Saul Ravages The Church

Spring, c. 33 AD

Saul Ravages The Church

The murder of Stephen was not an isolated incident; it has acted as a catalyst for an absolute nightmare in Jerusalem. A great, systematic persecution has erupted against the church. At the forefront of this terror is the young Pharisee named Saul, who was in hearty agreement with putting Stephen to death.

Saul is ravaging the church like a wild beast. He is entering house after house, violently dragging off both men and women and committing them to prison. The terror is so severe that the entire church—with the exception of the apostles—has scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. The believers are fleeing for their lives as the religious establishment attempts to extinguish the movement by force.

"But Saul began to ravage the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would commit them to prison."
— Acts 8:3

Timeline Box: The persecution led by Saul resulted in the first major geographic scattering of the believers.

Divided Kingdom Era, c. 841 BC

Obadiah Hides A Hundred Prophets

While the wicked Queen Jezebel is actively cutting off the prophets of Yahweh in Israel, a devout man named Obadiah, who manages King Ahab's household, is risking his life in secret. He has taken a hundred prophets, hidden them by fifties in caves, and is secretly providing them with bread and water to survive the royal purge.

"For it happened, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Yahweh, that Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water."
— 1 Kings 18:4

Timeline Box: Obadiah's dangerous loyalty preserved the remnant during a time of intense state-sponsored persecution.

Judges Era, c. 1162 BC

Gideon Threshes Wheat In Secret

The oppression of the Midianites is so severe in Israel that the people have been forced into dens and caves in the mountains. A young man named Gideon is currently beating out wheat inside a wine press in order to hide it from the Midianite raiders. It is in this place of fear and hiding that the angel of Yahweh appears to him, calling him a "valiant warrior."

"Then the angel of Yahweh came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah... as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to hide it from the Midianites."
— Judges 6:11

Timeline Box: Gideon's secret labor highlights the terror caused by foreign invaders before his calling as a judge.

Editorial: Scattered But Not Silenced

Persecution forces God's people into uncomfortable places. Gideon had to thresh wheat in a wine press to avoid the Midianites; Obadiah had to hide prophets in caves to avoid Jezebel; and the early Christians had to flee Jerusalem to avoid Saul.

Yet, the Sanhedrin made a critical miscalculation. By ravaging the church in Jerusalem, Saul did not extinguish the fire of the Gospel; he acted as the wind that blew the embers across the entire known world. The believers who were scattered did not go into hiding in silence; they went about preaching the Word. What the enemy intends for destruction, God always uses for expansion.

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