Neville Goddard on Acts 9:1-9 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Acts 9 in context

Scripture Focus

1And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

2And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

3And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5And 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.

6And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

7And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

8And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

9And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

Acts 9:1-9

Biblical Context

Saul pursues the disciples with zeal, bearing letters for Damascus to seize them. A blinding light and a voice from heaven reveal Jesus, prompting his surrender; he is led into Damascus blind for three days while awaiting further instruction.

Neville's Inner Vision

Saul represents a militant, outward-directed mind that trusts force; the road to Damascus is the mind’s turning point. The sudden light is the eruption of consciousness—the I AM shining within, displacing long-held beliefs that persecuted truth. When the voice declares I am Jesus, it is not a distant event but the inner Christ waking as your own awareness. To persecute this way is to resist the new teaching; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks is the echo of the ego’s stubborn resistance. Saul’s question, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? marks surrender to inner guidance. The command to arise, and go into the city signifies following the inner directive into a new state of being; it shall be told thee what thou must do reveals that the next steps come from within, not from men. The three days of blindness symbolize a period of inner stillness and purification, widening perception beyond sight. The conversion completes when the mind recognizes that the I AM within is Jesus, and guidance flows from that inward light.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Close your eyes and assume the I AM is the light shining in you as the source of guidance. Feel yourself led by inner light into your own Damascus, trusting that the next instruction appears as you yield.