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In my opinion the fifth chapter of Acts ought to begin after Acts 4:31, because that is where the next story begins.
Here we see the contrast between Barnabas (Acts 4:32-37) and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). These two accounts do not seem to relate directly to the two works of Christ, although we may take heed to these as we ourselves plan and prepare ourselves for the work ahead.
Barnabas sold a field and gave the money to the apostles for the support of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 4:37 KJV). This was a prophetic act, because “the field is the world” (Matthew 13:38). Essentially, he was converting the world to its monetary value and placing its jurisdiction under the saints of the Most High (Daniel 7:27). The money represented the field itself.
Barnabas did not withhold any of the money for himself, because all things must be subjected to the rule of Christ.
By contrast, we read in the next chapter about Ananias and Sapphira, who also sold property but held back some of the money while claiming to give all of it to the apostles. Acts 5:1, 2 says,
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.
The implication is that they claimed to follow Barnabas’ example, but they lied about it. Perhaps they had received revelation to sell the property and to give it to the apostles, but they disobeyed. Without such revelation, they had the right to do whatever they wished with the property and would not have needed to lie about it. We read in Acts 5:3, 4,
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
Ananias then dropped dead, and he was buried immediately. His wife came home three hours later, and she too lied about the price of the property. She too dropped dead and was buried. Acts 5:11 concludes,
11 And great fear came over the whole church and over all who heard of these things.
This divine judgment seems harsh when viewed through the eyes of men. But God measured His judgment according to what they did on a prophetic level. This was about performing an act of faith that would establish “the restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). Barnabas did his part; Ananias and Sapphira were apparently called to provide the double witness to establish all things. In failing to provide that witness, the restoration of all things was postponed to our time.
In that sense, we see how these two stories speak into the two works of Christ. The first witness was accomplished in the time of the first work of Christ. The double witness is being accomplished in the time of the second work of Christ, where God is selling the world and giving it into the hands of the saints of the Most High.
Dr. Stephen Jones has been writing blog posts since 2005 on a variety of topics from Bible Studies to World News, and he has been writing books since 1992. Dr. Jones' most important writings came after God brought him back into the full-time ministry in 1991. It is here that all his earlier years of searching the Scriptures began to come into clear focus. He combines a knowledge of the Old and New Testaments with a personal revelation of God that began and developed during the "wilderness" period of his life, which he often refers to as God's True Bible College... Read More
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