Acts 13:26-30
 
Acts 13:26 (KJB)
Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
Stock - Family or nation
 
From Verse 26 to 37, Paul speaks about the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul speaks to them as being the stock of Abraham which he was speaking to the Jews at that time since Abraham was the progenitor of the nation of Israel which came through the twelve sons of Jacob who was named Israel. Then Paul also addresses the Gentiles who were in attendance as those who feareth God. (Acts 10:2 KJV) A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. Cornelius was a Gentile man described as one who feared God. Paul then continues by stating that it was to this group that the word of salvation was sent. What Paul was basically saying that the true Gospel is being sent to both Jews and Gentiles, since it would be a worldwide message.
 
Acts 13:27 (KJB)
For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
 
Paul now gives a scathing denunciation of the rulers in Jerusalem because they did not know who Christ was. The reason for this was their spiritual blindness. They read the prophets every sabbath day in the temple and yet reading the word of God did nothing for them because it did not penetrate. Their spiritual blindness had lead them to condemn the Lord Jesus Christ. If they would have truly studied the scriptures, they would have realized that Jesus was the fulfillment of so many scriptures like Isaiah 53, Micah 5, Numbers 24, etc. This type of situation has not improved today at all. The Jews still read the Hebrew scriptures and are as blind to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah having fulfilled about 100 prophecies on that week alone. We have the same situation in the churches, biblically illiterate pastors teach from the Bible and have no idea what they are even teaching nor can they because of their spiritual blindness owing to the fact of the absence of salvation. The biblical illiteracy among the Jewish rulers in Jesus’ day was necessary for if they would have recognized Him, He would have never gone to the cross and there would be no salvation. The situation in the churches is different. When a church hires a biblically illiterate pastor, it can only expect to be a church of opposition to Christ and the truth.
 
Acts 13:28 (KJB)
And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
 
Not one person could find fault with Jesus, even their false witnesses couldn’t get their stories straight. Jesus was a threat to the lucrative religious positions and the chief priests were afraid that Rome would come and take away their land and then they would lose their cash cow. (John 11:48-50 KJV) If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. {49} And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, {50} Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. Pilate was also a typical politician who fell prey to the crowds. Pilate knew that Jesus had done nothing to warrant even a chastising but to satisfy the blood lust of the crowd, he had Jesus crucified.
 
Acts 13:29 (KJB)
And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
 
The spiritual blindness was necessary and because of it they fulfilled all things the Scriptures had written about the Lord Jesus Christ and His crucifixion, death, and resurrection. (Isa 53:9 KJV) And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.  The tomb where the body of Jesus was hastily laid was in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Now Arimathea was about 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem so they would not have been able to take Christ’s body there if that is where Joseph had his tomb. It has been thought that Joseph had a special tomb hewn out of rock close to where Jesus was crucified for the purpose of Jesus being laid there. However, even if they had started to dig the tomb when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on Sunday, it would not have been done on time for Friday. The place where Jesus was buried will remain a mystery because if it was found, it would become another relic of worship. It could also not be the Garden Tomb because if you look at these three sets of verses, they reveal something interesting.
 
(John 20:4-5 KJV) So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. {5} And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
 
(Luke 24:12 KJV) Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
 
(John 20:11 KJV) But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
 
Notice it states that Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene stooped down. If you look at the Garden Tomb, you would see it is big enough to walk right in without stooping down. Something to think about.
 
Acts 13:30 (KJB)
But God raised him from the dead:
 
One of the shortest verses in the Bible but one with a great big message. The Jews and the Romans put Jesus to death and that death was to buy salvation for all the Elect of the world, and all those in the future. Death could not hold the King of Life and God raised Him from the dead. Now He lives forever as the King of the church and the king of the Universe. All the founders of world religions both past and present who have died, you can find their tombs on earth but no one can find the tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ and the bigger message, if they discover the tomb, then it will be empty. He walked out of that tomb triumphantly on Sunday morning because the tomb had no hold on Him and this tells all the true believers around the world, that the tomb will not be able to hold them either. There will come a day when God will raise all His children and then cometh the end.

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