410: Roger Lewis – Gone to Arabia

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Welcome to good Christophian
talks.

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Thank you for joining us this
week.

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On this podcast, we select one
talk a week to help us get the

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Bible in our Daily News feed
each week.

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We post a talk that we previewed
from suggestions sent in by

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listeners from around the world.
Then we record a short intro

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beforehand as a personalized
recommendation to you on why we

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are sharing the talk.
And now let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
Hello, this is Brother Adam.

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This week we’ll be listening to
Gone to Arabia by Brother Rodger

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Lewis, given at the 2008 College
of the Prophets.

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What makes this class unique is
that we as the audience go on a

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detective hunt to uncover a
particular journey that Paul

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goes on.
If you’re like me, I was

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completely unaware of Paul going
to Arabia, yet after listening

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to this class, I’m confident in
this journey where it takes

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place in Paul’s life and that I
too must go to Arabia.

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You may find yourselves with a
sign on your door that says Gone

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to Arabia after listening to
Brother Roger.

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He helps us to see the
importance of taking time and

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meditation in God’s Word to make
the commitment to understand our

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Creator each day that we must
prioritize our appointments with

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God in our weekly schedule.
To help set the scene for this

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talk, Paul was converted and saw
the truth for the first time in

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Acts Chapter 9.
He is on fire for the truth and

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before he goes out preaching, he
takes a visit to Arabia.

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He dedicates one-on-one time
with God in solitude before

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going out to preach the name of
Christ.

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Brother Rodger does a great job
with using the Scriptures for

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good Bible reading.
He walks us through the details

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of Paul’s trip to Arabia and
presents the application to us

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to understand why Paul went to
Arabia and why we too must go

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there.
Please give your kind attention

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and have your Bible in hand as
we listen to Brother Rodger

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Lewis’s class entitled Gone to
Arabia.

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I’m just going to give some
introductory thoughts to set the

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scene for this next week, and
I’m going to talk to you about

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something which I think is
really helpful for purposes of

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where we all are in our
development and the truth.

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I want to talk to you tonight
about Paul’s visit to Arabia,

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and that’s an X Chapter 9.
So if you’d like to turn to X

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Chapter 9, you’re just going to
take up the story there.

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So remember all the lessons
you’ve been learning this week.

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You need to be ready to notice
Bible illusions, to read the

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Bible carefully.
I learned exactly that lesson

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from Uncle John many years ago,
that good Bible study is based

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on good Bible reading.
And I’ve been spreading that

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message around the world as well
because I learnt that well from

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Uncle John a number of years
ago.

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And we’re going to find that
again tonight and and and

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tonight is really just one
little snapshot of an idea.

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But I think it’s so appropriate
to the College of the prophets.

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Now you notice what it says in
Acts Chapter 9 verse 18.

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It says and immediately there
fell from his eyes.

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This is at the time of the
baptism of of Paul.

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Immediately there fell from his
eyes as it had been scales, and

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he received sight forth with
Anna Rose and was baptized.

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Now, there’s something
interesting, by the way, I think

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about that moment of time in
Paul’s life.

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You see, what it’s saying is
that at the time of a person’s

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conversion, it’s as if scales
come off the eyes.

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Now, some of you in this room
are baptized and some aren’t.

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I don’t need to know which of
which, by the way.

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In fact, it’s better that I
don’t for purposes of tonight.

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But what I can say is this, that
something happens in our lives

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where all of a sudden we’ve
known the truth, we’ve come

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along to the truth, we’ve heard
studies, we’ve taken notes,

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we’ve heard the truth, but we’ve
never seen it.

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And it was Job that would say,
was it not?

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I’ve heard of thee by the
hearing of the ear, but now mine

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eye seeth thee.
And what Paul was going to

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experience in Acts Chapter 9 was
that he saw the truth for the

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first time, as it were, in his
life, like he’d never seen it

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before.
That’s going to happen to each

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one of us.
The moment comes when we see the

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truth for what it really is.
And this was going to be the

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moment of Saul’s conversion, a
dramatic conversion that was

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going to have so wide a set of
repercussions in the ecclesial

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world of the time when this man
was converted to the truth.

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And so the record says the
erosion was baptized and this 19

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says, and when he received meat,
he was strengthened.

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And then was Saul certain days
with the disciples which were at

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Damascus, and straightway he
preached Christ in the

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synagogues that he is the Son of
God.

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Riggle’s going to go on to talk
about his work in Damascus and

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again it’s going to tell us in
verse 26.

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And when Saul has come to
Jerusalem, he is saved to join

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himself to the disciples.
But they were all afraid of him

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and believe not that he was a
disciple.

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In fact, one of the lessons that
those of the Jerusalem ecclesia

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going to have to learn is that
the truth was strong enough to

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change anyone, even a soul, and
they were going to have to learn

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that.
Now, what’s interesting for our

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purposes tonight out of this
little section in Acts Chapter 9

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is that somewhere between verse
18 and verse 26, when Saul comes

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to Jerusalem, somewhere in
between those verses, Paul, I’m

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going to call him Paul.
Throughout tonight’s study, Paul

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made a visit somewhere else.
He made a visit somewhere else.

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And if you come to the book of
Galatians in chapter 1, we’re

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told, expressly told that he
made a visit to Arabia at about

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this very time in his life.
And I want to talk to you about

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that visit to Arabia tonight.
And by the way, if you take good

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enough notes tonight, what you
should be able to do is to get a

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little box at the bottom of Acts
Chapter 9 headed up Paul’s visit

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to Arabia.
And you should have a summary of

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the findings of tonight marked
as a little marking box at the

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bottom of that chapter in the
Acts of the Apostles.

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Now, do you see what it says in
Galatians chapter 1 and verse

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15?
It says maybe, maybe verse 13

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for connection.
So you’ve heard of my

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conversation in time past in the
Jews religion, How that beyond

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measure I persecuted the
ecclesia of God and wasted it

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and profited in the Jews
religion above many my equals in

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my own nation being more
exceedingly zealous of the

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traditions of my father’s.
In fact, what we’re being told

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by the way, about Saul is that
this man knew the Bible inside

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out and back to front and upside
down.

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He could recite it, recite it
blindfolded.

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In fact, even if he was a good
Jewish boy, and I’m quite sure

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that Paul was a very good Jewish
boy, he would be able to recite

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the Torah from memory and
probably a good chunk of the

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prophets as well.
This was a man that knew the

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Bible intimately.
But verse 15 says that when it

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pleased God, who separated me
from my mother’s womb and called

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me by His grace to reveal his
son and me, he was going to

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learn something quite different.
He was going to have to relearn

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his whole perspective on the
Scriptures that he already

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thought that he knew very well.
Now, what’s interesting is verse

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15 and Bible echoes.
Can anyone tell me where that

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comes from?
He separated me from my mother’s

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womb.
We’re not going to turn the

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passage up, but can anyone tell
me where it comes from?

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Because it’s a Bible echo.
Anybody know?

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It’s Sorry, where was that?
I had a a plethora of answers.

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Jeremiah, Jeremiah, Isaiah 49.
I’ll go for the American

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version.
That’s what I’m talking about.

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Isaiah chapter 49.
Now look, don’t turn it up

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because we’re going to come back
to it later on.

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But tell you what, you might
want to take a note of that

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because Isaiah 49 becomes the
key Old Testament passage that’s

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going to permeate the whole book
of Galatians.

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And there was a very good reason
for that, which we can’t come to

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by and by in our study tonight,
but we might look at later on in

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the course of the week.
Just tuck, tuck that away.

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Isaiah 49, He separated me from
my mother’s womb.

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Yes, verse one, Isaiah 49 verse
one.

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Now you see what it says, goes
on to say in Galatians one, it

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says, Well, when God decided to
do that, to reveal verse 16, His

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son in me, that I might preach
among the heathen, immediately I

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conferred not with flesh and
blood, neither went out to

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Jerusalem to them which were
apostles before me, but I went

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into Arabia and returned again
unto Damascus.

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Now do you notice that he went
to Arabia and then came back to

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Damascus?
Now hold your hand in Galatians.

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Don’t lose Galatians, but come
back to Acts chapter 8, Acts

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Chapter 9.
Because what we’ve got to try

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and decide now is when about in
the course of the story of Acts

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Chapter 9, that mysterious visit
to Arabia took place.

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What verse in Acts Chapter 9?
And by the way, you won’t know

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unless you have Acts 9 open to
find out what verse it might be.

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So Acts Chapter 9.
Let’s see what the possibilities

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might be.
So first of all, it says in

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verse 25 of X9, the disciples
took him by night and let him

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down by the wall in a basket.
And verse 26 says, and when Saul

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was come to Jerusalem, he has
saved to join himself to the

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disciples.
So I suppose it’s possible that

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in between verse 25 and verse
26, he may have gone to Arabia.

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He could have gone down to
Arabia before coming back to

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Jerusalem.
That’s a possibility, isn’t it

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in the text?
I don’t think it’s right, by the

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way, but it’s one of the
possibilities.

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And there’s another one a bit
earlier on, because do you

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notice what it says in verse 22?
It says Saul increased the more

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in strength and confounded the
Jews, which dwelt in Damascus,

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proving that this is very
Christ.

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And after many days were
fulfilled, the Jews took counsel

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to kill him.
And it’s a possibility, isn’t

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it, that in between verse 22 and
verse 23, you think he could

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have gone to Arabia then?
After all, it says many days had

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gone past, so perhaps that’s the
time for the mysterious visit to

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Arabia that Galatians chapter
one, verse 17 tells us.

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But there’s an earlier
possibility, and that’s this in

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verse 19.
I think this is the right one.

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And it says this.
When he received meat, he was

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strengthened, full stop.
Then was Saul’s certain days

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with the Damascus, with the
disciples that were at Damascus.

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Now you see that word then?
That word then in the Greek is

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the equivalent of the phrase it
came to pass.

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It’s used in a number of places
in the Acts of the Apostles.

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And what it suggests is that
there’s a moment of time here

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that’s elapsed and a new event
has now occurred.

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So there’s a gap halfway in the
middle of verse 19.

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He received meat.
He was strengthened, full stop.

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And then it came to pass that
Saul was certain days with the

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disciples that were at Damascus.
Now, I’m going to tell you

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tonight that I think that’s
exactly where Paul’s visit to

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Arabia takes place, right smack
in the middle of verse 19.

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Do you know how I know that?
Good Bible reading.

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How do I know that?
Because of something that

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Galatians said.
Now what was the keyword in

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Galatians that would bring us to
the conclusion that that’s the

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moment of time that Paul visited
Arabia?

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What keyword in Galatians?
Well, let’s read it again, verse

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16 of Galatians 2, when God
asked me to reveal his Son in

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me, that I might preach him
among the heathen.

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Immediately.
Now you see that immediately I

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conferred not with flesh and
blood, I went to Arabia.

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Now that keyword immediately.
The word youtheos tells us that

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this is the very first thing
that the apostle Paul did.

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And as soon as he was baptized,
he was off to Arabia first

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thing.
And by the way, what did Arabia

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symbolize?
Verse 16?

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I conferred not with flesh and
blood.

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In other words, Arabia
symbolized a period of solitude

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00:12:58,920 –> 00:13:01,880
and isolation.
He was going to go into

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00:13:01,920 –> 00:13:06,120
isolation and he did it straight
away, says Galatians chapter,

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00:13:06,200 –> 00:13:08,600
chapter 1.
It’s the first thing he did.

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00:13:08,600 –> 00:13:13,840
Galatians one, verse 17.
So Acts 9, he’s baptized, he

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00:13:13,840 –> 00:13:16,960
receives meat, he gets up and he
goes straight to Arabia, and

220
00:13:16,960 –> 00:13:19,800
then he comes back to Damascus
after that, which by the way, is

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00:13:19,800 –> 00:13:22,760
what Galatians says.
Do you notice that verse 17, I

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00:13:22,760 –> 00:13:28,920
went into Arabia and returned
again to Damascus?

223
00:13:29,200 –> 00:13:32,160
Well, that’s what Acts says.
He comes back to Damascus and he

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00:13:32,160 –> 00:13:37,040
spends time with the disciples.
Now here’s the really

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00:13:37,040 –> 00:13:46,720
interesting question.
Why was Paul going to Arabia?

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00:13:46,720 –> 00:13:53,120
Well, I’ll give you a clue.
There’s only one other place in

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00:13:53,120 –> 00:13:57,280
the whole of the New Testament
where that word Arabia is used,

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00:13:59,800 –> 00:14:02,040
and it’s in this very in this
very epistle.

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00:14:03,360 –> 00:14:05,560
It’s in Galatians chapter 4,
isn’t it?

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00:14:06,440 –> 00:14:09,800
Galatians 4, which is the only
other place where the word

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00:14:09,800 –> 00:14:14,400
Arabia is used in the entire New
Testament, says verse 24.

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00:14:14,600 –> 00:14:17,800
Galatians 4, which things are an
allegory?

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00:14:18,040 –> 00:14:20,920
For these are the two covenants,
the one from Mount Sinai which

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00:14:20,920 –> 00:14:23,000
gendereth to bondage, which is
Hagar.

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00:14:23,360 –> 00:14:27,680
For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in
Arabia.

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00:14:27,680 –> 00:14:31,120
It says, aha.
So he wasn’t just going to

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00:14:31,120 –> 00:14:34,840
Arabia, He was going to a
particular place in Arabia.

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00:14:35,040 –> 00:14:37,440
In fact, he was going to a
mountain in Arabia.

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00:14:37,440 –> 00:14:41,080
He was going to Mount Sinai.
I think that’s exactly where

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00:14:41,120 –> 00:14:43,440
where Paul was intending to
travel on this occasion.

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00:14:43,760 –> 00:14:47,080
And he’s going to Mount Sinai
expressly that he might have a

242
00:14:47,080 –> 00:14:51,360
time of revelation by Almighty
God to prepare him for the

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00:14:51,360 –> 00:14:54,560
greatness of the work that lay
ahead of him.

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00:14:55,400 –> 00:14:58,760
Now that’s interesting because
now come back to the first of

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00:14:58,760 –> 00:15:01,840
Kings chapter 19.
And of course, those of you that

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00:15:01,840 –> 00:15:04,560
know your Bibles well enough
will know that the moment we

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00:15:04,560 –> 00:15:08,440
turn up first of Kings 19, we’ve
come back for the life of why

248
00:15:08,600 –> 00:15:12,520
guess who?
Elijah the prophet.

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00:15:12,520 –> 00:15:16,880
And what does the record say
concerning Elijah?

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00:15:18,440 –> 00:15:20,640
Well, the record says this.
And I just want you to notice a

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00:15:20,640 –> 00:15:24,160
couple of critical words in this
particular chapter.

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00:15:24,400 –> 00:15:27,280
We’re going to be told that the
first five, he lay first of

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00:15:27,280 –> 00:15:29,360
Kings 19.
He lay and slept under a juniper

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00:15:29,360 –> 00:15:31,520
tree and an Angel touched him
and said, arise and eat.

255
00:15:31,520 –> 00:15:34,360
And he eats so that he might be
strengthened for the journey to

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00:15:34,360 –> 00:15:36,280
come to whore of the mount of
God.

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00:15:36,640 –> 00:15:40,960
This nine says this.
And he came to the unto a cave

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00:15:40,960 –> 00:15:43,960
and lodged there, and behold,
the word of Yahweh came to him.

259
00:15:43,960 –> 00:15:46,800
And he said unto him, What doest
thou here, Elijah?

260
00:15:46,920 –> 00:15:49,880
And he’s going to receive a
revelation from Almighty God.

261
00:15:51,080 –> 00:15:53,840
And that revelation to Elijah is
going to prepare him for the

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00:15:53,840 –> 00:15:57,960
ministry of Elijah yet to be
fulfilled in an age to come

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00:15:58,160 –> 00:16:02,040
concerning the second Exodus,
the work that Elijah has not yet

264
00:16:02,040 –> 00:16:05,080
accomplished.
And God was going to deal with

265
00:16:05,080 –> 00:16:09,400
him on Mount Sinai to prepare
him for that great work of

266
00:16:09,400 –> 00:16:12,680
exodus that he was going to
accomplish on behalf of the

267
00:16:12,680 –> 00:16:16,440
children of Israel.
But this nine says He came

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00:16:16,440 –> 00:16:21,160
thither unto a cave.
But that’s not what the Hebrew

269
00:16:21,160 –> 00:16:26,880
says.
The Hebrew says he came to The

270
00:16:27,040 –> 00:16:31,160
Cave.
Now that’s interesting.

271
00:16:31,680 –> 00:16:35,800
The Cave.
Now what cave would that be?

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00:16:36,080 –> 00:16:40,160
What thinkest there?
What cave do you think he came

273
00:16:40,160 –> 00:16:44,520
to?
Well, the answer is it’s a cave

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00:16:44,520 –> 00:16:46,120
that someone has already been
in.

275
00:16:46,920 –> 00:16:49,080
A cave that the records already
referred us to.

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00:16:49,280 –> 00:16:53,560
The Cave.
Moses was in a cave.

277
00:16:54,080 –> 00:16:57,400
Whereabouts Me recersen.
Give me biblical evidence.

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00:16:58,760 –> 00:16:59,920
By the way, you’re absolutely
right.

279
00:17:01,160 –> 00:17:04,960
Exodus 33.
So Exodus chapter 33 says and

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00:17:04,960 –> 00:17:07,640
just I just want you to notice a
couple of things that Exodus in

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00:17:07,640 –> 00:17:11,720
the Exodus record.
So now we’ve got Moses, Exodus

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00:17:11,720 –> 00:17:17,599
33, who of course speaks to the
Angel of the presence, the Angel

283
00:17:17,599 –> 00:17:19,960
of the presence that would
graciously deliver them.

284
00:17:20,359 –> 00:17:23,319
And he said, verse 21 of Exodus
33.

285
00:17:23,440 –> 00:17:26,000
And Yahweh said, Behold, there
is a place by me, and thou shalt

286
00:17:26,000 –> 00:17:29,520
stand upon a rock, and it shall
come to pass while my glory

287
00:17:29,520 –> 00:17:33,400
passeth by, that I will put thee
in a Cliff of the rock, and I

288
00:17:33,400 –> 00:17:36,160
will cover thee with my hand
while I pass by.

289
00:17:36,160 –> 00:17:39,040
And I’ll take away my hand.
And thou shalt see my back pass,

290
00:17:39,200 –> 00:17:44,520
but my face shall not be seen.
There’s The Cave that Moses

291
00:17:44,520 –> 00:17:49,080
retreated into when the divine
manifestation of Almighty God

292
00:17:49,080 –> 00:17:51,680
came before him in the form of
the Angel of the presence.

293
00:17:51,960 –> 00:17:55,080
And by the way, Moses is there
receiving a revelation from God

294
00:17:55,400 –> 00:18:00,680
which which lasted how long?
Exodus 34, verse 28.

295
00:18:01,280 –> 00:18:04,400
How long was he there in
communication with the deity?

296
00:18:04,880 –> 00:18:09,840
He was there with Yahweh 40 days
and 40 nights.

297
00:18:10,240 –> 00:18:13,360
Take a note of it. 40 days, 40
nights.

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00:18:13,560 –> 00:18:16,800
So he’s there in The Cave of the
rock receiving revelation.

299
00:18:16,800 –> 00:18:19,120
By the way, if I was to say to
you, what’s the greatest thing

300
00:18:19,240 –> 00:18:22,000
that Moses did?
What would you say?

301
00:18:22,680 –> 00:18:27,240
The greatest work that Moses
accomplished, what would it be?

302
00:18:27,240 –> 00:18:32,760
What would you say?
And the answer really should be,

303
00:18:32,760 –> 00:18:38,560
shouldn’t it, that he led the
children of Israel on an exodus

304
00:18:38,880 –> 00:18:43,840
out of the land of sin and
darkness into the Promised Land.

305
00:18:45,200 –> 00:18:50,720
He was the leader of the exodus.
And just as Elijah was going to

306
00:18:50,720 –> 00:18:53,640
be the leader of the second
Exodus, Moses was going to be

307
00:18:53,640 –> 00:18:57,880
the leader of the first exodus.
And he’s there in The Cave of

308
00:18:57,880 –> 00:19:00,280
the rock that he might be
encouraged by the revelation of

309
00:19:00,280 –> 00:19:05,200
God for 40 days and 40 nights to
prepare him for the great work

310
00:19:05,200 –> 00:19:07,680
that he was going to fulfil.
Now I want you to come back to

311
00:19:07,680 –> 00:19:10,520
the first of Kings 19, because
that’s obviously The Cave that

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00:19:10,640 –> 00:19:13,960
Elijah is in.
But this time I want you to get

313
00:19:13,960 –> 00:19:18,720
your left hand in first of Kings
chapter 19, and in your right

314
00:19:18,720 –> 00:19:21,720
hand come to Acts Chapter 9.
Again, back to the story of the

315
00:19:21,720 –> 00:19:23,800
apostle Paul.
And do you know that all of a

316
00:19:23,800 –> 00:19:28,000
sudden, when you read the record
carefully, you’ll suddenly find

317
00:19:28,000 –> 00:19:33,480
that what’s happening to the
apostle Paul is exactly what the

318
00:19:33,480 –> 00:19:36,360
story of Elijah is all about out
of the first of Kings 19.

319
00:19:36,640 –> 00:19:40,160
And the Spirit is bidding us
recognize that there is a

320
00:19:40,160 –> 00:19:44,080
parallel of circumstance going
on here in the life of the

321
00:19:44,080 –> 00:19:46,320
apostle to the life of the great
prophet.

322
00:19:46,720 –> 00:19:50,040
Now, I want you to notice
certain key things in the King’s

323
00:19:50,040 –> 00:19:51,640
record.
By the way, do you notice what

324
00:19:51,640 –> 00:19:56,200
it says verse 8, that he went on
the strength of that meet for 40

325
00:19:56,200 –> 00:19:59,440
days and 40 nights.
You’ve heard that phrase before.

326
00:19:59,520 –> 00:20:03,120
40 days.
And 40 nights, that’s associated

327
00:20:03,120 –> 00:20:05,880
with Moses’s time at the
mountain.

328
00:20:06,320 –> 00:20:10,240
Now we’ve got a 40 days and a 40
nights associated with Elijah’s

329
00:20:10,240 –> 00:20:13,120
travel to that same place of
destination.

330
00:20:13,480 –> 00:20:15,160
Now you’ve got your hand in
those two places.

331
00:20:16,760 –> 00:20:19,200
X9.
First of Kings 19.

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00:20:19,840 –> 00:20:22,320
Excellent.
Now let me show you the

333
00:20:22,320 –> 00:20:28,040
keywords.
First of Kings 19 Verse 7 the

334
00:20:28,040 –> 00:20:35,600
Angel touched him.
Verse 8 he arose.

335
00:20:37,120 –> 00:20:42,760
Verse 8 Again he went in the
strength of that meat. 4

336
00:20:42,760 –> 00:20:48,680
Keywords The Angel touched him,
he arose, he received meat, and

337
00:20:48,680 –> 00:20:50,480
he went in the strength of that
meat.

338
00:20:50,720 –> 00:20:53,360
Now look at Acts Chapter 9,
verse 17.

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00:20:53,960 –> 00:20:56,680
And Ananias went his way and
entered into the house, and he

340
00:20:56,680 –> 00:21:00,480
put his hands on him.
So the first thing that Ananias

341
00:21:00,480 –> 00:21:04,480
did was he touched him, he
touched Paul.

342
00:21:04,960 –> 00:21:08,320
And as a result of that verse 18
says at the end of the verse, he

343
00:21:08,320 –> 00:21:14,880
received sight and he arose.
And verse 19 goes on to say, and

344
00:21:14,880 –> 00:21:19,240
he received meat and was
strengthened.

345
00:21:19,320 –> 00:21:21,840
And now where do those words
come from, do you think?

346
00:21:22,040 –> 00:21:25,320
All out of the record of the
first of Kings chapter 19.

347
00:21:25,560 –> 00:21:29,640
He was touched, he arose, he
received meat, he was

348
00:21:29,640 –> 00:21:33,400
strengthened.
The apostle Paul is engaging in

349
00:21:33,400 –> 00:21:37,480
the identical spirit to that of
Elijah as he goes to where?

350
00:21:37,600 –> 00:21:42,080
To Arabia, to Mount Sinai.
I’ve got no doubts in my mind

351
00:21:42,080 –> 00:21:45,560
that the very place where the
apostle Paul went was the same

352
00:21:45,560 –> 00:21:50,920
cave to receive a revelation
from Almighty God to strengthen

353
00:21:50,920 –> 00:21:52,600
him for a work that was about to
be done.

354
00:21:52,640 –> 00:21:54,000
Oh, let me show you something
else interesting.

355
00:21:54,000 –> 00:21:56,480
Now that we’re back in the New
Testament, now come back to

356
00:21:56,480 –> 00:21:58,320
March.
What was that keyword in

357
00:21:58,320 –> 00:22:01,800
Galatians?
How soon did the apostle make

358
00:22:01,800 –> 00:22:05,480
this journey to Arabia?
Immediately.

359
00:22:05,560 –> 00:22:07,480
That’s the key.
What’s the keyword of Mark’s

360
00:22:07,480 –> 00:22:09,160
gospel?
It’s the same word, isn’t it?

361
00:22:09,160 –> 00:22:10,120
Euthyos.
Immediately.

362
00:22:10,120 –> 00:22:13,360
Here we look at Mark chapter 1
because he’s the same Spirit in

363
00:22:13,360 –> 00:22:16,200
the life of our Lord Jesus
Christ.

364
00:22:16,520 –> 00:22:19,720
And we’re told, aren’t we?
In Mark chapter one, verse 11,

365
00:22:20,000 –> 00:22:23,720
there came a voice from heaven
saying, Thou art my beloved Son,

366
00:22:23,800 –> 00:22:29,240
in whom I am well pleased.
And immediately the Spirit

367
00:22:29,520 –> 00:22:34,400
driveth him into the wilderness,
and he was there in the

368
00:22:34,400 –> 00:22:37,240
wilderness.
Matthew’s record says chapter 4,

369
00:22:37,240 –> 00:22:41,560
verse 2.
Why for 40 days and 40 nights?

370
00:22:41,720 –> 00:22:44,120
Where have you heard that phrase
from before?

371
00:22:44,600 –> 00:22:48,760
40 days and 40 nights, says
Matthew chapter 4 and verse 2.

372
00:22:49,080 –> 00:22:55,440
So the Lord Jesus Christ
experienced this same withdrawal

373
00:22:55,440 –> 00:22:59,240
into the wilderness at the
beginning of his particular

374
00:22:59,240 –> 00:23:01,480
ministry.
Now, I’m not sure that the Lord

375
00:23:01,480 –> 00:23:04,400
went down to Mount Sinai.
I don’t know that that’s the

376
00:23:04,400 –> 00:23:05,600
wilderness that the Lord went
to.

377
00:23:05,600 –> 00:23:08,520
What we do know, of course, is
that even if He didn’t go to

378
00:23:08,520 –> 00:23:12,280
Mount Sinai, later on He did go
to a mountain.

379
00:23:13,840 –> 00:23:16,920
And Luke 9 says that when He was
on that mountain, two men came

380
00:23:16,920 –> 00:23:21,200
and spoke with him.
Now who were the two men that

381
00:23:21,200 –> 00:23:25,480
spoke with him on the mountain?
Moses and Elijah.

382
00:23:25,480 –> 00:23:28,440
And only Luke tells us what they
were talking about.

383
00:23:28,440 –> 00:23:29,720
You know what they were talking
about.

384
00:23:30,880 –> 00:23:36,040
Only Luke says they were
discussing His exodus that he

385
00:23:36,040 –> 00:23:40,320
should accomplish in Jerusalem.
So what was the exodus that

386
00:23:40,320 –> 00:23:43,240
Jesus was going to accomplish?
He was going to accomplish the

387
00:23:43,240 –> 00:23:47,600
exodus from sin and death
itself, to lead captivity

388
00:23:47,600 –> 00:23:51,400
captive and to bring people out
into the promise of immortality

389
00:23:51,400 –> 00:23:53,320
itself.
Was Christ going to lead an

390
00:23:53,320 –> 00:23:54,640
exodus?
Yes.

391
00:23:54,840 –> 00:23:57,440
And on the Mount of
Transfiguration, says Luke 9,

392
00:23:57,640 –> 00:24:02,160
the 2 champions of the exodus,
Moses and Elijah, are on the

393
00:24:02,160 –> 00:24:05,760
mountain discussing that with
him to encourage the Lord to

394
00:24:05,760 –> 00:24:08,800
stand fast and to stand firm
with what he was about to do in

395
00:24:08,800 –> 00:24:11,520
Jerusalem.
Here’s the question, what do you

396
00:24:11,520 –> 00:24:18,400
think Paul was going to do?
He was going to lead an exodus

397
00:24:18,400 –> 00:24:21,920
out of the Gentiles, wasn’t he?
He was going to bring the

398
00:24:21,920 –> 00:24:25,920
Gentiles out of Pagan darkness
from serving Satan into the

399
00:24:25,920 –> 00:24:28,920
light of the truth, says says
Acts chapter 26.

400
00:24:29,040 –> 00:24:32,560
He was going to lead an exodus
out of the Gentile nations, and

401
00:24:32,560 –> 00:24:36,680
in order to prepare the apostle
for that work of exodus, he goes

402
00:24:36,680 –> 00:24:41,120
down, I believe, to Sinai in
Arabia for a period of seclusion

403
00:24:41,280 –> 00:24:45,000
and isolation and study, that he
might be prepared for that

404
00:24:45,000 –> 00:24:48,200
marvellous role that he was
about to perform on behalf of

405
00:24:48,200 –> 00:24:50,200
Almighty God.
What do you think Paul did when

406
00:24:50,200 –> 00:24:52,720
he got down to Mount Sinai?
We’re not told how long he was

407
00:24:52,720 –> 00:24:54,680
there for.
Would you like to have a guess?

408
00:24:57,720 –> 00:24:59,800
If you said 40 days and 40
nights, that would be a

409
00:24:59,800 –> 00:25:04,280
reasonable guess, wouldn’t it?
Before he went back to Damascus,

410
00:25:04,840 –> 00:25:06,720
I think it could have been
actually 40 days, not three

411
00:25:06,720 –> 00:25:11,760
years. 40 days and 40 nights
would be a reasonable guess.

412
00:25:11,840 –> 00:25:13,440
OK.
Are you thinking three years?

413
00:25:14,840 –> 00:25:19,160
Sorry.
Yeah, it does say that in the in

414
00:25:19,160 –> 00:25:21,920
the Galatians chapter 1.
But I think if you if you

415
00:25:21,920 –> 00:25:25,160
reflect on the record, it’s more
likely that he spent some time

416
00:25:25,160 –> 00:25:27,240
down there and then came back to
Damascus.

417
00:25:27,240 –> 00:25:30,440
And then after the three years
were up, he he makes a trip as

418
00:25:30,440 –> 00:25:33,320
Galatians chapter 1 says.
So it doesn’t matter.

419
00:25:33,320 –> 00:25:36,400
It’s not essential, but it was
certainly a period of time

420
00:25:36,600 –> 00:25:39,800
similar to the experience of
Moses and Elijah that he might.

421
00:25:39,800 –> 00:25:43,040
What do you think Paul did there
when he was down there day after

422
00:25:43,040 –> 00:25:45,400
day after day?
What was what do you think he

423
00:25:45,400 –> 00:25:48,680
was doing?
Tell me what you think he did

424
00:25:48,680 –> 00:25:49,280
every day.
Relearning.

425
00:25:50,360 –> 00:25:51,120
Yeah.
Relearning.

426
00:25:51,200 –> 00:25:53,080
Yes.
Relearning what?

427
00:25:56,880 –> 00:26:00,240
Yes.
Find the Gentiles, finding the

428
00:26:00,240 –> 00:26:02,200
Gentiles and the Lord prophets.
And before he would find the

429
00:26:02,200 –> 00:26:04,600
Gentiles and Lord prophets, what
else would he find?

430
00:26:04,600 –> 00:26:07,520
1st?
He had to find Messiah in the

431
00:26:07,520 –> 00:26:09,520
law and the prophets like he’d
never seen him before.

432
00:26:09,680 –> 00:26:11,520
The scales had to come off his
eyes.

433
00:26:11,520 –> 00:26:15,040
And I can imagine Paul down
there praying to God, thinking,

434
00:26:15,080 –> 00:26:17,080
studying.
Do you think he needed his

435
00:26:17,080 –> 00:26:19,240
books?
This man could recite scripture

436
00:26:19,240 –> 00:26:21,960
backwards.
He would run through scriptures

437
00:26:21,960 –> 00:26:24,600
and as he ran through them in
his mind, he’d think of course,

438
00:26:24,640 –> 00:26:28,480
of course, the red heifer, the
story of this, the story of that

439
00:26:28,480 –> 00:26:30,640
out of the law.
And all of a sudden Messiah

440
00:26:30,640 –> 00:26:33,920
would start to appear as if the
scales had come off his eyes,

441
00:26:34,520 –> 00:26:38,400
and he had to rethink, rethink.
And as he started to do that, he

442
00:26:38,400 –> 00:26:40,040
would knit the Scriptures
together.

443
00:26:40,160 –> 00:26:42,720
That would be absolutely
convincing to the apostle Paul

444
00:26:42,720 –> 00:26:46,200
that Messiah was indeed there
and that he was none other than

445
00:26:46,280 –> 00:26:49,920
Jesus of Nazareth.
By the way, an Angel came to

446
00:26:49,920 –> 00:26:53,680
Moses on Mount Sinai.
Which Angel was there?

447
00:26:53,720 –> 00:27:00,160
By the way, which Angel appeared
to Moses on Mount Sinai?

448
00:27:02,280 –> 00:27:04,320
Probably Michael, the Angel of
the Presence.

449
00:27:04,720 –> 00:27:06,080
Why?
Because it relates to matters

450
00:27:06,080 –> 00:27:08,920
concerning Israel.
Which Angel do you think

451
00:27:08,920 –> 00:27:13,240
manifested himself to Elijah in
the same cave?

452
00:27:13,240 –> 00:27:19,480
What do you think?
Probably Michael, because the

453
00:27:19,480 –> 00:27:22,360
substance of Elijah’s work and
ministry yet to come as a

454
00:27:22,360 –> 00:27:25,440
restoration.
Another exodus of Israel, and

455
00:27:25,440 –> 00:27:28,800
Michael has responsibility for
the affairs of Israel.

456
00:27:29,480 –> 00:27:31,000
Now here’s an interesting
question.

457
00:27:32,520 –> 00:27:35,440
What Angel do you think appeared
to the Lord in the wilderness?

458
00:27:36,320 –> 00:27:40,200
Be careful.
Now, which one?

459
00:27:40,200 –> 00:27:42,760
Gabriel.
Yes, I think more likely

460
00:27:42,760 –> 00:27:43,480
Gabriel.
Why?

461
00:27:43,480 –> 00:27:48,640
Because Gabriel has affairs
concerning the Messiah, and now

462
00:27:48,640 –> 00:27:51,560
the Lord in the wilderness is
being prepared by contact with

463
00:27:51,560 –> 00:27:55,680
an Angel instructed by Almighty
God to prepare his Son for the

464
00:27:55,680 –> 00:27:57,800
work of exodus yet to come.
Now that’s interesting.

465
00:27:57,800 –> 00:28:00,840
So we’ve got 2 archangels,
Michael and Gabriel, the one

466
00:28:00,840 –> 00:28:03,800
associated with Israel, the
other associated with the work

467
00:28:03,800 –> 00:28:05,760
of Messiah.
Do you remember the words of

468
00:28:05,760 –> 00:28:09,160
Acts chapter 8, the things
concerning the Kingdom of God?

469
00:28:09,320 –> 00:28:13,240
That’s the Angel Michael.
And the name of Jesus Christ,

470
00:28:13,320 –> 00:28:16,360
That’s the Angel Gabriel.
Which Angel do you think might

471
00:28:16,360 –> 00:28:20,320
have appeared to Paul when he he
was at Sinai in Arabia?

472
00:28:20,680 –> 00:28:24,320
If an Angel had appeared to him,
which I think did, by the way,

473
00:28:25,440 –> 00:28:28,560
which one?
What think is there?

474
00:28:31,520 –> 00:28:32,960
Either both or Jesus?
Either both or Jesus.

475
00:28:32,960 –> 00:28:38,800
That’s a sneaky answer.
Now, I’d be more definitive than

476
00:28:38,800 –> 00:28:43,280
that.
Here’s the clue before you

477
00:28:43,280 –> 00:29:03,160
answer, Toby, what was Paul
going to be and do so therefore,

478
00:29:03,920 –> 00:29:05,840
Gabriel, go to the top of the
class.

479
00:29:05,880 –> 00:29:10,160
We’re in fellowship.
By the way, if someone finds a

480
00:29:10,160 –> 00:29:12,360
verse that says it’s Michael,
I’ll gladly bow down.

481
00:29:12,360 –> 00:29:14,680
But it seems to me to be
appropriate that it may have

482
00:29:14,680 –> 00:29:18,480
been the Angel Gabriel if there
was a manifestation to the

483
00:29:18,480 –> 00:29:21,760
apostle Paul at that time,
because he was going to be

484
00:29:21,760 –> 00:29:24,400
Christ to the Gentiles and he
needed to be strengthened for

485
00:29:24,400 –> 00:29:27,320
that particular work that he was
going to undertake.

486
00:29:27,560 –> 00:29:28,920
So what’s interesting about
this?

487
00:29:28,920 –> 00:29:30,880
Now come back to Acts Chapter 9.
Let me show you something

488
00:29:30,880 –> 00:29:35,160
interesting because Acts Chapter
9 says this.

489
00:29:42,240 –> 00:29:46,120
So let’s read again from verse
18, and we’ll just insert our

490
00:29:46,120 –> 00:29:50,520
little visit to Arabia on the
way through X9, verse 18.

491
00:29:50,520 –> 00:29:53,440
Immediately there fell from his
eyes as it had been scales, and

492
00:29:53,440 –> 00:29:56,040
he received sight forthwith and
arose and was baptized.

493
00:29:56,040 –> 00:30:01,000
And when he received meat, he
was strengthened full stop and

494
00:30:01,000 –> 00:30:05,880
immediately he went to Sinai in
Arabia to receive the revelation

495
00:30:06,000 –> 00:30:09,680
that would be granted unto him.
And when he comes back Verse 19

496
00:30:09,680 –> 00:30:13,920
goes on to say, and then was
sold certain days with the with

497
00:30:13,920 –> 00:30:16,800
the disciples which were at
Damascus and straightway he

498
00:30:16,800 –> 00:30:19,480
preached Christ in the synagogue
that he’s the son of God.

499
00:30:19,680 –> 00:30:21,280
But all that heard him were
amazed.

500
00:30:21,440 –> 00:30:23,800
And so it is not the sea that
destroyed them which pulled on

501
00:30:23,800 –> 00:30:26,840
this name in Jerusalem and came
hit her for that intent that he

502
00:30:26,840 –> 00:30:28,680
might bring them bound unto the
chief priest.

503
00:30:28,680 –> 00:30:30,040
Can you just imagine what must
have happened?

504
00:30:30,240 –> 00:30:35,160
What happens is of this, Saul
arrives into Damascus, breathing

505
00:30:35,160 –> 00:30:37,920
threatenings and slaughter.
He’s struck on the way by the

506
00:30:37,920 –> 00:30:40,680
bright light of the of the
vision of our Lord Jesus Christ.

507
00:30:40,880 –> 00:30:44,320
They bring him in by the hand.
He’s lying on a bed for three

508
00:30:44,320 –> 00:30:46,720
days.
Ananias comes in and touches

509
00:30:46,720 –> 00:30:48,520
him.
He looks up into the face of the

510
00:30:48,520 –> 00:30:50,520
grace of God.
He’s baptized, he’s given meat

511
00:30:50,520 –> 00:30:52,320
and good.
He’s gone, disappeared.

512
00:30:52,320 –> 00:30:53,440
Where’d he go?
Gone.

513
00:30:54,400 –> 00:30:57,800
And all of a sudden, some period
of time later, he’s back in

514
00:30:57,800 –> 00:31:00,800
Damascus.
And the next day the synagogue

515
00:31:00,800 –> 00:31:05,120
knew all about the fact that
Saul was back big time because

516
00:31:05,320 –> 00:31:11,240
he was preaching what verse 20
that Jesus Christ is the Son of

517
00:31:11,240 –> 00:31:14,520
God.
And they were amazed that heard

518
00:31:14,520 –> 00:31:16,400
him.
Now see what verse 22 says.

519
00:31:16,640 –> 00:31:20,480
Saul increased the mourn
strength and confounded the Jews

520
00:31:20,480 –> 00:31:25,040
which dwelt at Damascus, proving
that this is very Christ.

521
00:31:25,320 –> 00:31:29,040
Now you see that word proving in
Acts 9 verse 22.

522
00:31:29,280 –> 00:31:32,640
That’s the word in Colossians
chapter 2 and verse 2 which

523
00:31:32,640 –> 00:31:35,040
says, let me just read that to
you.

524
00:31:36,080 –> 00:31:43,600
It’s in Colossians chapter 2 and
verse 2, and it says that their

525
00:31:43,600 –> 00:31:51,040
hearts might be comforted being
knit together in love, being

526
00:31:51,040 –> 00:31:54,560
knit together in love.
Colossians 2 verse 2.

527
00:31:54,760 –> 00:31:58,520
And it’s the same word in
Ephesians 4 verse 16 when it

528
00:31:58,520 –> 00:32:03,200
talks about the body of Christ
and the members being compacted

529
00:32:03,200 –> 00:32:05,960
together by that which every
joint supplies.

530
00:32:06,440 –> 00:32:09,600
So you see what we’ve been told
in Acts Chapter 9 verse 22.

531
00:32:09,600 –> 00:32:12,960
Paul, Saul increased the more in
strength and and confounded the

532
00:32:12,960 –> 00:32:15,600
Jews, proving that this is very
Christ.

533
00:32:15,880 –> 00:32:19,080
He was able to knit something
together.

534
00:32:19,080 –> 00:32:22,560
What was he knitting together?
He was knitting scriptures

535
00:32:22,560 –> 00:32:26,120
together in such a powerful way
that the Jews couldn’t.

536
00:32:26,120 –> 00:32:28,560
He went into the synagogue and
trounced them.

537
00:32:29,400 –> 00:32:32,960
He absolutely trounced them.
They just didn’t know how to

538
00:32:32,960 –> 00:32:36,440
handle this chap.
He had every answer available,

539
00:32:37,040 –> 00:32:38,520
every scripture they could show
them.

540
00:32:38,520 –> 00:32:42,400
He knew the answer to turn that
to the Spirit of Christ in the

541
00:32:42,400 –> 00:32:45,200
Old Testament and he could knit
that together like they’ve never

542
00:32:45,200 –> 00:32:46,960
heard before.
Now do you know, I think so

543
00:32:46,960 –> 00:32:49,920
wonderful about verse 22.
Two things, two things that are

544
00:32:49,920 –> 00:32:51,600
wonderful.
Do you remember we said there’s

545
00:32:51,600 –> 00:32:53,920
an allusion to Isaiah.
What was it?

546
00:32:53,920 –> 00:32:57,200
Isaiah in Galatians Isaiah.
Now come and have a look at

547
00:32:57,200 –> 00:33:00,720
Isaiah chapter 49 and see why
it’s such an appropriate

548
00:33:00,720 –> 00:33:03,840
illusion.
In the in the Galatians story,

549
00:33:04,720 –> 00:33:08,800
you see Paul was called
separated from his mother’s womb

550
00:33:08,800 –> 00:33:11,440
says Galatians.
And as soon as God called him

551
00:33:11,440 –> 00:33:14,560
from his mother’s womb, as it
were to reveal Christ, he goes

552
00:33:14,560 –> 00:33:17,080
straight to sign up.
That’s what Galatians chapter 1

553
00:33:17,080 –> 00:33:19,080
says.
Now look at the force of this in

554
00:33:19,080 –> 00:33:24,160
Isaiah chapter 49 verse one
says, Listen, O iles unto me,

555
00:33:24,160 –> 00:33:28,920
and how can ye people from far
Yahweh have pulled me from the

556
00:33:28,920 –> 00:33:32,040
womb, from the bowels of my
mother?

557
00:33:32,160 –> 00:33:35,280
Hath He made mention of my name?
There’s the illusion, by the

558
00:33:35,280 –> 00:33:38,760
way, in Galatians chapter 1, He
separated me from my mother’s

559
00:33:38,760 –> 00:33:41,080
womb.
Now look at the next verse in

560
00:33:41,080 –> 00:33:48,480
Isaiah 49.
And he hath made my mouth like a

561
00:33:48,480 –> 00:33:54,400
sharp sword.
In the shadow of his hand hath

562
00:33:54,400 –> 00:33:59,360
he hid me, and made me a
polished shaft.

563
00:34:00,200 –> 00:34:06,360
In his quiver hath he hid me.
Do you know where Paul was

564
00:34:07,200 –> 00:34:11,120
really was when he got to The
Cave in Sinai?

565
00:34:13,760 –> 00:34:17,800
He was hidden in the shadow of
Yahweh’s hand, wasn’t he down

566
00:34:17,800 –> 00:34:20,920
there in The Cave?
Almighty God sharpened him to be

567
00:34:20,920 –> 00:34:26,000
a sword for the truth and
polished him to be an error as

568
00:34:26,000 –> 00:34:29,560
far as the, the, the, the, the
battle against sin and the

569
00:34:29,560 –> 00:34:31,280
battle for the truth was
concerned.

570
00:34:31,480 –> 00:34:34,840
And in the solitude of that
place, the apostle would be hid

571
00:34:34,840 –> 00:34:38,239
in the shadow of God’s hand that
he might be polished and

572
00:34:38,239 –> 00:34:41,639
sharpened and prepared.
And the proof of that, is it not

573
00:34:41,719 –> 00:34:44,360
the proof of that as Acts
Chapter 9, that as soon as he

574
00:34:44,360 –> 00:34:48,520
turns up a Damascus, he he
launches into the synagogue, And

575
00:34:48,520 –> 00:34:51,600
boy did they feel the cutting
edge of that sword.

576
00:34:51,800 –> 00:34:56,320
He was proned to sharps by his
experience down at Sinai.

577
00:34:56,560 –> 00:34:59,880
And So what that proves to me,
Acts Chapter 9 verse 22 saw them

578
00:34:59,880 –> 00:35:03,200
crease the more in strength, and
confounded the Jews which dwelt

579
00:35:03,200 –> 00:35:06,880
the Damascus knitting together,
that this is very Christ.

580
00:35:06,960 –> 00:35:16,920
What that proves is that his
time at Sinai had borne fruit,

581
00:35:17,080 –> 00:35:21,400
doesn’t it?
It proves that it’s time in

582
00:35:21,400 –> 00:35:27,520
seclusion had borne fruit.
When he comes back, he’s a

583
00:35:27,520 –> 00:35:32,200
transformed man, ready to lead
an exodus out of the Gentile

584
00:35:32,200 –> 00:35:37,720
nations into the hope of Israel.
And the man of God that’s been

585
00:35:37,720 –> 00:35:41,360
selected is prepared just as
Moses and Elijah and the Lord

586
00:35:41,360 –> 00:35:49,840
Jesus Christ have been prepared.
So you with me so far right now.

587
00:35:49,840 –> 00:35:58,960
Here’s the lesson.
You know, we get baptized and we

588
00:35:58,960 –> 00:36:02,720
say to ourselves, well, I’m in
the truth now.

589
00:36:04,360 –> 00:36:06,480
I hope I can be useful in the
truth one day.

590
00:36:07,600 –> 00:36:09,040
Hope God can do something with
me.

591
00:36:10,440 –> 00:36:12,560
I hope it’s something I can do.
Useful for the truth?

592
00:36:16,160 –> 00:36:18,200
Well, if that’s all you do, you
won’t be useful.

593
00:36:20,800 –> 00:36:23,840
I think that the powerful lesson
to me out of all this is that

594
00:36:23,840 –> 00:36:30,680
these men were the great men of
God, and before they launched on

595
00:36:30,680 –> 00:36:35,760
the great work that God had in
store for them, they had to

596
00:36:35,760 –> 00:36:40,000
engage in a time of preparation
for that labour.

597
00:36:40,240 –> 00:36:44,280
Even the Lord went into the
wilderness for 40 days, for 40

598
00:36:44,280 –> 00:36:48,920
nights before that labour began
of leading an exodus out of sin

599
00:36:48,920 –> 00:36:52,160
and death.
Now, if these men had to do

600
00:36:52,160 –> 00:36:54,040
that, what do you think we need
to do?

601
00:36:57,240 –> 00:36:59,880
We’re not going to accomplish
anything on behalf of Almighty

602
00:36:59,880 –> 00:37:03,040
God unless we’re prepared.
And the lesson of the story,

603
00:37:03,040 –> 00:37:06,640
young men, is there’s only one
place we can prepare, and that’s

604
00:37:06,640 –> 00:37:09,520
in Sinai.
We’ve got to get to Arabia.

605
00:37:09,840 –> 00:37:11,600
We’ve got to get into the
wilderness.

606
00:37:11,720 –> 00:37:15,480
We’ve got to get into solitude.
We’ve got to get down into The

607
00:37:15,480 –> 00:37:19,920
Cave, and we’ve got to spend
some time there.

608
00:37:21,600 –> 00:37:23,880
Otherwise we won’t be ready for
any work of God.

609
00:37:26,000 –> 00:37:28,480
Now, this is the lesson.
It’s going to require commitment

610
00:37:28,480 –> 00:37:31,520
and I’ll tell you why.
Because we’ve got an instant age

611
00:37:31,520 –> 00:37:33,560
of iPods where we can plug in
anything we like.

612
00:37:33,560 –> 00:37:35,480
We can go onto the Internet and
learn anything we like.

613
00:37:35,640 –> 00:37:38,040
But you can never know God like
that.

614
00:37:38,040 –> 00:37:41,440
There are no instant answers
with God.

615
00:37:41,800 –> 00:37:46,400
It takes time and it takes
meditation before the voice of

616
00:37:46,400 –> 00:37:48,560
God is heard speaking.
So let me tell you what

617
00:37:48,560 –> 00:37:51,520
happened.
John Martin came to New Zealand

618
00:37:51,680 –> 00:37:54,280
in 1966.
I was too young for that.

619
00:37:55,240 –> 00:37:58,160
But he came again later on, and
that’s when I heard him on.

620
00:37:58,160 –> 00:38:03,080
Elijah and I went home and I was
17 and I made the decision that

621
00:38:03,080 –> 00:38:06,000
I needed to get into Sinai.
I didn’t think of those words at

622
00:38:06,000 –> 00:38:07,800
that time, but in effect, that’s
what I needed to do.

623
00:38:07,800 –> 00:38:11,200
I knew that I had to get my head
into the words seriously.

624
00:38:11,360 –> 00:38:15,080
So I went home and on Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,

625
00:38:15,080 –> 00:38:19,760
Friday nights at age 17, I did 2
hours study each night, Monday

626
00:38:19,760 –> 00:38:22,680
to Friday.
I did 8 hours on Saturday and I

627
00:38:22,680 –> 00:38:25,200
did 8 hours on Sunday.
Bible study.

628
00:38:25,280 –> 00:38:28,160
Serious Bible study.
And you know what?

629
00:38:29,760 –> 00:38:34,760
I’m really sorry I didn’t do
more because there’s still 1000

630
00:38:34,760 –> 00:38:37,120
things that I want to know out
of the Bible and I haven’t had

631
00:38:37,120 –> 00:38:39,920
time to get to them all yet.
And now I don’t have the time

632
00:38:39,920 –> 00:38:42,640
that I had when I was 17.
When you’re 17, you think you

633
00:38:42,640 –> 00:38:45,080
haven’t got any time.
You’ve got oodles of time,

634
00:38:45,240 –> 00:38:50,560
believe me.
And I’ve got lots of things I

635
00:38:50,560 –> 00:38:56,480
want to study.
I wish I’d done more, but I’m

636
00:38:56,480 –> 00:39:01,040
glad I’ve done what I have done.
So what you’ve got to do is

637
00:39:01,040 –> 00:39:03,680
this, when you go, when you go
back from the, from the College

638
00:39:03,680 –> 00:39:06,080
of the Prophets back home,
you’ve got to think about this

639
00:39:06,080 –> 00:39:09,480
and you’ve got to say, am I
prepared to make that commitment

640
00:39:09,680 –> 00:39:11,560
of actually withdrawing into
sign?

641
00:39:11,560 –> 00:39:13,400
What you’ve got to do is you’ve
got to go home, you’ve got to go

642
00:39:13,400 –> 00:39:16,160
to your bedroom, you’ve got to
make up a sign and the sign says

643
00:39:16,160 –> 00:39:17,960
you’ve got to put it on the door
outside.

644
00:39:18,280 –> 00:39:23,360
Gone to Arabia back in 40 days
and a little bit at the bottom.

645
00:39:23,360 –> 00:39:28,880
PS Mum still called me for tea.
And you’ve got to retreat into

646
00:39:28,880 –> 00:39:32,720
that room and shut the door.
And when you shut the door,

647
00:39:32,720 –> 00:39:36,120
which by the way is really
retreating into The Cave, isn’t

648
00:39:36,120 –> 00:39:37,800
it?
When you do that, you’ve got to

649
00:39:37,800 –> 00:39:41,800
get your Bible out and your desk
prepared and you’ve got to focus

650
00:39:41,800 –> 00:39:46,240
yourself in prayer and then
spend some serious time in the

651
00:39:46,240 –> 00:39:50,400
Bible in solitude.
If you’re ever going to find

652
00:39:50,400 –> 00:39:53,280
God, it’s the only place where
you can do it.

653
00:39:55,400 –> 00:39:58,400
But what I can promise you is
this, and Brother John knows

654
00:39:58,400 –> 00:40:06,720
this more than I do.
There are moments when you’re

655
00:40:06,720 –> 00:40:14,840
alone in your room and all of a
sudden scriptures flow together

656
00:40:17,160 –> 00:40:20,200
and you feel as if the face of
God has just passed by you.

657
00:40:23,640 –> 00:40:26,480
And you felt that you heard the
whisper of ail should I speaking

658
00:40:26,480 –> 00:40:32,440
in your ears as if the Angel of
the Presence was right there.

659
00:40:34,600 –> 00:40:37,000
Because all of a sudden
something in the Bible came to

660
00:40:37,000 –> 00:40:39,440
life, as if scales had come off
your eyes.

661
00:40:41,920 –> 00:40:45,520
And you fall on your knees and
you thank God that you’ve

662
00:40:45,520 –> 00:40:47,120
discovered that marvellous
truth.

663
00:40:48,600 –> 00:40:53,920
And I’m telling you now, you’ll
only find them in Sinai in the

664
00:40:53,920 –> 00:40:59,200
quiet and the solitude of that
place where we where we retreat

665
00:40:59,200 –> 00:41:03,440
for Bible study.
Now, these men had a destiny

666
00:41:03,440 –> 00:41:05,880
with God to do that.
And we’ve got to do the same

667
00:41:05,880 –> 00:41:08,640
thing.
And we’ve got to make time to do

668
00:41:08,640 –> 00:41:10,840
it.
We’ve got to make time on our

669
00:41:10,840 –> 00:41:13,720
calendars that says, well,
that’s the time that I have as

670
00:41:13,720 –> 00:41:16,840
an appointment with God.
And it doesn’t matter when it

671
00:41:16,840 –> 00:41:19,920
is.
If you decide that Wednesday

672
00:41:19,920 –> 00:41:22,040
nights you’re going to do Bible
study and that Wednesday night

673
00:41:22,040 –> 00:41:24,880
Bible study starts at 8:00, then
it doesn’t matter if someone

674
00:41:24,880 –> 00:41:26,920
rings and says we’re going to
the beach, we’re going for a

675
00:41:26,920 –> 00:41:29,360
BBQ, we’re playing volleyball,
we’ve got a party.

676
00:41:29,600 –> 00:41:33,160
You look at your diary and say
I’m sorry, I can’t come.

677
00:41:35,280 –> 00:41:43,040
I’ve got an appointment with God
down in Sinai.

678
00:41:47,640 –> 00:41:51,480
About the blessing of that
appointment is that only in that

679
00:41:51,480 –> 00:41:54,400
place will you hear the voice of
God whispering to you the

680
00:41:54,400 –> 00:41:59,880
secrets of His truth.
This is what transformed these

681
00:41:59,880 –> 00:42:03,640
men.
As Brother John says, what we

682
00:42:03,640 –> 00:42:09,480
need is young men who can do
just that and go home and fire

683
00:42:09,480 –> 00:42:13,640
up themselves and their families
and their ecclesias with such

684
00:42:13,640 –> 00:42:17,240
passion and zeal for the truth
that it’s preserved into the

685
00:42:17,240 –> 00:42:19,640
next generation and the
generation beyond.

686
00:42:21,280 –> 00:42:23,720
And we’ll only do it if we’ve
got men prepared to travel to

687
00:42:23,720 –> 00:42:28,440
Sinai.
Now, wouldn’t that make a little

688
00:42:28,480 –> 00:42:32,600
good little box at the bottom of
Acts Chapter 9, Paul’s visit to

689
00:42:32,600 –> 00:42:36,080
Arabia?
I think that’s exactly the

690
00:42:36,080 –> 00:42:37,560
spirit of the College of the
province.

691
00:42:52,540 –> 00:42:54,620
Thank you for listening to the
good Chris Adelphian Talks

692
00:42:54,620 –> 00:42:57,220
podcast.
We hope this talk helped you in

693
00:42:57,220 –> 00:42:58,740
your walk and brightened your
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694
00:42:59,900 –> 00:43:01,980
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695
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00:43:11,080 –> 00:43:13,840
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699
00:43:13,840 –> 00:43:17,920
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700
00:43:18,200 –> 00:43:20,720
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00:43:22,000 –> 00:43:24,440
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706
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709
00:43:44,480 –> 00:43:47,360
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God bless and talk to you next

710
00:43:47,360 –> 00:43:47,600
week.