Dd-71, Is PAUL the TWELFTH APOSTLE of Jesus? DOWNLOAD to SAVE as a PDF Doc to read OFFLINE. Dd-75. Is PAUL the TWELFTH APOSTLE of JESUS? WHO IS THE TWELFTH APOSTLE? This study is actually part 3 of the study Dd-69. Is PAUL a TRUE APOSTLE of JESUS? Part 1 In part 2, we learned that there are more than just the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. We learned that there were 22 men who are called apostles in the New Testament. So now the question is, “WHO is the Apostle that replaces Judas Iscariot?” Was it Matthias or Paul? Obviously, to ME, these two men are the ONLY TWO possibilities. Now those, who are Jesus Words Only Christians, dogmatically demand that Matthias was ALREADY chosen to be numbered among the TWELVE. So to them and SOME other Sabbath-keeping Christians, it is impossible for Paul to be numbered as the TWELFTH Apostle of Jesus. But for me, I have to ask WHY? Now, I ask the question of WHY? Why is it impossible for Paul to be the TWELFTH Apostle over Matthias, other than Matthias was chosen first by the other eleven Apostles? I mean one could argue that ISHMAEL is the rightful heir because he was born FIRST. And some Arab Muslims do indeed argue that they are the rightful heirs because they are of the seed of Ishmael. So to ME, I see that Peter and the other eleven Apostles as being the TWELVE Apostles who will sit on the TWELVE throne. For you see, I believe that the eleven Apostles stepped out AHEAD of God to take matters in their OWN hands like Abraham got AHEAD of God and took matters in his OWN hands to have Ishmael as his firstborn son. And look at the mess that NOT waiting for God that Abraham caused. And for that matter, look at the mess Peter and the other ten Apostles caused. I mean look at the DIVISION in the church caused by some Christians claiming that Paul is NOT a TRUE Apostle of Jesus Christ so that they can try and prove that Paul is a FALSE teacher because their teachings do NOT agree with what Paul teaches. So then, WHY do some Christians claim that Paul is a FALSE teacher? That is a simple question to answer. It is because they NEED Paul to be a FALSE teacher! And why do they NEED Paul to be a false teacher? Well, the answer to that question varies, but in general, they NEED Paul to be a FALSE teacher so they can: #1. KEEP the followers that they already have from reading Paul's writings for themselves. #2. Ease their OWN conscience. #3. Hopefully, make it easier to build their numbers. For you see, if they admit that Paul’s teaching are TRUE, then they have to REPENT and STOP keeping the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES that Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross, according to Ephesians 2:8-15 and Colossians 2:3-22. Please read the study Dd-5. What Does Contained in ORDINANCES Mean? And thus, if the “Pastor” sees this TRUTH and PREACHES this truth, then his whole church congregation will be divided and many will leave or throw him out of their church. And if a “leader” over the whole denomination sees the truth, then the whole “denomination” will fall apart and all their members would leave. And only some would stay around to hear the whole matter and work through the divided congregation. For you see, not every member will see the TRUTH all at the SAME time. And when the “Pastor” preaches the TRUTH announcing that he had been WRONG, then the ones who do NOT see the truth in that one sermon will either leave or kick their Pastor out of their church. Now, I fully realize that they sincerely believe that everyone is lost but them, so they are seriously DECEIVED by teaching Christians to KEEP what Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross! You see dear child of God, if Sabbath DAY keeping churches can shed DOUBT on Paul as even being an Apostle of Jesus by claiming that Paul appointed HIMSELF as an Apostle, then it would be easier than trying and prove that Paul is a FALSE teacher. It would even be easier than trying to explain AWAY the teachings of Paul by using the argument that Paul is “actually” saying not to judge Christians for KEEPING the Law of Moses. For you see, that :INTERPRETATION” contradicts Acts 15:10-24 which teaches us in SIMPLICITY that no such commanded was ever given to Christians to KEEP the Law of Moses. And it is TEMPTING Almighty God to put the yoke of keeping the Law of Moses on Christians which NONE of the Jews could bear. So you can see WHY they went for TWISTING the teachings of Paul to their own destruction to getting RID of the teaching of Paul altogether by their teaching that Paul is a FALSE Apostle. Once this is done, then they can ease their conscience and THROW out that part of the Bible that PROVES what they teach is in ERROR. For you see, what they believe and teach CONTRADICTS the teachings of Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ and they KNOW it. So they allowed themselves to be DECEIVED to the EXTREME of claiming that ONLY the words of Jesus can be trusted. I mean some Jesus words ONLY Sabbath-keeping Christians absolutely HATE Paul. And some them even call Paul Satan himself or that it was Satan who appeared to him masquerading as Jesus. Now to me, this hatred clearly reveals from WHERE this teaching that Paul is NOT a TRUE Apostle of Jesus comes. It is a doctrine of devils. Also, I myself see that any and all Sabbath-keeping Christians claiming that NON-seventh day of the week Sabbath keeping Christians are not true Christians are in error by separating themselves from the rest of the church. For you see, by claiming that NON-seventh DAY of the WEEK Sabbath-keeping Christians cannot be true Christians UNTIL they start OBEYING the fourth commandment by keeping the SEVENTH DAY of the week as their Sabbath, then they JUDGE themselves of keeping the OLDNESS of the LETTER of the LAW. In other words, by their keeping the oldness of the LETTER of the law they are DISOBEYING the commandment under the NEW Covenant to keep the SPIRIT of the law, according to Romans 7:4-6/ To say this another way, what they have failed to understand is that WE are keeping the TRUE Sabbath by RESTING in Jesus, our TRUE Sabbath rest, to CEASE from the WORKS of the law contained in ORDINANCES to OBEY the commandments of Jesus under the NEW Covenant written in the New Testament. Jesus is the SIGN of the NEW covenant, which is a BETTER covenant established upon BETTER promises. Trying to keep the OLD Covenant proves that they do NOT TRULY trust in Jesus. And thus, their faith is WEAK the New Covenant that has no command to keep ANY day of the week, month,or year as a day of obligation lest a Christian displeases God. Please read the study Dd-21. SABBATH-Saturday, Sunday, or NEITHER! Also, please read ALL of the studies linked within this study and ALL the studies linked below. This study is just the TIP of the iceberg of exposing the ERRORS of interpretation made by the Saturday seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping churches. The Sunday, first day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians, I cover more in depth in the study linked above. Here is one link that has ALL of the studies with links so you can send just this ONE link to those you desire to lead out of Sabbatarianism. Simply suggest that they read ALL of the studies under the heading called >>>Dd-0. WHAT is the TRUE SABBATH?<<< Also, you can suggest reading the study called E-7. What is the TRUE GOSPEL of Jesus CHRIST? But for now, please consider the following sound Biblical evidence for Paul to not only be a TRUE Apostle of Jesus Christ, but ALSO the Apostle that Jesus HIMSELF CHOSE to be numbered among the TWELVE Apostles, who will sit on TWELVE thrones in the world to come to judge the twelve tribes of Israel and have their NAMES written on the TWELVE foundations of the city of God called the New Jerusalem. We have already seen the argument that Matthias was chosen FIRST does not stand up considering the example of Ishmael being born FIRST and therefore it is impossible for Isaac to be the TRUE heirs. The FACTS for Paul being a TRUE Apostle are as follows. The FACT that Jesus HIMSELF personally chose the ELEVEN and that the eleven Apostles took it upon themselves to choose the TWELFTH disciple to be Matthias to be numbered among them to replace Judas Iscariot. Now, this would be fine if so be that Jesus or his God Yahweh Himself instructed them to do this. But the way, I see it as that they took this task upon themselves WITHOUT any “Thus says the Lord” or even any HINT of being told by God or His Son Jesus to do this. But rather, THEY themselves told God what THEY were going to do, and then they prayed where again THEY told God what HE was going to do, making the ASSUMPTION that whosoever the LOT fell upon would be the replacement of Judas. They did not ASK God what they should do, and there are no verses where God Himself instructed them to draw LOTS. Now the issue here is NOT the way in which God spoke to His people in the OLD Testament, but rather, how God leads Christians under the NEW Covenant. Hebrews 1:1,2 clearly teaches us that God at sundry times or in days of OLD spoke to His people, the Jews, by his prophets and in different ways. But NOW in these last days speaks to us by His SON. Hebrews 1:1,2. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (And one of those ways may have been the drawing of lots) 2. Has in these last days spoken unto us BY his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” Jesus told his disciples in John 16:12-15 that he had yet many things to teach them that they were NOT able to bear UNTIL they were filled with the Holy Spirit. BUT even after they were filled with the Holy Spirit God did not appear in a vision to teach them EVERY thing UNTIL the time was ready for God to turn to the GENTILES to be saved. And then Jesus, through the Holy Spirit and visions, would teach them and show them things to come. John 16:12-15. “I have YET MANY THINGS to say unto you, BUT you CANNOT BEAR them NOW. 13. Howbeit WHEN HE, the Spirit of truth, is come, HE will guide you into ALL truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and HE will show you things to come. 14. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15. All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” Now the Apostles and disciples of Jesus, all 120 of them, were filled with the Holy Spirit AFTER they eleven Apostles took it upon themselves to draw LOTS. So to ME, they were NOT being led by the Holy Spirit to accomplish this task of choosing a replacement for Judas Iscariot. For you see, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit to dwell in them. I myself see NO evidence in the word of God where Almighty God, the Father, or His Son Jesus instructed any of his disciples or his eleven Apostles to choose the twelfth Apostle FOR Jesus. But I do see evidence in God's word where Jesus HIMSELF made his OWN choice as to WHO HE wanted to replace Judas Iscariot as the TWELFTH apostle. Please read Acts 9:1-18. “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2. And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, (Believers in Jesus were called the WAY and were not called Christians until later when they were first called Christians at Antioch. The main point here is that Saul had letters in hand to bind anyone he found preaching Jesus in Damascus) whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3. And AS he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecute you ME? (Whatever you do to the least of these little ones you do to ME) 5. And he said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you persecute: it is hard for you to kick against the pricks. (Please remember that brother Luke wrote down these words as a RECORD of what took place in the early church. So if you deny that this was truly Jesus himself, who appeared to Paul in a VISION, then you are calling brother Luke a LIAR and a false teacher as well. And thus, you must be consistent in your “INTERPRETATIONS” of the Scriptures and reject not only the teachings of Paul, but also reject the teachings of brother Luke, who also wrote as a RECORD the GOSPEL of LUKE. And the Gospel of Luke is in agreement almost word for word with the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. So if Luke is a false teacher saying then so are Matthew and Mark who AGREE with what Luke wrote in the Gospel of Luke. And thus, how can you Jesus words ONLY Christians trust the words of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and Luke? Why not just throw out the WHOLE NEW Testament like the JEWS and the MUSLIMS and DENY that Jesus is the MESSIAH, the Son of the living God and follow ONLY the Torah and the OLD Covenant? Either you believe these words of Luke or you do not believe any of the NEW Testament. Either this was indeed the TRUE Jesus, who appeared to Paul or it was ANOTHER Jesus, that some Jesus Words Only Sabbath keepers claim was SATAN masquerading as Jesus. It is YOUR choice and I pray that you make the RIGHT choice dear children of God! The fact is that YOU must work out your own salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING!) 6. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what will YOU have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it SHALL BE told you what you must do. (Here we learn that Jesus SHALL teach Paul what he must do. One passage of Scripture does NOT teach us everything. Other verses teach us that Paul had many other visions and revelations from the Holy Spirit, which is HOW Jesus said he would teach his disciples yet MANY THINGS that they could NOT bear UNTIL the Holy Spirit came to dwell IN them. It is very possible the Jesus told Paul in one of those visions that he was appointed as an apostle. The church was still yet LEARNING NEW THINGS which Yahweh prophesied in the Old Testament that he would do) 7. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. (Saul or Paul was a JEW. He knew to pray and fast and how to seek what Yahweh wants him to do) 10. And there was a certain DISCIPLE (One who is a particular LEARNER of Jesus) at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a VISION, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: FOR, behold (Or BECAUSE look and see that), he prays, (Now, Jesus may have opened the eyes of Ananias to actually see in a vision that Saul was praying and fasting to understand what the Lord wanted him to do or Jesus may have just told Ananias that Saul was praying) 12. AND HE saw in a VISION a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. (Here we see that BOTH Ananias and Saul are being given VISIONS of Jesus to LEARN what they are to DO. They are BOTH being TAUGHT by the Holy Spirit through the REVELATION given to them in the VISIONS just like Peter said in Acts 2:1-18 when they received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost as a fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. So to argue that it was Satan who appeared to Paul, then you must be consistent as argue that it was also Satan who appeared to Ananias as well) 13. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem: 14. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on your name. 15. But the Lord said unto him, (Basically, Jesus is saying do not fear Ananias, but) Go your way: FOR (Or BECAUSE) HE is a CHOSEN VESSEL unto ME, (I MYSELF have PERSONALLY CHOSEN Saul) to bear MY NAME before the GENTILES, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16. For I WILL SHOW him how great things he must suffer for MY name's sake. (Remember that brother Luke is simply RECORDING these words to us about the disciple, Ananias. And that FACT of Jesus teaching Ananias teaches us that Paul is a CHOSEN vessel that Jesus HIMSELF has chosen to take the gospel to the GENTILES. Keep in mind that preaching the Gospel to the Gentile is a NEW THING that God has not done before. Jesus was given this NEW thing to teach his disciples that they could NOT bear during the days of his ministry in the days of his flesh. This was one on the yet MANY things to COME that they could NOT bear until the TIME was right for God to show those things to come. And now the Holy Spirit is taking what now belongs to Jesus and is TEACHING these NEW THINGS to the disciples and APOSTLES of Jesus. In other words, if one CLAIMS that Paul is a false teacher, then they must also say that Luke is a false teacher as well and everything that Luke wrote. And to claim that Paul had a vision of SATAN is the same as calling Luke a LIAR and that the vision of Ananias was also of SATAN. Again, to falsely claim that Paul’s calling was NOT of God is to BLASPHEME the Holy Spirit. And you Jesus words ONLY Christians are in DANGER of eternal damnation, according to Matthew 12:25-30, Luke 11:17-23, and Mark 3:23-29 which ARE the words of Jesus) 17. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, EVEN JESUS, that appeared unto YOU in the way as you came, has sent me, that you might receive your sight, AND be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.” Saul became a NEW creature IN Jesus Christ that day. And if you continue reading in Acts, then you will LEARN all the mighty ACTS of the APOSTLE Paul that Yahweh Himself did through Paul's hand as a CHOSEN vessel, who His Son Jesus personally CHOSE to be HIS APOSTLE to the GENTILES. Let us continue to read the book of ACTS, which is also called the Acts of the Apostles. The King James Bible titles the book of Acts as the “Acts of the Apostles”. The Revised Standard Version titles the book of Acts as the “Acts of the Apostles”. Today's English Version titles the book of Acts as the “Acts of the Apostles”. The Jerusalem Bible titles the book of Acts as the “Acts of the Apostles”. The New English Bible titles the book of Acts as the “Acts of the Apostles”. The Phillips Modern English titles the book of Acts as the “Acts of the Apostles”. And these are just a few of the many different Bible translations that title the book of Acts as the “Acts of the Apostles”. Now CLEARLY, there are MANY ACTS of God, done by the hands of the Apostle Paul that are indeed recorded in the book of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles by brother LUKE. So if Paul is a so-called liar, the so is Luke and everything he wrote about Peter and the other Apostles of Jesus. But yet you Jesus words only Christians use the book of Acts to try to prove that Matthias in the twelfth Apostle. But the ONLY time that Matthias is mentioned is when he was appointed BY the eleven as one of the only two choices that they told or instructed God that he had to choose from BY the drawing of LOTS. Simply look the name Matthias up in the concordance and you will find that the ONLY two times his name is even mentioned and it is in Acts 1:23 and Acts 1:26 which brother Luke recorded. However, on the other side of the coin, the name Saul is found 26 times and the name Paul is found 163 times for a total of 189 times that the Apostle Paul’s name is found in the New Testament. Again, NO ACTS of any kind are recorded for Matthias. But on the other side of the coin, there are MANY ACTS recorded by brother Luke that Almighty God did by the hands of the Apostle Paul CONFIRMING His word that Paul was teaching the TRUE gospel of Jesus Christ. Please read Acts 14:3-10. “Long time, therefore, abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which GAVE TESTIMONY unto the WORD of HIS grace, and GRANTED SIGNS and WONDERS to be done by their hands. (You see, it was not Jesus who granted grace, but rather, it was the God of Jesus, Almighty God the Father who granted grace and who performs His own word of prophecy to do what He said He would do) 4. But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. 5. And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, 6. They were aware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lies round about: 7. And there they preached the gospel. 8. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: 9. The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10. Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on your feet. And he leaped and walked.” Now some may argue that this does not prove anything, because neither was there any ACTS recorded of several of the twelve Apostles of Jesus. But we are NOT comparing Paul to any other disciple EXCEPT Matthias, because the controversy or the issue at hand is WHO is the soundest Biblical choice for being the TWELFTH Apostle of Jesus and the ONLY TWO possible choices are Matthias and Paul. The other eleven Apostles are already a part of the TWELVE. The word “apostle” means one who is SENT. Now, we are NOT told specifically that Matthias was SENT BY the Holy Spirit, because neither Luke nor any of the other Apostles or disciples of Jesus said anything about Matthias except what is recorded in Acts 1:23-26. However, on the other hand, we are indeed told that the Holy Spirit Himself called and sent Paul. Please read Acts 13:1-4. “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2. AS they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have CALLED them. 3. And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4. So they, being SENT forth BY the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.” So to argue that Satan appeared to Jesus is to BLASPHEME the Holy Spirit. So again, you Jesus words ONLY Christians are in DANGER of eternal damnation unless you REPENT and return to the TRUTH of the TRUE Gospel of salvation. Now another requirement to be chosen as a replacement for Judas Iscariot is that the one chosen must be a WITNESS to the RISEN Savior, in that, they SAW the risen Jesus. We know that Matthias met this qualification, otherwise, the eleven Apostles of Jesus would not have appointed him to be one of the ONLY two choices to be decided by the drawing of lots. But what about Paul? Did Paul see the RISEN Jesus? Yes, he did! Jesus APPEARED to Paul on the road to Damascus while on his way to persecute to saints of God. We have already covered Acts 9:1-18, but I would like to say again that no one actually was an “eyewitness” to see Jesus being raised from the dead as it was happening. In other words, they were eyewitnesses to the RISEN Jesus by having seen Jesus AFTER God raised Jesus from the dead. To say this another way, Christians TODAY, who have seen Jesus in a VISION, are an EYEWITNESS of the RISEN Jesus. Blessed is he who has NOT SEEN, but still BELIEVES in Jesus who they have NOT SEEN with their own eyes. Now, while many today may be eyewitnesses to the risen Jesus by having seen Jesus in a vision, is not the only qualification to being an Apostle of Jesus. And certainly NOT one of the TWELVE Apostles of Jesus who have already been chosen. So any apostle today claiming to be an apostle must meet the requirement of SEEING the RISEN Jesus in a vision. They must be called by Jesus is that vision or another vision of Jesus. They must demonstrate the Gospel with POWER by God confirming His word with SIGNS following. And their heart must be to make disciples and establish new churches. So they must also have the gift of laying on of hands for other Christians to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Otherwise, they are a SELF-APPOINTED apostle, in my own opinion. Personally, I believe that Paul has ALREADY filled that position of being the TWELFTH Apostle of Jesus Christ. And to me, to be an apostle TODAY does NOT require one to have SEEN Jesus in a vision, but seeing Jesus is a vision would help others know that Jesus called them to be an Apostle. This can be argued until Jesus returns as to whether or not there are true apostles of Jesus Christ in the church today. I myself do not know personally, face to face, any apostles in the church today. But I believe anyone called into full-time ministry, to be SENT by the Holy Spirit to disciple NEW Christians and God is confirming their preaching and teaching with SIGNS following, then to me, they are apostles of Jesus Christ. Some call themselves missionaries, but in the sense of the meaning of the word, they are apostles if they demonstrate the Gospel in POWER. For you see, many have planted FALSE churches. For example, the Church of the Later Day Saints called the Momon Church and the Jehowah’s Witnesses. Now, even though SOME Mormons and SOME Jeohvah’s Witnesses are true born-again Christians, that does not mean their church denomination is teaching the TRUTH of the TRUE Gospel of salvation. Also, the CARES of the church came upon the Apostle Paul DAILY and he visited those he discipled to see that they were doing well. And to me, that is another sign of being truly called by God as well as being another sign of being a true apostle of Jesus. On the other side, there are some who claim to be apostles, but in truth, they are not. But rather, they simply enjoy the TITLE and the praises of men. They enjoy the power of lording over the flock by controlling what the read. Enough said on that subject before I start PREACHING rather that teaching. Let us get back to see if Paul fulfilled ALL the qualifications of being numbered with the TWELVE to take the place of Judas Iscariot. Here are the qualifications set forth by Peter in Acts 1:15-26. Again, Peter was not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, so we should not “dogmatically” teach these requirements. But Luke was inspired to record them. Acts 1:15-26. “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about a hundred and twenty,) 16. Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. 17. For he was numbered with us and had obtained part of this ministry. 18. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 19. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. 20. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. (But it is not written as to HOW another would take the place of Judas Iscariot) 21. Wherefore, of these MEN which have accompanied WITH us ALL the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22. 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. 23. And THEY appointed TWO, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed, Justus, and Matthias. (Now, out of the 120, surely there were more than just two disciples who met Peter’s qualifications. And it is possible that NONE of the 120 met every detail of every qualification of Peter. For you see, ALL but the twelve disciples left off following Jesus, according to John 6:66-70. So were all of those qualifications of God or were they just Peter’s qualification that seem good to Peter? All we know for sure is that ONLY the ELEVEN were with Jesus from his baptism to his ascension and that nothing written in the Old Testament speaks of these qualifications) 24. And they prayed, and said, You, Lord, which know the hearts of all men, show whether of these two you have chosen, 25. That he may take part of this ministry and Apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. (So the Apostleship of the TWELVE is what in being discussed and NOT simply being an Apostle of Jesus, which are no less than 22 as being specifically called Apostles in the New Testament. So using this passage of Scripture to try to prove that the Apostle Paul is NOT a TRUE Apostle is a pointless argument. For you see, this passage of Scripture is on the subject of REPLACING the TWELFTH Apostle to sit on one of the TWELVE thrones. It has nothing to do with being an Apostle of Jesus, but just the replacement of the TWELFTH Apostle) 26. And they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” Now, according to the words of Peter, the ONLY one eligible to replace Judas had to be a disciple of Jesus. Peter adds that the disciple had to have been a disciple from the very beginning of the baptism of John the Baptist and also remained a faithful disciple all the way to the end when Jesus ascended up into heaven just days ago. But the PROPHECY itself in Psalm 109:8 simply states let another take his office. It is written in the Scriptures does not place all the qualifications that Peter states in Acts 1:21,22. Peter says that the one who replaces Judas must be a disciple of Jesus. A disciple is a LEARNER or one who is TAUGHT. So Paul meets Peter’s qualification of being a learner of Jesus. Paul was an outside observer from the beginning and he persecuted the disciples of Jesus before Jesus called him to be his Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul witnessed the TRUTH that Jesus was ALIVE from the dead in his vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus. So while Paul was not a true believer from the very beginning, he did indeed become a true believer. My point is that ALL the disciples had DOUBTS about Jesus being the Messiah from time to time. When we read John 6:66-71, we find that MANY of the disciples left off following Jesus. In fact, so many of them were there, who departed, that Jesus perceived that even the TWELVE were doubting what he was teaching saying. Jesus perceived that it was a HARD thing for even the twelve to understand, that Jesus asked the TWELVE if they would leave him ALSO. The word, translated and many also means MUCH or a LARGE number left and followed Jesus no more. John 6:66-71. “From that time MANY of his disciples went back and walked NO MORE with him. 67. Then said Jesus unto the TWELVE, Will you ALSO go away? (The wording in these two verses teaches us that this was no small matter and that a MASS left off following Jesus NO MORE. So then, MOST if not all his disciples except for the TWELVE left off following Jesus, to follow him NO MORE. You have to ask yourself why Jesus ONLY asked the TWELVE if they would ALSO go away? Why would Jesus say TWELVE and not will you who REMAIN standing here with me ALSO go away if there were some other disciples that did not go away. We can see that the number of disciples grew again, going up and down, until there remained only 120 disciples on the day of Pentecost. But how many of the 120 were women. And more importantly, how many of the MEN of that number of 120 companied WITH the twelve the WHOLE time? Well, only TWO were appointed, so we can only ASSUME that only TWO other men, besides the ELEVEN, were with the original Apostles of Jesus the WHOLE time. BUT which of these TWO should they pick? Why not draw LOTS as was the custom of the Jews to decide matters in the Old Testament by given lots to ALL 109 disciples of Jesus? Why were none of the women given lots to draw? Suring Mary, the mother of Jesus met Peter’s qualifications, So to me, they decided among themselves without the direction of God to draw LOTS. They only prayed AFTER they made their OWN decision to draw LOTS. We do NOT see any thus says the Lord instructions in Acts 1:15-26 specifically telling the eleven apostles to draw lots to choose a replacement for Judas Iscariot. My point right now is that many of the followers left off following Jesus. And Jesus asked the original TWELVE Apostles if they will also leave him knowing that ONE of them would deny hi later. So WHY ask only the twelve IF others disciples did not leave Jesus at the time?) 68. Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69. And we believe and are sure that you are that Christ, the Son of the living God. 70. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71. He spoke of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.” Here we see that only the ELEVEN remained faithful to Jesus along with perhaps a few more disciples, who may not have left with the many. And others left at other times in the ministry of Jesus. So it is a wonder that Peter found even TWO, who met HIS qualifications. Keep in mind that even Peter DOUBTED that Jesus was raised from the dead. And when the news was first told to Peter that Jesus was alive he doubted AGAIN. See Mark 16:11, Luke 24:9-12, and John chapter 20 along with Luke 24:36-46. For you see, Jesus was with them for FORTY days CONVINCING them by many infallible proofs that it was him and that he was indeed alive from the dead never to die again. Again, all we know for sure that the number of followers of Jesus, in the upper room waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit, were 120 on the day of Pentecost. But how many of the 120 were women and more importantly how many of the MEN of that number of 120 accompanying with the ELEVEN the WHOLE time? Well, only TWO were appointed, so can only ASSUME that there were ONLY TWO who were with the eleven remaining apostles the WHOLE time. It may have been 40 or more who met Peter’s qualifications, BUT which TWO should they pick? So it is very possible that they chose two out of many possible candidates. And then they decided on their own to draw LOTS as was the custom to decide matters in the Old Testament? Sound goods to me, thought the others. Let us draw lots to pick the replacement of Judas Iscariot after all it is written let another take his bishopric. Now, this may sound like I am putting words in the mouths of the ELEVEN Apostles of Jesus, but in truth, is this not the way that the devil plays with our minds today to get ahead of God and take matters into our OWN hands without ANY direction given to us by the Holy Spirit? What I mean by this is that WE have the Holy Spirit DWELLING IN us and we still get ahead of God at times. But THEY had not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit because the day of Pentecost had not come as yet. You see dear children of God, Jesus commanded his disciples to WAIT UNTIL they were endued with POWER, that is to say, power and AUTHORITY from on high. But rather, they decided not to wait for the Holy Spirit. And to me, they made the decision to draw lots on their own BEFORE they received that baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit. Please read Acts 1:4,5. “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but WAIT for the promise of the Father, which, said he, you have heard of me. (And to make sure they understood what promise Jesus left them no doubt that he was commanding them to WAIT until they receive the BAPTISM of the Holy Spirit) 5. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” So then, Peter’s idea to replace the office of Judas by choosing LOTS was BEFORE the disciples of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit. And thus, his decision to pick two disciples and draw lot could have been Peter’s OWN carnal decision. Now read Luke 24:49. “And, behold, I send the PROMISE of my Father upon you: BUT TARRY (Or WAIT) you in the city of Jerusalem, UNTIL you be ENDUED WITH POWER from on high.” But WHY? Why did Jesus want his disciples to WAIT UNTIL they received the Holy Spirit? Because they STILL YET had more to LEARN, Jesus was NOT finished TEACHING his disciple yet. There were MANY MORE things that Jesus wanted to teach them BUT they were NOT able to BEAR those teachings UNTIL they were baptized with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit DWELT IN them to LEAD and GUIDE them. So then, it is indeed possible that Peter got AHEAD of the Lord in replacing Judas with another. And it may very well be that PAUL’S name will be on the 12 foundations of the city of the New Jerusalem as opposed to the name Matthias. Let us continue reading more evidence of why I believe that Jesus HIMSELF chose Paul to replace Judas as one of the TWELVE Apostles of Jesus to sit on the TWELVE thrones. Please read John 16:12-15. “I have YET MANY THINGS to say unto you, BUT you CANNOT BEAR THEM NOW. 13. Howbeit WHEN HE, the Spirit of truth, is come, HE WILL GUIDE YOU into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15. All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” In other words, Jesus was saying to his apostles and disciples, “WHEN you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I will continue to teach you through the Holy Spirit dwelling IN you. He will take what is MINE that the Father has GIVEN me and teach you MY words, which again were given to me from Yahweh to teach to you.” Again, I myself believe that Jesus HIMSELF chose Paul to replace Judas Iscariot to make up the TWELVE Apostles, who will sit on TWELVE thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. But we could argue this point until Jesus returns, so let us cut to the chase and get down to the core issue. When one searches this controversy in depth they will find that the first point that was raised by the Jesus words ONLY Christ for WHY Paul is NOT a TRUE Apostle is in order to try and prove that Paul is a FALSE teacher. But their argument is based SOLELY on Paul not being one of the TWELVE Apostle because Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. Then the other side countered showing that there were MORE than just the TWELVE Apostles, who were also called APOSTLES. But then the Jesus words ONLY side comes back to TRY and prove that ALL of the other disciples, who were called Apostles, were not TRUE Apostles either, because they were NOT one of the TWELVE Apostles. But WHY? Why do they try and prove that ALL the Apostles, who are called Apostles in the New Testament, are NOT truly Apostles when the Bible ITSELF calls them all APOSTLES? I will tell you why. It is so that side of Jesus Words Only Movement can DISCREDIT the teachings of Paul! That is the WHOLE agenda of the the Jesus words ONLY side of the controversy made ONLY by the Jesus words only believers. They resisted the Holy Spirit teachings of the Apostle Paul to at first TWIST Paul’s word. And when that SAW that they were TWISTING the Scriptures, rather than repenting and STOP keeping what Jesus abolished on the cross, they listened to another lie from Satan. So they took it upon themselves to make the claim that you cannot trust any words in the New Testament except for the words of Jesus ONLY, hence the name, Jesus Words Only believers, which THEY place upon themselves. So then, let us now get down to the CORE ISSUE of WHY some Christians NEED Paul to be a FALSE APOSTLE. It is so that they can claim that Paul is a FALSE TEACHER. So then, that CORE issue is that the TEACHINGS of Paul prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that what these seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians teach is in ERROR. They error in their INTERPRETATION of the Scriptures. So they start off by claim that Paul is actually teaching us to not judge others for KEEPING the Law of Moses. And when that did not work the SDA Sabbath-keeping Christians SAW that Paul was indeed teaching us to NOT keep the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES, BUT they argue that the word Sabbath in Clossians 2:16 does NOT mean the WEEKLY Sabbath. Rather, they claim that Paul must have intended us to understand his words to mean the yearly Sabbath days. And thus, the SDA Christians are TWISTING the Scriptures to FIT their own preconceived belief to their OWN DESTRUCTION, according to 2 Peter 3:16-18. You see dear children of God, the ONLY Christians, who are teaching that Paul is NOT a TRUE Apostle of Jesus, and thus a FALSE teacher, are the SEVENTH DAY of the WEEK Saturday Sabbath keeping Jesus words ONLY Christians. And they dogmatically demand that in order to be a TRUE Christian you MUST keep ALL the law of God written in the Old Testament. They, as well as OTHER seventh DAY of the WEEK Sabbath-keeping Christians, ALL argue that the Old Testament is PART of the Bible as well and we just cannot simply throw out the Old Testament and pretend that it is not there. But what some seventh day of the week Sabbath keeping Christians have FAILED to see is that the OLD COVENANT is NOT IN the NEW Testament. I say “some’ because the SDA Christians have seen the TRUTH that Jesus abolished the ORDINANCES, and thus, the SDA Christians do NOT keep the feasts days. However, they twist the teaching of Paul to argue that the WEEKLY Sabbath is NOT a shadow. And they all will ALL Sabbath-keeping Christians have failed to see that the NEW Covenant was PROPHESIED to come in the Old Testament is NOT like the Old Covenant. The Seventh day of the week, Saturday only, Sabbath keepers, and the SEMI Sabbath keepers who keep BOTH Saturday and Sunday, and EVEN FIRST day of the week Sunday Sabbath keepers, are ALL trying to keep BOTH covenants at the SAME time. Now, the seventh day of the week Saturday Sabbath keeping churches begin seducing Christians into their religion of error by FIRST convincing them that they MUST keep the FOURTH commandment, which is to keep the SEVENTH DAY of the week. This is relatively easy by FOCUSING on the Ten Commandments because most Christians do indeed believe that we MUST keep the Ten Commandments of God. But then they point out that most Christians do NOT keep the SEVENTH DAY of the week commandment. Now it gets a little harder see the difference because most Christians who do faithfully attend church nearly every Sunday do NOT do so lest the SIN if they do not attend church EVERY Sunday. However, the Saturday or seventh day Sabbath-keepers keep compelling Christians that they are sinning until some Christians become convinced or SUBVERTED by their words. And then, they begin to fear that they are not pleasing God or even that they are sinning. So they start attending a Sabbath keeping church having the, just in case fear in their mind that they might have been displeasing God by not keeping the weekly Sabbath day on Saturday. And then, after they have deceived a Christian that he or she must keep the SEVENTH DAY of the week in order to be a TRUE Christian that pleases God, then they begin teaching them that God knows BEST to keep the dietary laws. They argue that better that they follow the DIETARY laws written in the Old Testament because is it healthier for you. Plus they argue that you are showing God your faith like obeying water baptism to show your faith. In other words, the seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians have been deceived into believing that they are NOW pleasing God by going to church on Saturday, where before, they were supposedly not pleasing God by going to church on Sunday. Then they begin working on the next step, which is to convince their new converts, who were already truly born-again Christians, that they must keep the DIETARY laws written in the Old Testament under the OLD covenant in order to please God. And of course, they only START with forbidding them from eating pork. They make pork to be as disgusting as they can until they have convinced their new convert that God hates those who eat PIG! But they do NOT stop there. And little by little they convince the unsuspecting Christian weak in their faith to keep ALL the dietary laws written in the Old Testament. SOME Sabbath-keeping churches stop there with the dietary laws and keeping Saturday, but some continue to bind more and more of the ordinances written in the Old Testament upon their followers. After a while, when some of their followers, and even some of their LEADERS, begin to QUESTION all these added burdens, then that is when the Sabbath-keeping church leaders begin to throw DOUBT on the teachings of Paul lest they LOSE their followers and even some of their LEADERS. If you think I am making this up, then do your OWN honest research. Talk to those, who have LEFT a Sabbath-keeping church! I mean if you are TRULY seeking the TRUTH, then you need to hear BOTH sides of this controversy. Here are some testimonies of those who left a Sabbath keeping church: #1. This is a testimony of a former Sabbath keeping Christian. He saw the errors of their interpretations and left the Seventh Day Adventist Church and now he preaches and teaches as to WHY the SDA church is preaching FALSE gospel that is NOT the Gospel of salvation the Paul preaches. The End of Seventh-day Adventism #2. This testimony is from a former Sabbath keeper, who observed the seventh day Sabbath for 47 years, until the Holy Spirit opened his eyes to see the difference between the OLD and the NEW covenant, Renouncing the Sabbath after 47 years #3. This is a link to a website devoted to reaching out to both ex-Sabbath keepers and those still attending Sabbath-keeping churches but still having QUESTIONS. #4. This is another website that exposes the errors of the 7th Day Adventist, but in doing so they also expose the errors of interpretation made by ALL Sabbath-keeping Christians. You see dear child of God, it is not just the 7th Day Adventist, who wrongly compel Christians to keep the seventh day of the week. But rather, it is ALL Saturday keeping Christians, who wrongly teach that Christians must keep the seventh day of the week, because it is a COMMANDMENT of Almighty God himself, and any Christian, who does not keep the seventh day of the week, as a day of rest, is sinning because they are breaking the fourth commandment! But that is only ONE PART of the Bible while IGNORING the REST of the Bible. So I share this link with you because he gives SOUND Biblical teaching showing the ERRORS of interpretation made by ALL Sabbath-keeping churches no matter which Sabbath Keeping church you attend. Sabbatatrians Refuted and Sabbath keepers Exposed: 2011 AD #5. For those who prefer video teachings here is a link to a YouTube video of a former Sabbath keeping Christian, who was a third generation Sabbath keeper whose father and grandfather were Sabbath keepers. All three were not only Sabbath keepers but they were the pastors of Sabbath keeping churches. This is his testimony of how he came to the knowledge of the truth that keeping the seventh DAY of the week as a day of REST was a SIGN pointing to Jesus as our TRUE Sabbath REST. Once you are on YouTube watching this video you will find many more videos of personal testimonies of what particular SCRIPTURE the Holy Spirit used to open their eyes to the truth of the WHOLE word of God on this subject of the Sabbath. Dale Ratzlaff: Does the Sabbath continue in the New Covenant? All I am asking is that you truly consider with your whole heart the OTHER side of the controversy. Be honest with yourself and with God to TRULY seek HIS truth of the WHOLE word of God. The Holy Spirit will NOT lead anyone into error. It is the ENEMY of God, who leads Christians into error. Satan cannot keep anyone from seeking the truth, but he can lead those seeking the truth into error by DECEIVING them that what they conclude certain verses to mean is the truth when, in fact, it is NOT the truth of the WHOLE word of God. With that being said let us now move on to the next section of this study in God's word to learn what the WHOLE word of God teaches us about the Sabbath. For the next section of this in-depth study in God's word to expose the errors of INTERPRETATION made by ALL Saturday seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians please click on this link Dd-42. Is the FOURTH COMMANDMENT ETERNAL? Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to read ALL the studies that I gave links to throughout this study concerning this subject on Sabbath TRUTH. My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
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If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com. Some Sabbath-keeping Christians CLAIM that the early church kept the Sabbath as the Jews, but I assure you that the early first-century church was accustomed to gathering together BEFORE the light of daybreak on the FIRST day of the week that THEY called the Lord's day. Please read all the studies linked within this study and all the studies linked below. This study was just the TIP of the iceberg of exposing the ERRORS of interpretation made by the Saturday seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping churches, and the Sunday first day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians. All of the studies listed under the subject heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< And also read Dd-20. Did The Early Church KEEP the Sabbath day to learn the truth of what the early church believed. Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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