Felix gets scared

Felix gets scared!

By Richard P. Joseph

    In Acts 24 we find Paul on trial in Caesarea.  The Jews, especially the judaizers, were committed to killing Paul because they felt that he had forsaken the Mosaic covenant in his teachings.   Some Jews allowed the belief in Jesus but only as a sect of Judaism as they were never able to understand that Judaism was really only a precursor to a coming Messiah.  Since the Jews were the murderers of many of the prophets and then finally the Messiah himself, they were to be judged and found wanting.  Physical Israel was to give way to spiritual Israel.  It was made quite clear in the gospels, in the epistles and in Revelation that physical Israel had run its course and would soon become defunct as a religious system.  Jesus Christ had become the fulfillment of the  law.  Now Paul was on trial for that very hope, the hope of, not only a resurrection of souls but of a resurrected Israel to be realized in both Jew and gentile alike.  

    During Paul’s trial that Felix was overseeing, he made it clear that he spoke only of the things that were written in the Old Testament.  He then said:

Acts:2415 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection [e]of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.  NKJV

Young’s literal translation actually makes it clear that this coming resurrection was imminent, not just something in the future.  

Paul kept reminding them that he was an orthidox Jew and that that orthodoxy demanded a resurrection and Paul made it quite clear (as well as the other apostles) that this rising from the dead was imminent.  

    This soon coming (greek word mello) resurrection caught Felix’s attention but his love for money was stronger.  He kept a hope up that Paul would bribe him with some money for his release which, of course, Paul never offered.  But it came around that Felix’s Jewish wife became interested in this Paul and Felix, perhaps,  thought that she might have a fresh perspective on this so called new doctrine (which of course wasn’t since the prophets have been predicting it for centuries) so he called Paul in for a private session with just him and his Jewish wife Drussila.  Drussila was descended from the Herodian dynasty.  Paul began to share the gospel with them and when he finally got to the resurrection Felix began to become afraid.

Acts 24:25 and he reasoning concerning righteousness, and temperance, and the judgment that is about to be, Felix, having become afraid, answered, `For the present be going, and having got time, I will call for thee;'  Young's literal translation.

My question therefore is this; “why would Felix be concerned with something that won’t happen for maybe thousands of years” (according to the common futurist doctrine of eschatology)?   Answer; Because Felix never interpreted it that way, only modern day seminarians do because they use poor hermeneutics.  That might sound harsh but I think Felix had it right.  Felix was the original recipient of Paul’s sermon and he correctly understood that this resurrection was “about to occur” very soon.  Since paul was preaching about self control and righteousness, this definitely caught Felix’s attention because he was a wholly corrupt man.  When Paul mentioned an approaching judgement, Felix became frightened and promptly dismissed Paul back to his jail cell.  

    The point I am attempting to make is that the preterist position is thoroughly ensconced in new testament writings.  The context always indicates an imminent judgement and resurrection.  It never ever considers a long and protracted timeline for the events of the parousia.  Not one apostle ever embraced such a doctrine.  Stick with what was written and with the historical events that prove it and you can’t go wrong.