HEAVENLY INTERVENTIONS

^[p. 371] HEAVENLY INTERVENTIONS

Acts 2:1 - 4; Acts 4:31 - 33; Acts 16:25 - 31

JT The book of Acts affords instances of heavenly interventions. In some instances the idea of heaven is stressed, as in the first verses read, where we have a sound from heaven, and in chapter 9, a light from heaven, and in chapter 10, a sheet from heaven, all evidently to maintain the heavenly thought amongst the saints — the mind and influence of heaven. But we have also, as in these scriptures, the thought of power stressed, which one is free to bring forward now, so that we may have opportunity to consider the thought of power as in our favour, as occupying the divinely-ordered position, and also in testimony. The first suggestion is power as it affects the saints house-wise; the sound filled the house where they were sitting. The second relates to the saints viewed assembly-wise, that is, it is where they were assembled, the thought of the house being dropped, and it is just a place. The third relates to the power of the world as it would interfere with the testimony and service. The Philippian jailor may be taken as a symbol of the power of this world and how it may be used to interfere with the Lord’s service. We may reckon on a corresponding intervention in whatever way it may be needed in our day of small things, so that the power of the world may be prevented from interfering with the position into which God has called us and the service that He has opened up to us. He intimates early in the Old Testament that He would shake heaven, that is, God’s power to shake what might be in any way opposed, but for the moment, it is just to set aside any effort of the enemy to interfere directly or indirectly with the position into which God has called us and the service He has opened up to us. That is an outline of what I have ^[p. 372] in mind.

CAC Would you suggest to us the difference between house-wise and assembly-wise?

JT We have only the suggestion of the house in chapter 2, but it is very significant that we have the word “house” there, and that the saints are viewed as sitting. The thought of the house involves dignity and a sitting attitude would suggest the same thing. There is that side to our position. It is an upper room in the gospels, as indeed in Acts 1, but we have significantly the word “house”, and the fact that they were not simply abiding there, as in chapter 1, but sitting.

CAC Is it the setting of them in relation to heaven prior to any public service?

JT I think so. There must have been a link at the moment with the great movement from heaven. There must have been great complacency on the part of heaven in what was happening. Earlier the Lord had gone to Bethany, and we have the thought of sitting and the persons who sat with Him — Lazarus was one of them (John 12:2) — and it seems as if, having the facts as stated in chapter 1, the position in chapter 2 is one for heaven’s complacency, the restfulness and dignity that marked these people, fresh from the hand of the Lord, He having gone up from them.

CAC Does that sitting attitude and what came upon them from heaven necessarily precede the standing up as in the latter part of the chapter?

JT I suppose so. It is the thought of dignity which becomes us, so that in entering on public service we are sobered and self-controlled. The suggestion was that, as the Holy Spirit had come, they were filled with new wine, that is, abnormal excitement, whereas in truth there was the greatest sobriety and a dignified attitude in the house. The Lord had said, “As the Father sent me forth, I also send you” (John 20:21), and He having breathed ^[p. 373] into them, they would go forth in that setting. The Spirit has come in this way in power, power through breathing — plenty of power, but in the possession of the power we are to learn to be dignified and under control.

PL Is that thought reflected in the person who is sitting and who has a revelation from the Lord in 1 Corinthians 14?

JT I think that helps. The idea is restfulness of spirit, developed doubtless out of the idea of sabbath keeping, learning to be restful in holy contemplation.

NKM Would Abraham in Genesis 18 correspond in any way with the spirit of restfulness — sitting at his tent door in the heat of the day?

JT That is a good illustration, working out from the previous chapter where he had such remarkable communications from Jehovah in a personal way. The word is that Jehovah “left off talking with him; and God went up from Abraham” (Genesis 17:22), and a great sense of dignity would rest upon the patriarch’s mind in such a scene. What an experience, that Jehovah should come down and say to him, “It is I”, speaking to him as a friend to a friend, as you might say, and finishing what He had to say then. “God went up”, we are told, “from Abraham”. Abraham immediately carries out the commandment as to circumcision, and then he is seen sitting at his tent door, not in his house indeed, but still there is remarkable correspondence, because Jehovah had gone up. Here in the Acts the Lord had gone up. It was Jehovah indeed, and attention is called to the movement by the angels: “they beholding him”. All that would enter into the position in the house and a sitting posture; there would be great restfulness, and a great sense of dignity in what had transpired. More was to follow as the Lord had told them, and now it is about to happen, and they are there. “They were all together”, it says; there is no disinterested person ^[p. 374] in the company; they are all there in the place of sitting.

FSM Is it significant that in both passages you have the words, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit” — in the first instance in regard to sitting, and in the second in regard to praying?

JT We may see that. It was a remarkable prayer in chapter 4.

FSM Pursuing the line of thought in Genesis 18, Abraham goes on to intercession. As having proved the Lord’s presence in sitting he is able to go on and intercede in prayer.

HES Is it necessary to have this sense of dignity within before there can be any of the activities that follow in the book?

JT I think so; it is a question of the person sent out; it is heaven’s representation. Think of what Jesus was! “Whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world” (John 10:36). What dignity there was in that! the Son set apart and sent into the world. Heaven announced its pleasure in Him: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight” (Matthew 3:17), and then again, “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul has found its delight” (Matthew 12:18). Well, the scene here corresponds in the sense of the persons sitting who are about to be sent out, at least the apostles. So that the help to be derived from it now is that we should learn what belongs to the house, the dignity of the house, that we belong to that, and that we are thus qualified in some way to be representative of heaven. In the case of the prodigal the best robe was brought out by the servants and put upon him; he was in liberty in the house, and we have immediately the music and dancing in the house. Dignity is attached to it. The instruction is important for those who are in service, and especially for those who would wish to be in service, that ^[p. 375] in serving in any way it is necessary to understand our place in the house, a sitting attitude and the knowledge of our holy relations.

GEG What have you to say as to the cloven tongues as of fire sitting upon each of them?

JT There is complacency in the persons, nothing to disturb so far. The fire would be to preserve from any disturbance from henceforth. God has that in which He can rest in view of testimony here. There is no fire found in the anointing of Jesus, but there is here; it is a merciful provision that there should be no disturbance. If the fire has its place there will be no disturbance. The thought of sitting is continued in that “it sat upon each one of them”, each one singled out in his distinction. It is profitable to call attention to it in this way, to learn to be spiritually restful in the sense of the relation in which we are set, that in truth a son is greater than a servant. Some make their service more than their house relations, but the house relation is greater than the service.

CAC Would that be involved in the Lord’s saying, “Peace be to you” in connection with the mission in John 20?

JT Yes. That would follow on the message through Mary Magdalene which implied their dignity and where they were. They are now viewed in their greatness, “where the disciples were”, and in coming in, the Lord would recognise them in their greatness, as I suppose in the House of Lords the King recognises the dignity of the peers before the actual work is taken on. So that the Lord coming in, would come in in all His own greatness, the One who had said, “I ascend”, and recognise theirs in saying, “Peace be to you”. That would enable them to sit.

Rem If we have a deep sense that it is God’s ^[p. 376] house, we would, like David, go in and sit before the Lord (2 Samuel 7:18).

JT That comes in before the great thought of sonship is introduced. David had thought that he should build the house, and Nathan thought so too, but they were both mistaken and God corrects them, and David accepts the correction. He is in the light of sonship, in fact he has that place himself, the firstborn, as it says in Psalm 89:27. “I will make him firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth”. It is in that sense he goes in and sits before Jehovah. I believe the word might be translated ‘tarry’, but in any case it would be restful. But how can one be restful inside save in the sense of the relationship and of what God is to him? All this is most important to those who serve, and to all of us, to learn to be restful in dignity in the sense of the relation in which we are set according to the divine counsels.

CAC Would you say that the servant in that way is greater than his service?

JT Just so. It would help us to see the place, the relation in which we are set in the house, that is, sons of God and brethren of Christ and of one another, above the thought of service.

EuR Has Ephesians 2 any bearing on it — seated in the heavenlies in the early part of the chapter, and then the habitation of God in the end?

JT Yes; it is to bring out our qualification to be the habitation down here, that is, persons who belong to heaven. There can be no accommodation for God save as afforded by heavenly people, people who as up there know the conditions that are there. Hence, before the requirements of the tabernacle are given in Exodus, seventy of the elders of Israel go up, and as up there they are called nobles, and see the God of Israel. That really is the background for ^[p. 377] the house.

HES Is the principle seen in the apostle, “I do not seek yours, but you” (2 Corinthians 12:14)? He had the persons more before him.

JT Exactly. The idea of persons has a great place in Scripture, and I have no doubt John takes it up finally for these last days to bring out what the saints are. You have the idea of counting and numbering and weighing, with John, so as to bring out the greatness of the persons. In Ezra we have the thought of numbering at the outset of the recovery, but when Ezra himself comes into the service he stresses the thought of weighing to bring out the quality of the persons.

SJBC Do you mean that if we are to serve rightly according to God we must serve in the dignity of sonship?

JT That is the thought: “Let my son go, that he may serve me” (Exodus 4:23).

SJBC I thought we might connect that with Mark 1: “Beginning of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ, Son of God”. He is represented in that gospel as Jehovah’s Servant, yet He did everything in the dignity of sonship.

JT Quite so. It helps greatly, for young brothers especially, to see that the relation with them is necessarily greater than the service, great indeed as the service is. One serves in love as in the realm of love — the house is the realm of love.

Ques Do you get a suggestion of that in Mark 3 in those sitting around the Lord?

JT It is significant that it comes in there. I do not know of anything to be coveted more than that spirit of restfulness spiritually, not to be lethargic — we may be lazy — but to be spiritually restful yet alert, and when the time comes for service, we go forth in the sense of being persons who are liked in heaven: “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul has found its delight” (Matthew 12:18).

^[p. 378] One would not like to be in service save as personally pleasing to God. That really is where the rest lies, in the sense of what God thinks of you in the service. You snatch an opportunity for physical rest as it comes, as the Lord did. He said, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a little” (Mark 6:31), but when they got to their destination there were five thousand persons waiting to be served. The rest is in a spiritual sense. God would give occasions to rest physically, but the thing is to learn to be restful spiritually.

PL We have the great Servant in Mark, the Lord Jesus, as our Model, and at the end of the gospel it is said first that He “sat at the right hand of God”, and then it says, “The Lord working with them” (chapter 16:19,20).

JT That is right; there is no cessation of that. The sitting is to bring out one thing, but the work goes on: “the Lord working with them”, that is, persons who had learnt this great thought, for there must be correspondence with Christ even as to this restfulness.

COB Mary sat in the house in John 11 which came before her service in chapter 12.

JT Just so. She had learnt how to be restful spiritually, and that all comes out at Bethany where “they made him a supper ... but Lazarus was one of those at table with him”.

EuR Would the Lord’s supper greatly induce that restfulness with us, the sabbath-keeping conditions leading to the enjoyment of sitting in privilege in the enjoyment of sonship?

JT Quite so. Sitting as we have to while the emblems, the bread and the cup, are being passed round, denotes what we are to one another, what company we are sitting in. That is, the Spirit is there. It should always be borne in mind that the Spirit is there from the outset of our assembling and ^[p. 379] He pervades in His own way and looks after everything, so that all is in the power of the anointing. We are not sitting wasting time, but in holy company and in holy relations. That marks every assembly movement, and we come under the Lord’s hand. When the time comes for Him to use us we are available, not restless, having a hymn on our minds to give out, or having in our minds before we came to the meeting to take part at some particular time. Restfulness of spirit precludes all that; we are just there “to be to another, who has been raised up from among the dead”. Well, what will He do? The movement to the mount of Olives later — as we have often had it — is spiritual, so that we arrive at His place, which is a great thing. The idea of the sabbath was prominent in Exodus and is brought in first by name in that book. Exodus 31:17 tells us of Jehovah that “on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed”. That is a very beautiful word and we only get it there. The fact existed for hundreds of years, but now it is mentioned that God Himself was refreshed on the sabbath. With others I have been looking into the matter and I think about twenty-eight per cent of Israel’s time was occupied in sabbath-keeping. It is certainly interesting as applied to what we are speaking of, being restful spiritually and sitting in assembly in a spiritual way so as to be available to the Lord.

Rem In the house God has found His rest and we should be restful if we realised that all blessing has come from Him. It says in Psalm 132:14: “This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it”, and it goes on, “I will abundantly bless her provision”.

JT Quite so. It is significant that the name of the man who built the house means “peace”. Jehovah loved him and he was a man of peace, and we want to get into the realm of love.

^[p. 380] Rem You said just now that we have the interventions of heaven right through.

JT I was calling attention to the way heaven is specially mentioned, but the point now is more power in relation to certain things, and this is one that we are speaking of, sitting in the house. God honours that and will preserve it.

NKM Would what you are saying enter into what the Lord said in Luke 22: “For which is greater, he that is at table or he that serves? Is not he that is at table?”.

JT That is good. That shows how you regard the saints when you are serving them; you are not lording it over them, but sitting at their feet serving them, and surely they should be more restful. If a little ministry is given in the assembly, it ought to make the saints even more restful. The intent is that it is a holy restful scene where God is at rest; He rests in His love in His people, and we share that love.

HES Then is the first operation of this power to preserve those right conditions within?

JT The power has come in in that relation, and would preserve those initial conditions; they are to run through. I believe the power is for that, it is not only that it filled all the house where they were sitting. What a sense you have of being there, the sound filling all the house!

CAC It was there for God before it yielded anything for men.

JT What God had in that scene! The Spirit sitting upon each would denote the restfulness of heaven in them. I suppose David was never more pleasing to God than when he entered into the house on that occasion and sat there just to enjoy the light and liberty he had, the joy of Jehovah and what he was to ^[p. 381] Him.

CSS Is the thought that power and rest go together? The mighty God is seen in His power and then His rest comes in, and in Zephaniah He is called the “mighty one” and then He rests in His love.

JT That is very good. The thought is to preserve those conditions. Peter’s service following is very beautiful; it is so composed and orderly, and so free too from mere philosophy; he just seizes simply the occasion. They were saying, “They are full of new wine” and mocking, but Peter said, No, and he took that up and began his address from that, but how dignified it was and with what authority.

CAC He is not overwhelmed by the greatness of the things, for they were “the great things of God”. He is spiritually capable of handling them in the greatest sobriety — very lovely!

JT I believe this chapter 2 stands out in the way of a model. He stood up with the eleven, showing how intelligent and deliberate he was in his service.

CAC What have you in mind in linking chapter 4 with this? Had you a further thought?

JT I thought we might see the importance of prayer. It is said, “And having been let go, they came to their own company”or ‘their own’ possibly, “and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. And they, having heard it, lifted up their voice with one accord to God, and said, Lord, thou art the God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them; who hast said by the mouth of thy servant David, Why have the nations raged haughtily and the peoples meditated vain things? The kings of the earth were there, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For in truth against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou hadst anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the nations, and peoples of Israel, have been gathered together in this city to do whatever thy hand and thy counsel had ^[p. 382] determined before should come to pass. And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings, and give to thy bondmen with all boldness to speak thy word, in that thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and that signs and wonders take place through the name of thy holy servant Jesus”. This, I suppose, was the prayer that was made at the time. It was the priestly side, and then it goes on, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness”. The position now is the assembly in principle. “Hades’ gates shall not prevail against it”, it says, and I think this shaking is to remind them of the power that was for them. It is not now the house, but just a place, but the word ‘assembled’ is to be noted. As the apostle says to Timothy, “That thou mayest know how one ought to conduct oneself in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). I think support is in the word ‘assembly’, and the power is here: “the place in which they were assembled shook”, not now where they were sitting, but where they were assembled.

CAC Is this the thought of an impregnable fortress, able to stand in the face of all that is hostile?

JT That is what I think we may see in the word ‘assembled’, linking on with the Lord’s remarks as to the assembly that “hades’ gates shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Hades’ gates were active here. What the apostles Peter and John reported would be that, but God is saying, You are to be protected, this order of things is to stand — where they were assembled, the prayer being uttered there.

CAC Then the assembly in Matthew 16 is rather to be in a militant position, a fortress. Is that side important?

JT I think we may link it on here. We have the house conditions to continue, and the service flowing ^[p. 383] out of it, and now we have the assembly continuing when the position is militant.

HES Is that the line of the Scripture that says, “The name of Jehovah is a strong tower” (Proverbs 18:10)?

JT Quite so. The assembly militant is a very good word here in chapter 4.

Ques Is this an additional filling here? It says, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit”, in chapter 2, and it is the same here.

JT It does not say refilled; it is just the thing maintained. Of course, many had come in, and it was the maintenance of what was, that there is no weakening. The assembly now is in a militant position marked by prayer and God answering it, showing how we can go on. God comes in for us in answer to the prayer of the assembly.

FSM The enemy was endeavouring to stop the testimony going forth, and the word being sent forth in power, but this prayer would be that it should continue in power.

JT So what is said is, “And the heart and soul of the multitude of those that had believed were one, and not one said that anything of what he possessed was his own, but all things were common to them; and with great power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus”. The position in chapter 2 is continued and augmented: “with great power did the apostles give witness”. There is a reassertion of the apostolic position. Peter and John had been prominent, but in returning to their own the apostles all come into view again; they came to ‘their own’ or “their own company”, as it says. As we seek each other in this affectionate way and have recourse to prayer that God will come in and there be adjustment, whatever power there is amongst us will come into action. There will be no overshadowing; there will be room for all that there ^[p. 384] is, and more. It is a question now, not of Peter and John, two of the apostles, but all the apostles; they get their place. There would be a tendency for Peter and John to be the leaders in the service, but there is a resetting of things, and how important that is, for as militant we need every brother and sister with ability — there must be room for all.

PL “Twenty years old and upward”.

JT Just so. When the Levites come to be before God according to Numbers 8, they are presented as a wave-offering, and God reduces the age and increases the number. The number is needed; every bit of ability is required, and the more as we are together in this mutual way. “They came to their own company”, it says; not simply back to the ten others, but “their own company”. Then there is the prayer and the shaking which was, of course, reassuring, and then the mutual oneness and care for one another: “not one said that anything of what he possessed was his own, but all things were common to them; and with great power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all”.

GEG Would you in any way connect the thought of the Lord standing at the right hand of God, as seen by Stephen, with this militant position of the assembly here?

JT I think the allusion is to His patience. Israel was rejecting Him, but He was still there, and the allusion is to the patience of God with Israel, that He would still serve in spite of their attitude. It corresponds with the position in the end of the gospels where He is seen standing, meaning that He was going further, there was more beyond. In Luke 24:50 He “led them out as far as Bethany”, that is, a sort of lodging-place which we would accept; it is not final, but it is necessary for a purpose. God is patient, and, as it were, He is content to lead them just as far as ^[p. 385] that, not that it was final. I think all these standing attitudes in the ends of the gospels and the Acts bear on the patience of God, another great fact for us to remember, that it is the period of the patience of God. He is still waiting on men, and we are not sitting in that relation, but active and ready to serve. The sitting position is really an inside thought.

EuR In the beginning of the prayer they refer to the power of God in creation, and then they bear witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and then they are filled with power and the Holy Spirit, so that we have each divine Person bearing on this question of power here.

JT Quite so. It is very remarkable they should bring in the power of God in creation here. The prayer ought to be examined from the standpoint of the circumstances. How priestly it is, and how intelligent they are in what they say!

Ques And is it important to notice that they speak of the Lord Jesus as “thy holy servant”, and then they go on to pray for “thy bondmen”, and speak of the power of God that moved even Pontius Pilate to do what He had ordained to come to pass? Do you think this prayer was that He should use the bondmen to bring His thoughts to pass in blessing?

JT You have in mind that the sitting attitude is not here now? It is the service and the bondmen — that is the attitude. It is a militant position, but militant to carry on the service, not that we want to fight with anybody, but stand for these things and carry on our service at the same time. And the answer is, “With great power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus”. That was the great power.

HES Is your thought that first this power would mark all and dignify what was of God, and then this part of the Scripture would maintain ^[p. 386] it?

JT Exactly, and the service must go on. The enemy was endeavouring to hinder it: “They charged them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus”. Think of that! What defiance that was to heaven, and the apostles felt it and laid the matter before God with this result, that the service is to go on. Let us ever bear in mind that the service is to go on; conflict will attend it, but conflict is only that it should go on.

SJBC The apostles had great power, but they were morally supported by the multitude; there were right conditions in the assembly.

JT Quite so. Then the incoming of others is another thing to notice here — men with means. “For as many as were owners of lands or houses, selling them, brought the price of what was sold and laid it at the feet of the apostles; and distribution was made to each according as any one might have need. And Joseph, who had been surnamed Barnabas by the apostles ...” That is the consolation that accompanies such support from God. The word ‘consolation’ is very beautiful in service. There is very little for those who serve really; it is constant conflict and constant activity and anxiety, but the word ‘consolation’ is very touching.

HMS In this first prayer of the church we have a very remarkable sense of calmness and confidence in God. They do not ask for protection or vengeance upon their enemies, but only that the word of God might be spoken with boldness. Are they not restful in spirit in what they say here: “Whatever thy hand and thy counsel had determined before should come to pass”? There is a spirit of restfulness in the sense that it will be so.

JT The knowledge of God and His counsels, and not only His counsels in a positive way but what He allows to happen. We may profitably compare the first prayer recorded after the Spirit came with Solomon’s prayer. God says, as it were, ‘I have heard it’ — very comforting. He showed, too, in Solomon’s case that He had heard it, and here the shaking is very significant of divine power for His own. It is for those who know and love God; it is understood to be in our favour. Then the fire in chapter 2 causes no fear, but it is welcomed; it is a great provision and love values it; it is to preserve from corruption.

Ques Is the speaking in verse 31 more general, or is it limited to the apostles? “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness”.

JT It is more general, I should think, but the apostles are mentioned later: “With great power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all”. It was a hallowed scene marked by the anointing.

CSS Have you anything to say about the place where they were assembled being shaken?

JT I do not think the place is of much account now. The upper room had a certain significance as elevated morally above current religion, and the house had a significance as we have been seeing, suggestive of the place of relationship and love, but the word ‘place’ has little or no consequence, save that they were there: “the place in which they were assembled”. So that we have to link it on with our meeting rooms. A good deal of exercise is current about meeting rooms, and God’s eye is upon them. I am sure the places where the saints meet are of interest to heaven. It speaks in Acts 16:13 of a place “where prayer was wont to be made”, which is not without importance.

CSS Do you think it is in line with the militant action of their movements after their sitting and ^[p. 388] restfulness?

JT Yes, the place is shaken. God is taking account of it; it is God’s, and they are of value in that sense. “The place in which they were assembled”; it is not simply that they are there, but they are assembled.

EuR Do you mean the important thing is the assembly in function, as in 1 Corinthians 14, the whole assembly in one place?

JT I think honour is paid to the word ‘assembly’. Matthew 16 contemplates the militant phase of the assembly, and I think we get it here, prayer accompanying it.

Ques Should we expect this power to act now in the stretching forth of the Lord’s hand to heal, and then in connection with the name?

JT Of course, the healing was a sign gift; it was a gift to call attention to the greater thing, that is the gospel. We do not need the gift of healing today, but we do need the power, as was alluded to by the apostle when he said, “That the excellency of the power may be of God” (2 Corinthians 4:7). The power of God in the preaching is what we need.

HMS What had you to say as to chapter 16?

JT It was only to say a word about what the powers of evil might do, what they are doing, alas! in some parts of the world today. It is stated here that “at midnight Paul and Silas, in praying, were praising God with singing, and the prisoners listened to them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison shook, and all the doors were immediately opened, and the bonds of all loosed. And the jailor being awakened out of his sleep, and seeing the doors of the prison opened, having drawn a sword was going to kill himself, thinking the prisoners had fled. But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here. And having asked for lights, he rushed in, and, trembling, fell down before Paul and ^[p. 389] Silas. And leading them out said, Sirs, what must I do that I may be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. And they spoke to him the word of the Lord, with all that were in his house”. I thought a word on this would help us as to what the powers that be might do. We may expect them to be adverse, taking everything into account. We are drawing near to the end and the antichristian spirit is prevalent, and we ought to be on the alert as to these matters. In this country, of course, we are greatly favoured, but a change might come about, so that God would call upon us to take notice of these things and pray. It says, “at midnight Paul and Silas, in praying, were praising God with singing”. That is the thing to keep in mind. God will protect them and will release those who are thus engaged. But it is important to take account of the actual situation as it is, and speak to God accordingly.

CAC You would rather look that things might become more straitened publicly?

JT I rather do. There are such conditions on the Continent — not certainly in the English-speaking world yet — but we know from history that changes may happen. God permits things: “Whatever thy hand and thy counsel had determined before should come to pass”, as said in chapter 4:28, and I believe God would expect us to pray intelligently about these matters.

SJBC I think that is a very needed word.

JT We were speaking recently about Abraham in Genesis. God said to the king, that is, the power that then was, that “he is a prophet, and will pray for thee”, and Abraham did pray for him, and God answered his prayer. Abraham was held in the position of testimony in that connection, and he was preserved. “Do my prophets no harm”, God said (Psalm ^[p. 390] 105:15).

JHB Does the shaking have a different purpose in chapter 16 from that in chapter 4?

JT It is a notification to the world. It is not the place where they were assembled, or even the place where they were incarcerated; it is the prison and the jailor that are in mind. It is the world that is in mind, that God can shake it, that God can act to prevent it interfering with the testimony. I was going to say that Genesis, from the time of Abraham s call, is typical of the world as in reconciliation — as it is today. God’s attitude towards it is favourable. Abraham would understand that all the nations were to be blessed through him, and would consequently speak to Abimelech, or any other person, in that light, and therefore, he would think, not adversely, but favourably; he would think in grace in regard of them, and that is our attitude. The gospel period is going on, and it is our business to be with God about it and pray for these according to 1 Timothy 2.

SJBC Would you say a word on singing praises? Is there the perpetuation of the ministry of song in the gospel? It says that “the prisoners listened” not only heard but listened. They seem to have understood the words as well as hearing the sound. Is there that ministry of song still in the gospel?

JT Quite so. What God gets in the service, even in the militant attitude. God has always got His portion. What a scene it was! The prison was really turned into a temple of praise, but still it is spoken of as the jail — the jailor and the prisoners. And so they are released and the service goes on. It is a very remarkable scene.

Ques Would you say that where there is faithfulness the Lord is bound to respond and act? I was thinking of Philadelphia, “I have set before thee an opened door, which no one can shut” (Revelation 3:8). While it has not got perhaps a specific reference to the gospel it would include ^[p. 391] it.

JT I think it does; it had been closed, but He will keep it open, and on these lines. There is something to open it for: “Because thou hast a little power”.

Rem I was thinking of the answer to the prayers of Paul and Silas, and how it would encourage us to be faithful in view of others.

JT Quite.

HMS In this chapter the power of the Spirit is not mentioned as it is in the others we have read.

JT It brings out the quality of the servants. They were such servants that in these circumstances they could turn to prayer and praise. The whole scene is to bring out the quality of these servants. What men they were! It is the background of Philippians, of course; the result is in keeping with all this.

FSM Could the three thoughts be put in this way? In chapter 2 the Spirit gives them power to speak, “as the Spirit gave them utterance”; then in chapter 4, it seems to be power to witness, and in chapter 16 it is power over the enemy and the activities of the enemy so that the gospel should continue and the testimony be preserved.

JT I think that is right.