Acts 18:24 — 19:41 - Corps Notes - November 30, 1976
Publication Date: 11-30-1976
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Acts 18:24 — 19:41
November 30, 1976
Acts 18:24
“Jew” - It’s sort of interesting, in this book I was telling you about, he documents it like I did;
that the word “Jew” never appeared in any language in English, or in any of it until 1775. In
1611 King James was originally done. So they must have gotten this word “Jew” in here
sometime later. It is “Judean” in the text, which it is all over, you know. And the reason it’s
that, is because they were Judean by religion. And that, of course, was later called Judaism. I
forget who the first one was that called it Judaism. He has it documented in here, and I forget it.
Then it was called Rabbinism. That’s the stuff that the Jews are taught today.
“Apollos” - This man’s name was Apollos, and Apollos is just a shortened word for
Apollonius. It was like a nickname. You have a nickname, like Steven has a nickname called
“Steve”, Apollos is like a nickname. Apollonius is his real name, born in Alexandria, in Egypt,
which was the great Greek center of learning, and a lot of the dispersion Jews, as they are
referred to, had gone to Alexandria and other places. When the Septuagint translation was
made, the solidly Judean people who believed in the Mosaic laws refused to read it, as a matter
of fact, it was very, very bad if anybody did read it.
“an eloquent man” - It would be much better translated had they said, “an eloquent and learned
man,” because this word eloquent has both, the knowledge and the fluency of the presentation
of the knowledge, in it. He was not only eloquent; he was a learned and eloquent man.
“and mighty in the scriptures” - In Acts 7:22, it says this about Moses. This is the same word
that’s used here regarding mighty in the scriptures, mighty in the Word.
“Ephesus” - Ephesus was the great city of learning, very strong in Estrangelo Aramaic. One of
the greatest libraries of the world will be found in Ephesus when they get the archaeological
work done.
Acts 18:25
“this man” - this one
“instructed” - catechized - I think it’s a good translation of the word “catechized” – instructed.
Those of us who have been in catechism, we understand this a little better maybe, because it’s a
drilling. Catechism is a drilling. It was for me, and I suppose it was for some of you, too, right?
In the Lutheran, Catholic background, like I went through, the Reformed background, it was a
drilling. I had to memorize the hymns. I had to memorize the questions and answers in the
catechism book. And that’s this word “catechized.” He was instructed; he was drilled, in the
way of the Lord.
“fervent” – literally means “boiling” – He was really hot wasn’t he? – “being boiling in the
spirit”, or “spiritually boiling.”
To me it’s a tremendous statement regarding a man. Boy, he wasn’t some old cold turkey that
was learned and eloquent. He was a man who was really on fire! He was boiling with his
knowledge, and moving it. You’re never going to sell anything until you really get hot for it. I
don’t care if it’s a toothpick. If you want to sell it, get hot for it; just know you’ve got the best
toothpick in the world. Likewise with the Word of God; if you ever want God’s Word to move
when you witness, you’ve got to be hotter than a firecracker. You’ve got to be “boiling” with
that thing. I think it’s quite a word. I think the Greek word is zeō - It means “to boil”; “fervent.”
“diligently” - accurately. When you and I think diligently, I think we think of “sticking to it”,
don’t we? But this word is deeper than that. It’s sticking to it, accurately. He taught accurately.
“of” – concerning
“Lord” - in the text is “Jesus”
“knowing only the baptism of John” - He did not know anything beyond this. The reason he
didn’t know it, is because he had not yet been taught. You can only teach what you know. But
for what he knew, he was hot on. He was boiling with what he knew. What he knew, he taught
accurately. I think it’s quite a record, this 25th verse. For those of us who have a greater
knowledge than what Apollos had, we ought to take it to heart: being spiritually boiling; teach
accurately.
Acts 18:26
“speak boldly” - If you’re boiling with something, you’re not going to speak reluctantly, or
hesitantly, right? If you’re hot for it, you’re going to talk about it with some dynamic. You’re
going to be bold about it.
“perfectly” - accurately - He knew the baptism of John accurately enough, but there were other
parts of the Word of God he did not know perfectly, or accurately. So Aquila and Priscilla
taught him more accurately. Where did Aquila and Priscilla get that accurate knowledge?
They’d been with Paul. Paul had taught them. Here they were at Ephesus, heard this wonderful
man speak in the synagogue, and they did not stand up in the synagogue and ridicule him, and
say, “Look, since you’re so smart, why don’t you get with it?” No!
“they took him unto them” - how I love that. As I say, in my own inimical way, they took him
home on Sunday, or Saturday, for chicken dinner. Then, while they were eating, they started
talking. They never disgraced this wonderful man in the synagogue and in front of the rest of
them. They invited him home and then they opened unto him the Word of God more
accurately. There’s another side to this that makes me stand in great admiration of Apollos with
all of his Ph.D. education. He was what you would term today, a Ph.D. boy. He was humble
enough to go home with two lay people, Aquila and Priscilla, who did not have a Ph.D. They
were not a baccalaureate type of people, and yet they knew the Word of God more accurately
or perfectly. And this wonderful Apollos was humble enough to go home with them and listen
to them.
I think that’s a tremendous commentary on Apollos, as well as on Aquila and Priscilla. How
they didn’t dog him, they didn’t disgrace him; they just took him unto themselves. He was
willing to go because of his love and so forth, and that’s why the greatness of this record stands
here like a diamond.
Acts 18:27
“disposed” - wished or desired - There you’re down to the working of the word boulomai,
which in its form for usage of man is usually “wished.” When it’s used of God or relationship
to God, it’s the word “desire”, because no man can bring anything to pass by desire. He can
only wish for it.
“exhorting the disciples to receive him” - They sent letters along and said, “This Apollos has a
lot to say; give him a good listen; welcome him into your heart.”
“helped them much which had believed through grace” - He helped those people much who
had believed, who were born again, by the grace of God.
Act s18:28
“convinced” - the most accurate word is “confuted”, which is very little understood in our
terminology. You would understand it better if I translated it “refuted successfully.” “To
convince”, here, is “to refute successfully.” He mightily refuted successfully these Jews and he
did this publicly by showing from the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. He refuted their
arguments where they said, “He is not Christ.” He did this by going to the scriptures, proving
that Jesus was Christ. I wish I had one of his sermons in typewritten form. I’d just love to have
had that sermon, or one of them, were he refuted successfully those Jews.
Hardly anybody today is able to refute the Jews successfully. Unless some of us rise up in the
Way Ministry there never will be any refuting and that’s one reason quite a few of the Jewish
people, so to speak, have moved into our ministry. Long Island was hotter than crazy at one
time; reaching down among the Jewish population and they refuted successfully, because the
accuracy of the Word is the only thing that’ll do it. That’s exactly what Apollos did; he did it
with the scriptures.
Acts 19:1
“at” - in
“Paul having passed through the upper coasts” - where he apparently revisited the churches at
Perga and other places.
“certain disciples” - those who had been won by the ministry of Apollos and perhaps Aquila
and Priscilla
Acts 19:2
received” - lambano-ed – manifested; received into evidence.
“the Holy Ghost” - pneuma hagion - holy spirit - In King James, it’s a capital “h,” and a capital
“g” - but you and I know that cannot be. It has to be the gift.
“since” - when
One of the texts translates it, “Have you lambano-ed, have you manifested the holy spirit upon
believing?” That’s exactly when it should be manifested. Whenever anyone is born again of
God’s spirit, at the time of the new birth they should immediately manifest. The reason they
don’t is because they’ve not been taught. If you and I will teach the Word more perfectly, more
accurately, then when people are born again, they’ll right afterwards immediately speak in
tongues. That’s what Paul was after. He wasn’t asking them whether they believed in God, who
is Holy Spirit; he knew that because they were disciples. They had to believe in the Holy Spirit,
who is God. But what he wanted to ask them was, “Have ye lambano-ed anything? When you
were born again, did you get any evidence; any manifestation?”
“We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost” - They had heard about God
but they had not heard about how to do the manifestations. I’ve often wondered why Aquila
and Pris-cilla didn’t get involved. I don’t know the answer. Except that in Eastern culture the
protocol is sometimes so tight that you hate to see it almost; where someone that would not
have the academic background, like Apollos had, they just never would speak up. They would
never lead someone in because the culture would say, “Well, Apollos should be doing it.” I
don’t know.
Acts 19:3
“unto them” - delete
I’ve often wondered if Aquila and Priscilla could have gone to Achaia with Apollos. I don’t
know.
I don’t think it says, any place in Acts here, that they were still in Ephesus when Paul got there.
I’ve often wondered what happened to them; where they went to.
Act s19:4
“verily” - delete
“Christ” - delete
In verse 5 the Word of God records what Paul said regarding what Apollos did. It is not that
Paul did this; it is Paul who said these things which Apollos did.
“baptized with the baptism of repentance” - is the water baptism of John that we talked about in
verse 25. This is the last record in the New Testament of any water baptism like the baptism of
John. Verse 4 is the last mentioned. John baptized with the baptism of repentance.
It’s very interesting that the word “Christ” is not in the text, because, as you and I know from
Romans, if we confess with our mouth “Jesus” as lord, not “Christ” as lord, what he did for us
on this level, on this horizontal level, is real wonderful.
Acts 19:5
“when they heard” - “having heard” – is the text
“this” - delete
“in” - into
This is what Apollos did. Now, verse 6 is what Paul did.
Acts 19:6
“and” – but - What Apollos did is one thing. Now what Paul does; Paul reports what Apollos
did, but now what Paul does sets in contrast with it.
“the Holy Ghost” - the pneuma, the hagion - both articles are in the Greek
“came on” – it is “came on” them, not “came in”
“speak with tongues, and prophesied” – that’s the “came on” – How do I know that? Because
they already were disciples, therefore, they had Christ in. But they had no lambano-ing; no
manifestation. So Paul laid hands on them, and the laying on of hands is by revelation. God told
him. Evidently, there were things that needed to come out, needed to be known, so Paul laid his
hands on them. Then the pneuma, the hagion came on them, and they spake with tongues;
coming on, in manifestation. And this is the first time it’s mentioned that they prophesied.
Acts 19:7
In order to have a synagogue, you had to have at least twelve men in a community. Then you
could have a synagogue. These were apparently men who were part of that synagogue.
Acts 19:8
Apollos was boiling in the spirit, so was Paul, and so he went in very boldly.
“disputing” –is not arguing, but it is reasoning, by sheer logic
“the things concerning the kingdom of God” - He not only talked about the new birth, the
resurrection, but the whole thing was the kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is like a
canopy; it’s over-all. The Kingdom of Heaven is one segment under the kingdom of God. The
church of the body, to which you and I belong, is one segment under it. The kingdom of God is
over-all. It’s remarkable that Paul, in that synagogue for three months, reasoned, persuading,
and they talked about the kingdom of God. Which means they most likely talked about the
church as the bride, the church as the body; talked about the resurrection; talked about the
return of Christ. All of that’s under the Kingdom of God.
Acts 19:9
“divers” - some, or many
“that way” - the way
“disputing” – reasoning
“one” - delete
Some scholars believe that Tyrannus was the head of the divinity school in Ephesus, because if
they had a large amount of Jewish residents, they were allowed to have a divinity school. They
not only would have a synagogue, but they’d have a divinity school with it. A lot of the
scholars believe that there was a divinity school in Ephesus and that this Tyrannus was one who
headed up that divinity school and Paul had led him to the Lord. Sometime go through the
Book of Acts, and just pick out the important personages in government and top positions that
knew Paul and Paul knew. Felix, Festus, Gallio are just a few that come to my mind. Here was
a man by the name of Tyrannus and in this school, which I of course believe was the divinity
school in Ephesus, is where Paul reasoned daily.
Acts 19:10
“by the space” - for the period
“word” - logos
Jesus” - delete
The reason I’m not going to set a lot of this stuff for you like I do in teaching it, as you’ve
heard me teach it (where I tell you a feat here that has never been duplicated in one generation,
he did in two years and three months) because you know all that stuff. But I just want to get
into the depth of it, that you are able to really have a full knowledge of what’s here to the best
of my ability.
“Lord” - The word lord is leadership that I told you about. It wasn’t that they heard the word of
Jesus, or the word of Christ. God chose, and selected the word “lord” at this place.
Acts19:11
“miracles” – dunamis – power; mighty works. I think a very beautiful translation according to
usage would be:
“And God was doing no ordinary mighty works by the hands of Paul.”
Acts 19:12
“the evil” – delete “the”
“of them” - delete
I want to show our people that in order to have a great abundance of healing that believers have
to stand together till our spiritual temperature goes up. We will never see great signs, miracles,
and wonders, great deliverance, until the believers stand together.
All this was in my mind when I started here, a long time ago, telling you about you being in the
Corps, the College program. Let’s say two-thirds of you go home, and never finish the Corps.
You see, the temperature will never go up. There’s just not enough people there and enough
believing among the people to bring it up. You and I know that there’s no healing in this
particular glass or in that water. We know it’s in believing, but I can understand this verse.
Suppose you love me very, very much. And you know that this chain on here was perhaps a
hundred and twenty-five years old; that it came from my great-grandfather, down through my
grandfather, and then to my father and finally ended up in my pocket on my vest tonight. That’s
its background. The watch was a gift from the W.O.W.’s in Wisconsin, a year or so ago. But
the chain is very, very old. And this has been on the Wierwille body, so to speak, and on mine.
And say you really love me, you could take this chain and by your believing (you would just
love to have it, like I imagine some of you’d like to have my holy spirit cuff links, you’d just
love to have it), and if you believed that getting that off of my body because of my love for you
and you believe, what would happen to you? You’d get delivered. You’d get blessed. I
understand this thing.
I’m the same way with people. Like when you brought in that lamp today. I can’t tell you what
that does to me because it has love in it. It’s easy to go down to a store, and buy a box of candy
and give it to somebody. But the son of a gun’s that made that candy spit in it with chewing
tobacco, raised hell, cursed at each other, but to get something that has heart in it, that has love
in it. A lot of things, I don’t know but I’ll bet you that there’s something about the clothing you
wear that will bless somebody else if they love you and you love them; if they just can touch it.
I don’t know. I know it is like gifts; sometimes people have something that if they gave it to me
I’d just be enraptured with it. I’m not going to ask them for it, but if they gave it, I’d just be so
blessed because they wore it. It belonged to them. That’s why this chain, I don’t know if that
thing’s worth three dollars, but you couldn’t buy it from me. I don’t know its value, but to me
it’s invaluable because of who had it, the love that goes with it. That’s why I think I understand
a little of this.
Because they just believed that if it had been on Paul’s body and they touched it, they’d get
blessed, and they did. These, of course, were the very beautifully done linen aprons that were
used in saddle making, that they wore.
Acts 19:13
“vagabond” - roving – they’d go from one city to another to do their feats
“exorcists” - operating or exercising devil spirits
“We” – I
This is a formula: “I adjure you by Moses,” or “I adjure you by Abraham.” They used a name.
And this is sort of neat, because here are men, operated by devil spirits, who are going to cast
out devil spirits. It’s a real counterfeit operation. This is where a bigger devil spirit casts out a
little devil spirit. These guys, who were roving exorcists, went around doing their thing.
“I adjure you” – in other words, “I command you to come out”
Now look who these fellows were who did this:
Acts 19:14
Now here has to be something wrong here because the Old Testament law said that if he was a
religious leader he was supposed to be able to keep his own family in line. Here is a chief priest
that has seven sons. And they’re lousy; meaner than crazy; serving the wrong god. There’s an
Old Testament record about a priest who didn’t take care of his two sons. And God didn’t like
it. He told him he ought to be able to take care of his own house. Top brass people, religious
leaders.
“chief of the priests” - is used in two ways. It’s used either of the high priest, or one of the
priestly members of the Sanhedrin. And being here in Ephesus, you must have this information
regarding the Sanhedrin because when we talk about the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem that is the
temple Sanhedrin. The synagogue Sanhedrin was as follows: when in a city, they had a
synagogue with more than 120 men in it; they were required to have a Sanhedrin of 23
members. If they had less than 120 men in the synagogue, they were required to have a
Sanhedrin of three members. These were the ruling body for the synagogue. This chief priest
must have been one of those top men.
Acts 19:15
The spirit spoke through the lips of the man; possessed him.
Acts 19:16
“leaped on them” – leaped on them both - two of them, both; and yet there were how many?
It’s very clear.
“overcame them” - having overpowered them both
”prevailed against them (the seven) so that they (the seven) fled out of the house naked and
wounded” - What this guy did; there were all seven of them there, but this man in whom the
spirit was clobbered the two of them, two of the seven. He just tore them up and while he was
tearing up those two, the other five started skipping out. He overpowered two of them and he’d
have taken on all seven, but the other five started ski-doo-ing. So they, all seven, fled out of
that house.
“naked” - which simply means - with their garments torn; those two guys - he just ripped them
up and he whopped them good.
Acts 19:17
“was” - became
“fear” - great respect; reverence. They got some holy discipline in their head or something.
Here these seven sons who belonged to a top chief priest man were doing these things, and they
were endeavoring to cast out an evil spirit by Jesus whom Paul preached. Instead of ridiculing
Paul and Paul taking the brunt of the burden, they got the brunt of the burden and the name of
the lord Jesus was magnified. That had quite an impression on that community.
Acts 19:18
“shewed” - declared
“deeds” - practices
This thing had quite an effect, a positive effect rather than a negative one. I believe that
ultimately, out of this deprogramming thing that they’re using so much today and trying so
much against us, out of it the lord Jesus Christ is going to be magnified. Take this one article:
this is written by a professor of English from the University of Texas. If I’d have written it, I
could’ve understood it. But for a professor of English, who has no particular interest in the
integrity and accuracy of the Word, says it so beautifully. I think, out of all this stuff, if we just
stay faithful and stick to God and His Word and don’t trip out on this stuff, just hang in there,
the name of the Lord Jesus is going to be magnified.
“confessed and shewed” - What did they confess? They confessed and declared that they had
been practicing a lot of this wrong stuff.
Acts 19:19
“used - practiced
“curious arts” - pendants, black, white arts
“books” - we would refer to them as the papyrus on which were written, different methods of
incantations to use, names to use. One of them, in a library, has over 3,000 things to practice,
listed. I forget where that is. They brought this stuff, that’s what they brought: those little things
that said, “If you want to cast a devil spirit out of somebody’s big toe and you’ve got a bigger
devil spirit, use the name of Moses Cateko and he’ll come out.”
“before” - in the presence of
“fifty thousand pieces of silver” - according to my best knowledge, either from the Roman or
from the Greek money, would equal about $10,000 worth of material.
Acts 19:20
“word of God” - the word of the Lord - not the word of Jesus, not the word of Christ but the
word of the Lord; his leadership, position; his position as the humiliated one; his position as the
Christ; his position as the Son of God.
Until the Word grows, there will never be any prevailing of the power of God. So mightily
grew the Word of the lord. It’s the growing of the Word of the lord. I called it earlier tonight
the temperature of believing. I think I originally got that phrase from Doctor Winegarner who
talked about it in the hospital. That if the temperature of believing goes up, it’s increasingly
more difficult to die in his hospital.
So mightily grew the word of the Lord and It grew to the end that the Word had pre-eminence.
The integrity and accuracy of the Word; it’s inherent as well as its inerrant accuracy just stood.
They just stood on it and that’s “the prevailing.” And until we get to that place that the Word of
the Lord is not only a mental assent for us, but it’s a believing reality to the end that we just
stay put, it will never prevail. And it’s in the prevailing that you see signs miracles, and
wonders.
Acts 19:21
“in the spirit” - means “in his mind” - the Aramaic uses the word “mind” here for “spirit.”
“purposed in his mind” -in other words; within himself. He made up his own mind.
I believe that it was during these months and years, that he was here at Ephesus, that Paul wrote
the first epistle to the Corinthians; that it was written from Ephesus. And that the reason that he
now wants to go to Jerusalem, is he wants to take that offering in, that abundant sharing from
the Corinthians and the rest of the saints, to the believers in Jerusalem. I think if you want to
make a note on this, you could substantiate this by Romans 15:25 and I Corinthians 16:1 & 3.
Acts 19:22
“Timotheus and Erastus” - these were men who ministered to Paul. They helped him; carried
his briefcase; hung up his clothes, I suppose, and just were constantly by his side or available to
him.
“but he himself stayed in Asia for a season” - that is real significant to me because the verse
just ahead of it said that he purposed to do what? He was going to leave. And so he sent
Timothy and Erastus ahead and then he was to follow immediately afterwards, maybe a day or
two. But he never did it. He himself stayed in Asia for a season, for awhile. Paul was delayed.
Why? Revelation. That’s what thrills me about it.
I Corinthians l6:8-12a - To me, it’s real interesting. I understand this because many times, I
too, will make up my mind with the best of my ability to want to do something. And I may
have already told somebody, “This is what I’m going to do,” but then I turn around and don’t
do it at all. Because in between the time where I’ve purposed this within my heart to do it,
revelation comes or a situation changes and the situation calls for a change, and the revelation
is, “Don’t.” That’s exactly what I think happened to Paul. He was delayed. He wanted to go but
he was delayed. And I’ll show you why I think this is so true; because of verse 23.
Acts 19:23
“no small stir about that way” – “the way” - They were having Way problems. And the reason
for this: he wants to go to Jerusalem for Pentecost; latter part of May. He’s in Ephesus. The
Olympic games begin in Ephesus the second week of May. And they close out around the third
week, the latter part or the middle of the third week with the great feast to Diana of the
Ephesians. This brings to Ephesus all the great athletes of the world and Paul will be there to
preach the Word to them. I think that’s why God said, “Hang in here, man.” This was a real
ministry to Christian athletes; getting them Christian, I guess.
The Festival of Artemis (or Diana, that’s the same) was always the concluding of the time of
those Olympic games. Those Olympic games were running in memory or in commemoration of
the emperor, and of course, of the god. And that’s why at the same time, there arose no small
stir about the way.
“the way” - “that” is in your King James - it’s “the” in the text in all the places I’ve given you
this. The way is mentioned in Acts six times. I’ll give them to you tonight and you can later on,
just sort of check it out. “the way” - Acts 9:2; 19:9; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14; 24:22
Acts 19:24
Now, with the Olympic games coming and everything else, it was a real time to make money. I
do not know, but I would like to believe, that this Demetrius was later on converted by Paul
because he is mentioned, or that same name is mentioned in III John 12. I don’t know, but I
would like to believe this.
Acts 19:25-29
“Paul’s companions in travel” - those who would have gone with him. You know, Timothy and
Erastus had already left, remember?
The whole city, filled with so many people there for the Olympic games, he got them all stirred
up.
Acts 19:30
It didn’t scare Paul any. He’d have gone right in, if necessary.
Acts 19:31
“chief of Asia” – Asiarchs - I checked that out and these were chief officials at the Olympic
games. Ten chief officials, chief of Asia; ten were chosen annually to superintend the games
and the festival, which is the worship of Diana of the Ephesians, which was held, as I told you,
in honor of the emperor and the god. I think verse 31 is real neat, that Paul had these Asiarchs,
or the chief officials, to come to him and say, “Look, don’t get in there.”
Acts 19:32
“assembly” - ekklēsia – church
Typical mob rule; typical meeting.
Acts 19:33-34
Alexander never did get to speak.
Acts 19:35
“a worshipper” - the temple keeper
“fell down from Jupiter” - Diana was the image that according to them was fallen down from
Jupiter. She was a many breasted gal. That was Diana. Quite a town’s clerk. Ephesus was a free
city. That means, it elected its own officers, and this town’s clerk is the chief magistrate of the
city. He is what you today, in our language, would call the recording secretary. And he ruled;
the recording secretary kept all the log, everything else, and he ruled, even though the
proconsul of Asia lived there in Ephesus. Heaven was supposed to be the home of Jupiter and
you know, he’d throw down these gods and that’s how Great Diana came down from Jupiter.
Acts 19:36
What he is saying is, “Ephesus, its glory, or the statue of Diana and its honor cannot be
questioned.
Acts 19:37
Look at Paul’s message and while Paul worked this, he didn’t blaspheme, he didn’t take a crack
at their statues.
Acts 19:38
You see the proconsuls were the governors and the judges in matters and as I said, Asia was a
senatorial province and it was governed by a proconsul.
Acts 19:39-41
“assembly” – church
Did you know that the Roman law made it a capital offense to start a riot? And what had
occurred here was this riot. Had the proconsul desired to, he could have really whipped
Demetrius and the rest of the boys in line. So this town’s clerk comes to the rescue with just
plain statement of facts, and he dissolves the whole thing. And that’s how beautifully this
whole section fits together and how tremendous it really is.