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Faithful, Earnest Warnings
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into disrepute. The apostles were creating a wonderful excitement.
The people were bringing their sick folk, and those that were vexed
with unclean spirits, into the streets; crowds were collecting around
them, and those that had been healed were shouting the praises
of God and glorifying the name of Jesus, the very One whom the
Jews had condemned, scorned, spit upon, crowned with thorns, and
caused to be scourged and crucified. This Jesus was extolled above
the priests and rulers. The apostles were even declaring that He
had risen from the dead. The Jewish rulers decided that this work
must and should be stopped, for it was proving them guilty of the
blood of Jesus. They saw that converts to the faith were multiplying.
“Believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men
and women.”
Arrest and Imprisonment of the Apostles
“Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him,
(which is the sect of the Sadducees,)” who held that there would be
no resurrection of the dead. The assertions made by the apostles
that they had seen Jesus after His resurrection, and that He had
ascended to heaven, were overthrowing the fundamental principles
of the Sadducean doctrine. This was not to be allowed. The priests
and rulers were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the
apostles, and put them in the common prison. The disciples were not
intimidated or cast down. The words of Christ in His last lessons to
them were brought to mind: “He that hath My commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be
loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself
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to him.” “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto
you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from
the Father, He shall testify of Me: and ye also shall bear witness,
because ye have been with Me from the beginning. These things
have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall
put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things
will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor
Me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come,
ye may remember that I told you of them.”