Acts 9:1-2
1 "Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem."
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Saul, who later in life became the Apostle Paul, was very zealous for God in his earlier life. He had been a student of the Law from his youth, a "Pharisee of Pharisees." You might call him a "legalist among legalists."
This was the same young man who watched over the coats of those involved in the stoning of righteous Stephen, a messenger of the gospel to the Jewish people, consenting to his death.
This was the same young man who watched over the coats of those involved in the stoning of righteous Stephen, a messenger of the gospel to the Jewish people, consenting to his death.
(For more on that topic, follow the link below:
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Saul Goes Hunting For Believers.
In fact, he was so adamantly opposed to this so-called, "Jesus sect," which the Jews called "Followers of The Way," that he sought to stop this "heresy" before it got out of hand. So, he obtained legal papers from the religious leaders in Jesusalem allowing him to go after these "heretics" outside of town. This pleased them very much. That is why he was on his way to Damascus.
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In fact, he was so adamantly opposed to this so-called, "Jesus sect," which the Jews called "Followers of The Way," that he sought to stop this "heresy" before it got out of hand. So, he obtained legal papers from the religious leaders in Jesusalem allowing him to go after these "heretics" outside of town. This pleased them very much. That is why he was on his way to Damascus.
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Then, something quite unexpected happened. On the way there, Jesus appeared to him in a light so bright it literally knocked him off his "high horse," so to speak. Let's follow the story.
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"Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' So he, trembling and astonished, said, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?' Then the Lord said to him, 'Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.'” (Acts 9:4-6)
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He was blind for three days.
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(Saul visited by Jesus on the way to Damascus)
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Startling Revelation.
Imagine how he must have felt when he realized the truth what he'd done! He was actually working against God and against the Messiah Himself! Shaken? You betcha! No wonder his life turned around 180°!
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Imagine how he must have felt when he realized the truth what he'd done! He was actually working against God and against the Messiah Himself! Shaken? You betcha! No wonder his life turned around 180°!
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During those three days of blindness, he was given the full-up revelation of the gospel of Grace from our risen and glorified Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father.
Interesting that it wasn't given to Peter, James or John, men who knew Jesus personally and walked with Him while he was here on earth.
Paul may have missed out on walking with Jesus person bit, because of what was revealed to him, he went on to write 3/4 of the New Testament! Wow!
That's actually how the majority of the Bible was written: By revelation. That's how God primarily leads us and teaches us His word today: By revelation!
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Saul's companions, not knowing what was happening, were terrified! They took him by the hand and led him the rest of the way to Damascus. Just as Jesus instructed Saul, they brought him to the house of a man named, "Ananias."
Good thing he was given advanced notice of his "guest's" arrival. Paul's murderous intent toward Christians was known far beyond Jerusalem. He would otherwise have been terrified had God not spoken to him in a dream.
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Ananias, led by the Spirit, laid his hands on Saul in Jesus' name and his eyes, both physical and spiritual, were opened!
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Secrets In The Hebrew.
Our Abba loves to hide wonderful truths for us in the meanings of people, places, things and even numbers.
Our Abba loves to hide wonderful truths for us in the meanings of people, places, things and even numbers.
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Ananias' name in Hebrew means "the grace of God" or "God has been gracious!" Quite literally, "GRACE" opened Paul's eyes. The first thing Paul saw was Ananias--GRACE--and the first path or street he walked on after his conversion was called "Straight!"
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Isn't God cool? GRACE opened his eyes; the first thing he saw was GRACE. Afterward, he was able to walk straight! WOOHOO! No such thing as an insignificant detail in the Bible. The message, I'm sure, is obvious.
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The Greatest EvangelistnOf All Time.
After this whole scenario, Paul became the greatest evangelist of all time! That is so like our God. He takes the most contrary, obstinate, unlikely person in the world and totally uses them for His purposes. He the God of the "impossible!"
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The New Hidden In The Old.
This particular part of Paul's life, interestingly enough, is hidden in the Old Testament in the most surprising place: Jacob's blessing over Benjamin.
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"Benjamin is a ravening wolf. In the morning he shall devour the prey, but in the evening, he shall divide the spoils." Genesis 49:27
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What do wolves eat? SHEEP. Paul was the "wolf" who went after God's "sheep," devouring all he could in his early life. But after his conversion on the Damascus road, he got all that revelation (the spoils) and they have been shared around the world for 2,000 years. What a blessing!
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Would you care to guess from which tribe was Paul came? BENJAMIN!
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Who would have thought that in this long-ago blessing from Genesis 49 you would find a prophecy about Paul and Ananaias.
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