In Lystra–Worshipping Men as Gods After Seeing Physical Healing

Acts 14:8-20

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• Healing of the man who was crippled from birth.
• People in Lystra believed that gods came down in the likeness of men.
• Proclamation that everyone has the same human nature in need of the Living God.
• Paul was stoned, left for dead, and rose up and went into the city.

Healing of the man who was crippled from birth.
“And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.” Acts 14:8-10

From Iconium, Paul and his companions are brought to Lystra, as seen on the map below.

The greatest healing we will ever experience is to be able to walk with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. That happens when we have faith in Him for the forgiveness of unbelief and thereby receiving the Holy Spirit. The physical miracles of healing that our Lord Jesus did was to show that He has the power to forgive sin, not to show that He is the world’s health care provider. The office our Lord works from is the spirit and soul, not health care offices, as quoted below,

“Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Matthew 9:2-6

Jesus forgave the paralytic of his sins, that was the end of the story as far as Jesus was concerned. Enabling the paralytic to be able to walk was not something that Jesus felt He needed to do, it wasn’t something He intended on doing. Because the scribes [lawyers of Judaism] said that it was illegal blasphemy to forgive sins, Jesus asked which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven.” or to “Arise and walk”? Jesus knew they would be impressed by a physical healing, so he enabled the paralytic to walk. Jesus only did the physical healing to show the scribes He had the power to forgive sins.

As followers of Christ, we will come across people in this atheistic culture without the strength to walk in Jesus Christ. But when they hear us speaking about our born-again testimony, Jesus Christ, and the forgiveness of sin, they listen with interest. We can look at that person with a fixed gaze and discern that the person has a receptive heart to the Holy Spirit, they have faith to be healed. Faith for healing in the spirit and soul by the forgiveness of unbelief through Jesus Christ. To those people, we say, “Stand up straight on your spiritual feet and begin walking with Jesus, your Lord and Savior.” Faith in Christ Jesus will enable people to leap and walk in the Spirit.

Even though the beast that has power over physiology [including feelings, thoughts, words, and behaviors] opposes the born-again experience, we remain eager to share the Good News of Jesus with those willing to hear. May their faith in Christ bring them ever closer to the Living God, even upon the thorny and stony road of this world.

People in Lystra believed that gods came down in the likeness of men.
“Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Acts 14:11

The people of Lystra witnessed Paul healing the man who was crippled from birth. They said Paul and Barnabas were gods, but their heart and mind were far away from the Living God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This describes the same heart and mind of those who worship the beast that has power over physiology. This is the same beast that gives people what to speak, do, think, and feel. This beast has the power to heal, and the power over life and death, as quoted, “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.” Revelation 13:3 The “his” in this verse refers to the beast of the image and mark of the beast. Click here for a post on the beast’s ability to heal and power over life and death.

 “And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.” Acts 14:12

The people of Lystra glorified Paul and Barnabas as if they were gods. Attributing god-like qualities to human beings is the Holy Spirit speaking prophetically of what is happening in today’s world. In today’s culture, which is global, the false god that has power over physiology bonds itself within thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors of people everywhere. This entity sets itself within the body, the temple of God, as if it is God. This is the one “… who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 The “he” in this verse is the “man of sin”. Click here for a post on the “man of sin”.

Zeus was considered the god above every god and considered to be the ruler of all gods and humans. Hermes is considered the messenger of gods and is able to move quickly and freely between the human world and the realm of the gods. Zeus symbolizes the beast that sets itself above all gods, and God Himself, with power to govern through what people think, feel, say, and do. Hermes represents human beings who are messengers for the beast living through their thoughts, words, feelings, and behaviors.

The Bible is filled with these prophecies from as early as the book of Genesis, as described below.

• The superhumans are a mix of humans and “sons of God”. In Genesis 6:1-7, it speaks of the Nephilim who are superhumans born by crossbreeding the “sons of God” with humans. That represents the superhumans of today who are a crossbreed of human beings with the one forming what they think, feel, do, and say.
• Human and False God are Twins: This is found in Acts 28:11-13 where it mentions the ship sailing towards the world capital having the sign of the twins, one a human and one a god. Castor is the human and Pollux is the god. The human part would be the flesh and blood person while the god part would be the thing that forms what we think, feel, do, and speak to enable the image of the beast to live and speak through us. As twins, they share a common bond.
• Our Body is the Temple of God Where It Sets. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 And speaking of the entity that governs from within us through thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and what we say,, “…he opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” The “he” in this verse is the “man of sin”. Click here for a post on the “man of sin”.
• Eyes and Mouth Like a Human Being: “This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” Daniel 7:8 People everywhere are constantly boasting, “We see,” or “We know.”
• Has Breathe and a Mouth to Speak: Breathe is what gives us the ability to speak by the air in the lungs. The image of the beast is given breath with a mouth to speak, and the ability to speak suggests a form of intelligence, “The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak.” Revelation 13:15 
• Beast and the Person the Same: The person is not only meshed with the beast but also shares the beast’s “666” character. The bond between the person and the beast is brought out in Revelation 17:3-6. The beast is scarlet, and the person sitting on the beast is dressed in scarlet. It would be near impossible to distinguish one from the other, or where one left off, and the other began.
  
  The “666” is blaspheme and denial of God (one “6”), discarding the need for Jesus Christ (one “6”), and trampling on the Holy Spirit (one “6”). It leaves a person filled with abominations. The “666” is what bonds the thing which forms thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and speech to the person. That bond is broken when we believe in God, acknowledge the need for the remission of sin through Jesus Christ, and embrace the Holy Spirit.
  
  The purple represents treating people like royalty, or like a god, if they live by the thing which forms their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and speech “There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.”
• Number of the beast is the number of the person: The number of the beast is the number of a man. The beast and the person are bonded as one by the beast giving people what to say, do, think, and feel. “This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.” Revelation 13:18
  
  In the verse above, “man” represents “mankind” or humanity as a whole.
  
  By using the term “calculate” to describe the bond between the beast and the person, we are being made aware that the thing which forms what we think, feel, do, and speak is not spiritual but artificial. Calculations are consistent with Artificial Intelligence and space technology, satellites, etc. Basically, people are being made into flesh and blood robots by the artificial entity that has power over physiology and can form our thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behaviors. Click here for a post on the space shuttle, space station, and space satellites from Ezekiel 1.
  
  The number “666” represents blasphemy of the beast and the global culture of the beast. They are bonded together in their denial of God (6), rejection of Jesus Christ (6), and blaspheme against the Holy Spirit (6). Click here for a post on building the Tower of Babel.
• Modern false god is the beast of the technological age: Habakkuk describes the modern false god as being a technological one, “Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ To silent stone, ‘Arise! It will teach!’ Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver…” Click here for a post on Habakkuk 2:18-20

Proclamation that everyone has the same human nature in need of the Living God.
“Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.” Acts 14:13

In the previous section, Paul and Barnabas were thought to be the gods Zeus and Hermes by the people of Lystra. Now, they want to honor and give great dignity to Paul and Barnabas by sacrificing animals to Zeus among the multitudes of people. In today’s culture [which is global], anyone who serves the beast that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do are given honor, respect, and a great sense of dignity. The person is not the focus of the great respect, but the god within them is the focus of that honor. This is like behavioral modification, where positive feedback [honor, respect, dignity, etc.] is given for allowing the god with power over physiology to live and speak through a person. Negative feedback is given for those who refuse to give place to the god that wants to live and speak through them. Jesus says this, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

“But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God…” Acts 14:14-15a

Paul and Barnabas were so frustrated and flabbergasted that they tore their clothes at seeing what the multitudes were doing. They ran into the multitudes of people, who were sacrificing to their god to give great honor, dignity, and respect to Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas wanted the multitudes of people to know that they were not gods, but flesh and blood people like everyone else.

“As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” Acts 10:25-26

“I fell down to worship at the feet of the Angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” Revelation 22:8-9

We followers of Christ are scrutinized for not taking compliments well because we want our Lord Jesus to be glorified. Today’s culture expects a person to welcome praise and compliments which are really praise and compliments to the false god giving people what to think, feel, say, and do. Rejection of those compliments is like a rejection of the customs and values of the community culture.

Paul and Barnabas preached that the false gods that the multitudes serve were useless in face of the Living God. As followers of Jesus Christ, our message to today’s culture is that the god they serve is useless in the eyes of the Living God.

We are all spiritual people within our flesh and bone body, with the same human nature, and we know that life comes in the Spirit not by the beast that gives people what to feel, think, say, and do. That is what our born-again testimony is all about. The letter kills but the Spirit gives life. We know that the forgiveness of sin, through Jesus Christ, leads to embracing the presence of the Holy Spirit, which leads to eternal life. The beast with power over physiology opposes the presence of the Holy Spirit living within the spirit and conscience. Starving the spirit and conscience of the Holy Spirit is to give people what to speak, feel, think, and do. Eternal life beyond the grave is not in their belief. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” Acts 3:19

 “…who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.” Acts 14:15b-16

The living God is He who is the Creator of heaven, earth, the sea, and everything else. The god of this world may have power over physiology but has not lifted a finger in the creation of the universe. It’s one thing to be able to give people what to think, feel, say, and do, but quite another to be the Creator of all. Those of this world serve the creation instead of the Creator, “…who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 1:25

In “…bygone days…” refers to the days before God made Himself available to whoever believes in Jesus Christ. In those bygone days, the Jewish people had exclusive access to God through the laws of Moses, and all non-Jewish people/Gentiles, were those outside the family of God. In those days, people without the law of Moses, all the nations surrounding the Israelites, were walking in their own ways.

Today, God gives every person on this planet the choice to go their own way or to live for Him through Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Acts 14:17

Even in the days before Jesus Christ, when the Israelites had exclusive rights to God through His commandments, God provided for all nations. Even for the nations not part of the Jewish family of God. God did good for all nations by giving rain, fruitful harvests, and hearts filled with food and gladness. Today, we know the words of Jesus who says, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45

“And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.” Acts 14:18

Even after Paul and Barnabas spoke all these words, the people of Lystra still wanted to celebrate, rejoice, and give sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas as if they were gods. Likewise, no matter what we say about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, today’s culture, which is global, will insist on driving forward to give credit to the god that gives them what to speak, think, feel, and do. We are living in the days when the Holy Spirit is being taken out of the way and people are honoring one another as a community culture, a global culture. “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

Part of the process of sanctification, our walk of Holiness, is to create in us a spirit and attitude that glorifies God, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31 “But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:24

Paul and Barnabas had the power of the Holy Spirit working through them in the name of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was scarcely able to restrain the multitudes. This is prophetic for when the Holy Spirit is scarce in the world and on the verge of being taken out of the world. Pretty much where we are today with the multitudes of today’s atheistic culture. The Holy Spirit restrains lawlessness, and when He is taken out of the way, then lawlessness is unleashed. “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 Click here for a post on the lawless one.

Paul was stoned, left for dead, and rose up and went into the city.
“Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.” Acts 14:19

In the previous section, we read how Paul and Barnabas had the Holy Spirit working through them to do a miracle of healing. As a result, they were scarcely able to restrain the multitudes [Acts 14:18] from worshipping them as gods. The people of Lystra were on the brink of serving people as gods and using Paul and Barnabas as an example of why they should. When people are honored instead of God, the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way and lawlessness becomes prevalent.

When the Jewish people from Antioch at Pisidian and from Iconium heard that Paul and Barnabas were sharing the Gospel of Christ in Lystra, they came to persuade the multitudes of Lystra against Paul and Barnabas. That is when the people of Lystra stepped beyond the brink and into total lawlessness. In today’s culture, the multitudes of the global population are persuaded to despise Christians, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Jesus Himself, and the Holy Spirit. They favor the persuasion of living by the will of the beast that gives them what to speak, think, feel, and do. Click here for a post on the extinction of Christianity as described in the post on Revelations 12.  “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.’” Revelation 12:17

The Jewish people from Antioch at Pisidian, who were against Paul’s teaching of Jesus Christ, were the prominent women and chief leaders of the city, as described in the post on Acts 13:49-52. And the Jewish people of Iconium plotted a violent conspiracy against Paul and Barnabas for preaching the Gospel of Christ, as described in the post on Acts 14:4-7. The Jewish people of Antioch and Iconium joined forces to come against Paul and Barnabas in Lystra. In today’s culture, the prominent women, governing authorities, and the global culture are one collective force against God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all of Christianity. They choose to worship the creature human being instead of God the Creator. “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

All of the multitudes were persuaded by the Jewish people of Antioch and Iconium to stone Paul to death. This is like the global culture of today who are persuaded to cause the death of belief in God, the message of the Cross, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. The global culture does the bidding of the beast that gives them what to do, say, feel, and think.

The multitudes who stoned Paul dragged him out of the city and left him for dead. Today, Christianity is being put to death and dragged outside the social network of today’s atheistic culture and left for dead. They want the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all of Christianity to die and be driven into extinction. These are times when the culture of the beast rejoices and the followers of Jesus Christ mourn. Although we are left for dead, we will rejoice again in our resurrection from the dead, as our Lord Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.” Matthew 16:20

“However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.” Acts 14:20

Assuming that Paul had been killed, after a horrific stoning by the multitudes, the disciples of the Gospel of Christ gathered around him. At that time, Paul rose up and went into the city. I believe Paul was indeed raised up after actually being dead. This is the power that God has over life and death, this is the power that resurrected our Lord Jesus from the grave after three days, and this is the power that will resurrect us from the grave when Jesus returns. We will rise up and enter the eternal city of the New Jerusalem.

After rising up, Paul and Barnabas went to Derbe. Today, our born-again experience is the resurrection in the spirit. We rise in the Spirit to share our experience with others. Our born-again experience is the Gospel of Jesus Christ written on our heart.

On the map below, you can see Lystra and Derbe. They are due north of Cyprus [the island in the middle of the map].

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11