Act 5:1 ¶ But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, COMMENT: What they sold, we do not know here.

Act 5:2 And kept back [part] of the price, his wife also being privy [to it], and brought a certain part, and laid [it] at the apostles' feet. COMMENT: This was a devious act, for by it they intended to deceive the Apostles into trusting them; while they possessed funds the others in the commonwealth of the Church did not possess. This would have given them an unfair advantage materially. It also allowed them an exit financially were they to decide against remaining in the movement.

Act 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land? COMMENT: But the Word of the Lord spoken by Saint Peter focused only on the lie while revealing to Ananias that the Apostle knew of the deception by means of revelation knowledge from the Lord. Peter went on to say:

Act 5:4 While it remained, was it not your own? and after it was sold, was it not in your own power? why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied unto men, but unto God. COMMENT: Saint Peter's explanation is deep theologically. He does not say to Ananias, "You lied to a little god," but to God. Yet we know Peter does not intend for us to understand he is God. We do understand that God was speaking through Peter the Apostle, and with God speaking through Peter; it is reasonable to believe God was hearing through Saint Peter's ears. We are counselled to not look upon the appearance of things, but to see things through spiritual eyes. So the Light working in Saint Peter was God to reveal all this to Ananias, and the judgment that fell was from God.

Act 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. COMMENT: Ananias had no chance to say another word, but fell to the floor and took his last gasp as his spirit departed from his body. His death caused GREAT FEAR on all who heard these things.

Act 5:6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried [him] out, and buried [him]. COMMENT: They apparently had much more freedom to bury their dead in those days, so Ananias was buried right away.

Act 5:7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. COMMENT: Somehow word did not reach his wife that he was dead as she came in to what was probably communal living.

Act 5:8 And Peter answered unto her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. COMMENT: Peter immediately got to the point. Once Sapphira's guilt was established, he reproved her of having agreed "to tempt the Spirit of the Lord."

Act 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried your husband [are] at the door, and shall carry you out. COMMENT: Just as soon as Saint Peter spoke the prophecy, it came to pass. It is a dangerous thing to lie to a Prophet particularly when he is an Apostle as well.

Act 5:10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying [her] forth, buried [her] by her husband. COMMENT: Sapphira died in the same way her husband died which made their miraculous deaths all the more believable. She fell to the floor at the Apostle's feet and breathed her last gasp as her spirit departed from her body, and she too had no chance of saying anything.

Act 5:11 And GREAT FEAR came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. COMMENT: Christians in America do not believe in the fear of God because they have little or none, but GREAT FEAR came upon all the Church and upon those who heard these things and were not of the holy revolution. The fear of God motivates believers to obey the Word and those whom God sets to rule over them.

Act 5:12 ¶ And by the hands of the Apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. COMMENT: The eleven Apostles were all with one accord in Solomon's porch at the glorious temple of God in Jerusalem.

Act 5:13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. COMMENT: No man dared join himself to the Apostles, but the people realizing they were holy and Christ like working miracles and signs and wonders in Him; magnified them. The Apostles were not seen as ordinary men but were greatly enlarged in the perceptions of the people, and if there was anything they wanted done great or small; you can be sure the people were zealous to do it.

Act 5:14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) COMMENT: The movement was growing rapidly as multitudes of men and women repented of their sins and received Christ as their Saviour.

Act 5:15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid [them] on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. COMMENT: Such was the faith of the people in the Apostle Peter, that even his shadow passing over the sick set out on beds and couches in the streets, was desired.

Act 5:16 There came also a multitude [out] of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. COMMENT: Great baseball players have had .400 batting averages or four of ten hits at the plate, but the Apostles healed and delivered ten out of every ten.

Act 5:17 ¶ Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, COMMENT: "Wickedness in high places" is always there hiding in the shadows of religion, but now the High Priest and all they with him were filled with indignation. It appeared the Apostles would soon have the entire nation in obedience to the One they crucified and they would no longer retain their prominent positions in the religion of the Jews.

Act 5:18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. COMMENT: The religious leaders no longer concerned themselves with finding anything wrong with what the Apostles were doing, they arrested them and put them in the common prison where you might have expected to find thugs and thieves and murderers.

Act 5:19/20 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. COMMENT: There is the leading of the Spirit from the kingdom within, but here we find the Apostles sent by the angel of the Lord who is presumably the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the Church.

Act 5:21 And when they heard [that], they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the Senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. COMMENT: The only charge they could lay on the Apostles was the violation of the rule they had put on them to not use the name of Jesus Christ. Wickedness in high places reigned from the materialistic advantage of their positions of authority in the practice of the Jewish religion, their wealth and prestige and the enforcment of their religious edicts by religious police.

Act 5:22 ¶ But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. COMMENT: The religious police officers returned with the report that no break in or break out was evident, but the Apostles were no longer incarcerated there.

Act 5:24 Now when the High Priest and the Captain of the temple and the Chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. COMMENT: This was a move of God and the religious leaders could not stop it.

Act 5:25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. COMMENT: But a glimmer of hope arrived for the wicked religious leaders with the report that the Apostles had been found teaching in the temple.

Act 5:26 Then went the Captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. COMMENT: Now the Captain of the religious police went to the temple to make sure of the arrest with his officers very carefully making the arrest without violence, knowing the people might turn on them with stones for harming a hair on the Apostles' heads.

Act 5:27 And when they had brought them, they set [them] before the council: and the high priest asked them, COMMENT: They had hoped to drag them in as though they were common criminals, but set them before the council where the High Priest asked,

Act 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that you should not teach in this name? and, behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. COMMENT: The High Priest avoided any mention of the good works of healings and the casting out of demons to cure the people but made it as though there were a theological difference then he further accused the Apostles of intending to make them guilty for the blood of Jesus Christ whose name he chose to not mention.

Act 5:29 Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. COMMENT: Once again we find the Apostles boldly answering the religious leaders whom they discovered in the ministry of Jesus Christ as his disciples to be enemies of the God of Israel. So without speaking insulting words offensively to the religious leaders of their many sins, the Apostles simply made it clear they ought to obey God rather than men.

Act 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree. COMMENT: The preaching began with the assertion that the men before the Apostles are the ones who are guilty.

Act 5:31 Him has God exalted with his right hand [to be] a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. COMMENT: By the preaching, all Israel is brought into the picture with the nation's need to come into repentance and receive forgiveness of sins.

Act 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and [so is] also the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to them that obey him. COMMENT: Here in their preaching the Apostles make it clear the Holy Ghost is a person, who cannot be received without obedience.

Act 5:33 ¶ When they heard [that], they were cut [to the heart], and took counsel to slay them. COMMENT: What the Apostles said with the sword of the Spirit in their mouth cut the religious leaders to the heart, and they took counsel to kill them. Christians and Catholics find it hard to believe any of their religious leaders could be evil like the religious leaders in Jerusalem whose positions, prestige, authority and wealth were all threatened by the Holy Revolution taking place there. Were there to be such of God today in America, the wicked among the religious leaders in this country would soon make themselves known.

Did Paul Crouch actually threaten to shoot heretic hunters if God didn't kill them first? And what are the heretic hunters doing? They are threatening the positions, prestige, authority and wealth Paul Crouch is attempting to enjoy. Was it really just an idle threat over the air? The religious leaders in Jerusalem would have killed the Apostles could they have found a way to get away with it, but since killing them would equally jeopardize their roles, they listened to Gamaliel.


Act 5:34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the Apostles forth a little space; COMMENT: By doing so, Gamaliel separated himself from their criminal intent. God knows whether the signs and wonders taking place in Jerusalem had reached even unto Gamaliel who spoke as one of them.

Act 5:35 And said unto them, You men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do as touching these men. COMMENT: Then he warned the religious leaders by giving them examples they needed to be reminded of.

Act 5:36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

Act 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, [even] as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

Act 5:38/39 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it; lest haply you be found even to fight against God.

Act 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the Apostles, and beaten [them], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. COMMENT: They agreed to Gamiliel's counsel, but did not follow it fully; for they beat the Apostles before commanding them to not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. If there was any doubt they intended to kill them, this ought to convince you how dangerous religious leaders are when their positions are threatened.

Act 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. COMMENT: The Apostles wasted no time in rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus, and this surely rankled the religious leaders.

Act 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. COMMENT: So the Apostles openly defied the command of the religious leaders in the temple and in every house ceasing not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. If only God would raise up devout and courageous men willing to live their lives in poverty seeking God's perfect will daily while preaching and praising God continually. Then American would be a better place to live and many would be turned away from the folly of hypocritical religious practices and into a holy and real relationship with God and Christ.