Acts 17 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28

Acts 17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:

2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

• For three weeks Paul reasoned with them out of the Scriptures.
• There is little doubt Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53 were discussed.

3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

• The gospel, that is to say the good news, was traveling fast.
• People were listening and believing.

5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

• They went to Jason's house looking for Paul and Silas.
• Jews which believed not = Revelation 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

• Paul and Silas were costing them money.
• The people were listening to the Word of God, not some possessed woman.
• Paul and Silas weren't turning things upside down as accused; they were setting things right side up.
• The wicked turned things upside down by proclaiming good is evil and evil is good.
• But God is going to turn them upside down.

7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.

9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.

14 And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.

15 And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.

• Athens = Greece
• Wholly = full idols

17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.

• Why is your cities full of idols
• Disputed = was reasoning

18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

• Resurrection = resurrection from the dead and recover to the truth
• They were accustomed to personify abstract ideas, as victory, pity and they may have thought that Jesus and the resurrection were two new divinities.
• One charge against Socrates was that of introducing new divinities.
• Babbler = Used of birds, and so applied to men who gathered scraps of information from others
• A setter forth = a proclaimer
• Stranger = foreign = generally translation stranger, ("man" understood), as in verse 21
• gods = demons = translation = devils

19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?

• May we know what this new doctrine
• New = Matthew 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
• You can't say you worship God and then follow Satan

20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.

• Strange = 1 Peter 4:4 4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)

• Look around today = they trying to push new religion = 4th trumpet = they go as the world, they don't study God's word, some listen to man only, saying God wants us to all to be one happy family and do what we want to do.
• New things = newer things = the latest idea

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

• Too superstitious = more religiously than others = compound of (to fear)

23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

• Devotions = the objects of your worship
• 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
• Add = also
• Unknown = Public calamities would suggest that some god whom they could not identify must be propitiated. 
• Declare = same as preach.
• Note Paul's skilful use of local circumstances

24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

• God wants your love, can you think of anything else God would ask of you?
• If you love God, you'll try your best to follow God's commandments and help others

25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

 

26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

• One blood = the text omit blood
• The "one" here means either Adam or the dust of which he was formed.
• One = sometimes used for a certain man
• All nations = every nation

27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

• To Epicureans and Stoics alike a resurrection of dead person was a madman's dream.
• Only those whose "heart the Lord opened" same in in verse 34, could receive it

33 So Paul departed from among them.

34 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

 

• Exactly 2520 years from the exile of Benjamin, Iceland became an independent nation.

 

•  The first tribe to be conquered by the Assyrians was Manasseh, in 745 B.C. Exactly 2520 years later America became a nation on July 4, 1776.

 

• Study the book: Abrahamic Covenant, (A study outline of the identity of God's people) By E. Raymond Capt - page 25