THE DAMASCUS ROAD EPIPHANY

Act 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
Act 9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Act 9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Here we see that the personal encounter of Saul with the resurrected glorified Jesus, yet Jesus didn't tell Saul what he was to do but told him to go into the city and there he would be told by a "man" one Ananias a disciple of Jesus Christ was to give Saul his instructions. God very often uses (others) both (men and women) to reveal His will for YOU. Many of today's unfortunate "SMUG" self-righteous Christians who believe that they have all the knowledge they need to (Walk in the Spirit) shut themselves off from the very knowledge of God's word, that God is trying to get through to them through another person.

Also, take note that two things happened to Saul when Ananias prayed for him.

1. Saul received his (sight)

2. Saul was filled with (the Holy Ghost)

Act 9:17,18 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, [Where Ananias first spoke: Act 9:13,14 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem. And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. NOW called Saul his "brother" WHY? Because like Abraham who believed God, so too did Ananias.]  the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

According to the scripture above Saul received and was filled with the Holy Ghost (before) he was baptized, NOT after he was baptized. With Jesus, it was the opposite OR was it? What about John the Baptist's cousin of Jesus? Let's look at both accounts!

John the Baptist

Luk 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost from his very birth.

If GOD decrees IT, IT is SO! One doesn't have to be baptized FIRST before the Holy Spirit can interact with the person. Were that the case NO MAN would come to God, it's the Spirit of God that brings the personal conviction BEFORE the person makes their decision for GOD.

JESUS

His DIVINE Person

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Jesus DIVINITY needed NOT to be baptized by the Holy Ghost as He was VERY GOD in the flesh.

JESUS

His HUMAN person (His FLESH)

Mat 3:13-17 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.  And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus' human personality as a "man" needed the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit as a WITNESS" to those who witnessed the event as a man. But as God the Son He needed no such baptism. Nor did He need any baptism as He had NO SIN. It was at the baptism of Jesus, that the lesson was taught to humanity, that a spiritual change, a decisive decision, by man was a requirement for becoming a member of the family of God. This is verification for us that the two different personalities of Jesus, His "Divinity" and His "Humanity" were two very separate personalities melded together in "one man", yet they were kept totally separate throughout His life. Why did they need to be kept "separate?" Because JESUS must overcome (in the flesh) as a human being, NOT as the Son of God in order for Him to "impute" a perfect (human life) lived to the sinner who accepts His life lived as their own, when they make their decision to walk in the spirit and NOT in the flesh. This IS (righteousness by FAITH) in what JESUS has already accomplished through His incarnation, birth, life, death, and resurrection for the fallen race. ALL of these aspects of His life on Earth must be accepted as YOUR own when you come to Jesus and accept Him as your Savior.

JESUS told us that His (two) personalities were separate yet interconnected with each other when He made this statement. Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self [in His Humanity] do nothing: as I hear, [in His Divinity & His Humanity] I judge: and my judgment [in His Divinity & His Humanity] is just; because I seek not mine own will, [in His Humanity] but the will of the Father [in His Divinity & His Humanity] which hath sent me. Because it was the FATHER who sent Him as the GODMAN both [Divine and Human] in ONE man. The MAN Christ Jesus, but JESUS made it clear on several occasions that (as a man) He had a separate different (human will) outside His Divine will. This was made perfectly clear here: Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, [in His Humanity] but thine, [in His Divinity & His Humanity ] be done.

BACK to SAUL of Tarsus:

The two records below state (two) different facts in different ways! My emphasis in brackets { }

Act 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. {The key to this verses' description is the word "man" that man was Jesus Christ in whom ONLY Saul visually saw. These men heard a voice that they couldn't identify, but they did NOT see what Saul seen as the event was meant for Saul ALONE.}

Then in Acts 22:9 describing the same event by Paul himself states:

Act 22:9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. {Here Pauls seems to contradict the statement made in Acts 9:7 concerning this event. But the Bible never contradicts itself, we contradict the truth we cannot see and blame it on God.} {Paul says that the men who were with him "saw indeed the light" which means that the (GLORY 0f God) that shown round about them was decisively intended to arrest the entire party of men traveling with Paul and specifically for Paul.}{Then Pauls witness is that his traveling companions "they heard not the voice of him that spake to me". Paul is saying nothing different here in Acts 22:9, than what was spoken in Acts 9:7. The key to understanding this verse is the phrase Paul used here. The encounter was specifically meant for Paul NOT those traveling with him.}

While the event was taking place God the Son could be seen ONLY by Paul within the GLORY of GOD that shown around ALL the traveling party on the Damascus road. But it was an event that affected ALL of the men with the exception that the other men traveling with Paul could only hear a "voice" a voice they could NOT identify, whereas Saul later named Paul could both identify the voice and see the ONE who spoke because the event was specifically meant for Saul and no others.

NOW! Both verses together emphasized in brackets [ ] within the verses themselves.

Acts 9:7----Acts 22:9

 And the men which journeyed with him [Saul] stood speechless, [When they saw the exceedingly bright light above the brightness of the Sun] hearing a voice, [ALL heard the voice of God the Son, but could NOT recognize it as such whereas Saul had to ask "Act 22:7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Act 22:8 And I [Saul] answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. [Those with Saul heard this voice but could not identify it as did Saul once Jesus told Him who He was, the conversation between the TWO was exclusive between Jesus and Saul ALONE. This is why verse 22:9 states that "they heard not the voice of him that spake to me."] but seeing no man. [And they could NOT see Him "JESUS" as Saul could see Him.] Only Saul could see Jesus the men with him could NOT] And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

These two verses on the surface appear to be contradictive, but they are in NO way contradictive.

The WATCHMAN !!!