Answer: Jesus appeared to Paul (then called "Saul") to appoint him as a servant and witness of what Paul had seen of Jesus and of what Jesus would later show him. As a servant and witness of Jesus Christ, Paul was sent by Him to the Jews and to the Gentiles to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and to turn them from the power of Satan to God, (verses 16, 17 and 18).
MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
- Concerning darkness and light:
In Matthew 4:16, Jesus spoke of a prophecy about Himself: "the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
1 John 1:5-7: "This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the Truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin."
1 Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light."
1 Thessalonians 5:5: "You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness."
Ephesians 5:8-10: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and Truth) and find out what pleases the Lord."
2 Corinthians 4:6: "For God, Who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
- Concerning the power of Satan:
Jesus has power over the devil:
Acts 10:38: "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him."
Jesus will destroy him who holds the power of death:
Hebrews 2:14-15: "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."
God gives us the equipment to fight against Satan:
Ephesians 6:10-18: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of Truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Christ keeps believers safe from the evil one:
2 Thessalonians 3:3: "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one."
1 John 5:18-20: "We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One Who was born of God [Jesus] keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him Who is True. And we are in Him Who is True--even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the True God and Eternal Life."
