PaulVision2

Paul's Temple Vision 2

In Part One of this study, we talked at length about Paul's far hence vision. We showed that by understanding what the "far hence" vision is, and when Paul got it, that it answers ALL of the questions bible believers have concerning things that they see happening in the church during the time of the book of Acts. We also discussed the fact that the book of Acts should never be considered a "doctrine" book because the only thing constant about the book of Acts is that it constantly changes.

Now first, let me say this. Paul is the first person in your bible saved by grace alone through faith alone and is the first person to be baptized into the body of Christ. He is the first member of the body of Christ. The body of Christ began with Paul and Paul's salvation in Acts chapter nine. Paul clearly verifies that in 1 Timothy, chapter one, verse 15 and 16.

The VERY MOMENT any individual heard and believed the gospel Paul preached, the moment that person trusted Jesus Christ as his only Saviour, at that moment, he was baptized by the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12:13, into the one and only body of Christ, right along with Paul and Timothy and Titus and everybody else from day one, in Acts Chapter Nine, who is in the same and the one and only body of Christ.

If there is any one passage that would prove that the body of Christ did not begin in Acts Chapter Two, it would be the truth of Galatians 2:7 which is the REVELATION truth of Galatians Chapter Four. That revelation was a MYSTERY and nobody knew it until Paul knew it. If there is any one passage that would prove that there are NOT two "heavenly bodies of Christ" and that the "church of the new body" or the "one new man" of the Acts 28 position is wrong, it would be the truth of Romans Chapter Eleven.

It is clear to a bible believer, that Peter offered the Kingdom in Acts Chapter Two and Three, to Jews in Jerusalem, on a Jewish Holy Day called Pentecost. That is crystal clear by comparing Acts 2:38 with Acts 3:18-24. That"s clear by comparing Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19,20 and 21, with 1 Peter 2:9.

It's also clear, to a bible believer, that Peter did not preach that Christ had died for his, yours or anybody else's sins, and neither did Stephen, Phillip, the 12 Apostles, or Peter, in Acts Chapter Ten. Peter did not preach that Christ died for his, yours or anybody else"s sins anywhere in the Book of Acts. Peter preached the baptism of repentance for the remision of sins, looking forward to a futue day of atonement. That message was not changed in Phililip's preaching to the man from Etheopia, nor was the salvation of that message changed when Peter preached to the Gentile Cornelius in Acts chapter ten.

It is clear from Galatians 2:7 that Paul had a different message than Peter did and it is also clear from Galatians Chapter Two that Peter knew NOTHING at all about it until Jesus Christ SENT Paul, Galatians 2:2, fourteen years later, to tell Peter about it. At that place in your bible, Paul's message is identified as "the gospel of the uncircumcision."

Now the only people in the WORLD that the word "uncircumcision" means anything to at all, are Jews who are circumcised. They are the only people in your bible, as far as I can see, who used the word to identify people who were DIFFERENT than they were. For instance:

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

So the only people in your bible who used the word "uncircumcision" were Jews who referred to themselves as "the Circumcision" and in your bible, the words are capitalized. Circumcision. Uncircumcision.

An example of the gospel of the circumcision, which the bible says, Galatians 2:7, was committed to Peter, is in James chapter two, verse 20 through 24. You can see it in five verses. An example of the gospel of the uncircumcision is in Romans chapter four, verse 1 through 5. You can see it in five verses.

Both gospels, the one in James and the one in Romans, are based on the justification of one man, Abraham. In the gospel of the circumcision in the book of James, James the apostle who wrote the book of James BEFORE he was killed by the sword in Acts chapter 12, says that Abraham was justified by works:

James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar"

James is making a reference to something that happened in Genesis, chapter 22, and it is very significant. Let"s read it:

Genesis 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

Genesis 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering"

Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Notice that the verse does not say that God will provide FOR himself a lamb, but will provide HIMSELF a lamb.

James says that Abraham was justified by works and he points to this as the work that Abraham did. At the time of Genesis 22, Abraham was already CIRCUMCISED. The covenant of circumcision was given in Genesis, chapter 17.

Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Genesis 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

So while James says that Abraham was justified by works, let"s look at what Paul says:

Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found"

Romans 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Well, WHEN did the scripture say that? It was BEFORE Abraham was circumcised.

Genesis 15:3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

Genesis 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

So already, here in Genesis chapter fifteen, Abraham is promised a child of his own who will be the heir. But the promises to Abraham go farther back than that:

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

So from here, from Genesis chapter twelve forward you have promises, promises, promises. It is about God"s purpose, and it is about God"s election. The seed line, the promises, the covenants of promise. Promises to Abraham, promises confirmed to Isaac, promises confirmed again to Jacob, who became Israel, who had children, who became the children of Israel. The COVENANTS (plural) of promise which were made to people to whom the promises pertained.

Now, flash forward and let"s find A REVELATION of A MYSTERY which was kept secret since the world began.

Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Galatians 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

This is revelation truth. This is information which was kept secret since the world began. Not only is the covenant made with Abraham in uncircumcision fulfilled in the singular promised SEED, but the covenant made with Abraham in circumcision is fulfilled in the same way. It was a mystery hidden in the scriptures:

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Paul uses an allegory in Galatians to show the Galatians this truth. The truth about two covenants:

Galatians 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

Galatians 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

Galatians 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

Galatians 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Paul says here that the Jerusalem which is above is the mother of us all. All of those Galatians who were Jews and Gentiles, who were called Greeks, were in the covenants of promise. Paul tells them that Jerusalem above is the mother of us all, and in Romans he says Abraham is their father:

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

So from the Galatians, to the Romans, there are some people out there who are the seed. And in Galatians, Jesus Christ has unraveled a MYSTERY which was hidden in the scriptures, pertaining to the salvation of these people. In other words the body of Christ was a mystery revealed to Paul and the salvation of SOME of the people who are in the body of Christ was hidden in the scriptures.

Galatians 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

When Paul says that the Galatians are the children of the promise, he is writing to all the churches of Galatia.

Galatians 1:2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:

These people are Jews, Jewish proselytes, and Gentiles, who are Greeks, who are IN the covenants of promise and they are referred to as the commonwealth of Israel. That is a contrast to people who were alien from Israel and strangers from the covenants, as in the book of Ephesians. Paul's message is called the gospel of the uncircumcision, which as we said before, is a word used only by people who are circumcised and which would only have meaning to people who KNEW ABOUT the Circumcision

The Priest of Jupiter in Acts 14:13 would not have a clue. He didn"t know it when Paul got there, and he didn"t know it when Paul left. The aliens from the commonwealth of Israel in Acts 14 did not hear a salvation message. They COULD have, if they had turned to God to hear the WORD of God and the word of God AT THAT TIME was in the synagogues of the Jews and to Jews and Gentiles who feared the God of Abraham, the commonwealth of Israel, people in the covenants of promise.

The book of Acts covers a period of time that we could say is equal to one generation. But that time period is a "time of promise," having to do with the "promises made to the fathers," as in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob being the father"s of the nation of Israel.

The one and ONLY body of Christ began in Acts chapter nine with the salvation of the Apostle Paul and was one hundred percent Jewish until the first Gentiles began to be saved. You can't pinpoint a verse in Paul's early ministry as to exactly when that was, but I think it is very significant that after Paul's first trip in Acts 13 and 14, he says:

Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

Now if Paul had used the word "uncircumcision" to the Priest of Jupiter in Acts 14 it would have been meaningless to him. The chances are equal that the Epicureans and the Stoics, the Greek philosophers at Mars Hill, in Acts 17, would not have been familiar with the word "uncircumcision" since they were not even familiar with the God of Abraham.

To a Jew, anybody who is not circumcised, is the uncircumcision, and they are called Gentiles. A man who was a proselyte, that is, had converted to the Jews religion, a man who feared the God of Abraham, in Galatians, Corinthians, Thessalonians or Romans, would have been a Gentile who was a Greek. In your bible there is ONE recorded exception to this.

Sergius Paulos, in Acts 13, is an Italian. Paul goes through the island and FINDS a Jew who is with the deputy of the country. This man would be IN the covenants of promise (Genesis 12:3, "I will bless them that bless thee") because he had blessed the seed of Abraham. The Jew was a bad seed but a seed nonetheless, and the Jew gets blinded and the Gentile gets saved.

His salvation then, is similar to the salvation of another Italian, Cornelius, in Acts chapter ten. Cornelius blessed the seed of Abraham and he was blessed with hearing Peter"s message. Cornelius heard ONE gospel and Sergius Paulos heard ANOTHER.

Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

All of the Gentiles who are in the ONE AND ONLY body of Christ in Galatians are Greeks, as in:

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

The ONE AND ONLY body of Christ then, in Galatia, was made up of Jews and Gentiles who are called Greeks. They are in the covenants of promise. The Gentiles in Galatia are not aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, they are allied with Israel. They are not strangers from the covenants of promise, they are IN the covenants of promise and Paul goes to great length, in the Galatian letter, as well as the later Roman letter, to explain these COVENANTS of promise.

All of these Gentiles in Galatians, in Thessalonians, in Corinthians and in Romans are Greeks. All Greeks are Gentiles. Anybody who is not a Jew is a Gentile and all Greeks are Gentiles. But NOT ALL Gentiles are Greeks.

The word for "Greeks" in Galatians 3:28 is the word "Hellas" and it literally means somebody from Greece, and by extension a Greek speaking person who is not a Jew. The part of your bible, beginning at Matthew and onward, was written in Greek. Greek, at the time was the language of education and of commerce and of culture and trade. It was the civilized, educated language of the world, in the same way English had become at the time the King James Bible was translated, and for the most part, the way it remains today.

So the Greek language, then, was the language of education. Generally speaking, if a person was educated he was educated in Greek. If he could read and write, he had learned to read and write Greek.

If you remember,in Daniel, Chapter Two, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon had a dream but he forgot it. He was told that Daniel, a Jew, could not only tell him the dream, but could interpret the meaning. Daniel, the prophet, told the King what the dream was and also told him the meaning of it. In the dream the King had seen a colossal statue. And it represented all the kingdoms of the world, from the time of Babylon, where Daniel"s people, the Jews, were in captivity, right on down to the coming of Jesus Christ and his everlasting kingdom. But I want to concentrate on the third kingdom mentioned in Daniel chapter two:

Daniel 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

That third kingdom is the kingdom of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great lived from 356 BC until 323 BC and he was the king of Macedonia by inheritance and of southwest Asia and Egypt, the Persian empire, by conquest. This is the third kingdom here in the verse in Daniel chapter two.

He conquered the world and Greek became the language of commerce, trade and education. He established great schools of learning. The most well known was the Alexandria, Egypt, school of literature, philosophy and art.

But the point I wanted to make here was that Greek was THE language of the first century, even though the Romans were in control at that time. It was the language spoken by the civilized world.

In your bible, during the time of the book of Acts, all of the people in the body of Christ who are not Jews, are Greeks. In Galatians 3:28 there are Greeks. We are talking in the flesh here, because in the body of Christ there is no difference. The Thessalonians are Jews and Greeks, according to Acts 17:4. The Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 12:13 who are baptized into the body of Christ are Jews and Greeks. The word Gentiles in the verse is literally Greeks, the same as all the others. The Romans are also Jews and Greeks and Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because IT is the power of God to save them in Romans 1:16.

But by the time of the book of Romans, Paul, at some point in time, was in the temple in a trance and received from the Lord a vision. The Lord had said that he would send Paul "far hence" to the Gentiles. So as Paul writes the book of Romans, which is at about the time of Acts chapter twenty, he says that he is DEBTOR to some other people, other than Greeks:

Romans 1:13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

Romans 1:14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

A Barbarian to a Jew is not a Greek. He is a foreigner. The Greeks seek wisdom, the bible says, but these Barbarians are unwise, Paul says. A Barbarian is a Gentile who is a foreigner. He is an alien from the commonwealth of Israel. He is not allied with Israel. He has no part in the covenants of promise:

Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Now our point here is WHEN did the Lord send Paul "far hence" from Israel, to the Gentiles? If Paul was a debtor to the Barbarians in Acts chapter nine when he was in Jerusalem he kept quiet about it. If he was a debtor to the Barbarians in Acts 12, he didn"t say so. In Acts 15 there is no mention of Barbarians.

These unwise Barbarians show up for the first time in the Roman letter, which was written at the time of Acts chapter 20. Later on, in Collosians 3:11 you also find some Barbarians and some Sythians who are not there in the book of Acts. Not mentioned in any of Paul's letters which were written during the time of the book of Acts and not mentioned in any of Paul's descriptions of the body of Christ during the time of the book of Acts.

Colossians 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

So at some point in time, Paul was in the Temple in Jerusalem, in a trance, and he received a vision from the Lord to go "far hence." I think it would help at this point to see if we can figure out what "far hence" means.

The word "far hence" in Acts 22:21 means "at a distance." It means afar off, or a great way off. And it can be used both literally and figuratively. Notice, for example, this verse:

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Now if "far hence" here is to be taken literally, then it doesn"t make sense. There was hardly a time in Paul's ministry when he was not literally "far hence" from Jerusalem. But if "far hence" means something more here, and it does, then it will be a good clue as to when Paul received this vision that he is talks about here in Acts 22.

Acts 22:21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

Far hence must mean not only far hence from Jerusalem, but FAR FROM the covenants of promise, and from the commonwealth of Israel, the people who were in the covenants of promise. Another clue about the vision are the words the Lord spoke to Paul in the vision, "make haste" and "get out quickly," referring to getting out of Jerusalem quickly.

Acts 22:18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

The only one of the five trips Paul made to Jerusalem during the book of Acts that will fit these instructions from the Lord to Paul, in which Paul could have obeyed, is the trip in Acts chapter eighteen. At no time, in the trips Paul made to Jerusalem in Acts 9, Acts 12, or Acts 15 did Paul "make haste" or "get out quickly" from Jerusalem.

In Acts chapter nine, Paul was "with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem," verse 28, and he "spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus" in verse 29.

Acts 9:28 And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.

Acts 9:29 And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.

And in addition to this, Paul says, in Galatians, that he stayed with Peter for 15 days.

Galatians 1:18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

In Acts chapter twelve, Barnabas and Paul take a collection to Jerusalem because of a food shortage which had been predicted by Agabas the prophet, and they evidently spend some period of time there. During that time, Herod the King kills James, the apostle, Peter is put in jail, and an angel sets him free. Also during that time, Herod Agrippa dies in Caesera. Acts 12:24 says that "the word of God grew and multiplied," and then Barnabas and Saul return to Antioch from Jerusalem, and bring John Mark with them.

The Acts 15 trip to Jerusalem is the trip Paul refers to in Galatians chapter two, and on the way, Paul brings great joy to those of Phenice and Samaria, when they declare that the Gentiles of Acts 13 and 14, the Greeks there, are being converted and in Jerusalem they declare ALL THINGS that God had done with them, to both the church at Jerusalem and to the apostles. (Acts 15:3-4)

Acts 15:3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.

Acts 15:4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

In Acts 22 and on, Paul stayed in jail in Jerusalem, and in Caesarea for over two years. So the only possible time Paul could have "been obedient to the heavenly vision" would have been the time of his trip Luke writes about in Acts 18:

Acts 18:20 When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;

Acts 18:21 But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

Acts 18:22 And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch.

This is the only trip, out of Paul's five trips that are written about, that he could have made haste and left Jerusalem quickly without talking about his testimony about the Lord. In all the others he certainly did talk about the Lord and his testimony, but the Lord"s instructions are very specific in this vision:

Acts 22:17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

Acts 22:18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

When Paul says, "it came to pass," he has left out a lot of details of things that had happened up to that time. It came to pass after a period of time, as in:

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

The testimony that Paul had concerning the Lord at that time then, must be that instead of continuing to go to the allies of Israel, the commonwealth of Israel, those in the covenants of promise, that he was now sent to aliens and strangers, people not in the covenants of promise. In other words, he was sent "far hence."

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

So these Ephesians, to whom Paul wrote the Ephesian letter, were aliens from Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise. These MUST be the far hence Gentiles, and in the case of these people they were in the very same town as the people who were IN the covenants of promise.

In Ephesians chapter one, verse 12 and 13 you can see the two groups of people. The "we" of verse twelve is obviously a different group of people than the "ye" of verse 13.

Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

It is clear from the passage that the we in verse 12 must be a different group of people than the ye of verse 13. Nowhere in any of Paul's epistles written earlier than the book of Ephesians does he address two different groups of people in this manner. So it seems that the we and the ye are two different groups of people. The aliens and the allies.

Now at the time Paul left Asia at the end of Acts 19 and went into Macedonia in Acts 20, these Ephesians had not "heard the word of truth" which they trusted to save them. At the time Paul left Asia he had spent a total of three years there. Look at what it says about it:

Acts 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Go back now to Acts 19 and look at the record of Paul's ministry in Ephesus:

Acts 19:10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

So the point is that it says that ALL heard the word both Jews and Greeks. People who were in the covenants of promise. But FAR HENCE from them, but in the SAME TOWN were idol worshippers who were ALIENS from the commonwealth of Israel and at the time Paul was in Asia they did not hear the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation. The reason we know that is because of what Paul says when he writes the Ephesian letter:

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

So Paul left Ephesus, went into Macedonia, came down into Greece, and in Corinth, at the time of Acts 20:3 he wrote the Roman letter and in Romans he says:

Romans 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Romans 15:29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

The clear indication is that Paul has completed the phase of his ministry called "the gospel of Christ." Later, from prison in Rome, he writes to the Phillipians, who are in Macedonia, and thanks God for their fellowship in the gospel from the first day:

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

Philippians 1:4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

Philippians 1:5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

But in Phillipians 4:15 notice the phrase, "the beginning of the gospel."

Philippians 4:15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.

Paul says that a "gospel" began. I believe that this beginning can be understood in the same way you can understand Peter"s use of the same word:

Acts 11:15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.

I believe that when Peter uses the word "beginning" when he is defending his trip to the home of Cornelius in Acts chapter ten, to the Jews in Acts chapter 11, that he is using the word in the sense of the whole context of Acts Chapter Two, "at the beginning." I believe that when Paul uses the word here, he is using it in the context of the events of Acts 19 and 20. It is a commencement. That's what the word literally means.

I believe that the gospel which Paul says began when he departed from Macedonia is the "gospel of the grace of God" which he announces for the very first time in your bible to the elders of the church of Ephesus when he meets with them on his way to Jerusalem in Acts 20:24:

Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

In your bible, up to this point, you have never seen the phrase, "the gospel of the grace of God." And that explains what Paul says in Ephesians Chapter three:

Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

Ephesians 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

Now don't you think that it's a little strange for Paul to make a statement like that in view of the fact that he has just spent three years preaching the word in Asia and that all Asia heard the word, both Jews and Greeks? The clear implication is that these Ephesians, those in Ephesians 1:13 HAD NOT HEARD OF IT, or at least didn"t understand it, and Paul is writing and telling them that the gospel they have NOW concerns a MYSTERY which has never been known up until this time:

Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

When he says "of the SAME body" he is talking about an already existing body of Christ. The body of Christ that began with Paul on the road to Damascus and now includes Paul and Titus and Timothy and ALL THE JEWS and ALL THE GENTILES, who are called Greeks, who heard Paul's gospel, the gospel of Christ, and believing it, trusted in Christ.

In other words, Paul is writing to the Ephesian Gentiles, these aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, these strangers from the covenants of promise, to make them know who they are and what they are in Christ. And to make them see what is the FELLOWSHIP OF THE MYSTERY. The mystery, not of Christ. That"s already been told. But the mystery of the gospel. A mystery that was hid, not in the scriptures, but HID IN GOD before the foundation of the world. But it is now revealed in the "gospel of the grace of God, in the "dispensation of the grace of God."

Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Ephesians 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Paul had spent a lot of time in Ephesus, but so had Timothy. From prison in Rome, look at what Paul writes:

1 Timothy 1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

The doctrine Paul refers to is obviously the doctrine that Timothy learned from Paul. As we have said, it is probable that Timothy never heard or read anything that Peter ever said or spoke. But look at this:

1 Timothy 1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

Now Paul never dealt with fables, but he did use one allegory in Galatians to clearly show the TWO covenants of promise to those of the commonwealth of Israel. And he spends a great deal of time preaching about genealogy. He writes a great deal about genealogy in Galatians and also in Romans, especially about Abraham.

Romans 4:9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also" for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

Now, as Paul writes the Roman letter, at the time of Acts 20, we know that he is writing to Gentiles. He says so in Romans 1:13 and again in Romans 11:13. But these Gentiles call themselves Jews, and they boast in the Law, as in Romans chapter two, and verse 17. So here, once again, just as he did in the book of Galatians, he unravels the MYSTERY of Abraham"s justification:

Romans 4:10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

Romans 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

So here, by once again explaining the TWO covenants to these Gentiles in Rome, who are Greeks, (the gospel of Christ, Romans 1:16, is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,) he is showing these Gentiles in Rome who call themselves Jews and boast in the Law, and who have been graffed in to the Olive tree of Romans 11, that the righteousness of God that they are seeking is by the faith of Jesus Christ and that it is unto all, and upon all that believe.

This tells me, if anything, that Peter"s ministry and message is not in view at all at this time. It appears that Peter"s ministry and message have been concluded during the time of Acts 16 and 17, the time in which Paul was forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, or in Bithynia. Instead Paul preached in Europe during that time.

I believe that Peter and John"s ministry have been concluded by the letter writing ministry of 1 and 2 Peter and the book of Revelation which most probably, was written much earlier than religious tradition thinks. If not, then wouldn't they be guilty of preaching "another gospel," as in Galatians 1:9? So Paul says to the Romans:

Romans 15:20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:

But Paul also says that he has "fully preached the gospel of Christ" and he has written boldly to the Romans:

Romans 15:15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,

Now Paul refers to the fact that these Romans have "obeyed from the heart THAT FORM of doctrine that WAS delivered to you" in chapter six and verse 17. But, Paul magnifies his office, as in Romans 11:13, and preaches to these people in the Olive tree, the gospel of Christ. Peter"s ministry is over, at this time, and the only thing going on is the gospel of Christ and the church, the body of Christ.

But in 1 Timothy he tells Timothy to charge some to NOT give heed to such things as genealogy. Why? Because in Ephesus you have people who would know Jewish genealogy but you also now have these aliens who wouldn't know it and he says it would minister questions for them rather than godly edifying which is in faith. Abraham and the two covenants are never mentioned after the book of Romans.

In other words, now the name of Jesus Christ has been established. The fact that he is the son of God has been established and the resurrection from the dead has been established. Look at what he says in 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

So now the covenants of promise, which had been so important to establish in Galatians are not the issue any more. We now know Jesus Christ as our risen, ascended and glorified Lord and Saviour. We no longer know him after the flesh going back through David to Abraham as a physical human being.

Now, at the time Paul writes 1 Timothy, he says:

1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Why does Paul say that this truth is to be testified in due time? If Paul went "far hence" in Acts Chapter Nine and was testifying the gospel of the grace of God to all men, as some believe, then why does Paul say that it is to be testified in due time? It must be because prior to Paul's "beginning of the gospel" in Phillipians 4:15 that the fact that Christ had died on the cross for ALL MEN was NOT being testified. Not that Paul didn"t know it, but that he simply was not saying it at an earlier time.

The fact is that before, only two groups of people were involved, and they were people who were either Jews or allies of Israel, the commonwealth of Israel. People in the covenants of promise:

Romans 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

1 Corinthians 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

1 Corinthians 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

1 Corinthians 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians 12:13 notice:

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

The word for Gentiles in 1 Corinthians 12:13 is the same word used in all the other verses above. It is the distinctive word which is Greeks. Remember that anybody who is not a Jew is a Gentile. All Greeks are Gentiles. But all Gentiles are not Greeks.

In Acts 13 when Paul says "we turn to the Gentiles," who does he say it to? Well, he"s not talking to the church the body of Christ and he is not establishing a "far hence" vision doctrine here. He is talking to Jews. He is talking to circumcised Jews:

Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Paul is telling circumcised, pork abstaining Jews that he is turning to the Gentiles. To that Jew, anybody who is NOT ONE OF THEM is a Gentile. Actually, what Paul does is to quote a portion of a passage from Isaiah 49:5-6 when he says:

Acts 13:47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

What Paul says to the Jews in Acts 13 is not evidence of a "far hence" vision. And the same holds true for what Paul said to the Jews in Corinth in Acts 18. Let"s look at it:

Acts 18:5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

Acts 18:6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

Once again, when Paul says he is going to the Gentiles, he is talking to circumcised Jews, and to those Jews, anybody who is not a circumcised Jew is a Gentile and once again Paul is provoking them, as in the book of Romans, Romans 11:14 TO EMULATION. The word means to excite or to stimulate as in rivalry. In other words, Paul wanted them to be saved. Instead of a far hence vision here:

Acts 18:7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.

Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

The very next man to get saved is not a far hence Gentile, it is Crispus, the CHIEF RULER of the synagogue. The provoking worked and Crispus became part of the remnant Paul referred to in Romans:

Romans 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

There are those who were in the covenants of promise and those who were aliens from the covenants of promise. The Gentiles in Galatians were in the covenants of promise. The Gentiles in Ephesians, not in Ephesus, but in the Ephesian letter, were aliens from Israel. They were not in the covenants of promise.

Israel had FALLEN during the time of the book of Acts but they had not yet been CAST AWAY. The book of Acts then is the record of God"s dealing with Israel, especially the commonwealth of Israel. It is a time of promise, so to speak. There was a remnant whom God foreknew would hear Paul's gospel, not the gospel of the kingdom, and be saved by grace through faith and be members of the ONE AND ONLY body of Christ. At that time there was a "remnant, according to the election of grace."

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

It was God"s purpose, through Paul, to gather those people whom he foreknew would be saved. Hence Paul consistently preached in the synagogues of the Jews. From Acts chapter nine all the way through Acts 19, in place after place Paul is found in the synagogues of the Jews. In there, he found Jews and God-fearing Gentiles and he preached to them the gospel of Christ.

At a point in time, he had fully preached the gospel of Christ, and he was sent far hence and the gospel of the grace of God began. The dispensation of the grace of God began. The gospel of the grace of God is simply Paul's same message he preached all along, the gospel of Christ unto all men. No longer to the Jew first and also to the Greek but the due time message that Christ gave himself a ransom for ALL and that God would have ALL men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth.

The gospel of the grace of God had a BEGINNING in the time frame of Acts 19 and Acts 20. Paul evidently was told to make haste, get out of Jerusalem quickly and go far hence, in a trance in the Temple, in Jerusalem, during his trip there in Acts 18:

It is evident that that is the case because when Paul goes back to Jerusalem and goes into the temple it turns out to be Jews from ASIA who charge Paul with bringing a Greek into the temple and further evidence is the attitude of the Jews when Paul speaks one word: Gentiles

Acts 22:1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

Acts 22:2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
   And Paul gives them an account of his conversion and how he saw the Lord. Then:

Acts 22:17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

Acts 22:18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

Acts 22:21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

Acts 22:22 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.

The word was Gentiles. The Jews knew all about the Greeks. But the idea that far hence Gentiles could be saved was more than they could stomach. So Paul became the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles:

Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

Ephesians 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

Now we all know the gospel of your salvation. We all know where to turn in our bibles to show, very simply, our salvation message:

1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

When Christ died on the cross, did he not die for all sins of all men. Yes he did. But you can't know that until you are told that, and the Ephesians to whom Paul wrote the Ephesian letter were not told that until after the time of Acts 20, until AFTER the beginning of the gospel in Phillipians 4:15.

The dispensation of the gospel, as in 1 Corinthians 9:17 began on the road to Damascus, and will end at the rapture of the church. Within that period is the gospel of God, which everyone must believe before they can believe the gospel of Christ, that Christ, who is the virgin born, resurrected son of God, died for our sins, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. The gospel of Christ was preached to the Jew first and also to the Greek until Paul had fully preached the gospel of Christ. So the gospel of the grace of God, Acts 20:24, IS the gospel of Christ unto all men in the dispensation of the grace of God.

The beginning of the "mystery of the gospel" is identified in Phillipians 4:15. Saul was a "young man" in Acts 7:58, and from there he grew to be Paul the aged in Philemon verse 9. And he said to Timothy, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (that he mentioned in Acts 20:24) I have kept the faith.

I am sure that many, many people came into the body of Christ. There is no way of knowing how many, but I believe that many of those Gentiles, who called themselves Jews, in the Olive tree in the book of Romans, came into the body of Christ. And I believe that many others did too, when Paul went to Rome. When Paul arrived, as a prisoner, in Rome, watch the first thing he did:

Acts 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans

So, true to form, Paul once again, as he always did, goes to the Jew first. Now watch, and you will see what I believe is the final "remnant" Paul had written about in the book of Romans.

Acts 28:22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.

Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

Acts 28:24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

So once again, Paul has used the scriptures, where the gospel of Christ to Israel, was hidden. By the scriptures of the prophets he explained it to the Jews and it says some believed. I believe that this is the last of the remnant. It goes on to say:

Acts 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,

Acts 28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:

Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Paul has quoted from the book of Isaiah, Chapter Six, verse 9 and 10. This is the final "casting away" of the nation of Israel. Israel has become "loammi" or "not my people."

Hosea 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

All during the time period from Acts Nine onward, the body of Christ is being formed. Israel had fallen but they were not cast away. There was a remnant of Israel and people who were IN the covenants of promise who were being saved by Paul's gospel and being added to the one and ONLY church, the body of Christ.

But now, the salvation of God had been made known to "far hence" Gentiles. People like the Ephesians, people like you and me, who are aliens from Israel. People who were strangers from the covenants of promise. People who had no hope. Those in the book of Acts had hope. We had no hope and were without God in the world: Notice that now, Paul doesn"t even call them "men and brethren:"

Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

Acts 28:29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.

Acts 28:30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,

Acts 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Notice that it says that Paul received "all that came." The gospel of the grace of God is unto all men. God would have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Titus 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;