Acts Chapter 13: Predestination Fasting and Sorcery

        1: Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas and Simeon that was called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch and Saul 2: As they ministered to the Lord and fasted the Holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them 3: And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them they sent them away 4: So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost departed to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus 5: And when they were at Salamis they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews and they had also John to their minister 6: And when they had gone through the isle to Paphos they found a certain sorcerer a false prophet a Jew whose name was Bar-jesus 7: Who was with the deputy of the country Sergius Paulus a prudent man who called for Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear the word of God 8: But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith 9: Then Saul who also is called Paul filled with the Holy Ghost set his eyes on him 10: And said O full of all subtlety and all mischief you child of the devil you enemy of all righteousness will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord 11: And now behold the hand of the Lord is upon you and you shalt be blind not seeing the sun for a season And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand 12: Then the deputy when he saw what was done believed being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord 13: Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos they came to Perga in Pamphylia and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem 14: But when they departed from Perga they came to Antioch in Pisidia and went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down 15: And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent to them saying You men and brethren if you have any word of exhortation for the people say on 16: Then Paul stood up and beckoning with his hand said Men of Israel and you that fear God give audience 17: The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt and with an high arm brought he them out of it 18: And about the time of forty years he tolerated their behavior in the wilderness 19: And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan he divided their land to them by lot 20: And after that he gave to them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years until Samuel the prophet 21: And afterward they desired a king and God gave to them Saul the son of Cis a man of the tribe of Benjamin by the space of forty years 22: And when he had removed him he raised up to them David to be their king to whom also he gave testimony and said I have found David the son of Jesse a man after mine own heart which shall fulfill all my will 23: Of this man's seed has God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Savior Jesus 24: When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel 25: And as John fulfilled his course he said Whom think ye that I am I am not he But behold there comes one after me whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose 26: Men and brethren children of the stock of Abraham and whosoever among you fears God to you is the word of this salvation sent 27: For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers because they knew him not nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day they have fulfilled them in condemning him 28: And though they found no cause of death in him yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain 29: And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb 30: But God raised him from the dead 31: And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem who are his witnesses unto the people 32: And we declare to you glad tidings how that the promise which was made to the forefathers 33: God has fulfilled the same unto us their children in that he has raised up Jesus again as it is also written in the second psalm You are my Son this day have I begotten thee 34: And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead now no more to return to corruption he said on this wise I will give you the sure mercies of David 35: Wherefore he said also in another psalm You shall not allow your Holy One to see corruption 36: For David after he had served his own generation by the will of God fell on sleep and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption 37: But he whom God raised again saw no corruption 38: Be it known to you therefore men and brethren that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins 39: And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses 40: Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets 41: Behold, you despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your days a work which you shall in no wise believe though one declare it to you 42: And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath 43: Now when the congregation was broken up many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas who speaking to them persuaded them to continue in the grace of God 44: And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God 45: But when the Jews saw the multitudes they were filled with envy and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul contradicting and blaspheming 46: Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you but seeing you put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life lo we turn to the Gentiles 47: For so has the Lord commanded us saying I have set you to be a light of the Gentiles that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth 48: And when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed[1] 49: And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region 50: But the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women and the chief men of the city and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coasts 51: But they shook off the dust of their feet against them and came unto Iconium 52: And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost


[1] Pre-destination is based on the foreknowledge of God

Additional commentary pending for this chapter. Questions and comments are welcome.

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