What was Saul's posture when the light from heaven appeared?
Saul was knocked from his horse by the penetrating light and found himself prostrate on the ground, from which position he looked up, knowing the shining light came from heaven. He was not standing or seated but lying face down before the Lord.
Les teaches that God in grace did not wait for Saul to have second thoughts or to question his overzealous mission. Saul was still intent on arresting believing Jews in Damascus, whether men, women, or children, to bring them back to Jerusalem for prison or death. But God stopped him in his tracks with a penetrating light from heaven. Les thinks it knocked him from his horse. Then, from his prostrate position on the ground, Saul looked up, knowing that the shining light was coming from heaven. Les explains that religious people normally think of God's abode as heaven above, so Saul, no different, sensed that his God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was dealing with him. He then asked, "Who art thou, Lord?"
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
More Questions
Why did Saul ask 'Who art thou, Lord?' after seeing the light from heaven?
When Saul saw the penetrating light coming from above, his instinct (second nature) told him that his God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—was dealing with him, and so he asked, 'Who art thou, Lord?'
Why did Saul ask 'Who are you, Lord?' when he saw the light?
Because the light was coming from above, it was second nature for Saul to recognize that his own God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—was dealing with him, and so he asked 'Lord, who are you?'
What did the voice from heaven say to Saul that changed him so dramatically?
Saul's experience of hearing the voice from heaven say 'I am Jesus whom you persecuted' explains why he became the man he became.
Who was speaking from heaven to Saul after the crucifixion and resurrection?
The voice that spoke to Saul from heaven was the same one who had been crucified, buried, and risen from the dead.
Why did Saul become the man he became after his encounter with Jesus?
This experience of hearing the voice from heaven say 'I am Jesus whom you persecuted' explains why Saul became the man he became.