Move him!

Good morning. As we step into Acts of the Apostles, chapter 23, verses 23 through 35, I want to thank Jim for helping us get the emphasis on the right syllable. It's very helpful. So anyway, we're in good start there. As we step through this, and as you see in your handout, Paul is going to be starting with the soldiers that he read about here, hundreds of them, from the Antonia Fortress, which is the fortress called the Barracks in this passage, where they have the fortress overlooking and immediately next to the larger temple courtyard. And from there, according to the map that we have here, Caesarea will be where Paul is starting out. And Jerusalem is, excuse me, where he ends up. Jerusalem is where he's going to be starting out that night. And so anyway, we have our geography. It is ordinarily, in those days, travel was, a good day's travel was about 20 miles.

So this means you're going to take this on at a very quick pace. And even the soldiers who are walking, they are walking fast with full armor. So imagine what that's like. They're carrying armor, they're walking quick, and when they get to Antipatris, Antipatris, right? So when you get to that, then they've got to go back. So this is a very aggressive march to get Paul very quickly out of Jerusalem. Now, as we go through this, it is real easy for us to look at this and just say, well, okay, here's a bunch of logistics.

Here's Paul. He's riding a horse. He's got replacement horses with him. You've got other 70 horsemen who are there. And so they're going along taking Paul. And depending on how you interpret this, there's 200 or 400 additional foot soldiers and so the question is is that just simply 200 figures is actually 400 so that would be a total of 470 soldiers and then they're going to take them to a Caesarea where Felix is the governor and And is that where it all starts is that where it all stops is this all about logistics and nothing? Spiritual is going on Well, I would suggest to you, no, this is actually inspired in scripture, and there's a reason why this is given, and it's beyond just historical data. Let's imagine, for example, is the Apostle Paul on this brisk ride from Jerusalem to Caesarea.

Is he just going along saying, look at the moon, it's not quite half full. You know, these are really nice trees as far as I can tell. I'm glad for those torches, at least I can see something in this darkness of night. Is that all that's going on? Is that all that's passing through his mind? Or is he instead thinking about some other things? Is he instead thinking about, you know, I had written to the church in Rome several months ago.

And I'd ask them, please pray with me that I might be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that I might go to Rome in the blessing of Christ and in the will of God. See, thinking about that, and thinking, Lord, thank you for fulfilling, as a matter of fact, we're going to see at the end, exactly what I asked prayer for. I asked prayer of those saints in Rome that I would be on my way to them in the blessing of Christ and the will of God and that I would be rescued from those who are disobedient. We're going to see right in here whether that was answered. We're going to find out, yes it was.

Can you imagine Here's the Apostle Paul, is he learning to trust the Lord through these crazy sets of circumstances? Yes he is. Have you ever been through crazy sets of circumstances? Can you trust the Lord in the middle of that? Yeah. This is not a time for the Apostle Paul to be hypothetical. but to actually trust the Lord.

And by the way, hours before this departure they're about to take, hours before Christ appeared to him to comfort him, personally, right next to him, appeared to him and said, just as you have been my witness in Jerusalem, you will also be in Rome. Comfort that what? What he had asked the believers to pray about? was being fulfilled, His being brought that brisk travel from Jerusalem to Caesarea was in fact an answer to prayer.

Can you imagine, here's the Apostle Paul, he's on this horse, and does he feel safe? Several hundred soldiers? I think so, you know. So he has a lot to be thankful for. And what we're going to find is, is to the Word the exact answer to prayer that he had asked the Romans to pray for several months earlier. To the Word is the exact answer to prayer.

Can you imagine the Apostle Paul as he's writing? By the way, I tried showing a picture of Paul traveling at night. You can't see a thing, right? I tried all kinds of things, it just doesn't work. So I just use the daytime stuff, you know. So, imagine, here he is riding along. Imagine what he was thankful for. Lord, thank you that at that moment, that critical moment, I could say, hey, do you guys beat Romans? Do you guys beat Roman citizens? Thank you that astoundingly, my nephew heard about this death plot.

Do you know how many thousands of people there were in Jerusalem? And out of a small group of people, a small group of people, his nephew who knows Paul, right? His nephew hears out of all the hubbub and everything going on in Jerusalem about the death plot against him.

And he knows where Paul is. That's another miracle. Where is this guy? He knows where Paul is, comes in and gains the confidence of the commander. Thank you, Lord, that that all worked out. Thank you, Lord, for answering prayer that I asked the Romans to pray for several months ago. Oh, one other thing. As soon as Paul was captured and then brought into the Roman fortress, Do you think that all the believers in Rome just said, oh well? No. They began doing what? Pray.

They prayed for Paul. They may not have known all the details about what he asked for from the church at Rome, but certainly they were praying for him as well. The church in Rome had already been praying for months ahead of this point. Thank you Lord for answered prayer, and thank you Lord you answered the prayer precisely, as we're going to see.

So as we go through these, I think it's important for us not to just think, oh there's a bunch of logistics. Are these facts of history? Absolutely they are. These actually occurred. But it's important for us to keep in mind Paul's big perspective on this.

He trusted the Lord. He abided in Christ and Christ in him. He put his faith and confidence in the Lord. I can just imagine Paul saying, thank you for this. Thank you for that nephew who happened to be right there. That was a miracle. Thank you, Lord. that I was moments away from being torn to shreds twice, and you rescued me out of it both times. So let's keep that in mind as we step through here.

Acts 23 and 24, and he called him two of the centurions, and this is the commander, right? Get 200 soldiers ready by the third hour of the night to proceed to Caesarea with 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen. So they were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to Felix the governor. As Jim pointed out, this is multiple mounts. Let's point out a few other things. This is at least 270 and possibly 470 soldiers. How many soldiers does it take to protect Paul from 40 plus Jews?

This is overkill, but you know what? This kind of response was standard among the Romans many times. But why? Because the Romans wanted to have overwhelming power always. When the Romans came to attack Jerusalem in 70 AD, they kept a legion just in reserve. They didn't even use them, ever. But they kept one legion in reserve. So they wanted to come in with an overwhelming force every time.

And that's exactly what they did here. And there you go to Caesarea and take Paul to Felix the governor. So we're going to take a look at that. So this is overnight delivery. Okay, not like FedEx, not like UPS. This is a Roman delivery special, right? Starting at 9pm.

So, rather than the next day being, as the Jews had expected, an opportunity for an ambush, by the time they carry out their ambush, there's no Paul and no Roman soldiers accompanying him to ambush. By the time the Jews were expecting an ambush, they are already on their way to Caesarea, having left the fortress at Antipatrus. These guys are dozens of miles away when the Jews discover, oh, we're going to have to eat after all, right? So in order to completely derail the plans of the 40 plus Jews under the pretense of having this meeting with the Sanhedrin, Claudius Lysias as we see his name shortly. He's the Roman commander.

He signed at least 270 and possibly 470 soldiers almost 500 soldiers. I started looking around for is there some kind of a picture of some kind of an illustration. I couldn't find actually what was completely adequate. This picture here starts to give the idea of how many soldiers this is. If 40 Jews are going to attack them, good luck. These soldiers were ordered to deliver Paul overnight to the Roman governor. He's actually the procurator is the technical name.

Antonius Felix and Caesarea the very next day. June 5th, 57, along with a letter, as we will see. Now, there is a reason here for providing this specific date, and even for this specific time. The time, even, that's inspired by God, and it's there for a reason. What we're seeing, these are actual historical events. And one of the things that is important to bring out here, one of the reasons for getting very specific about the times and the places and that sort of thing, these were real historical events.

They are not just Bible stories. They're not just Bible stories. Same thing with everything else that the Bible presents. They're not just a Bible story. Isn't that a nice story? They are actual, real-world events. Along with the letter, which as we see, we are going to find precisely the same letter as was sent, not an approximation. We'll point that out. So I want to introduce you to this fellow Marcus Antonius Felix. Marcus Antonius Felix, he was a governor, or as we say exactly, the procurator of Syria and Judah. Those two were lumped together.

He was the first and some would say the only Roman governor who had been at one time a slave. Can you imagine that? He had been a slave of the Emperor's mother and let go. And he became a Roman governor or procurator. And so far as we know, this is quite likely the only one in history that we have any knowledge of that that's true of. An amazing thing. It would be nice if that were the only characteristic this fellow had.

He had others. He was a nasty, awful man, and I'm not being hyperbolic about that, whose many vicious cruelties among the Jews got the Jews so inflamed that that ended up being one of the things that ultimately brought the Jews into open rebellion. So we might as well rebel. A whole bunch of us are dying anyway because of this guy. One more thing, and we'll see this in a little bit. This guy was always looking for a bribe. Same thing with Paul. He was always looking for a bribe. That's what he was famous for. Really nice guy.

Here's Acts 23, 25 through 30, which is the letter that Claudius Lysias, the commander there at Antonia Fortress, wrote to Governor Felix regarding Paul. So he wrote a letter having this form, and that word for form, that word means it's not just this is an approximation, it's not just this is like the letter, this is an exact copy of the letter. So what you're reading here is precisely what was written. So somehow Dr. Luke got a hold of this exact document and put that down.

This is Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings. When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. In wanting to ascertain the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their counsel. And I found him to be accused over questions about their law, but under no accusation deserving death or imprisonment. When I was informed that there would be a plot against this man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to bring charges against him before you."

Okay, so the address, the most excellent, is an address of status in the Roman Empire that is, by the way, the exact same way that Dr. Luke addressed Theophilus back in Luke 1.3.

This is the second letter to Theophilus, the book of Acts. So the most excellent was only given to people of a very high status. And so that gives us a clue. This Theophilus that Dr. Luke wrote to in both the Gospel of Luke and this letter was a fellow of very high standing. Claudius Lysias letter was standard Roman government practice that it was it wasn't just deliver Paul, but here's Here's Paul.

Here's who he is Here's his status as a Roman citizen, and here's what my findings so far. I bring them to you right now There are some omissions and distortions in this letter, okay? dr. Luke copied the letter precisely, but there are omissions and distortions, and we'll take a look at those.

He omitted any implication that he had done anything wrong regarding Paul. And the Roman citizen, so as to avoid serious trouble, he didn't find out that Paul was a Roman citizen until they had Paul stretched out ready to be beaten, which was completely against the law. He didn't bring out that fact. And so he did in fact rescue Paul, But his rescue was before he found out that Paul was a Roman citizen.

It still answered Paul's request for prayer to the church at Rome. So he says he was accused over questions of their law. Repeatedly, the Jews would make accusations against Paul. And probably, we only have a recording of several instances. There were very likely more. The Roman authorities would repeatedly turn the accusations away.

Why? Because these were not points of Roman law. It's the Jews' law, and we don't care about that. Right? Not our job. So repeatedly, No matter who they brought Paul before, the Roman authority, whatever that was, Gallio, Claudius Lysias, Governor Felix, later Governor Festus, declared him innocent of the charges of the Jews regarding the law. We're not going to bother this guy over your law.

Acts 23, 31-32. So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatrus. But the next day, leaving the horsemen to go on with them, they returned to the barracks. That is, they went back to Antonia Fortress.

So this fortress here is a reconstruction which has since broken down to some degree. But this is about the location and whatnot of this fortress where Paul was brought to, along with the other Roman soldiers. The foot soldiers would head back. and Paul and the horsemen, Roman horsemen 70, would go on then to Caesarea. So Antipater's fortress was located between Jerusalem and Caesarea. Caesarea of course was on the coast, and I've showed the picture of what it was like when they traveled at night. At least 270, possibly 470 soldiers took Paul to this fortress at that very night. So 70 Roman cavalry on horseback, along with Paul, would continue on to Caesarea, possibly with replacement horses. The foot soldiers heading back to Antonia Fortress in Jerusalem. Imagine these foot soldiers. March, march, march, march, march, march, and marching at a very fast pace, and now you've got to go back to Jerusalem that night.

Why? because the number of soldiers there at the Antonia Fortress had been diminished by this many. Hundreds. Hundreds less than the number of Roman soldiers at the Antonia Fortress. You've got to get them back there to be able to have proper protection.

Acts 23-33, and when these had come to Caesarea and they delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. So as soon as they arrived in Caesarea, the 70 horse mounted soldiers delivered Paul and the letter. Those are the things they were supposed to deliver from Claudius Lysias to Governor Felix. So the boy, this thing is get her done and deliver them. And then our job is done. We can go back home. Right.

So with this letter and the safe delivery of Paul, the Roman citizen protected as a Roman citizen, Felix was prepared to read the letter. and to ask the appropriate questions. Okay, what questions do I have? Felix understood that Paul was a Roman citizen from this letter.

He had to be legally protected by Roman law, and greatly protected, not just minimally. Those laws, however, did not change Felix's nasty, cruel, and bribe-seeking character. Here's Acts 23, 34, and 35, and when he read it, he asked from what province he was, and when he learned he was from Cilicia, he said, I will give you a hearing after your accusers arrive also. I somehow cut that off there. So Felix asked what province Paul was from, and he did that with good reason.

This was not an incidental question. Rome had a very complex set of laws and the different districts had different laws and in some cases requiring you cannot try this fellow from our district unless we have a representative from our district in that trial and it might take weeks or months to get somebody there because you have to go to the district, say I need a representative, and then they would travel back to the place of trial. So this could cause huge delays. So that's the first question he's going to ask. So here is the entire Roman Empire. Here's Cilicia, right, in the Roman Empire.

And so Felix asks the question, Are you from this place? He says I'm from Cilicia. He says great I don't have to go get a representative as soon as your accusers get here from Jerusalem. I will have a trial right So he sent the Jews notice so then would be a messenger to the Jews Maybe not in quite such a hurry right a messenger to the Jews saying you guys need to get here for the trial and so they would await the arrival of the Jews in order to hold the trial here. Now, here is something that is really, really cool. Felix, even the nasty fellow that he was, knew that this Roman citizen had to be well cared for.

So he said that rather than put him in some horrible, nasty, stinking Roman jail, where he might not even survive your stay, and you'll be miserable at best. Instead, he gave him a cell in the palace. In this palace where I stay here, that's where Paul will stay. So this was equipped with a better than average prison. Paul would wait for his trial here for several days.

Reconstruction, a computer reconstruction of Herod's palace in Caesarea. That gives you an idea of the accommodations that were there. Here's looking a little more closely at the interior plaza inside that place. So what's the big deal here? The big deal is this. The Apostle Paul is going to spend, if we sneak peek ahead, two years here.

Now, I've got to ask you a question. If you were God, and you had an apostle that was the appointed apostle to the Gentiles, would you sideline him for two years before getting him to Rome? Would you do that? Probably not. But there's a reason, I believe, that God did. That God made the choice, as He often does, differently than you and I would have chosen.

He will have ample time to meet privately and personally with the Lord Jesus there in this room at Hered's Praetorium, the palace in Caesarea. Because what we have recorded in the sections to follow is Paul's appearance before Felix and before Festus and all that.

And we're going to take a look at that. What we have recorded is just that. The rest of the time he had private time to certainly have visitors, but also have the most important visitor that he could ever have. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're going to talk about why that's such an important thing.

And you and I ought to be thankful that the Apostle Paul was sidelined here for two years. Because it's a marvelous, wonderful, fantastic thing. Here's what Paul had written to the church at Rome. This is chapter 15, about three to five months earlier. I'm going to Jerusalem serving the saints. Now he's done with Jerusalem, right?

I know that when I come to you, you, the believers in Rome, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient. Guess what? Guess what Commander Claudius Lysias wrote in his letter?

When this man was arrested by the Jews and about to be slain by them, I came to them with the troops and rescued him. Same word. Please pray, please pray that I would be rescued. What happened? He got rescued. He was there serving the saints. He went there with the hope of going to Rome in the blessing of Christ and in the will of God. He prayed and asked the church in Rome to pray, I would be rescued.

And that's exactly what happened to the Word. One other very important point and a very critical reason why the Apostle Paul would be sidelined for two years. Have you ever been through a period of time where you think, what is God doing? People will sometimes get mad at God because, boy, this is a waste of time. Why am I going through this? But the Lord has His purpose in everything.

And in this, while the Apostle Paul didn't even know, I'm going to spend two years here, the Lord knew why He was going to spend two years here. He was going to spend two years in captivity here, go to Rome, and then He was going to write. One of the great outcomes from this, Paul would learn about his heavenly blessings, seeding, and citizenship in these rather nice rooms, but where he could meet privately with the Lord Jesus Christ. But he wouldn't have an opportunity from anything that we know to write about it until he got to Rome. So Paul, while he was on his way to Caesarea, could be thanking the Lord for all the things the Lord had done. He may not have been thanking the Lord for two years in captivity here, but the Lord has His purpose for him and for you and me.

He is going to write about these last two things only after this time in Caesarea. He didn't write about having been identified with Christ in His ascension and seating until after this two years in Caesarea. So here in this very special place, the Lord would meet with him privately and reveal a truth that he would only teach you and I. In fact, he didn't know them. Why didn't he write that to the Church of Rome? We're ascended and seated with Christ. He didn't know it yet.

Paul would, for example, write this, Ephesians 2, 4 through 7. But God being rich in mercy, and you can substitute the word wealth if that helps, being wealthy in mercy, because of His, and notice, it isn't because of His just barely adequate love. No. His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. First time in this passage. There's one more. And He raised us up with Him, with Christ, seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that we can get tired at the end of the day. So that we can say nice things. He did this for our eternity. People ask, what am I going to be doing when I'm in heaven? And what am I going to be doing in eternity? You know that Paul learned this in that cell while he was under these nasty Roman governors? Here's the so that. So that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

In the ages to come, it's not a question of what we will be doing. We're not going to be looking down at our watches and saying, they'll be Rolexes by the way, right? Anyway, so we're not going to be looking at our watches and saying, you know, when's the coffee break? I sure hope it's good coffee. None of that. It's a question of what will God be doing in the rolling ages to come. He will show us the surpassing riches of His grace. in kindness were us in Christ Jesus. That's why Paul would spend two years sidelined, sitting in a Roman prison, waiting to talk to Roman governors who were in no hurry to deal with him.

It was exactly what God had in mind so that you and I would learn these truths Isn't that great? That's fantastic stuff. Let's thank Him for that. Lord, as we look at this, Heavenly Father, what a wonderful, wonderful revelation that we have here. We've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, and we would only know that because of this sideline time in the prison. And Lord, that we would be looking forward to being shown the surpassing riches of your grace on into the rolling ages to come of eternity, gasping in awe at your amazing, amazing, astounding grace. Grace that is not just rich, but riches, multiple magnitudes of wealth of grace. We will be gasping in awe at your grace. Thank you so much for that. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.