The Apostle could feel the weakness of some as though it was his own and he burned

with indignation when others thoughtlessly upset a weaker believer by bad example and

This record of what it cost the Apostle Paul to follow his risen Lord faithfully seems

incredible. Was ever a human experience like it? He solemnly states that God could

vouch for the fact that it was all true in every detail (11: 31). We should compare similar

assertions in Gal. 1: 20; Rom. 9: 1 and I Tim. 2: 7. The section is ended by narrating

his escape from King Aretas at Damascus (Acts 9: 23-25) soon after his conversion.

Aretas was a title for Arabian kings like `Pharaoh' was used in Egypt. This king reigned

over Nabataea, between the Red Sea and the Euphrates, from B.C.9 to 40A.D. He was

father-in-law to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee at the time of the earthly ministry

of Christ. Paul had evidently incurred the enmity of this Aretas and that, together with

the enmity of the Jews, caused him to make this dramatic escape through a little door or

window in the city wall, through which he was lowered in a basket. This indeed was a

foretaste of the great suffering and trials yet to come.

In dealing with his Corinthian enemies Paul now passes on to visions and revelations.

They, too, possibly claimed to have received visions and once again the Apostle shows

that in this respect, as in all others, he was their superior. Or they could have belittled his

apostleship because it was based on a vision. The record of the Acts makes it clear that

Paul received a number of visions of the risen Lord for imparting truth to him and

guiding him in his ministry, commencing with the dramatic confrontation on the road to

Damascus.  Acts 18: 9 records one at Corinth, another at Jerusalem during his last

visit there (Acts 23: 11), another on the voyage to Rome (Acts 27: 23). See also

Acts 9: 12 & 16: 9 and note the promise of a future appearing of the Lord to him in

Acts 26: 16 with further truth.

From these records we can see that the Apostle experienced a number of visions of

and concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. He now speaks of himself impersonally, possibly

to avoid the appearance of further boasting, very similar to the way in which the Apostle

John in the fourth Gospel refers to himself as `the disciple whom Jesus loved'. It has

been suggested that Paul is not speaking of a revelationary experience of his in this

context, but refers to the vision that John was given which is recorded in the Revelation

concerning Paradise. But we should ask ourselves, in what sense does this fit the context

which deals with Paul's vindication of his ministry and the spurious claims of the false

teachers at Corinth? Paul was at pains to show that his experiences of Divine visions

were far superior to any his opponents could claim to have had. The fact that John had a

similar revelation does not touch the point at issue. Nor can it be proved that John was

the only believer who was ever granted such a revelation. Abraham and those who

followed in his steps of overcoming faith, saw the vision of the heavenly Jerusalem and

country that John describes (Heb. 11: 8-10, 13-16) and for this they were willing to be

strangers and pilgrims and forego much here and now.

Moreover, to keep Paul from becoming too elated and proud because of the abundance

of the revelations which he had received concerning Paradise, the Lord gave the Apostle