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Two works of Christ in Acts 1-12, part 7

It would have made more sense to end the seventh chapter of Acts after Acts 8:4, as this would have included the account of Saul’s persecution of the church after the stoning of Stephen. His stoning, after all, launched this persecution. Acts 8:1 says, “And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem.”

The church in Jerusalem was devastated, and most of the believers left the city, except for the apostles themselves. Philip also decided that it was time to go on a mission trip to Samaria, turning a negative situation into something positive. Acts 8:5-8 says,

⁵ Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. ⁶ The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. ⁷ For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁸ So there was much rejoicing in that city.

As with Stephen, Philip too was performing “signs” (miracle-signs), which confirmed the word he was preaching. Philip is here juxtaposed with Stephen as the sign of the second work of Christ.

Simon Magus

Acts 8:9 says,

⁹ Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be something great; ¹⁰ and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God…” ¹² But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.

Simon himself became a believer (Acts 8:13), but his heart was not right. After Philip sent for Peter and John, Simon offered to pay them if they would confer upon him their power (Acts 8:18, 19). That was when Simon’s heart was exposed. Acts 8:18-21 says,

¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that the Spirit of God was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰ But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have no part or portion in this matter; for your heart is not right before God.”

According to early church accounts, Simon was the chief apostle of a new religion called Gnosticism, in which he challenged the apostles’ authority and their teachings. Simon Magus blended the teachings of the Greek, Egyptian, and Persian religion with some elements of Christianity, and it soon became the church’s main rival.

The Gnostics adopted the Greek view that spirit was good and matter was inherently evil, contrary to Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” Gnostics believed that the demiurge (the devil) had created matter, whereas Scripture tells us that God was the Creator.

Gnosticism also reinterpreted the Scriptures, as it developed over the years, insisting that Jesus did not really die on the cross but was saved by His disciples. They say Jesus lived to marry Mary Magdalene and that they had three children. So modern Gnostics honor Mary Magdalene and seek to replace the Virgin Mary with Mary Magdalene. They have insinuated themselves within the Roman Catholic Church, where they form a secret Gnostic cult dedicated to this.

The Ethiopian Eunuch

When Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, Philip was led to go in a different direction. We read in Acts 8:25, 26,

²⁵ So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. ²⁶ But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)

Somewhere along this deserted road, Philip met an Ethiopian eunuch. Acts 8:27, 28 says,

²⁷ So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and he was returning and sitting in his chariot and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

Ethiopia (or Kush) lay south of Egypt and had a 3,000-year history, ending finally in 1973 with the overthrow of Haile Selassie. Ethiopia was originally known as Nubia. Candace was not a proper name but was a royal title of the Queen Mother who bore the heir to the throne. Candace is the latinized form of Kandake.

Historians tell us that Nicotnis Kandake V was Queen Mother from 35-25 B.C. and that Garsemot Kandake VI was Queen Mother from 40-50 A.D. Apparently, we do not know who was the Candace that the Ethiopian eunuch worked for, unless this encounter occurred as late as 40 A.D.

At any rate, the eunuch was a proselyte to Judaism and had made the trip to Jerusalem, probably to attend a feast. Perhaps he had purchased his copy of Isaiah while in Jerusalem to provide him with reading material while traveling the long distance.

Giving Understanding

Philip encountered the eunuch while he happened to be reading Isaiah 53. Acts 8:29-33 says,

²⁹ Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” ³⁰ Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearers is silent, so he does not open his mouth. ³³ In humiliation his judgment was taken away; who will relate his generation? For his life is removed from the earth.”

The passage quoted is found in Isaiah 53:7, 8.

Acts 8:34, 35 continues,

³⁴ The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

We are not told any details of Philip’s explanation, other than “he preached Jesus.” In other words, he identified the “sheep” as prophetic of Jesus and His sacrifice. After his explanation, the eunuch wanted to be baptized, and this indicates that Philip had started from the beginning of the passage, which actually starts in Isaiah 52:13-15,

¹³ Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. ¹⁴ Just as many were astonished at you, My people, so His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.

Jesus was crucified by the side of the road on the Mount of Olives. It was customary for travelers to throw stones at those who were crucified, and they normally aimed for the head. “So His appearance was marred more than any man.”

¹⁵ Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand.

The Ethiopian eunuch was the first, it seems, to fulfill the prophecy that “He will sprinkle many nations.” The “many nations” began with the Ethiopian eunuch. Baptism did not begin with John the Baptist but was commanded in the law. At the laver it was done by pouring. In the case of cleansing ex-lepers, we read in Leviticus 14:7,

⁷ He shall then sprinkle seven times the one who is to be cleansed from the leprosy and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the live bird go free over the open field.

You will recognize this ceremony in connection to the two birds that represent Christ in His two comings. The priest was to sprinkle the ex-leper after inspecting him to make sure he had truly been healed of leprosy. This sprinkling is connected to the second (live) bird and thus has to do with the second work of Christ. So we read in Acts 8:36,

³⁶ As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”… ³⁸ And he ordered [the driver of] the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.

It is assumed that we already know the biblical mode of baptism prescribed in the law as “sprinkling.” The fact that they “went down into the water” does not mean that the eunuch went under the water. It was common to step into the water in order to fulfill the law that specified “over the running water” (Leviticus 14:6). Running water was literally living water, the emphasis being on life rather than death. If Philip followed the prescription in the law, he would have scooped up water and sprinkled the eunuch seven times.

Philip Caught Away

Acts 8:39 says,

³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him but went on his way rejoicing.

The Hebrew word nazaw, “sprinkle,” also means “to leap; be lifted up.” It also carries the connotation of rejoicing (as in jumping up and down). So when the eunuch was baptized, he rejoiced.

Meanwhile, Philip was “snatched” away. The Greek word used is harpazo, the same word used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “we who are alive and remain will be caught up [harpazo] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” This describes an event depicted in the feast of Tabernacles at the time of the second coming of Christ.

Therefore, unlike Stephen, Philip gives us details about the second coming of Christ, whose purpose is not only to preach the word of God with boldness, but also to give understanding of the word. This is to fulfill Isaiah 52:15, “for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand.”

Acts 8:40 concludes,

⁴⁰ But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

Azotus was located a few miles from Ashdod, north of Gaza. Philip preached the word “until he came to Caesarea,” a city with a good harbor that was named for Augustus Caesar. Herod the Great built its harbor and enlarged the city, and thereafter it became a major port for entering and departing from Judea. Caesarea was the residence of the Roman procurators in Judea.

Philip himself moved to Caesarea, and his house became much like a hotel for Christians waiting for their ship to sail. Paul himself stayed there for some time when he was on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 21:8). Philip had a house church, attended by Cornelius, the Roman centurion.

Caesarea in this case appears to represent Rome itself (and Caesar). Preaching all the way to Caesarea, then, foreshadows the word of God being preached to kings and rulers, according to the prophecy in Isaiah 52:15, “kings will shut their mouths on account of Him.” This suggests that when the word of God is preached with boldness in our time, the word will spread to rulers in governments and not be limited to the common people.