What had happened to Jesus before he spoke to Saul from heaven?
Before speaking to Saul from heaven, Jesus had been crucified, buried, and risen from the dead. He was the same Jehovah who called Abraham, spoke to Moses and David, and was now speaking from heaven as the risen Lord. This was the Jesus Saul was persecuting.
Les teaches that the voice from heaven was the same Jehovah who had called Abraham, spoken to Moses, and spoken to David, now speaking after having been crucified, buried, and risen from the dead. Saul had thought Jesus was an imposter and a blasphemer, and he was trying to obliterate His name from Jewish thinking. But then he heard the voice say, "I am Jesus whom you persecuted." This revelation that the risen Jesus was Jehovah Himself explains Saul's dramatic transformation.
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.
Why did Saul ask 'Who art thou, Lord?' when Jesus spoke to him?
Saul asked because he immediately recognized the heavenly voice as God, specifically Jehovah, the God of Abraham. Since he understood he was dealing with Jehovah, he asked who was speaking. The answer identified the speaker as Jesus, the same Jehovah who had called Abraham and spoken to Moses and David.
Who was the Jesus that Saul was persecuting and trying to wipe from Jewish memory?
The Jesus Saul persecuted was Jehovah, the God of Abraham who spoke to Moses and David. Saul thought He was an imposter and blasphemer and tried to wipe His name from Jewish memory, yet this same Jehovah spoke from heaven after being crucified, buried, and risen.
More Questions
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.
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.