THE FIRST EVANGELISTIC TOUR OF BARNABAS AND SAUL 1.... _“Simeon called Niger.”_ As this word means black, we have the clear assurance that this eminent prophet and teacher, associated in labor with the apostles, Was a regular black African negro, which is the literal translation of Niger. _“And Luci... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse says that they were _“ministering to the Lord and fasting”_ when the Holy Ghost spoke to them. Hence we see that the Lord approves and blesses fasting. So if you want to get far away from the world, the flesh and the devil, fast as well as pray.... [ Continue Reading ]
_“Then fasting, and praying, and laying hands on them, they sent them away.”_ This is all the ordination you can find in the New Testament. The great ecclesiastical institution conferring exclusive privileges is utterly unknown in New Testament history. When the saints of God thus gather around you,... [ Continue Reading ]
They go from Antioch to Seleucia, a large city on the river Orontes, down which they sail into the Mediterranean, landing at Salamis, the metropolis of Eastern Cyprus, the native city of Barnabas, who, as the elder minister, led the expedition, having his own country on his heart for the salvation o... [ Continue Reading ]
SATAN'S PREACHER AND THE CONVERSION OF THE PROCONSUL 6-12. Having traveled across the island of Cyprus throughout the whole length from east to west, everywhere preaching the Word, they arrive at Paphos, on the west coast, the metropolis of the West End and the residence of Sergius Paulus, the Roman... [ Continue Reading ]
_“O thou full of all hypocrisy and all rascality, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease perverting the right ways of the Lord?”_... [ Continue Reading ]
Now Paul, in the name of the Lord, pronounces on him an awful anathema of physical blindness, symbolic of his spiritual darkness, which immediately supervenes, beginning with a mist and developing into total darkness. Consequently the people are convinced that Elymas (an Arabic word, meaning “wise m... [ Continue Reading ]
_“Those about Paul, having embarked from Paphos, came into Perge of Pamphylia.”_ Here we have the first indirect reference to Luke, our historian, who is so modest we have to watch every little hint to even keep a trace of him. Here also John Mark disgraced himself by skedaddling away from the work... [ Continue Reading ]
They now go on south into Antioch of Pisidia.... [ Continue Reading ]
They constantly everywhere make free to attend the Jewish synagogues on the Sabbath, preaching on the streets and from house to house through the week. Hence they go in and sit in the audience, by physique and costume recognized as Jews by the entire audience. Having passed through the routine of Sa... [ Continue Reading ]
_“Having deposed him,” i. e_., King Saul. Why did God depose Saul and cast him away? Because he spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites. Why was this? Because the Amalekites fought against Israel and did their utmost to keep them out of the promised land. See this grand symbolic truth. You must dest... [ Continue Reading ]
John the Baptist, the greatest of the prophets, disclaimed the Messiahship and testified to the Christhood of Jesus.... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul shows how the Jews and Romans all fulfilled the Messianic prophecies in the crucifixion of Jesus, quoting those wonderful predictions of David, which were only fulfilled in David's greater Son.... [ Continue Reading ]
_“In him, every one believing is justified from all things from which you are not able to be justified by the law of Moses.”_ Paul enforces the fact that there never was justification in any other name. All the bleeding birds and beasts on Jewish altars slain, since the world began, never could wash... [ Continue Reading ]
He here quotes Habakkuk 1:5, in which the prophets warned them lest they reject the glorious tidings of their crucified, risen and ascended Lord, and be plunged into hopeless ruin.... [ Continue Reading ]
The crowd is astounded and utterly bewildered. The audience is dismissed; meanwhile there is a general clamor for those wonderful words to be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Amid the exhortations of the apostles to the lingering crowd, many of the Jews and pious proselytes are actually converted to... [ Continue Reading ]
The wonderful news of the first Sabbath received universal publicity and brought a great host to hear the apostles the next Sabbath; meanwhile they pressed the work, in every open door, through the week.... [ Continue Reading ]
The vast Gentile crowd aroused the old prejudice of the Jews so they could no longer keep the peace. Therefore the apostles turn to the Gentiles, who greatly rejoice to think that all the riches of the Jews' religion and the wonderful grace of Israel's God is as free for them as for the Jews, wherea... [ Continue Reading ]