Act 16:1 ¶ Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father [was] a Greek: COMMENT: Timothy is a disciple. He is already set apart unto the work of God. He is considered Jewish because his Mother is Jewish. In the Resurrection, Israel's families will be reunited; and it would be unthinkable for a hundred percent Jewish parent to not reunite with her child even though he was born of a Gentile father.

Act 16:2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. COMMENT: Timothy had already built a good reputation as a disciple.

Act 16:3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they all knew that his father was a Greek. COMMENT: By circumcising Timothy, Saint Paul was making it clear he considered him Jewish. He also wanted to avoid vain disputes over issues that would prove unprofitable to all.

Act 16:4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the Apostles and Elders which were at Jerusalem. COMMENT: In delivering the decrees from the Apostles and Elders, Paul and Barnabus were re-establishing their authority over the Gentile churches; for Saint Paul is ordained of God as the Apostle to all of the Gentiles to the end of the world.

Act 16:5 And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. COMMENT: By good managment the churches became established in the faith and increased in number daily. The holy Revolution was growing.

Act 16:6 ¶ Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,

Act 16:7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. COMMENT: Bithynia is identifyable on the map of Saint Paul's SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY provided at the end of Chapter fifteen. You can think of it as the door to Asia.

Act 16:8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. COMMENT: Troas was a sea port on the Aegean Sea looking across to Macedonia in what we know today as Greece.

Act 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. COMMENT: Now we discover God is not against evangelizing Asia, but having already supplied the Old Testament in Greek earlier in history, he would spread the holy Revolution to the Greeks so much of your New Testament would be written in their language instead of Asian.

Act 16:10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. COMMENT: Having seen the man speaking to him in a vision, Paul and his team agreed that was a sure sign the Lord had called them to preach the gospel to them on the other side of the Aegean Sea.

Act 16:11 ¶ Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next [day] to Neapolis; COMMENT: Paul and his team departed by ship which unloosed their anchor at Troas to set sail on a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis.

Act 16:12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, [and] a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. COMMENT: Paul and his missionary team remained in Philippi several days. It is to the Philippian Church Saint Paul later writes a holy Epistle from his Roman captivity which is contained in our Holy Bible, addressing Saints and deacons there which tells us a mighty Church was established.

Act 16:13 And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was known to be made; and we sat down, and spoke unto the women which resorted [thither].

Act 16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

Act 16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought [us], saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide [there]. And she constrained us. COMMENT:

Act 16:16 ¶ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: COMMENT: The holy men were apparently observing prayer times which we find King David and Daniel the Prophet doing, and what we find them doing to remain in God's anointing we ought to presume other holy men also did, since there is so much silence in regard to their lives in the Scriptures; and since we are to let a matter be established by the mouth of two or more witnesses, it works to our good to use this method of interpreting the practices of holy men recorded in the Bible.

A young demon possessed woman, possessed with a spirit of divination met the holy men as they went to prayer.

Act 16:17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. COMMENT: You might suppose her crying out in their behalf was a blessing, but it does little or no good for demons to bear witness of the work of God. Those who knew the young woman also knew she was a diviner which is like a palm reader in America, and by crying out in behalf of the work of God; she made it appear she was part of the work.

Act 16:18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. COMMENT: This report testifies to the patience of Saint Paul who finally being grieved, turned and cast the demon spirit out of her. This was not a figurative demon such as demons pride, lust or greed being cast out by those who feign the gifts of God. This was a real demon!

Act 16:19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew [them] into the marketplace unto the rulers, COMMENT: By masters we have the inference they owned the young woman as a slave. Whatever the truth may be, they were businessmen who soon discovered she could not longer divine for them and the hope of their financial gains was gone. So they "drew" the holy men into the marketplace unto the rulers of the city suggesting they went without being arrested.

Act 16:20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, "These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans." COMMENT: "THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL." The masters deceitfully hid their real hatred of the holy men being vengeful for their financial losses, and make it appear they are concerned for Roman law.

Act 16:22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates tore off their clothes, and commanded to beat [them]. COMMENT: How quickly persecution rises up against the holy preaching of the Word of God. Keep in mind our Adversary goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and once the demon was cast out of the young woman; what do you think he did? But he was there in the city with other demon spirits stirring up the persecution. And so it is not enough to learn in the Spirit how to cast out demons, but to also be ready for what will happen after it has successfully taken place.

Act 16:23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast [them] into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: COMMENT: Now the holy men are bloodied up from the whips and are shoved into prison without any concern for their well being.

Act 16:24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. COMMENT: They were put in the inner prison where it would be all the more difficult for an escape to take place. But the greater the adversity the greater the opportunity to show the power of God.

Act 16:25 ¶ And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. COMMENT: Midnight is one of the prayer times observed daily by holy men. There is little knowledge of midnight being a prayer time in America where believers are not inclined to pray unceasingly as they ought to.

And when prayers are made, there ought to also be praises. For we ought to enter into the Spirit of prayer with thanksgiving and praise.

In Psalm 119:62 we are told: "AT MIDNIGHT I WILL RISE TO GIVE THANKS UNTO YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS." We ought to take note of the Lord's righteous judgments during the day and at midnight give thanks unto him for them. You can be sure Paul and Silas prayed for the Lord to righteously judge against the injustice of their being whipped and thrown into prison.

Act 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. COMMENT: This earthquake had a mind of its own, didn't it? It was A GREAT EARTHQUAKE! It didn't knock the prison down, but it shook its foundations sufficiently to cause all the doors to the prison to open, and strangely enough; the bands that held the prisoners were also loosed.

Act 16:27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing the prisoners had fled. COMMENT: The keepers of prisons in those days were held accountable with their own lives if prisoners escaped. So the keeper of the prison was about to kill himself with his own sword.

Act 16:28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm: for we are all here. COMMENT: How is it Paul could know the Jailer was going to kill himself except he saw it in the Spirit.

Act 16:29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, COMMENT: We find the Jailer in need of a light to find Saints Paul and Silas. It is literally and spiritually true. The Jailer no doubt had also heard Paul and Silas singing praises in the beauties of holiness in the anointing of God and knew they were responsible for the earthquake.

Act 16:30/31 And brought them out, and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your household." COMMENT: God reached into his tool box and pulled out A GREAT EARTHQUAKE and gave the Jailer an attitude readjustment. He now spoke with respect to the two holy men.

Act 16:32 And they spoke unto him the Word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. COMMENT: All of the Jailer's household were apparently there with him due to the earthquake, and heard the Word of the Lord with him; but for not more than an hour.

Act 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed [their] stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. COMMENT: Now the Jailer did what he ought to have done when the two men arrived. He washed their wounds from the whips and then was baptized, him and all his household right away. They were wasting no time. The demostration of power and Spirit had the desired effect on them.

Act 16:34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his household. COMMENT: Now the Jailer has his spiritual house in order and in a spirit of rejoicing he set meat before the two holy men.

Act 16:35 ¶ And when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, "Let those men go." COMMENT: By now it was clear to the magistrates that the holy men they had dealt with unjustly had brought about the GREAT EARTHQUAKE. So they order them released.

Act 16:36 And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, "The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace." COMMENT: The Jailer told Paul they were free to go.

Act 16:37 But Paul said unto them, "They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast [us] into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out." COMMENT: Saint Paul spoke the truth in love to his new converts. The Romans had laws particularly for Roman citizens and Paul stood up for his rights as a Roman citizen putting the magistrates in a position of having to answer to higher authorities, possibly even Caesar in Rome.

Act 16:38 And the Sergeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard they were Romans.

Act 16:39 And they came and besought them, and brought [them] out, and desired [them] to depart out of the city. COMMENT: They besought the holy men meaning they pleaded with them. You see the mob has gone home, and the law is back in effect. The magistrates ought to have stood up for the law but they were menpleasers.

Act 16:40 And they went out of the prison, and entered into [the house of] Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. COMMENT: Saint Paul and Silas returned to Lydia's house who was also a new convert and when they were comforted, they departed. In this way, Paul and Silas showed themselves to be free men rather than demonstrate any fear of the magistrates; but so as to not provoke the fears of the magistrates, they did depart once they had made it clear they intended to exercise the freedom of Roman citizens in the jurisdiction of the magistrates where they would want to return at some future time for the preaching of the gospel.