted
Seventh instance:
Act 14:2-7
What: Paul and Barnabus run out of Iconium to escape stoning
Culprits: Disobedient Jews
Why: Success of Paul and Barnabus’ preaching
Eighth instance:
Act 14:19
What: Paul stoned in Lystra and left for dead
Why: Successful preaching and healing
Culprits: Jews from Antioch and Iconium with a multitude
Ninth instance:
Act 15:1-2
What: Paul and Barnabus have major dissension
Culprits: Jewish believers from Judea
Why: Jews say circumcision mandatory for Gentiles or no salvation
Tenth instance:
Act 15:5 - 6
What: Paul and Barnabus have major dissension in Jerusalem
Culprits: Pharisee believers
Why: Pharisee believers say law of Moses including circumcision must be kept by Gentiles. Note: It was decided by the group of apostles, elders and Holy Spirit that the Gentiles need only follow three OT laws and were obligated to nothing more from the Torah.
Eleventh instance:
Act 15:7-16:40
What: Paul and Silus beaten and jailed in Philippi
Culprits: Handlers of the fortune teller, multitude and Magistrates
Why: Paul had cast the evil spirit out of a servant woman and ruined the fortune telling business. Handlers and a multitude rose up against Paul and Silus and Magistrate ordered them beated and jailed. After an earthquake freed all of the prisoners Paul stops the jailor from committing suicide. The Jailor and all his house got converted and Baptised. The next day the Magistrates command a seargent to have Paul and Silas let go but Paul calls them to come personally because they wrongly beat them both being Romans. It is unlawful to beat Roman CITIZENS.
Twelfth instance
Act 17:5-9
What: Paul and Silus framed in Thessalonica but released by rulers
Culprits: Jealous Jews and certain vile fellows of the rabblers
Why: Sucessful preaching and conversions
Thirteenth instance
Act 18:12-17
What: Paul framed in Corinth and brought before proconsul Gallio but plot backfires and Romans beat Sosthenes Jewish ruler of Synagogue instead. (LOL!)
Culprits: Jews
Why: Paul’s preaching.
Fourteenth incident
Acts 19:8-9
What: Paul gets slandered at Synagogue in Corinth
Culprits: Jews
Why: Successful preaching
Fifteenth incident
Acts 19:20 - 20:21
What: Paul defends himself in open Theater in Asia and is not detained
Culprits: Idol makers
Why: Ruining idol making business by preaching the Gospel.
Sixteenth incident
Acts 21:27-30
What: Paul gets falsely accused in Jerusalem and Jews beat to kill but are stopped.
Culprits: Jews from Asia and the those other Jews they aroused
Why: Teaching against the law, the temple, bringing Greeks into the temple
Seventeenth incident
Acts 21:30-40
What: Paul gets saved by Romans and they bind him in chains
Who: Roman Captain and centurions.
Why: To find out who he is and what was happening to get Jerusalem in an uproar.
Eighteenth incident
Acts 22:24 - 29
What: Paul gets examined further by Romans and declares Citizenship to escape violent interrogation
Who: Roman Captain and centurions
Why: Because Jews falsely accused Paul, aroused other Jews against Paul and Jerusalem was in an uproar.
Nineteenth incident
Acts 22:30 - 23:30
What: Romans summons Jewish council to appear and end up taking Paul into safe keeping lest he be torn to pieces.
Who: Roman Captain
Why: To hear what the Jews have to say against Paul
Twentieth incident
Acts 23:16-22
What: Paul’s nephew exposes Jew’s plot against Paul to Roman Captain
Culprits: More than 40 Jews
Why: To kill Paul
Twenty first incident
Acts 23:23-34
What: Roman Captain arranges 400 military to transport Paul to Governer Felix in Caesarea
Who: Roman Captain
Why: To protect Paul from the Jewish plot and to deliver a detailed letter to Felix explaining the plot and also stating that he can find nothing on Paul worthy of death or bonds
Twenty second incident
Acts 23:35- 24:37
What:Governer arranges another hearing between Paul and the Jews
Who: Felix
Why: To hear both sides of the story
Details: Paul rebuts the Jews, declares his innocence. Felix summons the Captain and sets trial for when he arrives. Felix orders centurions to handle Paul with indulgences including full access to his friends while waiting. Two years go by and Felix is succeeded by Porcius Festus. Felix, expecting bribe money from Paul and never getting it, leaves Paul in chains to win favor with the Jews.
Twenty third incident
Acts 25:1-6
What: Contacting Festus, Jews try again with a plot concerning Paul
Culprits: Jews
Why: Kill Paul
Details: Festus says for the Jews to come and challenge Paul in court
Twenty fourth incident
Acts 25:7-12
What: Paul’s arraignment
Who: Paul, Festus, Jews
Why: Hear Paul and the Jews case.
Details: Jews bring grevious charges against Paul which they could not prove. Paul declares total innocence of breaking any law of Caesar or Jews. Exersizes his right and appeals to Caesar.
Twenty fifth incident
Acts 25:13- 21
What: King Agrippa and Festus chat
Why: To discuss Paul’s case
Details: Festus admits that the Jews had nothing on Paul and that everything the Jews brought up was concerning their religion.
Twenty sixth incident
Act 25:22-26:32
What:King Agrippa wishes to hear Paul himself.
Details: Paul pleads his case yet again, preaches to King Agrippa. Agrippa discusses the case with Felix and agrees that Paul has done nothing worth of death or bonds and that Paul might have been freed if he had not appealed to Caesar.*
* Paul also “might” have been killed also knowing Felix to be a man wishing bribes who also had desire to win favor the Jews after Paul would not pay him off.
Twenty seventh incident
Act 27:42-44:
What: Paul’s life gets saved by Roman Centurion when he refuses the the soliders who demand that all prisoners be killed to save themselves from the ship wreck.
Twenty eight incident
Acts 28:16-31
What: After much tribulation Paul arrives in Rome
Details: Paul, while awaiting trial, rents a house for two years and preaches the Kingdom of God to all who visit. Presumably writes his letter to the Romans which includes the famous Chapter 13. Paul’s attitude towards the GOVT is understandable seeing as how much help he ended up getting from them. Indeed, Rome was not the terror to good works in Paul’s life thus far but rather the Jews.
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| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| BatKol |
Posted - 11 Aug 2006 : 10:41:28
quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Buck
Greetings brother Batkol!
Peace be unto the house.
Were not the Jews aligned to Caesar? Did not the Sanhedrin need Rome's approval prior to appointing their chief priest?
Greetings brother Rick.
The Jews were indeed vassals of Caesar but were mostly allowed to rule themselves with stipulations.
The bigger issues I will address below.
quote:
If Caesar did not persecute Yahushua (I think they killed him from memory)and the Apostles is it not because they were in another jurisdiction?
No. Not because they were in another juridiction. Rome was the undisputed jurisdiction which is why the Jews sought the death penalty through their channels with false ‘sedition’ claims which bring death. Keep in mind, the Bible says clearly that Pilate could not find Christ guilty. He said "I find no fault in him". However, the deed was able to be done by the Jews via a loop hole and threat of massive social unrest. Remember the tradition of releasing a prisoner? They chose Barabbas and concerning Christ's death they declared "let His blood be upon OUR hands and our children's".
Even though Pilate declared Christ’s innocence, and even though he tried to dissuade the priests and the crowd from their aim to have Christ killed, he finally relented to the Jews.
"When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it" - Matthew 27:24
That is Pilate saying Christ is just! The big item here is that the 'sedition' charges against Christ and the apostles made by the Jews were found to be false in all cases. I have provided many verses which prove that the Jews were consistently framing the Christ and the apostles with a charge which would carry the death penalty. Namely sedition against Rome. Let me do so again here in short form:
In context of Christ:
"Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the High Priest, who was called Caiphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him" - Matthew 26:4
“The Chief Priest, the elders, and the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death” - Matt 26:59
quote:
My understanding of Yahushua's reply to Pilate in John 19:10-11 "...Yahushua answered, "You would have no power (actually AUTHORITY) at all against ME unless it had been given ou from above (from Yahuwah). Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the GREATER sin."
Yahushua did not agree that Pilate had authority over Him; what he said was Pilate only has authority delegated to him via His father (Yahuwah). Pilate was a sinner too. Pilate's authority was limited to his own jurisdiction over his subjects and slaves.
Christ told Pilate that his authority was given only by his Father. In that context, Pilate's juridiction was over all the lands Rome occupied. This power is given by God. There is NO authority but that which is given by God. I have provided else where a long list of verses from both the OT and the NT which state this clearly.
The bottom line here is the charges of sedition (proclaiming not to pay taxes, etc) - the very doctrine that many like oneisraelite say Christ taught - was concocted by the Jews and was found to be false in every part of the Bible that examines it!
quote:
Does not Caesar have a responsibility to protect their subjects from enemy (not friendly) aliens/visitors?
Does not Caesar also have a responsibility to protect aliens/visitors from his evil subjects?
No doubt. However, read what Caesar's Pilate said against the false claims that the Jews concocted against Christ. NOT GUILTY! The Jews had to resort to other measures to get Rome to kill Christ. The NT consistently recognizes the Jews are guilty of killing Christ. Paul - who was a CITZEN of the EMPIRE himself - spells this out quite clearly.
I Thess. 2:14-16 - "For you brethren, are become followers of the churches of God which are in Judea, in Christ Jesus: for you also have suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they have from the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus, and the prophets, and have persecuted us, and please not God, and are adversaries to all men; prohibiting us to speak to the Gentiles, that they may be saved, to fill up their sins always: for the wrath of God is come upon them to the end."
quote:
I sincerely thankyou for the listing of the Jews (not Israelites) attacks on the Messiah and true believers.
regards
brother Rick
You are welcome!
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| Uncle Buck |
Posted - 10 Aug 2006 : 20:45:40
Greetings brother Batkol!
Peace be unto the house.
Were not the Jews aligned to Caesar? Did not the Sanhedrin need Rome's approval prior to appointing their chief priest?
If Caesar did not persecute Yahushua (I think they killed him from memory)and the Apostles is it not because they were in another jurisdiction? My understanding of Yahushua's reply to Pilate in John 19:10-11 "...Yahushua answered, "You would have no power (actually AUTHORITY) at all against ME unless it had been given ou from above (from Yahuwah). Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the GREATER sin."
Yahushua did not agree that Pilate had authority over Him; what he said was Pilate only has authority delegated to him via His father (Yahuwah). Pilate was a sinner too. Pilate's authority was limited to his own jurisdiction over his subjects and slaves.
Does not Caesar have a responsibility to protect their subjects from enemy (not friendly) aliens/visitors?
Does not Caesar also have a responsibility to protect aliens/visitors from his evil subjects?
I sincerely thankyou for the listing of the Jews (not Israelites) attacks on the Messiah and true believers.
regards
brother Rick
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If I have to be like him who is going to be like me?
James 1:25 The Perfect Law of Liberty |
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