Shabbat Shalom, everyone. We are going to continue in a study of the book of Acts, Maasei Shlichim. So we, today, are going to turn to Acts chapter 24, please. I'm going to read a whole chapter because in Acts chapter 24, we have the Apostle Paul, Shaul, testifying before Felix, the governor of the province of Judea, and the whole chapter is being devoted to the accusation concerning Paul and the testifying the defense of Paul before Felix, the governor in the city of Caesarea, Caesarea. So let's read together this chapter. Please follow me. Chapter 24 and verse 1. And after five days, Hananiah, the high priest, descended with the elders and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul.

And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence. We accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. Notwithstanding that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words. For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarene, who also has gone about to profane the temple, whom we took and would have judged according to our law.

But the chief captain, Lysias, came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come unto thee, by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him, and the Jews also ascended, saying that these things were so. Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, For as much as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself. Because the Dhammas understand that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship, and they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogue nor in the city, neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.

But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets, and have hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. And herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offense towards God and toward men. Now after many years, I came to bring arms to my nation, and offerings, whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purifying the temple, neither with multitude nor with tumult, who ought to have been here before thee, and object if they had ought against me.

Or else let these same hearsay if they have found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the council, except it be for this one voice that I cried standing among them touching the resurrection of the dead. I am called in question by you this day. And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them and said, when Lysias, the chief captain, shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter. And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.

And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Messiah. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. He hoped also, that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might lose him, wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and commune with him, But after two years, Porcius Festius came into Felix's room, and Felix, willing to show the Jews, a pleasure, left Paul bound. And this is the end of Acts chapter 24.

Very interesting chapter, brothers and sisters, because in this chapter, we really see, how a man, by the name of Paul, is standing before a governor, and being accused, by his very own people, whom he loved dearly so much, and how he stood, and faithfully gave, the message of the gospel, of our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, without beating around the bush, without playing games, without any carelessness, he simply presented, the person, and the work of Yeshua, the Messiah, before this governor, by the name of Felix.

Now to remind you, that in the chapter 21, when Shaul Paul went to Jerusalem, to meet his brethren, the Jewish believers in the city, he came to give alms, for the poor of the nation, he had gone into the temple, and he had a vow, and at the end of the day, when he concluded the vow, and concluded the time, of this promise to God, he ended up being captured, by the Jewish people, that came from Asia, the Jewish people, who we call the people, of the diaspora, who aroused the whole nation, aroused the whole city, aroused the whole temple, against them, which was necessary, for the chief captain, of the Romans, who was responsible,

over the temple mount area, to bring him out, because they wanted to kill him, and as he was brought out, he went into the castle, Antonia Fortress, and he was kept there, for a while, and then you remember, his nephew, this is his sister's son, heard, that there were 40 individuals, who made a vow, that they are not going, to eat anything, until Paul is being killed, and so he came into, the Antonia Fortress, and he spoke, to the chief captain, and he told, the chief captain, Paul is going to be killed, if you will bring him, into the center there, where the Sanhedrin, is gathered, because there were people, who were planning, to kill

Paul, and therefore, the chief captain, took 470 soldiers, and by night, he took the apostle Paul, and he took him, all the way, to the city of Caesarea, in Hebrew, we call it, Caesarea, 65 miles, through the night, and the next day, until they have arrived, to the city of Caesarea, and there, at the end of chapter 23, he came before, this Roman governor, by the name of Felix, and if you remember, we concluded, at the end of chapter 23, that Felix said, to Paul, I will hear thee, at the end of chapter 23, verse 35, when your accusers, will also come, and he commended, that Paul will be kept, in Herod palace, in Herod

judgment hall, and here, Paul, here, Shaul, this servant, of Yeshua, the Messiah, is kept, in Caesarea, Caesarea, which was, a beautiful city, there, on the shores, of the Mediterranean, and he was kept there, until those, who were his accusers, will come, from Jerusalem, to accuse him, before the governor, Felix, now this governor, apparently, he was, the one, that was governor, of the Roman province, of Judea, one of the provinces, of the Roman Empire, was Judea, and he was, a governor, of this province, apparently, he was a successor, of Pontius Pilate, and he, was there now, as a governor, he had a lot of authority, but he was not, a right man, he was, a wicked

man, actually, he had three wives, and the third wife, that he had, was a young Jewish, woman, that her name, was Drusilla, in Acts chapter 24, verse 24, and she was Jewish, young woman, she actually belonged, to somebody else, and he took her, and he ended up, right now, to be the governor, to judge Paul, and to condemn him, and ultimately, to execute him, but, we see, right now, in the 24th chapter, in those 27 verses, three things, that we see, and we learn, from this chapter, the first thing, we learn, that there were those, who accused him, in verses 1 to 9, there was an accusation, against Paul, before Felix, secondly, we learn here,

in this chapter, in verses 10 to 21, that Paul, defended himself, and he answered, to the accusers, before the governor, Felix, and finally, in verse 22, to verse 27, we hear, and we see, the response, of Felix, to Paul's defense, so what we really see here, caught, in session, accusers, coming to accuse, a man, who were innocent, who didn't have anything, that they could accuse him of, and we can see, and we can see, this false accusation, against, a servant, of our Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, this kind of a thing, beloved brothers, and sisters, have occurred, many, many times, in church history, many, many times, they accused, the people, people of God, actually, it even

happened, before, you remember, when the Jewish boys, Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, he himself, and his friends, were accused, by the Babylonians, those who hated them, and they accused him, before King Nebuchadnezzar, and it happened, in the history of Israel, and it happened, in church history, where there is, false accusation, against the people, of God, and the servants, of our Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, so let's follow through, verse by verse, as we discuss, this passage, very interesting, passage here, the first thing, we find out, in verse one, that it even, the high priest, Hananiah, he was so offended, by the testimony, of Shaul Paul, that he himself, came from Jerusalem, to Kessariah, it says in

verse one, after five days, Hananiah, in English, Ananias, in Hebrew, Hananiah, the high priest, he descended, with the elders, and with a certain, orator, named, Tertullus, who informed, the governor, against Paul, you know what, Hananiah did, he was not right, in his behavior, he did not accept, Yeshua the Messiah, but now, he finding fault, in other Jewish people, who became believers, in Yeshua the Messiah, what does he do, he himself, in person, leave the city, of Jerusalem, coming all the way, to Kessariah, after those five days, that the apostle Paul, remained, in Herod's judgment hall, in Kessariah, and he is coming down, with some of his elders, but then, he bring a person, that he

called here, orator, by the name of, Tertullus, you know the word, orator, simply means, a person, who is a public speaker, he can speak very well, he may have been a lawyer, who is able, to speak very well, and he is able, to accuse, Paul, Shaul, before Felix, so what does he do, he come himself, Hananiah, he bring with him, some of the elders, and this person, that we do not really, know much about, he may not be, even part of the nation, he may not be, even Jewish, but the point is, he was orator, his name was Tertullus, and he was, capable, to accuse somebody, he knew how to talk, he knew how to

say things, against, the apostle, Paul, now you notice, that the word here, in verse 1, so descended, descended, means going down, every time, you leave the city, of Jerusalem, you're going down, every time, you go up, into the city of Jerusalem, you're going up, even geographically, it is very important, to see, when we go to Jerusalem, we always go up, when we come out, of Jerusalem, we're always, going down, it is interesting, by the way, if you turn to chapter 25, in verse 1, you find, that a man, by the name of Festus, we're going to talk about him, he ascended, from Kessaria, to Jerusalem, see, he go up, to Jerusalem, from Kessaria, in chapter

24, verse 1, Hanania going down, from Jerusalem, to the city of Caesarea, and so he bring with him, this orator, by the name of Tertullus, who informed the governor, against Paul, he probably planned it together, they were probably, saying, okay, we have some time, we're going to get to Kessaria, we're going to stand before Felix, we have to find a way, in which we can accuse, this man, by the name of Paul Shaul, and ultimately get him condemned, so, in verses 2 to 4, look at this orator, how he's capable, to flatter Felix, he began by flattery, you know, everything is like that, you want to get somebody, buttered up, you want to speak to

somebody, and get him on your side, you start to speak, some nice thing about him, and look what he's saying, in verse 2, 3 and 4, and when he was called forth, Tertullus began, to accuse him, and he said, seeing that by thee, we enjoy great quietness, and that every worthy deeds, are done unto this nation, by thy providence, we accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness, notwithstanding, that I be, not further, tedious unto thee, I pray thee, that thou would hear us, of thy, clemency, a few words, you know, he began by, buttering him up, it's like, giving flattery, and just kind of talk, to make him feel,

very important, and to say nice things, about this man, Felix was not, a nice man, actually, through Felix, there was a lot of conflict, between the Jewish, community, and the governor, of the Roman province, of Judea, there are many things, that happened historically, that we cannot, just share them now, but there are many things, that happened, because of this man, by the name of Felix, he ultimately took, a wife, a young Jewish woman, and end up, really causing, a lot of problems, to the people of Israel, to the Jewish community, and yet, this man, this orator, public speaker, is buttering up, he's flattering Felix, in order, to get his side, against Paul, now there is

a verse, that King Shlomo, the Melech Israel, the King of Israel, by the name of Solomon, in the Proverbs, he said these words, a lying tongue, hateth those, that are afflicted by it, and listen to the second half, of this verse, 28 of Proverbs 26, and a flattering mouth, works ruin, in other words, if you just give somebody, and flatter him, especially when he does not deserve, this flattering, you're actually working out ruin, it's ultimately going to work, against him, and against yourself, and so, King Solomon was wise, in saying these statements, in the book of Proverbs, but we can see, that this orator, by the name of Tertullus, was first of all, giving a

lot of flattery words, to Felix, in order to get him, on his side, on the side, of those who accuse Paul, and so, in verses 5 and 6, here is the charges, concerning Paul, by Tertullus, in verses 5 and 6, notice he says, four things against Paul, first of all, he says, for we have found this man, a pestilent fellow, in other words, a fellow who is plagued, with something, you know, we find this man, he is really a man, that is plagued, with something, big trouble, he is a troubled man, the second thing he said, here in verse 5, he was a mover of sedition, among all the Jews, throughout the world, here is

this man, first of all, he is a pestilent, a plagued fellow, secondly, he is a mover of sedition, you know, there are those, that we call them, sometimes movers, and shakers, they are the ones, that are moving things about, they are leading, and they are the ones, who are moving things around, to cause things to happen, so he is blaming Paul, and accusing him, that he is seducing, the Jewish people, among all the Jews, throughout the world, he is accusing, Paul that he is the one, who is causing, and seducing people, the Jewish community, around the world, and you can understand, why they say that, because whenever, Shaul Paul went, in Asia Minor, to preach

the message, of the Messiahship of Yeshua, ultimately, it produced, reaction, and those, who rejected, the message of the gospel, ultimately, ended up, causing a lot of problems, and so on, and so, they are accusing him, to be the one, that is a mover, of sedition, among all the Jewish people, throughout the world, thirdly, look at the third accusation, they call him, in verse 5b, a ring leader, of the sect, of the Nazarene, in Hebrew, we call the word, Natsarim, he is a, ring leader, of the sect, of the Nazarenes, this is one of the only time, you hear the word, Nazarenes, in plural, in Hebrew, we call them, Natsarim, and Natsarim, mean, those who are,

the followers, of Yeshua, from Nazaret, and they are called, Natsarim, now, this is important, most of us, most of us, do not know Hebrew, and most of us, did not live, in the land, of Israel, but I want, to say something, that you will understand, and I hope you will, you see, every time, a Jewish person, became, in Israel, a believer, of Yeshua, the Messiah, because, the religious community, did not accept, that Yeshua, was a Mashiach, so they did not, call them, Meshichiyim, but they called, them, Natsarim, in other words, instead of calling, them follower, of the Mashiach, they called, followers, of the men, from Nazareth, Natsarim, why, because, if they will, call them, Meshichiyim,

that means, that they will, have to accept, the fact, that Yeshua, is the Mashiach, and they are followers, of the Messiah, but because, they do not, accept, that Yeshua, is the Mashiach, so they don't, call them, Meshichiyim, they call them, Natsarim, meaning, that they, are followers, of the men, of Nazareth, now that, is interesting, because, even today, beloved brothers, and sisters, and you will, call to Israel, you will walk, in the city, of Yerushalayim, today, and you, will tell somebody, you know, I believe, that Jesus, that Yeshua, is the Messiah, so they say, ah, you became, Natsari, in other words, you became, a follower, of the men, of Nazareth, they will not, call them, you

became, a Meshichi, Messianic, because, they don't, believe, that Yeshua, is the Messiah, but the believers, themselves, call themselves, Messiah follower, or Meshichim, we don't, call ourselves, Natsarim, we call ourselves, Meshichim, because, we believe, that he is, the Messiah, we understand, that he redeemed us, and paid the price, for our sins, but, the, not believers, Jewish community, do not, call, the Jewish believers, Meshichim, but they call them, Natsarim, follower, of the men, from Nazareth, and that's why, you use the word here, Nazarenes, in plural, Nazarenes, plural, there are many, who followed, the men, from Nazareth, I want you, I want you, just to see, couple of things, in order to make, a connection here, with this

accusation, if you, first of all, turn with me, to Isaiah 11, just for a moment, in verse 1, that's where we first, have the word, Netzer, where we get the word, Netzer, Netzer simply means, a branch, or a shoot, Isaiah 11, verse 1, and there shall come forth, a rod, out of the stamp, of Jesse, first is a rod, secondly, and a branch, shall grow, out of his roots, the Hebrew word, for branch, here, is Netzer, is where you get, the word, Natsri, that's where you get, the word, a branch, or a shoot, Netzer, it's a small thing, small shoot, that comes out, of the roots, of the family, of Jesse, and that is one,

of the titles, of Yeshua, the Messiah, he was a Netzer, he was a shoot, he was a branch, that came out, of the family, of Yishai, the father, of King David, that's where you get, first of all, the word, Netzer, in the scripture, now also, please turn with me, to Matthew now, Matthew chapter 2, and the last, verse of Matthew, chapter 2, where, we get, this expression, that the spirit, of God gives us, in verse 23, and he came, and he dwelt, in a city, called, Nazareth, Nazareth, that it, might be fulfilled, which was spoken, by the prophets, he, he, he, shall, be called, a Nazarene, a Nazarene, a Nazarene, or a person, who, came,

from the city, of Nazareth, you see, that's where you get, this thought, of Nazarene, following, the man, who is, from Nazareth, Yeshua, the Messiah, now, one more verse, I would like to read, in the gospel of John, in connection with this, and this time, in chapter 1, please, bear with me, and it was, this question, that Nathaniel said, and you remember, Netanel, he was, one of those, who have heard, about Yeshua, the Messiah, look what he said, in verse 46, and Netanel, said unto him, can there, any good thing, come out, of Nazareth, Philip said unto him, come, and see, so you see, when the Messiah, was born, he was born, in Bethlehem, but where

he lived, he lived in a city, of Nazareth, and everyone, that is living, in a city of Nazareth, called Natsri, Natsri mean, one who belong, to the city, of Nazareth, and so, what happened, when the Jewish, people, who did not accept, the Messiah, saw that some, of their brethren, became believers, in Yeshua, the Messiah, they didn't want, to call them, Meshichim, because they didn't believe, that he was the Mashiach, so they called them, Natsrim, Nazarenes, as we have in the text here, because they denied, the fact, of the Messiahship, of Yeshua, and so, here is the accusation, of Paul, the third, is that he is a, ringleader, among the sect, of the Nazarenes, he didn't

say, he is a ringleader, among the sects, of the Meshichim, the messianics, no, because they didn't believe, that Yeshua, was the Messiah, by the way, the word Messiah, or Meshichim, in Hebrew, comes, in the Greek, is where you get, the word Christian, or Christos, and you and I, call ourselves, Meshichim, or Christians, because the Bible, teaches us, in Acts 11, and verse 26, the believers, who follow the Messiah, were first called, Meshichim, Messiah followers, it was in Antioch, as we have already, covered that, in the earlier study, of the book, of Acts, and so here's the accusation, verse 5, you have three accusation, he is a pestilent fellow, he is a mover, of sedition, he

is a ringleader, of the sect, of the Nazarenes, they called him, a ringleader, of that sect, well, he was a leader, definitely, and by the way, they used the word, sect, in first century, the Jewish people, look at those, who follow Jesus, the Messiah, as a sect, there was a sect, of the Pharisees, there was a sect, of the Sadducees, there was a sect, of the Herodians, there was a sect, of the Nazarenes, the Messiah followers, so there were many, sects, that existed, in first century, so the Jewish believers, were still looked, as part of the nation, the sect, of the Nazarene, and fourthly, in verse 6, it says, who also, has gone about, to

profane, the temple, in other words, they call him, a profaner, of the temple, in the city, of Jerusalem, it was again, a false accusation, that this man, by the name, of Tertullus, accused, Paul, before Felix, for accusation, but every one, of them, without exception, was wrong, and it was, false accusation, so now, in verse 7, and 8, Tertullus, pointing, to the chief captain, who removed, Paul, from those, who wanted, to kill him, it says, in verse 7, and 8, but the chief captain, Lysias, came upon us, and with great violence, took him away, out of our hands, commending, his accusers, to come unto thee, by examining, of whom thyself, mayest take knowledge, of all these

things, whereof we accuse him, so now, they blamed, the chief captain, that he took them, as it says here, violently, took him away, from my hands, well, they wanted to kill him, and he took him away, he saved Paul's life, by bringing him, into the castle, to protect him, from those, who wanted, to kill, the apostle Paul, and so, now this lawyer, if you will, Tertullus, this orator, blaming now, this chief captain, Lysias, that he saved, the apostle Paul, out of the hand, maybe they could have, done something to him, right there, and then, but the chief captain, had saved him, from those, who wanted, to kill him, and so those, four accusation, against Paul,

Shaul, by this man, the orator, Tertullus, which, really, was presented, before Felix, and then, in verse nine, notice that now, how the rest, of the people, who came, with Tertullus, they have agreed, with him, it says in verse nine, and the Jews, also, assented, saying, that these things, were so, in other words, Hananiah, and the rest, of the elders, who came, they say, yes, all these things, really happened, in other words, they have agreed, with what, this man, this orator, has said, to the governor, Felix, he said, yes, he was guilty, of all those, four things, now, you can see, how, the accusation, against the apostle, Paul, before Felix, it wouldn't be, the hands of

the Lord, he could have been, right there, and then, totally removed, from this world, by execution, because Felix, had the right, to put him, in judgment, because of this accusation, but now, brothers and sisters, look how, precious, the word of God, here, the apostle Paul, now defending himself, before Felix, in verses 10, to verse 21, he answers, to Felix, to all what, he was accused, and Paul, does something, so much beautiful, so much different, than his accusers, he doesn't paint, Felix, as a great man, he doesn't, butter him up, he doesn't, kind of give him, all these flattery words, as if Felix, you are such a great, man, he basically, tell Felix, what really, had

happened, and so he began, in verse 10, Paul began to speak, before the governor, Paul after, that the governor, this is Felix, had beckoned, unto him, to speak, he must have made, a move with his hand, he said to him, you know, he probably, didn't even say anything, he just told him, go ahead and speak, and he answered, he says, for as much as I know, that thou has been, of many years, a judge, unto this nation, I do, the more cheerfully, answer for myself, in other words, the only good thing, that he could say, about Felix, he says, Felix, you have been, for many years, a judge, over this nation, that's probably, the only

good thing, that could be said, about Felix, because he was not, really, a decent individual, he had a lot of things, that he calls, to the Jewish community, and the only thing, that Israel could do, is because they were, under the hands, of the Romans, they had to accept it, they had to submit, to the authority, of the Romans, because the Romans, were occupying the land, the Jewish community, were under the occupation, of the Romans, do you know, they didn't have, the liberty, that they would have liked, to have, they didn't have, the freedom, that they would like, to have, they couldn't express, themselves, even in their own, temple area, they were watched, by the

Romans, authority, the Romans, chief captain, who could see, what was going on there, they didn't have, the freedom, that they would like, to have had, so believe me, there was not, a good relationship, but because, they could not, help it, they were under, the occupation, of the Romans, they had to submit, to it, and Paul, he's just saying, I know, that you have been, for many years, a judge, unto this nation, apparently, by that time, he was at least, five years, the governor, of the Roman province, of Judea, apparently, he was a commander, in the Roman army, previous, to becoming, a governor, so, so, so, he knew, a lot, about, the Jewish people, about, the

nation, of Israel, in fact, notice, in verses, 11, to 16, Paul, answered, the accusation, of, Tertullus, and he began, by saying, this, in verse 11, he says, listen, I was only, 12 days, in the city, of Jerusalem, how much problems, could I have made, in those 12 days, he says, because it, you may understand, that there are, yet, about 12 days, since I went, up, to Jerusalem, for to worship, here's the reason, that I came, to Jerusalem, Governor Felix, I came, to Jerusalem, to worship, I'm a Jew, among my people, came, to the city, of Jerusalem, for to worship, and you notice, again, the Apostle Paul, used the word, up, knowing, that geographically, it is,

yes, going up, but it is also, you can say, spiritually, when the presence, of the Lord, when you're going, to the presence, of the Lord, you're going up, now mind you, at that time, the nation, rejected the Messiah, and Israel, were not, in a healthy, spiritual state, so he, has a reference, to physically, going up, to the city, of Jerusalem, but I went, to worship, just like any, other Jewish person, would go, to worship, in the temple, in the city, of Jerusalem, and then, brothers and sisters, look at that, he's speaking, about himself, Paul, in a very, profound way, in verse 12, and 13, he said, I really haven't, done what I am, accused of,

they neither, found me, in the temple, disputing with any man, neither, raising up, the people, neither, in the synagogues, nor, in the city, verse 13, neither, can they prove, the things, what they say, and what I have done, prove anything, that they say, against me, let them prove that, they cannot, prove, that I have done, that I have done, all these things, what they say, and what I have done, are two, different, things, brothers and sisters, look at this, for a moment, how many, believers, have been accused, of things, that they have not, done, but those, who hated them, and opposed them, and some of them, even lost their lives, and they were innocent, they

haven't done, anything wrong, and here, Paul said, I haven't done, those things, they cannot prove, the things, were of, they now, accuse me, Shaul, Paul is saying, to the governor, Felix, and notice here, the next verse, he says, now here is something, that I want to confess, before you, Felix, in verse 14, he confessed, before him, something that he can be, maybe accused of, he says, by this, I confess, unto thee, Felix, listen to these, brothers and sisters, after the way, which they call heresy, so worship I, the God of my fathers, believing all things, which are written, in the law, and in the prophets, here's Paul, listen, if there is anything, that I'm guilty

of, he's saying to him, is I am guilty, that I believe, in all the things, things that my forefathers, have taught us, in the Hebrew scriptures, he used the word, the law, and the prophet, Torah, law, prophets, Nevi'im, and he says, listen, they can accuse me, of this, that I simply, believe, and I call, a heresy, because I worship, the God of my fathers, now, you notice, that Paul, does not say, the God of their fathers, not because, God is not the God, of Israel's fathers, yes, he is, but Paul, never disassociated, himself from Israel, as a Jewish man, as an Israeli man, as a Hebrew man, he always, associated himself, with the nation, of

Israel, he always did, but he was misunderstood, by his people, and so, he says, listen, I confess, Felix, that after, the way, notice this expression, the way, which they call, heresy, you know, who was the first one, who was talking about, their way, it was Yeshua, in John chapter 14, and verse 6, Yeshua said to his Hebrew disciples, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, no one come to the father, but by me, I am the way, to God, I am the Messiah, I am the Mashiach, he said, and so here, Paul, he's saying, listen, I confess to you, that I, after, the way, they call heresy, I follow, after

this way, and then he says, this is the way, that I worship, the God, of, my, fathers, and who is his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Yechezkel, Netanyel, and Daniel, and on and on, we can go on, with all the fathers, of the nation of Israel, who wrote in the word of God, concerning the coming, of the Messiah, and Shaul Paul saying, listen, I do not, introduce, something new, I follow, after that, which the God, of my fathers, have shared, through the law, and through, the prophets, and, we do the same thing, beloved brothers and sisters, by believing, that Yeshua, is the Messiah, we are actually, fulfilling, what God, had promised, in the

scripture, to be a believer, in Yeshua, the Messiah, it's not to deviate, from the word of God, actually, it is to accept, the totality, of the word of God, and to submit, to the fact, that this is indeed, the word, of God, and so, he is saying, this is something, that I admit, in other words, he admitted, that he is a believer, in Yeshua, the Messiah, the way, the truth, and the life, and so, he continues, in verse 15, and he says, I have the hope, of the resurrection, which our forefathers, were teaching, about the resurrection, of the Messiah, and the resurrection, of the just, and the unjust, that's what he says, in verse 15,

he says, I have the hope, toward God, notice that, which they themselves, also allow, that there, shall be, a resurrection, of the dead, both of the just, and, of the unjust, and, he is of course, pointing, that they, is not the Sadducees, that's Dukim, because that's Dukim, the Sadducees, did not believe, in the resurrection, but it was, the Pharisees, who did, and the rest, of the sects, among our people, Israel, they believed, that there is, a resurrection, and where did, they come to, the understanding, that there is a resurrection, they must have read, Isaiah chapter 26, they must have read, Daniel chapter 12, which we just read, in the text, of our reading, there is

a day coming, that there is, a resurrection, of the just, and the unjust, and I, want to read to you, Daniel chapter 12, and verses 1 and 2, where God spoke, to Daniel, and he said to him, we read here, in this chapter 12, and verse 1, look what it says, and at that time, shall Michael stand up, the great prince, which standeth, for the children of Israel, the children of thy people, and there shall be, a time of trouble, he's talking about, the tribulation period, such as never, such as never was, since there was a nation, even to that same time, and at that time, thy people, shall be delivered, every one, that shall

be found, written in, the book, and then he says, and many of them, that sleep, these are people, who died, in the dust, of the earth, shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some, to everlasting, contempt, in other words, there is, that two resurrection, the resurrection, of the ones, who believed in God, and the resurrection, of the one, who did not, believe, in God, some to everlasting life, and some, to everlasting, contempt, and judgment, and Paul believed in that, he believed in the resurrection, and the Sadducees didn't, and by the way, Hananiah, the high priest, he was a Sadducee, he was Tzaduk, or Tzadik, he did not accept, the resurrection, and when, Paul stood for

that, and shared it, and believed in that, and professed it, and preached, that, Hananiah didn't like it, and those Sadducees, who did not believe, in the resurrection, actually sought, to oppose, Paul, because of his faith, and so, we have here, Paul defending himself, and he answering, to those who accuse him, and especially, the accusation, of Tertullus, the orator, in verse 15, he says, I have to hope towards, God, which they themselves, also allow, that there shall be, a resurrection, of the dead, both of the just, and the unjust, and brothers and sisters, let's not make a mistake, it's, some believe, about the resurrection, but they believe, that everyone, going to rise, at the same time,

some believe, all sort of things, concerning the resurrection, but the Bible, but the Bible, it clearly teaches, that we have, the first resurrection, which is a resurrection, of believers only, and even those believers, there are stages, of the first resurrection, and then we have, the second resurrection, and this is the resurrection, of the unbelievers, there is at least, a thousand years, different, between the one, and the others, the first resurrection, has to do, with the resurrection, of the believers, the dead, in the Messiah, shall rise first, then we, which are alive, and remain, shall be caught, to meet the Lord, in the air, that's going to happen, at the end, of the church age, but

then we have, the resurrection, of the unbelievers, and they will rise, at the end, of the millennial age, the kingdom age, only to be cast, into, the lake, of fire, spirit, soul, and the resurrected body, all together, to be cast, into the lake of fire, that's why, he's speaking here, the resurrection, both of the just, this is the believers, and the unjust, this is the unbelievers, and so, after he finished here, in verse 16, Paul says, and herein, do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience, void of offense, towards God, and towards man, Paul says, I exercise myself, to have a clean conscience, a conscience, that is void, of offense, I did not want,

to offend them, I love my brethren, Paul is really saying, to Felix, but they were offended, because I believe, in those things, but they do not believe, this is what, our forefathers, have taught us, in the word of God, but they rejected, I do not want, to offend them, I exercise myself, I work hard, I work hard, and not offending, my brethren, my people, but they became offended, because they have rejected, what God, had spoken, in his word, so, in verses 11, to 16, Paul answered, to the accusation, of Tertullus, and he ended up, with this, and now, he is giving, an answer, in verses 17, to 19, to those, who accused him, came from

Asia Minor, these are the Jewish people, of the diaspora, by the way, they were not here, before Felix, they were not there, to accuse him, they have probably, finished the time, in the temple, gone back to Asia Minor, did not even come, to Kessaria, to accuse him, but they were the ones, that caused, all this, riot, to happen, and so Paul, in verse 17, 18, and 19, he is answering, to the accusation, of those, from Asia Minor, he says, now, after many years, I came, to bring, arms to my nation, and offerings, whereupon, certain Jews, from Asia, found me, purifying, in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tumult, who ought, to have been here,

before thee, and object, if they have, ought against me, in other words, those, Jewish people, from the diaspora, who came, to the temple, act chapter 21, we read of them, in verse 26, to 31, who caused, all the problems, in the temple, they were not there, and they were the ones, who caused, all the problems, but they finished, their time, in the temple, in Israel, in Jerusalem, they went back, to Asia Minor, and they are the one now, that because of them, Paul finds himself, in Kessaria, before Felix, and so, Paul is saying, listen, I came, notice how beautiful, the apostle Paul, here doing, he said in verse 17, after many years, I came to

bring arms, to my nation, notice again, how he again, and again, emphasized, my forefathers, he says earlier, now he says, my nations, the God, of my fathers, he never said, the God, who used to be, my God, because he believed, in the God, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Israel, was his nation, and if you remember, in this verse 17, the arms, was really, to be brought, to the Jewish believers, in Jerusalem, but he calls it, my nation, in other words, when he was coming, to bring those gifts, perhaps some money, perhaps something, from the Gentiles believers, in Asia Minor, who gave those gifts, he was actually, carrying those gifts, to bring to the Jewish believers,

in the city, of Jerusalem, in Judea, so he's saying here, after many years, I've been away, for a while, I've been there, in Asia Minor, I came now, to bring those arms, to my nation, and offerings, that's why I came, and then, certain of the Jewish people, from Asia, found me purifying, in the temple, and then, they didn't see me, with multitude, or with tumult, and then, where are they now, where are they, that accused me, they're supposed to be here, now to accuse me, they're not even here, see he was, telling them to understand, the people who accuse me, are not even really here, the one who called, all these riots, they're not even

here, they caused the problem, went back to Asia Minor, and left Paul, with all this trouble, that he had to go through, and others took the ball, if it will, and continue, to accuse him, so he's answering, to the accusation, of those from Asia Minor, who accused him, in verse 17, 18, and 19, always looking at himself, as part of the nation, of Israel, after many years, I came to bring arms, to my nation, now finally, in his defense, before Felix, in verse 20 and 21, Paul answered, to the accusation, of those who were right there present, because there were some who came, Hananiah was one of them, Eldes was there, and this of course,

Tertullus, he was there as well, and here he's answering them, in verse 20 and 21, first of all, in verse 20, he says, I want to know, what these here, can accuse me of, he says, or else, let these, another one, the one that are there, that I hear say, if they have found, any evil, doing in me, while I stood, before the council, he says, what they can accuse me, when I stood, before the council, and I shared, before the Sanhedrin, concerning the Messiahship, of Yeshua, what they can accuse me, what have I done wrong, and then in verse 21, he says, there is only one thing, if they want to accuse me, those

that are here right now, Hananiah, the high priest, the elders, here is one thing, that they can accuse me of, verse 21, except it be, for this one voice, that I cried, when I was standing among them, touching the resurrection, of the dead, I am called, in question, by you, this day, Felix, you see what I am accused of, I am accused, by them today, touching the resurrection, of the dead, they accuse me, because I believe, in the resurrection, and I admit it, he really say, I believe, in the resurrection, Felix, and we know very well, why he believed, in the resurrection, of the dead, because he believed, the word of God, the God of

my fathers, who, his words are written, in the law, and, in the prophets, and I tell you, brothers and sisters, it is the very same, accusation, that our Jewish brethren, who believe, who believe in Yeshua, today, in the land of Israel, accused, by our own, brethren, who do not yet, believe in Yeshua, the same thing, because they believe, in this Yeshua, from Nazareth, because they believe, that he is the Messiah, because they believe, in the resurrection, they are accused, by others, how could you believe, in this thing, but it is in the Bible, what do you want me to do, not to believe, in the word of God, you see, that is the struggle, the

conflict, that is existing today, even among us, messianic believers, and non-messianic, Jewish people, we are having, that conflict, concerning person, in the work, of Yeshua, the Messiah, now let's conclude, with this, interesting, account, in verse 22, to 27, of this chapter, the last verses here, we see the response, of Felix, see Paul, was faithful, to the word of God, he said, I believe in Yeshua, he is the way, the truth, and the life, he died, he was buried, and he rose, from among the dead, basically, he was telling him, the gospel message, even though, we don't see it, in very much detail, but he was definitely, speaking about, the resurrection, of the Messiah, Yeshua, and

so, Felix now, apparently, he was convicted, but you see, it's not enough, to be convicted, it's one thing, to be convicted, and accept, the Messiah, it's another thing, to be convicted, and reject, the Messiah, that is exactly, what people have to make, a decision today, when they hear, the message, of the gospel, and they are convicted, they either accept it, or reject it, I'm sure, you heard the expression, that the same, sun, that melts, the wax, the wax, harden, the clay, the same message, that soften our hearts, and bring us, to the knowledge, of the Messiah, it's the same message, that harden us, or we are hardened, towards it, and we end up, getting further,

and further, from the word, of God, and here, we see Felix, who was convicted, and yet, delayed, his acceptance, of Yeshua, the Messiah, and so, you see, in verse 22, and 23, we find, how he was convicted, but he delayed, his decision, it says, in verse 22, when Felix, heard, these things, having, more perfect knowledge, of that way, he deferred them, and he said, when Lysias, the chief captain, shall come down, I will know, the uttermost, of your matter, and he commanded, a centurion, to keep Paul, and to let him, have liberty, and that he, should forbid, none of his acquaintance, to minister, or come unto him, so we find out, first of all, what

Felix did, he was convicted, and he knew, the truth, and because it says, he heard these things, from Paul, about the resurrection, and the resurrection, of the Messiah, and then, he had more perfect knowledge, of that way, in other words, he knew, because he was a governor, for over five years, and he was a commander, of some of the military, in Judea, he knew, about that way, he have already heard, about these Jewish, believers, who believed, in the men, from Nazaret, that he was, the Mashiach, he knew, he was acquainted, with that, he was convicted, he knew the truth, but instead, of accepting, the truth, look what he said, he deferred them, he says, you

know what, when Lysias, the chief captain, shall come, down, then will I, hear a little bit more, of you, he said to Paul, and you know, how many people today, they hear the message, of the gospel, and they say, you know what, it's not the time, right now for me, I'm kind of busy, I don't have, a lot of time, to spend with you, I don't have, a lot of time, to hear what you have to say, say you know what, we'll talk about it later, we deferred it, and we say, you know later on, later on, when the chief captain, is going to come, then I'm going to hear, a little bit more, about

what you have to say, Paul, he was convicted, and then you see, you notice that in verse 23, he knew very well, that Paul was not guilty, because he should have maybe, right now, maybe pronounced judgment on him, but you notice what he does, with Paul, it says that he commended, verse 23, the centurion, to keep Paul, in other words, he locked him, but look how he locked him, and he let him, to have liberty, that he should not forbid, none of his acquaintance, to minister, and to come to him, now, remember where Paul was, he was, Paul was now, in the judgment hall, in the palace of Herod, in Kessaria, in other words, he

put Paul, in the palace there, and he kept him, for a little longer, but he says, you know what, Paul, you can have visitors, people can come to see you, to minister to you, you can have plenty of food, plenty of liberty, because he knew, that Paul was not guilty, he knew, that he could not, accuse Paul, and ultimately judge him, and condemn him, to be killed, he knew, that he was convicted, but he says, you know what, Felix said to Paul, he said, listen, I will know more, about what you have to say, about this resurrection, and the resurrected one, a little bit, later on, he says, we will wait, let's defer, let's leave

it a little bit, for later on, like we also, when we tell somebody, about Yeshua, he said, you know what, brother Gideon, I'll talk to you, about this later on, I don't have the time, for this right now, you see, there is time, for so many things, but no time, to hear about, the lover of our souls, you know, last night, I was so happy, with the discussion, that we have, at the home, there was a young lady, who came to hear us, talking about the Lord, and you know, what we talked about, we talked about, what will you do, when you're going to have, to end up your life here, and you have to

stand, before God, do you know, where you're going to, spend eternity, there is one appointment, that none of us, will miss, and this is an appointment, with death, it is appointed, unto men, once to die, and after this, the judgment, and people try, to delay it, and to say, we'll talk about God, and my eternal soul, later on, you know, we will talk about it, a bit later on, and time comes, when they haven't, made a decision, for Yeshua, and their sins, haven't been dealt with, and they're going to end up, where the Lord, going to tell to them, depart, for me, ye workers, of iniquities, you rejected, the Messiah, in your lifetime, you will

eternally, suffer distance, from him, and that's why, it is important for us, to deal with the question, of our relationship, with the Lord, here and now, and not to defer it, and to delay it, like Felix did, and look what he did, even more, and I'm going to conclude, with this, in verse 24, 25, and 26, here is Felix, second visit with Paul, he now called him, in verse 24, Felix wanted to hear, from Paul, about the Messiah, look at this, and after certain days, when Felix, came with his wife, Drusilla, which was, a Jewish woman, he sent for Paul, and listen, and hear him, concerning the faith, in Mashiach, in Christ, in Christos, in

the Messiah, you see, that apparently, what Paul said, about the resurrection, to Felix, he knew very well, that it is connected, with the Messiah, Yeshua, so after a few days, he's coming with his wife, this is by the way, his third wife, and he's coming to Kessaria, and he's calling for Paul, he's calling to have a visit, with Paul, he sent Paul, to come to him, because he wants to hear, about Paul, faith, in the Messiah, what an opportunity, Paul had, what an opportunity, Felix had, to hear now, about the Messiah, from Paul, and to accept him, and to embrace him, and to make him, the Lord of his life, but look what he did,

look what we read, in verse 25, Paul preached to Felix, about the truth, of the gospel, it says, verse 25, and as he reasoned, of righteousness, and temperance, and judgment, to come, Felix trembled, and he answered, go thy way, for this time, when I have convenient season, I will call, for thee, you see, Paul came to him, Paul did not, beat around, the bush, Paul spoke, honestly, I believe, graciously, and fairly, and he spoke to him, about three things, he said to Felix, he spoke to him, about righteousness, he spoke to him, about temperance, mean, simply means, self-control, and he spoke to him, about judgment, Felix, was an unrighteous, man, Felix, did not have, self-control,

and Felix, was awaiting, judgment, of God, and he didn't like, to hear that, he didn't like, to hear about that, so you see, when Paul spoke to him, by the way, he was not temperance, he was not self-controlled, by the very fact, that he took, somebody else's wife, and make her his own, but he's done, so many other things, did not have self-control, like we don't have, self-control, the time we failed, the Lord so much, he did not have, righteous life, at all, he was unrighteous man, and the only thing, that is left for him, was judgment, but he refused, to accept the judgment, that the Messiah took, Yeshua, when he was judge, for us,

so we do not, receive the judgment, that we deserve, to get, and so Felix, said to him, he trembled, by the way, he trembled, he was afraid, he was afraid, but again, brothers and sisters, you know, trembling, should drive us, to the Lord, should drive us, to repent, and to say, Lord God, I've sinned, God be merciful, to me a sinner, but instead, of trembling, and confessing, he trembled, and defer, to accept, the Messiah, he answered, and he says, you know Paul, go your way, for this time, when I have, a convenient time, I'm going to call you, well brothers, and sisters, we never read, in the Bible, that ever, Felix had, a convenient time,

he never had, the right time, and how many, people today, do not take, the time, to say, Lord, I need you, in my life, I need you, to save me, for my sin, I'm a sinner, save me, here he, had an opportunity, but he rejected, the message, that Paul, shared with him, when I have, a convenient time, I will, call, thee, and so, we finally read, in verse 26, how the heart, of Felix, was really, so hardened, because, Felix was hoping, that he will receive, some money from Paul, in other words, he thought, that Paul will tell him, you know what Felix, I want to go out of jail, here's some money, take me please,

out of jail, because it says, in verse 26, he hoped also, that money should be, given to him, of Paul, that he might, lose him, in other words, he thought, that Paul was going to say, please Felix, take me out of here, here's take money, I want to buy myself, out of prison, but you know Paul, he did not, buy himself, out of prison, he said, every time, wherefore, he sent for him, often time, and commune with him, in other words, he sent people to him, he was hoping, that every time, Paul will seek a release, but Paul didn't, he remained there, in prison, even though, they have treated him, very well, for a long

time, and he did not, buy himself, out of prison, because, he was not guilty, he didn't do anything, that he should be, in prison, and chapter is concluding, brothers and sisters, in verse 27, how long, Paul was in, Kessaria, in jail, the Bible tells us, that he was, two years, in Kessaria, in, that, judgment hall, of Herod's, the palace there, for two years, it says in verse 27, but after two years, Portius Festius, came into Felix, in the Felix room, and Felix, willing to show, the Jews, a pleasure, left, Paul, bound, now look at, the wicked man, that he was, he wanted to please, the Jewish community, and he left, Paul, an innocent man, for

two years, bound, in prison, in the palace, of Herod, in the judgment hall, for those, whole, two years, just to get, his own way, you see, we learn from Felix, a man, who hardened, his heart, towards, the things, of God, and we never, in the Bible, ever read of him, ever turning to, the God, of the word of God, like Cain, very similar to Cain, when God said to Cain, Cain, there is sin offering, laying at the door, Cain, take the sin offering, offer it, and you will be accepted, shall not thou be accepted, and we read in the Bible, that Cain went out, of the presence, of the Lord, and we never, ever read,

that Cain, ever turned back, to the presence, of the Lord, that's what happened, to Felix, he rejected, waited, for a convenient time, it probably never came, and by the way, we find from history, that, at about 60 AD, Felix, was replaced, by Festius, that's the next person, we're going to read about, in chapter 25, it was Nero, who deposed Felix, and brought him, back to Rome, and Felix, was no longer, the governor, of the Roman province, of Judea, in about 59, 60 AD, he was removed, from there, and was brought, by Nero, to the city, of Rome, and we do not know, at least, I do not know, how he ended up, his life, but

we never, read from history, that he became, a believer, in our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, may the Lord, soften hearts, brothers and sisters, and not allow hearts, to be hardened, and let's, if there is anybody here, who is not a believer, in Yeshua, don't make, the same mistake, that Felix did, don't say, when I have, a convenient season, then I will call, for you, take the opportunity, accept the Lord, into your life, today, don't delay, today, is the day, of salvation, may the Lord, bless his word, to us all, let's say, amen everyone, amen.