Acts 17:31

Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. BECAUSE, [ kathoti (G2530) is better supported than dioti (G1360) of the Received Text] HE HATH APPOINTED A DAY, IN THE WHICH HE WILL JUDGE. 'Aptly (says Bengel) is this uttered on the Areopagus, the seat of judgment.' But how different, in every feature of it, from any pagan conception of divine judgment is that here announced! The world in righteousness by that man who...

− 31._Because he hath appointed a day. _He maketh mention of the last judgment, that he may awake them out of their dream. For we know how hard a matter it is for men to deny themselves. Therefore, they must be violently enforced unto repentance, which cannot be done better than when they be cited to appear before God’s judgment-seat, and that fearful judgment is set before them, which they may neither despise nor escape. Therefore, let us remember that the doctrine of repentance doth then take place, when men, who would naturally desire to flatter themselves, are awaked with fear of God’s judgment and that none are fit teachers of the gospel but those who are the criers or apparitors of the highest Judge, who bring those who are to come the Judge to plead their cause, and denounce the judgment hanging over their heads, even as if it were in their own hand. Neither is this added in vain,...

22-31 Here we have a sermon to heathens, who worshipped false gods, and were without the true God in the world; and to them the scope of the discourse was different from what the apostle preached to the Jews. In the latter case, his business was to lead his hearers by prophecies and miracles to the knowledge of the Redeemer, and faith in him; in the former, it was to lead them, by the common works of providence, to know the Creator, and worship Him. The apostle spoke of an altar he had seen, with the inscription, "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD." This fact is stated by many writers. After multiplying their idols to the utmost, some at Athens thought there was another god of whom they had no knowledge. And are there not many now called Christians, who are zealous in their devotions, yet the great object of their worship is to them an unknown God? Observe what glorious things Paul here says of that G...

Verse 31. _HE HATH APPOINTED A DAY_] He has fixed the time in which he will judge the world, though he has not revealed this time to man. _BY_ THAT _MAN WHOM HE HATH ORDAINED_] He has also appointed the judge, by whom the inhabitants of the earth are to be tried. Whereof _HE HATH GIVEN ASSURANCE_] ΠιϚιν παρασχων πασιν, Having given to all this _indubitable proof_, that Jesus Christ shall judge the world, by raising him from the dead. The sense of the argument is this: "Jesus Christ, whom we preach as the Saviour of men, has repeatedly told his followers that he would judge the world; and has described to us, at large, the whole of the proceedings of that awful time, Matthew 25:31, c. John 5:25. Though he was put to death by t

BECAUSE HE HATH APPOINTED A DAY - This is given as a reason why God commands people to repent. They must be judged; and if they are not penitent and pardoned, they must be condemned. See the notes on Romans 2:16. JUDGE THE WORLD - The whole world - Jews and Gentiles. IN RIGHTEOUSNESS - According to the principles of strict justice. WHOM HE HATH ORDAINED - Or whom he has constituted or appointed as judge. See the Acts 10:42 notes; John 5:25 notes. HATH GIVEN ASSURANCE - Has afforded evidence of this. That evidence consists:...

EXPOSITION ACTS 17:1 AMPHIPOLIS. This was the ancient capital of that division of Macedonia (Macedonia Prima); see Acts 16:12, note. It was situated on the Via Egnatia, thirty-four miles southwest from Philippi, and three miles from the AEgean Sea. It lay in a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Strymon, whence its name, _Amphipolis; _its modern name is _Neokhoria, _now a village. Its original name was Ἐννέα ̔οδοί, The Nine Ways. Originally a Thracian city, it was conquered by the Athenians, then by the Lacedaemonians, then fell under the dominion of Philip of Macedon, and finally, with the rest of Macedonia, became part of the Roman empire. APOLLONIA; now probably _Polina, _thirty miles due west

BECAUSE HE HATH APPOINTED A DAY,.... The day of judgment is fixed by God in his eternal purposes, and is sure and certain, and will come, though it is not known by men or angels; and this is a reason why God will have the doctrine of repentance everywhere published, both to Jews and Gentiles, since all must come to judgment: and the day for it is appointed by him, IN THE WHICH HE WILL JUDGE THE WORLD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS; the whole world will be judged, and every individual in it, good and bad, righteous and wicked; and this judgment will be a righteous one; it will proceed according to the strict rules of justice and equity, and upon the foot of the righteousness of Christ, as that has been received or rejected by men, or as men are clothed with, or are without that righteousness: BY THAT MAN WHOM HE HATH ORDAINED; Beza's ancient copy reads, "the man Jesus": not that the apostle means tha...

WORLD (Greek, "oikoumenē", means "inhabited earth"). (_ See Scofield) - (Luke 2:1). _...

ACTS 17:31 evn avndri, {A} After avndri, several Western witnesses (D vgms and Irenaeus) add the identifying VIhsou/....

CHAPTER 17 _ 1. The Gospel in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1)._ 2. The Gospel in Beroea (Acts 17:10). 3. Paul in Athens (Acts 17:15). Three cities in which the Gospel is next preached are before us in this chapter. But there is a marked difference between these three places. In Thessalonica there was much hostility, the result of the success of the Gospel. In Beroea a more noble class of Jews were found. Their nobility consisted in submission to the Scriptures, the oracles of God, and in a ready mind. There was a still greater blessing among the Jews and the Gentiles. In Athens the Apostle Paul met idolatry, indifference and ridicule. An interesting fact is learned concerning the activity of the apostl