Paul, the Deceptive Disciple
No discussion of devious activity with respect to biblical figures would be complete without an extensive analysis of Paul. If, in fact, Paul wrote the Epistles, then no individual, other than Jesus, has had greater influence on the development of Christianity. Yet, his tendency to operate on expediency was unexcelled. He often made false statements, misquoted, and proved himself unworthy of trust. The following examples are only a fracttion of those available. In 1 Cor. 2:8 Paul said: "Which none of the princes of this world know; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." What princes crucified Jesus? He was killed by a mob and some soldiers. In Col. 1:23 Paul said: "...from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." Come now, Paul. At no time has every living person heard the gospel. Indeed, millions of people have come and gone without having had any contact whatever with the Bible.
Paul, like Jesus, often ignored his own advice. For example, in Rom. 12:14 he said: "Bless them which persecute you: bless and curse not." Yet, in Acts 23:3 he denounced someone by saying: "God shall smite thee, thou whited wall." In 1 Thess. 2:3 Paul says: "For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you." Yet, in 2 Cor. 12:16 he said: "Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery. In 1 Cor. 6:12 and 10:23 Paul says: "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient." The allegedly moral Paul views himself as being a law unto himself. A different kind of problem is found in 1 Cor. 15:5, where Paul says: "And that he (Jesus-ed) was seen of Cephas (Peter-ed), then of the twelve." If true, this would mean there were 13 apostles, unless Peter was not an apostle. In 1 Cor. 10:8 Paul referred to a plague described in the Book of Numbers. He Stated: "...and fell in one day three and twenty thousand." Yet, Num. 25:9 clearly says the number was 24,000. "And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand (Numbers 25:9)."
Paul--The Deceptive Disciple {Part One of a Six-Part Series with a Mid-point Digression}--Issue 8's Commentary (See also: Letter #22 in Issues 10 and 11) focused on some inaccurate comments by Paul and concluded with an assurance that "more will be said later about his shortcomings." Fulfilling that commitment is of crucial importance to a thorough critique of Christianity in general and the Bible in particular since no figure in history, with the possible exception of Jesus, contributed more to the formulation of biblical theology. Any critique of the Bible would be remiss without an exhaustive listing of his failings which, generally speaking, can be grouped under five broad headings: (a) statements in which Paul not only contradicts other parts of Scripture but himself as well, (b) misquotations of biblical verses, (c) accurate quotations corrupted by misinterpretations, (d) inccurate, misleading or ill-conceived comments, and (e) quotations of non-existent verses (non-quotes). [Note: For purposes of discussion we are willing to grant the common apologetic belief that Paul wrote the entire NT except for the Gospels, Acts, and the 8 books following Hebrews]. Category (a) comprises the largest number of examples: (1) "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27) versus "...we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51), "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him...." (Heb. 11:5), "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him" (Gen. 5:24), "...behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11), and "...the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16-17). We are told all men must die but given examples of people who didn't. (2) "...how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures...." (1 Cor. 15:3) and "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22) versus "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin" (Deut. 24:16). (3) "...and to God the Judge of all...." (Heb. 12:23) versus "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?" (1 Cor. 6:2). (4) "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Eph. 4:26) versus "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools" (Eccle. 7:9), "Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go" (Prov. 22:24) and "He that is slow to anger is better than the almighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" (Prov. 16:32). (5) "...who (God--Ed.) alone has immortality...whom no man has ever seen or can see" (1 Tim. 6:16) versus "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen. 32:30), "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend" (Ex. 33:11), "...I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up...." (Isa. 6:1), "...for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 6:5), and (Amos 7:7-8). (6) "For there is no respect of persons with God" (Rom. 2:11), "...God accepteth no man's person...." (Gal. 2:6), "...knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him" (Eph. 6:9), and (1 Peter 1:17) versus "...for the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16) and "as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom. 9:13), "Thou shalt be blessed above all people...." (Deut. 7:14), "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5), "For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever...." (1 Chron. 17:22), "...the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth" (Deut. 14:2), and (Psalm 138:6, Rom. 2:11, 11:7, Gen. 13:14-15). If God does not play favorites, why are some given preference? (7) "...Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife" (1 Cor. 7:27) and "For I would that all men were even as I myself (single--Ed.)...I say therefore to the unmarried and widows. It is good for them if they abide even as I" (1 Cor. 7:7-8) versus "Then the Lord said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him'" (Gen. 2:18 RSV). (8) "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain" (1 Cor. 9:24) versus "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy" (Rom. 9:16). (9) "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12), "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation...For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners" (Rom. 5:18-19), "Therefore as by one man's offence death reigned by one;...." (Rom. 5:17), and (Rom. 5:15, 1 Cor. 15:21-22) versus "The soul that sinneth it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son...." (Ezek. 18:20) "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin" (Deut. 24:16), and (Deut. 32:4). (10) "...Thou shalt not covet...." (Rom. 13:9), "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house,...nor anything that is thy neighbor's" (Ex. 20:17) and (Rom. 7:7) versus "But covet earnestly the best gifts...." (1 Cor. 12:31) and "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy,..." (1 Cor. 14:39). (11) "You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men" (1 Cor. 7:23 RSV) versus "Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord" (Col. 3:22 RSV). (12) "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2) versus "For each man will have to bear his own load" (Gal. 6:5). (13) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness...." (Gal. 5:22) versus "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war...." (Judges 3:10), "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil...." (Judges 14:19), "...and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him,...and he found a new jawbone of an ass,...and slew a thousand men therewith" (Judges 15:14-15), and "the Spirit of God came upon Saul...and his anger was kindled greatly" (1 Sam. 11:6). (14) "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but *****mongers and adulterers God will judge" (Heb. 13:4) versus "And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of *****doms and children of *****doms...." (Hosea 1:2) and "Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress" (Hosea 3:1). (15) "Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they (the earth and the heavens--Ed.) will perish, but thou remainest...." (Heb. 1:10-11 RSV) and (Psalms 102:25-26) versus "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth forever" (Eccle. 1:4). (16) "By faith Moses left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king...." (Heb. 11:27) versus "And he (a Hebrew--Ed.) said, Who made thee (Moses--Ed.) a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killest the Egyptian? And Moses feared and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian...." (Ex. 2:14-15). (17) "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption" (1 Cor. 15:50) versus "...Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11), "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death...." (Heb. 11:5), and "Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). (18) "That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such...." (1 Thess. 4:6) versus "...and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God" (Ezek. 39:10) and "...ye shall spoil the Egyptians" (Ex. 3:22). Paul said don't defraud your neighbor while God ordered "robbing" and "spoiling." (19) "For it is not the man who commends himself that is accepted, but the man whom the Lord commends" (2 Cor. 10:18 RSV) versus "...for I ought to have been commended of you; for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles...." (2 Cor. 12:11), "For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge...." (2 Cor. 11:5-6), "Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also" (2 Cor. 11:18) and (2 Cor. 11:30). How could Paul be accepted with such braggadocio? (20) "Who (God--Ed.) only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto...." (1 Tim. 6:16) versus "Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness" (1 Kings 8:12), "Clouds and darkness are around about him (God--Ed.)...." (Psalm 97:2), and "He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters...." (Psalm 18:11). (21) "Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not" (Rom. 12:14) and "See that none render evil for evil unto any man...." (1 Thess. 5:15) versus "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works" (2 Tim. 4:14). Paul preached forgiveness but sought the opposite for his offenders. (22) "For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15:9 RSV) versus "I think that I am not in the least inferior to these superlative apostles" (2 Cor. 11:5 RSV). (23) "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities" (1 Tim. 5:23) and "Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine...." (1 Tim. 3:8) versus "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine...." (Rom. 14:21), "A bishop then must be...not given to wine,...." (1 Tim. 3:2-3), "For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God...not given to wine...." (Titus 1:7), "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Prov. 20:l), "*****dom and wine and new wine take away the heart" (Hosea 4:11) and (Prov. 23:31-32, Num. 6:1-4, Titus 2:3).
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Paul--The Deceptive Disciple (Part Two of a Six-Part Series)--Last month's commentary initiated a discussion of statements in which Paul not only contradicts other parts of Scripture but himself as well and this month's issue will continue that enumeration: (24) "For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing...." (Rom 7:18) versus "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...." (Gal. 2:20). Paul said no good thing dwells within him yet he has Christ within. (25) "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made...and this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law was 430 years after (Abraham--Ed.)...." (Gal. 3:16-17) versus "now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was 430 years" (Ex. 12:40) and "he said unto Abraham, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them 400 years...." (Gen. 15:13). How could the law have been given to Moses 430 years after the promise to Abraham when the Israelites were in Egypt alone 430 years (Ex. 12:40) or at least 400 years (Gen. 15:13)? (26) "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31) versus "And David said unto God, I am in a great strait; let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let us not fall into the hand of man" (2 Sam. 24:14). (27) "But to Israel he (God--Ed.) saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people" (Rom. 10:21) versus "He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel...." (Num. 23:21). (28) "And after that (the destruction of 7 nations in Canaan by the Israelites--Ed.) he gave unto them judges about the space of 450 years, until Samuel the prophet" (Acts 13:20) [Note: Paul not only wrote much of the NT but made many statements in the Book of Acts--Ed.] versus "And it came to pass in the 480th year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt in the 4th year of Solomon's reign over Israel...." (1 Kings 6:1). If there were 476 years between the time the Israelites left Egypt until the 1st year of Solomon's reign and Judges ruled for 450 of these years, then Saul and David could have only ruled for an intervening total of 26 years. Yet, 2 Sam. 5:4 says David alone ruled 40 years. In addition, more than 40 years were consumed from the time they left Egypt in the Book of Exodus to the period in which they expelled the 7 tribes from Canaan as related in the Book of Joshua. (29) "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Rom. 8:22) versus "The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing" (Psalms 145:15-16). How could the whole creation groan in pain when God satisfies the desires of every living thing? (30) "tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them that believe" (1 Cor. 14:22) versus "If therefore the whole church be come together into one place and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all,...and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you...." (1 Cor. 14:23-25). Paul's logic leaves a lot to be desired. Speaking with tongues is for the unbeliever, but if you speak with tongues the unbeliever is unconvinced. Prophesying is not for the unbeliever, but if you prophesy the unbeliever is convinced. (31) "Who is the image of the invisible God...." (Col. 1:15) and "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible...." (1 Tim. 1:17) versus "...for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen. 32:30), "And the Lord spoke unto Moses face to face...." (Ex. 33:11), "...for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 6:5), and (Judges 13:22). How could God be seen if he is invisible? (32) "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified" (Rom. 2:13), "Who will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom. 2:6) and (2 Cor. 5:10) versus "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight...." (Rom. 3:20), "that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident...." (Gal. 3:11) and (Gal. 2:16). (33) "And I (Paul--Ed.) have hope toward God...that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust" (Acts 24:15) versus "In a moment...the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:52). In Acts Paul "hopes" there is a resurrection while in Corinthians he is sure. Which is the real Paul? (34) "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16) and "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:37) versus "That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in the confidence of boasting" (2 Cor. 11:17), "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord...." (1 Cor. 7:12), "Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment..." (1 Cor. 7:25) and (1 Cor. 7:6). If all scripture emanates from God, how can Paul say on several occasions that he was not speaking for God? (35) "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie,...." (Heb. 6:18), "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie...." (Titus 1:2) versus "Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets...." (1 Kings 22:23, 2 Chron. 18:22), "for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thess. 2:11), "O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived...." (Jer. 20:7), "if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him...." (Ezek. 14:9), "Then said I, ah Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul" (Jer. 4:10) and (Jer. 15:18, Gen. 2:17, 5:5). (36) "Moreover, Brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Cor. 10:1-2) versus "And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel...." (Ex. 14:19-20) and "the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharoah that came into the sea after them.... But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea...." (Ex. 14:28-29). Paul should be more concerned with his own ignorance. The cloud was before and behind them; they were not in it. And none of the "fathers" were baptized; none touched the sea. Actually the Egyptians were the ones "baptized." (37) "...so that no human being might boast in the presence of God" (1 Cor. 1:29 RSV), "Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger and not thine own lips" (Prov. 27:2) and Psalm 94:4) versus "What I am saying I say not with the Lord's authority but as a fool, in this boastful confidence; since many boast of worldly things, I too will boast" (2 Cor. 11:17-18 RSV), "You have made me act like a fool--boasting like this.... There isn't a single thing these other marvelous fellows have that I don't have too...." (2 Cor. 12:11, Living Bible) and "...but I (Paul --Ed.) laboured more abundantly than they all...." (1 Cor. 15:10). (38) "Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek" (Acts 16:3 RSV) versus "But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised" (Gal. 2:3). Behaving according to expediency, Paul circumcised his companions as conditions dictated. His intentional deception of the Jews by circumcising Timothy is a case in point. (39) "For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29) and "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ...." (2 Thess 1:8) and (Heb. 10:27) versus "Now the God of peace...." (Heb. 13:20) and "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy...and his tender mercies are over all his works" (Psalms 145:8-9). (40) "...and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour" (1 Cor. 3:8) and "Who (God--Ed.) will render to every man according to his deeds...." (Rom. 2:6) and (2 Thess. 3:10) versus "And I (God--Ed.) have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat" (Joshua 24:13). (41) "I take you to record this day, that I (Paul--Ed.) am pure from the blood of all men" (Acts 20:26) versus "And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women" (Acts 22:4) and "...many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them" (Acts 26:10) and "...Is not this he (Paul--Ed.) that destroyed them which called on his name in Jerusalem...." (Acts 9:21) and "Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord...." (Acts 9:1) and "...when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I (Paul--Ed.) also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him" (Acts 22:20) and (Acts 9:13, 26:10-11, 1 Cor. 15:9, Phil. 3:6, Gal. 1:13, 23, 1 Tim. 1:13). (42) "...while to the person who does not work by Law, but whose faith rests on Him who declares the ungodly righteous" (Rom. 4:5 Mod. Lang.) versus "He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him" (Prov. 24:24), "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 17:15), and (Isa. 5:20-23). Since God declares the ungodly righteous, he must be not only cursed and abhorred by the people but abominable to himself. (43) "For there is no respect of persons with God" (Rom. 2:11), "...knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him" (Eph. 16:9), "...God accepteth no man's person...." (Gal. 2:6) and (Deut. 10:17, 2 Chron. 19:7, 1 Peter 1:17) versus "For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, Lord, becamest their God" (1 Chron. 17:22), "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth" (Deut. 14:2), "Thou shalt be blessed above all people" (Deut. 7:14) and (Gen. 13:14-15, Rom. 1:16, 2:10, 9:13, 11:5, 7, Psalm 138:6). We are told by Paul that God does not play favorites when clearly he does. And finally (44) "...behold, I (Paul--Ed.) am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there...." (Acts 20:22 RSV) versus "And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there (in Tyre--Ed.) for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem" (Acts 21:4 RSV). Paul says the Spirit approved of his going to Jerusalem while the same Spirit told others to tell him otherwise.
Paul--The Deceptive Disciple (Part Three of a Six-part Series)--This month's commentary will conclude an analysis begun two issues ago in which Paul not only contradicts himself but other parts of Scripture as well. (45) "Now when they {Paul and Timothy--Ed.} had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia" (Acts 16:6) versus "...but he (Paul--Ed.) himself stayed in Asia for a season" (Acts 19:22), "Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded...." (Acts 19:26), "And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:10), and (2 Cor. 1:8, Acts 20:4, 18). Paul supposedly had the Holy Spirit; yet, he ignored its commandment not to go into Asia. (46) "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" (1 Cor. 11:14) versus "For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head...." (Judges 13:5), "All the days of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow" (Num. 6:5), and (1 Sam. 1:11). If long hair is a shame as Paul alleged, then why was it associated with holiness in the OT? (47) "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace...." (1 Cor. 14:33), "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace...." (2 Thess. 3:16), "Now the God of peace be with you all" (Rom. 15:33) and (Heb. 13:20) versus "The Lord is a man of war...." (Ex. 15:3), "Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight" (Psalm 144:1), "For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29), and (Judges 9:23, 1 Sam. 16:14, 2 Thess. 2:11). (48) "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are" (1 Cor. 3:16-17 RSV) versus "And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the 250 men" (Num. 16:35), "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up" (1 Sam. 2:6), "Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings...." (Psalm 135:10), "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me; I kill, and I make alive" (Deut. 32:39), and (Num. 21:6, 25:17, Joshua 10:40, 1 Sam. 15:18). If God destroys those who destroy God's temples, will he destroy himself? Or is this another example of: Do as I say not as I do. (49) "And every priest stareth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sin" (Heb. 10:11) versus "...and the priest shall burn them upon the altar...and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him" (Lev. 4:35), "And one kid of the goats for a sin offering to make an atonement for you" (Num. 29:5), "And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself" (Lev. 17:11), and (Lev. 4:26). Paul said that sacrifices could never take away sins when the OT clearly stated sacrifices could atone for sins. (50) "The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee (Tyre--Ed.); thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more" (Ezek. 27:36), "...and shall set thee (Tyre--Ed.) in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old...that thou be not inhabited....thou shalt be no more; though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God" (Ezek. 26:20-21) and Ezek. 26:14) versus "Now when we (Paul and his party--Ed.) had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria and landed at Tyre" (Acts 21:3) and "when we had finished our course from Tyre...." (Acts 21:7). How could Paul have sailed from Tyre in the NT when it was abolished in the OT? (51) "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners...his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Psalm 1:1-3)" versus ...some (the judges and prophets--Ed.) were tortured.... Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated...." (Heb. 11:35-37 RSV). The judges and prophets Paul speaks of can not say that "whatsoever they did prospered." (52) "Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression" (Rom. 5:14) and "Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation.... For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners...." (Rom. 5:18-19) versus "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers, every man shall be put to death for his own sin" (Deut. 24:16, 2 Chron. 25:4, 2 Kings 14:6, Ezek. 18:20, Jer. 31:30) and (Rom. 2:6, Ezek. 18:4). (53) "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (whom Christians say is Jesus--Ed.) come...." (Gen. 49:10) versus "And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul...." (Acts 13:21). Paul refuted Gen. 49:10. He noted that a king was established in the person of Saul before the advent of Shiloh. Apparently the sceptre had fallen before Saul appeared. (54) "...we speak not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts" (1 Thess. 2:4), "Not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ,...." and (Eph. 6:6), "...for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10) versus "Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved" (1 Cor. 10:33), "Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification" (Rom. 15:2), and "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men...." (1 Cor. 9:22). (55) "And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river" (Ex. 1:22) and "the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months" (Ex. 2:2) versus "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment" (Heb. 11:23). Paul's statement must be false. If the woman was not afraid, why did she hide her son, Moses? (56) "Who will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom. 2:6), "...whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:15), "(For not the hearers of the law are just before God) but the doers of the law shall be justified" (Rom. 2:13), "Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour" (1 Cor. 3:8) and (Gal. 6:7-8, Eph. 6:8, 2 Cor. 5:10, 1 Cor. 7:19) versus "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28), "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ...." (Gal. 2:16), "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith" (Gal. 3:11) and (Heb. 10:38, 11:6, Rom. 11:6, 1:16-17, 3:20, 4:13, 5:1, 2 Cor. 5:7, Gal. 5:6). Paul repeatedly states that one's ultimate reward and salvation are based on faith, while simultaneously contending they are based on works and good deeds. In addition, that which follows shows Paul can't even come to a definite conclusion as to whether or not the Old Law should be heeded. (57) "...for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Gal. 3:l0), "...the doers of the law shall be justified" (Rom. 2:13), "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law" (Rom. 3:31), "Know ye not, brethren,...how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?" (Rom. 7:1), "...so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things that are written in the law and the prophets" (Acts 24:l4), "it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings" (Lev. 23:14, 21, 31, 41) and (Rom. 2:25, 7:12, Gal. 3:l2, 19, Acts 28:17,23, 1 Cor. 14:34) versus "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter" (Rom. 7:6), "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law...." (Gal. 3:13), "...blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us...nailing it to the cross" (Col. 2:14), "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ" (Rom. 7:4), and (Rom. 6:14, 10:4, Gal. 2:16, 19, 21, 3:24-25, 5:2-4, 18, Eph. 2:15, Col. 2:16, Heb. 7:19, 1 Cor. 8:8--Also note: Acts 15:1-2, 28-29, 21:21, 24-25, 13:39, Rom. 2:27-29, 3:20, 4:14-15, 14:3-6, 14, 17-20, 23, 1 Cor. 7:18-19, 10:23-25, 27-29, 32-33, Gal. 4:21-31, 3:11, Phil. 3:7, 9, Col 2:20-23, 1 Tim. 4:4, Heb. 8:8). (58) Several problems accompany Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus: (A) "And the men which journeyed with him (a) stood speechless, (b) hearing a voice, but seeing no man" (Acts 9:7) versus "And when (a) we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me" (Acts 26:14) and "they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they (b) heard not the voice of him that spake to me" (Acts 22:9). (B) "Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 9:1) and "last of all he was seen of me also" (1 Cor. 15:8) versus "And he (Paul--Ed.) fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him; Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?...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. And he was three days without sight" (Acts 9:4, 8-9). Nowhere in Acts 9:4-9 or Acts 22:7-9 and 26:14-15, which discuss the same events, does the narrative say Paul saw Jesus. Indeed, he had his eyes open only briefly and only heard him. (C) "...Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? and the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city and it shall be told thee what thou must do" (Acts 9:6) and "I said, what shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do, and when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came to Damascus" (Acts 22:10-11) versus "...rise and stand upon thy feet; for I (Jesus--Ed.) have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;...the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light...." (Acts 26:16-18). Did Paul receive his specific instructions on the road to Damascus or later in the city? (D) Contrary to previously-quoted Acts 9:8, 22:10-11 and 26:19-20, which say Paul went straight to Damascus after his conversion, Gal. 1:15-17 ("But when it pleased God...to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem...but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus") says he went to Arabia first. (59) "...and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17) and "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 3:28). One need only read Issue #8 to see widespread biblical support for slavery and female subjugation. (60) "...for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible...and the mortal must put on immortality..." (1 Cor. 15:52-53) and (Rom. 2:7 RSV, Rom. 6:23, 1 Cor. 15:16, 21) versus "For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same; as one dies so dies the other...man has no advantage over the beasts.... All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth" (Eccle. 3:19-21 RSV, 9:5-6) and (1 Tim. 6:15-16). (61) "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac...offered up his only begotten son...." (Heb. 11:17) versus "For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman" (Gal. 4:22) and "Abram was 86 when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram" plus "Abram was 100 when his son Isaac was born unto him" (Gen. 16:16 & 21:5). Ishmael was 14 years older than Isaac, so Isaac couldn't have been the only son. (62) "...my (Paul's--Ed.) knowledge in the mystery of Christ which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets...." (Eph. 3:4-5) and "...even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but is made manifest to his saints...." (Col. 1:26) versus "For there is no respect of persons with God" (Rom. 2:11), "...knowing that your Master is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him" (Eph. 6:9) and (Deut. 10:17, 32:4, Col. 3:25). As was shown by #43 in the prior Issue, God clearly plays favorites. (63) "...if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law" (Gal. 3:21) versus "Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord" (Lev. 18:5) and "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them" (Rom. 10:5). Contrary to Gal. 3, Lev. 18 and Rom. 10 say the law can give life. (64) "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than the necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols and from blood...." (Acts 15:28-29) and (Acts 15:20, 21:25) versus "Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience" (1 Cor. 10:25 RSV), "But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not are we the worse" (1 Cor. 8:8), "If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner...eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience" (1 Cor. 10:27) and (Col. 2:16). Paul is contradictory with respect to whether all meats can be eaten. (65) "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Ex. 20:8) versus "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days" (Col. 2:16). (66) "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all" (Rom. 11:32) and (1 Tim. 2:4) versus "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth" (Rom. 9:18. (67) "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves...for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Rom. 12:19) versus "...yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge" ..
Paul--The Deceptive Disciple (Part Four of a Six-Part Series)--With this month's commentary we resume the discussion of Paul's inadequacies that was last addressed in the September issue. As was stated in the July issue Paul's failings lie within 5 major categories: contradictions, misquotations, non-quotes, misinterpretations, and ill-conceived comments. As of now we have completed our enumeration of the contradictions and can proceed to the second category--misquotations. Almost no bounds exist with respect to Paul's propensity to extract from the OT the meanings he desires. (69) In l Cor. 3:20 (...For it is written....The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain") Paul misquoted Psalm 94:11 ("The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity"). Surely not all men are wise. Wisdom and men aren't equal. (70) In Rom. 15:12 ("And again, Isaiah saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust") Paul misquoted Isa. 11:10 ("And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek....). (a) Isaiah does not say he shall reign or rule over the Gentiles. It merely states that the root of Jesse will act as a standard or banner for the people. (b) Isaiah refers to "it" not "him." (71) In 1 Cor. 2:9 ("But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him") he misquoted Isa. 64:4 RSV ("From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him"). (a) Nowhere in Isa. 64:4 does it say, "neither have entered into the heart of man." (b) Paul states, "the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Yet, Isaiah 64:4 does not state or even imply that there will be a future reward for those that love God. It merely states that God will work for those who wait for him. (c) Isa. 64:4 says, "no eye has seen a God besides thee," which Paul omits. (72) In Eph. 4:8 ("Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men") Paul misquoted Psalm 68:18 ("Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men....") (a) Psalm 68:18 says "received gifts" not "gave gifts." (b) It also says "thou" not "he." (c) Jesus never led captivity captive, led others to a high mount, or gave gifts unto men. (d) There is a big difference between "giving gifts to men" and "receiving gifts for men." (73) In Rom. 3:4 ("...as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged") Paul misquoted Psalm 51:4 ("...that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest"). (a) Psalm 51:4 says "judgest" not "art judged." (b) Psalm 51:4 also says "and be clear" or "blameless," not "and mightest overcome" or "prevail." (74) In Rom. 15:21 ("But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand") Paul misquoted and misapplied Isa. 52:15 ("...the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they have not heard shall they consider"). (a) Isaiah 52:15 says nothing about "he was not spoken of"; it says "that which had not been told them." It says "that," not "he." (b) "They that have not heard shall understand" is not the same as "that which they have not heard shall they consider." Because something is considered does not mean it is understood. (75) In Heb. 10:7 ("Then said I, Lo I come [in the volume of the book it is written of me] to do thy will, O God") Paul distorted Psalm 40:7-8 ("Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me. I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart"). He left out the last phrase ("thy law is within my heart") which shows God's will is the law. If Paul had quoted Psalms correctly he would have been stressing the importance of upholding the Old Law. Since Paul never stressed the Old Law, he understandably left out the last verse. (76) In 1 Cor. 15:54-55 ("...then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?). Paul misquoted Isa. 25:8 RSV ("He will swallow up death forever") and Hosea 13:14 ("...O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction"). (a) Isaiah says death will be swallowed up "forever" not "in victory." (b) Hosea says "thy plagues" not "thy sting." (c) "Hosea was not written in interrogatory form. (d) Hosea says "thy destruction" not "thy victory." It is difficult to see how Paul's words could be accurately derived from Isaiah and Hosea. (77) In Heb. 10:36-37 ("...ye might receive thy promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry") Paul perverted Hab. 2:3 ("For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry"). (a) Habbakuk says nothing about "he." The "it" in the verse is a vision, not Jesus. Hab. is referring to the maturation of a vision he has. The "it" referred to has nothing to do with the arrival of any individual. (b) Where in the OT, esp. Hab., did God promise "he will come and not tarry?" (78) In Rom. 11:9-10 ("Let their table be made a snare, and a trap and a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them: let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway") Paul misstated Psalm 69:22-23 ("Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake"). The Psalmist said nothing about a "stumblingblock," a "recompense," or "bowing down their back alway." (79) In Rom. 11:26-27 ("And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob, For this is the covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins") Paul misquoted and misused Isaiah 59:20-21 ("And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord...."). (a) Isaiah 59:20 says "to Zion," not "out of" Zion. (b) Isaiah says the Redeemer shall come "unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob." It does not say the Deliverer "shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." In other words, he will come to those who turned from transgression on their own volition. It does not say he will turn away ungodliness. (c) Moreover, "when I shall take away their sins" is not in Isaiah 59. Paul created that out of nothing. (d) Nowhere does Isaiah use the word "saved" or "salvation" as Paul uses it. (80) In Rom. 9:25-26 ("as he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God") Paul misquoted and misused Hosea 2:23 ("...and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God") and Hosea 1:10 ("...and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God"). (a) Hosea 1:10 is speaking only of Jews as Hosea 1:11 ("Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together") shows. It is not referring to Gentiles and does not justify spreading the word to Gentiles. (b) "and her beloved, which was not beloved" is not in Hosea. Paul created the words. (c) Hosea 2:23 says, "and they shall say, Thou art my God," which Paul conveniently left out of his quote since millions of Gentiles have clearly not made such a statement. (81) In Rom. 10:6-8 ("But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? [that is, to bring Christ down from above] or, who shall descend into the deep? [that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead]. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach...."), Paul mutilated Deut. 30:12-14 ("It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it? But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it"). (a) The latter is only saying that his (Moses--Ed.) commandments are easy to obtain. They are not far off but as close as one's heart or mouth. Deut. says nothing about "faith." (b) It refers to seeking "it" and doing "it," not seeking "him" or doing "him." (c) It does not even imply Christ or Jesus, let alone mention him. (d) Deut. is referring to Penitence and is not about believing on or bringing down Jesus from heaven or up from the dead. (e) Deut. is saying that God wills us to repent of sin and that you may know when you have sinned. You have only to look at his law which is very close by. (82) In Heb. 10:16-17 ("This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more") Paul misquoted and misapplied Jer. 31:33-34 ("...but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts,...for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more"). (a) The New Covenant referred to in Jer. 31:31 is not that of Jesus' New Testament but a reaffirmation with Israel of the importance of following the Old Law. Jer. 31:33 clearly states that God's law (my law) will be put in them. (b) Jer. says the law will be written in their hearts, not their minds and God's law will be put in their inward parts, not their hearts. "And in their minds will I write them" does not appear in Jer. (83) In Rom. 9:33 ("As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed") Paul misquoted Isa. 28:16 ("Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste"). (a) Isaiah says nothing about "on him" or "being ashamed." (b) Isaiah says God will lay a precious corner stone, a sure foundation, not a stumbling stone or rock of offence. (c) True, Isa. 8:14 ("And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel....") speaks of a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, but it is speaking of God himself. Paul deceptively combined two unrelated verses and altered the text in the process. (84) And finally, Heb. 12:20 is a misconstruction of Ex. 19:12-13 and Heb. 4:3 is a perversion of Psalm 95:11.
Besides contradictions and misquotations, Paul also engaged in quoting non-existent OT statements--nonquotes. (85) "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed" (Rom. 10:11). No such statement exists in scripture. Isa. 28:16, Jer. 17:7, and Joel 2:32 simply don't apply. (86) "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them" (Rom. 10:5). Although Paul is quoting Lev. 18:5, he couldn't be quoting Moses since Moses didn't write the Pentateuch. (See: Moses and the Pentateuch in Issues 19 and 20). (87) Second Tim. 3:8 ("Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses....") refers to two people who were never mentioned in the OT and there is no evidence they are the Pharoah's sorcerers in Ex. 7:11. (88) Contrary to 1 Tim. 1:18 ("This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee...."), there are no OT prophecies pertaining to, or referring to, Timothy. (89) Eph. 5:14 ("Therefore it is said, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light") is nowhere to be found in the OT. Isa. 60:1 and 26:19 are not applicable. (90) Contrary to 1 Cor. 15:7 ("After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles") no gospel says James saw Jesus. (91) And finally, contrary to Heb. 9:3-4 ("And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant,...wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant...."), 2 Chron. 5:10, Deut. 10:2, 5, and Ex. 25:16 show there is nothing in the OT about a golden pot or Aaron's rod being put in the ark.
Paul--The Deceptive Disciple (Part Five of a Six-Part Series)--Before moving to a listing of Paul's ill-conceived comments, we'll complete the enumeration of his nonquotes begun last month. (92) Paul's comment in 1 Cor. 15:4-6 ("...and he arose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and he was seen of Cephas--Peter, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once....") is unsubstantiated. (a) No gospel says that Peter saw Jesus before the twelve. (b) No gospel states that Peter was the first person to see Jesus alive after the Resurrection although Paul implies as much. (c) And no gospel states that 500 people saw Jesus at one time after the Resurrection. Five hundred people never stated as much. Paul says they did, but we only have his word for it. (93) Paul's comment in Heb. 1:6 ("And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten (Jesus--Ed.) into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him") does not repete any statement in the OT. Psalm 97:7 and Deut. 32:43 have no relevance. (94) Paul's comments in 2 Cor. 6:18 ("...and (I--Ed.) will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty") appear nowhere in the OT. Second Sam. 7:14, 1 Chron. 17:13, and Jer. 31:1 aren't applicable. (95) In Heb. 10:5-6 ("Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me; In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure") Paul misquoted and misapplied Psalm 40:6 ("Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required"). (a) "but a body hast thou prepared me" is not in Psalm 40:6. Paul created it. (b) "mine ears hast thou opened" is in Psalm 40:6 but Paul omitted it. (c) Psalm 40:12 ("...mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head....") was written by the same person who wrote Psalm 40:6 who couldn't have been Jesus since the former committed many iniquities. Paul took the verse out of context. (d) Moreover, nowhere in the Gospels did Jesus say what Paul attributed to him in Heb. 10:5-7. (96) And finally, nowhere in the OT does it say that "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you" as Paul says in Rom. 2:24 ("For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written"). Isa. 52:5 and 2 Sam. 12:14 aren't applicable.
The next major category encompassing Paul's failings involves ill-conceived comments. (97) "But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother" (Gal. 1:19). Where does any gospel say one of the apostles was Jesus' brother, James? (98) "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them" (Heb. 4:2). The gospel was never preached to Paul. He simply converted and began preaching. (99) First Cor. 15:4-5 ("And he was buried, and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve") flies in the face of Matt. 27:5 ("And he--Judas--cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and went and hanged himself"). Paul's statement that Jesus was seen by the twelve is false, unless Judas came back to life. His replacement, Matthias, was not elected until after the Ascension. (100) "You foolish man! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies" (1 Cor. 15:36 RSV). The organic processes constituting physical life do not cease in the grain which grows up into wheat. If they did cease, that body that shall be, which he compares to the bodies of the resurrected would never appear at all. In other words, that which thou sowest does not come to life if it dies. (101) "He (Moses--Ed.) considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt...." (Heb. 11:26 RSV). How and when was Moses punished or subjected to suffering because of a belief in Jesus or the Christ? Where is that in Scripture? (102) "Some (of the prophets--Ed.) were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life" (Heb. 11:35 RSV). Nowhere does the OT say that people suffered torture in order to expect resurrection. Paul created this. (103) "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree...." (Gal. 3:13). According to Paul's reasoning, anyone who was ever crucified could be the Savior. (104) "Therefore leaving the principle of the doctrine of Christ let us go on unto perfection...." (Heb. 6:1). According to Paul, then, Christ's doctrine is not perfection but only a step toward the same. (105) "For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law" (Rom. 4:13) and "...where no law is, there is no transgression" (Rom. 4:15). This makes no sense! If sin was not imputable to people before the law, then how could sin have been in the world? How could people have been sinners? If sin was in the world, then it must have been imputable; otherwise, how could it have been sin? How could you have sin imputable to no one? (106) "But God has so composed the body (of Christ--Ed.), giving the greater honor to the inferior part, that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Cor. 12:24-27 RSV). Religious conflicts between Christians and the existence of over 1,500 Christian denominations demonstrate the inaccuracy of this statement. (107) "God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles...." (Heb. 2:4). The presence of miracles does not prove God is present as Matt. 24:23-24, Mark 13:21-22, Rev. 13:11, 13-14, 16:14 and 19:20 show. Many beings, both good and bad, performed miracles as Ex. 7:11-12, 8:7, 2 Thess. 2:8-9, and Deut. 13:1-3 prove. (108) "Who (Jesus--Ed.) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature...." (Col. 1:15). (a) If Jesus and God are equal and eternal, how could either be born? (b) In no sense could Jesus be considered the firstborn either as a man or a God. As a God he was never born; as a man he lived after millions were born. (109) "(God--Ed.) hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds...." (Heb. 1:2). An heir is appointed for a time when the appointer dies or is incapacitated. Paul is saying God is finite, will die, or become incapacitated and Jesus will take over which contradicts what God said in Isa. 48:12 ("...I am the first, I also am the last"). (110) "...by whom (Jesus--Ed.) also he made the worlds.... Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee?" (Heb. 1:2, 5). Paul quoted Psalm 2:7 wherein David said, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." If God created the world through Jesus, it would imply that Jesus lived before the worlds were created. But, then, Paul stated that God said to Jesus, "This day have I begotten thee" and he said it by the mouth of David who lived long after the worlds were created. (111) "....therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law)...." (Heb. 7:11). False! The law was given first in the form of the Ten Commandments and other rules to the firstborn Israelites. The priesthood and Temple service were switched from their responsibility to the Tribe of Levi after the former worshipped the golden calf and the Levites refused to do so. (112) "For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid (Hagar--Ed.), the other by a freewoman (Sarah--Ed.)...for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar" (Gal. 4:22-24). False history! The law was given from Sinai to the descendants of the freewoman, Sarah, through Isaac and not to the descendants of the bondwoman, Hagar, through Ishmael. (113) Paul said Melchizedek was "...without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually" (Heb. 7:2-3). If Melchizedek is like Jesus then he is a God too. Yet, Gen. 14:18 implies he was only a priest. What Paul says of one must be true of the other. Otherwise, Melchizedek is not "like unto the Son of God." (114) "These all died in faith, not having received what was promised (by God--Ed.), but having seen it and greeted it from afar...." (Heb. 11:13). Paul, the alleged messenger of God, is accusing God of breaking his promise to Abraham. In effect, he's accusing God of lying. (115) "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth" (1 Cor. 10:24). This verse speaks for itself. (116) "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not" (1 Cor. 10:23). And Nixon was accused of considering himself above the law and operating on expediency! (117) "But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was able to be blamed....(because--Ed.) he did eat with the Gentiles: but when (the Jews--Ed.) were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision" (Gal. 2:11-12). Paul accused Peter of acting on expediency; yet, he, Paul, was "all things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:22). (118) "That Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead...." (Acts 26:23). Jesus certainly wasn't the first to rise from the dead as the RESURRECTION discussion in Issue #2 showed. (119) In several verses Paul openly admitted he spoke foolishly which is more than his followers are willing to concede: "What I am saying I say not with the Lord's authority, but as a fool, in this boastful confidence...." (2 Cor. 11:17), "...I speak foolishly,...." (2 Cor. 11:21), "...I speak as a fool...." (2 Cor. 11:23), "I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me" (2 Cor. 11:1 RSV), "I am become a fool in glorying...." (2 Cor. 12:11). (120) "I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service" (2 Cor. 11:8-9). This hardly needs comment! (121) "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). False! The act of accepting by faith is a work itself. You have to do something; it's not a mere gift. (122) "And he (Paul--Ed.) said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest...." (Acts 9:5). Why would Paul ask who is speaking when he called the speaker "Lord?" He must have known who was speaking. (123) And lastly, "For I testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:3-4). Yet, Jesus, himself, was circumcised ("And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus...."--Luke 2:21), as were Paul ("I was circumcised the eighth day...."--Phil. 3:5), and Peter ("And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them"). And Acts 16:3 RSV ("Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and circumcised him....") shows Paul circumcised Timothy. Although Jesus, Paul, and Peter were circumcised and obligated to do the whole law, each ignored significant parts of it and was fallen from grace.
Paul--The Deceptive Disciple (Part Six of a Six-Part Series)--With this issue we'll complete our revelation of Paul's failings begun last summer by listing the remaining examples of ill-conceived comments and concluding with those verses within the final category--misinterpretations. (124) In 1 Cor. 9:19-23 ("....And unto the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews, to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law...that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake") Paul showed his allegiance to expediency and opportunism by being a religious chameleon. (125) In Heb. 11:17 ("By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac... his only begotten son....") Paul contradicted not only what he said in Gal. 4:22 ("For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman") but two OT verses, Gen. 16:16 ("And Abram was 86 when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram") and Gen. 21:5 ("Abraham was 100 years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him") which clearly show he had two sons and Isaac was the younger. (126) In 1 Cor. 11:14 ("Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?") Paul refuted several OT verses that show long hair denotes a child of God: Judges 13:5 ("For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb...."), Num. 6:2,5 ("...when either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite...all the days of the vow of his separation shall no razor come upon his head...he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow"), and 1 Sam. 1:11 ("...she vowed a vow and said...I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head"). (127) In Heb. 10:5-10 ("Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings thou (God--Ed.) has not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me;.... 'Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings'...then he (Jesus--Ed.) added, 'Lo, I have come to do thy will.' He abolishes the first in order to establish the second, and by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all") Paul quoted Psalm 40:6 which clearly says that God does not want sacrifices to him. And yet Paul quoted Jesus as alleging that one final sacrifice is needed. There are no bounds to Paul's ability to extract from the OT the sense he desires; he goes so far as to find a demonstration of the necessity of the sacrifice of Christ in a Psalm passage (40:7) which clearly affirms that God does not desire sacrifice, but obedience to his will. (128) In Acts 23:6-8 ("But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees (at his trial--Ed.), he cried out in the council, men and brethren I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both") and Acts 24:21 ("...Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day") Paul intentionally lied about the charges against him in court in order to create arguments among his accusers. As Acts 21:28 ("...men of Israel, help! This is the man that teacheth all men every where against the people, the law, and this place; and further brought Greeks into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place") and Acts 24:5 ("For we have found this man a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes") show, the real charges were quite different. (129) According to Acts 9:22-25 ("But Paul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the very Christ. And after many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him...") the Jews sought to kill Paul; while according to 2 Cor. 11:32-33 ("In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me....") it was the governor under Aretas the king who sought him. Unless the governor and his men were Jews, which is highly unlikely, there is a conflict. (130) Paul's comment in Heb. 1:2 ("...by whom (Jesus--ed.) also he (God--Ed.) made the worlds....") conflicts with his utterance in Heb. 1:5 ("Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?"). If God created the world through Jesus, it would mean that Jesus lived before the "worlds" were created. But in the same breath Paul stated that God said, "This day have I begotten thee" to Jesus and he said it by the mouth of David (Psalm 2:7) who lived long after the worlds were created. (131) In Phil. 3:8 ("...for whom (Jesus--Ed.) I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ") Paul seems to have ignored his own advice in Col. 3:8 RSV ("But now put them all away; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth"). (132) Contrary to Gal. 1:18 ("Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him 15 days"), three different NT accounts found in Acts 9, 22, and 26 state that Paul went to Jerusalem shortly after he left Damascus, not 3 years later. (133) In Phil. 4:3 ("...help those women which labored with me in the gospel....") and Rom. 16:3 ("Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus....") Paul seems to have ignored his admonition in 1 Tim. 2:12-13 ("I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve...."). (134) And lastly, in Acts 21:21-24, 26 Paul practiced deception by pretending to uphold the law by purifying himself with four men.
The final major category of Paul's failings involves misinterpretations of biblical verses and is a little harder to follow. (135) In Rom. 15:3 ("For even Christ pleased not himself: but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me") Paul misinterpreted Psalm 69:9. The "me" referred to in Psalm 69:9 is David; he is speaking, not Jesus. (136) In Heb. 1:5 ("...I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?") Paul misinterpreted and misapplied 2 Sam. 7:14 ("I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men"). (a) In 2 Sam. 7:14 God is saying he will call Solomon, not Jesus, his son. (b) How could Jesus commit iniquity which Paul omitted. It must be referring to a mere mortal like Solomon. (c) Certainly God would not beat Jesus with a rod, cause stripes to be put on him, or threaten to chasten him with stripes. (137) In Rom. 4:17 ("As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations") Paul correctly quoted Gen. 17:4 but incorrectly interpreted Gen. 17:4 in the prior related verse, Rom. 4:16 ("...the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all"). Gen. 17:4 says "many" not "all" nations. Abraham was not the father of us all. Many other tribes and peoples lived before and during his time, e.g. the Egyptians (Gen. 12:12) and the Amorites (Gen. 14:7). (138) Paul made a major error by incorrectly applying "seed" to Jesus in Gal. 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"). (a) "Seed" in the OT was never used in the plural as Gen. 13:15-16, 15:5,13, 26:4 and 32:12 show. Seed always referred to all of one's descendants. (b) If "seed" is referring to Jesus alone, then Gen. 12:7 would mean God gave Jesus, the creator of heaven and earth, the land of Canaan as an inheritance which is absurd; Gen. 13:16 and 22:17 would mean Jesus was as numberless as the dust of the earth; Gen. 15:13 would Jesus and a nation of Christs would serve Egypt 400 years, and Gen. 17:9-10 would mean the covenant of circumcision was established with Jesus. (c) Why would God make a promise to Jesus to begin with since Jesus is co-existent and co-equal with God? (139) In Heb. 12:21 ("...and so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake....") Paul is referring to the fear Moses had when he stood at the base of an untouchable mountain and witnessed blazing fire, gloom, darkness, trumpets sounding, and words. Yet, Paul is using Deut. 9:19 ("For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the Lord was wroth against you to destroy you") which is actually referring to Moses' fear of the Lord's anger at the time he found them worshipping the Golden Calf. (140) In Heb. 6:20 ("...even Jesus made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec") Paul misapplied Psalm 110:4 ("The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek") to Jesus. The "thou" in Psalm 110:4 is referring to David, not Jesus. (141) In Gal. 3:13 ("Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree") Paul used Deut. 21:22-23 ("And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day, ....") for his own ends. (a) Deut. 21:22 is referring to a sinful man who couldn't be Jesus since the latter is supposedly sinless (1 Peter 2:22). (b) Jesus was not hanged. (c) He did not die on a tree and never remained "upon the tree" during the night. (d) Actually Paul is calling the alleged "Savior" cursed. (142) In Heb. 10:30 ("For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord") Paul quoted part of Deut. 32:35 ("Vengeance is mine, and recompense....") and falsely attributed the original comment to the Lord. The quote was actually made by someone who felt he was God's agent. (143) In Rom. 4:5-8 ("But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin") Paul misinterpreted Psalms 32:1-2 ("Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile"). (a) Just because God forgave iniquities does not mean one is saved by faith. (b) Psalms says nothing about belief or believing "on him." (c) In no sense does Psalms imply that a man's sins are forgiven because he believed or accepted something. (144) In Acts 13:30-33 ("But God raised him from the dead. And he was seen many days of them which come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. and we declare unto you glad tidings how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm <'...the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee'>"). Where does Psalm 2 say or where is it equivalent to saying in some distant day I will raise Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph's son, from the dead. The second Psalm does not promise that: (a) anyone will rise from the dead, (b) he who is the Son of God must rise from the dead, (c) Jesus of Nazareth is the son of God or (d) anyone risen from the dead shall be the son of God. Moreover, the Psalmist (David--Ed.) in Psalm 2:7 is speaking of himself, not Jesus. (145) In Heb. 2:6-9 Paul perverted Psalm 8:4-6. (a) The Psalmist stated that God made man, not Jesus, to have rule over all God made and God made man, not Jesus, a little lower than the angels. What the Psalmist stated has no relation to Jesus as Paul implies in Heb. 2:9. (b) Why would Jesus have been worshipped by the angels if he was made a little lower than them? (c) A crown of glory and honor was never put on the head of Jesus. (146) And lastly, in Heb. 1:8-9 Paul misinterpreted Psalm 45:7: (a) If Jesus is God or co-equal with God, would the Psalmist have addressed him with "thy God." How could Jesus, who is God, have a God? (b) Verses 45:1,8-9 show the Psalmist is speaking of a king. Jesus' garments never smelled of myrrh, aloes, and cassia. And king's daughters were never among Jesus' honorable women.
A final small category of Paul's failings concerns erroneous prophecies. (147) In 1 Thess. 4:15 ("...we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep") and 1 Thess. 4:17 ("Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord") Paul was certain that the end of the world was coming in the lifetime of his contemporaries. He expected to be snatched up bodily into heaven with other saints then living, who would, thus, never taste death. Yet, Jesus did not return in Paul's lifetime and Paul and his contemporaries were never taken up into the air. (148) Heb. 1:2 ("In these last days"), 1 Cor. 7:29 ("The time is short") and Heb. 10:37 ("For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry") clearly show Paul taught his converts that Christ's coming and the end of the world were close at hand. After 2,000 years it's safe to say he erred.
Why don't muslims belive in Paul?
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