As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4-5,NIV)
This is something last-minute. Not “last-minute” in the way that I changed my mind about certain topic. It’s just the fact that I had other plans with this take-on. Maybe God knows; it’s not time to challenge yet. But for the go, I’ll keep trying.
Saul of Tarsus became Paul: the apostle of the Gentiles. But first, we look at his life: a Pharisee, he learned many things of Jewish law. He was also prepared in the best schools, knowing the important languages of the area (Hebrew, Latin, Greek). However, he persecuted Christians when the movement started to rise. He was daftly ignorant about this choice, never knowing what happened next.
In the road to Damascus, we say 30-35 d.C., carrying letters that breathed murder, he was stuck down on his feet by the Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the Heavens. His omnipotent voice called for Saul, and the calling was made known: this was the instrument to the Gentiles. Soon, his apostolic ministry would reach the implacable heights of the known world. He would also suffer for the Gospel, a true faith resonating throughout the centuries. Most of the letters present a clear-cut connection and the fulfillment of grace.
But we’ll skip the big wording for now. In fact, could you imagine God appearing to us with His mighty power? Of course we’d be struck down in awe and fear! This, in other words, mean: “You got served!” And change was shown.
Did Jesus really appear, or was it some sort of emotional ecstasy?