Acts 24:1-27 - Corps Notes - January 6, 1977
Publication Date: 01-06-1977
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Acts 24:1-27
January 6, 1977
Acts 24:1
“descended” - came down
orator” – advocate; like a barrister; a lawyer. I believe, to the best of my recollection, he must
have been Roman. It sort of surprises me that the top Jewish leadership of the Sanhedrin, would
get an unbeliever to front for them. But, you know, if you want to pull the strings on anybody
then it doesn’t make any difference who you put in bed. Hire the mafia or anybody.
Acts 24:2
“when he was called forth” – i.e. Paul
“saying” - this is what he said to Felix
“great quietness” - he’s talking about the kind of quietness that you enjoy under a dictatorship,
because Felix had been chopping off heads, shooting people, hanging them, murdering them,
getting rid of them. And anybody that said anything against the government got shot, now.
And, of course, you shoot a few extra hundred to keep the rest of them; so we don’t have
anything but quietness. It is so quiet that everybody walks around with a long face, because if
you smile they may execute you cause they think you’re hiding something or you‘re tricky.
You just watch situations in countries that are enslaved. People do not smile.
“very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by the providence” - boy, it’s typical savvying-up.
Total lies, but, you know, it’s nice politics.
Acts 24:3
Boy, oh boy. This Tertullus is working for an assignment in Rome, because in that day
advocates; lawyers; barristers were sent into different parts of the Roman empire to develop
them. It was their “interim year.” I think now you understand.
Acts 24:4
“notwithstanding” - but
“that I be not further tedious unto thee” - it’s what you and I would say, “I don’t want to take
any more of your time; I only want a two minute appointment.”
“pray” – ask - he didn’t do any praying. He asked.
Acts 24:5
“a pestilence” - He’s a real pest; ought to get the exterminator. That’s # 1.
“a mover of sedition” – sedition is in the plural – “seditions” This means; a rebel and one who
incites, as well as excites, seditions. And I am sure, from the in-depth spiritual perception and
awareness; the first principle of the Corps, that he had cases like Thessalonica. After all, a
lawyer has to go back and pick up cases, doesn’t he? I remember reading that they had a big
“doo” in Thessalonica (Acts 17.) What about Ephesus? See, he documented it. He said “Look,
over here he had all that trouble. Over there he had all that trouble. He’s a mover of seditions,
plural; a rebel.”
“sect” – cult; heresy. The word “sect” is the one they, today, use as cult awareness. It’s from
the word which is translated in English heresy. That was number 3.
1) He’s a pest.
2) He’s a mover. These are the accusing things of Paul. He’s a rebel.
3) He’s a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
Acts 24:6
“profane” - pollute
4) Who hath gone about to pollute the temple.
“whom we took” - and you go way down unto verse 8; “unto thee.” Don’t scratch the rest yet,
I’m just going to tell you something.
Acts 24:6&8:
“We took ... unto thee [brought unto you] by examining [him] of whom thyself mayest
take knowledge [now] of all these things [four points], whereof we accuse him [that we
accuse him of].
Acts 24:9
“assented” - agreed
The Greek text; starting with the word “and”, in verse 6, all the way through verse 7 and verse
8, until the word “unto” are not in the text. But I think you might as well leave them because
they are basically accurate.
This “ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” of course is the one that’s the most interesting to
me. Because of the times in which we live, where today The Way Ministry, that’s perhaps as
accurate a ministry on the truth of Christianity as there has been for centuries, is called a cult.
We are called heretics by the organized, so-called “Christian” church. When the real truth is,
they are the heretics. The real truth over here is that these Jews, who were doing the accusing,
were the real heretics. But they accused Paul of being the ringleader of the heretics, known as
the way.
Why did he bring this to the attention of a Roman governor? There were certain religions in the
Roman Empire, because of their size, that they accepted and tolerated. They gave them a
license to exist.
I thought of this, when I was working this again: a number of weeks or months ago I wrote to a
network and said, “Since you did that; on T.M. and the Unification Church, why don’t you do
the same on the United Church of Christ and Roman Catholicism?” You know what they wrote
back? The head of the department wrote back and said, “They are too well ingrained and
established; because anything we might say would have no influence.” I thought of this today.
He brought this up; called them a cult, because they were not one of the big outfits of the
Roman Empire. They were all accepted. And of course they had to put up with Judaism
because they were the largest body in the particular provinces where Felix and these men
served.
About four years ago, or maybe three, I was sitting with the Superintendent of Schools at New
Knoxville, who had no particular like for The Way Ministry. He’s dead now. Only, the one
they have now is stupider. We were talking about The Way renting the facilities, which we do,
to play basketball up there at times and use their stage for a number of’ productions. There’s a
religious group, I think it’s at Minster or someplace. It’s under this M.D.; he finances a lot of it.
He’s a friend of ours. He doesn’t like us, but he’s a friend of ours.
Old Doc Wolf used to support The Way Ministry as long as I didn’t teach healing. When I got
to the Word and saw that the Word did have healing in it, then Dr. Wolf quit supporting The
Way Ministry. He’s always been very missionary-minded. He’s a tremendous doctor. Today, if
we have something at International, Dr. Wolf takes care of us at the Emergency in St. Marys. I
like the guy. Just because he quit supporting The Way doesn’t mean I don’t like him.
They had asked to use, for something or other, the facilities of the high school and the superintendent
had turned them down. And he made the statement to me, “We’ve got two churches
in New Knoxville. They’ve been here a long time. That’s all we want.” I said, “But I thought
this was America. What would you do if the Roman Catholics wanted to come in?” He said,
“We’d never allow them.” If I was a Roman Catholic, you know what I would do? I’d go start a
church with one person in that town. He’s supposed to be an educator; supposed to lead our
young people in the knowledge of the Constitution of the United States of America. What a
bunch of hypocrites.
I thought of that today when I was putting the final touches on this 24th chapter. The reason
they called it the “sect of the Nazarenes” was because they just weren’t big enough. Whenever
you get big enough, they quit calling you a sect. If you’ve got enough influence: politically,
financially, and every other way, they quit calling you a sect. Isn’t it wonderful to look back on
the history of Christianity to see, that at this particular time in history that we’re reading about
and even where some of us are living today, so many things are almost synonymous. It’s really
something. Of course, in that day, they were called heretics because they were not what today
you would call Jewish or those three other major gods that the Romans had. Today we’re called
heretics because we don’t fit into the pattern of what the so-called organized Christian church
has decided. What a time!
Acts 24:6a & 8b
Dr. reads through this, skipping verse 7 and the parts of verses 6 & 8 that are not in the texts.
Acts 24:9
“assented” – agreed
“saying that these things were so” – i.e. they said “Amen. Tertullus has laid her out for you;
that’s what it is.”
Acts 24:10
“then” - and
“beckoned” - you know, nodded his head
“answer for myself” – apologize for myself. The word “answer” is the word apologeomai;
apologize. We’re still at it.
And here’s my great key for thirteen days:
Acts 24:11
“since” - away from
“for” - delete
I told you I don’t think you can get over fifteen. And in real truth, I believe you could go
thirteen, but there is a problem in here simply about the morrows; the traveling time and a few
other things.
Acts 24:10
Did you notice how Paul does not soft-soap the situation? He doesn’t tell him how great a man
Felix is. He just says you’ve been there many years [verse 10]. That “many” is, of course,
seven; he was there seven. The reason he used “many” is because ordinarily (He was not a
governor like you and I think of governor of the state of Ohio. It just means ruler over a certain
territory, like the county you are in and maybe half of another county.) these men never stayed
in these assignments longer than three or four years. Paul, using the statement “many years,” is
not thinking thirty or forty as you and I might think of many years, but he’s thinking and
saying, “You’ve been here a lot longer than ordinarily you would have been; many years.” The
reason Felix was there these years is because, as I said, he was a real notorious kind of
criminal. He really put that section of the country under his thumbs. He exacted taxes that
brought a fantastic amount of income and took care of some groups that he didn’t particularly
like or the ruler didn’t like. That’s why Paul makes this statement.
“I do the more cheerfully answer for myself” – “I’m very happy to present my case” is what
he’s saying.
Acts 24:12
“neither raising up the people” – “or causing a sedition among the people”; I didn’t run around
among the people
“neither in the synagogues” – nor in the synagogues
Acts 24:13-14
“I confess unto thee” - I say unto you, Felix
“call” – or have labeled
“heresy” - which is the same word that previously was “sect” (pg. 377, verse 5), you and I
know it as cult also.
Paul does not admit he was a sect, or a cult, or a heretic. But rather that The Way is the real
“whole” for the fulfillment of all the law and the prophets, for the fulfillment of all Israel.
That’s the testimony.
Acts 24:15
“hope...that there shall be a resurrection of the dead” - he’s right back at it. And again it’s hope-
-why? Not available now. Hope of what? The resurrection.
“both of the just and unjust” – meaning: both of the righteous and the unrighteous; both of the
be-lievers and the unbelievers
Here these people, who are endeavoring to make the accusations against Paul, all basically
belong to, what would be referred to as, Judaism today; people of Israel. For Israel there will be
a resurrection. There will never be a resurrection for you. For all unbelievers or unrighteous
there will be a resurrection. For you, even if you blow it to the hilt, there will never be a
resurrection. “Resurrection” is for Israel and all unbelievers. “Gathering together” is for the
Body of the Church; the born-again believers. This is why it never in the Bible talks about the
Church of the Body being resurrected. It talks about the dead in Christ rising, then we which
are alive and remain shall be changed and then we’re joined together. [I Thessalonians 4:16-17]
The reason you cannot have a resurrection in the Body of the Church is because not everybody
is going to be dead. In order to have a resurrection, you have to be dead. All so-called Israel
will be dead. All unbelievers will be dead. That’s why there is a resurrection: of the Righteous;
Old Testament saints, and the unrighteous; unbelievers: resurrection for the believers of the Old
Testament and resurrection for the unbelievers of all time, including the time in which you and
I live, the Body of the Church. Jesus Christ, being a minister to the circumcision, was
resurrected and so far he is the only one.
Acts 24:16
“exercise” – practice
“I exercise myself” – i.e. I work on myself; I practice
“a conscience” – this joint knowledge
“void of offence” - void of stumbling
Isn’t that a beautiful verse?
Acts 24:17
“alms” - that abundant sharing
“my nation” - that is, those born again believers who were Jewish in background
Acts 24:18
“certain Jews from Asia” - those at Ephesus, Thessalonica, and other places
“neither with the multitude” - I wasn’t making any trouble
“tumult” – uproar; “I was just in the temple doing my own thing”
Acts 24:19
“object” - accuse
There was no one who came to Caesarea who had first-hand evidence. The very ones in
Jerusalem who laid the accusation never went to Caesarea. There was no first-hand
evidence because the people that had been in Jerusalem did not come to Caesarea. Unless
you have first-hand evidence, you’re just spinning your wheels. It my sound nice, but it’s
no trip.
Acts 24:20
“if” – delete
“any” – what
“evil doing in me” – evil I did
“council” - Sanhedrin
Acts 24:21
“voice” - utterance
“touching” - concerning
“called in question” - judged
That’s exactly what he did in the Sanhedrin. We read that earlier, right? That’s the only thing
they could have had against him, that’s the only uproar he made; was right in the temple when
he said, “I’m a Pharisee and I believe in the resurrection.” And he said, “That’s the only one
thing they could lay on me.” Did Paul tell the truth? Right down the line. The rest of them that
came to accuse lied like crazy.
Acts 24:22
“And” - now
“that way” - the way
“deferred them” - got rid of them
“when Lysias...shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter” – i.e. when he
comes down we’ll talk it over
Acts 24:23
There were three types of imprisonment. This next verse says he commanded a centurion to
keep Paul.
“Paul” – “him” is the text
One type of imprisonment is the common prison that Paul and Silas were in at Philippi. A
second type of imprisonment was a military imprisonment, where you were chained to a
soldier. A third type of imprisonment is, what is referred to in Roman law as, free custody. You
and I would call it, today, released on bail. Apparently, the second type is the one that occurred
here to Paul. It’s sure something, isn’t it?
Acts 24:24
“Drusilla” - This Drusilla was quite a gal, do you know that? She had two sisters. This gal was
one of the daughters, of the three daughters, of Herod Agrippa I. It was her father that had
murdered James; the lord’s brother; great family. Her great-grandfather is the one who
beheaded John the Baptist. No it wasn’t, that was her great-uncle who did that trip. Her greatgrandfather
is the one who slew those children under two years old in Bethlehem. I forget who
she had been married to. She had been married to some other guy and Felix loved her up good
and got her to marry him. I forget what the guy’s name was. [Azizus] That’s it; right.
According to tradition, Josephus, I think, is the one who makes the statement; that she perished
in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Anyway, she’s quite a gal.
Now, you see, that verse 22: ”when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of
the way...” From whom did Felix get this greater information than the rest had? He was married
to Drusilla. That’s how he heard all those negative things; how he got all that information about
the way, because he was married to Drusilla, a Jewess in back-ground. Really something, isn’t
it?
You see it’s like in Germany and England in years past; you had to marry the right person in
order to bring power structures together, governmentally. Same thing was true here. He wanted
to be a goody-goody boy for the province, so he married Drusilla; got her in. I think one of the
reasons he was so anxious to have her is because he had just murdered the high priest-. Felix
decapitated him; he had chopped his head off. Of course, being married to Drusilla, it sort of
tied the stuff together and gave him added power and a little bit more security.
Acts 24:25
“temperance” - self-control
“Felix trembled” - he really got to Felix. Very great; he talked about righteousness, he talked
about self-control and then he talked about the Judgment to come. And old Felix got real shook.
The old gospel preachers call it, “when you get convicted.” He got real convicted. That’s your
old evangelical background. I like that. It’s beautiful.
“Go thy way for this time” – “Get out of here for the time being”
“when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” - he never got around to “convenient
season” in the next two years
“season” – opportunity - “As I have a convenient opportunity. As it fits into my schedule, your
case will come up.” It takes two years.
All justice that is not swift, and by swift I do not mean; without proper judgment, but, any
judgment, any court of law that holds, in abeyance decisions that should be made over an
honest period of time will always be wrong decisions. It will be justice that is not just. All
justice is swift. By swift you don’t mean; too speedy, it means; swift, which means; take care of
the matter when it occurs.
The point is; I know some people have been in jail for five years before it finally comes up to a
decision. Same thing here; two years, just lets him rot. The reason cases stack up is because you
don’t handle them. Once they start stacking up, they keep stacking up, stacking up, stacking up.