Introductory remarks:
"Saul begins his attack on the church and causes them to scatter. Philip preaches and heals in Samaria. Simon the sorcerer, who had previously bewitched the people of Samaria, believes and joins Philip. Peter and John go to impart the Holy Spirit on Samaria. Simon offers them money for the power to impart the Spirit. Peter tells Simon to pray that his evil thoughts be forgiven. An angel sends Philip to Gaza where he meets an Ethiopian reading Isaiah. Philip asks if he understands and he says no. Philip says that Jesus was the Lamb led to the slaughter. The Ethiopian believes and Philip baptizes him and then disappears and goes to Azotus" (Brenda's Survey on Acts).
This chapter may be outlined as follows: Saul persecutes the church vv. 1-3; the Gospel preached in Samaria vv. 4-25; Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch vv. 26-40.
Saul Persecutes the Church
Verse 1, "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which is at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles."
LGT "And Saul was consenting to the killing of him. And a great persecution took place on that day, against the assembly which [was] in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countries of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles."
The first phrase of this verse should have been connected with the last verse of the last chapter, closing that section. Saul was consenting, that is, taking pleasure in the death of Stephen. The Pharisees, joined by the Sadducees, cause a great persecution to arise in those first days of the infant church; it was planned by God that they spread out, and this persecution caused them to do exactly that. The assembly at Jerusalem was the first collected in the early days. Luke does not state why the apostles were the exception in this persecution; maybe because the people had such a high regard for the apostles that the persecutors feared the people's reaction.
Verse 2, "And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him."
LGT "And pious men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him."
The word "pious" means religious. These men were not necessarily Christian, but were religious Jews; these Jews made a custom of great lamentation over the dead.
Verse 3, "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison."
LGT "But Saul was ravaging the assembly, house entering house by house, and dragging men and women delivered [them] up to prison."
Saul literally made waste, (that is, he raged against it as a wild beast) of the assembled Christians, the Church, going from house to house hauling the men and women off to prison, some even to their death. Paul will look back upon these days with great remorse, and even regard himself the chief of sinners.
The Gospel Preached in Samaria
Verse 4, "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word."
LGT "They therefore who had been scattered passed through, announcing the Good News - the Word."
In 1:4 Jesus instructed the apostles not to depart from Jerusalem until the Promised One (the Holy Spirit) was come. They had stayed long after that, and now they are being scattered by Saul's persecution. They took the message announcing the Good News of the Gospel to the utter most parts of the earth; this was the initial evangelization of the Good News; later after Paul, Peter, and the other apostles brought doctrine to the Church, then the missionary activity changed to establish the church; today, in this age of grace we are to sow the "seed" (the Word Of God) and the Spirit will reap the harvest. Today we have the completed Word, and we have no further use for spiritual gifts.
Verse 5, "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them."
LGT "And Philip, going down to a city in Samaria, proclaimed to them the Christ."
This Philip is the deacon, not the apostle. The message that Philip was preaching was that the Messiah did come, was crucified, was buried, and was resurrected, and that salvation is now open to all.
Verse 6, "And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did."
LGT "And the crowd, with one accord, gave heed to the things spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the miracles which he did."
As I pointed out before, the first church was empowered with spiritual gifts in order to both authenticate their message, and also to supernaturally proclaim Words that had not yet been written. Today we have the completed supernatural Word of God, so there is no need for supernatural spiritual gifts. Philip drew a huge crowd and they gave heed with one accord to his message.
McGee notes on these gifts:
"Stephen had had the sign gifts of the early church, and now we see that Philip had those same gifts. Not everyone had them - only those who were in the places of leadership, those who were taking the Word of God out to the world. There came a day when the sign gifts disappeared. They disappeared after the time of the apostles. By the time the canon of Scripture was complete and established, the credentials of a true man of God was correct doctrine rather than sign gifts." (The only difference in McGee's stand on the gifts and my own, is that I believe all the supernatural gifts were done away with at this time mentioned, and not just what he calls the "sign gifts".)
Verse 7, "For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed."
LGT "For of many of those with unclean spirits, they went out crying with a loud voice, and many having been paralyzed and lame were healed."
Philip cast out demons, which resisted by crying out with a loud voice in desperation. He also healed the palsied and those who were lame.
Verse 8, "And there was great joy in that city."
LGT "And great joy was in that city."
This is the result of Philip's preaching; the people were overjoyed with the faith that the Word of God produced in them.
Verse 9, "But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one."
LGT "But a certain man, by name Simon, was formerly in the city using magic arts and amazing the nation of Samaria, saying himself to be some great one,"
There are no historical records of this Simon the sorcerer, other than what we have here in Acts. Simon set himself up as a great magician and could amaze the people with his wizardry. "This was such a let (hindrance) that it might seem that the gospel could have no passage (access) to come unto the Samaritans; for the minds of them all were bewitched (literally-amazed) with Simon's juggling. And this amazedness was grown to some strength by reason of long space of time. Furthermore, experience teacheth what a hard matter it is to pluck that error out of the minds of men which hath taken root through long continuance, and to call them back unto a sound and right mind who are already hardened. Superstition made them obstinate in their error, because they counted Simon not only as a prophet of God, but even as the Spirit of God" (Calvin).
Verses 10, 11, "To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries."
LGT "To whom all were giving heed, from small to great, saying, This is that power of God, which is called great. And they were giving heed to him, because that for a long time with the magic arts [he] amazed them."
Philip had quite a hindrance to overcome, because the people were so very superstitious. Superstition is so very hard to combat in people; I find this a very challenging blockade in dealing with the men who work for me; they are all Roman Catholic, and are steeped in Catholic tradition; but God has singled out one them who is a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and through this one, I believe many are beginning to awaken to the Word. These people in Samaria, the smallest to the greatest were all taken in by Simon's magic arts. These people were attributing the work of Satan to that of the power of God, which is the worst type of blasphemy.
Verse 12, "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."
LGT "But when they believed Philip announcing the Good News –the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women."
Philip was preaching the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ; today we are only preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God will once more be preached during the Tribulation period, by the Jews to the Jews. At this time both Gospels were being preached, because they had not received doctrine as yet; this also explains why Philip baptized these new converts; this baptism was an outward sign to the unbelievers that they were being joined to the Church of Jesus Christ; it was a needed sign for that early period of Church history. I do not believe that the Church in this age of Grace has any need for signs, for we have the completed Word of God.
Verse 13, "Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done."
LGT "And Simon also himself believed; and having been baptized, was steadfastly continuing with Philip, and beholding signs and great works of power being done."
If we were to take this verse by itself we would have to conclude that Simon was a saved man; however, we will learn soon that Simon did not accept Christ as his Savior, but only went through the rituals that he believed was expected of him for his own personal gain. Simon knew that he himself was a fraud, and the signs Philip was displaying before the people exposed him for the fraud he was; this also proves that everyone believes, but not everyone accepts the truth and is converted. Philip admitted Simon to his following, because it is very difficult to recognize an imposter. Simon recognized and believed in the power in the name of Christ, but Simon did not know Christ. This also proves that baptism does not save a man.
Verses 14-16, "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (for as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)"
LGT "And the apostles in Jerusalem, having heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, sent to them Peter and John: who having come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for not yet was He fallen on no one of them, but they were only baptized in the name of Jesus."
This entire section proves that water baptism was being phased out. Jesus said that the church would soon be baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit in the early Church was given through the laying on of the apostles hands; but now simply by believing in the lord Jesus Christ one is immediately baptized into the Spirit, for no one can receive the Holy Spirit by another's prayers, nor by asking for Him; and the Holy Spirit places every believer into union with the Lord Jesus Christ; there are no signs today signifying this Spirit baptism. The Lord Jesus must be worshipped in spirit and in truth, and this can only be done as the Holy Spirit indwells one.
"If it be asked why this power was conferred on the early Christians, it may be replied that it was to furnish striking proof of the truth of the Christian religion; to impress the people, and thus to win them to embrace the gospel. The early church was thus armed with the power of the Holy Spirit; and this extraordinary attestation of God to his message was one cause of the rapid propagation and permanent establishment of the gospel" (Barnes). The people were only baptized in the name of Jesus simply means that they were baptized with water as an outward sign of their belief in His name; once they are baptized with the Holy Spirit they are sealed unto the day of redemption, and there is no longer a need for the water baptism.
Verse 17, "Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."
LGT "Then they laid their hands upon them and they received [the] Holy Spirit."
The reason for the laying on of the apostles hands was for the assurance of the one receiving the Holy Spirit; let me explain; today I read in the Word of God that I am baptized with the Holy Spirit the moment I believe, and that I am placed by the Spirit into union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this baptism isn't anything I can feel or experience, but I know it takes place because I read about in the writings of the Apostle Paul, and I accept it by faith, and Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. These early Christians did not have the entire Word of God, and they did not have the doctrines of Peter and Paul, so they had to be convinced and experience it with signs. We no longer have a need for any signs, for we have God's Precious Word. We know by reading the Word of God that the moment we believe we immediately receive all the divine riches of His grace. When I open the Word of God it is as convincing to me even more than if Peter or John were here in person to lay their hands on me. I hope this is clear.
Verse 18, "And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money."
LGT "But Simon having seen by the laying on of the hands of the apostles the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them riches."
Simon saw some of those that received the Holy Spirit speaking in tongues he wanted to buy the gift from the apostles. For this reason, today, a person who is able to buy spiritual privileges is called "Simony". "Simon saw that if he could communicate to others this power; if he could confer on them the talent of speaking other languages, it might be turned to vast account, and he sought, therefore, to purchase it of the apostles. From this act of Simon we have derived our word simony, to denote the buying and selling ecclesiastical preferment (advantage), or church offices, where religion is supported by the state. This act of Simon shows conclusively that he was influenced by improper motives in becoming connected with the church" (Barnes).
Verse 19, "Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost."
LGT "Saying, Give me also this authority, that whomever I may lay hands, he may receive [the] Holy Spirit."
This verse shows the shallow thinking of this charlatan. He was thinking on such a low level he thought he could purchase the grace of God. When Satan attacks the church externally it caused fantastic growth in the church; so now he attempts to attack the church internally. Christ promised that the gates of hell should not prevail against the church.
Verse 20, "But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money."
LGT "But Peter said to him, Your money with thee may it be to destruction, because you thought the gift of God may be obtained by riches."
This verse shows Peter's complete disgust of Simon's offer. Peter says that his money is headed for the same destruction he was. All of God's gifts, including salvation, are offered without price; the moment one puts a price on a thing, it is no longer a gift.
Verse 21, "Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God."
LGT "There is not to thee a part or lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God."
Peter tells Simon that he has no part in the matter of bestowing God's gift, because he had a heart condition; that is, he was not one of His own, for with heart man believeth unto righteousness. Everything a believer does in this world Christ will someday judge according to his or her motives, at the Bema Seat. Results are never considered, only motives.
Verse 22, "Repent therefore of this wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee."
LGT "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and beg God, if indeed may be forgiven to thee the scheme of thy heart."
Peter tells Simon to change his mind about his ungodly scheme, and pray that God will forgive him. An important principle is taught in this verse; Peter instructed Simon to change his mind before he prays. God cannot hear a sinner's prayer until after he repents. After the Holy Spirit converts a sinner he has free access to the Throne of Grace.
Verse 23, "For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity."
LGT "For in a gall of bitterness and a bond of unrighteousness I see thee to be."
Peter sees Simon as a slave to sin; Peter describes Simon's condition as bitter gall, and a bond slave of unrighteousness.
Verse 24, "Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me."
LGT "And answering, Simon said, Pray ye on behalf of me to the Lord, so that nothing may come upon me of which you have spoken."
Simon shows no sign of true repentance. He is only fearful of anything bad happening to him. There is no record of Simon ever changing his mind concerning his condition as a sinner. In verse 22 Peter instructs Simon to repent and then pray for himself; here Simon asks Peter to pray for him. Every sinner is accountable for his own personal sin.
Verse 25, "And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans."
LGT "They therefore, having earnestly testified, and having spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and announced the Good News [to] many villages of the Samaritans."
The Gospel preaching began at Jerusalem and extended to the ends of the earth. The entire world was evangelized in this first century.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
Verse 26, "And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert."
LGT "And an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, Rise up and go towards [the] south, on the way which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the same is desert."
God sent a messenger to give Philip directions on which way he should go and preach the gospel; some believe God spoke to Philip in a vision, while others believe it was in a dream; still others believe it was an angelic messenger speaking directly to Philip. The directions were for Philip to go into the desert region south to Gaza. "Gaza was a city of the Philistines, given by Joshua to Judah (Josh. 15:47; 1 Sam. 6:17). It was one of the five principal cities of the Philistines. It was formerly a large place; was situated on an eminence [prominence], and commanded a beautiful prospect. It was in this place that Samson took away the gates of the city, and bore them off (Judges 16:2,3). It was near Askelon, about 60 miles south-west from Jerusalem" (Barnes).
Verse 27, "And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,"
LGT "And having risen up he went. And, behold, a man, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, one in power under Candace the queen of [the] Ethiopians, who was over all her treasures, who had come to worship in Jerusalem,"
Barnes describes Ethiopia:
"Ethiopia was one of the great kingdoms of Africa, part of which is now called Abyssinia. It is frequently mentioned in Scripture under the name of Cush. But Cush comprehended a much larger region, including the southern part of Arabia, and even sometimes the countries adjacent to the Tigris and Euphrates. Ethiopia proper lay south of Egypt, on the Nile, and was bounded north by Egypt, that is, by the cataracts near Syrene; east by the Red Sea, and perhaps part by the Indian Ocean; south by unknown regions in the interior of Africa; and west by Libya and the deserts. It comprehended the modern kingdoms of Nubia or Sennaar, and Abyssinia. The chief city in it was the ancient Meroe, situated on the island or tract of the same name, between the Nile and the Ashtaboras, not far from the Modern Shendi."
This eunuch of great authority had the charge of the treasury of Candace the queen of the Ethiopians; Candace is not her name only her title, like the Pharaoh being the title of the king.
Verse 28, "Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet."
LGT "And was returning and sitting in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah."
This eunuch was sitting in the back of his chariot, surrounded by his servants, reading the Book of Isaiah; he was returning from Jerusalem where he had been worshipping, for he was a Jewish proselyte (convert); he was reading aloud from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT.
Verse 29, "Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this eunuch."
LGT "And the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot."
There has never been a conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit did not draw that person. Robertson said that Philip was so eager to obey that he probably "Jumped on the side running boards of the chariot." The Holy Spirit instructed Philip to go and sit with the eunuch in his chariot.
Verse 30, "And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?"
LGT "And running up Philip heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Do you then know what you are reading?"
Philip, standing along side the chariot, listening to the eunuch read aloud from the prophet Isaiah, asks him if he understands what he is reading.
Verse 31, "And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him."
LGT "And he said, How should I be able unless some one should guide me? And he asked Philip, having come, to sit with him."
The eunuch invites Philip to come up and sit with him in the chariot, hoping Philip might be able to explain Isaiah to him; remember, an unbeliever can in no way understand the Word of God; the Holy Spirit has to open their understanding, and this can only be done after conversion.
Verses 32, 33, "The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: in his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth."
LGT "And the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this: As a sheep to slaughter He was led, and as a lamb before him who shears him [is] dumb, thus He opens not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: the generation of Him who shall declare? For His life is taken away from the earth."
The passage the eunuch was reading from in the LXX was Isaiah 53:7,8. Of course we know that Isaiah was predicting the trial and eventual crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ; all true justice was taken from Him, and He opened not His mouth in opposition to their injustice, for He had a mission that no one would understand until it was completed.
Verse 34, "And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself, or of some other man?"
LGT "And answering the eunuch said to Philip, I pray thee, concerning whom the prophet says this? Concerning himself, or concerning some other?"
The Holy Spirit leads this eunuch right where he needs to read for his salvation. Concerning whom the prophet says this? This is a legitimate question, because even the religious rulers of Judaism did not know of whom Isaiah wrote. The Holy Spirit sends Philip to guide this eunuch to the truth that the Jesus Christ they crucified was the promised Messiah of all the true prophets.
Verse 35, "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."
LGT "And Philip, having opened his mouth, and having begun from this Scripture, announced to him the Good News of Jesus."
Philip, being lead by the Holy Spirit, begins to announce to this eunuch the Good News that Jesus whom they crucified was the promised Messiah. No one from the beginning of time has ever been saved apart from the Word of God. I make this point here because of all the books that are out there in the marketplace of men teaching people how to be soul winners. The Word of God is the only Book a person can use in convincing a lost sinner of his need for salvation. We need to be faithful in sowing the seed (the Word of God) and allow the Holy Spirit to do the saving; nothing you or I can say can convince a person of their need of salvation. Every one knows they need Christ; the unbeliever consciously rejects the Savior. No one will go to hell because they did not have an opportunity to believe.
Verse 36, "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?"
LGT "And as they were going along the way, they came upon a certain water, and the eunuch says, Behold water; what hinders me to be baptized?"
Evidently Philip had said something to this eunuch about baptism.
Verse 37, "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God."
LGT (verse 37 is not a genuine part of Acts; it was a western addition, that is a later addition by the so-called church fathers)
Verse 38, "And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him."
LGT "And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him."
Baptism, during this early time of the church before they had received the doctrines of Peter and Paul, was a sign to the baptized that they were identified in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; this is before Paul wrote, I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20). Paul taught that the Christian life was to be lived by the indwelling presence of the Son of God, that is, by the faith of the Son of God; not our faith in the Son of God, but His faith manifest in us, for faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). Now that we have the completed Word of God, there is no need for signs; please think on this.
Verse 39, "And when they were come out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."
LGT "But when they came up out of the water, [the] Spirit of [the] Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no longer, for he went his way rejoicing."
This supernatural event of the Spirit snatching Philip away, certainly proves this entire scene was a miracle of the Holy Spirit; these things vanished in time with the completion and distribution of the Word of God, so that there is no longer the need for such signs.
Verse 40, "But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea."
LGT "But Philip was found in Azotus: and passing through he announced the Good News [to] all the cities, until he came to Caesarea."
Philip made his headquarters in Caesarea (Acts 21:28) and was known as the evangelist (Robertson). "Azotus is Ashdod, which is over in the Gaza strip. To reach Caesarea, he would have gone through Joppa. Tel Aviv is there today. So he went, preaching the gospel along the coast up to Caesarea. The gospel has gone to Judea and to Samaria and is moving out. The eunuch has carried it down to Ethiopia. Philip is carrying it along the coast to Caesarea" (McGee). The gospel is going to the uttermost parts of the earth.
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