Contents:
Paul's vision, in the city of Damascus is much more likely as venue than on the road to Damascus. Persecutor and persecuted were probably members of the Damascus synagogue where Paul had most likely received his previous Pharisaic education. The second problem is that Luke's triple version describes Paul as seeing "a light" and hearing "a voice" 9: According to Acts, Paul does not see Jesus' face but only hears Jesus's voice. On the other hand, Paul himself insists that his sight of the heavenly Jesus makes him equal in authority with the Twelve Apostles who saw the earthly Jesus.
As he argues in his first letter to the Corinthians: Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?
When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness. When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. Damascus is mentioned in old Egyptian documents as a caravan center in southern Syria. That, of course, put God and Rome on a collision course. The other major conclusion is just as important. Had he heard correctly?
For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" One major conclusion from those divergent accounts is that Acts never gives Paul the title of an apostle sent by and therefore subordinate only to God and Christ. Paul is, for Acts, a messenger sent by and therefore subordinate to Jerusalem and Antioch. His call was emphatically inferior to that of the Twelve Apostles. For Acts, only those first 12 were "apostles" and Judas' replacement had to be "one of the males [Greek andres ] who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us" Acts 1: Acts not only excludes Paul from ever being an apostle, it insures there will never be any more apostles and, above all else, not any women apostles.
The other major conclusion is just as important. Paul already knew enough about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus to persecute his followers for proclaiming its implications to their fellow Jews at Damascus. In Christian gospel, Christian art and Christian mysticism, the risen Christ always retains the wounds of historical crucifixion even or especially on his glorified and transcendental body. Those wounds do not heal or fade. They are forever there. A Psalm of Asaph.
O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants.
For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners' palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. So Ananias departed and entered the house. But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest.
So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me,. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. Damascus did business with you for your abundant goods, because of your great wealth of every kind; wine of Helbon and wool of Sahar. Has he no heir? Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad, and his people settled in its cities?
Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord , when I will cause the battle cry to be heard against Rabbah of the Ammonites; it shall become a desolate mound, and its villages shall be burned with fire; then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him, says the Lord. Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth, lament, and run to and fro among the hedges!
For Milcom shall go into exile, with his priests and his officials.
Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me. God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah. But declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.
At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. It is hard for you to kick against the goads. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, As the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness.
From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished. The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. But his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.
Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the Lord God of Israel. And of all my sons for the Lord has given me many sons he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah,.
Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram always loved David. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side.
The burden of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and Damascus is its resting place. For the Lord has an eye on mankind and on all the tribes of. Bible verses about Syria. The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.
There is neither adversary nor misfortune. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
Before the decree takes effect —before the day passes away like chaff— before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord , before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord. Seek the Lord , all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up.
And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests? He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, doing harm as Hadad did. And he loathed Israel and reigned over Syria. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm. The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.
My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.
And a great sign appeared in heaven: