Did They Hear It Or Didn’t They?
Q. In the book of Acts when Luke tells of Saul’s conversion in chapter 9 v 7, he says those that were with Saul heard a voice but saw no man. Then in chapter 22 v 9, Paul tells it that they who were with him saw the light, but did not hear the voice that spoke to him. Why are we reading two different versions of this amazing event ? Thank you.
A. I think what we have here is more of a translation problem than anything else. The Greek word translated voice in Acts 9:7 and in Acts 22:9 also means sound. And the word translated hear in both passages also means understand. The men could have heard a sound like a voice, but not have understood what it was saying. This is a reasonable translation of both verses, but without any contradiction. Paul was the one who was there, and He told it to Luke who wrote it down. He wouldn’t have contradicted himself.
Moses And God. Face To Face?
Q. Could you explain to me how the Bible doesn’t contradict itself when certain scripture says that Moses spoke to God face to face and then Jesus says that no man has ever seen God. Thank you.
A. Of the encounter between Moses and God, the Bible says this.
And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen. (Exodus 33:19-23)
From this we know that when it says Moses spoke to God face to face, it’s not to be taken literally, but figuratively, meaning they spoke directly to each other, not through a 3rd party.
When Did The Last Days Begin?
Q. In Acts 2:17-21 Peter is quoting the prophet Joel about the last days. So, did the last days start during Peters time, as he seems to believe, and continues even today? How can we know we are not simply excited about big changes in society and call it the end times. There were big changes going on during Peters time as well and yet he died without seeing the return of Christ. Might we simply be doing the same thing and are also destined to die without seeing Christs return? Peter seems to have felt the “rapture” was near but many, many centuries have passed since his death. Don’t get me wrong, I too feel the rapture is close but I keep having this nagging doubt and feel that we are going to be like Peter and all die without seeing the Lords return.
A. The phrase last days is used 5 times in the New Testament and covers everything from the entire Church Age (2X) to the Great Tribulation. (3X) In 2 Peter 3:3 Peter used the term in its narrow sense.
We now know something that Peter didn’t know in Acts 2, and that is Israel had to be set aside for a period of time while the Lord built the Church. This was disclosed in Acts 15:13-18, using a quote from Amos. Since then the world has been waiting for Israel to re-appear as the first major sign that the last days really are upon us. Jesus said that many of the people being born when the first signs appeared would still be alive when He comes back. (Matt. 24:34)
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Jack Kelley is a Christian writer with several books to his credit, including -Children's Stories of the Bible, The Adult Version - and -The Stories of the Patriarchs- a fictionalized account of the Book of Genesis. His latest effort, -The Seven Churches Chronicle- is a commentary on Revelation 2-3 that appears in E-Book form on this website and is based on his recent research trip to Turkey and Greece. Jack grew up in a main line denomination but 20 years ago experienced a radical conversion to Evangelical Christianity. Since that time he has devoted most of his time and energy to studying and teaching the bible, conducting studies throughout the western US and serving as teacher, counselor, and lay pastor. He is currently serving in Baja Mexico with his family as volunteer missionaries.
Jack can be reached at his website;
www.gracethrufaith.com
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