After Paul's conversion, he visited Jerusalem and there preached
Jesus and the wonders of His grace. He related his miraculous
conversion, which so enraged the priests and rulers that they
sought to take his life. But that he might be saved, Jesus again
appeared to him in a vision while he was praying, and said unto
him, "Get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not
receive thy testimony concerning Me." Paul answered, "Lord,
they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that
believed on Thee: and when the blood of Thy martyr Stephen was
shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and
kept the raiment of them that slew him." Paul thought that
the Jews in Jerusalem could not resist his testimony; that they
would consider that the great change in him could be wrought only
by the power of God. But the reply was more decided than before:
"Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles."
During Paul's absence from Jerusalem, he wrote many letters to
different places, relating his experience and bearing a powerful
testimony. But some strove to destroy the influence of those letters.
They were forced to admit that his letters were weighty and powerful,
but they declared that his bodily presence was weak and his speech
contemptible.
The facts in the case were that Paul was a man of great learning,
and his wisdom and manners charmed his hearers. Learned men were
pleased with his knowledge, and many of them believed on Jesus.
When before kings and large assemblies, he would pour forth such
eloquence as would fascinate all before him. This greatly enraged
the priests and elders. Paul could readily enter into deep reasoning
and, soaring up, carry the people with him in the most exalted
trains of thought, bringing to view the deep riches of the grace
of God and portraying before them the amazing love of Christ.
Then with simplicity he would come down to the understanding of
the common people and in a most powerful manner relate his experience,
which called forth from them an ardent desire to become the disciples
of Christ.
Again the Lord appeared to Paul and revealed to him that he must
go up to Jerusalem, that he would there be bound and suffer for
His name. Although he was a prisoner for a great length of time,
yet the Lord carried forward His special work through him. His
bonds were to be the means of spreading the knowledge of Christ
and thus glorifying God. As he was sent from city to city for
his trial, his testimony concerning Jesus and the interesting
incidents of his own conversion were related before kings and
governors, that they should be left without excuse concerning
Jesus. Thousands believed on Him and rejoiced in His name. I saw
that God's special purpose was fulfilled in the journey of Paul
upon the sea; He designed that the ship's crew might thus witness
the power of God through Paul and that the heathen also might
hear the name of Jesus, and that many might be converted through
the teaching of Paul and by witnessing the miracles he wrought.
Kings and governors were charmed by his reasoning, and as with
zeal and the power of the Holy Spirit he preached Jesus and related
the interesting events of his experience, conviction fastened
upon them that Jesus was the Son of God. While some wondered with
amazement as they listened to Paul, one cried out, "Almost
thou persuadest me to be a Christian." Yet the most of those
who heard thought that at some future time they would consider
what they had heard. Satan took advantage of the delay, and, as
they neglected the opportunity when their hearts were softened,
it was forever lost. Their hearts became hardened.
I was shown the work of Satan in first blinding the eyes of the
Jews so that they would not receive Jesus as their Saviour; and
next in leading them, through envy because of His mighty works,
to desire His life. Satan entered one of Christ's own followers
and led him on to betray Him into the hands of His enemies, that
they might crucify the Lord of life and glory.
After Jesus arose from the dead, the Jews added sin to sin as
they sought to hide the fact of His resurrection by hiring the
Roman guard to testify to a falsehood. But the resurrection of
Jesus was made doubly sure by the resurrection of a multitude
of witnesses at the same time. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared
to His disciples, and to above five hundred at once, while those
whom He brought up with Him appeared unto many, declaring that
Jesus had risen.
Satan had caused the Jews to rebel against God by refusing to
receive His Son, and by staining their hands with His most precious
blood. No matter how powerful the evidence now produced that Jesus
was the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, they had murdered
Him, and would not receive any evidence in His favor. Their only
hope and consolation, like that of Satan after his fall, was in
trying to prevail against the Son of God. They therefore continued
their rebellion by persecuting the disciples of Christ, and putting
them to death. Nothing fell so harshly on their ears as the name
of Jesus whom they had crucified; and they were determined not
to listen to any evidence in His favor. As when the Holy Spirit
through Stephen declared the mighty evidence of Jesus' being the
Son of God, they stopped their ears lest they should be convinced.
Satan had the murderers of Jesus fast in his grasp. By wicked
works they had yielded themselves his willing subjects, and through
them he was at work to trouble and annoy the believers in Christ.
He worked through the Jews to stir up the Gentiles against Jesus
and against those who followed Him. But God sent His angels to
strengthen the disciples for their work, that they might testify
of the things they had seen and heard, and at last by their steadfastness,
seal their testimony with their blood.
Satan rejoiced that the Jews were safe in his snare. They still
continued their useless forms, their sacrifices, and ordinances.
As Jesus hung upon the cross and cried, "It is finished,"
the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, to
signify that God would no longer meet with the priests in the
temple, to accept their sacrifices and ordinances, and also to
show that the partition wall between the Jews and the Gentiles
was broken down. Jesus had made an offering of Himself for both,
and if saved at all, both must believe in Him as the only offering
for sin, the Saviour of the world.
When the soldier pierced the side of Jesus as He hung upon the
cross, there came out two distinct streams, one of blood, the
other of water. The blood was to wash away the sins of those who
should believe in His name, and the water was to represent that
living water which is obtained from Jesus to give life to the
believer.