The Book of Acts | God’s Revelation of Transition

Session 29 | Acts 9:13-25

Acts 9:10-18 | Ananias Receives Instructions

• Verses 10-12 – included on Session 28.
• Verses 13- 14 –
  • There had been enough time from receiving authority from the chief priests to the arrival of Saul that Ananias was aware of what was happening. He was also aware of the evil he hath done to the saints at Jerusalem.
  • Note that this is the first time we have mention of saints in the book of Acts (and only the second in the New Testament).
    • By context they are clearly defined here as Jewish believers in the Messiah.
    • This is also true in Matthew 27:52 (the first occurrence).
    • In fact, the English word saint is only used four times in Acts, each time in reference to Kingdom-era Jewish believers (i.e.: those of Peter’s flock).
• Verse 15 –
  • The Lord was blunt with Ananias, saying Go thy way. Saul was declared to be a chosen vessel and it was revealed that he would bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.
  • While some strongly teach that this is the beginning of the Dispensation of the Church, there is no such revelation given in this passage.
    • At this point, Saul has not received revelation. Furthermore, the Kingdom Gospel was also going to go to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8), which would clearly involve the Gentiles. As far as one can see here, it is only that Saul was going to take the Kingdom Gospel to the Gentiles.
    • A final piece of evidence that no mystery had been revealed is found in his baptism of v. 18.
    • It is important not to draw a clear line where the Scripture does not do so. Those who dogmatically state that the Age of Grace began in Acts 2 are saying what the Scripture does not say. Those trying to fix the error should take care not to make an equally incorrect mistake.
• Verse 16 –
  • This is in future tense (God has not shown Saul anything yet). And the revelation to Ananias only shows that Saul is a chosen vessel (v. 15) who must suffer for my name’s sake.
  • No detail is given of the ministry nor of the type of suffering.
• Verse 17 –
  • We do have something unique in this verse, in that Ananias is the one that lays hands on Saul and he (presumably at that time) is filled with the Holy Ghost and afterward is baptized.
  • Paul’s testimony in Acts 22:15-16 doesn’t mention the Holy Ghost, but does mention being baptized to wash away thy sins (Acts 22:16), giving us indication that we should not read too much into this unique pattern laying on of hands and receiving the Holy Spirit.
• Verse 18 –
  • Saul had scales (λεπίς [lepis], from which we derive leprosy) fall from his eyes and he received sight forthwith
  • Note that the word translated forthwith is not in the critical text and thus the modern versions.
    • Though not fundamental to the account, those in modern versions do not explicitly know the immediacy of the healing.
    • Furthermore, the English word itself displays the strong precision of the King James.
      • The Greek is παραχρῆμα [parachrema] which is a compound of para (alongside) and chrema (an event), and the word forthwith is a compound of forth (an adverb of movement, very similar to para) and with.
      • According to Oxford English Dictionary “As an adverb, with occurs as the second element forming compounds with other adverbs denoting direction, motion, or extension.”
      • Thus the word speaks of Saul receiving sight alongside the event of scales falling from his eyes.
  • Saul arose, and was baptized. Nothing in the text nor context would cause us to conclude that his baptism was any different from the Baptism of John and Peter.

    Acts 9:19-25 | Saul’s Ministry in Damascus

• Verses 19-20 –
  • These were no-doubt very dramatic days for the disciples which were at Damascus and the synagogues of Damascus. S
  • aul was a well-known Jew who had brought persecution on followers of Jesus as the Christ, and now straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues.
    • Note that he preached Christ (not Jesus, as in modern versions).
    • His message was that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Such a message is foundational to Christianity, but Jesus as Messiah is not the Gospel message (which is about Jesus as personal Savior).
• Verses 21-22 –
  • Once again, to the amazement of those of Damascus, Saul confounded the Jews by proving that this is very Christ.
  • Once again the KJV wording, while not typical of modern English, is very accurate in saying that Saul was proving (a logic word which speaks of binding together two ideas) the Messiahship of Jesus. This was Saul’s primary goal in the synagogue, here and always.
• Verses 23-25 –
  • How many days were fulfilled before this happened? It looks like at least three years.
  • Verse 26 places this event before the return to Jerusalem.
  • Galatians 1:17-18 speaks of a three-year period of time in Arabia and Damascus.
  • 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 speaks of this same event, making mention of Aretas the king of the Nabatean empire that was over Damascus at the time. Petra, capital city of the Kingdom, is in Arabia, and after the fall of the Nabatean kingdom the area came under Roman control in the 2nd Century under the name Arabia Petraea.
  • This chronology takes us to 37-38AD, four to five years after Pentecost.