ACTS 23:6 —HOPE & RESURRECTION. PART A: What is Jesus All About?

ACTS 23,6-HOPE & RESURRECTION - Part A - What is Jesus All About.jpg

What is the Good News of the Bible all about? One 5-letter word, JESUS!

It is this good news about Jesus, that Philip explained about to the Ethiopian eunuch whom he was sent to minister unto (possibly by a vision or a dream), and to whom he explained the passage of Isaiah 35 (which the eunuch had been reading on his way home from Jerusalem).

“(34) And the eunuch said to Philip, ‘About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ (35) Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:34,35).

Philip baptized the eunuch while on the road that went from Jerusalem to Gaza, before being suddenly taken away by “the Spirit of the Lord,” and the eunuch did not see his again, but went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:36-39).

What is Jesus all about?

Jesus is all about the “repentance and forgiveness of sin”—these being the exact words of Apostle Peter “and the other Apostles” as documented by Luke in Acts 5:30-31 when they had been summed to stand before the High Court officials of the Sanhedrin and were questioned by the High priest (who was Caiphas at that time—John 18:24) about why they were not obeying the strict orders given of not to “teach in this (Jesus’) name” (Acts 5:28).

Jesus is also all about the hope and resurrection of the dead.

Let us explain this by taking a look at the Apostle Paul’s experiences and words:-

When the commander in Rome was made aware by the Apostle Paul himself that Paul was a Roman citizen, he summoned Paul to stand before the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin (comprised of Pharisees and Sadducees) to find out why Paul had been accused and flogged by the Jews the day before. Then after stating to the Sanhedrin that he had “fulfilled his duty to God in all good conscience to this day” he was hit in the mouth by those standing near him in the crowd, as ordered by Ananias, (Acts 23:1-3)—who was the Father-in-law of Caiaphas (the High Priest) and had also been a high priest himself, hence still carried this title and still had his opinion count heavily amongst the Sanhedrin.

And now, perceiving that no speech of his could affect his hearers, the Apostle Paul “cried out,” “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” (Acts 23:6).

It was not just the Apostle Paul who taught about this glorious doctrine of hope, as we read in Acts 4:2. Other Apostles such as Peter and John also “taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” This “greatly disturbed” the priests, the temple guard and the Sadducees (Acts 4:1).

Do we likewise share the good news about the resurrection to those around us?

Do we help people recognize God’s loving and merciful character helping destroy the false beliefs of a God who would eternally punish and send his creation to a place of burning hell fire to be tortured for eternity or purgatory (which is not even a word in the Bible)?

When was the last time we explained to someone:

the truths about the Ransom—the whole foundational doctrine behind the forgiveness of sin for every single human that ever lived …
the two salvations …
the truth about the soul—that it IS mortal …
God’s plan of restitution …
the truth about hell?

Are we also, today, “prisoners in the chains of Christ”… (mentally perhaps) because of boldly sharing what is Godly truth because it is too glorious to keep just for oneself? (Acts 17:32)

Do not worry that you are mocked!

This is what the sufferings of Christ are all about and those who suffer for righteousness sake, are blessed “for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthains 4:17).

How gloriously logical these words are, and give sense to the questioning mind and thus provide hope and comfort that, “If there be no resurrection of the dead, then they that are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Corinthians 15:13, 18).

Like the early Christians, we too, are scattered all over the world and either alone or in small groups of two or three we preach Jesus and the resurrection.

Let us tell the world
there is a better day coming!

Let us tell others that there is coming a time when there shall be no more death or dying but a resurrection from the dead that will ultimately bring mankind back from the dead!

Dear friends,

Armageddon is actually a great thing, coming and here is why…

It is a sifting out and cleansing process … it is how the world is to be bleached out from all unrighteousness and the JUDGEMENT OF GOD has begun with His Own house—the Church (1 Peter 4:17)—causing GODLY JUSTICE to change the heart and mind of the one called by God from one that was ignorant in much, to one that UNDERSTANDS WHAT GOD EXPECTS and is reckoned as RIGHTEOUS in ALL so that one can be in HARMONY with GODLY RIGHTEOUSNESS for it is a “terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

It is part of the HOPE of the precious promises in the Bible. It involves the resurrection of the dead in the resurrection!

This death and dying condition we all find ourselves in, is unnatural.

Have you ever come across a dying loved one who says they feel like they are twenty six years old yet they are in an eighty plus year old body?

People are caught in this trap they can’t escape from. Yet death today is inevitable. It was purchased by Jesus’ sacrifice but death will be overcome!

The hope that will be accomplished IS a resurrection from the death.