Kingdom Come

“Now they [Jewish believers] which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen [in Jerusalem] travelled as far as Phenice [Lebanon], and Cyprus, and Antioch,

• preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only….
• when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians…

a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” (Acts 11)

Supercessionist theologians consider this to be the flashing red sign that God replaced the Jews with the Gentiles.

But the Jewish believers were “preaching the word”. And what would that be? At this time, only the Old Testament – describing its way of salvation.

1. Christ-ian is simply the English translation
2. for the Greek word Χριστιανός  which is a combination of ιαν / one and Χριστός which is simply the Greek translation
3. for the Hebrew word Messiah / Anointed One.

So the Acts 11 text announcing the new identification label of “Christian” is not a doctrinal signal. A right hermeneutical, unbiased, unprejudiced analysis of this passage alerts us to the expanding population of Greek-only speakers within the ranks of Hebrew-literate believers.

In history as well as in the Bible, the label is only applied to Greek speaking Gentile believers in Jesus Christ, never to Jewish believers in Jesus as the Messiah.

Peter only uses the term once, and that in a questionable context.

• “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters – i.e. as a rebel against the Roman government. 
• Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” (I Peter 4:14-16)

It may be assumed that being reproached for the name of Christ and suffering as a Christian are equivalent experiences. However, a proper grammatical  reading is to treat “reproached for the name of Christ” as a contrary experience from “suffer as a Christian”. Look at the separation of the two terms by the phrasing following “But” and “yet”.

A straightforward parsing of this paragraph indicates that Christians, like Jewish Zealots, were murdering, thieving, doing evil things, and busybodying into social activism against Jesus Christ’s instructions. And this impression, and Peter’s recommended response to it, is supported by Paul.

“Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife…contention, not sincerely…What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18)

Paul never using the term “Christian” in any of his voluminous writings.

We must therefore conclude that Paul did not construct a new Gentile religion called Christianity on the rubble of Judaism.

It takes time for new converts to mature in the faith. It also takes time, attention, and interest by the new converts. Until that could happen, Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles gathered leaders of his mission churches from the scripturally literate Jews at the synagogues.

So it wasn’t until much later in Paul’s ministry that there were Gentile proselytes who Paul could begin to coach into leadership positions within the entire body of believers in Jesus as the Christ.

“Paul…came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila…with his wife Priscilla…he abode with them…And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks…and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. 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 [in this city, to teach them to teach others]. And he departed [from the synagogue] and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. 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…And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” (Acts 18:1-11)

Paul’s curse on the blasphemous Jews applied only to those blasphemous Jews in Corinth, not even all the Jews in Corinth as demonstrated by Crispus. At his next pit stop he again followed his standard procedure of starting a new work with the Jews.

“Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus...And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus…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.” (Acts 19:1-10)

Yes, but Paul did say he received special revelation from Jesus about his gospel to the Gentiles, didn’t he? Let’s examine that passage in Galatians 1 hermeneutically.

• “the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it”
  • This accords with Paul receiving the gospel message from the Old Testament, as “the holy scriptures…are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ…Preach the word;” (II Timothy 3:15-17, 4:
• “but by the revelation of Jesus Christ…that I might preach him among the heathen; 
  • Three times Paul gives a detailed account of Jesus revealing himself to him. He consistently reports that Jesus’ message was not doctrinal, what we call the gospel of salvation, but strictly marching orders.
    • In Acts 9 “he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? I am Jesus…And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?…bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel…
      • Paul’s vision is confirmed, as required, by a second witness. “said the Lord in a vision [to] Ananias…enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for…he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake…”
    • In Acts 22 “I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?…I am Jesus…And I said, What shall I do, Lord?…
      • The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will,
      • and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
      • For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard…I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.”

In this second account, it is impossible that Saul’s only experience with seeing and hearing Jesus would be in future special visions. The qualifications for being an apostle were clearly laid out as being one who “companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22) This would be accounted for by Saul being one of the Pharisees hounding Jesus during his ministry, therefore he did both “see that Just One…and hear the voice of his mouth.” How else could Paul verify his vision on the road to Damascus as being truly the Lord Jesus? And the third account supports this logical deduction.

• • In Acts 26 “fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me…Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?…I am Jesus…I have appeared unto thee for this purpose,
    • to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen [in the past], AND of those things in the which I will appear unto thee [in the future,]
    • Delivering thee from the people / the Jews, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

In this last account Paul’s report includes deliverance from the endless threat to his life by both Jews and Gentiles, which began immediately after his conversion.

1. Acts 9 in Damascus: And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues…And the Jews took counsel to kill him:
2. Act 9: in Jerusalem: And when Saul was come…he disputed against the Grecian-acculturated philosophy adulterated sect of liberal Jews: but they went about to slay him. Note, these are not the fundamentalist Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah based on Old Testament scripture.
3. Acts 14: in Iconium…there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use  despitefully, and to stone them.
4. Acts 14 they fled unto Lystra and Derbe…And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

Paul was magnified many years later as the “the founder of Christianity” – which supposedly began on the Day of Pentecost long before he was involved. But in his lifetime he was virtually excluded by the Messianic Jewish leaders at Jerusalem.

“when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in / through me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately

• I conferred not with…them which were apostles before me…
• after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter [clearly lobbying for the Gentiles against the Judaizer faction]…
• other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother…
• these who seemed to be somewhat…in conference added nothing to me…must be referring to the Acts 15 conference, as we saw his testimony was brushed aside.]

James, Cephas / Hebrew translation for Peter, and John, who seemed to be pillars…gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship;

1. that we should go unto the heathen,
2. and they unto the circumcision.” (Galatians 1:15-20, 2:9)

Do you see the apartheid being established? The body of believers in Jesus Christ in its formative years was a Jewish sect desiring to maintain a distinctly Jewish identity, with Gentile converts being pressured to become Jews.

Paul’s letter to his first mission churches, established in Galatia during his first mission journey, relentlessly projects Paul’s ostracism from the main body of believers because he promoted Gentile spiritual equality with Jewish believers, without conversion to Judaism by circumcision and keeping the entirety of law of Moses to the Jews. It is easy to interpret Galatians as Christian doctrine versus Judaism which passed away at the cross, but note – the same passages clearly show that all the Jewish believers in Jesus, the apostles included – DID continue to require circumcision and keeping the law of Moses FOR JEWISH BELIEVERS.

“I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also...and communicated unto them [the Jewish leaders of the church at Jerusalem] that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain [be over-ruled by the majority rule].

because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our [Gentile] liberty [from this practice] which we [associating himself with his Gentile converts] have in Christ Jesus, that they [Jewish believers] might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you…

“when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself…And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him [pretended they never ate with Gentiles].

But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all [not only embarrassing him but disrespecting his high status in the group], If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:1-16

^“As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ [by the Jews insisting on Jewish purity in that sect]…

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:12-16)

Paul’s ostracism PROVES no “Gentile” church existed in the Acts of the Apostles.

There was only a Jewish sect that, reluctantly and hesitantly, associated somewhat with Gentile believers in the Jewish Savior.

It is highly significant that, while encouraging Gentiles to identify with God’s people without full conversion to Judaism, Paul himself never relinquished his Israelite – nor Pharisee – identity.

“I also am [present tense] an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” (Romans 11:1)

“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;” (Philippians 3:4-5)

“among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come.” (Acts 26)

But what about that verse that says that “Christ is the end of the law?” Put it in context! This is written to those who ignorantly thought that salvation could come through following the law.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

• For Christ / The Messiah / Anointed Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:25, 29) is the end of the law requiring a substitute animal blood sacrifice  
  • “My time is at hand; I will keep the passover And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of ME.
    • Instead of the Passover of Egypt
  • And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26, Luke 22)
• for [establishing God’s] righteousness to every one that believeth…For the scripture saith…there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:1-13)