Conversion of Saul
13
The scene was one of the greatest confusion. The companions
of Saul were stricken with terror, and almost blinded by the intensity
of the light. They heard the voice, but saw no one, and to them all
was unintelligible and mysterious. But Saul, lying prostrate upon the
ground, understood the words that were spoken, and saw clearly before
him the Son of God. One look upon that glorious Being, imprinted
his image forever upon the soul of the stricken Jew. The words struck
home to his heart with appalling force. A flood of light poured in upon
the darkened chambers of his mind, revealing his ignorance and error.
He saw that while imagining himself to be zealously serving God in
persecuting the followers of Christ, he had in reality been doing the
work of Satan.
He saw his folly in resting his faith upon the assurances of the
priests and rulers, whose sacred office had given them great influ-
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ence over his mind, and caused him to believe that the story of the
resurrection was an artful fabrication of the disciples of Jesus. Now
that Christ was revealed to Saul, the sermon of Stephen was brought
forcibly to his mind. Those words which the priests had pronounced
blasphemy, now appeared to him as truth. In that time of wonderful
illumination, his mind acted with remarkable rapidity. He traced down
through prophetic history, and saw that the rejection of Jesus by the
Jews, his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension had been foretold
by the prophets, and proved him to be the promised Messiah. He
remembered the words of Stephen: “I see the heavens opened, and the
Son of man standing on the right hand of God,” and he knew that the
dying saint had looked upon the kingdom of glory.
What a revelation was all this to the persecutor of the believers!
Light, clear but terrible, had broken in upon his soul. Christ was
revealed to him as having come to earth in fulfillment of his mission,
being rejected, abused, condemned, and crucified by those whom he
came to save, and as having risen from the dead, and ascended into the
heavens. In that terrible moment he remembered that the holy Stephen
had been sacrificed by his consent; and that through his instrumentality
many worthy saints had met their death by cruel persecution.
“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.” No doubt entered the
mind of Saul that this was Jesus of Nazareth who spoke to him, and
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