Acts 26:1-18
26: So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:
2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Reflection
Christ’s resurrection is central to Paul’s message, and this causes him continuous trouble throughout Acts. The resurrection was scorned in Athens (Acts 17:32) and frequently called into question by the Jews. But Paul recognizes that the resurrection is the hope for which all of the Old Testament prophets waited and watched (26:6–8; Heb. 11:13, 39).
God has always brought life from the dead, whether by creating life out of nothing (Gen. 1:1; Heb. 11:3), by giving children to barren women (Gen. 21:1; 25:21; 1 Sam. 2:21; Heb. 11:12), or by using his prophets to literally raise the dead (1 Kings 17:19–22; 2 Kings 4:34–35). Why, Paul asks, is it thought incredible that God raises the dead, when he has always had the power to do so? In the resurrection of Christ, God’s power to raise the dead has been clearly demonstrated, and by believing in him, we can share in his resurrection (Rom. 6:5; Phil. 3:10). This reality gives us a sure hope for eternity and should powerfully influence our everyday lives.
Revelation 20:1-10
20: Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Reflection
In Revelation 20:1–3 God confines Satan’s deceptive abilities, binding him for “a thousand years” (v. 2). During this time, those who have maintained their faithful testimony to the gospel, despite satanic persecution, come to life to reign with Christ (vv. 4–6). At the end of this time period, Satan will be released for his final act of deception, which will result in a global rebellion (v. 9).
As we have seen throughout Revelation, John is providing repeated encouragements to endure in the faith regardless of the suffering that may come.
Psalm 17:15
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
Our union with the resurrected Jesus guarantees that we will someday join him with a new resurrection body of our own. Ask God to encourage you and others with this hope so that your church family will find strength to endure the challenges and suffering that sometimes come with following Jesus.