About this same time as the book of Hebrews was written in 65 AD, the apostle Peter wrote 1st Peter, his first epistle to believers in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (what we know as Turkey today) undergoing persecution. We now see why God did not allow Paul to go to these northern provinces in what we today call Turkey, because God was directing Peter to minister to the people there. Peter wrote this epistle from Babylon. Some argue that there was no church in Babylon, so Paul was being euphemistic and was referring to Rome. Yet, there is no need for him to be secretive about where he was writing. It actually makes sense for him to be writing from Babylon for two reasons: (1) although there was no church in Babylon, there was a prominent synagogue there because of the many Jews who remained in this geographic region when some of the Jews were allowed to return to Judah from Babylon, and (2) Peter and many of the other apostles ministered to their fellow Jews with a large contingent of them still living in various parts of Parthia which is where Babylon was located.

Also, there is no hard evidence that Peter ever visited Rome (Lewis). If Peter was in Rome during Paul’s first incarceration, he would most definitely have visited Paul in prison as many others from the churches there did (Ac 28:17-31). If Peter was in Rome during Paul’s second incarceration, he also would likely have visited Paul or let Paul know he was supported, but Paul states that only Luke is with him at this time (2Tm 4:11). Evidence has emerged that Peter likely died and was buried in Jerusalem (Deborah). This would make sense as Peter was known as the apostle to the Jews (Ga 2:7-8) and had ministered to Jews in Parthia (1Pt 5:13) and to those in Asia Minor (today eastern Turkey; 1Pt 1:1). Who was in Rome during this time was likely another Simon—Simon Magus (Two Peters).

This Simon Magus was the same as the one Deacon Philip had encountered in Samaria (Ac 8:9-25). He took the ideas of Zoroastrianism and blended them with Christianity forming Gnostic beliefs that became quite popular, and very seductive, because their teachings were so close, but so far, from the gospel the apostles taught. Simon and his followers would travel behind Paul and teach their heretical teachings once Paul had left a city which confused many of the new believers that Paul had reached. The Gnostics taught salvation through religion rather than a person relationship with Christ. It taught unity by creating a hierarchy where more spiritual understanding would be gained the higher up people went in this hierarchy and created types of sacraments to further create unity and thereby develop a closeness to God.

When Simon Magus arrived in Rome during the reign of Caesar Claudius, the emperor became enamored with Simon due to his magical abilities. So much so that he had a statue made of him which was something quite rare, as usually statues of anyone other than that of the emperor was considered illegal. He integrated Christian terminology into his pagan theology to disguise his intent to exalt himself to the center of Christianity rather than to Jesus Christ. He even created a priesthood to execute his practices. He came to be called Simon Paeter. The word Paeter is an ancient word for interpreter or seer and was associated with ancient priests and a derivative of the word translated as father. It is easy to see how Simon Paeter could be misconstrued for Simon Peter. It is more likely that Simon Paeter was the first bishop of Rome than was Simon Peter. The deaths of Simon Magus and Simon Peter are in controversy and not established well in the historical record.

About two years after writing his first epistle, Peter, in 67 AD, wrote his second epistle, 2nd Peter, likely from Babylon as well, and likely to those in northern areas of what we today call Turkey. It seems that Peter knew of his soon passing as he mentions this in his letter and there is now evidence of his grave being in Jerusalem. The content of this book is somewhat similar to what Jude wrote about in his epistle where he warns people about false prophets and false teachers who act as believers but lead many astray. He states that these people will be held accountable by God, if not in this life, in the life to come. While some scoffers say Christ’s return is doubtful as things have continued on as they always have been. Peter reminds them that the same argument was true for the Flood in Noah’s day. Things were as they were until they were not, and that happened swiftly. Therefore, as Christians, we should live holy and godly lives looking with anticipation to the day of God.

Tradition has it that Paul was beheaded in 68 A.D. at Aquae Salviae, a place with three springs on the Ostian Way, about 1.5 miles south of Rome. Paul was not crucified as were many Christians because he was a Roman citizen. Therefore, he was allowed a quick death and was beheaded instead.

What a legacy Paul left behind. Don’t you want a legacy like that? Let’s strive to live like he did. What an example to follow.

Of course, Paul could not have achieved all that he did without assistance. Next time we’ll look at who all helped him over the course of his life. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The apostle Paul is an example where he did not let his circumstances affect his commitment for Christ. He seemed to take what we would consider negative and turned it into a positive. Let’s look at the time of his first Roman incarceration.

Paul and his contingent finally arrived in Italy in 60 AD after their shipwreck and wintering on the island of Malta. Once arriving, many of the Jews in Rome heard that Paul was on his way and went to meet him even before he reached Rome and encouraged his spirits (Ac 28:15). Once in Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him.

Three days later, Paul called the Jewish leaders to come and meet with him. He told them what had happened to him and what the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had accused him of and why he was not guilty of such charges. They stated no one had sent any letters or information regarding him and his supposed crimes. They were willing to hear more from him and set up a time with him. When they came again, they brought many more Jews with them. Paul spent the entire day explaining to them about the kingdom of God and how the Law of Moses and the Prophets predicted the coming of Jesus and him dying for their sins. Some were convinced while others were not and refused to hear more from Paul. Paul told them that they were fulfilling what the Prophets said about the Jews hearing but never understanding, seeing but never perceiving which has caused them to become calloused. He then warned them that if they refused God’s salvation, it would be preached to the Gentiles who would listen and receive God’s message. Paul was in his own rented house for two years and proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness and without hindrance (Ac 28:17-31).

Paul wrote four of his epistles while arrested in Rome: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians.

It seems Paul’s epistles Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were each written about the same time, or at least in the same year (61 AD) and were taken to these churches by Tychicus. While Paul’s letter to Colossians was to the believers at Colossae, it seems his epistle to the Ephesians was not only for the church at Ephesus, but to be a circuit letter for many churches in that area.

Paul did not write Ephesians regarding any specific problem or controversy. He talks about the privileges and responsibilities of those who are part of the Body of Christ. He states that the entire Godhead had part in creating the church, Christ’s bride. In his sovereignty, God the Father called all believers out of humanity unto himself due to his love and for his glory. Although God made the decree that people could be saved, divine justice had to also be satisfied. God the Son, Jesus Christ himself, paid that price of divine justice to provide salvation through the shedding of his blood, declaring us righteous, and setting us free from the power of sin. God’s spirit then seals us indicating we are now God’s and cannot be removed from his hand. He goes on to say that being part of Christ brings us unity. There is no longer a distinction between Jew and Gentile. We are all one under Christ. The Holy Spirit then imparts gifts to each believer for the unity of believers and the glory of God. Because of what Christ has done for us, we should live for him out of our gratitude and yield to the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, especially in marriage, in family, and in our spiritual battle with spiritual forces in this world.

Paul wrote to Colossae to help stabilize the church and to combat heretical teachings that were being promulgated by certain individuals. The church was founded by Epaphras, likely a convert of Paul from Ephesus, and who was likely sent to evangelize Colossae. While primarily composed of Gentiles, the church did have a Jewish component as well. Although Paul had never been to Colossae, he told them he had heard of their faith and regularly prayed for them to grow in real knowledge and wisdom. Paul emphasizes the deity and all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

The heretical teachings here seem to be a mixture of Jewish legalism (asceticism) as well as angel worship and Gnosticism. The basis of Gnosticism is that spirit is good and physical is bad. Therefore, if Christ was not all spirit, but took on human bodily form, then he had evil within him. Paul counters this by stating that Christ was the image of God, that is, being the exact reproduction of deity, and was the firstborn, implying that Christ existed prior to creation, and was sovereign over all creation, meaning he is the Lord of creation.

While possessing the powers and attributes of deity, Christ had a human body in order to reconcile man to himself. Faith is built on the firm foundation of the deity of Christ and the sufficiency of his death on the cross. We have life, forgiveness, deliverance, and victory in Christ so we should live a life that conforms to this exalted position. We should relinquish all sinful actions and maintain virtuous living.

As Tychicus delivered Paul’s letter to Colossae, a man by the name of Onesimus accompanied him. Onesimus was a slave under the oversight of a man named Philemon who lived in, or near, Colossae and even hosted a house-church in his home. It is believed that Philemon had heard Paul speak in Ephesus and became a believer in Jesus due to Paul’s teaching. Apparently, Onesimus had stolen from Philemon and fled from his master to Rome where he likely thought he could get lost in the crowd, so to speak. While there, he must have been arrested for something—maybe stealing again. This may be how he met Paul as both were prisoners. Yet, since Paul was renting a house, it is unclear how they actually met. Yet, Paul did minister to him, and he accepted Christ as his Savior and became a dear friend of Paul’s. Paul told him that he had to return to Philemon and repent for his wrongdoing, but Paul was willing to send a letter to Philemon on Onesimus’ behalf since Philemon was a dear friend of Paul’s as well. Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would receive him. He stated that if there was any financial loss to charge Paul and he would repay it. He then reminds Philemon that he, too, had a spiritual debt which Jesus relieved through Paul’s witness to him, so in that sense, Philemon owed far more to Paul than Onesimus owed to Philemon. Paul tells Philemon that he knows he will do the right thing and hopes to stop by once he is out of prison.

The next year (64 AD), Paul wrote his epistle of Philippians to the church at Philippi in Macedonia which was delivered to them by Epaphroditus who was from Philippi. This church had sent Paul a financial gift, so he wanted to thank them. He also wanted them to understand that while he was a prisoner, he was joyful that the gospel of Christ was still being preached, and he indicated his desire to visit them once he was released. Paul also wanted them to understand that circumstances of life should not dictate one’s joyfulness, but that joy came from seeing things though God’s perspective.

While Paul was in prison, Luke completed the book of Acts he was writing ever since he was with Paul on his missionary journeys. We know it was at this time in 63 AD because his writing does not go beyond this point in Paul’s ministry. He again wrote it originally to Theophilus, as he did his gospel. Again, while originally written to him, it was destined for a much larger audience. As stated, his gospel was to show Jesus being superior to any other man and then this book was the sharing of that good news to everyone, both Jew and Greek, and to show that this sharing was not the work of zealous men but done through the leading of the Holy Spirit. It also shows the fulfillment of Christ Great Commission: their witness in Jerusalem by telling the account of Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit to Christ’s followers, the works of Peter, John and the other apostles and their miracles, and the work and stoning of Stephen; their witness in Judea and Samaria through the telling of the work by Philip, Saul, Peter, and the Church; the witness to the uttermost part of the Earth by telling what occurred during Paul’s missionary journeys and his preaching in Rome.

What we know about the rest of Paul’s life and ministry is gleaned through statements made in his various epistles. Paul was released from prison after being incarcerated for three years. It seems after his release Paul sent Timothy to Philippi and he traveled toward Asia Minor visiting Crete along the way establishing a church there. Timothy then met up with Paul somewhere in Asia Minor, likely Miletus as that would be a convenient place for their separate journeys to merge. There is no clear evidence that Paul ever made it back to Ephesus. At any rate, Paul sent Timothy on to Ephesus while he went to Colossae. He may also have visited Laodicea and Hierapolis as Paul was concerned for them as well (Cl 2:1, 4:13). It is then thought Paul traveled on to Troas and then to Philippi and on to other places in Macedonia while Timothy remained at Ephesus to teach and encourage the church there (1Tm 1:3).

Philippi is where Paul likely wrote 1st Timothy, his first letter to Timothy. Paul wanted to return to Ephesus but believed it would still be a while before he could follow up with Timothy in person, so he wrote this letter to him to encourage him and to remind him of his authority and ministry responsibilities as well as to instruct the members of the church in their responsibilities.

It is at this time that Paul likely traveled to Spain and may have gone as far as Great Britain. It is likely he may have taken Titus and Trophimus (2Tm 4:20) with him on this journey because we are told that on the way Paul and Titus visited Crete where Paul had Titus stay behind to minister to the church there. Also, it is noted that Paul stated he left Trophimus sick in Miletus as he traveled to Troas. While some believe this is the time Paul wrote his letter to Titus and did so from Ephesus. But if he never returned to Ephesus, this could not be the case. It is more likely that he wrote to Titus from Corinth as this would be on his journey to get to Nicopolis where we know he visited (Tt 3:12), and would have been a logical place for Paul to run into Apollos and Zenas by whom he sent his letter to Titus (Tt 3:13) as they were likely traveling into Asia Minor or perhaps back to Alexandria, Apollos’ home town. Crete would not have been too far out of their way. We are told that on his way to Nicopolis, Paul had left Erastus in Corinth (2Tm 4:20), so meeting Apollos and Zenas there in Corinth would make sense.

Paul wrote his letter to Titus to encourage him and to teach correct doctrine so he could refute the false teachers there, to remind him to complete the necessary organizational needs of the church, and to ask him to meet him in Nicopolis. Paul was sending Artemas to relieve Titus so he could come and meet Paul in Nicopolis (Tt 3:12). It seems Crete had been inundated with Judaizers wanting to take the congregations back to the ritual laws of Judaism as well as philosophies of Gnosticism, hedonism, and asceticism, all having the desire to take over and control the lives of believers there. Paul sternly warned Titus to stifle these dangerous teachings and focus on the truth of the Gospel dispensing with these manmade myths and traditions.

Something occurred in 64 AD in Nicopolis that got Paul arrested. We are not told any details of the event that led to his arrest and being taken back to Rome. This time, however, he was not allowed to be under house arrest but placed in a dank prison cell. The climate had changed as Nero had accused the Christians of burning Rome and all Christians were now being severely persecuted. It was from here that Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, and this was his final recorded writing. Paul wrote 2nd Timothy to encourage Timothy in his ministry and to ask him to come to Rome to visit him. The tone of this letter is very different from his writing during his first Roman imprisonment. He knew he would not be released this time (2Tm 4:6). It seems that Tychicus delivered this letter to Timothy for Paul (2Tm 4:12) and to allow Timothy to come to Paul. It seems that Paul was still planning for the various churches and their growth: he had Crescens to go to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia (2Tm 4:10). Although Paul stated that he was all alone the first time he went before Caesar (2Tm 4:16-17), he was not alone this time: Onesiphorus visited (2Tm 1:16-17), Luke was with him (2Tm 4:11) as well as several others apparently from the church there in Rome, e.g., Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia (2Tm 4:210. However, being a Christian was now a crime, and several had deserted Paul and/or the faith (2Tm 1:14; 4:10). Paul wanted to see Timothy one last time (2Tm 1:4; 4:9) and wanted Timothy to bring John Mark with him (2Tm 4:11) as well as to stop by Troas and retrieve the cloak, book, and parchments he left there with Carpus (2Tm 4:13).

Once John Mark arrived in Rome to see Paul, it seems this is the time that Mark wrote his gospel while being in Rome. Perhaps it was at Paul encouragement for him to do so. He and Paul had made amends earlier because he was also noted to be in Rome with Paul during his first incarceration as he was noted in Paul’s letter to both Philemon and to the church at Colossae (Pm 1:24; Cl 4:10). When Paul was released from prison the first time, Mark apparently ministered in Rome for a time and then with Peter (1Pt 5:13). It is thought that Mark got many of his stories about Jesus from Peter. Mark’s gospel was geared for a Roman audience as he explained many Jewish and Aramaic terms to his readers which the other gospel writers did not do, and he referred to Simon of Cyrene who bore Jesus’ cross for him to Golgotha as “the father of Alexander and Rufus” and would be known to his readers because Rufus was a member of the church in Rome (Ro 16:13).

During this time of Paul’s imprisonment, the book of Hebrews was written in 65 AD. Some say Paul wrote the letter just before his death in Rome. Others argue that the style of writing differs drastically from the way Paul wrote. There are many writers that have been proposed: Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Silas, Philip, and Apollos. Some traditions state that it was written from Alexandria as there was a large Jewish community there. If that is true, then it may suggest Apollos’ authorship as Alexandria was his hometown.

Although we don’t know the author or the place of authorship, it is clear that the writer wrote to a specific group of people he knew well. Because of the subject matter of the book where Jesus is compared to Old Testament Scriptures, it was likely written primarily to Jewish Christians. Maybe it was written to oppose Judaizers and Gnostics still surfacing in the church, especially those with large Jewish congregations. The writer wrote to convince his audience that Christ was superior to angels, superior to Moses, superior to Aaron, and superior to oneself as the worship of God was to be through Jesus Christ, the “new and living way” and reminds them that the key to true spirituality is one living by faith. Trusting God and what God has said is foundational to spiritual success.

Paul was more upbeat during his first arrest, likely because he could see an eventual way out of prison, and he was able to be under house arrest and have visitors. Yet, his freedoms were still limited. His second time, however, was another matter. He no longer saw an escape and had to come to terms with his likely death. This, of course, changed his mood and the mood of his letters. Yet, he still preserved until the end, wanting to run his life’s race faithfully (2Tm 4:7). May we each be able to do the same.

Join next time as we look at Paul’s last days in Rome and what was going on at that time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

A lot of times, what we accomplish is based upon our attitude and our circumstances. This was certainly true for the apostle Paul. Let’s look at the time he returned to Jerusalem and was arrested. Some may see this as avoidable, but Paul’s circumstances put him in places he would never have been otherwise. Paul used those times as opportunities to share Jesus.

When Paul decided to sail back to Syria after completing his third missionary journey, it was discovered that some Jews had plotted against him, so he traveled back through Macedonia. Several people went ahead to Troas and waited for Paul and Luke to arrive: Sopater from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, Tychius and Trophimus from Asia. Paul stopped in Philippi for the Feast of Unleavened Bread and then sailed to Troas to meet his other friends (Ac 20:1-6).

Paul stayed in Troas for seven days. On the seventh day he spoke in an upstairs room to the people and intended to leave the next day. Yet he kept on talking until midnight. A young man named Eutychus sat in one of the windows listening. Due to the length of the meeting, he fell asleep and then fell three stories out of the window and died. Paul threw himself on the young man putting his arms around him and the man revived. Everyone returned to the upstairs room, ate, talked until daylight, and Paul then left (Ac 7-12).

Once Paul and his friends reached Miletus, Paul sent through messengers for the elders of the Ephesian church to meet him there. He told them that this could be the last time they may see him because he knew that some Jewish leaders were plotting against him. Yet, he felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to return to Jerusalem. After praying with the Ephesian elders, they wept knowing they may never see Paul again (Ac 20:13-38).

The ship landed in Tyre to unload its cargo, and he met with some believers there for seven days. They reboarded the ship and landed at Ptolemais where he again met with believers there for that day. The next day, they sailed to Caesarea and stayed with the evangelist Philip for seven days. A prophet there, named Agabus, prophesied that Paul would be arrested in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles. Many then tried to persuade him not to go up to Jerusalem, but Paul was insistent that he do so as he felt the Holy Spirit wanted him to do so (Ac 21;1-18).

When arriving in Jerusalem, the disciples there greeted him warmly. The next day, he met with James and the other elders where he told them all that God had done for the Gentiles through his ministry. They all praised God for his work but stated that word was out that Paul was teaching Jews to abandon the Law of Moses, not to have their children circumcised or live according to Jewish customs (Ac 21:17-21).

As Paul had made a previous vow, there were four men with them in Jerusalem who had also made a vow. It was suggested that Paul go with them to the temple and join in their purification rites and pay their expenses for having their heads shaved. Then everyone would know that Paul was living in obedience to the law and the reports told about him were false and all that the Gentile believers had been told was what the Council had said previously: abstain from food sacrifice to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality (Ac 21:22-26).

Paul agreed and went to the temple to set the days for purification. When the purification time was nearly over, Paul was seen in the temple by some Jews from Asia. They created a disturbance by seizing him, claiming he was teaching everyone everywhere against Jewish laws and customs, and had brought Greeks into the temple. Trophimus, an Ephesian, had been seen with Paul in the city but not in the temple. This created such an uproar that people started beating him and would have killed him if a Roman commander had not intervened. Paul had to be carried by soldiers into the barracks next to the temple while many in the crowd kept saying, “Get rid of him!” (Ac 21:27-36).

Paul asked the commander if he could speak to the people. The commander thought he was an Egyptian who had led four thousand terrorists in a revolt. Paul identified himself and was allowed to speak. Paul began to give his testimony, and the people listened until he stated the Lord had sent him to the Gentiles (Ac 21:37-22:21).

The crowd then lost it and shouted he was not fit to live. The commander had Paul taken to the Roman barracks and told a centurion to flog him. Paul asked the man tasked with the deed if he could do this to a Roman citizen. The centurion went to the commander and told him Paul was a Roman citizen. Those who had come to interrogate Paul withdrew immediately upon hearing this news. The commander then tried to find out what was going on (Ac 22:22-29).

The centurion released Paul and commanded the chief priests and Sanhedrin to assemble. He then brought Paul to stand before them to find out the charges. Paul stated he had fulfilled his duty to God in a good conscience. Ananias, the current high priest, ordered those near him to strike Paul on the mouth. Paul then reprimanded him and called him a whitewashed wall. Then Paul was reprimanded for speaking such against the high priest. Paul then apologized saying he did not know Ananias was the high priest. He may have known Ananias but not that he had become high priest. When Paul carried out his persecutions of Christians, Caiaphas was the high priest. Because Paul had no personal dealings with the Sanhedrin after his conversion, he likely did not know when Caiaphas was removed from being high priest and Ananias put into that position since he had been out of the country for several years at this point. Paul then realized that both Sadducees and Pharisees were present, so he stated he was standing before them because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead. This then caused a dispute between those present because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead in the last day, but the Pharisees did. Many of the Pharisees stood up for him at that point and created such a dispute that the commander was afraid Paul would get torn to pieces by them. He ordered his troops to go down and take Paul by force and bring him back to the barracks. That night, an angel appeared to Paul and said Paul would testify for God in Rome (Ac 22:30-23:11).

Several Jews formed an oath among themselves that they would neither eat nor drink until Paul was dead. They then went to the chief priests and the Sanhedrin with their plot of how they could have Paul murdered. Yet, Paul’s nephew heard of their plan and told Paul who then requested the centurion guarding him to take his nephew to the commander. He told the commander that more than forty men were waiting to kill Paul when the commander would have Paul delivered to the Sanhedrin as their request (Ac 23:12-22).

That night, the commander had Paul delivered to Governor Felix in Caesarea with the protection of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, and sent a letter of explanation as to why Paul was delivered to him. When Felix learned that Paul was from Cilicia, he agreed to hear his case, likely because Cilicia was a Roman province and Paul was a Roman citizen. Felix gave Paul certain liberties not awarded to all prisoners. He was able to have friends visit him and take care of his needs (Ac 23:23-35).

Felix was a freed slave of the mother of Caesar Claudius, Antonia. Claudius liked Felix and gave him the governorship of Samaria and Judea around 52 AD, six years before Paul was delivered to him. He had a bad reputation among the Jews and was known for his violence. He married Drusilla, a Jew, who was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I and known for her beauty. She was already married to Azizus, a Syrian king, who she married at age 14, but Felix persuaded her, with the help of Simon Magus, who he had befriended in Rome, to divorce and marry him, which she did at age 20.

The time now was 56 AD, and this is also the time that Luke wrote his gospel. He emphasized the humanity of Jesus to highlight Jesus’ character, show his relationship with mankind, and demonstrate him as the perfect sacrifice for all of humanity’s sin. As he was writing this as a proof-text to Theophilus (Lk 1:3-4), apparently a good friend of his and likely of Greek or Roman descent, with his name meaning “friend of God” or “loved by God.” Yet, he likely meant this to be not just a personal letter but to be read by many other Gentiles to help them see Jesus Christ as the answer to their spiritual pursuit. The Greeks had a pursuit of the perfect man, so Luke was presenting the only one who was perfect and the only one whom they should follow.

While Paul was under arrest there in Caesarea, Felix and Drusilla had Paul brought before them where he spoke to them about his faith in Jesus Christ. Once Paul got to the issue of judgment to come, Felix stopped Paul from speaking further and said he would call for Paul again at some point, but he never did (Ac 24:24-25). Yet, he did not pronounce judgment on Paul either, likely because he knew he was innocent, and knew that although the Jewish leaders wanted Paul gone, the regular Jewish people did not. Keeping Paul in prison placated both sides, so it was good for him politically to keep Paul in prison. What Felix really wanted was a bribe in order to dismiss the charges against Paul which would get Paul out of his hair once and for all. Yet the bribe never came and so he never made a judgment on Paul. So he left Paul in prison for two years without making any type of decision regarding his guilt or innocence (Ac 24:26-27).

Due to some mismanagement, Felix was recalled to Rome and Festus was made the new governor by Emperor Nero in 59 AD. There is not a lot of information about Festus, but he was apparently a more fair ruler than was Felix. Only three days after arriving in Caesarea, Festus went to Jerusalem where the Jewish leaders presented their charges against Paul to him and requested Paul be transferred to Jerusalem under their care. Their plan was to have him killed via ambush as he was being transferred back to Jerusalem. Yet, Festus requested that they accompany him back to Caesarea and have their charges against Paul presented to him there (Ac 25:1-5).

Once back at Caesarea, Festus had Paul brought before him. The Jewish leaders gave many accusations but could not prove any of them. Festus then asked whether Paul was willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial for the charges brought before him by the Jewish leaders. Paul stated that he was not guilty of the crime made against him which the Jewish leaders could not prove. If he wasn’t guilty then he should not be handed over to them. He was standing before a court of Caesar, so he appealed to Caesar. Festus met with his council and then declared, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” (Ac 25:6-12).

A few days later, King Agrippa I and Bernice, his sister, arrived in Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Some believed the two had an incestuous relationship, but no one could ever prove it. Festus told him about Paul and the circumstances for him being in Caesarea. Agrippa said he would like to hear Paul. Festus arranged the meeting and told Agrippa he was glad for him to hear Paul because although Paul had appealed to Caesar, he could not really find any substantial charges to place against him that would be valid for Caesar Nero to understand (Ac 25:13-27).

Paul told of his testimony as to how he became a Christian and how God had sent him to tell of Jesus Christ and his resurrection to the Gentiles and how the prophets had even spoken of the coming Messiah who would die and be raised for his people and Jesus Christ was that man. Festus then had Paul stop speaking saying he had gone mad. Paul replied that he was not mad and that Agrippa, being a Jew, new of these scriptures and the Jewish beliefs about a coming Messiah. Agrippa then replied, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” to which Paul responded, “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” (Ac 26:1-29).

With that Agrippa stood, ending the proceedings. Agrippa, Bernice, and Festus left the room. Agrippa told Festus that Paul could be freed if he had not appealed to Caesar because there was nothing upon which he was guilty of either death or imprisonment (Ac 26:30-32). This was a copout because if he was not guilty either of them could have released him. Appealing to Caesar without any conviction was not a reason for Paul to have to appear before Caesar.

So, with unknown charges, Paul was sent to Rome with other prisoners but was allowed to have friends travel with him, which included Luke and Aristarchus (from Thessalonica). Somehow the centurion of the Imperial Regiment in charge of the prisoners, named Julius, treated Paul kindly and allowed him to see his friends when the ship landed in Sidon. As they put out to sea again, the ship sailed to the south of Cyprus due to the winds and landed in Myra of Lycia. The prisoners were then transferred to another ship headed from Alexandria to Italy. Due to the weather, the going was slow because it was in the late seventh month (after Day of Atonement) nearing winter. Paul warned that they were in danger due to the winter weather. Yet the centurion did not heed him but followed the directions of the ship’s pilot who said they could reach the far coast of Crete and winter there. Yet, the ship entered a giant storm with hurricane-force winds and blew them far off course. After fourteen days, Paul announced that an angel had appeared to him to tell him that everyone would survive if they all stayed together. Once they ran aground, the officers wanted to kill the prisoners to prevent them from swimming ashore and escaping. The centurion protecting Paul persuaded them not to do that and they all swam to shore or used planks to do so. They found themselves on the island of Malta (Ac 27:1-44).

The islanders showed them kindness and built a fire because everyone was wet and cold. Collecting firewood, Paul was bitten by a viper. When nothing happened to Paul, everyone thought him a god. Publius, the chief official of the island, welcomed Paul and his friends into his house where they stayed for three days. His father was sick, and Paul healed him. Hearing the news, other residents of the island who were sick came to Paul and he healed them as well. After three months, when it was time to set sail again, the people furnished them with all the supplies they needed (Ac 28:1-10).

Wow! Who other than Paul could have endured and yet accomplish so much? Could you? But we are expected to, aren’t we? Maybe we need a Holy Spirit renewal.

Join me next week to see what happens once Paul reaches Rome.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

While Paul was in Corinth during his third missionary journey in 56 AD, he wrote his Roman epistle to the house churches in that city. He had a desire to visit them but knew that may not be possible due to the circumstances he found himself in with some Jews plotting to have him killed. He wrote this letter to help reunite Jewish and Gentile Christians by active foresight wanting to ensure the unity between them became reestablished. Emperor Claudius had all Jews leave about five years earlier. Now, with his death, Jews were allowed back into Rome. Paul knew that this act of removing all Jews, even Christian Jews, likely caused the house churches in Rome to change dramatically. For five years these churches would not have had any Jewish influence in how the churches operated. It would be a shock for Gentiles to hear criticism from their Jewish brethren on their services because they were not Jewish enough, and a shock to the Jewish believers to see how much things had changed since they had left. That is likely why Paul used a question/answer format to help Gentiles understand the Jewish perspective of scripture and help the Jews to understand why certain Jewish customs were not really necessary any longer. Many of the people Paul mentions at the end of his epistle were likely displaced Jewish believers who left Rome and stayed in Corinth or nearby areas waiting for the time they could return to Rome, their hometown. Phoebe, a deacon in the church at Cenchreae, not very far from Corinith, was the bearer of Paul’s letter to the believers at Rome. Paul also desired to enlist the help of the Roman church with his missionary efforts to the west, including Spain, emphasized the universality of the gospel stating it was for both Jews and Gentiles, wrote to provide a comprehensive presentation of the doctrine of salvation by faith, and sought their prayer support.

Paul states that the gospel of Jesus Christ had been promised by the Old Testament prophets and contrasts the Old Testament and the dispensation of the Law to the New Testament and the dispensation of the Church. He quotes more Old Testament scripture than any other New Testament book where the quotes refer to Adam, Abraham, Moses, and David, all associated with covenants in the Old Testament. Paul also quotes Habakkuk stating that the just shall live by faith. Paul addressed the sinfulness and condemnation of all men, the justification of believing sinners, the sanctification of believing sinners, the place that Israel has in the plans of God, and the righteousness of God in practical living. In his conclusion, he provides greetings to 35 people mentioned by name.

In his letter, Paul mentions three churches. One was the church that met in the home of Pricilla and Aquilla (Ro 16:3-5) who he knew well as he had met them in Corinth on his second missionary journey and had worked with them extensively (Ac 18:1-4). He then mentions Andronicus and Junia (Ro 16:7) who had been Christians even before he, and they had been imprisoned for their actions. Since Paul had never been to Rome at this point, it could be that Andronicus and Junia had been in Jerusalem for Shavuot (Pentecost) when the Holy Spirit fell causing them to hear about Jesus Christ at that time and had believed.

Paul then mentions those who had caused divisions and put obstacles in their way contrary to the teachings they had learned and cautions these believers to stay away from them because they were not serving Christ but their own desires (Ro 16:17-19). Who Paul was referring to may likely have been the so-called church that Simon Magus had infiltrated. This is the sorcerer who Deacon Philip had first encountered in Samaria (Ac 8:9-25) and began teaching gnostic ideas and had likely infiltrated the Roman Gentile church when the Jews were banished from Rome by Claudius Caesar and initiated anti-Semitic beliefs. This is likely the reason for Paul including much doctrine in his letter to ensure they understood the correct doctrine rooted in Jesus Christ and emphasizing that God was not done with his nation Israel.

Simon Magus likely made his way to Rome during the reign of Claudius Caesar. Claudius apparently became enamored with him and all his magical abilities. While there, he met Marcus Antonias Felix, originally a slave of Claudius Caesar’s mother Antonia. He was a favorite of hers and she helped him earn his freedom. He was well liked by Claudius as well. It seems Felix did a favor for Simon Magus by encouraging Claudius to expel the Jews from Rome (First Church Rome). Later, when Claudius made Felix procurator of Judea, Simon Magus did him a favor by enchanting Drusilla, of Hasmonean descent and sister of Herod Agrippa II, to leave her current husband and her religion and marry Felix (Bible Hub). It seems the Hasmonean women were considered extremely beautiful.

With the Jews out of Rome, it allowed Simon Magus to operate more freely with Gentile Christians and argue his own interpretation of Scripture through the lens of Zoroastrianism and Gnosticism with little push back. Over time, he became revered by the Gentile Christians who bestowed the term, Father, or Paeter (the Latin name for Father) to him as many looked up to him for guidance and appreciated his leadership of the Roman church in which he taught his Gnostic beliefs and hierarchal mysteries which later morphed into what was labeled Simonism. It seems he went back to his teachings in Samaria as one who was almost like a god, taught that the god of the Bible was subservient to the all-existing god. After all, if the God of the Hebrews allowed evil, how good of a god could he actually be? This was likely the start of the church teaching antisemitic beliefs and the teachings of Jesus being a man who received a god spirit at his baptism which was taken away just before his crucifixion. Belief in Jesus was important but true salvation came by following rituals and not through Jesus Christ himself.

Since he now went by the name Simon Paeter, this may be how he became confused with Simon Peter over time. It is likely Simon Magus became the first bishop of Rome rather than Simon Peter (Two Peters, Hoeck), as Peter was noted at the apostle to the Jews (Ga 2:7-8) and preached to Jews in Parthia (1Pt 5:13) and northeastern Asia Minor (today Turkey; 1Pt 1:1). This could also explain some of the beliefs, teachings, and church structure that began to occur in the Roman church with the exclusion of Jews in its congregation. There is no solid evidence, only tradition, that apostle Peter ever visited Rome (Lewis). Evidence has emerged that Peter likely died and was buried in Jerusalem (Deborah).

Therefore, it was no accident as to the teachings Paul included in his epistle to the Roman house churches: the need for unity between Jew and Gentile believers, how God was not yet done with Israel as a nation, and strong doctrine showing that all focus should be on the belief in Jesus Christ himself and his redemptive work via his death, burial, and resurrection. We, too, need to be sure that this is our spiritual foundation and not built on anything else. Anything else is superfluous.

Paul’s problems are not over, though. Unfortunately, they are just beginning. Join me next time for more.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Many times, we feel that hardship is a hidden message that we need to change our direction. This was not the case with the apostle Paul. He followed the lead of the Holy Spirit despite the opposition and hardships he had to go through. His love for those he served and taught was far greater than the personal pain he went through to help them grow in the Lord. Let’s see some examples of this.

It seems after Paul arrived back in Antioch, Syria, after his second missionary journey, he spent little time there before again took off again. In 54 AD, only four years after he had begun his second journey, he left again going throughout Galatia and Phrygia (parts of what is today the country of Turkey) to strengthen believers in the churches he had established to ensure they were still growing and teaching correctly. Nero was now the reigning Roman emperor.

In the meanwhile, Apollos from Alexandria, Egypt, came to Ephesus. He was a very educated man and had a thorough understanding of the Scriptures, yet he did not know anything beyond the baptism that John the Baptist preached. Aquilla and Pricilla invited him to their home and told him about Jesus Christ and he was converted (Ac 18:24-16). When he went to the province of Achaia (this is where Corinth and Athens were located), he was able to publicly debate the Jewish leaders and teach about Jesus being the Messiah.

While Apollos was debating and teaching in Corinth, Paul continued his journey visiting the various churches he had established and worked his way back to Ephesus. He spent three months teaching in the synagogue there, but due to the obstinate nature of many of the Jews, he stopped teaching there and instead taught in a lecture hall owned by Tyrannus. He taught here for about two years. Many people, both Jews and Gentiles heard about Jesus Christ due to his teaching. God also did many miracles through the apostle Paul. The glory of God was so strong on Paul that even his clothing and handkerchiefs were able to cause healing to the sick and the removal of evil spirits (Ac 19:8-12).

Some Jewish men tried to copy what Paul did and cast out demons, but these men were beaten so badly by the demon possessed man that they barely escaped with their life—they were naked and bleeding from the encounter. This caused the name of Jesus to become held in high honor and many practicing sorcery burned their scrolls publicly (Ac 19:13-20).

While in Ephesus, Paul wrote, as far as we know, four letters to the church in Corinth. Two are lost to antiquity, but two are part of his New Testament epistles. The first letter to the church at Corinth, not part of Scripture, was written to encourage them not to participate with individuals who were immoral (1Co 5:9). This may have been due to the society in which they grew up and lived where immorality was part of their everyday culture with nothing wrong considered with such actions because prostitution in their temples was part of their worship of the various Greek gods with sexual pleasure and satisfaction being held in higher regard than moral purity. We don’t have any information about this letter except the reference he made to it in what we know as his epistle of 1st Corinthians. Paul received word that the church there was still having some serious problems that he knew should be addressed. In addition, a letter arrived from the church with a series of questions seeking his guidance (1Co 7:1). Paul then wrote what we know as 1st Corinthians to address these issues and these questions.

The overarching theme in Paul’s letter to Corinth we note as 1st Corinthians was sanctification and their lack of unity (1Co 1:10). He first has to deal with their division and reminds them that while men can have good and legitimate ministries, believers are to be united in Christ and not to a particular person. He also cautioned them to not view and take care of issues that may arise as the world would handle such issues but to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit in all matters affecting the church and later goes into further detail about how they were bringing each other to civil court rather than dealing with such disputes as Christian brothers in Christ. He then dealt with immorality that existed in the church. He reminds them they are not to tolerate such behavior among believers and, if necessary, have the person removed from their congregation (1Co 5:9-11). While they had grown up with immorality as a common practice within Corithian society, they could no longer live that way as they had to reflect the righteousness of Christ. Because of their society, they had questions regarding marriage, divorce, and eating sacrificial meat made to idols.

Paul then addresses the proper way to handle the Lord’s Supper, what we call Communion today, as part of their worship service and addresses their concern regarding spiritual gifts and states that the church is like a human body where every member and every function is important, and one cannot be more important than another because they are interdependent. All gifts are important and should be used in concert for a given whole used in love for each other and love toward God. He then goes on to address the false idea that there is no resurrection from the dead. He emphasizes that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our faith, for if Christ was not raised then neither would we be raised. As Christ was raised from the dead with a new, glorified body, so will we.

Around 55 AD during Paul’s stay in Ephesus, he made a quick trip back to Corinth which he considered a painful visit (2Co 2:1), likely still dealing with the same man addressed in his first epistle (1Co 5:1). After getting back to Ephesus, Paul wrote another letter, again not part of Scripture, and sent this to the church at Corinth via Titus (2Co 7:8). Paul had intensions of going throughout Macedonia and Achaia before returning to Jerusalem and then to Rome, but he stayed in Ephesus awhile longer but sent Timothy and Erastus ahead of him into Macedonia, probably seeing if they could hear back from Titus any earlier.

In Ephesus there was a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines for Artemis, who many believed was the protector of Ephesus and was one of the main gods worshipped in this city. Because of the preaching of Paul and the conversion of so many Ephesians, Demetrius saw a decline in his business. Fewer and fewer people were buying these shrines. He called all the tradesmen in the city together and insinuated that all their businesses were in jeopardy if Paul was allowed to continue. Hed also stated Paul was putting their beloved goddess herself and her temple in danger of becoming discredited and robbing her of her divine majesty.

A riot ensued placing the whole city in an uproar but many of those participating in the commotion didn’t even know what the uproar was about (Ac 19:23). Some of Paul’s companions from Macedonia, Gaius and Aristarchus, were pulled into the open theater where the crowd had gathered. Paul wanted to enter and address the crowd but the disciples there and even some of the officials who had become friends of Paul advised him not to appear. The city clerk stepped in and quieted the crowd and told Demetrius that if he had any legal grounds for his concerns to bring them to the courts; otherwise, he and others would be charged with rioting which would serve no one. At that, the crowd disbanded.

When the commotion settled down, Paul said his goodbye to the disciples there to head out for Macedonia. It seems Paul was anxious to hear back from Titus concerning the congregation at Corinth and went to Troas where he preached hoping to meet Titus on his return trip (2Co 2:13). Not finding Titus there, Paul departed for Macedonia and met Titus in Philippi. He gave a favorable report but there was still an aggressive minority in Corinth opposed to Paul. Paul wrote 2nd Corinthians, likely from Philippi, to reinforce his authority as an apostle, to thank them for their favorable response to him, to remind them about giving to the poor in Judea and to instruct them in the proper attitude toward one who repents. Titus took this epistle back to the Corinthians and told them Paul had plans on visiting them soon.

As Titus went directly back to Corinth, Paul made a circuit through the churches in Macedonia to encourage them and then to Greece where he stayed for three months. Therefore, he most likely made it back to Corinth as he stated was his desire.

I think Paul’s example is humbling for us as we often give up with just a little adversity. This should give us pause as we reflect on all Paul did and what he went through and compare that to our own lives.

Next time, we’ll see some more evidence of his tenacity in his following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We saw in other posts that Paul had to contend with false doctrine which tried to misconstrue the correct teachings about Jesus Christ. This time, we’ll see that he also had to contend with lies that were told about him to try and lead people away for the truth Paul had delivered to the churches he established.

When Paul arrived in Corinth in 51 AD, he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica because he was concerned about the church there as he had been forced out and had not had a lot of time with the new believers there (1Th 3:2-3). When Timothy returned, he reported good news of their faith but reported some issues as well (1Th 3:6-13). This is when Paul wrote his epistle of 1st Thessalonians so he could address these issues. Of course, the Jews who had caused Paul to leave the city spoke against Paul and used the argument that if Paul really cared for them, he would not have left them like he did.

This shows one of Satan’s most famous tactics, which is not new at all. He causes the issues and then uses those who he influences to be the one to bring the upset people solace and lead them astray once the Christian influence has been eliminated.

Paul defends his commitment to the Thessalonians by reminding them of what he had done for them and taught them, and because of his love for them, he sent Timothy to them as he was prevented time and again from returning himself. He thanks them for living pleasing to God and reminds them to avoid sexual immorality because those acts are displeasing to God (1Th 4:3-7). These people were living in a city where such events were part of their daily worship, so it was important to remind them to live differently from how they grew up. Paul then talks to them about some misunderstood ideas about what occurs at one’s death and about Christ’s imminent return (1Th 4:13-5:11).

Not long after writing his first letter to the Thessalonians, he wrote his second epistle, 2nd Thessalonians, to them as it seemed what he had written about Christ’s return was misconstrued by some. Evidently there were some people teaching falsely about Christ’s return stating that the Tribulation had already come and used Paul as their source of their facts regarding this. Paul wanted to set the record straight about this false teaching and that he was not the source of such doctrine (2Th 2:1-12).

He reminds them of what he had taught them. Before the Tribulation occurs, the “man of lawlessness,” the Antichrist would first be revealed. While the Satanic spirit of this lawless one is working in the world, the particular individual through whom Satan would work has not yet been revealed because the Holy Spirit is currently restraining his power. But one day, the Holy Spirit will remove his restraint, and the Antichrist will then be able to assume power.

Paul then encourages them to remain firm in the faith and in the truth of Jesus Christ which he had taught them. He then requests their prayers for the gospel to spread and warns them that no one should be idle in their work for the Lord but be engaged and active in pursing their relationship and growth in Christ (2Th 2:13-17).

After about eighteen months in Corinth, Paul, Silas, and Timothy set sail to go back to Syria. Priscilla and Aquilla went with them. He stopped in Ephesus where Priscilla and Aquilla stayed (Ac 18:19). While there, Paul preached in the synagogue. He was asked to stay longer, but he refused. After arriving back in Caesarea, he went to Jerusalem and met with those believers there and then went back to Antioch in Syria (Ac 18:22).

We can see how Satan uses multiple tactics to cause confusion and discord. May we ever strive to bring truth and harmony instead.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The way God works is never haphazard even if may seem so to us on the surface. Let’s see if we can better understand God’s plan in working with the Gentiles throughout the Roman Empire. His plan was quite genius, really. God’s first step was to have Jews spread throughout the Roman Empire. This is why he stated that salvation was first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles (Ro 1:16). The Jews were the ones who brought God’s teachings of morality and right living to the known world. Let’s think about the Gentile culture, whether that be Greek or Roman. The Greeks sought knowledge. We see in Athens the Areopagus (or Mars Hill) was dedicated to the art of debate so that the citizens could understand important knowledge taught by the very best minds (Ac 17:22). Romans were more about might and strength. The gods of both cultures typified physical beauty, strength, virility, allurement, and seduction. The people’s worship of these gods was that as well.

Paul dealt with this issue with the Corinthians as well as they were simultaneously living in sexual immorality and trying to live as Christians (1Co 5:1). They had a difficult time in understanding that their ways prior to becoming a Christian were wrong because they grew up with this being the standard way of worship. For example, Corinth had a separate temple for each of ten different gods (including one to Caesar) with each temple in interconnecting lush foliage looking beautiful but hiding much darkness.

This was also where the temple to Aphrodite resided high on the outcropping of the city with other temples below it, all within a beautiful garden-type area for people to enjoy. The temple for Aphrodite housed both female and male shrine prostitutes, considered sacred, allowing one to indulge in one’s physical lusts as a sacred act which pleased the gods, gave the people favor, and the gods would bless their families and crops through their offerings of animals and their offering of themselves in such acts. Becoming a temple prostitute was looked on with favor, one who was blessed by the gods. This was a lot for Christianity to overcome. Yet, some were conducting sexual practices that were considered wrong by even their pre-conversion societal standards (1Co 5:1). Yet, the Gnostics taught that this was okay because the physical had no bearing on the spiritual. Paul made several counter arguments against this teaching (1Co 5:9-12; 6:18-20). On his third missionary journey, Paul visited Corinth several times and wrote to them about this issue and other issues, like unity within Christ (1Co 1:10), required by being a bride of Christ (2Co 11:2).

The same is true today. Many people, supposedly believers in Christ, don’t know that living together before marriage, or sex outside of marriage is wrong. Sexual impurity is again not relevant in their minds. Plus, unity is even further apart than in Paul’s day. Not only do we have disunity between Jew and non-Jew Christians, but between Christian denominations as well. Are we really behaving like a true bride? Does a bridegroom want a schizophrenic bride to love and cherish? We need a mind and worldview renewal in order to be Christ’s pure bride (Ep 4:11-13).

We also need to appreciate the two main false doctrines that Paul and those with him had to constantly contend with. Throughout Paul’s evangelistic missionary journeys, he had a battle with both sides of the morality issue teaching their beliefs after he left a region. On one side, Judaizers traveled behind Paul and taught one must become a Jewish proselyte by being circumcised and obey all the Laws of Moses before one could accept Christ as Savior. In their eyes, living morally was a necessary first step before believing in Jesus and his sacrifice for sins.  To them, physical works were important and necessary. This was the problem that Christ tried to deal with the Jews when he was among them. One cannot become righteous by one’s own efforts (Ep 2:8-9). Christ’s death liberated them from this misconception, but many taught otherwise. Paul fought hard to teach against such a man-made requirement and wanted to let the Gentile believers know of their Christian liberty, which had been validated by the Jerusalem Council, did not require such things. Paul stated he even had to reprimand Peter in this regard (Ga 2:11-14). This was a hard lesson for many Jews to comprehend.

On the other hand, Gnostics also traveled behind Paul and taught their philosophy of how to explain the nature of God, creation, good and evil, man, and the purpose of life. Their teachings were deceptive because Gnosticism was able to be combined with Paul’s teachings of Christianity to make it sound similar to what Paul taught but be off enough to be something completely different (1Co 2:6-8; Ep 2:8-9; Cl 2:8; 1Ti 6:20). This took the focus from Christ and his redemptive work and made it more about man and how to uncover the good from within and discover the secret mysteries about the essence of God. To them, spiritual works were important. Gnosticism taught Jesus Christ was a step in the process of understanding universal mysteries but did not teach the necessity of Christ’s transforming power or the receipt of the Holy Spirit. This is why Paul stated to the Colossians that he wished for them to understand the knowledge of God’s will and his wisdom and spiritual understanding (Cl 1:9). They didn’t need to look within themselves but to Jesus Christ who was the one who reveals who God really is. Salvation comes by Jesus and his blood. Not from ourselves (Cl 1:13-14).

How does one ensure they are not succumbed by a false belief or doctrine? As Paul taught, God’s truth is not complicated. Anyone who teaches any doctrine other than the belief in Jesus Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection should be avoided (Ga 1:8; 1Ti 6:3-5; Tt 1:9). His death paid our sin debt (1Jn 2:2), his burial settled our punishment (Hb 2:9; 1Pt 3:18), and his resurrection makes us entirely new (Ep 2:4-7). We are declared righteous because of our belief in his righteousness and not by anything we can do (Ro 3:24).

We are transformed by first realizing our plight. We are born into Satan’s kingdom and need to be transferred into God’s kingdom. We don’t, and can’t, decide which kingdom to be in. As Christ stated, we are already condemned because we are born into Satan’s kingdom (Jn 3:18). We can only get out of his kingdom by submitting to Christ’s death burial and resurrection realizing that his payment alone for our sin is what can save us out of our plight (2Co 5:17). The Holy Spirit then indwells us and transfers us from Satan’s kingdom to Christ’s kingdom (Ep 1:13-14) and empowers us to be victors over Satan’s schemes with the same power that raised Christ from the dead (Ep 1:19-20). This is what the true church is all about. This is what the Holy Spirit desires us to focus on. This is what changes lives. Ask yourself: Are you focusing on the right thing? The Holy Spirit is asking us to follow his leading. May we continue to do so.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Sometimes we can get stifled in our desired progress because of the adversity that comes our way. Paul was an exception to this. He did not focus on the adversity which came against him and his work. He focused upon God and what he believed the Holy Spirit wanted him to do and went in what direction he felt the Holy Spirit lead. Let’s look at some examples.

Once Paul returned to Antioch from the Jerusalem Council, he wrote his epistle to the Galatians. He wanted to let the Gentile believers know of their Christian liberty which had been validated by the Jerusalem Council and to refute those who were insisting they as Gentile believers first had to become Jews. He called these people Judaizers as they were teaching that a Gentile could not become a Christian if they did not first become a Jewish proselyte. These were likely those Jews who had followed him on his first missionary journey to get those in Lystra to turn on Paul and stone him. This thought process was true for many Jewish Christians in Jerusalem as well. While he and Barnabas returned to Antioch, these Jews had gone to the same churches he had visited to refute what Paul had told them. The letter of Galatians was Paul’s rebuttal to defend his apostolic role which God himself had bestowed upon him and to let them know that salvation is by faith alone apart from works: “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified” (Ga 2:15-16).

Three years after his first missionary journey, Paul began his second in 50 AD, but with great controversy as to who would be his companion. He wanted to take Barnabas with him again, but Barnabas was adamant that John Mark would accompany them. Yet, Paul was adamant that they not take him. This caused a split between them and Paul wound up taking Silas (Ac 15:39-41). Barnabas took John Mark and set sail for Cyprus. We don’t know the destinations of the journey of Barnabas and John Mark, but we do know that Paul and Silas go through Syria into Cilicia revisiting the churches Paul established on his first missionary journey. When they got to Lystra, it was found that Timothy was well respected by the believers there. Paul asked Timothy to accompany him and Silas on their journey and he did. Because Timothy was half-Jewish, he encouraged Timothy to become circumcised so that he could better minister to the Jewish citizens in the towns in which they visited (Ac 16:1-5).

Timothy traveled with them throughout Phrygia and Galatia, territories in what we today know as the country of Turkey. The Holy Spirit prevented Paul from preaching in other provinces in this area at this time. Instead, he had a vision of a Macedonian man asking for help while he was staying in Troas, a city on the western shore of this area. This is also the time that he meets Luke who accompanies Paul on his journey. Taking his dream as a sign from the Holy Spirit, they sailed to the Grecian coast and wound up in the city of Philippi (Ac 16:6-12).

This is two-fold lesson for us. God does not require us to do everything. Just as God had someone else in mind to minister to these other regions where Paul was not allowed to go, God sometimes restricts our reach as well. Also, we need to heed the leading of the Holy Spirit which will then yield the outcome God has in mind for us.

In Philippi, Paul and company met Lydia who accepted Christ from their teaching and provided lodging for them (Ac 16:13-15). The people of the church established here became dear friends of Paul and often supported him—both monetarily as well as prayerfully. While here, he delivered a woman from possession by a soothsayer demon. Her handler got very angry and falsified charges to have Paul and Silas placed in prison. While in prison, God sent an earthquake which allowed Paul to minister to the prison warden. Both he and his whole household became Christians. Because Paul was a Roman citizen, the officials became worried Paul might bring charges against them for putting him in prison without a trial. If he did, they would be in big trouble, so they tried to smooth things over and asked him to leave their city (Ac 16:16-40).

Paul, Silas, and Timothy moved on to Thessalonica where Paul preached in the synagogue there for several weeks. Thessalonica was a Roman city but also had a large Jewish population with a total population of around 200,000 people. Not far from this city stood Mt. Olympus which accounted for the city’s devotion to many of the Greek pantheon of gods. Yet, this did not decrease the people’s hunger for what Paul was preaching to them. Because so many people were listening to Paul, the Jewish leaders became jealous of him and created a riot and blamed it on Paul. The believers there hid Paul, Silas, and Timothy and sent them out of the city at nightfall (Ac 17:1-10).

They then entered the city of Berea where the people were very receptive to Paul’s teachings, but the Jews from Thessalonica went to Berea and stirred up false accusations against Paul. The believers there escorted Paul to Athens, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. Once in Athens, Paul sent for Silas and Timothy to join him in Athens (Ac 17:11-15).

In Athens, Paul preached to the people in Athens about the monument he discovered within the city which was dedicated to An Unknown God. Seeing their religiosity, he used the platform of the Areopagus, a place for debate about various topics, as a way to explain to them that Jesus Christ was the Unknown God whom they needed to know. Several people, including some of prominence, accepted what he said and became converted (Ac 17:16-34).

After leaving Athens, he entered Corinth and met Aquilla and Pricillia. Both Aquilla and Paul had the profession of tent making in common, which caused a quick bond between them as well as them also being believers. They had come to Corinth because Claudius Caesar had ordered all Jews to leave Rome (Ac 18:1-4).

Paul spent a year and a half here in Corinth because God revealed to him that no harm would come to him, and many would come to Christ. Some tried to bring charges against Paul, but the proconsul of the region did not take them seriously (Ac 18:5-17).

Would we be so calm as Paul seemed to be during such struggles? He had a very tight relationship with God and the Holy Spirit who were able to quell his fears and anxiety. Feeling the confidence the Holy Spirit gave him allowed him to continue without fearing the outcome. May we be able to do the same.

Next time, we’ll look at how what Paul was doing was all part of God’s plan and how he had been working on this plan for a very long time—even before Paul was ever on the scene. I hope you join me for that discussion.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Most of Jesus’ apostles served in Jerusalem, at least initially. We don’t have a lot of information within Scripture about their activities. Let’s start out looking what God was doing with the Apostle Paul who had been called by God to minister to Gentiles.

After serving the church in Antioch for a year, Paul and Barnabas went on their first missionary journey in 47 AD. John Mark, a nephew of Barnabas, went with them, but turned back after they sailed from Cyprus and reached Pamphylia, a region on the southern coast of what we know as Turkey today (Ac 13:13). Paul and Barnabas first taught in the synagogues wherever they went within the region of Pamphylia and Galatia and then would preach to the Gentiles and anyone who wanted to listen. Many of the Jewish leaders became jealous of Paul and Barnabas’ success and would follow them to whatever city they went to try and get the people to reject their teaching (Ac 13:19). They were able to get the people of Lystra to turn against Paul and the citizens of that city stoned him. Yet this is also where Timothy heard Paul and became a Christian (Ac 16:1).

Once back at Antioch in 49 AD, some visitors from Jerusalem taught that the Gentiles must first convert to Judaism before they could become Christians (Ac 15:1). This elicited so much pushback from Paul and Barnabas that they were sent to Jerusalem to debate this issue with the Church Council in Jerusalem. Titus, a Greek, also accompanied them to Jerusalem. From what Paul told the Council about his and Barnabas’ experience in Asia Minor and Peter’s encounter with Cornelius, the Council realized that God was working mightily with the Gentiles and had them receive the Holy Spirit without having to become a Jewish proselyte first. The Council concluded that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised but should abstain from meat offered to idols or from strangled animals, from blood, and from sexual immorality (Ac 15:20, 23-29). They also recognized that Paul had been called by God to the Gentiles and Peter called to his Jewish brethren (Ga 2:7-9).

Barnabas had his nephew, John Mark, return to Antioch with them. When Paul got back to Antioch, he read them the letter and the people rejoiced in the support they were given. Apparently, several people from Jerusalem came and helped teach at this time. One was Peter himself, but Paul had to reprimand Peter publicly because he was showing favoritism toward the Jewish Christians over the Gentile Christians (Ga 2:14). It seems Peter, as well as many other Jews, had a hard time with being on equal spiritual footing with Gentiles. While he believed it, this did not make it any easier for him to implement. He became cliquish without even realizing he was doing so until it was pointed out to him.

This can be true for us as well. Often, we are cliquish by clinging to the familiar with Christian friends rather than reaching out to those who don’t know Christ. We need to understand that we are Christ’s ambassadors in this world (2Co 5:20). We are in the world but not of it (Jn 17:16). We are to be the promoters of Christ’s kingdom to those not yet of it and don’t even realize it is something to which they have access or even need (Ro 8:7).

This was likely near the time that the twelve apostles began their evangelistic ministry outside Jerusalem. Most of the disciples continued to minister to Jews with many going east into Parthia as there was a large Jewish contingent still there from the time of their original exile into Assyria and Babylon. Here is a brief description of what some Biblical texts and tradition states about the twelve disciples (most of this information is from McBirnie’s book Search for the Twelve Apostles):

Peter: became a pillar of the church in Jerusalem along with James, the half-brother of Jesus, and ministered to Jews in Babylon and in the northern part of what we today call Turkey.

Andrew: went to Scythia (land mainly between and just north of the Black and Caspian Seas) and ministered to the Jews there and possibly died a martyr’s death—possibly stoned and crucified. There are some who say that he later went to Asia Minor (today the country of Turkey) and spent time in Ephesus with John and later went to Greece where he won a Grecian governor’s wife to Christ which so angered the man that he had Andrew crucified in Patras.

James: was martyred early by King Agrippa I around 44 A.D. There are some who say that before this he traveled with Peter to India to preach to Jews who had been scattered there.

John: he moved to Ephesus prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and likely took Mary, the mother of Jesus with him. We know he opposed emperor worship which got him exiled to the isle of Patmos by emperor Domitian. After Domitian’s death, he was allowed to return to Ephesus where he died of natural causes.

Philip: went to Scythia and ministered to the Jews there for twenty years. It would seem fitting that he and Andrew would be there together as they had known each other since their time being disciples of John the Baptist. Later in his life, he apparently went to Phrygia (part of today’s Turkey) and died in Hierapolis, possibly a martyr’s death (stoning and crucifixion) due to him standing up against the city’s idolatry.

Bartholomew (Nathanael): He apparently went to parts of India for a time to preach Jesus to Jews found there. It seems he later went to Hierapolis to be with Philip. He apparently was arrested with Philip but for some reason was released. He arrived in Armenia (land between and just south of the Black and Caspian Seas) sometime later where he met a martyr’s death of crucifixion.

Thomas: he became a central figure of the apostolic movement eastward from Jerusalem and spent much time in Babylon and later ministered in parts of India establishing many churches along the way. He was martyred somewhere in India by being thrust through by a lance.

Matthew: There is much controversy as to what happened to Matthew. It is thought he went to Ethiopia. Yet, there were two: one in Africa and one in Parthia, just south of the Caspian Sea. Since there is a tradition that a copy of his gospel reached India, it would seem he likely ministered in Parthia rather than in Africa. There is also some who say he had many confrontations with the Sanhedrin in Alexandria, Egypt. Some say he died a natural death, and this may have occurred in Egypt.

James, the son of Alphaeus (James the Less, or James the Younger): he may have served as a leader in the Syrian church at Antioch and it is believed he was stoned by Jews for preaching Christ and was buried in Jerusalem.

Thaddaeus (Jude): It is thought he originally ministered in Syria living in Damascus and then in Armenia, likely with Barthalomew and Thomas for a time, and is thought to have been martyred when he returned to Syria by being killed by magicians who were enraged by the destruction of their idols using a halberd (type of hand-held axe) or club.

Simon the Zealot: It is thought he traveled to Egypt, through North Africa to Carthage, to Spain and then to Britain. He likely did not stay long in Britain but returned to Persia where he ministered with Thaddaeus in Syria and Mesopotamia. It is believed he was martyred by being sawn asunder.

Matthias: He was the one who replaced Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve. It is believed he helped to evangelize Armenia and later ministered in Damascus in Syria and died in Phaleaon, a city in Judea, by stoning.

As we can see, Christ’s original eleven, and Matthias replacing Judas, mainly served their fellow Jews to try and win them over to Christ, although they did witness to many Gentiles in that process. They each remained faithful and never failed to be a true witness about their Lord and Savior even at the cost of their very lives.

Do we have the same drive and commitment. May we be that if the time ever comes to make such a drastic decision if and when adversity comes out way. Next time, we’ll look at adversity that followed Paul and how he worked through it. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Satan is good at distractions. The interesting thing about his distractions is that we don’t even know they are distractions. Let’s see a few of them as the Early Church was beginning to get started.

When Phasaelis, Herod Antipas’ Nabatean wife, discovers Antipas’ plans to divorce her and marry Herodias, the granddaughter of Herod the Great, she goes back to her father in Petra to inform him. Phasaelis’ father, Aretas IV, doesn’t take the news well. To him it was an insult, so he brings his Arabian army against Antipas around 36 AD. Philip the Tetrarch had died about two years earlier with his territory going back to Syria. This actual fight was slightly after Paul was in Damascus. Likely, a Nabatean contingent was housed there to prepare for battle. The Jewish leaders may have used the Nabatean governor in Damascus to help with their desire to now get rid of Paul as, according to their thinking, he had betrayed them. That way, they did not need to be beholden to Rome or explain themselves to Roman authorities.

Aretas IV defeated Antipas’ army at Gamala, north of Galilee, but apparently did not remove Antipas from power as he later vied for even more power from a later Roman emperor. Tiberias Caesar in Rome ordered the destruction of Aretas IV but died before this could occur so his command was never carried out. Caligula then began to reign in Rome in 37 AD.

During this time, Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great and brother of Herodias, is educated in Rome and befriends Caligula who agrees to give him his uncle Philip’s previous territory north and east of the Sea of Galilee and bestow on him the title of king. Hearing that Caligula was going to make Agrippa a king, Antipas tries to usurp him and get the title for himself. In the end, Antipas gets banished to Gaul (what is today France) and all of Antipas’ territories were given to Agrippa I as well. Before Caligula could bestow him the title of king, Caligula is assassinated.

Agrippa I then becomes instrumental in getting Claudius to become the next Caesar. Because of his favor, Claudius bestows the land of Idumea, Judea and Samaria to Agrippa’s kingdom as well. In the end, Herod Agrippa I ruled the same territory as his grandfather, Herod the Great.

As the new king of the Jews, Herod Agrippa I had several people from the Church in Jerusalem arrested and had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword in 44 AD (Ac 12:2). Seeing that this pleased the Jewish leaders, he also had Peter arrested (Ac 12:3). Yet, God sent an angel and had Peter released from prison (Ac 12:5-19). When Herod Agrippa I was in Caesarea Maritima, God struck him down after he gave a rousing speech where he tried to portray himself as a god (Ac 12:19-23). He later died, likely from parasites.

As all of this was going on, many Gentiles became followers of Christ at Antioch in Syria due to the witness of the Jewish Christians who had come there from Jerusalem and other places due to their persecution. Hearing of this, the Jerusalem Church sent Barnabas to investigate. Being impressed with what he saw, he went to Tarsus and brought Paul back to Antioch where they ministered together (Ac 11: 19-26). Note: It seems from this time forth, Saul used his Latin name Paul almost exclusively.

About a year later, in 45 AD, is the time when the epistle of James was written from Jerusalem by James himself, the half-brother of Jesus, to those Christians who had been scattered to various places due to the stoning of Stephen and the persecution of Christians brought on by Saul of Tarsus (Ja 1:1). There were very few Gentiles who were a part of the church at this time.

These Jewish believers had apparently gone too far from doing away with their Jewish mindset of actions being more important than inward belief, which Jesus had accused the Jewish leaders of doing (e.g. Mt 23:27-28). James gave a reprimand so these Jewish believers in Christ could understand that they needed to keep their Jewish mindset of deeds being important but also incorporate their inward beliefs of Christ’s teachings and let their inward change be manifested and shown to others by their actions (Ja 2:18). James’ words were also a reprimand for the Gnostic beliefs that had already begun to arise, likely through the teachings of Simon Magus.

This is a lesson for us as well that we need to let our actions reveal our inward belief in Christ. James was basically saying what Christ told them: they will know you are followers of Christ by your love (Jn 13:35).

This was also about the time Matthew released his gospel which he wrote about Jesus Christ being their long-awaited Messianic King. It makes sense it would be at this time when the majority of the church was composed of Jews. His gospel presented Jesus in the light of being the coming King which all Old Testament prophets prophesied about with Jesus fulfilling all the prophecies that had been prescribed to their coming Messiah. He has over fifty Old Testament quotes in his gospel and over 40% of his writing is unique to his gospel.

As you can see, there were many potential distractions for those in the early church from the political chaos that was going on around them and figuring out how to live in this new age of persecution. James tried to get them to focus on what was important. May we do the same. We have so many things going on around us that we can take our focus off what is important spiritually. Let’s do what James told the Jewish believers to do: show Jesus to others by your love for them. At this same time, God was working with the Gentiles to bring them to himself.

Cornelius, a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea who had become a devout believer in God but, evidently, not a Jewish proselyte, has an angelic visitation telling him to send for Peter who was currently staying in Joppa (Ac 10:1-8). This is when Peter had his vision of a sheet being lowered from heaven with all kinds of animals which Peter knew as unclean animals. God told him not to call anything unclean whom God had made clean (Ac 10:9-16). When Cornelius’ men arrived, he went with them and told Cornelius and his household about Christ, and they accepted Christ as their Savior and received the Holy Spirit with a sign of speaking in tongues without ever becoming Jewish proselytes (i.e., no circumcision). Peter then knew this was the interpretation to his vision which God had sent him (Ac 10:44-48).

Through all of what we went over in the last few posts, we see how Satan continues to work in world affairs. He turned the world of the Jews upside down by placing the birthright of Esau back over the descendants of Jacob eventually leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and their temple. Yet, God’s plan went around Satan’s plan. It was a better plan and one that not only was good for the Jews, his chosen people, but good for the entire world. His plan was to first fulfill the spiritual prophecies of his coming before he would take care of physical prophecies of his coming. This was important because his act of dying on the cross took care of the sin problem we have. We are all born into Satan’s kingdom and must make a decision to be switched from Satan’s kingdom into God’s kingdom (Jn 3:18; Ro 5:12). Christ paved the way for that to occur. He paid our ransom, our blood-debt, so that we don’t have to, and he was able to do that for the entire world (Jn 3:16). So, by a simple act of faith on our part, we can be declared righteous and become a join-heir with Christ and inherit eternal life here and in the life to come (Ro 8:12-17). We are given the Holy Spirit to indwell us so we can become more like him in our day to day lives and be his ambassadors to the rest of the world to let them know the good news of Jesus Christ and what he has done for them just as he did for us (2Co 5:20).

We have been talking about how the church began to form, but what about the rest of Jesus’ apostles? We know that Paul was designated the apostle to the Gentiles (Ac 9:15; Ga 2:7) and that Peter was stated to be the apostle to the Jews (Ga 2:7). What about the other apostles? We’ll discuss that next time. Please join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We previously talked about how Saul, the one persecuting Christians with the support of the Jewish Sanhedrin, became converted to Christianity and became one of the very ones he had been persecuting. At about this same time Deacon Philip went and began preaching in Samaria. There he performed many signs, wonders, and miracles. In the city in which he preached was a sorcerer named Simon, or Simon Magus, as history labels him, who amazed the people with his magical abilities, and the people called Simon the Great Power of God (Ac 8:10). This means they looked upon him as being a deity. But as Philip preached, many of the people believed in Jesus and were baptized, including Simon (Ac 8:13). The people realized what Philip preached was very different from what Simon Magus taught. Yet, there is some doubt if this Simon truly believed because he became enamored with Philip and the great signs and miracles he performed. Even Simon Magus recognized there was a vast difference in the power with which Philip operated than the power with which he operated.

When the Church in Jerusalem heard of the success Philip was having in Samaria, they sent Peter and John to investigate. Peter and John laid their hands on the believers there and they received the Holy Spirt (Ac 8:14-17). Yet, apparently Simon Magus did not receive the Holy Spirit but was very impressed with these apostles’ ability to cause such a change in people and offered money to them if they would allow him to receive such power (Ac 8:18-23). In other words, he was trying to buy his way into becoming an apostle. Peter reprimanded him and said that Simon Magus was full of bitterness and captive to sin. Peter was referencing an Old Testament passage (Dt 29:18) which uses the term “bitter poison” to refer to one turning away from God and following false gods. Peter was proclaiming that his man was deceptive in how he was trying to follow God.

Early church tradition teaches that this Simon, Simon Magus, gave rise to the Gnostic ideas that plagued the early church (Dumond). It seems this Simon was involved in Zoroastrianism which began in Media and Persia which later became Parthia and spread westward. When Assyria captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel, they repopulated the land with those from Babylon and other cities occupied by Assyria (2Ki 17:24-41). They combined their belief practices with those of Judaism and thereby had a form of worship of God but they were actually worshipping false gods (2Ki 17:7-23). Remember, the priests in Northern Israel were not Levites (1Ki 12:31) and did not teach the people properly in the worship of Yahweh (1Ki 12:32-33). Therefore, combining these two religions received no pushback. Simon Magus was likely a descendant of those who taught these practices. Zoroastrianism believes in monotheism, of a type, and a coming Messiah, but for entirely different reasons.

Since Zoroastrianism began in the 6th century BC, scholars proport that other monotheistic religions, like Judaism and Christianity, drew its monotheistic teachings from it. However, who lived in Babylon in the 6th century BC? Daniel. And he was over all the wise men, or Magi, at the time (Da 2:48). Therefore, it is likely that Judaism had influence on Babylonian theology, and not vice versa. Then, Zoroastrianism was created to explain how a polytheistic culture could believe in a supreme god and not forgo the rule of lesser gods underneath him.

From a distance, Zoroastrianism appears similar to Christianity. It seems Simon Magus merged Zoroastrianism and Christianity even further. In Zoroastrianism, there is a supreme being who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Yet, what this god desires is for people to do good and if they do enough good deeds they will be rewarded in the afterlife. Those who are not rewarded go to punishment, but not for eternity. There will be a Messiah who will come and allow those to one day also be transitioned into paradise. So, you can see how easy it was for Simon Magus to get new Christians confused as to the truth which Paul, Peter, Timothy, Titus, and others were preaching. Because people are saved by the grace of God, they taught that only spiritual matters were important. How one lives in this life is immaterial to one’s belief in Christ. Also, he taught that believing in Jesus Christ would grant them the ability to gain insight into the mysteries of God which were not available to all. This led to the teaching of a hierarchy with more knowledge granted with more privilege granted as one elevated themselves through this hierarchy. Gnosticism became a belief reliant upon Jesus Christ but not in his transforming power or the receipt of the Holy Spirit. It became very appealing because it did not require people to change the way in which they lived. Early on, it was taught that what happens to one’s body is immaterial because the physical had no connection to the spiritual. This belief allowed sexual immorality to continue and still believe one could be right with God. We’ll see that this Simon became even more deceptive as time went on as he incorporated more Christian teaching saying one should do good deeds for others because such actions would appease and please God.

This teaches us that we should remain faithful to truth—God’s truth. Anything that teaches anything other than the belief in Jesus Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection is needed for us to be right with God should be avoided. There is no work we do that will or could ever appease God (Ro 3:20; Ep 2:8-9). It is only through Jesus Christ that we become pleasing to God. We are declared righteous because of our belief in him and not by anything we can do (Ro 5:1).

There were other events that were also at play during this time. We’ll look at those next time. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

This past Sunday was Palm Sunday or as some refer to it as the day of Christ’s Triumphal Entry. It was a day of fulfilled prophecy (Zc 9:9) and Jesus stated that if the people and the children didn’t praise him at this time, the very rocks would cry out (Lk 19:40; Hk 2:11). So the expectation was set, but what happened? It seemed to all fizzle once Jesus reached the temple on his donkey ride. This is where the real hype should have escalated. The temple was where kings were anointed and proclaimed (2Ki 11:12). Why did the hype all fizzle out? What greeted Jesus at the temple? Bleating of sheep and goats, the mooing of cattle, the chaos of people buying and selling. No one at the temple was looking for a king. The Jewish leaders were nowhere to be seen.

The people who yelled and sang “Hosanna,” were not saying it because of who Jesus was, but because they thought Rome was now going to be defeated. Their oppressors would be vanquished, and they would have peace. The word “hosanna” was a cry meaning, “save us.” Yet, when Jesus entered the temple grounds, he knew they needed a deeper salvation than being freed from Roman oppression. Their temple was not ready to receive him as king. They were not spiritually minded at all! All around him he saw greed and extortion. The people had to exchange their money for the temple shekel and the exchange rates were exorbitant. The merchants here were not here for helping travelers to obtain their sacrifice, but to extort money from them for that sacrifice. And who controlled all of this? The Jewish leaders who were the ultimate ones getting rich off the people’s misery. They, too, were not really interested in helping their citizens worship God, but they saw the people beneath them and a means to make money from them. They were using the Law to justify their extortion of the people. Helping the people experience God in their lives was the farthest thing from their minds.

Also, the outer area was called the Court of Gentiles. This was the only place a non-Jew could worship God. But how could they? There were people, animals, vendor stands, all creating so much noise and chaos that they could not have an encounter with God. It seemed the Jewish leaders wanted Gentile proselytes, not so they could encounter God, but for the sake of extorting them as well. The temple had evolved into a place where God could not be worshipped. No wonder this caused Jesus’ ire against them.

Jesus knew immediately that they were not ready for a king. They definitely needed saving, but not from Rome. Or that was not their immediate need. They needed true salvation: being saved from their sin. Jesus knew he needed to work on their hearts before anything else would or could be meaningful. Therefore, he drove out the merchants, moneychangers, and animals and reprimanded the Jewish leaders for their greed and unrepentant hearts. Did they heed or try to understand what Jesus was doing? No. They asked what authority he had to do what he did (Mk 11:28). That means they had no understanding of who Jesus was and only had animosity for him. They had no repentant heart and dared anyone to question their motives. Even though they knew their motives were not pure, they believed their traditions were more important than the reasons behind why their traditions had been established. They were meeting the “letter of the Law” but not the “spirit of the Law.” Jesus knew that, and that is why he was ultimately arrested and crucified and not crowned king. He knew they first needed redemption, so he willingly submitted himself to that end.

What about us today? Are we really worshipping God or are we going through the motions? Were you excited about celebrating Palm Sunday or were you anxious for the service to be over so you could do what you really wanted to do for the rest of the day? Were you, like the Jewish leaders, going through the motions to appease your conscious trying to convince yourself that you are doing your best? Or are you realizing that you first need to get your heart in line with God so that your actions will be a result of you following God’s will, not a façade to give the appearance you are on God’s side?

Let’s take the time this season to fully understand why Jesus cleansed the temple. And to realize that he wants to do the same for us today. After all, we are now God’s temple (1Co 6:19). Have we polluted it and filled it with things that should not be there? Are we trying to justify what we have filled it with rather than asking  God what he wants us to have there?

Let’s take the time and make our temples holy. It is only then that God can use us in the way he desires. Let’s also make our temple a house of prayer and praise to the One True God. Then, and only then, can Jesus be on the throne of our hearts.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We often think we have Bible prophecy already figured out and we look for it to unfold just as we are so sure it will. Yet, God is not always predictable. While what God says will definitely come true, it just may not come true how we thought it would. That could cause us to miss something important if we aren’t really focused on how the Holy Spirit is guiding God’s prophecy to unfold. Let’s look at this though the eyes of Saul of Tarsus in Scripture.

Forty days after Christ’s resurrection was his ascension. During that time period, hundreds of people witnessed him alive after his resurrection (1Co 15:3-8). Just before he ascended, Christ told his disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised . . . in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Ac 1:4-5). Maybe Peter got restless and felt they should do something constructive, so he told the others it was necessary to replace Judas as one of them (Ps 109:8). It was only ten days until the Holy Spirit was to come, but perhaps Jesus did not tell them the Holy Spirit would come on Shavuot (Pentecost). At any rate, it seems Peter was impatient. Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias were nominated. Both had been with them from the time of John baptizing in the Jordan to the time of Christ’s resurrection. They drew lots which fell on Matthias, so he was included as one of the Twelve (Ac 1:26). We are not sure if this was approved by God or not because when drawing lots, one would be chosen whether God was in it or not. Yet, there is nothing in Scripture that says Peter was wrong in doing what he did. However, we do know that God chose Paul as an apostle (Ro 1:1; 11:13; Ga 1:1). So this has always begged the question of who is the actual twelfth apostle? Jesus had chosen the original twelve and we know Jesus chose Paul. Did he choose Matthias?

On Shavuot (Pentecost), the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 disciples who were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. We don’t know in whose house they stayed. It could have been the house of Mary, the sister to Barnabas, and mother of John Mark, as her house was used several times for Christ’s followers over the years. They all heard a rushing mighty wind, and the Holy Spirit descended on each of them as tongues of fire (Ac 2:1-4). They each began to speak boldly to many who were in the city for this festival in the language of the other person’s origin. After obtaining a wider audience, Peter preached to all those listening. From his preaching, and the witness of the others, 3,000 people became believers and were brought into the church that day (Ac 2:41). Over time, more people believed and received the Holy Spirit emboldening them to also speak without reservation. The Sanhedrin arrested Peter and John and reprimanded them trying to deter them from speaking further, but they continued to speak about Jesus and his resurrection (Ac 4:1-22). The believers decided to come together and pool their resources (Ac 4:32). Barnabas is one who is mentioned as an example of one doing this.

Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, lied about doing the same and the Holy Spirit had them both die in the presence of others. This demonstrated to everyone the seriousness of their actions (Ac 5:1-11).

The apostles began to perform many signs and wonders which caused more and more to believe in Jesus. The Sadducees had many of them arrested and locked in prison. Yet, an angel of the Lord released them, and they went back to the temple and began to preach again, at the dismay of the Jewish leaders (Ac 5:12-26)-.

The church grew so large so fast that seven individuals, whom they called deacons, were selected to help with the administrative duties of the church so the apostles could devote themselves to preaching (Ac 6:1-7).

One of them, named Stephen, debated with many of the Jews who could not win against his insightful arguments. So, they stirred up the crowd to accuse him of blasphemy and had him stoned to death (Ac 6:8-8:1).

This is when Saul began persecuting Christians because he felt they were against the teachings of the Jewish Scriptures and were creating chaos for the Jewish leaders (Ac 8:3). Saul was a very zealous man, a Pharisee who studied under the tutelage of Gamaliel, a prominent Jewish Rabbi, was from Tarsus in Cilicia, a Roman province in what we would today call southern Turkey, and was born as a Roman citizen, something very uncommon for most people in his day. He was a rising star among the Jewish elite and took the Jewish Scriptures very seriously. He genuinely thought he was doing God’s will by persecuting what he considered a new heretical sect of Judaism. He saw them as someone teaching false doctrine. Because the teaching of Jesus was against the status quo of his teaching and understanding of Scripture, he had believers in Jesus thrown into prison and executed if possible. This caused many believers to flee Jerusalem, and they went to surrounding areas, going as far north as Syria.

A year later, in 34 A.D., Saul was on his way to Damascus to seek out Christians who had fled there due to his persecution. This is when he encountered Christ and was converted (Ac 9:1-19). He then began to preach and teach about Jesus Christ, but many believers were skeptical. His preaching caused an uproar in Damascus after his conversion. The Jewish leaders felt betrayed and tried to have him killed (Ac 9:23). It should be noted that Saul was his Jewish name while the name Paul was his Latin name. It just seems that he had a name change because after this time, the Scriptural text uses his Latin name. This is likely because he was the apostle to the Gentiles (Ga 1:1), so his Latin name would have been used more than his Hebrew name going forward from this point in time.

Paul escaped those in Damascus who were seeking to kill him and went into Arabia in the area at or near Mt. Sinai for about 3 years to seek counsel and instruction from the Lord (Ga 1:17-18). He then went to Jerusalem to visit Peter and James and then went back to his home in Tarsus (Ga 1:21).

Why did Paul seclude himself in Arabia for three years? He knew he needed to seek counsel and instruction from the Lord knowing he was at an inflection point in spiritual history. He had one of the best Jewish educations anyone in Israel could have had and yet he still missed that Jesus was the promised Messiah they had been waiting for. Let’s think about this for a second. He not only knew the scriptures, but, due to his religious training, he had them all practically memorized. Yet, he had missed one of the most important times where God had reached out to his people. How did he miss this? Of all people, he should not have missed this. He not only missed it, but he thought he was on God’s side in persecuting this new sect that, at the time, he felt was heretical.

He knew he needed new insight and a way to look at Scripture differently. The Jewish view of their Messiah and prophetic interpretation about him had been wrong and led Saul to reject Jesus and those who taught about him. The Jewish interpretation of prophetic Scripture was inadequate. He had accepted all the teachings of the past rabbis and knew they had led him astray. Not intentionally. They thought they were correct based upon their understanding of Scripture.

Paul said that God helped him see the emergence of the Church. How? Through prophecy. But it was through scripture the Jewish Leaders had interpreted to be about what would happen after their Messiah set up his rule on the earth. While this is likely still true, after all God is multidimensional, it was these prophetic scriptures that Paul recognized were about Christ’s church and not just about Christ’s reign. At the Council Meeting in Jerusalem, James made the same confession as he quoted from the prophet Amos concerning the rebuilding of David’s fallen tent for Jews and Gentiles which he now saw as God building his church in their current day (Ac 15:13-19; Am 9:11-12). How were they able to see this? Because of where they were in history. They had emerged on the other side of the inflection point of temple worship to Jew and Gentile now worshiping together with each person being a temple indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1Co 3:16). These men could only have interpreted Scripture this way based upon what the Holy Spirit was doing in their current day. This could not have been interpreted prior to their day and their recognition of what the Holy Spirit was doing: something completely different than he had done before. They came to realize that God’s word is continuously unfolding. It is never stagnant and it all points to Jesus Christ.

What about us? We also need to see scripture in light of our current history as well and how the Holy Spirit is leading. We need the Holy Spirit to teach us how to interpret God’s word, not only with what it says but with what is occurring in our day, especially when we have reached an inflection point, a paradigm shift. This was true for the Jewish people as they had just had a paradigm shift through the coming and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was leading in a new direction and most of the Jewish people had missed it. Rather than trying to understand it, they doubled down on their traditions. Why? The Idumeans and Romans were trying to wipe out their heritage. They felt they did not have time to listen to another upstart, like Jesus, whose teachings affected their delicate balance with the powers that be, and they only wanted him to go away, not upset the apple cart, so to speak, not realizing they were missing the very thing they were trying to preserve.

Could the same mistake be made by the upcoming church that was forming? Join me next time and find out.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Satan has had an influence on history ever since the dawn of time. Yet, I thought it would be interesting to see some of the ways we can see his influence on the Jewish nation and the rise of the church in the New Testament. We will focus on four main points:

1.      How Satan caused a reversal of Israel’s birthright.

2.      How the Jews knew Scripture but still missed their Messiah.

3.      How Satan weakened the church from its very start.

4.      How we can avoid the same pitfalls

Of course, we can’t address all of these points in one post, so I hope you join me for a series of posts in which we’ll discuss these topics as we look at how the New Testament unfolds historically.

We will first look at how Satan attempted to reverse the Jewish birthright. The reversal of Israel’s birthright eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple through decisions made long before Rome was at play in their nation. Recall that Isaac and Rebecca had twin sons: Esau, the firstborn, and Jacob (Gn 25:24-26). Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of porridge (Gn 25:29-34). An animosity grew between Israel, the name God changed Jacob’s name to (Gn 32:28), and Edom, the name for the descendants of Esau (Gn 36:1). Edom would not allow the Israelites to pass through their land as they traveled from Egypt to the land of Canaan (Nu 20:18) so the Israelites had to travel around the land of Moab and then cross the Jordan River near Jericho (Nu 33:48-54). Eventually the descendants of Jacob, now called Israelites, entered Canaan, the Promised Land God gave them, and allotted divisions of the land to each of the twelve tribes to form the nation of Israel.

Once Israel became established as a nation within Canaan, the Edomites would periodically attack. King David subjugated them and put garrisons throughout Edom to keep them submissive (2Sa 8:14). They broke free from Israeli domination during the reign of king Jehoram, some 160 years later (2Ki 8:20-22). They also assisted the Babylonians in attacking the people of Judah (Ob 1:11). Over time, the Nabateans pushed them westward into the Negev and became known as Idumea (the Greek name for Edom) by the first century. Up until this time, while there was still animosity between Edom and Israel, Edom never had the upper hand, so to speak, against Israel.

Yet, Satan was about to set the stage for a birthright coup. To understand how this happened, we first need to understand something about the Hasmonean Dynasty and the Herod Dynasty.

During the Intertestamental Period, Alexander the Great conquered the known world and upon his death, his kingdom was divided into four parts. Two of those parts affected Israel. That would be the Seleucid Empire which later became what we know as Persia, and then Parthia, a nation that co-existed, and was just as strong, as the Roman Empire. The second nation that affected Israel was the Ptolemaic Kingdom with Egypt being its largest part. Both empires vied for the land of Israel with the Seleucid Empire winning that fight.

The defilement of the temple in Jerusalem by the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes, led to the 33-year Maccabean Revolt where the temple was rededicated and the oil for the menorah lasting until new oil could be made and was therefore called the Feast of Dedication which later became known and celebrated as Hanukkah.

The revolt led to the sons of Mattathias Maccabeus being made not only high priests but also military rulers. Over time, they took back more and more land from the Seleucids to form their own territory. They were called Hasmoneans because Mattathias’ great grandfather was named Hasmoneus and created what was known as the Hasmonean Dynasty which lasted for 127 years.

In the beginning, though, they did recognize that they were Levites and kings could only come from Judah. Isaac prophesied about Judah before his death: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet” (Gn 49:10). Also, Psalm 78:68 states that God chose Judah after the destruction of the tabernacle at Shiloh.

This became Deceptive Error #1: for they felt it was okay to have the high priest a military ruler so long as he didn’t rule as a king. But that seems to be more of a semantic difference. It is difficult for a military leader to also be a spiritual leader for his people. Each role takes 100% of a person’s time. One or the other will suffer. Typically, it is the spiritual aspects that suffer from such an arrangement.

Mattathias’ grandson, John Hyrcanus gained back Samaritan and Idumean (Edom) territory. To “unite” them as part of the Hasmonean territory, he forced them to be circumcised and become Jewish proselytes. However, this was against what God had established: “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt” (Ex 23:9)

When King David subjugated Edom during his reign, he never forced them to become Jewish. Becoming a Jewish proselyte was to be voluntary. This became Deceptive Error #2: John Hyrcanus used circumcision as a means of subjugation, but Satan turned it into a means of infiltration. Hyrcanus proved to be a good diplomat and was able to get Rome, the rising empire at the time, to agree to Hasmonean independence and even brokered peace with the Ptolemaic Empire.

When Aristobulus I became high priest after the death of his father Hyrcanus, he went a step further and declared himself king. This shows that once power is given, more power is craved. This violated God’s promise to King David that only those from his lineage would be king (2Sa 7:16; Ps 89:4). The Hasmonean Dynasty became a self-declared monarchy, not one necessarily God ordained. This became Deceptive Error #3: Aristobulus I likely felt becoming king would add more influence and allow him to accomplish more for his people, and for himself, of course. Yet, having political and spiritual leadership through the same person has consequences because it is unlikely one will self-correct if not seeking God’s will and leadership. Plus, there is little time to oversee the spiritual needs of the country’s citizens, which is so vitally important.

Aristobulus I died after reigning for only a year. The throne went to his brother Alexander Jannaeus who ruled for 27 years and then passed to his wife Salome Alexandra for 10 years. While she reigned, her son Hyrcanus II was high priest. After her death, Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II vied for the throne and they both invited Rome into their civil war. This became Deceptive Error #4: Both believed using Rome’s power and influence would achieve their goals. Rome agreed to help but then never left. Antipater, the leader of the Idumeans sees his chance and sides with Hyrcanus II, causing Aristobulus II to be put into Roman prison, and gains the favor of the Romans. Rome makes Hyrcanus II high priest but puts Antipater in political power who later gives his power to his son Herod. Both Aristobulus II and his son Jonathan Alexander are assassinated by Romans as they return from Rome to Judea after Aristobulus II’s release from prison.

Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus II, revenges his father’s death and defeats Herod the Great by going to the Parthians who invade and make Herod flee to Rome. There, after three years, Herod gets Rome to name him King of the Jews and returns with Marc Antony who forces the Parthians back across the Euphrates River. Herod has Antigonus killed.

Herod then marries Mariamne I, a Hasmonean princess to give his reign more legitimacy in the eyes of the people as she had Jewish heritage on both sides of her family. Only his descendants through Mariamne had a legitimate right to the throne without Roman support. Herod knew this and became paranoid that his rule would be taken from him. Over a short period of time, Herod takes out all Hasmonean princes and princesses so they could not usurp his throne. He even kills some of his own children and some of his wives, even Mariamne, his favorite, because he feels they are plotting against him. Some of these claims were true. Others were out of paranoia. He often mourned killing Mariamne and had her body preserved in honey for 7 years so he could see her.

Herod the Great ruled from 47 BC to 1 BC. Many sources will say he died in 4 BC, but it has been discovered that there was a printing error which occurred in 1544 when reprinting some of Josephus’ writings (Larson, Steinmann). He ruled from Idumea in the south to territories northeast of the Sea of Galilee (which would be Syria and parts of Lebanon today) with his headquarters in Jerusalem. He ruled at the birth of Christ and was the one who had all those in Bethlehem 2 years of age and younger killed (Mt 2:16).

We need to understand something about the different Herods we encounter in the New Testament. The term Herod is used to describe a dynasty of individuals starting with Herod the Great, so the term Herod was used for many different individuals mentioned in Scripture. There are seven mentioned in the New Testament. So, Herod #1 would be Herod the Great.

Although Herod the Great had many of his children killed, he seemed to have had an affinity for his grandchildren. Herod had his granddaughter, Herodias, marry his son Herod II, also known as Herod Philip, her uncle (Mk 6:17), which made him heir apparent because Herodias was of Hasmonean descent. This angered Antipater II, Herod the Great’s eldest son, who persuaded his father to demote Herod Philip to second heir apparent. Once accomplished, he then plotted to poison his father, so Herod the Great had Antipater II executed. This made Herod Philip heir apparent again since he was now the eldest living son, but when Herod found out Philip’s mother had plotted with Antipater, he had Herod Philip demoted again just before his death making Archelaus, his next oldest son, the heir to his throne. Herod Philip then moved to Rome to live, likely to get out of the chaos and the fear of losing his life. Later, we know that Herodias divorces Philip and marries her other uncle, Antipas.

Upon Herod the Great’s death, his other sons went to Rome to argue their claim to their father’s kingdom with Caesar Augustus who divided Herod the Great’s territory into three parts under the rulership of his three sons: Archelaus, Philip, and Antipas, none of whom had any Jewish heritage. Later, Herod’s grandson (Herod Agrippa I) and great grandson (Herod Agrippa II) also had rulership.

Herod #2: Herod Philip never ruled as did his brothers. He moved to Rome to live. He was the first husband of Herodias (Mk 6:17), Herod the Great’s granddaughter. She had an affair with Antipas when he visited Rome where she now lived.

Herod #3: Caesar Augustus gave the larger part of Herod the Great’s territory to Herod’s eldest living son, Archelaus, but made him ethnarch of Idumea, Judea and Samarea. He had more territory than his brothers, but a lower title. His headquarters were in Jerusalem, and he ruled from 1 BC to 6 AD.

His Aunt, Herod the Great’s sister Salome I, was given a toparchy of the cities of Iamnia and Azotus on the Mediterranean, and Phasaelis next to the Jordan River. Her role would be somewhat like a governor of these cities.

Archelaus was half Idumean and half Samaritan, so the Jews in Judea hated having such a person over them. Archelaus at first tried to appease but then turned retaliatory and had about 3,000 Jews slaughtered which just escalated the discontent.

During this time is when Joseph was warned by an angel not to return to Judea (Mt 2:22), so he went back to Nazareth which was part of Galilee and ruled by Herod Antipas. After seven years of complaining, the emperor finally removed Archelaus and exiled him to Gaul (i.e., France today). Therefore, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lived in Egypt for less than seven years.

Rather than replacing Archelaus, Rome instituted Roman prefects (somewhat like governors) to rule in his place. Pilate was the fifth one who ruled during the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Pilate was in office seven years prior to Christ’s crucifixion and for three years after. Prefects ruled until the reign of Herod Agrippa I.

Herod #4: Emperor Augustus made Herod’s other son named Philip tetrarch over territories northeast of the Sea of Galilee (Iturea, Trachonitis, Gaulinitis, Batanaea, and Auranitis; Lk 3:1), what is mainly Syria and parts of Lebanon today. His headquarters were in Caesarea Philippi. He married Salome, the daughter of Herodias. This made them mother and daughter as well as sisters-in-law at the same time. Christ was in his territory during his transfiguration on Mt Hermon.

Herod #5: Caesar Augustus made Antipas tetrarch over Galilee and Perea. His headquarters were in Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, and he ruled from 1 BC to 39 AD. In 26 AD, when Tiberius was Caesar, Antipas traveled to Rome and visited his brother Philip. While there, Antipas and Herodias have an affair and decide to divorce their spouses. My guess is that Herodias missed the status of being the wife of a ruler. John the Baptist spoke out against their sin (Lk 3:19), for according to Leviticus 20:21: If a man marries his brother’s wife while both are still alive, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless. This led to John being beheaded a couple of years later (Mt 14:10) in 28 AD after he began to preach against Herod Antipas and Herodias. Many of the Jewish population were offended by what Antipas and Herodias were doing. Yet, it seems John was the most outspoken and suffered the consequence.

Herodias had her daughter, Salome, dance for Herod Antipas at one of his birthday parties in Machaerus, Perea, on the eastern bank of the Dead Sea (Mt 14:6). She was likely fourteen to fifteen years of age at the time. Some say that since she was so young, it wasn’t a suggestive dance, but that doesn’t seem to be the implication as he was so enamored with her that she could wish for anything (Mt 14:7). At her mother’s request, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. Since he had made an oath, Antipas felt he could not back down and ordered John beheaded (Mt 14:8-11).

The death of John the Baptist sealed the opposition of the two of them being married, at least open opposition. They were officially married in 31 AD. It apparently took them three years to get their divorce from their spouses so they could wed.

In 33 AD, while attending Passover in Jerusalem, Pilate sends Jesus to Antipas for questioning just before Christ is crucified (Lk 23:7).

Herod #6: While this is going on, Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, is being educated in Rome and became good friends with Emperor Caligula who gave him the territory of his Uncle Philip who had died four or five years earlier and was going to bestow the title of king to him. Hearing of this, Antipas tried to get the title himself but was banished in the process. Caligula gave Agrippa Antipas’ territories of Galilee and Perea. Before bestowing the title of king, Caligula was assassinated. Agrippa was instrumental in getting Claudius to be the next Caesar. In appreciation, Claudius not only gave Agrippa I the title of king but the territories of Idumea, Judea, and Samaria as well which allowed him to rule the same territory in total as his grandfather, Herod the Great, and ruled from 41 AD to 44 AD with his headquarters in Berytus (which is Beruit, Lebanon, today). However, he also lived in palaces in such places as Caesarea Philippi, Caesarea Maritima, and Jerusalem, whether his or built by his grandfather.

Herod Agrippa I had several people from the Church in Jerusalem arrested and had James, the brother of John, and son of Zebedee, killed by the sword (Ac 12:2). Seeing that this pleased the Jewish leaders, he also had Peter arrested. Yet, God sent an angel and had Peter released from prison (Ac 12:3-11). When Herod Agrippa I was in Caesarea Maritima, God struck him down after he gave a rousing speech where he tried to portray himself as a god (Ac 12:21-23). He later died, likely from parasites. After him, proconsuls ruled Judea overseeing the financial affairs of the area.

Herod #7: Herod Agrippa II, the great grandson of Herod the Great and son of Agrippa I, was the king of Chalcis (today southern Lebanon) and was given the territory north and east of the Sea of Galilee (which is today Syria) and later given cities in Galilee and Perea as well as the duty to oversee the temple in Jerusalem, likely because he was of Hasmonean descent which would better appease the Jews. His headquarters were in Casarea Philippi which he renamed Neronias in honor of Roman Emperor Nero.

When Paul was incarcerated in Caesarea Maritima after his 3rd missionary journey, he was able to preach to Agrippa II and his sister Bernice when Festus replaced Felix as governor of the area (Ac 25:13-26:32). He ruled from 50 AD to 93 AD, so he witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and had encouraged the Jews to submit to Roman rule.

So what have we seen here? Clearly Satan was at work. His four deceptive errors with the Hasmoneans led to the eventual coup leading to Esau’s descendants reigning over Jacob’s descendants. Jacob’s birthright had truly been usurped. This eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. All these events had the Jewish leaders distracted because they were desperately trying to salvage their Jewish heritage.

What does this mean to us? We cannot solve our problems on our own. We need God. We only make a mess of things and open ourselves up to Satan outsmarting us and making us self-implode. Christ had a better way, but everyone was so focused on what was going on around them politically to try and solve their mess that the work of Christ got overlooked even though what he was doing was right in front of them. Jesus Christ had a different plan, a plan to not only make right what had been wrong, but to solve their sin problem which was the source of all their problems. We, too, need to look at ourselves. Are we too busy trying to solve our own problems or are we looking to see how we can be a part of God’s plan, a plan that will save us spiritually, emotionally, and yes, eventually, even physically? God has the answer to all our problems.

While Satan achieved his goal he had set up, the death of Christ certainly gave a fatal blow to his schemes. Next time we’ll see that the physical temple was not important for the next phase of God’s plan for mankind. But what did Satan do, did he give up? Absolutely not. He never gives up. He pivots. He couldn’t stop the church from forming, but he could counter and that is exactly what he did. Join me next time as we look at what happens next.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Under Covenant Theology, which we discussed in the previous post, the purpose of Biblical philosophy is the emphasis upon the grace of God. While that is true, it doesn’t cover everything about what is presented to us in Scripture. The other doctrine I want us to look at today is called Dispensational Theology which states the purpose of Biblical philosophy is the emphasis upon the sovereign rule of God. This definitely covers the grace of God but covers other aspects and purposes that are revealed to us in history. Many of these dispensations, as they are called, contain a covenant, but it is not the covenant that necessarily drives the purpose of that historical dispensation. The covenants themselves don’t always covey what God is doing in that portion of history but are important in moving God’s plan for his creation along. The name of each dispensation is the new ruling governance that has been introduced moving forward in history with the previous governances of previous dispensations still in effect. Let’s take a closer look.

1.                                  Innocency: This is from creation until the fall of man (when Adam and Eve were forced to leave the Garden of Eden; Gn 1:26—3:24). The overarching governance during this time was where Adam and Eve were favorably disposed toward God. This was a condition imposed by God on man and not a choice given to man. Adam and Eve obeyed God, had fellowship with him, and looked forward to their visits by their Creator. Because this was an unconfirmed state, it had to be tested. Adam and Eve failed the test. Adam chose to eat the forbidden fruit in violation of God’s command indicating his desire to assert his own self-rule. This decision led to consequences: spiritual death as well as being subject to disease, deformity, accidents, and physical death. Their decision also led to a physical separation between God and humans, and a replacement of being favorably disposed toward God to enmity against God (Ro 8:7) as evident by them wanting to hide from God rather than be with him (Gn 3:8). Mankind now needed someone to rescue them from such a state.

Within this disposition is what some call the Adamic Covenant. God had told Adam not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gn 2:17) and Adam agreed as evidenced by him teaching Eve of this requirement (Gn 3:2). His disobedience of this requirement led to the consequences we just mentioned. Yet, God did provide a glimmer of hope by stating he would one day send someone who would repair this separation (Gn 3:15). This is the first promise of a Redeemer who would be born of a woman and would become the provision of redemption for man and initiate the defeat of Satan.

Others do not claim this is a covenant as Scripture does not call this a covenant. If we only go by what Scripture labels a covenant, then this is not one.

2.                                  Conscience: This is from the fall of man to the world-wide flood during the time of Noah (Gn 4:1—8:19). Eating the forbidden fruit led way to the awakening of man’s conscience (Gn 3:5, 22). Human conscience allows mankind to choose between good and evil (Ro 2:14-15). In addition, during this time came the restraint of the Holy Spirit on mankind’s sinfulness (Gn 6:3). It seems that God gave Adam and his family directives that God can be approached only by means of a blood sacrifice (Gn 4:3-7; Hb 11:4). Mankind also failed this test of utilizing conscience and the restraint provided by the Holy Spirit as noted by Cain’s rebellion and murder of his brother. This rebellion continued until the time of Noah (Gn 6:5). Judgment came via a world-wide flood.

Within this dispensation is the Noahic Covenant, which was between God, Noah, all creation, and to all Noah’s descendants (Gn 9:9-17) where God stated he would not again destroy the entire world via a flood. He gave his rainbow in the sky as a token of his vow to Noah (Gn 9:8-17).

3.                                  Human Government: This is from the end of the Noahic Flood to the call of Abraham (Gn 9:18-11:32). To human conscience and the restraint of the Holy Spirit, God added human government to institute capital punishment to curb murder so they would recognize the sanctity God places on human life (Gn 9:5-6; Ro 13:1-7). Humans were now to repopulate the earth, animals would now have a fear of humans built into them, and animals could now be used as food for humans (Gn 9:1-7). Humans also failed this test given them. Noah’s drunkenness led to Ham’s impropriety (Gn 9:20-24), many failed to spread out and repopulate the earth (Gn 11:2-4) and built the Tower of Babel in defiance. This led to the consequence of many languages so they could no longer act in unison (Gn 9:8-9) and led to the birth of many nations. God looked for that one from the vast array of nations who would listen to him and found that in Abraham.

4.                                  Promise: This is from the call of God to Abraham to the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai (Gn 12—Ex 18). God added his promises to these other ruling factors from the previous dispensations to try and make a difference in the way people lived (Ga 3:15-22; Hb 6:13-15). God promised several things to Abraham in the covenant he made with him: he would become a great nation, his name would be great and be a blessing, those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed him would be cursed instead, all the earth would be blessed through him (Gn 12:2-3), and all the land in which he walked would be for him and his descendants forever (Gn 13:14-17). Abraham did live according to his faith in God’s promises to him (Hb 11:8-30). God sealed this covenant with Abraham and made it unconditional as it was made between God himself and his Spirit (Gn 15:9-19). The promises of this covenant passed from Abraham to Isaac (Gn 17:19, 21) and then to Jacob and his descendants (Gn 28:13-17; 35:9-12; 48:3-4).

When God spoke to Abraham, he stated that the land of Canaan in which he was living would be for himself and his descendants. Even though they would be away from it for a long period of time, God ensured him the land would remain his.

Abraham and his descendants failed this test as well. On several occasions they disobeyed God due to lapses in faith and trust in his God’s promises: Abraham fathered Ishmael through Hagar, twice he lied about his wife Sarah, Isaac lied concerning his wife Rebekah, Jacob was a deceiver, and the Israelites did not return to Canaan after the famine during Joseph’s time ended. All these failures led to eventual consequences. The Israelites were subjugated to slavery and faced annihilation in Egypt; Jews and the descendants of Ishmael have had resentment between themselves for centuries.

5.                                  Mosaic Law: This is from the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mt. Sinai to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Mt. Calvary (Ex 19—Mt 27:56; Mk 15:41; Lk 23:49; Jn 20:30). The Mosaic Law with its 613 commandments served as a moral restrainer on sin (Ga 3:23-25), along with the previous governance of each dispensation. The people also failed this test as well. They broke the Mosaic Law repeatedly (Jr 31:32; Ek 16) and were compared to those whose hearts were made of stone (Ek 32;26; Zc 7:12). This failure also led to consequences with the people eventually being taken captive by the Assyrians and Babylonians and eventually led to their temporary removal from their place of blessing (Ro 11) leading to their worldwide dispersion.

God made three covenants with Israel during this dispensation:

Mosaic Covenant (Ex 24:1-18; Dt 11:1-32): This established Isael as a nation before the Lord and was a conditional covenant in that they would be blessed through their obedience and would face hardship through disobedience. When things began to go wrong, they would know they needed to course correct. If they did not, more and more hardship would come upon them which would eventually lead to their captivity. God gave them the Ark of the Covenant for a perpetual reminder of this covenant he had establish with them.

Deuteronomic Covenant (Dt 30:1-20): This did not change their unconditional covenant with God as to the possession of their land but was a conditional covenant that required their obedience to be able to stay within their land. Repentance and obedience would allow their return.

Davidic Covenant (2Sa 7:8-16): God would provide the throne to David and his descendants forever.

6.                                  Grace: This is from the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to his second coming (Mt 27:57; Mk 15:42; Lk 23:50; Jn 19:31—Rv 19:21). While the Mosaic Law never functioned as a way to achieve salvation (Ga 2:16), it did serve as a rule of life. Grace, although evident in the Old Testament, did not begin to function as a ruling governance until Christ’s first coming and his death on the cross. Both Jews and Gentiles are to receive the gift of righteousness through faith in Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection, and live with power given to them via the Holy Spirit.

Mankind also fails this test as most unsaved humans do not accept the gift of righteousness that Christ offers them. Believers do not always live godly lives, make disciples, use their spiritual gifts wisely, or operate within the authority given them through the Holy Spirit. Even though there may be a spiritual revival and a unification of the bride of Christ, in the end of this dispensation the unsaved will stage a major revolt against God’s rule and Christendom will become apostate.

The consequences of this failure will become dire. God may even chasten some through premature physical death (Ac 5:1-6; 1Co 5:1-5; 11:27-32; Hb 12:5-13; 1Jn 5:16) and some local churches may be put out of commission (Rv 2:5). Near the end of this dispensation, God will remove the Holy Spirit’s restraint of evil (2Th 2:7-8), divine judgments will be poured out (Rv 6-19), and the revolt of the unsaved will be crushed (Rv 19:17-21).

During this dispensation is the establishment of the New Covenant which Jeremiah first mentions (Jr 31:31-34). It began with the crucifixion of Christ whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins becoming the symbol of this new covenant (Mt 26:27-29) and a drink offering poured out for us (Mk 14:24) to show his joy in doing this for us (Hb 12:2). The act of dying was not joyous but knowing it would lead to the restoration of his fellowship with us going forward was the joy with which he looked forward to (2Co 5:18-21). This will come to full fruition when he returns, purifies, and claims all those who belong to him (Zc 13:1; Rv 20:4-6).

7.                                  Millennium: This is from the second coming of Christ and will end immediately before the release of Satan from the abyss and his final revolt (Rv 20:1-6). Christ will rule over the entire earth in righteousness (Is 11:1-5; Zc 14;9-10). Mankind will ultimately fail here as well. Despite having a perfect government and exceptional, idyllic, conditions, it will be shown that mankind’s failure and rebellion comes from his own inward, sinful nature which rejects the rule of God and asserts self-rule. Those who rebel outwardly during Christ’s reign will be executed (Is 11:3-4; 29:20-21; Jr 31:29-30). God will crush the revolt which will occur at the end of this dispensation and cast Satan who leads this final rebellion into the lake of fire for everlasting torment (Rv 20:9-10).

After this comes the judgment of Satan (Rv 20:7-10), the judgment of the unrighteous (Rv 20:11-15), the creation of the new heaven and new earth (Rv 21:1), the coming of the New Jerusalem (Rv 21:2-27), and our eternal existence of Christ (Rv 22:1-21).

Now, can we say that either Covenant Theology or Dispensational Theology is right and the other wrong? No. I don’t think we can make such a claim. Both approaches are valid, I think, but the scope of each is different. Covenant Theology focuses on the grace of God and that is an important aspect for us humans to grasp and understand. Yet, while important, it is not the totality of Scripture. I think Dispensational Theology is a little more comprehensive for us to understand not only the grace of God but also the rule of God. The former seems to focus more on how mankind is important to God whereas the latter focuses more on how we are a part of God’s overarching plan. We should understand the merits and limits of each. After all, each concept is manmade, so we can’t expect either one to be flawless in its scope or explanation. Only God’s word is flawless, and we should always focus more intently on that rather than a manmade concept. Both concepts are helpful guides in our understanding of Scripture, but we always need the Holy Spirit to guide us as we study and learn from him, our true teacher.

Note: most of this post’s concepts were taken from the book There Really is a Difference by Renald E. Showers.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Before we start talking about the different covenants found in Scripture, we need to understand its definition. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary it means a formal, solemn, binding agreement that is sealed between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action. So, when we talk about covenants in the Bible, we are talking about a binding agreement between God and mankind or specific human individuals. Now, that sounds very straight forward, doesn’t it? Well, unfortunately, we humans seem to have a knack for making the simple complicated, don’t we?

There could be more views, but typically there are two main views about covenants. Let’s briefly examine these.

One view comes from a doctrine called Covenant Theology which teaches there are only three covenants in Scripture: the Covenant of Redemption, the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace. Some combine the covenants of redemption and of grace into one: the Covenant of Mercy.

1.      The Covenant of Redemption was made between God the Father and God the Son in eternity past because of God’s foresight in knowing that mankind would fall away from him when tested by Satan. The requirement for the Son to accomplish this was to become human and be without sin under Mosaic Law. The reward to the Son from this covenant would be resurrection, numerous believers in him, all power in Heaven and earth, and great glory.

2.      The Covenant of Works was made between the triune God and Adam when in the Garden of Eden as Adam was the representative head of all humans who were to follow him via reproduction. The requirement for Adam was perfect obedience to God. The reward for Adam and his descendants was eternal life. Failure to meet this expectation was physical, spiritual, and eternal death.

3.      The Covenant of Grace was made between the offended God (because of Adam’s disobedience) and a certain grouping of human beings. There seems to be controversy as to who this human contingent is supposed to be. Some say it is the sinner (all humans separated from God due to Adam’s sin). Others say it is the elect or the elect sinner in Christ (in other words, those who accept Christ’s actions on the cross to pay for their sin).

Likely because the second party in the Covenant of Grace is hard to define, some roll this covenant into the Covenant of Redemption and called it the Covenant of Mercy since the Covenant of Redemption is the eternal model and foundation for the Covenant of Grace and provides the means for its execution.

Now, these covenants are not mentioned in Scripture by these names. Is there anything wrong with this biblical thinking? Well, yes and no. It does provide the biblical teaching of the redemptive act of Christ, states that salvation is by grace through faith, and these beliefs show the motivation for what man is to believe and practice. Yet, we need to ask ourselves, do these covenant descriptions meet the definition of the term covenant provided at the beginning of this post? Unfortunately, I don’t think it does. The premise is good, the biblical teaching is good, but it falls short of its definition.

First, a covenant is to be a solemn, binding covenant between two parties. None of these are presented in Scripture as such. Granted, they can be implied but they are not provided for us to really examine. The one that really falls short of this aspect of the definition is the Covenant of Grace. If one can’t nail down who the second party is, then it can’t really be a covenant because both parties must agree to its conditions and requirements.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the concept of this covenant as provided is certainly true but without a defined party, I’m not sure it can be classified as a true covenant with the definition that is normally provided for this word.

There is another aspect of these covenants that seems to fall short of what we know of in Scripture. Not that they are necessarily wrong, but that they are too limited. These covenants, as defined, seem to indicate that the sole purpose of history is for the salvation of the elect. While that is definitely an important part of biblical truth, it is not the entire truth of what Scripture reveals to us. While God most definitely has a plan and purpose for the elect, God’s ultimate goal in history must be large enough to incorporate other programs that are part of Scripture: the non-elect, nations, rulers, Satan, and nature to name a few of these other important systems that must be incorporated into an overarching biblical plan. I think we need to be cautious when the theme of Scripture has man as its center. While that may not be the intent of the concept of these covenants as defined here, it does seem to imply such. I think God, and especially Jesus Christ, is the focus of Scripture. We are part of his plan, but we are only a part of his ultimate plan.

Also, I’m not sure why these three covenants are conveyed as the only covenants of Scripture when Scripture itself mentions the term covenant in its text. The word “covenant” is used almost 290 times in Scripture. Here are just a few of the specific times: with Noah: Gn 6:18; 9:9-17; with Abraham: Gn 15:18, 17:2-21; with Israel: Ex 24:7-8, 34:27-29; with David: 2Sa 7:28, 23:5; 2Ch 7:18; and new covenant: Jr 31:31-32. Sometimes, it seems the text is quite nuanced in what is being said about a covenant. I know the point is to convey what is being said at a high level, but shouldn’t an effort be made to explain how these three take all these others into account as well as explain why covenants not specifically named in Scripture are used while those covenants mentioned in Scripture are not part of the names provided for this theological philosophy.

Also, there are other aspects that need to be considered. For example, these three covenants do not distinguish between Israel and the Church as it is about believers throughout history. While that is true to a certain extent, Scripture does indicate there is a distinction between the two and that God has a distinct plan for each (Ro 11:25-27). Also, the overall teaching with these three covenants seems to apply historical-grammatical hermeneutics to Scriptures which have already been fulfilled but applies more allegorical elements to unfulfilled Scripture. This seems dichotomous and would require one to continually move from allegorical to historical as time progresses as more and more prophetic scripture becomes fulfilled.

In the beginning of this post, I stated there are two covenant philosophies. What is the second one? Stay tuned and we will discuss this second one next time. I hope you join me.

Note: most of this post’s concepts were taken from the book There Really is a Difference by Renald E. Showers.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Christ’s Transfiguration was not just an event, but an event that was meant to influence. We earlier saw that Jesus spoke to Moses and Elijah about his departure (same word as Exodus).

They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. (Lk 9:31)

Jesus may have compared his departure to Moses’ exodus. Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt to their Promised Land. Christ was going to lead his people out of their sin and the righteous out of Sheol into Heaven. Christ may also have discussed with Moses about his own death, and how symbolic Elijah would become for Israel as he would represent the time of their Messiah coming to them.

If Moses and Elijah were truly transported from their time, they were being taught what Jesus was about to do. We went over what being with Christ at his Transfiguration meant for these two important people in Israel’s past but their present. What does the Transfiguration mean for us today?

While Moses and Elijah may or may not have been transported through time to the Transfiguration with Christ, the Transfiguration is a timeless event with great significance. It helps us to put all that Christ said in its proper context. When Jesus talked about he and God being one (Jn 10:30), this helps us to realize he was speaking literally and not metaphorically. He was both man and God in human form. He was not partly one or the other but fully man and fully God. Because of his divinity, he was the only one who could die for everyone, take on the sin of everyone, and pay for the sin of all mankind (1Jn 2:2).

This helps us to see the proper order of how he fulfilled Scripture: Christ had to take care of the spiritual aspects of prophecy before he could take care of the physical aspects of prophecy. Everything written about him and what he will accomplish will still come to pass

As Moses and Elijah gave hope to Israel about their coming Messiah and how they would one day be with him forever no matter in which time they lived, Jesus is our hope and assurity of us being with him forever.

Christ’s Transfiguration gives us assurity in him and in his promises to us. Christ identified with mankind by being born into our world to identify with us. He came as an infant so he could experience every aspect of humanity: being a toddler, an awkward adolescent, a young man, all the experiences that go with each stage of human development. When he says he knows us, he really does know us and what we are going through. But he not only experienced our lives, but Christ died for our sins to solve our sin problem so that we could be reconciled back to God and have a relationship with him. He considered a relationship with us more important than maintaining a spirit oneness with God the Father. He is no longer spirit, but has a glorified body (1Ti 2:5) just as we one day will have (Ro 6:5; 1 Co 15:49; 1Jn 3:2). Christ will one day return as our victor and reign over us bringing in a utopian society with peace and harmony between mankind and over the animal kingdom, and so he can be among us and fellowship with us for all eternity. God is a relational being and desires to have an eternal relationship with us, so Christ, as God the Son, was willing to sacrifice so much for us because his love for us superseded everything else.

One main question that arises from these observations and the impact this had on Moses and Elijah is the following: Can others tell we have been with Christ?

Moses and Elijah got out of the way and let Yahweh shine through them. This was only accomplished by spending time with him. It was physically evident that Moses had been with God. His face literally shone from his time spent within God’s Shekinah glory. What about Elijah? The shining of his face waned over time, but that was not his only transformation. He became one of the boldest prophets ever. His demeanor before and after his encounter with God is profound. Just by his actions and demeanor, everyone knew he had been with God and spent time with him.

This is true for us today as well. We need to spend time with Christ. Moses and Elijah became like the moon, reflecting God’s glory. They had no glory of their own but reflected God’s glory to others. Are we doing the same? By doing so, Moses and Elijah became much greater than who they could have become on their own. In Jewish circles, Moses and Elijah became highly revered-not just because of what they did but because they allowed God to work through them.

What about you? Do people see Christ when they look at you? So how do we become like Moses and Elijah to reflect Christ in our lives?

As we live in this new year, there are three things we need to ensure:

1.      Surrender to who Christ is:

He has identified with us (Pp 2:8); he had redeemed us (Tt 2:14); he promises to be with us for eternity (Ro 6:23). Because of his Transfiguration, we can better understand his divinity which gives us the ability to trust his word as truth.

2.      Surrender to who the Holy Spirit is:

He has promised to indwell us (Ro 5:5) and empower us (Ep 3:20); he has promised to always be with us (2Jn 2:2); he has promised to lead and direct us (2Co 2:14) if we let him. As we yield to him and his prompting, we can be assured we are doing the will of Christ.

3.      The work has been done for us:

We only have to submit (Ja 4:7); we only have to let him lead (2Co 2:14); we only have to follow (1Co 11:1). Christ’s Transfiguration ensures the profitability of our present and our future. If we yield completely to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and do what they command and prompt us to do, we can have the best year ever!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

One of the prerequisites for Moses and Elijah to time travel from their time to where Christ was at his Transfiguration was for their timelines to parallel, so they were in the same place at the same time of year in their own timeline. The last few posts gave this, but we haven’t looked at this aspect side by side. Let’s do that now. Here is a table with this side-by-side comparison:

From this table we see that Israel was born as a nation at the first Shavuot, Elijah had his encounter with the prophets of Baal near Shavuot, and Jesus likely celebrated Shavuot in Jerusalem.

Each of their next events took approximately one week. Moses would make sacrifices, take the elders and priests to eat on the mountain with the preincarnate Christ, and ascend farther up the mountain than the others. Elijah would flee to Beersheba and then into the wilderness from Samaria which would take approximately one week. And it would take Jesus and his disciples approximately one week to get back to Galilee from Jerusalem.

Next, Moses remained on Sinai for 40 days. It took 40 days for Elijah to get to Sinai from where he collapsed in the wilderness. It likely took approximately 40 days for Jesus to wind up his Galilean ministry as he would speak in Capernaum, Bethsaida, travel north to Tyre and Sidon, and then travel to Caesarea Philippi at the base of Mt. Hermon.

Each of their next events took approximately one week. Moses would chide the Israelites and make intercession for them. Elijah would be in the cave approximately one week to rest up before God met with him (although we have no specific time mentioned in scripture). And it would take about one week for Jesus to travel to and up Mt. Hermon from Caesarea Philippi.

Christ’s Transfiguration then occurred on Mt. Hermon with Moses and Elijah transported from their place at Sinai.

Moses remains on Mt. Sinai for an additional 40 days in God’s presence, which is why his face still shown when he came down the mountain. It took Elijah 40 days to reach Abel-Meholah and carry out God’s commands. Since it took 40 days to get there, this is likely why there is no mention of Elijah’s face shining because it had worn off by that time. Jesus then travels toward Jerusalem with his disciples and focuses on his coming crucifixion.

Moses then began the construction of the tabernacle according to God’s commands. Elijah followed God’s instructions to call Elisha as his companion prophet and anoint Jehu as king of Northern Israel. Jesus taught at the temple in Jerusalem about his divinity and coming crucifixion.

Therefore, while not proof. The timeline does support the possibility of Moses and Elijah being transported from Mt. Sinai in their timeline to Mt. Hermon for the Transfiguration of Christ. While we don’t know if Moses and Elijah were transported to be with Christ on Mt. Hermon from their own time, the timing of the events in each of their lives would lend itself for this to occur.

So it would seem that Christ used his Transfiguration for multiple purposes. Does it have a significance for us today? Oh, yes, it most certainly does. We’ll discuss this aspect next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In order to understand how Elijah was involved with Christ’s Transfiguration, we need to understand something about what are called early and latter rains. We find the following in Deuteronomy:

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. (Dt 11:13-15)

In Israel the early rains came in the autumn (October-November) and the latter rains came in the spring (March-April). Plowing occurred after the early rains softened the soil. Planting was then done for a spring harvest of barley and wheat. Plowing occurred after the latter rains for planting of fall harvest of flax and millet.

What Elijah prophesied was not just no rain, but a drought, three and a half years of drought:

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word. (1Ki 17:1)

While the Bible doesn’t say what time of year Elijah prophesied the drought to start, for maximum effect, it would likely be some time before the latter rains and before the maturation of the fall harvest. This would likely occur before Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets at the beginning of Tishri, the seventh month) to show that God was not remembering his covenant with Israel due to their sin of worshipping Baal.

Elijah was told to go to the Cherith Ravine (1Ki 17:5). This was near where Elijah grew up in Gilead. There was a stream here normally until mid-Summer when it would dry up; perhaps it dried up earlier this time due to the drought. Therefore, his time here was likely no more than half a year.

Elijah was then told to go to Zarephath (1Ki 17:9). This is slightly north of Israel in what is today Lebanon. Ironically, this is the area from where Jezebel grew up. Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab and a very wicked woman who led all of Israel into the worship of Baal through her 450 prophets.

Elijah is later told to go to Mt. Carmel and have a showdown with Jezebel’s prophets of Baal here as many of the people gathered and looked on at the spectacle (1Ki 18:19). The prophets of Baal pleaded with Baal to light their sacrifice with fire and, after a time, even cut themselves to show their devotion to him by giving him their blood, but nothing happened (1Ki 18:25-29). After the prophets of Baal gave up requesting and pleading with Baal to light their sacrifice, Elijah prepares his sacrifice by building an altar as God had commanded one to be built, dug a trench around the altar, and then poured several barrels of water over the sacrifice to wet the wood which overflowed into the surrounding trench. At Elijah’s request, God sends fire from heaven which consumed not only the sacrifice, but the stones of the altar, and the water that was poured over it in the trenches surrounding the altar (1Ki 18:30-39).

The people fell to their faces and worshiped God. Elijah then had the prophets of Baal slain. Elijah prayed earnestly for rain three times. Rain came, but it wasn’t normal rain but a torrential downpour (1Ki 18:44-45).

When Ahab told Jezebel what Elijah had done, she sent a letter to Elijah stating that she was going to do the same to him as he did to her prophets of Baal. For some reason, this frightened Elijah, and he feared for his life (1Ki 19:3a). He became so frightened he fled from Samaria to Beersheba and then a day's journey into the wilderness where he collapsed. After being fed by an angel twice, he had enough strength to reach a cave at Mt. Sinai after forty days of travel (1Ki 19:3b-9).

If the drought started sometime before Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) before maturation of Fall Harvest, then 3 ½ years later would put the time around Shavuot (May/June) when he had his encounter with the 450 prophets of Baal.

While at the cave at Mt. Sinai, God spoke to him:

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” (1Ki 19:11a)

This is likely the time Elijah was transported to the Transfiguration to see Christ.

Once he was back at Sinai, God helped Elijah see his lack of understanding.

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1Ki 19:11b-13).

This seems to be not one event but two: he was first called to the mouth of the cave to experience the presence of the Lord, but then later was farther back in the cave and went to the mouth of the cave again. If he was transported to Christ’s Transfiguration, this would explain why he was within the cave and called to its front twice.

God then gave Elijah instructions (1Ki 19:15). He was to travel to Abel-Meholah. Getting there would have taken another 40 days. This may be reason there is no mention of his face glowing as the glow would have faded over this time.

Abel-Meholah was near where Elisha grew up. Elijah found Elisha plowing in his father’s field. Plowing was not possible until now, even though late, because of the drought and the torrential downpour they had just experienced. Upon hearing his calling from Elijah, Elisha sacrificed his oxen and used the wood from the plow as kindling (1Ki 19:21). This implied he was willing to leave his profession permanently to follow God and Elijah. Elijah also anointed Jehu as the next king of Northern Israel as God had commanded him to do.

For Elijah, meeting with Christ would have been an encouragement to him that his mission was far greater than he had ever believed. This may have been the beginning of the story that Elijah would be a forerunner of their coming Messiah. Only Malachi mentions this in Scripture (Ml 4:5). Yet Elijah became larger and more infamous than all the other prophets even though Scripture does not place him as such before Malachi says anything about him. This is curious because other prophets were of great renown and had a lot more information written about them, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Yet, it seems Elijah surpassed them all in renown. This may also have prepared Elijah for him becoming a symbol of hope that at some point in their future, they could be with their Messiah without having to die as they enter the Messiah’s promised future kingdom where all would be back like the garden of Eden with peace between humans and within the animal realm, and where Israel would become a nation that all other nations would look up to.

While not proof, this likelihood of Elijah transported from Sinai to Mt. Hermon for Christ’s Transfiguration does help to explain many things the Israelites would need to piece together as they lived and looked forward to their coming Messiah.

Next, let’s compare the timeline between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus for a better understanding of how they all parallel each other. Stay with me and we’ll do that next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We’re looking for evidence of Moses being taken from Mt. Sinai to be at Christ’s Transfiguration on Mt. Hermon. So, let’s look at the timing and circumstances around his encounter with God on Mt. Sinai.

First, let’s look at the timing. The first Shavuot occurred at Mt. Sinai. Israel left Egypt the day after Passover (Ex 12:21, 31) which became known as the first day of Unleavened Bread (Ex13:4-6). The next day became known as the Feast of First Fruit once they entered the Promised Land (Lv 23:9). They arrived at Sinai on Day 46 which was the first day of the Third Month (Sivan; Ex 19:1). They consecrated themselves for two days (Ex 19:10-11). On Day 48, God appeared with fire and smoke on the mountain (Ex 19:16). Day 49, Moses wrote down all that God had said (Ex 24:4). Then, on Day 50, Israel was consecrated as a nation before God (Ex 24:8). Shavuot occurs 50 days after First Fruit (Lv 23:16).

Moses then goes up Mt. Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights. Exodus 24:13-18 tells us that Moses went up the mountainside with Joshua:

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. (v 15)

It tells us what God’s presence looked like to those down below:

To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. (v17)

After 7 days, Moses went further up the mountain:

Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (v 18)

Because Moses was on the mountain for so long, the Israelites assumed Moses likely died in the fire on the mountain. To appease the people, Aaron makes a golden calf for the people to worship (Ex 32:4-6).

When Moses came down from the mountain, he broke the stone with the Ten Commandments God had written with his own hand before them (Ex 32:19). This showed his disapproval as well as God disapproval. Moses then destroyed the idol and made the people drink the water with the ashes of the golden calf in it (Ex 32:20). Approximately, three thousand people died that day because of their sin (Ex 32:28). While Moses did intercede for the people, God still sent a plague(Ex 32:35).

Next, Moses takes stone tablets he prepared back up the mountain as God instructed, and he asked to see God (Ex 33:18). Once he was back on the mountain, God granted his request:

Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. (Ex 34:5)

This is likely the time Moses was transported to the Transfiguration where he meets Christ—Yahweh or Jehovah.

Once Moses was back at Sinai, God the Father shields him and passes before him. This also confirms that God the Father and God the Son are part of the Godhead as both are referred to as LORD (Yahweh or Jehovah).

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished (Ex 34:6-7a)

This would be a testimony to Moses that Christ who he just met was also God and emphasize what Jesus told him about his coming death to forgive their sin. One of things Jesus spoke to him about was “his departure” (Lk 9:31), i.e., his crucifixion which would soon occur. The word for departure is the same word as exodus. Christ was likely comparing the exodus Moses had with the children of Israel out of Egypt to the exodus he was providing for his people out of their sin and providing for the exodus of the righteous from Sheol. Perhaps this is what prompts Moses to ask God if he would forgive their sin, go with them, and not forsake his people (Ex 34:9). God reiterates his provisional covenant to Moses – prosperity and protection with obedience (Ex 34:10-11).

Moses’ face did not shine until he came down from the mountain with the second version of the Ten Commandments.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. (Ex 34:29)

His face did not shine from being with God previously—only this time. Could the reason be that he was with Christ on Mt. Hermon experiencing Christ’s transfiguration? Moses likely didn’t know he was transported through time but only knew he had encountered the Lord.

After this time, when he went inside the Tent of Meeting, he met with the Shekinah glory of God, which would have been Yahweh, or Christ, as Moses seemed to need to continually wear the veil over his face (Ex 34:34-35).

For Moses, meeting with Christ would be an encouragement to him regarding his ordained mission. It proved far greater than he had ever believed. This likely allowed him to have more compassion and patience with the Israelites. This is not to say that he still did not become frustrated with their actions at times.

This could be a reason Moses was able to predict the coming of Jesus:

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me (Moses) from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. (Dt 18:15)

This likely helped Moses better understand the purpose of the Law given to him. The Tabernacle and its sacrifices were not only requirements but were prophetic in nature. Moses would also better understand he would become a symbol of hope. He represented all those righteous Israelites who die will one day be with their coming Messiah in heaven. Perhaps Jesus told him this. This may also be how Moses could have written about his death and the dispute over his body with Satan before the event actually occurred.

In addition, this could be the genesis of many Jewish leaders understanding the prophetic nature of their feast days and sacrifices. While not necessarily stated in Scripture, many of the Jewish commentaries, like the Mishna, points to a lot of this understanding. Perhaps the genesis for all these understandings came from Moses’ conversations with Christ at his transfiguration. This is different from us today. We see Jesus and what he did and can retrofit his actions and deeds into Old Testament scriptures. The Jews, however, prospectively saw their Messiah fulfilling all these things in their Torah and prophetical scriptures.

While not proof, this likelihood of Moses transported from Sinai to Mt. Hermon for Christ’s Transfiguration does help to explain many things the Israelites would need to piece together as they lived and looked forward to their coming Messiah.

What about Elijah? We’ll discuss him next time. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens