King Agrippa II traveled to Caesarea to visit Festus the governor of the area (Acts 25:13-27; 26:1-32). During the King’s visit, Gov. Festus told him he had a problem with a prisoner named Paul that he didn’t know how to handle. Festus said the Jews want Paul executed, but Paul has done nothing worthy of death. Paul is a Jew, but he is also a Roman citizen. And to make matters worse he has appealed his case to Rome. Festus said I have to send him to Rome, but:

“It seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner [to Rome] and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him” (Acts 25:27).

The next day, Paul was brought before Agrippa and given a chance to speak. Among other things Paul told Agrippa, “I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers (Acts 26:6).” This hope of the promise made of God to the early Jewish leaders involved two things: 1) God promised the first coming of the Messiah (Gen. 3:15; Dan. 9:27), and 2) God promised to raise the Messiah from the dead (Psa. 16:10; Acts 2:31). Paul said the twelve tribes of Israel served God day and night because they believed God’s promise. He said this is why the Jews want to kill me. I have been preaching that Jesus is the Messiah, that he was crucified and that he was raised from the dead.

Then, Paul asked Agrippa a very pertinent question, “Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead” Acts 26:8)?Why is it incredible to believe the Scriptures, incredible to believe that God will keep His promises, incredible to believe that God can perform miracles, incredible to believe that God can raise the dead, incredible to believe that the prophets and Moses foretold these things (John 1:45)?

Paul continued, “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:That Christ should suffer,and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23). Paul was saying, I am only repeating what the prophets and Moses said. They said Jesus would be crucified and raised from the dead. It happened just the way the prophets and Moses said it would happen.

As the trial continued, Paul asked Agrippa a second question, “Believest thou the prophets” (Acts 26:27)? Good question. This is crucial because the prophets and Moses prophesied the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. That is the gospel (Rom. 1:1-6; I Cor. 15:1-5). The gospel is actually a message about fulfilled Bible prophecy. If you had lived 2,000 years ago, do you think you would have believed the prophets and Moses (the gospel) or would you have been like those who didn’t believe the prophets and Moses (those who rejected the gospel)? The consequences of believing or rejecting the prophets and Moses (the gospel) are awesome and eternal.

It amazes me that so many church members choose to be willingly ignorant of Bible prophecy. God put 18 books of prophecy in the Bible (5 Major Prophets, 12 Minor Prophets and the book of Revelation). The apostle Paul wrote 13 or 14 books in the New Testament and his writings contain dozens of prophecies. Jesus was a prophet (Deut. 18:17-18; Jn. 6:14; Acts 3:22). Why would anyone who studies the Scriptures and claims to be a Christian make themselves willingly ignorant of Bible prophecy?

But I want to fast forward to our generation. The prophets and Moses were required to be right 100% of the time (Deut. 18:10). The apostle Peter said their prophecies are sure and we would do well to heed them (II Pet. 1:19). But the prophets and Moses did more than prophesy the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. They also prophesied the Rapture of the Church (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5; II Kings 2:11-18) and the Second Coming of Jesus (Psa. 96:13; Isa. 64:2; Zech. 14:4).

Do not take this lightly. The prophets and Moses were right about the incredible death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, so it seems unreasonable to think they are wrong about the Rapture of the church and the Second Coming of Jesus. As spokesmen for God, it seems unreasonable to believe that some of what they said about Jesus is true and some of what they said is false. No! They delivered their message with the precision of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). It has to happen.

Believest thou the prophets? They said many things that seem to indicate that we are running out of time.

Prophecy Plus Ministries

Daymond & Rachel Duck

My wife Rachel and I were attending the Mid-America Prophecy Conference on April 11, 2014 and evangelist Don Perkins was speaking. When he mentioned Acts 28:22-26,  Rachel turned to me and said, “That was a prophecy conference.” She was right and the more I thought about it the more I realized how true that is.

The Old Testament prophets wrote books on prophecy. Following the temptation of Jesus, He returned into Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. He taught in the synagogues and received much glory. He arrived at Nazareth where He grew up. The Sabbath came and He went to the synagogue. When He stood up to read He was handed a prophetic book. (the book of Isaiah).

The Old Testament didn’t have chapters and verses at this time, but if it had, He would have read Isaiah 61:1 and part of 61:2. He closed the book, gave it to the synagogue minister, sat down and said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:14-21). This was a prophetic message that His hometown people didn’t like. They even rose up to kill Him even though it was given by Jesus under the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:28-30).

Shortly before His crucifixion, He was leaving the Temple for the last time. His disciples approached Him to point out the beautiful buildings, but He said, “There shall not be left here one stone upon another’ (Matthew 24:1-2). He went out to the Mount of Olives (to the place where He would ascend into heaven after His First Coming; to the place where He will come back to at His Second Coming; Acts 1:9-11; Zechariah 14:4) and His disciples said, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

Their questions triggered what was probably the greatest prophecy conference the world has ever experienced. Jesus talked about false Christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecution, the gospel, the Temple, the battle of Armageddon, the Second Coming, Israel and many other really important subjects. I love to study His words, but many church members don’t even want to hear them.

Shortly after His crucifixion, two men were walking to a village called Emmaus when Jesus drew near (Luke 24:13-28). They called Jesus “a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” They said He had been condemned, crucified and His body was missing from the grave. Jesus called them “fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”

Did you catch that? Jesus said those who don’t believe all that the prophets said are foolish and they have a heart problem. He referred the men to the Scriptures and “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Starting in the book of Genesis and going through the Book of Malachi Jesus showed them how current events were a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. That is a prophecy conference that I would love to have set in on.

And now to the prophecy conference that caught Rachel’s attention. Paul was arrested and eventually sent to Rome (Acts 28:16-29). Three days after he arrived, he contacted some of the Jews and told them he had been arrested for the hope of Israel. They had no idea what he was talking about, but they wanted to hear more.

“And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” Paul did what Jesus did on the road to Emmaus. Some believed and some didn’t, but this is where Paul told the unbelieving Jews that “the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles” (Acts 28:28).

Bible prophecy is about Jesus and not understanding it was a costly thing for the Jews.

The church enjoys a unique relationship with God. He has given us the Scriptures and Jesus told us to go all over the world teaching people to observe everything He said (Matt. 28:20). This is our mission. “Everything He said” leaves no room for the exclusion of Bible prophecy. It is a significant portion of the Scriptures and those who ignore it are not following the example of Jesus and they are not teaching the whole counsel of God.

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Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck