How was Philip taken away? (Acts 8:39)

“When they came up out of the water, the spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.” (Acts 8:39-40) 

Just how the spirit of God caught away Philip is not stated. It was evidently a miraculous transportation which Philip himself did not understand, and probably did not realize until he found himself at Azotus (about 19 miles away). 

It is important to remember that in the days following Pentecost, God assisted the early Church by giving them many gifts, including the gift of tongues (in order to spread the Gospel message to many lands) and the gift of healing (in order to demonstrate what the future kingdom of God would be like on earth). 

The days of the early Church were filled with miracles so it does not surprise us that this miraculous transportation by the spirit of God took place. The miracle, doubtless, not only served as an encouragement to Philip that his service was under the Lord’s supervision, but also his vanishing would have given the eunuch additional faith in what Philip had taught him, namely that God was with Philip and that he was being used, just as the angels had been used previously. 

To learn more about the purpose of the holy spirit today listen to, “Do We Have the Purpose of the Holy Spirit Backwards?”