23:1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

2 And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?

5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

“And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said...” You know what a “council” is by now.

“Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” SLAM! A fellow has him hit in the mouth! So the trial just gets started and there’s violence in the courtroom.

“And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.”

“Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” Now Paul’s a great believer in conscience, and a great believer in following his conscience. And, you know it’s on him all the time because every time he speaks up, just about, he brings up this matter of conscience. Now, maybe we’ll not get all the references. You can get a concordance and run the references down in them, but I’ll show you a few of them here. I’ll take, in his defense, I’ll take chapter, let’s see, chapter 24. Chapter 24, verse 16: “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” All right, now come to Romans. And he’s writing to Romans; look how he’s bringing this thing up.

Now, conscience can’t save a man. But conscience is a little old voice the Lord put in a man to warn him when he’s doing wrong. Romans 9:1. Romans 9:1: “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost.” And it’s a constant them of his writing. Turn to 1 Timothy and look at it again. First Timothy chapter 4. First Timothy chapter 4, verse 2, speaking of Christians who’ve rejected the truth. First Timothy 4:2: “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” And notice what he says about unsaved people in Titus. Come to Titus and look at Titus chapter 1 verse 15. Titus 1:15. He’s on it all the time. Titus 1:15: “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.”

Now, look at it again in Romans chapter 2. In Romans chapter 2, look at verse 15, talking about the unsaved Gentiles. Romans chapter 2:15. One of the great words; he uses it all the time. Romans 2:15: “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.”

Now, before you’re saved, you have no Holy Spirit in you to warn you when you’re doing right and when you’re doing wrong. But you did have your conscience in you to remind you when you’re doing right and when you did wrong. And, if a man follows his conscience, it will lead him to Jesus Christ — if he follows his conscience. If you follow your conscience every step of the way, it’ll lead you right straight to Calvary. And the reason why people don’t wind up at Calvary is because they sin against the conscience. They sin against the light that God’s given them.

The way that thing works is, the conscience can be defiled to where it won’t operate, and the conscience can be seared. And, when you take a wound like they did in the old days and take that thing and take a hot iron and sear that flesh around the wound, you do that to cauterize it, to clean it. And that heals it up. The scar heals it up. But when that thing heals up, that flesh is dead there. So, when he says “the conscience seared with a hot iron,” he’s talking about the conscience killed.

Now a perfect example of this is Herod. When he gets hold of John the Baptist, he hears him gladly and observes many things and listens to John every day. But, after he has John killed, his conscience is dead. And when Jesus shows up before Herod, Herod says, “Where you from?” No answer. “Let’s see a miracle.” No answer. “Are you the Messiah?” No answer. “Are you John up from the dead?” No answer. And the Lord refused to give him any information.

And so a man can defile his conscience and kill his conscience to where, when he seeks the truth, the Lord refuses to show him the truth.

And that’s what your colleges are filled with. Your colleges and universities are filled with young men and women who cross the deadline of their conscience, and the Lord isn’t going to show them anything. So they just sit there and study and study and study and study, and never learn anything. The Bible says in 2 Timothy chapter 3, they are “ever learning, yet never able to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

So, it’s a good idea not to kill your conscience.

Now, that’s the main thing that education is for. The main thing that education is for is to deaden your conscience.

QUESTION: I’m dealing with a guy on this. Can you give me a verse?

ANSWER: Yeah, I’ll give him a verse to shake him up.

QUESTION: If the conscience is dead, then it can’t be alive?

ANSWER: Yeah, but the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing asunder between the soul and the spirit and the joints and the marrow. The Lord can use the word to upset him, tear him up.

What I’m trying to say is, when a man is like that and you try to show him the truth of the word of God, you can’t reason with him. The thing to do is just give him something and show it and say, “Well, be sure your sin will find you out. See you around.”

QUESTION: Can you give us an example of somebody in the Bible with a defiled conscience?

ANSWER: Yeah. Herod.

QUESTION: So, he had both a seared and a defiled conscience?

ANSWER: Oh, I see. Uhh, a seared and a defiled conscience. They’re almost alike. A defiled conscience is a conscience that’s unreliable. A seared conscience is a conscience that’s dead. In a defiled conscience, the conscience doesn’t warn you of the right thing.

I’ll give you a good example. I’ll give you a perfect example of a defiled conscience. Come back to the Gospel of John. I’ll show you a real good one. Get John chapter 18, where they’ve arrested Christ, and look at verse 28. Now there’s an example of a defiled conscience. Eighteen:28. Look at that thing. That whole bunch is worried about defiled and going to a Gentile hall, and what are they doing? They’re killing the Son of God. That’s a defiled conscience.

A good example of a defiled conscience is a Roman Catholic who’s afraid to go into a Protestant church, but he’s not afraid to play bingo. See? Or, he’s afraid to read a gospel tract, but he’s not afraid to read Hustler, see? Or Playboy — that’s where they advertise the Catholic priest, in Playboy. That’s a defiled conscience.

QUESTION: Now let me get something straight. Can a saved person and the trials in your spirit come out the same thing?

ANSWER: No, I was gonna say. I was just talking about the unsaved now. I was getting ready to talk about the saved. Now the man who’s saved has a double safeguard. He has his conscience and the Holy Ghost. So Paul says, “My conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost.” So a saved man has twice the hindrances to sin an unsaved man has; therefore, being saved, you’re twice as miserable in a way. That’s right. Like a fellow said, “It’ll ruin sin for you.”

QUESTION: So a saved person can have the Spirit living in him, but yet that Spirit will still convict him?

ANSWER: That’s right. That’s right. Yes sir.

QUESTION: Do they contradict at all, that you know of? The conscience in a saved man and the Holy Spirit?

ANSWER: Not unless the conscience is defiled. If your conscience is defiled, it’s unreliable to warn you about something you shouldn’t be warned about, and not warn you about something you should be warned about. The only safe guide is the Bible.

COMMENT: I know I had a conscience, I saw it right, my conscience would say, “Don’t go to church, do this, do that.”

ANSWER: Well that’s probably right.

QUESTION: Yeah, but doesn’t that contradict with the Spirit that’s in you?

ANSWER: It does now. Yeah, but then you came to a place there where the Lord told you to do something. Now, if you hadn’t done that, then you’d be in a mess. You’d have seared the conscience.

I think the Catholic Church is filled with Catholics like that. I think the Catholic Church is filled with thousands of people who go led right up to Christ by the Holy Spirit, then got afraid to do the right thing because they were afraid they might get kicked out or lose their relatives or friends, and went back. I think it’s filled with them.

QUESTION: Do you think there’s a lot of saved people there?

ANSWER: I think so too. Like living in hell on earth, man! I think the Catholic Church has got thousands of saved people. Got saved in spite of the Catholic Church. And all their life, they’re just hanging in doubt, not knowing what to do or how to fix it, how to settle it, just miserable.

QUESTION: Are you saying that as a Christian, they can be saved and still have a seared conscience? Or that they can just, not have a seared but a defiled conscience?

ANSWER: A defiled conscience. No, not dead. No way in the world. No. No, the Holy Spirit in you will keep it alive. He’ll keep it alive.

QUESTION: Then, with a seared conscience, is it impossible to get saved?

ANSWER: No sir. “You hath he quickened.” It’s brought back alive again, sharpened. Like a fellow said, what did he say? He said, about getting saved, he saved — I forget about it; somebody was talking to Wesley, and Wesley was telling about sin, you know, about being sinless and that, and this and that, and he said, well he said he hadn’t quit sinning yet, but he when he got saved he got where he couldn’t enjoy it any more. And the trouble of it is, the thing is momentary; it’s too momentary. Back in the old days, you might have done something wrong and your conscience bothered about you later, but you enjoyed it for several days and several weeks and bragged about it for several months. You would hear unsaved fellows out in the world; I mean, you work with them, bragging about stuff they did five and six years ago. Then, back when you get saved, you were ashamed of those things that were before. You don’t have to bring them up, see. When you get out and get saved, you know, the saved man doesn’t brag about what he’s done that’s wrong, you know. Brag about it. He’s ashamed about it.

Now, a conscience works like a watchdog. There was a watchdog, the story goes, that one night he got barking about twelve o’clock at night and a guy got up, and he had a miserble day, and four hours sleep the night before and wanted to sleep. The dog kept him awake. He went back to sleep and got up at one o’clock; the dog was still barking. And he told him to shut off. The dog got quiet, and about 2:30 he sounded off again. The fellow lost his temper and went out there and cursed his dog and told him to shut up and let him get to sleep. Went back, and about three o’clock the dog went at it again. And he got up and came out with a shotgun and killed his dog, went to sleep. Slept till about noon. And got out in front of his house; he’d been ripped off, and somebody had wiped him out and taken about everything he had while he was asleep. And the illustration there is, a fellow can drown his conscience, see, sear his conscience, just tell it to shut up and shut up and shut up, they don’t want to do what it wants to do anyway. And that conscience that acts a warning light gets weaker and weaker and weaker and weaker and weaker until finally it doesn’t warn. It just quits warning. And the fellow’s over the hill.

And it’s true of any kind of sin. You take a thing like smoking, which isn’t a big thing. But you see, a thing like smoking, the way you know it’s wrong is by what you did when you smoked the first one. Now, after a guy’s had thirty packs, he can give you all kinds of guff, see? But what about that first one? I mean, that first one, did you just, you know, just light it up when you came home from school in front of Momma and Daddy, you know? Not very many of you did.

And the same way with the first drink. But not the second one, the first one. I bet you the first one wasn’t in broad daylight, you know, at twelve o’clock noon. It might be some country overseas, you know, where they serve 3.2 beer, which is as weak as buttermilk and serve that with the family, you know, something like that. But when you decide to take intoxicating liquor, you didn’t do it in a classroom, you know, in front of forty pupils. It’s always snuck.

I got a friend over there in — well, he’s gone out of town now, I think he’s up north now, but he had a church over here in Milton. No, it’s Pace. And he had a boy, and that boy got to be about fifteen years old, that boy came in the room in the study of the preacher and said, “Daddy, I’m ready to smoke now.”

And this preacher said, “What?”

And he said, “You told me when I got old enough to smoke to tell you about it, and that you’d show me how if I wanted to.”

And the preacher said, “Well, OK, OK, you stay here.”

And he went down to the grocery store and bought a pack of cigarettes and came back there and sat down with his boy back in the bedroom, pulled down the blinds and closed the door. And he said, “I’ll do it like this and show you how.” Lit it up and inhaled it, and blew it out. Showed him how to inhale, and he gave him the package and said, “Now, you smoke that pack, and if you like them I’ll get you some more.”

And he went out, and, boy, about thirty minutes later that kid came back. He inhaled about seven of them. Just as green as a golf green, boy. And he said, “Daddy, I don’t think I’m going to like to smoke.” And that cured him. He never smoked again. That cured him. Right there.

All right, 23:1: “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” Well, it’s a half-truth. He had lived in all good conscience to a period of time. There was a time back there when Stephen was getting stoned, his conscience was killing him. And the Lord said, “It’s hard for you to kick against the pricks.” Of course, he got saved. But he was going against his conscience after Acts chapter 7 for awhile.

“Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall.” There’s an outbreak of temper, see? I mean, nobody can handle it like Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t do that. If you want to see how the Lord handles it, come to the Gospel of John. And in the same situation how the Lord handles it. John chapter 18, and in John chapter 18, look in verse 22. Eighteen:22: “And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?” See how cool that thing is, see? Never sins. Never sins.

But Paul, he’s human, boy. He’s human. He blows.

Twenty-three:3: “God shall smite thee, thou whited wall.” And the idea is, you’re a whitewashed wall, see. It’s like calling the guy “whited sepulchre.” You got whitewash over you. Inside you’re dirty.

“Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?” Which is a good question. The law never said you could hit a fellow when he came into court.

QUESTION: Did Paul know he was wrong?

ANSWER: Oh, if you’re really into high standards, yes. If you’re going to go by all the Bible says, yeah.

“Now, Christ, when he reviled, revilved not again.” “When He was threatened, threatened not.” “He’s our ensample in suffering.” “Bless those that curse you, bless and curse not.” “Do good to them that despitefully use you. And pray for those that —” See? It’s contrary to that.

QUESTION: So what does that mean? Does that mean that, whenever revolutions come we just stand outside our doors and just try to get these people born again, like to see these people saved...

ANSWER: Well, I guess if you’re really a Spirit-filled Christian, I guess that’s the way you handle it.

QUESTION: Couldn’t he have said, “You Pharisees, you hypocrites, you’re too full of the devil yourself.”

ANSWER: Yeah, but of course that’s preaching. You got to get the distinction between preaching, and preaching is, “I don’t seek to please men, for if I please men, I’ll not please Christ.” But then in personal deportment, “Even I seek to please all men, not pleasing myself, but that all might be saved.” There’s a difference between preaching content and personal reaction to insult. Now, when it comes to preaching, you can pour it on, I mean, coals of fire and pitchforks and lightning and damnation and stew down to a fine poison, and put it on thick. But that’s you doing what God tells you to do standing in God’s place speaking God’s message. That isn’t like somebody abusing you and then you striking back. That isn’t the same thing. It wasn’t personal.

QUESTION: What about when they called Him an illegitimate child, and he said, “Yeah, and ye are of your father the devil.”

ANSWER: Yeah, but that isn’t a personal thing. That’s just a fact. And it isn’t like, “You be born of fornication.” “Well, you be born of the devil.” See, it isn’t like that. It’s, “You be born of fornication.” And he says, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do; he’s a liar from the beginning.” He probably said it perfectly flat — nothing personal in it at all.

Now, you know that’s not personal. I’ll show you why. Turn to John chapter 8. And look how that thing goes on there. Look at 8:42. Look at that thing there. Eight:42. And then, when they really attack him, 48: “”Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?” I have not a devil.” See how calm that thing is? “But I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.” It’s all calm. It’s not, “God smite you, you whited wall!” That thing there is personal, man! That’s fierce.

QUESTION: Peter said if any man suffer as a Christian. The idea is, if someone hurt you for being a Christian, I’m supposed to shut up and take it. But if somebody just makes a joke that I got wallowed or something, I should flail a guy if I can do it. That isn’t persecuted as a Christian.

ANSWER: Yeah. Yeah. When is a Christian not a Christian? Yeah. Well, when the persecution starts, you’ll be getting persecuted for being a Christian. Don’t you worry about that. The devil knows who all of us are. He knows who every one of us are.

All right, 23, verse 3: “Commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by...” They don’t answer him. They duck it.

“Revilest thou God’s high priest?” They don’t answer.

Now, Paul sees he’s in trouble. He’s not going to get a fair trial. He’s been hit even before the trial started. And when he asked him a question, he doesn’t get any answer. They answer with another question. So Paul sizes that thing up real quickly, and he said, “I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest.” Well, now, who we trying to kid? In verse 3, “You sit to judge me after the law.” He knew who the high priest was. He knew who the judge was.

“I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, —” quote: “Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.” Now he’s got ‘em all calmed down. Now everybody’s relaxed. And while they’re relaxed, then we hear what happens.

23:6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.

8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

“But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.” Ha! No, he wasn’t called in question for that at all! That isn’t the reason. Come back at 21, and look at 21:28. That’s what he was called in question for. Polluting the Temple and speaking against the people in the place. He wasn’t called in question for the hope and resurrection of the dead. He just stuck that on there to tear up the meeting, tear up the courtroom.

QUESTION: Isn’t that not quite right?

ANSWER: No, that’s being wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. And Paul said, “Being crafty, I caught you with guile.” Because the truth of the matter was, Paul did see the resurrected Christ, right? See. And they didn’t believe Christ had been resurrected, right? So technically, I mean, if you want to get technical there was some truth in it. But, boy, it’s some quick thinking, man. Of course, when you’re up against that bunch, you have to think quick.

Now, if you ever get in a mess like that, why, remember that. And say, “I’m being tried because I believe in the virgin birth.” And if there are any Catholics there, you’ll tear the council all to pieces; they all believe in the virgin birth.

“I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.” He splits the court right down the middle, and now they can’t do anything.

“For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, —” that is, literal “— neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.” And the “both” in the matter is two items — first of all, the resurrection. And then angels and the spirits are the second item together, because “angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister.” Hebrews chapter 1. So they don’t confess a resurrection; they don’t confess any kind of a spirit being. In this case, an angel.

“And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel —” there it is interpreted for you “— hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.” Don’t you know he went out of the courtroom laughing? You know.

QUESTION: Those that tried him, they were on the verse of getting saved, weren’t they?

ANSWER: The Pharisees?

QUESTION: No, the scribes. They strove and said, “We find no evil in this man.”

ANSWER: Yeah, yeah, they grant that. They granted if it could be proved that he did get his revelation from God they’d have believed. Matter of fact, a lot of them did. Look at Acts chapter 21. And in Acts chapter 21, look at verse 20: “How many thousands of Jews there are which believe.” And compare this with Acts chapter — where’s that thing that says “great multitude of the priests turned to the faith — Acts early, Acts chapter 5 or 6, along in there? Where is that? Yeah, 6:7. Now these are Pharisees getting saved. Six:7: “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” So the ones who were orthodox had a chance.

QUESTION: How many Pharisees were there? It seems like there was a lot.

ANSWER: I don’t know. They’d run into the hundreds. I mean, you could say it’d be well over a hundred.

All right, verse 23:11: “And the night following the Lord stood by him, —” here’s the Angel of the Lord “— and said, —” and here’s what the Lord said to the saint who got out of his will, disobeyed him after being warned five times “— Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” Gonna get him there. He’d have got him there sooner if he’d obeyed. But he didn’t obey. But He’s gonna get him there.

Now, the trouble is, by this disobedience, Paul loses two years of his ministry. Look at 24:27. Twenty-four:27. He’s in jail two years, unable to do anything. Could have had that time out preaching in Rome.

23:12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

13 And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

15 Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

16 And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.

17 Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.

18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.

19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?

20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly.

21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.

22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.

23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

24 And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

25 And he wrote a letter after this manner:

26 Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.

27 This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

28 And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:

29 Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

30 And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.

31 Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.

32 On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:

33 Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

34 And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;

35 I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.

All right, Acts chapter 23, verse 12: “And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.” I often wonder what happened to them. They never killed him. I wonder if they must have all starved to death, or what.

Thirteen: “And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.” Well, if they were steadfast, they all starved to death.

“Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him.” That is, fake. “And we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him. And when Paul’s sister’s son —” that’s the first time you heard of that, but there’s a nephew that Paul had.

“And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.” Now there’s the providential hand of God taking care of Paul through a relative. And you don’t know how old the boy is, but probably, you know, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, along in there.

“Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.”

QUESTION: Could you run that by me again? Paul had sisters?

ANSWER: Yep. Married sister. Right.

QUESTION: And she had a son?

ANSWER: It always bothered me too. I can’t figure them out. Nephews, cousins, grand aunts, and fifth cousins twice removed, stepsister-in-law. I can’t figure it out, man. I never could figure it out. I like that song, “I’m My Own Grandpa.” Did you ever hear that thing? That thing made good sense to me.

Seventeen: “Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him. So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?” Now, do you have any trouble with anything that I’ve just read in there? There’s that archaic Elizabethan English — no problem. I mean, you may run along twenty verses and find some word you don’t know, put it in the margin. People understand that perfectly well.

“And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly. But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee. So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me. And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea.” Now they’re going from Jerusalem to Caesarea. Caesarea’s down on the coast. On this map up here, it’s down there on the coast north of Samaria. So they’d be going from Jerusalem northwest to Caesarea.

And he says, “And horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night.” He’s not taking any chances. That’s seventy cavalrymen and two hundred infantry. Now, forty men aren’t going to get through there and do nothing.

“At the third hour of the night.” And third hour for a Roman would be three o’clock in the morning.

“And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor. And he wrote a letter after this manner: Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting. This man —” watch this one; this is a masterpiece.

“This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.” Boy, every fellow will put himself in a good light, won’t he! And the Bible never trims it; the Bible always tells it just like it is. I’ve often wondered if Lysias was saved and got to Heaven and the Lord showed him that. “Remember that letter you wrote? That big fat lie? That wasn’t how it was!” He didn’t know he was a Roman till he finished talking. Was about to have him whipped to find out who he was.

“I came and rescued him, having understood he was a Roman.” See that big deal? Everybody, you know, you know, picks themselves up, you know, in their own light, get a promotion.

“And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council.” No, you didn’t! You started to have him whipped. Had him bound.

“Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell. Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.” This is on the way to Caesarea.

“On the morrow —” there’s six o’clock in the morning “— they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle: Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him. And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia.” A Roman province.

“I will hear thee, said he, —” in the sense of setting a hearing aside “— when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.”