Acts 5
However, a certain man, An·a·ni´as by name, together with Sap·phi´ra his wife, sold a possession
2 and secretly held back some of the price, his wife also knowing about it, and he brought just a part and deposited it at the feet of the apostles.
3 But Peter said: "An·a·ni´as, why has Satan emboldened you to play false to the holy spirit and to hold back secretly some of the price of the field?
4 As long as it remained with you did it not remain yours, and after it was sold did it not continue in your control? Why was it that you purposed such a deed as this in your heart? You have played false, not to men, but to God."
5 On hearing these words An·a·ni´as fell down and expired. And great fear came over all those hearing of it.
6 But the younger men rose, wrapped him in cloths, and carried him out and buried him.
7 Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 Peter said to her: "Tell me, did YOU [two] sell the field for so much?" She said: "Yes, for so much."
9 So Peter said to her: "Why was it agreed upon between YOU [two] to make a test of the spirit of Jehovah? Look! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."
10 Instantly she fell down at his feet and expired. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her alongside her husband.
11 Consequently great fear came over the whole congregation and over all those hearing about these things.
The WTS considers this a miraculous expression of the holy spirit, like speaking in tongues, healing people physically, and resurrecting the dead.
2/1/81 WT
p. 31 In the first century, Christians had miraculous operations of Jehovah’s holy spirit in some matters of judgment, such as in the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira. (Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor. 12:4-11) After miraculous gifts of the spirit ceased with the death of the apostles, Christians have not expected direct miraculous indications from heaven as to how a matter should be decided. (1 Cor. 13:8-13) Nevertheless, we still have what Jehovah’s Word says about proper conduct and how matters should be decided. We can, in effect, determine what has already been decided on a matter in the heavens. Admittedly, due to human imperfections, mistakes in judgment are made at times, but this only emphasizes even more the need to adhere closely to the instructions in Jehovah’s Word in handling matters so as to be assured that what is decided is what has already been decided in heaven.
