Invitation Rejected

“But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, ‘When Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case.’ … And after some days … [Felix] sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’ 

Acts 24:22–25

 “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe. Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’ 

Acts 26:27, 28

Go away, until I am ready. You almost convinced me. Truth is, repentance does not happen according to our time table or our convenience or whim. Repentance is a response to an invitation extended by the Holy Spirit. It is an offer of His power to unite with our desire to change. If the invitation is accepted, the Holy Spirit performs a miraculous work in the life, changing the desires, inclinations, thoughts and actions.

But an invitation rejected leaves a person in darkness, “tossed to and fro and carried by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.” Ephesians 4:14. Felix and Agrippa were given the invitation of the Holy Spirit, and both turned away and were forever lost.

“God now calls upon you to repent, to be zealous in the work. Your eternal happiness will be determined by the course you now pursue. Can you reject the invitations of mercy now offered? Can you choose your own way? Will you cherish pride and vanity, and lose your soul at last? The word of God plainly tells us that few will be saved, and that the greater number of those, even, who are called will prove themselves unworthy of everlasting life. They will have no part in heaven, but will have their portion with Satan, and experience the second death.” Testimonies, Vol. 2, 293, 294

“… ‘A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, “Come, for all things are now ready.” But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.” And another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.” Still another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”  ’ ” Luke 14:16–20

His friends, those of position and wealth, were not interested in accepting the gracious invitation of the master to participate in the “great supper” he had prepared for them. They chose instead to tend to their own business first. Excuse after excuse is given, until in anger, the master instructs his servant, “ ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind. … Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.’ ” Verses 21, 23

And then he makes this terrible declaration, “ ‘For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ” Verse 24

“They had rejected the invitation, and none of them were to be invited again. In rejecting Christ, the Jews were hardening their hearts, and giving themselves into the power of Satan so that it would be impossible for them to accept His grace. So it is now. If the love of God is not appreciated and does not become an abiding principle to soften and subdue the soul, we are utterly lost. The Lord can give no greater manifestation of His love than He has given. If the love of Jesus does not subdue the heart, there are no means by which we can be reached.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 236, 237

We see the same illustration in Matthew 22:1–14 in the parable of the marriage of the king’s son. The marriage was arranged, the wedding feast prepared, the servants sent out with the invitation, but the Bible says that they were not willing to come. He extended the invitation again, but this, too, was rejected and even more, the king’s servants were beaten and killed. In his anger, he sent an army and destroyed those who had rejected this gracious invitation.

He then said, “ ‘Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’ ” Verses 9–14

This parable shows us that the invitation was given, but rejected by those who did not feel the need to accept it. These are the characteristics of the Laodicean church as found in Revelation 3:17, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked … .”

Consequently, the invitation is given to those who recognized the need to accept. However, this parable also shows that there is necessary preparation that must be done in order to be able to attend the wedding feast. The wedding garment represents Christ’s robe of righteousness (Matthew 22:12). We must choose daily to become more and more like Christ, and in giving up our “filthy rags,” we are to accept His pure, white robe.

“When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.

“The guests at the marriage feast were inspected by the king. Only those were accepted who had obeyed his requirements and put on the wedding garment. So it is with the guests at the gospel feast. All must pass the scrutiny of the great King, and only those are received who have put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness.

“Righteousness is right doing, and it is by their deeds that all will be judged. Our characters are revealed by what we do. The works show whether the faith is genuine.

“It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is not an impostor, and that the religion of the Bible is no cunningly devised fable. We may believe that the name of Jesus is the only name under heaven whereby man may be saved, and yet we may not through faith make Him our personal Saviour. It is not enough to believe the theory of truth. It is not enough to make a profession of faith in Christ and have our names registered on the church roll. ‘He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.’ ‘Hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments.’ 1 John 3:24; 2:3. This is the genuine evidence of conversion. Whatever our profession, it amounts to nothing unless Christ is revealed in works of righteousness. …

“He who becomes a partaker of the divine nature will be in harmony with God’s great standard of righteousness, His holy law. This is the rule by which God measures the actions of men. This will be the test of character in the judgment.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312–314

Friend, have you received the invitation of the Holy Spirit? What has been your response?

“I’m busy today, come again later.”

“I have other plans, let me get back to You.”

“It’s just not a good time for me. There are so many things I want to do or try. I’ll be ready later.”

Perhaps the saddest and one of the most well-known rejections is the story of Judas. He was a selfish, willful, young man with the greatest opportunity. In the physical presence of the Messiah, Judas was ministered to as any other disciple. Jesus’ heart of love yearned for Judas to accept the invitation to repent, but we know that this was not the outcome in Judas’ life.

“The disciples knew nothing of the purpose of Judas. Jesus alone could read his secret. Yet He did not expose him. Jesus hungered for his soul. … His heart was crying, How can I give thee up? The constraining power of that love was felt by Judas. When the Saviour’s hands were bathing those soiled feet, and wiping them with the towel, the heart of Judas thrilled through and through with the impulse then and there to confess his sin. But he would not humble himself. He hardened his heart against repentance; and the old impulses, for the moment put aside, again controlled him [Almost he accepted the invitation]. Judas was now offended at Christ’s act in washing the feet of His disciples. If Jesus could so humble Himself, he thought, He could not be Israel’s king. All hope of worldly honor in a temporal kingdom was destroyed. Judas was satisfied that there was nothing to be gained by following Christ. … He was possessed by a demon, and he resolved to complete the work he had agreed to do in betraying his Lord.

“Judas the betrayer was present at the sacramental service. He received from Jesus the emblems of His broken body and His spilled blood. He heard the words, ‘This do in remembrance of Me.’ And sitting there in the very presence of the Lamb of God, the betrayer brooded upon his own dark purposes, and cherished his sullen, revengeful thoughts.

“At the Passover supper Jesus proved His divinity by revealing the traitor’s purpose. He tenderly included Judas in the ministry to the disciples. But the last appeal of love was unheeded. Then the case of Judas was decided, and the feet that Jesus had washed went forth to the betrayer’s work.

Until this step was taken, Judas had not passed beyond the possibility of repentance. But when he left the presence of his Lord and his fellow disciples, the final decision had been made. He had passed the boundary line.

“How many today are, like Judas, betraying their Lord?” Conflict and Courage, 319

The invitation given to Judas was rejected.

The invitations illustrated in both the parable of the wedding garment and great supper were offered first to the Jewish nation, but after repeated rejection, they were finally given to the Gentiles. These invitations are treated the same, the same excuses given to refuse the invitation in every age. I cannot follow Christ because it would interfere with my business interests or social relations. Following the commandments of God would put me out of harmony with my neighbors, friends, and relatives.

“They make light of the message, but the Master of the feast regards their flimsy excuses as contempt of His invitation of mercy. These apologies which men offer for refusing the invitation to the heavenly supper will appear again in their true character in the day of God. The rich feast of God’s grace has been provided at infinite cost, and an invitation to that feast confers special honor upon the human race. Those who accept the invitation are authorized and commissioned of God to extend it to every creature. … Shall we not accept the invitation to the gospel feast, feed upon Christ, and thus have everlasting life?” The Review and Herald, March 3, 1896

Sadly, it is possible, as Christians, to believe that we have accepted God’s invitation of grace, that we are doing all the right things, that we are His children, that only Jesus saves; but too often, while believing, we have failed to have the personal relationship with Him that will make us like Him in character, replacing our filthy rags with His robe of righteous eternal life.

What is your answer? Invitation accepted? [Emphasis supplied.]

Life Sketches – A Convenient Time

Is it true that somewhere a record is kept of your life? No one is forgotten. Every thought, feeling, and action are noted and understood by a loving God, and one day all will stand before Him and acknowledge Him as righteous, just and true. Some will delight in His presence; however, we are told that the majority will call for the rocks to fall on them to hide them from His presence.

Our great work on this earth as Christians is not to criticize the character and motives of others, but rather to closely examine our own hearts and lives to see if they are in harmony with the word of God. When tempted by the devil, Jesus said to him, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4).

The result of resisting the truth that is in the word of God is a heart that becomes hard. The Bible calls it the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13). That hard heart, confirmed by impenitence, is fatal, and those people who have this condition, while at the same time claiming to be Christian, are deceiving not only themselves but also others. These “Christians” outwardly pay homage to Christ and most of them go to some church. They unite in the services of the Christian religion, but their heart, whose loyalty alone Jesus prizes, is estranged from Him. When men refuse to accept the truth that God sends to them from His word, they are oblivious of the path they take, or its destination.

The Jewish nation in the days of Christ had this same problem. Though God had sent much evidence, they refused to accept the truth and receive Jesus as the longed-for Messiah. The critical question is never how much truth you know, but whether you obey the truth that you do know. The person who knows a thimble full of truth and follows it by putting it into practice is more righteous in God’s sight than a person who knows all about theology yet refuses to live in harmony with that knowledge.

The apostle Paul was brought to Caesarea to stand before Felix the governor, and within just a matter of days the Jewish people had hired an orator by the name of Tertullus to represent them in accusing him.

It says in Acts 24, verse 1, “After five days Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus. These gave evidence to the governor against Paul.” To gain favor with the governor, Tertullus decided the best way to proceed was to use flattery. He said, “ ‘Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight, we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your courtesy, a few words from us. For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to profane the temple, and we seized him, and wanted to judge him according to our law. But the commander Lysias came by and with great violence took him out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him’ ” (verses 2–8). To these accusations the Jews assented that this was true (verse 9). However, the facts are that in this speech, Tertullus descended to barefaced falsehood.

Historians have revealed that Felix practiced all kinds of lusts and cruelty with the power of a king and the temper of a slave. Now it is true that he had rendered some services to the nation by driving out the robbers and ridding the country of certain dangerous persons. However, the treacherous cruelty of his character is demonstrated by his brutal murder of the high priest Jonathan, who was largely responsible for him getting the position that he had.

Jonathan, though little better than Felix himself, had ventured to reprove him for some of his acts of violence. For doing this, the procurator, Felix, had caused Jonathan to be assassinated while employed in his official duties in the temple. Felix was also known for his unbridled licentiousness. An example of this is seen in his alliance with Drusilla, a young Jewish princess. Through the deceptive arts of Simon Magus, a Cyprian sorcerer hired by Felix, the princess was induced to leave her husband and to become his wife. Drusilla was young and beautiful. She was devotedly attached to her husband, who had made a great sacrifice to obtain her hand. There was little indeed to induce her to forego her strongest prejudices and bring herself into an association with an elderly, cruel profligate, and bring upon herself the abhorrence of her own nation by forming this adulterous connection.

Yet, the Satanic devices of the conjurer and the betrayer succeeded, and Felix accomplished his purpose. Now the Jews who were present at Paul’s examination shared in the general feelings of animosity toward Felix, but their desire was so great to gain his favor in order to secure the condemnation of Paul that they assented to the flattering words of Tertullus. These were men in holy office, robed in priestly garments, who were very exact in the observance of the ceremonies and customs of their religion. They were very scrupulous to avoid any outward pollution. At the same time, their soul temples were defiled with all manner of iniquity. Jesus said they appeared to be righteous on the outside, but inside they were full of all manner of lawlessness (Luke 11:39). The outward contact with anything that was thought to be unclean was considered by them to be a great offense, but in their eyes, the murder of the apostle Paul was a justifiable act. What an illustration of the blindness that can come upon the human mind.

Here are people who claimed to be God’s covenant people, but like the barren fig tree in Jesus’ parable, they were clothed with pretentious leaves, destitute of the fruits of holiness. How is it in your life, friend? If you profess to be a religious person of any kind, is there something in your life more than a profession? Do you actually have the fruit of holiness described in Galatians 5?

Paul said that in the last days one of the problems would be that many people would have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). That is a true description of what we see today. The Jews were filled with malice toward Paul, a pure and good man, and sought by every means, fair or foul, to take his life by praising a vindictive, profligate man as his judge. There are many today who estimate human character in the same way, prompted by the adversary of all righteousness; they call evil good and truth evil. The prophet Isaiah said, “Truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter” (Isaiah 59:14).

It is because of this condition in the world that God calls upon His children to come out and be separate. God says through the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians, the 6th chapter, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty’ ” (verses 14–18). This is not referring to physical uncleanness, but the spiritual uncleanness of the sin of envy and jealousy and evil thoughts.

Those who mingle with the world will eventually come to view matters from a worldling’s standpoint instead of the way that God sees them. “It takes time to transform the human to the divine, or to degrade those formed in the image of God to the brutal or the Satanic. By beholding we become changed.” The Adventist Home, 330.

The pure and the good will always be honored and loved by those who are good. In Tertullus’ speech against Paul, it was charged that he was a pestilent fellow, that he created sedition among the Jews throughout the world, and that he was consequently guilty of treason against the emperor, and that he was a leader of a sect of the Nazarenes and chargeable with heresy against the law of Moses. Another accusation was that he had profaned the temple, which was a lie. It was then falsely stated that Lysias, the commander of the garrison, had violently taken Paul from the Jews as they were about to judge him by their ecclesiastical law, and thus had improperly forced them to bring the matter before Felix.

These lying statements were skillfully designed to obtain the governor’s favor. But Felix, in spite of the fact that he was a profligate and cruel, was not stupid and perceived the motive for the flattery. When he saw that the Jews had failed to substantiate their charges, Felix turned to Paul and asked what he had to say concerning himself. “Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered: ‘Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself, because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city. Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation, in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult. They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me. Or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council, unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day’ ” (Acts 24:10–21).

Step by step Paul refuted all of the charges brought against him and declared that he had caused no disturbance in any part of Jerusalem. He had not profaned the sanctuary; he had not been in the temple disputing or raising a ruckus and said that none of the charges could be proved and that he believed in the law and the prophets just the same as the Jews claimed to believe.

Jesus had stated clearly that there would be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust (John 5:28, 29). In a candid, straight-forward manner, the apostle Paul stated the reason for his visit to Jerusalem and the circumstances of His arrest and trial. He spoke with earnestness, sincerity, and conviction of truthfulness. Felix had a better knowledge of the Christian religion than the Jews had supposed, because in Caesarea there were many Christians and he was not deceived by the misrepresentations of these Jews. Felix understood the situation and knew this man before him was not guilty. The Jews had not proven anything.

However, Felix was motivated by no higher motive than being interested in himself. Instead of pronouncing sentence and setting the apostle Paul free as he ought to have done right then, he procrastinated, and Paul was left in prison so that he would not stir up any more the animosity of the Jews.

Later, Felix had Paul brought in to speak to himself and Drusilla, his young wife. Felix’ and Drusilla’s relationship was not a Biblical marriage but an adulterous one. This time, the apostle had a small audience in this licentious couple, a cruel profligate Roman governor and a profligate Jewish princess. The Roman governor had heard about the future resurrection of both the just and the unjust and when Paul spoke about it, he desired to know more. Paul was able to improve on this opportunity. He knew the man and woman before whom he was standing had the power either to put him to death or to preserve his life, but he did not address them with praise or flattery. He knew that how they responded to what he would say to them would determine their eternal destiny.  So, forgetting all selfish considerations, he sought to arouse within them the peril of their souls.

The gospel message does not allow any neutrality. The gospel counts all men to be decidedly for the truth or against it. Jesus said, “He that is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30). If we do not obey and receive the teachings of the gospel, then we become its enemies. But at the same time, the gospel does not know any respect of person, class, or condition. The gospel is addressed to all mankind, and every human being who hears it must make a decision for or against it. If you are not for it, you are against it.

The Lord said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). So, the apostle presented the gospel to Felix. This was not like a whole series of prophecy seminars or evangelistic meetings like preachers conduct today. Paul had one chance to present the truth to this heathen man and his profligate wife.

Notice the three subjects Paul thought best to address with Felix and Drusilla. He “… reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come” (Acts 24:25, first part).

The Bible says that “Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you’ ” (verse 25, last part). Paul presented to Felix the righteousness of God, the justice of God, and the nature and obligation of the divine law. He clearly showed that every human being has an obligation to live a life of sobriety and temperance, keeping the passions under the control of reason in conformity with God’s law, and preserving the physical and mental powers in a healthful condition.

Paul presented that a day of judgment would surely come when every human being will be rewarded according to the deeds done in their bodies. Notice what he wrote to the Corinthians: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

So, a day of reckoning will come. Wealth, or position, or honor will be powerless in the Day of Judgment to elevate a man before God or to ransom him from the penalty of sin. This life is the only period of probation. This is your only chance to develop a character that will be fit to be given the gift of immortality. If we neglect our present privileges and opportunities it will prove to be an eternal loss, because no new probation is going to be given at the end of the world.

If, in the Day of Judgment, you are found to be unholy in heart or defective in any respect when judged by the Law of God, you will suffer the punishment of your guilt. Paul dwelt upon the far-reaching claims of God’s law and showed that the law of God extends not just to outward actions, but to the deep secrets of man’s moral nature. The law extends to the thoughts, to the motives, to the purposes of the heart. In both the Old and New Testaments, we are told that God knows our thoughts. He knows our feelings. The dark passions that are hidden from the sight of men, such as jealousy, revenge, hatred, lust, wild ambition, and evil deeds that are meditated upon in the dark recesses of the mind, yet may never be executed for want of opportunity, God knows.

Men may imagine that they can safely cherish these secret sins, but in the Day of Judgment, Paul says, all the secret sins of man will be laid open. Jesus said the same thing. All secrets of men will be revealed in the judgment. The only hope for fallen man is to manifest faith in the blood of Christ, receive the Holy Spirit and be born again, so that not only his sins might be forgiven, but that a new nature, a new heart, a new Spirit, be instilled within him. This was the message Paul fearlessly preached to Felix.

Felix saw that God justly claims the love and obedience of all His creatures. But man has forgotten his Maker. God did not bestow His grace upon the human race so that the binding claims of His law would be lessened, but rather to be established. Paul said, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).

Paul, the prisoner, urged upon the Jew and the Gentile the claims of the divine law and presented Jesus, the despised Nazarene, as the Son of God, the world’s Redeemer and the only One able to forgive sin. The Jewish princess well understood the sacred nature of that law which she had so shamelessly transgressed, but her prejudice against the man of Calvary steeled her heart against the words of life. However, Felix, who had never listened to truth before like this, was deeply agitated. The Spirit sent home the truth to his conscience and he was greatly troubled. Conscience had made her voice heard, and Felix felt that Paul’s words were true.

Memory went back over Felix’s guilty past. With terrible distinctness came to his mind the secrets of his early life; the lust, the bloodshed, the black record of his later years, licentious, cruel, rapacious, unjust, steeped in the blood of many innocent people, the public massacres for which he was responsible and he was filled with terror. The thought that all the secrets of his career of crime were open before the eye of God and that one day he would be judged according to his deeds caused him to tremble with guilty dread. But he decided to put it off.

Refusing the invitation to accept eternal life, Felix told Paul to go away and when it was more convenient, he would call on Paul again. Tragically, that convenient time never came for Felix. There are many people today doing the very same thing. They see the gospel and fear that time when their true character will be laid open for all to see, but they say, “I’ll be saved later.”

How is it with you friend? It is dangerous to wait for the convenient season. It never comes.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Historial Gem – Fearful Rejection

Paul was accused by Ananias of being the ringleader of the sect known as the Nazarenes. He was imprisoned for being a troublemaker who constantly incited the Jews to riots.

“Near the close of the two years, these dissensions led to a fierce combat in the market-place, resulting in the defeat of the Greeks. Felix, who sided with the Gentile faction, came with his troops and ordered the Jews to disperse. The command was not instantly obeyed by the victorious party, and he ordered his soldiers to fall upon them. Glad of an opportunity to indulge their hatred of the Jews, they executed the order in the most merciless manner, and many were put to death. As if this were not enough, Felix, whose animosity toward the Jews had increased every year, now gave his soldiers liberty to rob the houses of the wealthy.

“These daring acts of injustice and cruelty could not pass unnoticed. The Jews made a formal complaint against Felix, and he was summoned to Rome to answer their charges. He well knew that his course of extortion and oppression had given them abundant ground for complaint, but he still hoped to conciliate them. Hence, though he had a sincere respect for Paul, he decided to gratify their malice by leaving him a prisoner. But all his efforts were in vain; though he escaped banishment or death, he was removed from office, and deprived of the greater part of his ill-gotten wealth. Drusilla, the partner of his guilt, afterward perished, with their only son, in the eruption of Vesuvius. His own days were ended in disgrace and obscurity.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 245, 246.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried by an avalanche of boiling mud and lava. Pompeii was buried under 20–40 feet of mud, and Herculaneum was under 60–75 feet.

In the summertime of 79 A.D., the young 18-year-old student, Gaius Plinius (Pliny the Younger) witnessed one of the most unbelievable catastrophes in the history of the world. He was staying with his mother and his uncle (Pliny the Elder) at a villa in the city of Misenum, which is located on the Bay of Naples, about 20 miles from Mount Vesuvius. While there he witnessed the eruption that completely buried the cities. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, died that day, but Gaius survived and wrote a startling account to the Roman historian Tacitus of what he saw in two long letters. Here are some translated excerpts of what he wrote: “On August 24, about one in the afternoon, my mother drew my uncle’s attention to a cloud of unusual size and appearance. It was not clear from a distance as to which mountain the cloud was rising from, although it was afterward known to be Vesuvius. …

“His uncle (Pliny the Elder) being commander of the naval fleet at Misenum, apparently realized, according to Gaius’s account, that Vesuvius was erupting and decided to take some ships across the bay to rescue whoever he could. It was impossible to come too close to land because of the hot, thick ashes and pumice (large chunks of lava), and so they headed for Stabiae, a city three miles south of Pompeii, and he came to the home of a friend, Pomponianus, who could not leave because of the opposing wind. So they waited. They watched Vesuvius, of which it is said that there was:

“ ‘broad streets of fire and leaping flames blazed at many points, their bright glow emphasized [sic] by the darkness of night.’

“Pliny the Elder was completely helpless to do anything and his hope of a rescue mission was impossible and he and the men with him were in great danger. …

“ ‘Only the shrill cries of women, the wailing of children, and the shouting of men. Some were calling to their parents, others to their children, others to their wives. … Many lifted up their hands to the gods, but most were convinced that there were now no gods at all and that this night was the end of the world. Finally the darkness lightened, and then like smoke or cloud dissolved away. Daylight returned, and the sun shone out, though luridly, as it does when an eclipse is coming.’ ” Excerpts from www.bible-history.com/resource/ff_vesu.htm, November 8, 2010.

“Drusilla, the partner of his guilt, afterward perished, with their only son, in the eruption of Vesuvius. …

“A ray of light from Heaven had been permitted to shine upon this wicked man, when Paul reasoned with him concerning righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come. That was his Heaven-sent opportunity to see and to forsake his sins. But he said to the Spirit of God, ‘Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.’ He had slighted his last offer of mercy. He was never to receive another call from God.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 246.

Both Felix and Drusilla turned from the invitation and lost all.

Based on the story of Felix and Drusilla (Acts 24).