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THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Jiave been relegated to a back seat. He would have been confronted w ith the won derful discoveries of the professors who tell us th a t Christ was not up-to-date, or He would not have believed in the foolish stories of the Old Book. Poor old Paul! What an old fogy he was, believing th a t Adam fell downward instead of upward; believing th a t Moses was a real person; th a t a' fish swalloweil J o n a h 'a n d th a t Daniel really was in the lio n ’s den! Of course Paul was a very foolish fellow, for do not our learned professors tell us th a t the Old Testam ent is a conglomeration of m y th s'a n d fables, even though our Lord Jesus C hrist believed it and tau g h t it? (Luke 24:25-27): “ Then said he unto them, O fools, and slow of h eart to believe all th a t the prophets have spoken; . . Ought no t C hrist to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all th e scriptures the things concerning him self.” | P a u l’s fa ith in th e Scriptures gave him a hope in the resurrection. Not a hope th a t he m ight some day be saved, or th a t he m ight get to hfeaven when he died. I t was more definite than th a t. He believed in a literal and personal resurrection of the followers of Christ. This was the fa ith of his fathers. Job recorded it (Job 19:26). D avid b e lie v e d 'it (Psa. 17:15). Is a ia h -ta u g h t it (Isa. 26:19). Ezekiel spoke it (Ezek. 37:1-14). Daniel prophesied it (Dan. 12:2). Why should any Jew have doubted it? Christ taught it (M att. 22:31,32; Luke 14:14; John 5:28), and then sealed the tru th by His own resurrection, thus guaranteeing our resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20,21). “ B u t now Is C hrist risen from the dead, and become the first fru its of them th a t slept. For since by m an came death, by m an came also the resurrection of the dead. F o r as in Adam all die, even so in C hrist shall all be made alive.” \ 8 (1 Thess. 4:14): “ F or if we believe th a t Jesus died and rose again, even so them also w hich sleep in Jesus will God bring w ith him .” . , . The. resurrection was always associated in P a u l’s mind w ith th e appearing of his Lord in the glory (1 Thess. 4:15-18). This doctrine was so basic w ith Paul th a t he is always ringing the changes upon it. I s 5t not indeed the foundation of our faith ?
surrection against the government. Sec ond, sacrilege; profaning the temple. Third, schism; allying himself w ith a new sect of Jews. He also charged th e ehief captain w ith aiding and abetting P a u l’s escape. The Jew s assented to these charges and thus became parties to the false accusa tions. The prosecutor sought to prepos sess his ease by flattery of the judge, and to prejudice the cause of P aul by false accusation. A bad man is credited .w ith good deeds never performed, and a good man charged w ith crimes never committed. Such is the history of legal proceedings down through the ages. No man ever stressed w ith g reater emphasis the obliga tion of submission to every ordinance of man th an did th is same P au l, (-1 Pet. 2:17.) “ H onour all men. Love the brotherhood. F ear God. H onour the king.” (2) The Answer, vs. 10-23, “ I do * * * cheerfully answ er.” P a u l’s reply was calm, candid and con- vinçing. He did not compliment Peliv but assured him th a t he was glad to appear before one who knew the Jew ish nation. Felix had been governor' for some six years and knew well the character of the Jew ish leaders,—th eir wicked hearts, n ar row jealousies and rebellious spirits. Paul wastes no time in oratorial efforts. His reply *is specific and logical. He submits a threefold denial and in doing so in tro duces his confession of fa ith in th e new way. R eferring to the charges of sedition, he rem inds them th a t bu t a few days have elapsed since , he arrived in Jerusalem ; th a t there had been no time for a seditious movement. Answering the charge of sac rilege, he insists th a t they had not in tro duced any proof of his profaning the tem ple. To the charge of schism, he confessed himself a follower of the Nazarene and acknowledged his fa ith in the Law and the Prophets (Acts 26:22). “ H aving therefore obtained help of God, EE continue unto this day, w itnessing both to sm all and great, saying none other things th an those w hich th e prophets and Moses did say should °01H ad P au l lived un til today he would
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