Conspiracy of the Jews

Introduction

Remember Remember the 5th of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot

I see no reason why gunpowder treason

should ever be forgot.

In 1605, a group of English Catholics, frustrated by persecution under King James I—fines, imprisonment, and restrictions on their faith—hatched a desperate plan. They rented a cellar beneath the House of Lords and stacked 36 barrels of gunpowder there, enough to obliterate the king, Parliament, and the Protestant establishment in one blast.

Their leader, Guy Fawkes, waited with the fuse. But one conspirator, troubled by conscience, sent an anonymous letter warning a Catholic lord to stay away. That letter reached the authorities. Guards stormed the cellar, seized the powder, and arrested Fawkes. A plot meant for destruction became a story of deliverance.

Main Point: God providentially uses the sins of accountable people to accomplish His divine decree. God uses the bad things people do to bring about His good plans.

1. The Plot of Conspiracy (Acts 23:12–13, 15)

When morning came, more than forty Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse: not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

They enlisted the chief priests and elders to lure Paul into an ambush.

These conspirators were likely associated with the Sicarii, a radical group of Jewish assassins active in Jerusalem during the 50s AD. The Sicarii, often linked to the broader Zealot movement, were known for carrying hidden daggers (from the Latin “sica”) under their cloaks and conducting ambushes in crowded areas to eliminate perceived enemies of Jewish independence, including collaborators with Rome. According to the historian Josephus (Jewish War 2.254), Sicarii cells operated in groups of dozens, using stealth and ideological fervor to strike at Roman authorities and those they saw as threats, much like this plot against Paul, a Roman citizen and former Pharisee turned Christian apostle. Their actions reflected the growing unrest in Judea against Roman rule, foreshadowing the First Jewish-Roman War (66–73 AD).

Those who once claimed to serve God now do the exact opposite of His commands.

Genesis 50:20 – “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.”

What men do to serve themselves, God uses to serve His people.

The simplicity and complexity of ordinary actions: a whispered plan in the shadows becomes the very tool God redirects.

Quotes:

Charles Spurgeon: “Returning evil for good is devil-like, evil for evil is beast-like, good for good is man-like, and good for evil is God-like. Rise to that God-like point.”

Augustine: “For, were it not good that evil things should also exist, the omnipotent God would almost certainly not allow evil to be… God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil to exist.”

Romans 11:32–34 – God’s unsearchable judgments and untraceable ways.

2. The Oath of Stupidity (Acts 23:14)

They went to the chief priests and elders: “We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse that we won’t eat anything until we have killed Paul.”

A rash, self-destructive vow—invoking God’s judgment on themselves if they fail.

Key Insights:

Leviticus 19:12 – Do not swear falsely by My name.

2 Chronicles 6:22–23 – God judges those who misuse oaths, bringing their actions on their own heads.

1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 23: A lawful oath calls God to witness in truth, righteousness, and judgment—they called Him, but without truth.

God permits evil, yet turns it to accomplish His good.

3. The Message of Urgency (Acts 23:16–22)

Paul’s nephew overhears the plot and reports it.

Paul Family Ties have been broken Philippians 3:7 “7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.”

He enters the dark, stone barracks lit by oil lamps and tells Paul.

Paul sends him to the commander,

Claudius Lysias (a tribune who purchased Roman citizenship and likely renamed himself after Emperor Claudius).

Lysias acts swiftly to protect Paul.

Romans were to guard the prisoners for penalty of death

The Roman law dealt severely with jailors who were unable to produce the prisoners who had been put into their custody. If prisoners who were liable to the death penalty were lost, the jailor himself would be promptly executed in their stead. That is why the jailor, despairing of his own life when he thought that all his prisoners had escaped, preferred to kill himself rather than to be ignominiously killed by the praetors.

Richard Charles Henry Lenski (American Lutheran Pastor)

How did the nephew hear? We don’t know—perhaps family ties, community talk, or simple providence.

God uses ordinary, everyday actions of unlikely people (a young boy, a pagan officer) to protect His church.

1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 5, Paragraph 7: “As the providence of God does in general reach to all creatures, so after a more special manner it takes care of His church, and disposes of all things to the good thereof.”

Protecting

Building Up

Gathering

4. The Escort of Certainty (Acts 23:23–35)

At 9 p.m., Lysias assembles: 200 soldiers, 70 cavalry, 200 spearmen

200 spearmen-

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) 1287 δεξιολάβος

δεξιολάβος (dexiolabos

Provides mounts for Paul to ride safely to Governor Felix.

Sends a letter explaining the situation (Acts 23:26–30).

They travel by night to Antipatris; the 200 soldiers and 200 spearmen return to Jerusalem, while the 70 cavalry complete the journey to Caesarea.

Paul arrives at Herod’s palace—grand marble halls, mosaics, and seaside splendor.

Key Insights:

Antonius Felix, the Roman procurator of Judea from 52–60 AD, was a former slave freed by the empress Antonia, mother of Emperor Claudius. His brother, Pallas, held significant influence in Claudius’ court, aiding Felix’s rise to power despite his lowly origins. Historical accounts, including those by Tacitus and Josephus, portray Felix as a cruel and corrupt ruler who exercised “regal power with the disposition of a slave,” indulging in brutality, lust, and exploitation during his governorship. He administered Samaria and parts of Judea, suppressing rebellions harshly, including against groups like the Sicarii, which adds irony to Paul being sent to him for safety as a Roman citizen.

A massive Roman escort for one prisoner: God’s certainty on display.

After Paul’s departure, the Jerusalem church faces pressure (e.g., James the Just martyred during the leadership vacuum, as recorded by Eusebius and Hegesippus). Yet God preserves His witness through Paul.

The plot fails; Paul advances toward Rome.

Frederick Nolan was a missionary in North Africa was fleeing from persecution and being pursued by the enemies of the gospel all over the hills and valleys. He was exsosted and fell into a cave and he could not move. He konew for sure they would come get him and put him to death. But to his suprised he noticed alittle insect crawling near the entrance. Withing minutes this inscet which turned out to ne a spired spun a web that covered the mouth of the cave.

As the pursute got to the cave the reasoned that it woudl be impossible for him to eneter the cave without first breaking the web. Nolan escaped and and then latter wrote.

Where God is, a web is like a wall.

Where God is not, a wall is like a web.

Psalm 62:1-2 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Conclusion & Application The same God who turned gunpowder into deliverance, Haman’s gallows into honor for Mordecai, oaths into emptiness, and ambush into escort is at work today.

He never authors evil, yet He sovereignly weaves even the sins of men into His eternal plan. Life is bigger than your pain—the storm is allowed not to drown you, but to carry you forward.

When conspiracies rise against you—trust. God is using even the bad things in your life right now to bring you somewhere good. The next chapter isn’t defeat; it’s greater witness for His glory.

Lift your eyes: your plot may be providence in disguise.