Thursday, April 2, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 73
Acts 20:4-38; Acts 21;
Acts 22; Acts 23
4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea,
Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and
Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.5 These men went
on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from
Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the
others at Troas, where we stayed seven days. 7 On the first
day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and,
because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There
were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated
in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep
as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from
the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down,
threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be
alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" 11 Then he
went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he
left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were
greatly comforted. 13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed
for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this
arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14When he met us at
Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next
day we set sail from there and arrived off Kios. The day after that we crossed
over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul
had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of
Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of
Pentecost. 17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the
elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them:
"You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I
came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with
great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of
the Jews. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach
anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from
house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that
they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 "And
now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will
happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy
Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However,
I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and
complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the
gospel of God's grace. 25 "Now I know that none of you
among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore,
I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For
I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep
watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own
blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come
in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your
own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples
after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three
years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 32 "Now
I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and
give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I
have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 34 You
yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the
needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you
that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the
Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " 36 When
he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They
all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved
them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they
accompanied him to the ship.
1 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to
sea and sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there
to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went
on board and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to
the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was
to unload its cargo. 4 Finding the disciples there, we stayed
with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to
Jerusalem. 5 But when our time was up, we left and continued
on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out
of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6 After
saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home. 7 We
continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the
brothers and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next
day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one
of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who
prophesied. 10 After we had been there a number of days, a
prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to
us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said,
"The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the
owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.' " 12 When
we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to
Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping
and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in
Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."14 When he would not
be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done." 15 After
this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the
disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason,
where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples. 17 When
we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. 18 The
next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were
present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God
had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they
heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother,
how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the
law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews
who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to
circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What
shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so
do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take
these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that
they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in
these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the
law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them
our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from
blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality." 26 The
next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went
to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would
end and the offering would be made for each of them. 27 When
the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul
at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting,
"Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere
against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought
Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place."29 (They
had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed
that Paul had brought him into the temple area.) 30 The whole
city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing
Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.31 While
they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops
that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He at
once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the
rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.33 The
commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains.
Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the
crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get
at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the
barracks. 35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the
mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The
crowd that followed kept shouting, "Away with him!" 37 As
the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander,
"May I say something to you?" "Do you speak Greek?" he
replied. 38 "Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt
and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?" 39 Paul
answered, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city.
Please let me speak to the people." 40 Having received
the commander's permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd.
When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:
1 "Brothers and fathers, listen now to my
defense." 2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic,
they became very quiet. Then Paul said: 3 "I am a Jew,
born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was
thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as
any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way
to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as
also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters
from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people
as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. 6 "About noon
as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I
fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you
persecute me?' 8 " 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "
'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 9 My
companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was
speaking to me. 10 " 'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked.
" 'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told
all that you have been assigned to do.' 11 My companions led
me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded
me. 12 "A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a
devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.13 He
stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very
moment I was able to see him. 14 "Then he said: 'The God
of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and
to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness to
all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now what are
you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his
name.' 17 "When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying
at the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw the Lord
speaking. 'Quick!' he said to me. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they
will not accept your testimony about me.' 19 " 'Lord,' I
replied, 'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison
and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of
your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the
clothes of those who were killing him.' 21 "Then the Lord
said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' " 22 The
crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and
shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!" 23 As
they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the
air, 24 the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the
barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out
why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As they
stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there,
"Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found
guilty?" 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the
commander and reported it. "What are you going to do?" he asked.
"This man is a Roman citizen." 27 The commander went
to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I
am," he answered. 28 Then the commander said, "I had
to pay a big price for my citizenship." "But I was born a
citizen," Paul replied.29 Those who were about to question him
withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that
he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. 30 The next day,
since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the
Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to
assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My
brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this
day." 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those
standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul
said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to
judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding
that I be struck!" 4 Those who were standing near Paul
said, "You dare to insult God's high priest? 5 Paul
replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it
is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.' " 6 Then
Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called
out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a
Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the
dead." 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between
the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The
Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels
nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 9 There
was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees
stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this
man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to
him?" 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander
was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go
down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. 11 The
following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you
have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." 12 The
next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not
to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty
men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief
priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to eat
anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the
Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of
wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him
before he gets here." 16 But when the son of Paul's
sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then
Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the
commander; he has something to tell him."18 So he took him to
the commander. The centurion said, "Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and
asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell
you." 19 The commander took the young man by the hand,
drew him aside and asked, "What is it you want to tell me? 20 He
said: "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin
tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. 21 Don't
give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him.
They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They
are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request. 22 The
commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, "Don't tell anyone
that you have reported this to me." 23 Then he called two
of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred
soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine
tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken
safely to Governor Felix." 25 He wrote a letter as
follows: 26 Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor
Felix: Greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and they
were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had
learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why
they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I
found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there
was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When
I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you
at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. 31 So
the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night
and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let
the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33When
the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and
handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and
asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he
said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he
ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace.
Revelation 21
Revelation 21 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 21
A New Heaven and a New Earth
1 Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth,"[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death'[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[f] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 21
A New Heaven and a New Earth
1 Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth,"[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death'[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[f] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
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