PaulVision4

Paul's Temple Vision 4

We all see and agree that the Apostle Paul had a ministry and a message that is clearly different from that of the twelve. We see, from scripture, that Paul was the first member, and the pattern for all other members of the church, the body of Christ. Since Paul was saved on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter nine, and since he is the pattern of salvation for the church, then we all agree that Paul is the first member of the church, the body of Christ. So, the message to the church, the body of Christ, is found exclusively in Paul's epistles, Romans through Philemon.

Some of us have assumed that Paul was in the temple in a trance in Acts chapter nine and had a vision. If the assumption is wrong, nothing changes but our assumption. The one and only body of Christ doesn't change. The beginning of the body of Christ doesn't change. The salvation message to the body of Christ doesn't change. The eternal security of the body of Christ doesn't change. The membership of the church, the body of Christ doesn't change. The one baptism doesn't change. Nothing changes, at all, doctrinally speaking, concerning the one and only church, the body of Christ. The only thing that changes, if we find that our assumption is wrong, is our assumption.

Now the assumption is this: That Paul wanted to "launch" his ministry from Jerusalem. So, three years after Paul was saved, on the road to Damascus, Paul went back to Jerusalem, in order that he could "launch his ministry from Jerusalem." When he got back to Jerusalem, three years after he was saved, in Acts chapter nine, Paul was in the temple in Jerusalem and was in a trance and heard the Lord say to him:

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

The reason that we say that it is an ASSUMPTION that this vision occurred in Acts chapter nine, is simply because the King James Bible does not say that it occurred in Acts chapter nine.

When you read about the vision, you read about it in Acts chapter 22, and in Acts chapter 22 Paul is telling an angry mob in Jerusalem about the vision he had. He does not say that he had the vision at the time of Acts chapter nine. What he does say is this:

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;

Nowhere in the King James Bible does it say that this vision occurred when Paul "was come to Jerusalem" at the time of Acts chapter nine. Now in all fairness to those who believe that Paul DID have this vision in Acts chapter nine, let me say this: The King James Bible does not say that the vision occurred in Acts chapter nine. BUT, it also does not say that the vision occurred at any other time during the book of Acts. That is, during any other of the trips Paul made to Jerusalem, which are recorded in the book of Acts. The bible doesn"t say WHICH TRIP it was in which Paul had this vision.

It seems that everybody agrees that there are some difficult passages in the book of Acts, as well as in the books written by Paul during the time period of the book of Acts. The only question that needs to be answered here is this: If, in fact, Paul's vision was at some other time, other than Acts chapter nine, and we find that to be true, based on the evidence of the King James Bible, will that help, or will it harm, our understanding of the bible?

If Paul didn"t get the instructions to go "far hence" until the time of Acts chapter eighteen, then there was a reason for it. We think that there was a very important reason for it. It is for THAT reason that there are things in the book of Acts and in Paul's epistles written during that time that are difficult, and hard to explain, if we assume he was sent "far hence" in Acts chapter nine. Now let's go to the book of Ephesians and please read with me:

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:

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

There are several things here that we need to note. First of all, Paul calls attention to the fact that certain people are CALLED something by other people who are CALLED something else. In this case, ANYBODY who is not a law abiding, pork abstaining, circumcised Jew is called THE UNCIRCUMCISION. They are called that by people who are circumcised.

Nobody in the bible, that I have been able to find, who was NOT a circumcised Jew, ever went around calling himself "the uncircumcision." People who did call other people that were people who were circumcised Jews. Gentiles, in the bible, never refer to themselves, as far as I can see, as "the uncircumcision." So the very terminology, the very use of the words, are always in a particular context. In the King James Bible, the words are capitalized: Circumcision, and Uncircumcision.

In verse twelve, Paul says that the people he is writing to were "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel." Now in order for that to make sense, it must mean that somewhere there were people who were NOT aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. Otherwise, it wouldn't make any sense for Paul to use the words. So from what Paul says in the verse, I can understand that IN TIME PAST, there were some people, that I should be able to find in my bible who were NOT aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, but instead were ALLIES WITH the commonwealth of Israel, and in order to be allied with the commonwealth of Israel, then there must have been something called THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL.

Notice that he also says, in verse thirteen, that these were 'sometimes far off." In one place in the book of Acts, Paul is talking to some Greeks, and he says that God is "not far" from any of them:

Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

In Galatianschapter two, Paul gives an account of a meeting which took place at the time of Acts chapter fifteen. That meeting came about because some people had come from Jerusalem down to Antioch and had tried to 'subvert" some people to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, telling them that they couldn"t be saved unless they did. So Paul goes to Jerusalem, he says, by revelation from the Lord:

Galatians 2:1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.

Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them 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.

That gospel Paul refers to here in the verse is called, the gospel of the uncircumcision:

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;

The very words in the King James Bible clearly show that Paul was preaching something different than Peter was. Your new translation won"t make this clear, and in fact, many of them go to a lot of trouble to disguise the fact, or eliminate the fact, so that you won"t be able to see that Paul's message is different from Peter's message.

But the point that I am making here is that there is, in existence at this time, something called "the commonwealth of Israel." If there is not such a thing as "the commonwealth of Israel" then why did the Lord tell Paul to go to Jerusalem" Jerusalem is the headquarters, evidently, of the "commonwealth of Israel." Webster's 1828 dictionary says that a commonwealth is "an established form of government" and also a "representative form of government." It is not a dominion, because a dominion is a 'sovereign or supreme authority', according to Webster.

We know that we are not dealing with a kingdom because the King is absent, he is gone into Heaven at this time, so what we have then is an established form of government, through the elders of the people, so to speak, of the commonwealth of Israel. During the time of the book of Acts, Israel has fallen, but they are not yet "cast away." So Paul uses the words "commonwealth of Israel" to describe something that was in existence for a period of time, we could say ONE generation during the time of the book of Acts.

Now notice once again:

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 if the Ephesians, to whom Paul wrote the Ephesian letter were 'strangers from the covenants of promise" then there must be some people somewhere in your bible who were not strangers from the covenants of promise, but instead were IN the covenants of promise.

Well, then, let's see if we can find some people in the bible who were ALLIED with, and not aliens from, the commonwealth of Israel, and instead of being 'strangers from the covenants of promise" they were familiar with the covenants of promise and were IN the covenants of promise.

Read the sentence James gives, at the time of Acts 15, which is what Paul writes about, in the account of this meeting, in Galatians chapter two:

Acts 15:18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

But, are there any Gentiles, at the TIME of this statement by James that Paul has been preaching to up to now, who "fear the God of Abraham"" Yes, there are, and let me show you just one example of them:

Acts 13:26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

Notice that James says that something, his works, are known unto God. This is a reference to the fact that Paul, as he says, has gone up, by revelation from Jesus Christ, and communicated, that is to say, he has shared, or delivered to them, that gospel that he preaches among the Gentiles and that they saw that a message, which Paul calls "the gospel of the uncircumcion" was committed to him:

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;

So Paul says that he has communicated this information to those in Jerusalem and that they have seen it. So James says:

Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

Now when James is talking about those "from among the Gentiles who are turned to God," the idea is to revert or to convert. As we will see, the ones who have done this turn out to be both Jews and Greeks who have been saved by Paul's preaching prior to this meeting. An example of that would be:

Acts 14:1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.

Prior to the time of Acts 15, Paul has preached on the Island of Cypress, in the synagogues, plural, and in Antioch, of Pisidia, in Iconium, Lystra, and in Derbe, which is Timothy's home town. All of this in the synagogues of the Jews. And many people, both Jews and Greeks have been saved by Paul's preaching. So James says:

Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

Acts 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

These rules, which Paul calls "ordinances," which Paul delivered as he went about and preached were delivered to people who were not ALIENS but to people who were ALLIED with the commonwealth of Israel, and to people who were not STRANGERS to the covenants of promise but were IN the covenants of promise and were in the synagogues of the Jews.

In all the places Paul goes to in the book of Acts, he goes into the synagogues of the Jews and in those synagogues of the Jews he finds people who are not aliens, but allies, not strangers from the covenants of promise but people who are IN the covenants of promise and part of the COMMONWEALTH of Israel. If not, then the ordinances are worthless, they have no effect, they are illegal. But here, in Acts chapter 16, after this meeting, you find Paul and Silas going BACK to all the places Paul and Barnabas had been to before, and look what they are doing:

Acts 16:4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.

Here in Acts 16 Paul is in the area of Derbe and Lystra and Iconium, which are places where he had previously been in Acts chapter thirteen and Acts chapter fourteen. He has located Timothy, who, by the way, is a half-Jew. His father is a Greek, and has circumcised Timothy because of the Jews in the area and here he is delivering the ordinances which came out of the Acts chapter fifteen meeting.

How in the world would it be reasonable to assume that Paul, prior to this, had turned to "far hence" Gentiles, when he said, "we turn to the Gentiles" in Acts 13:46 and then COME BACK some years later and tell some alien "far hence" Gentiles that they NOW need to keep these ordinances?

The point being, that the "Gentiles" Paul turned to in Acts 13 were not the "far hence" Gentiles Paul is later sent to. The Gentiles Paul "turns to" in Acts chapter 13 turn out to be the same Gentiles Paul found in the synagogues of the Jews, fearing the God of Abraham, and they are identified as Greeks in the book of Galatians. First look at who the book of Galatians was written to, remember that it was written AFTER the Acts 15 meeting, and look at how Paul describes the body of Christ AT THAT TIME.

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.

Just keep in mind that in your bible, all Greeks are Gentiles, but not all Gentiles are Greeks. So Paul has gone to Jerusalem, at the time of Acts 15. He went because the Lord revealed to him that he should go. Rules are issued at the meeting, and two men from Jerusalem, Judas and Silas, go back to Antioch with Paul to confirm what the decision, the sentence, was about concerning the LAW. Look at the reaction in Paul's own home church in Antioch:

Acts 15:30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:

Acts 15:31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.

In other words, the letter with these few rules was a comfort, a consolation. So Paul had preached to these people in Acts 13 and 14 and when he preached to them he had said:

Acts 13:26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

So the salvation of God, at the time of Acts 13 and Acts 14 had been sent to the men of Israel and to Gentiles, who are referred to as Greeks in the King James Bible, to Gentiles who feared the God of Abraham. These ordinances are RELIEF from the law of Moses, not something that Paul has COME BACK AND ADDED to aliens who were never under the law of Moses in the first place.

Paul's message at that time, was sent to people who feared God, not to people who had never heard of the God of Abraham. It was sent to people who were IN the covenants of promise and IN the commonwealth of Israel and not alien from it:

At the time of Acts chapter eighteen, when Paul went to Corinth, he found the same type of people in Corinth and he delivered the same ordinances which were RELIEF from the law of Moses, not something being ADDED to "far hence" Gentiles:

1 Corinthians 11:2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

Now let's go back for a minute to the Acts 15 meeting and let's look again at WHY these ordinances were being delivered in the first place. James says:

Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

Acts 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

It was because Moses was preached in EVERY CITY. That would be all those cities Paul had been to:

Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.

Acts 13:15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

So, when Paul was preaching at the time of Acts chapter thirteen and fourteen, contrary to the ASSUMPTION, he was not preaching to "far hence" Gentiles, people who were ALIENS from the covenants of promise, but instead he was preaching to Jews and Greeks who knew all about the law of Moses:

Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

He is preaching to people who know the law of Moses. They have been taught the law of Moses. It is easy to see, that instead of Paul ADDING something to some "far hence" Gentiles who never had the law of Moses, that these ordinances are relief FROM the law of Moses. Paul even says, to the Galatians:

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Galatians 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

When Paul says "our schoolmaster," he is including himself in the statement, and look at who the statement is made to:

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

Now we have to understand by all this, that these people to whom Paul preached in Galatia, knew all about the law of Moses, since "he was preached in every city and read in every synagogue every Sabbath day."

We can also see that these people can't possibly be the same people that Paul writes to in Ephesians because the Ephesians are "aliens and strangers." The law, of Moses, was not THEIR schoolmaster to bring them to Christ. None of those Ephesians came to Christ because they had the law of Moses as a schoolmaster. The "alien" Gentiles did not have the law of Moses, as Paul says:

Romans 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

So it becomes clear then, that there is a difference between the Galatians and the Ephesians:

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:

The Ephesians were without God and without hope. The Gentiles, who are called in the bible, Greeks, to whom Paul preached in Galatia were not without God and without hope. In fact these people feared God, and in some cases "worked righteousness" and had hope. Their hope was through the nation of Israel.

But there was a problem with that. They could not be saved, they could not receive the "promise" unless Israel repented. But Israel fell. So now what hope did these God-fearing Gentiles, called Greeks, what hope did they now have"

Well, the answer is: The covenants of promise. That means there was more than one covenant and the promise has to do with the SINGULAR SEED of Abraham, not seeds, but seed, which is Christ, as in:

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.

So we know then, that the promise is in Christ and we also know that there are two covenants involved:

Galatians 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law"

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.

So Paul uses an allegory, with Hagar, the bondwoman, representing those who would come to God through the law, and Sarah, representing those who would come to God through the SAME faith in the SAME God which Abraham had, APART from the law. In other words, the gospel of the circumcision and the gospel of the uncircumcision.:

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;

So, the point here is that the church, the body of Christ was a MYSTERY only God knew until he revealed it to Paul, but the salvation of SOME of the people IN the body of Christ was hidden in the scriptures, as in:

Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Galatians 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Because these people have faith, faith in the God of Abraham they are blessed with hearing the gospel, the fact that Christ died for their sins, according to the scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day, according to the scriptures. So these people, being in the promises, hear the gospel. On the other hand, the Ephesians hear the gospel, and believing it, become partakers of God's promise in Christ...not in Israel's promises.

The people Paul is talking about here are the people who had faith in the God of Abraham. They feared the God of Abraham and Paul says "they which are OF FAITH are the children of Abraham." Paul says that the SCRIPTURE foresaw that God would justify these people through faith.

As a contrast, there is NOTHING in scripture about God justifying the enemies of God, like the Ephesians, or you and me. These people have faith. Faith in the God of Abraham. Paul found them in the synagogues of the Jews, and in your bible they are referred to as Greeks:

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.

One plus one is TWO groups of people being called, Jews and Greeks. The point is, that God was calling some people at that time who were NOT aliens. The bible says he was calling two groups of people and they are Jews and Greeks. The Jews required a sign and Paul had the signs for the Jews, but it says the Greeks seek after wisdom. Paul said that we speak the wisdom of God in a MYSTERY.

Acts 17:10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

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.

We see then, that although the body of Christ was a mystery hid in God, the salvation of SOME of the people who are in the body of Christ by the preaching of Paul, was hid in the scriptures. That's why Paul says:

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:

Paul could say to the Corinthians that Christ died for OUR sins, according to the scriptures, but there was no way that he could make that statement to the Ephesians could he? Because the Ephesians were "without God and without hope in the world." The MYSTERY about their salvation was not hidden in the scriptures:

Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

The summary of all this is simply that there were some people who had the privilege of hearing the gospel from Paul because they were IN the promises, and people like the Ephesians became PARTAKERS of God's promise in Christ by hearing the gospel:

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

The promise in the verse is a reference to the fact that God the Father promised God the Son eternal life before the world began. It is not a reference to Israel's promises.

The same body being a reference to the same and the ONE AND ONLY body of Christ that began on the road to Damascus, Paul being the first member of the body, and including every person who ever heard and believed Paul's gospel and trusted in Christ:

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,

Now we have talked before about the fact that Alexander the Great conquered the world some three hundred years before Christ and that because of that, Greek became the language of culture and commerce, and at the time of Christ, the Greek language was spoken by "the nations" where you find "the commonwealth of Israel." So it's easy to see that anyone who could read and write would be educated to read and write Greek Remember that even though the Jews were scattered among the nations, they were never numbered among the nations and their "commonwealth," in God's eyes, in the bible, was always separate. That is, until Israel was cast away and became loammi...as in Hosea 1:9.

Now if it were just an isolated incident in Paul's ministry during the book of Acts, you could just pass it off. But the fact is, it is not isolated, it is the RULE. Over and over again, the bible says that during that time TWO groups of people were being called, and they are called, in the bible, Jews and Greeks. All Greeks are Gentiles, and sometimes the words are used interchangeably, especially by Jews or when scripture is talking directly to Jews, because to Jews, anybody not a Jew is a Gentile. All Greeks are Gentiles but NOT ALL Gentiles are Greeks.

There were nations of people involved and the "commonwealth of Israel" was scattered among those nations. The common language was Greek. The New Testament was written in Greek, because the Greeks seek wisdom. There are too many cases in Paul's ministry just to ignore it. Let's just look at a few verses:

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.

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.

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

Acts 14:1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.

Acts 17:4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

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

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

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.
   So the point is, that among all the nations Paul traveled to during the book of Acts, he went into synagogues of the Jews. In all those synagogues he found people who were identified as Jews and Greeks. These people feared the God of Abraham and were IN THE covenants.

Now the situation is this. If Paul HAD been told to go "far hence" to those aliens from the commonwealth of Israel in Acts chapter nine, and had just ignored all these people, or even had tried to deal with all these people, mixing them with the idol worshippers, the pork, shrimp and catfish eaters, the Priest of Jupiter and those who worshipped Diana, queen of heaven, and on and on, what kind of situation would he have?

The fact is, he couldn"t have done it! Because the Jews, in all those synagogues where all those God fearing Gentiles were, would have killed him on the spot. None of them would have EVER listened to him. Look what happened when Paul DID tell them about his vision back in Jerusalem in Acts 22:

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.

Now consider the evidence. It had been a well known fact, all along, that Paul was preaching to both Jews and Greeks. It was a well known fact that Greeks attended the synagogues of the Jews and that Greeks feared the God of Abraham. Many of them were proselytes and the Jews made it their business to make them proselytes. As a matter of fact, the Lord had even said:

Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

The Jews had showed up in Antioch at the time of Acts 15, attempting to get the Gentiles there to be circumcised and submit to the law of Moses. That was the reason for the Acts 15 meeting. So the Greeks were well known by the Jews but not this!

They gave him audience "unto this word" and that word was GENTILES, not Greeks. All Greeks are Gentiles but not all Gentiles are Greeks. There is a difference, and the difference is clear in the King James Bible. It is unmistakable, and there is a reason for it. It is because of the covenants of promise that the Gentiles in the book of Ephesians were ALIENS from. It is because of people who God foreknew. His people, who Paul says that God DID NOT cast away. Paul was looking for the remnant and when the remnant was gathered unbelieving Israel was cast away and he was sent far hence. That could not have been in Acts chapter nine.

Romans 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people" God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

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

Now the book of Romans was written at the time of Acts Chapter twenty and Paul says, even then, there was a grace remnant. So Paul provoked the Jews as he preached salvation to both the Jew and the Greek until the remnant was gathered.

Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

Romans 11:14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

The question we began with is, what if our assumption is wrong" The assumption is that Paul was told to go "far hence" to the Gentiles in Acts chapter nine. As we said before, if our assumption is wrong, and Paul did not have a vision in the temple in Acts chapter nine, then the only thing that changes is our understanding. The one and only body of Christ doesn't change. The beginning of the body of Christ, with Paul, in Acts chapter nine doesn't change. The doctrine to the church, Romans through Philemon, doesn't change. The only thing that WILL change, if our assumption is wrong, is our understanding. That will serve to make the doctrine clearer and to help us to rightly divide the word of truth, which is the gospel of YOUR salvation.

So with all this in mind, let's examine the BIBLE evidence for the vision being in Acts chapter nine and the BIBLE evidence for the vision being at some other time, during one of Paul's other visits to Jerusalem in the book of Acts.
   The premise is this: That Paul desired to launch his ministry in Jerusalem, and three years after he was saved, went to Jerusalem to launch his ministry and instead was sent "far hence" to the Gentiles. What is the evidence for that? Well, Paul would not have been "disobedient to the heavenly vision," so if he had it in Acts chapter nine, he would have obeyed it. Let's check the bible record. Here is Paul's account of the 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.

First of all, Luke's record of Paul's trip to Jerusalem in Acts nine says that "Paul was come to Jerusalem," not "come again to Jerusalem:"

Acts 9:26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.

In Acts nine, Paul was "come to Jerusalem," but Paul says his vision was when "he was COME AGAIN to Jerusalem.

Acts 9:27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

Paul gives his own testimony about the launching of his ministry in the book of Galatians:

Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
   Then come down to verse fifteen:

Galatians 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

Galatians 1:16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

Galatians 1:17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

Notice that Luke writes:

Acts 9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Acts 9:21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests"

Acts 9:22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Now here in the next verse, is the reason Paul wound up in Jerusalem:

Acts 9:23 And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:

Acts 9:24 But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.

Acts 9:25 Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.

So Paul goes to Jerusalem, but contrary to the assumption that Paul had the vision in Acts chapter nine, and "made haste and left Jerusalem quickly, Paul says:

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

So staying with Peter for fifteen days is not making haste and getting quickly out of Jerusalem. And besides that, the vision says that the reason for making haste is because they "will not receive thy testimony:"

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.

Not only was Paul in no hurry to leave in Acts 9, he DID gave his testimony concerning the Lord:

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.

If Paul was "being obedient to the heavenly vision" he wouldn"t have been speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus in Jerusalem. So it was only when the Grecians, the Greek speaking Jews, tried to kill him, that the brethren took him to Caesera, and sent him forth to Tarsus. Paul says, before he got to Tarsus he went through the regions of Syria:

Galatians 1:20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.

Galatians 1:21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;

You remember that Paul's home town is Tarsus, in Cilicia, and that's where Barnabas found him when he brought him back to Antioch to teach for a year:

Acts 11:25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:

Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

So there is nothing in all this record that would indicate that Paul was being "obedient to a heavenly vision" if he had one at the time of Acts chapter nine. None of this activity, which took place over a period of years, indicates activity by Paul other than preaching and teaching among Jews and Greeks of the commonwealth of Israel. As a matter of fact, there turns out to be churches in Syria and Cilicia, the regions Paul says he "came into," evidently churches started by Paul, because at the time of Acts 15, Paul goes BACK to those churches and confirms them:

Acts 15:40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.

Acts 15:41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

It was at this time that Paul was delivering the ordinances to the churches. So, as far as the bible record shows, Paul launched his ministry long before he got to Jerusalem in Acts chapter nine. And as far as the bible record shows, Paul was not sent "far hence" by the Lord in a vision in the temple AT THE TIME of Acts chapter nine.

We can also eliminate the Acts 12 trip by Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, and the Acts 15 trip by Paul and Barnabas and Titus, the Greek, to Jerusalem. We have looked at both of those trips thoroughly in another study. There is nothing in the account of those two trips which indicates a "far hence" vision or anything to indicate that Paul departed or made haste to get out quickly to go to "far hence" Gentiles.

In the final trip to Jerusalem, in Acts 22, Paul is arrested, and when he goes anywhere, he goes to Rome as the "prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles," as in Ephesians 3:1. So the only other possibility of a "far hence" vision is the trip he made to Jerusalem in Acts chapter eighteen. The bible record gives very little information about the trip. It simply says:

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

But the bible EVIDENCE is that something very important happened during that trip, based on the attitude of the people in the synagogue in Ephesus, and the CHANGE in their attitude between Acts 18 and Acts 19. When Paul comes from Europe to Ephesus in Acts chapter 18 look what happens:

Acts 18:19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.

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.

The people in the synagogue in Ephesus were very receptive to Paul and his message in Acts 18. He reasoned with the Jews and they received him so well that they "desired him to tarry longer." But Paul leaves Ephesus and goes to Jerusalem. Later he comes back to Ephesus. Now watch what happens when Paul comes BACK to the same synagogue in Acts chapter19:

Acts 19:8 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.

Acts 19:9 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.

In the SAME synagogue where Paul was well received before, they were hardened, they believed not, and they SPAKE EVIL of that way before the multitude. Is this a totally new group of people in the synagogue, or is Paul saying something different in Acts 19 than he had been saying in Acts 18? It seems clear that Paul WAS in a trance in the temple in Jerusalem and had a vision during his trip in Acts 18:

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 is GENTILES. Not Greeks. They knew about the Greeks. But ALIEN Gentiles? That was too much. It all fits. And it also explains Phillipians 4:15: It's the beginning of the gospel to the "far hence" Gentiles:

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.

From prison, Paul is telling the Phillipians that THEY are the only ones who are supporting him and his ministry, the ministry which Paul announced to the elders of the church at Ephesus on his way to Jerusalem in Acts 20:

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.

This is the very first time Paul has ever used these words: The gospel of the grace of God. Before he has always said "the gospel of Christ." In Romans, written at the time of Acts chapter twenty, Paul says he has "fully preached the gospel of Christ.," in Romans 15:19. He talks about the "fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ" in Romans 15:29. Up to now, Paul has said the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek wisdom, but in Romans 1:14, for the first time, Paul says he is a debtor to people who are not wise. He says he is a debtor to the Greeks AND to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. He never said that before.

In the synagogue in Ephesus in Acts 19, there is open hostility against Paul and his message. It was NOT there in the same synagogue in Acts 18. Paul wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians at the time of Acts 19. Look what he says:

1 Corinthians 16:8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.

1 Corinthians 16:9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

The record by Luke in Acts 19 shows that there were many adversaries. Before this, from time to time, Paul had baptized a few people. People he had found in the synagogues of the Jews. But now Paul says "Christ sent me NOT to baptize," in 1 Corinthians 1:17.

When Paul writes to Timothy from prison, in 1 Timothy, he cautions Timothy to teach no other doctrine and he warns him about fables and endless genealogies in 1 Timothy 1:3-4. Paul talks a great deal about Moses in Romans and 1 Corinthians. Paul talks about Abraham, and mentions the name of Abraham 19 times by the time of Acts chapter 20, but he is NEVER mentioned after that.

The two covenants in the allegory in Galatians 3:24 were made WITH Abraham. The Ephesians were ALIENS from those covenants. Paul told the Corinthians Christ died for OUR SINS, according to the scriptures, which was a MYSTERY hidden in the scriptures. But Paul told the Ephesians that the MYSTERY concerning THEIR salvation was "unsearchable" because it was "hid in God" not in the scriptures, in Ephesians 3:8-9.

In Acts 13 Paul said that the word of salvation was sent to the children of the stock of Abraham and those who feared God, in Acts 13:26. He didn"t say that the grace of God "that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men," as in Titus 2:11. Paul never said, before the time of Acts 20, that God would have "all men to be saved," and he told Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:6 that the fact that Christ "gave himself a ransom FOR ALL" was to be testified in DUE TIME. He didn"t say that he had already been testifying that fact before and the fact is, he had not been saying that.

Paul wrote Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:15 that "all they which are in Asia" are turned away from me. It started in Acts 19. Paul had to insist that he was speaking the truth in Christ and not lying when he told Timothy he was preacher and apostle and teacher of the Gentiles.

Paul's "far hence" vision in Acts chapter 18 instead of Acts chapter nine explains all of the difficult passages in the book of Acts and in his letters to the body of Christ during the time he was dealing with those IN the covenants, before he was sent "far hence" to the GENTILES who were not.