Epochs in the Life of Paul Author:A. T. Robertson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III SAUL'S VISION OF JESUS "Saul, Saul, why persecutes! thou me?" (Acts 9:4). 1. The Challenge by Jesus.—The darkest hour is just before the dawn.... more » From the human point of view Saul was carrying everything before him. Unless his career was stopped the annihilation of Christianity may have seemed imminent to some of the disciples. And who was there who could stop his onward course ? No one of the Apostles at Jerusalem seemed equal to the task, nor indeed all of them combined. No one of them could stand before Saul nor was equal in ability, training and experience. One may well contemplate this "if of history." What would have been the history of Christianity if Saul had not been converted? It would not have been exterminated. That much we know.1 But the difficulties in its path would have been immeasurably greater than they were when he stepped out of the way. A man is sometimes more than a kingdom. Alexander was more powerful than all the hosts of Darius. If Washington had been on the 1 " But the Good Shepherd had heard the cries of the trembling flock and went forth to face the wolf on their behalf." Stalker, "Life of St. Paul," p. 43. side of the British, the whole course of American history might have been different. Jesus had said that he would be with the disciples all the days (Matt. 28 : 20). They had never needed him more than now. It did seem to the despondent disciples as if Jesus no longer cared what became of his cause. Was he powerless to interfere? But just at this point he did interpose in a wonderful way. From every point of view we come here to one of the epochs in human history, not merely an epoch in the life of Saul. So many matters clamor for discussion at this point that only a selection of the most pressing and pertinent can be attempt...« less