Chapter nine begins with “MEANWHILE,” an ominous segue pitting God’s great work through Philip with Satan’s work through Saul. That was about to change. Securing warrants for all Jewish believers found in and around synagogues (their jurisdiction), Saul traveled to Damascus, more than 150 miles north of Jerusalem, to arrest these Jews who had turned […]
Chapter eight introduces the key antagonist of the story. Luke mentioned that Saul was a co-conspirator at Stephen’s murder, albeit not a full participant. The most zealous of his peers (Galatians 1:14), Saul used Stephen’s “blasphemy” as the perfect catalyst to begin an outright war with these Jewish traitors, who blatantly worshiped a criminal instead
Chapter seven is primarily the record of Stephen’s defense statement to the Sanhedrin. The charge against him was speaking against the Temple and changing what Moses had given Israel (Acts 6:13-14), essentially going against God and his revelation. In his statement, Stephen recounted the history of God’s dealings with Israel, reminding them of three key
