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The sons of Sceva are exposed, and now everyone knows they are working for Satan himself.
Great reverence for the true God falls on the entire city and the name of Jesus is magnified.
Many unsaved people and backslidden Christians come to the Lord. The ripples of this event
spread throughout Asia.

Act 19:18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.

Believers who are out of fellowship with the Lord come and repent of their fear and apathy
toward the things of God. They also begin to tell of their involvement with witchcraft and
sorcery.

Act 19:19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and
burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty
thousand pieces of silver.

These books taught witchcraft, demon worship, seances and occult operations. This burning is
a monument to their renewed life. There were no printing presses then, so these were hand
written on scrolls.

Act 19:20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
So (houto kata: thus, by the same standard) mightily (kratos: power, strength) grew the word of
God and prevailed (ischuo: gained strength).

The Word of God began far behind the power and might of Diana and the religion of Ephesus.
But during a three-year period of time, the Word continues to grow until it overcomes and
prevails. Here Luke is making an analogy to the demon who overcame odds seven times worse
than himself. He first jumped on the seven, overcame them, and prevailed. The Word of God
also began against incredible odds, but over a period of time becomes dominant in Asia.
Because of the power accompanying the signs and wonders, the Word spreads. The purpose of
signs and wonders is to confirm the Word.

19:20 word, logos (log-oss); A transmission of thought, communication, a word of
explanation, an utterance, discourse, divine revelation, talk, statement, instruction, and
oracle, divine promise, divine doctrine, divine declaration. Jesus is the living logos (4:12);
and the Holy Spirit utters the spoken logos (1 Corinthians 2:13).

PAUL PURPOSES TO GO TO JERUSALEM

Act 19:21 When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had
passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I
must also see Rome."

Paul’s ministry does not end in Ephesus. In chapter 20, we see he returns after a few months to
admonish the pastors of the churches in this city. What has been fulfilled are the signs and