- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Nov 6, 2015 2:47:32 GMT -8
This is a short excerpt from notes on a very lengthy teaching by Ras S:
Galatians 1:15-16 (ESV) But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;
G1484 ἔθνος ethnos eth'-nos Probably from G1486; a race (as of the same habit), that is, a tribe; specifically a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by implication pagan): - Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
It sounds like it’s saying that Paul was called to the heathen even before he was born. It’s really important that you remember that Yisroel can be called “Goy” or Goyim (pl.), a.k.a. “Nations.” If you remember this it will keep you from falling into the Ephraimite Heresy also known as two-house theology. And it will help you understand what really happened with the gentiles in the first century and with Paul’s ministry.
Exodus 19:6 (ESV) “and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
The word nation there is Goy! Once we understand that then every time we see that Paul was preaching to the “goyim” it doesn’t always mean he was preaching to the Gentiles. “But what about Acts 14:1-2?”
Acts 14:1-2 (ESV) Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
“See, there were great multitudes of Gentiles that were saved!” Look closely at what it says and think; they spoke at the local synagogue. The synagogues weren’t that big either. Also notice it says vast multitudes of Jews too. You have to point that out because the premise that the church has been putting forth is that the Jews rejected Jesus and so Paul went to the Gentiles and they came into the faith by huge numbers.
Truth is, neither of those ideas is actually right; no vast multitude got saved in Iconium, Jew or Gentile. The word multitude there in Greek is plethos and it can also mean the “assemblage”: Vines, Plethos: the whole number, the whole multitude, the assemblage. The historian Strabo who lived during that time (64/63 BC – 24 AD)) said that Iconium was a “small place” (xii. p.568).
“Then why does it say “multitudes” in the New Testament?” It says “plethos” an assemblage. So do you see what happened there with the translators? The Church Fathers and the translators all want the New Testament so badly to say that the Jews rejected Jesus and the Gentiles welcomed him with open arms by the millions, and they have brainwashed all Christianity to take this view. Yes, you have to look at it through Jewish eyes to pick it out, but it’s there if you care to look. If you want to read a Jewish book with Gentile eyes, you can make it say whatever you want. We’ve got plenty of Gentile biblical exposition out there right now, we don’t need any more. We need to start looking at it from a Jewish perspective because that’s who wrote the book.
Galatians 1:16a (ESV) was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,
Wow, he got saved and was called to the Gentiles. But remember, that can also mean nations, which would include Yisroel. We’re taught in Bible School he was called to the Gentiles at the point of salvation; here’s their proof text:
Acts 26:14-17 (ESV) And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you.
“Delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you” sounds like more of a reassurance that God will protect him. Even if this is not the case, however, the most that can be said here is Rav Sha’ul was sent to both the Jews and the Gentiles.
But the church says “See, right there at his point of conversion, he received his calling!” Well, what does he actually do?
Acts 9:18-20 (ESV) And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
He was in Damascus, a Gentile country; Gentiles everywhere you looked as far as the eye could see- and he beelines for the Synagogue. If I had just gotten Saved and I felt I had a calling to the Swiss; and say there I was in Switzerland and the mission field was right out my front door, I think I’d go talk to the Swiss outside. I don’t think I’d go to the local American hangout and preach to them. Yet we’re to believe that there’s this huge calling on his life to reach out to the Gentiles, and he ignores them and goes to Synagogue to win them over instead.
One may say, well, he was supposed to go to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. If that’s true, which it is, then his calling is to the Jews. If I was to say that my calling is to the Swiss first and then to the Chinese, guess who I’m called to. I’m called to the Swiss! If I meet some Chinese while I’m in Switzerland and there’s no other Swiss around, I’m all theirs. It’s really that simple.
We’ve been taught by the Church to over complicate matters so that they can force feed us their line of religion that is contrary to the text book they're trying to teach us from. I’m not saying the Church isn’t getting anything right, but that’s the problem, we’re not supposed to settle for their getting some things right.
Galatians 1:15-16 (ESV) But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;
G1484 ἔθνος ethnos eth'-nos Probably from G1486; a race (as of the same habit), that is, a tribe; specifically a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by implication pagan): - Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
It sounds like it’s saying that Paul was called to the heathen even before he was born. It’s really important that you remember that Yisroel can be called “Goy” or Goyim (pl.), a.k.a. “Nations.” If you remember this it will keep you from falling into the Ephraimite Heresy also known as two-house theology. And it will help you understand what really happened with the gentiles in the first century and with Paul’s ministry.
Exodus 19:6 (ESV) “and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
The word nation there is Goy! Once we understand that then every time we see that Paul was preaching to the “goyim” it doesn’t always mean he was preaching to the Gentiles. “But what about Acts 14:1-2?”
Acts 14:1-2 (ESV) Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
“See, there were great multitudes of Gentiles that were saved!” Look closely at what it says and think; they spoke at the local synagogue. The synagogues weren’t that big either. Also notice it says vast multitudes of Jews too. You have to point that out because the premise that the church has been putting forth is that the Jews rejected Jesus and so Paul went to the Gentiles and they came into the faith by huge numbers.
Truth is, neither of those ideas is actually right; no vast multitude got saved in Iconium, Jew or Gentile. The word multitude there in Greek is plethos and it can also mean the “assemblage”: Vines, Plethos: the whole number, the whole multitude, the assemblage. The historian Strabo who lived during that time (64/63 BC – 24 AD)) said that Iconium was a “small place” (xii. p.568).
“Then why does it say “multitudes” in the New Testament?” It says “plethos” an assemblage. So do you see what happened there with the translators? The Church Fathers and the translators all want the New Testament so badly to say that the Jews rejected Jesus and the Gentiles welcomed him with open arms by the millions, and they have brainwashed all Christianity to take this view. Yes, you have to look at it through Jewish eyes to pick it out, but it’s there if you care to look. If you want to read a Jewish book with Gentile eyes, you can make it say whatever you want. We’ve got plenty of Gentile biblical exposition out there right now, we don’t need any more. We need to start looking at it from a Jewish perspective because that’s who wrote the book.
Galatians 1:16a (ESV) was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,
Wow, he got saved and was called to the Gentiles. But remember, that can also mean nations, which would include Yisroel. We’re taught in Bible School he was called to the Gentiles at the point of salvation; here’s their proof text:
Acts 26:14-17 (ESV) And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you.
“Delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you” sounds like more of a reassurance that God will protect him. Even if this is not the case, however, the most that can be said here is Rav Sha’ul was sent to both the Jews and the Gentiles.
But the church says “See, right there at his point of conversion, he received his calling!” Well, what does he actually do?
Acts 9:18-20 (ESV) And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
He was in Damascus, a Gentile country; Gentiles everywhere you looked as far as the eye could see- and he beelines for the Synagogue. If I had just gotten Saved and I felt I had a calling to the Swiss; and say there I was in Switzerland and the mission field was right out my front door, I think I’d go talk to the Swiss outside. I don’t think I’d go to the local American hangout and preach to them. Yet we’re to believe that there’s this huge calling on his life to reach out to the Gentiles, and he ignores them and goes to Synagogue to win them over instead.
One may say, well, he was supposed to go to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. If that’s true, which it is, then his calling is to the Jews. If I was to say that my calling is to the Swiss first and then to the Chinese, guess who I’m called to. I’m called to the Swiss! If I meet some Chinese while I’m in Switzerland and there’s no other Swiss around, I’m all theirs. It’s really that simple.
We’ve been taught by the Church to over complicate matters so that they can force feed us their line of religion that is contrary to the text book they're trying to teach us from. I’m not saying the Church isn’t getting anything right, but that’s the problem, we’re not supposed to settle for their getting some things right.
