What is the design on this rock?
It is a shield and a spear!
Everybody who saw this symbol, whether Greek or Latin speaking, or illiterate, knew they were standing at the Office of the Generals.
The tools and the equipment that the Athenians had, 600 years prior to this structure, were more or less the same as what we have today, with one exception. They had a weight limit, a limit of up to 14 tons. With a wooden crane, four men could lift up 14 tons. A model of such a crane is at the Museum of the Acropolis in Athens.
I would like you also to look carefully at the floor. It was developed in three levels. The roof of the building was wooden, and filled in with adobe.
We have here a miniature theatre, a theatrical structure. The desks of the generals were set all around in a council room, a small little council room.
What was the function of the council room? It was a place for the generals to speak together about issues that they were facing. The generals met in the council room and sat in the round with their desks facing each other. If they had someone to question, then that person stood in the middle of the room while the generals stood around him.
We read in the Bible, beginning in Acts 16:16. And it happened that as we (Paul and Silas) were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave-girl, having a spirit of divination met us.
Spirit of divination is a translation of the Greek phrase, πνεῦμα Πύθωνος, Pneuma Pythōnos, which means Spirit of python – the snake python. Pythōnos relates the activity of this slave-girl with the major and international religious center called Delphi (the Oracle of Delphi.) The god of all, in Delphi, was called Pythias. The high priestess of Delphi was called Pythia. Inter-Greek games, organized every four years, were called Pythian games. So, the activity of this slave-girl is related to the activity of the international religious center called Oracle of Delphi.
Acts16:16. And it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave-girl having a Spirit of Pythōnos met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortunetelling. Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”
This slave girl was a servant of a personality, called in the Bible, the father of the lie. She was a possessed person – possessed by a demon.
Is it possible for such a servant, the servant of the father of the lie, to speak the truth? No. Was her message the truth or a lie? A lie.
In reading the original text, the Greek text, the reader would be alerted that the slave girl was proclaiming that Paul and Silas were there to proclaim a way of salvation. The astute reader understood her lie and would understand that Paul and Silas were in Philippi to proclaim the only, one way to be saved, the way of salvation.
In Philippi, all mysteries and mystical rituals were ways of salvation. The slave girl said that Paul and Silas were servants of the Most High God and they were there to proclaim a way of salvation.
Our Bible translations should read a way of salvation because in the Greek text the definite article is missing in front of the word way. She said they were proclaiming a way, one among many ways, to be saved. And that was her lie. There are some English translations that pick up on it but if yours does not, erase the definite article “the” and put in the indefinite article “a” in Acts 16:16.
This was her lie: “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.”
Paul and Silas were proclaiming the way of salvation.
Acts 16:17-20a “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.” And she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the agora (the town square, the little paved square) before the authorities, and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates…
First Paul and Silas were dragged to the agora and then they were brought before the chief generals. Your translation might use the word magistrates. Instead of magistrates, mark your copy of the text to read generals. Paul and Silas were brought before the chief generals. Stratēgos (στρατηγοῖς – the original Greek word) means generals and it has been incorrectly translated as magistrates in some translations.
So, “they brought them in front of the chief generals.”
Archeologists knew about this place because of the Bible and they came to Philippi to verify the Bible. This place was buried until 1914. To see Philippi is to touch the history and authenticity of the New Testament with your bodily self.
Paul and Silas were brought before the chief generals in the council room of the Office of the Generals. The Office of the Generals is not a room of magistrates. They were not brought before the magistrates because Paul and Silas were not breakers of the penal law, they were not thieves, nor murderers. They were brought before the generals because they were accused of a political crime. Paul and Silas said there was a king other than Caesar. In Thessaloniki, this political crime was pronounced as conspiracy/high treason, as a political crime.
Bema in Philippi, Greece
Acts 16:20-40 And when they had brought them to the chief generals, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, and are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.” [Where was this revolt against Paul and Silas? Outside, on the agora, the town square] And the crowd rose up together against them, and the chief generals tore their robes off them, and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them (this happened at the bema) they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened. And when the jailer had been roused out of sleep and had seen the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!” And he called for lights and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household. Now when day came, the chief generals sent their policemen, saying, “Release those men.” And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief generals have sent to release you. Now therefore, come out and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, [remember, the bema, where they were beaten, was close to the council room!] men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.” And the policemen reported these words to the chief generals. And they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, and they came and appealed to them, and when they had brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city. And they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
The Office of the Generals is a place that historically has not been associated with the Bible. But now, because of archeology, it is a place that is associated directly to the Bible,. There is no doubt that this is the actual location of the Office of the Generals in Acts 16. The Bible says that Paul and Silas were brought in front of the generals. We stepped upon the same floor where Paul and Silas, 2000 years ago, stepped, were accused, and faced those in authority.
The scene in Acts 16 occurs at the Office of the Generals.
The crowd rose up against Paul and Silas in the agora (the town square.)
Paul and Silas were beaten at the Bema.
