June 7, 2023
Acts 25
it has been a great read, and how bless is The breath of The L
ORD can be and timeless even to very dot and iota,
The thrilling and The art gifted and expressions, all crafted and how so design of "the Parakletos" when he stands by your side. "Jesus" did declare, you are going to need him, when stand before "kings and Priests", and You Shall be A witness and The Parakletos will point out their sins.
"For the Holy Ghost" will point out, The sins of The World.
New International Version John 14:16
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Advocate to help you and be with you forever—
Legacy Standard Bible
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another
Advocate, that He may be with you forever;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another
Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever.
International Standard Version
I will ask the Father to give you anothe
r Helper, to be with you always.
Note: Jesus, never lies, Men do. You can Trust Him, For He is "The WORD of GOD" and yes He is Alive and He is Not DEAD! But men sure act like he is.
As I present this Portion of THE Text to be read at this point, I will post a little highlight about the characters in this scene that is presented in 'Chapter 25 About The Acts Of The Apostles. [ Festus, "King Aqrippa and his wife Bernice who is the King Sister", incest relationship.
So it does make the a very interesting event. so slowly digest, and what the Parakletos at work.
Festus:
Porcius Festus was a Roman procurator, succeeding
Antonius Felix somewhere between AD 55 and 60. History describes him as fair and reasonable—much more so than Felix or Festus’ successor, Albinus. In the Bible Porcius Festus is known for sending Paul to Rome to stand trial under
Emperor Nero.
The events leading to Paul’s meeting with Porcius Festus are filled with danger. In
Acts 21, Paul returns from a
missionary journey. He visits James (Jesus’ brother), the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and pays the fee of men who had taken a Nazarite vow (
Acts 21:17–26). Less than a week later, Paul is spotted in the temple by devout Jews who condemned his work spreading the gospel. Because of a misunderstanding, they falsely accuse Paul of bringing a Gentile into the temple, and they have Paul arrested. Paul gives his defense to the Jews in
Acts 22:1–21, but it’s not received well, and the mob turns ugly. The Roman tribune (commander above a centurion) protects Paul from the mob by hurrying him into the barracks and orders Paul to be flogged. Paul reveals he is a Roman citizen by birth (
Acts 22:22–29), which causes the tribune to call off the flogging. The tribune later allows Paul to give his testimony before the Jewish council, including the high priest, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, who promptly get into a fight about whether Paul is actually guilty of anything. Tempers flare so high that the tribune again extricates Paul back to the army barracks (
Acts 23:1–11). The next day, Paul’s nephew warns the tribune that forty men have vowed to murder Paul, so the tribune sends Paul with two hundred soldiers as guards to Felix, the governor in Caesarea (
Acts 22:12–22).
The tribune is still curious as to why the Jewish leaders want Paul dead, and he requests Felix uncover the truth. The high priest, some elders, and a hired spokesman arrive in Caesarea five days later to present their case before Felix, but the Jews from Asia are absent, and the governor delays a decision until the tribune can arrive—or until Paul offers a sufficient bribe. The bribe never comes, and Felix leaves Paul in custody for two years (
Acts 24).
Festus succeeds Felix as governor, and Paul’s pending case is one of his first concerns. The Jewish leadership meet Festus in Jerusalem and ask that he bring Paul from Caesarea—their purpose was to ambush Paul and kill him on the way. Festus hasn’t even been to his new home yet, and he invites Paul’s accusers to go with him to Caesarea and get things squared away. Festus could see the charges against the apostle were specious but, wanting to have a good relationship with his new people, asks Paul to go to Jerusalem and stand trial. This would benefit Festus in two ways: he would get on the good side of the Jewish leadership, and he could move the venue of the trial so he wouldn’t have to deal with it. Paul politely tells Festus that, as Caesar’s representative, Festus needs to either make a fair decision or let him make his case before Caesar. After conferring with his advisers, Festus agrees to send Paul to Caesar (
Acts 25:1—12).
King Agrippa := Herod King Agrippa II
There are several different Herods mentioned in the New Testament. All of them are members of the Herod dynasty, rulers appointed by the powers in Rome to oversee Israel. Herod Agrippa II is the one who heard Paul’s defense of the gospel and famously rejected Paul’s appeal to be saved.
The godfather of the Herod clan was Herod the Great, the king when Jesus was born and one who tried to have Him killed (
Matthew 2). Herod Antipas ruled during the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. He is the one who had John executed (
Mark 6) and sat in judgment at one of Jesus’ trials (
Luke 23:7–12). Herod Agrippa I was king of Judea for a few years and the one who had James executed. His death is recorded in
Acts 12.
Herod Agrippa II was only seventeen when his father, Herod Agrippa I, died. He was in Rome at the time and was favored by Emperor Claudius. Claudius kept Agrippa II in Rome for a few more years and then made him tetrarch of the Syrian kingdom called Chalcis and gave him the responsibility to supervise the temple in Jerusalem. Herod Agrippa II eventually gave up the territory of Chalcis but was granted the title of king and given more territory, including all that had been ruled by Herod Philip.
Nero later added to his territory, including some of Galilee.
Herod Agrippa II lived with Bernice, who was herself in the Herodian line, being a daughter of Herod Agrippa I.
She had been married to her uncle, Herod Pollio of Chalcis
(not mentioned in Scripture), but
after his death moved in with her brother, Agrippa II, in an incestuous relationship. Late in his career, Herod Agrippa II saw that tensions were rising between Rome and the Jews, and he tried unsuccessfully to prevent war. Ultimately, he sided with Rome, and he was expelled by his Jewish subjects. He lived out the rest of his life in Rome. He was the last of Herod’s line to be a king.
Herod Agrippa II makes a brief appearance in the New Testament in
Acts 25 and
26. Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem and accused by the Jewish leaders of desecrating the temple. For Paul’s protection, the centurion in charge had sent him under heavy guard to the Roman governor
Felix in Caesarea (
Acts 23). Felix, who happened to be married to
Drusilla (a sister of both Bernice and Agrippa II), heard the charges brought by the Jewish leadership but deferred judgment, for he hoped that Paul would offer him some kind of bribe to be set free (
Acts 23:25–26). After two years, Felix was succeeded by
Porcius Festus, but Paul remained in prison because Felix did not want to anger the Jews (
Acts 23:27).
Governor Festus wanted to clear up old court cases, so he entertained the accusations of the Jews and asked Paul if he would be willing to stand trial in Jerusalem. Paul realized he would have no chance there, so he invoked his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” (
Acts 25:10–11). Festus had no choice but to send him to Caesar, which had the immediate result of preserving Paul from the Jewish leadership.
Festus, however, was perplexed as to what charges should be sent with Paul to Rome, so, when King Herod Agrippa II paid a visit to Caesarea, Festus discussed Paul’s case with him, thinking that Agrippa might have more knowledge of the religious issues involved. Then Agrippa told Festus that he would like to hear from Paul himself, and Festus said, “Tomorrow you will hear him” (
Acts 25:22).
On the next day, with much pomp and circumstance, Festus, Agrippa II, and Bernice gather to hear Paul. Festus introduces Paul by saying, “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him” (
Acts 25:24–27).
Herod Agrippa II then gave Paul leave to speak for himself. “So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: ‘King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently’” (
Acts 26:1–3). Paul then goes on to tell the story of his life as a persecutor of the church and how Jesus appeared to him on the
road to Damascus. He concludes with referencing prophecies that the Messiah would rise from the dead and that salvation would be provided to the Gentiles.
Governor Festus interrupted Paul’s defense at that point, shouting, “You are out of your mind, Paul! . . . Your great learning is driving you insane” (
Acts 26:24). Paul replied, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus. . . . What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do” (verses 25–27). Then Herod Agrippa II said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” (verse 28). Paul’s reply shows the heart of an evangelist: “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains” (verse 29). At that, the royals left the room, convinced of Paul’s innocence. Herod Agrippa II said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar” (verse 32).
It is significant that Herod Agrippa II admits Paul had done nothing wrong and should by all rights be set free. With the possible exception of Herod Antipas who liked to listen to John—albeit for superstitious reasons—this is the only biblical record of a positive interaction between a Herodian king and Jesus and His church.
Herod Agrippa II also makes a statement to Paul that has sparked the imagination of millions of Christians. In the King James Version,
Acts 26:28 is translated “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Many sermons over the years have been preached about the man who “almost” became a Christian but ultimately did not. The words of Agrippa II have become a cautionary tale of “almost” becoming a Christian, but waiting too long. A gospel song titled “Almost Persuaded” was written by prolific songwriter Philip Bliss in 1871 and has been sung in churches for several generations:
Questions about People in the Bible
Who was Herod Agrippa II?
Part 1
