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The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 9:1-19 Saul's Salvation 9.1 - 2. Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats to murder the Lord's disciples, went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Saul sincerely believed that he was doing God a service by waging war against the followers of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:13-14; 1 Tim. 1:13). As far as he was concerned he was destroying the opposers of worshipping the God of Israel and he did not spare himself in order to rid the world of those who he considered to be heretics. He obtained letters of authority from the high priest to pursue them even to Damascus to bring them back Jerusalem to be dealt with as the high priest saw fit. The expression 'this way' or 'the Way' was an early name given to believers before they were called Christians for they were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). No one who had accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour was safe from Saul's hands, whether man, woman or child and his name for persecution became well known to all believers. 9.3 - 4. As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Saul had made his plans well but he had done so without taking God into consideration, for God had made other plans for his life (Ps. 33:10; Prov. 16:9). As he drew near to Damascus God dramatically broke through into his life. Saul who was a child of darkness and had been walking in the dark now floored by the light of heaven that shone around him. Note, it shone around not on him. He was caught in the light and could not escape from the Lord he could not move forward or backward to the right or left only hit the ground! He heard a voice but could see no one and the owner of that voice knew him personally by his name! It not only knew his name but he had been doing and what he was going to do! Although Saul was a scholar in the Old Testament he did not know God for he had thought that it was only men and women he was persecuting but it was in fact the Lord he had been waging war against (Zech. 2:8).
9.5. (NKJV) And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."