Satan-Saul the Deciever
Jon Presco <braskewitz <at> yahoo.com>
2009-06-06 15:04:26 GMT
"From a Jewish perspective, Paul has traditionally been viewed as an apostate from Judaism, a self-hating
Jew, and a master manipulator of others. Jews have often used Paul as their primary target in
anti-Christian polemics, claiming that while Jesus was a good Jew who never meant to found a new religion,
Paul manipulated Jesus's message for his own gain and glory. Paul deceived Gentiles who did not know any
better and undertook to start a new religion that was antithetical to Judaism (as well as Jesus). This view
of Paul holds him single-handedly responsible for two thousand years of antisemitism and Christian
brutality toward Jews.
At first these two views may look mutually exclusive, but in fact they are mirror images of one another. They
both assume Paul left his Judaism behind once he "found Christ" and consequently turned toward
communities of gentiles, where he became a leader and made large numbers of converts. From the Christian
perspective, Paul's experience is true and he is sincere; he simply found something better and wanted to
share it with the rest of the world. Christians view Paul's work positively, since it resulted in the
salvation of the Gentiles. From the Jewish perspective, Paul is a manipulative fake, or at least
seriously misguided. What he did resulted not in the salvation of the world, but in the condemnation of
millions of Jews. (Interestingly, some mainline Christians of a liberal ilk have taken up a version of
this view. They tend to revere Jesus and see him as a teacher of love, while feeling skeptical about Paul and
viewing his teachings as intolerant, divisive, and unforgiving.)
Over the last twenty-five years many scholars have begun to view Paul differently. Commonly designated
"the new perspective on Paul," this wave of scholarship signifies a rejection of the traditional
Christian portrait of Paul and the reconstruction of Paul as a Jew. Scholars who align themselves with the
new perspective pride themselves on having liberated Paul from the dominant interpretive lens created
by Augustine and Luther. They have benefited from dialogue with Jewish scholars and by an honest
engagement with ancient Jewish literature that has resulted in a vision of first-century Judaism that
makes it impossible to see Paul as completely alienated from his Judaism.
It is clear from the way Paul speaks that he thinks of himself as a Jew, not just before his experience of the
risen Jesus, but throughout his life (see, for example, Rom. 9:3; Gal. 2:15; Phil. 3:5). Moreover, in the
middle of the first century when Paul is writing his letters, "Christianity" does not yet exist. Jews who
believe in Jesus do not yet understand themselves as members of a distinct religion -- they are simply
followers of Jesus. Not all scholars, of course, accept this new view. Critics of the new perspective
claim that it is motivated more by contemporary Jewish-Christian relations in light of the holocaust
than by an accurate reading of Paul.
Why is it that Paul is viewed by some as the quintessential Christian in a world in which Christianity trumps
Judaism, while others argue passionately for seeing Paul as a Jew who has been misunderstood by
subsequent Christian readers?
http://www.justgivemethetruth.com/paul_was_a_deceiver.htm
http://answering-christianity.com/abdullah_smith/anti_christ_paul_1.htm
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2004/04/Is-Paul-The-Father-Of-Anti-Semitism.aspx
http://www.revelations.org.za/Passion.htm
Doesn't anyone else find it incongruous that not a single utterance from YAHU'SHUAH' teachings in the
Gospel accounts are found in Paul's many letters? For Paul, YAHU'SHUAH is just the Divine Messiah who
dies, resurrects and we must trust in this fact alone, "to be saved.". Apart from that, YAHU'SHUAH's
teachings are completely absent in Paul's NT writings.
Paul also sneers at the three "so-called" leaders at Jerusalem: James, Cephas (i.e., Simon Peter) and
John, adding pejoratively that they "seemed to be pillars" (Galatians 2:9). Paul boasts that he believes
he is at their level: "For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles" (2 Corinthians 11:5.
And in 2 Corinthians 12:11, Paul claims "in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be
nothing." There is some textual and historical reasons to think Paul calls the twelve false apostles in 2
Cor. 11:12-23, viz. verse 13 "fashioning themselves into apostles of YAHU'SHUAH." (Is this not exactly
what Paul claims and pursues himself, though he was never appointed as an apostle by YAHU'SHUAH but
only, at best, as a servant and a witness? Acts 26:16; 9:15)
PAULINISM - BASED ON TRUTH OR HERESY?
Paulinism with its many implications have become a real heresy. The natural result of this warped system
will undoubtedly be to discount the Words of God, abolish the underlying true essence of the Message of the
Kingdom for this age, and present seeking believers with another Gospel, which is called the "Gospel of
Grace". No greater lie has ever been foisted upon the people of God than this terrible misrepresentation
of the True Purpose and Plan of the Creator God for man - as embodied in the so-called "New Gospel of Grace",
which is accredited to the apostle Paul according to his interpretation.
Without question there is a definite, distinct style in the composition of the writings of the great
scribes of Holy Writ. The four Gospels are a vivid example of the four vastly different men who wrote them -
yet, they were each one inspired by the same Holy Spirit! This fact has stumbled many an agnostic and has
made unbelievers out of many doubters.
The knowledge of the infinite and the clever planning of the Most High are manifest in the styles of the four
different viewpoints of the ministry of Messiah as recorder in the four versions of the Gospels. In these
four books we see the pictures of the men who wrote them, yet, not once do they mention their own names. In all
four of these accounts there is a complete absence of the use of the personal pronoun by the author - (there
are two exceptions to this: Luke said, "It seemed good to me also ... to write". (chapter I, verse 3). This
was not a boast - rather an apology from a heart of humility. He was only doing what he felt was his duty. The
other exception is recorded in John 21:25. This author deliberately avoided using his own name; in four
places he referred to himself as the "disciple whom Messiah loved."
What a contrast this is to the epistles of Paul! He wrote 13 letters, and each one of them started with his own
name! He used the personal pronoun "I, me, or my", 949 times! In the twelfth chapter of 2 Corinthians, the
big personal
The Original Messianic Instruction to Paul
Christians and Messianics generally feel it their prime spiritual duty and obligation to proselytize and
evangelize Jews. In defense, they will claim that Messiah instructed Paul and the apostles to "go to the
Jew first with the Good News of Salvation which is obtainable through faith in Him only".
The Christian New Testament (NT) records how Paul primarily targeted Jewish congregations on his
evangelical missions. The fact that these proselytizing missions normally ended in failure, with Paul
and his company being attacked and 'run out of town', did not detract him from ever returning "to the Jew
first" with the Message that he himself, at first, so viciously persecuted.. History has proven over the
subsequent 2000 years, that the Jews would not accept his Message, while the 'other nations' would run
with it, forming vast 'Christian' churches across much of the world.
Paul (originally Saul of Tarsus, a Roman citizen by birth and an educated Jewish scholar) has no equal in the
annals of Church history for his great influence on Christian theology which is so diametrically
contrary to Judaism. Yet, when interrogated by the Jewish leaders, Paul would always profess to be a
staunch upholder of the Jewish Faith. The great confusion which this evangelist caused is normally
accounted to his 'advanced and deep reasoning'.
An in-depth analysis of the NT records though, will reveal that Paul not only acted contrary to his own
claims, but also contrary to the orders given him by Messiah Himself, as well as against the directives of
those very Prophetic guidelines which he would quote in his own defense.
It is often overlooked that Paul was not one of the 12 called apostles of Messiah. In fact, the book of Acts is
clear that the apostles were very dubious about receiving Paul amongst their leadership because of his
former position of persecutor of Messiah's disciples and the brutal stoning of Stephen. He was also
involved in heavy arguments with those who opposed his views and ideas (Acts (9:26-30).
Though we only have his own relays of his direct Calling - while he was on one of his persecution trips on the
way to Damascus - we do have a NT record quoting Messiah's direct confirmation of Paul's Calling:
Acts 9:15 "This man (Paul) is My chosen instrument to bring My Name before pagans and pagan kings and before
the people of Israel"
Bearing in mind that 'the people of Israel' by no stretch of Scriptural definition ever refers to Jews only,
we certainly do not have a Messianic Injunction here for Paul being so insistent on approaching "Jews
first" rather than 'pagans', as Messiah's directive so clearly specifies. On the contrary, the above
ruling pays note to 'pagans' firstly. Enter here another popular misconception, that 'pagans' refer to
non-Israelite nations only. Fact is that in NT times the Land of Israel was inhabited mainly by Jews (Tribe
of Judah). The Jews of Messiah's time despised even their fellow 'Israelites' from Samaria (the Northern
part of the Land, original home of the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel - refer the NT discussion between
Messiah and the Samaritan woman). They also despised and regarded as 'pagans' their northern Israel
tribal counterparts who refused to subject themselves to Judah's 'Scepter' Rule (Gen. 49:10) - a
rebellion for which the entire northern 10-Tribed part of ancient Israel was rejected and exiled by YHVH,
the One True God of Israel.
NT references to Gentiles/pagans/other nations could therefore also refer to exiled 10-Israel,
regarded as "the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel", known to be living "across the Euphrates river" in NT times. In
our study The One True Gospel, we conclude from the Scriptures and explicit statements by Messiah Himself
i(f read in proper context), that Messiah's Reconciliatory Atonement was for the main Purpose of
bringing exiled and rejected 10-Israelites back into Covenant with YHVH - hence the need for
proclamation of His Name amongst the pagan assimilated exiles of 10-Israel who were dispersed amongst
the nations. It is evident that this distinction was not well-known amongst the overpowering Jewish
element of the first Messianic congregations of that time. Hence their preference for 'preaching the
Gospel to Jews first' - a strategy which today, more than ever before, requires urgent adaptation to its
original Divine Intent, which is the Prophetic re-unification between 10-Israel and Judah. This
re-union is greatly hampered by the 'Pauline' inspired urge to proselytize Jews. Divine Intent cannot be
undone, and just as Paul's 'Jews firstly' strategy was out of line with his Messianic Mandate, causing
more damage than success, so, to this day, Messiah's Reconciliation of the two estranged Houses of Israel
is greatly hampered by the ongoing Messianic zeal to 'save Jews' for Messiah.
This Message may be totally controversial to you at first consideration. Please acquaint yourself in this
regard with the comprehensive Scripturally based studies on this Web Site before persisting in
traditions which have been missing the mark ever since Paul persisted in his disregard for his true
Messianic Mandate. In this context please refer to miscellaneous studies at:
http://www.revelations.org.za/MenuReturn.htm; The One True Gospel.
Paul's own testimony about his Calling
Paul repeatedly admitted to his Divine Mandate to preach to the 'the pagans' rather than to the Jews. Yet he
persisted in proselytizing "the Jews first" wherever he traveled. In his defense before a Jewish crowd
who had seized him and beaten him in the Temple complex in Jerusalem, Paul testified:
Acts 22:17 "Once, when I was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance and then I saw Him (Messiah). "Hurry",
He said, "Leave Jerusalem at once. They will not accept the Testimony you are giving about Me" ... Then He
said to me, "Go! I am sending you to the pagans far away." (Refer also verse 10 & 15).
A very clear Instruction which could leave no doubts: He was sent to the non-Jewish nations, far away from
Jerusalem, "because the Jews would not accept his testimony" - this by the decision and insight of
YAHU'SHUAH Himself.
Paul understood this Mandate, as he declares in:
Romans 1:5 "Through Him (Messiah) we received Grace and our apostolic Mission to preach the obedience of
Faith to all pagan nations in honour of His Name."
This clearly defines the recipients at whom the Apostolic Mission should be directed, i.e. "all pagan
nations". As we will show shortly here below, Paul was also well informed that this Mandate of the
Apostolic Mission, to proclaim YAHU'SHUAH to the non-Jewish nations only, was firmly based on a Divine
Instruction proclaimed by the Tanach (O.T.)
Galatians 1:2 he refers to himself as "... an apostle ... appointed by God. v.15 Then God, Who had especially
chosen me while I was still in my mother's womb, called me and chose me ... so that I might preach the Good News
about Him to the pagans." (Also in verse 7 & 9).
Paul's blatant misapplication of a Divine Sign
In Galatians 2:7 Paul once more recognizes his mandate to preach to 'non-Jews': "I had been commissioned to
preach the Good News to the uncircumcised..." and then he makes an astonishing statement in total
contradiction of what the NT states about the mission of the apostle Peter. Paul claims "... just as Peter
had been commissioned to preach to the circumcised."
Contrary to Paul's statement that Peter was called to evangelize "the circumcised" (the Jews), Acts 10
records a very explicit Divine confirmation to Peter that he should preach to non-Jews, because "what God
has made clean, you have no right to call profane." Peter was given a Divine Vision, in preparation for God
sending a non-Jewish Messianic convert, Cornelius, to him for further guidance.
From this event we also clearly note the exclusively pro-Jewish and Jewish-only attitude of the early
Messianic era, which grew out of Judaism in a Jewish Land, amongst Jews primarily at first. To correct this
selective attitude, God had to show Peter in a vision, that the Good News should be preached to non-Jews,
who should not be regarded as 'profane' by the Jewish Messianics, because God regards them as 'cleansed'
also, when they come into the Faith.
The Vision used by God for this purpose (Acts 10:10), entails a container of mixed animals, birds and
crawling insects, with the Divine Command to Peter to "Eat!" - which he refused, of course, being a Jew.
This vision is also often misapplied by Torah rejecting Messianics, who claim it to be a Divine rejection
of the 'Kosher' dietary laws of the Jews and a Divine sanction for eating whatever one pleases. The logical
counter reasoning would be: "Does God now allow us to eat all those crawling animals, snakes, rats and
vultures which no doubt were in that container? Do we really wish to eat these?"
Peter got the correct Message after deep contemplation of this strange vision, as he admits to Cornelius:
Acts 10:28 "You know that it is forbidden for Jews to mix with people of another race and visit them, but God
has made it clear to me that I must not call anyone profane or unclean ..."
How clearly it depicts the resistance of those first Jewish Messianics to bring the Gospel to pagans,
gentiles, 10-Israelites or anyone non-Jewish? So much for those, who think that the original disciples
of Messiah and the early Messianic congregations were Christians and churches! Far from it! They were as
exclusively Jewish as the Messiah Himself was an orthodox Jew!
Yet, it was the Divine Intention to "bring the Gospel to pagans", in order to conform and acquaint them to the
One True original Bible Faith - Judaism. Moreover, it was His Intention to reconcile exiled and rejected
10-Israel with His Covenant once more, like the Bridegroom taking back His Divorced and rejected Bride!
Refer The One True Gospel, The Great Return
To the Jew first
Notwithstanding these clear Scriptural and Divine injunctions to take the Gospel to non-Jews,
notwithstanding Paul's own repeated admissions that his mandate was to the non-Jews, he nevertheless
persisted in taking it "to the Jew first" and in so doing, stirring confusion and aggression with his
Gospel Message amongst Jewish congregations wherever he went.
The following chapters from the NT book of Acts confirm Paul's persistent approach of 'Jews first' on his
missionary travels:
Acts 13:4; 13:14-38; 14:1; 15:16; 17:1; 17:10; 17:16; 18:1-4; 18:5,19; 19:8; 28:17.
Time after time he would fail in his mission, often, in justifying himself afterwards, he would ascribe
this failure to Prophetic prescription, thus acknowledging that he was operating in disregard of Divine
Prophetic Intent.
Acts 13:44-52 describes such an event when the Jews fiercely opposed Paul. In response, Paul scolded them, saying:
Acts 13:46 "We had to proclaim the Word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not
think yourself worthy of Eternal Life, we must turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to
do when He said (and he then quotes Isaiah 49:6) 'I have made you a Light to the nations so that My Salvation
(Hebrew: Y'Shuah) may reach the ends of the earth'"
Note carefully, how Paul recognizes that, according to this quoted portion from the book of Isaiah, they
were commanded by God to go to 'the pagans'. Nowhere do we find Scriptural backing for his insistence to go
"to the Jews first". And when we go to the original Scriptures in Isaiah from which he quotes, we find
astounding and explicit confirmation that this Divine Command in fact refers to the restoration of the 12
Tribes of Jacob and the Return from exile of the survivors of 10-Israel! - NOTE the two verses preceding the
portion which Paul quotes and which he omits in his quotation of Isaiah!
Let us therefore look at the Scripture from which Paul quotes, in its full context:
Isaiah 49:6 "Is it not enough for you to be My servant, to restore the (12) Tribes of Jacob and bring back the
survivors of Israel (10 Tribes exiled amongst the nations)?" This Divine Intent is repeated in the
foregoing verse 5: "And now YHVH has spoken; He Who formed Me (prophetical reference to Messiah's
Manifestation) in the womb of His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him; to gather Israel to Him." And then
follows Paul's restricted half-quote which he uses as his mandate to the pagans: I will make you the light
of the nations, so that My Salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."
This once more confirms the conclusions as defined in this Web Site of BIBLE REVELATIONS regarding the True
Purpose of Messiah's Reconciliatory Atonement, i.e. to reconcile the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel with the
Covenant of YHVH and to 're-erect the fallen down Tabernacle of David', by re-uniting the estranged 2
Houses of Israel. This confirms also our teaching, that it was not the Divine Intent to "bring the Good News
of Messiah YAHU'SHUAH to the Jews first" as Christians insist on doing. The Divine Intent was, to bring the
Gospel of the re-united and restored Kingdom ("the restoration of the fallen Tabernacle of David"), to
the exiled and Lost Ten Tribes of Israel, exiled amongst the nations. After centuries of exile and
assimilation with the non-Jewish ('pagan') nations, they even regarded themselves as part of these
nations - which indeed, they had become.
Yet, Paul would continue to take his missionary Message "to the Jews first", as the several recorded
instances mentioned above, prove.
The last paragraphs of the book of Acts record one more such failed attempt of proselytizing of Jews by Paul.
Once again, he scolds them; once again he bases his rejection on Prophetic Scripture. But this time, he
does so in what NT readers have accepted as a derogating, anti-Jewish accusation. He even misquotes
(probably deliberately) the Prophetic Word, thereby laying down for posterity, an accusative
condemnation of the Jews. To this day, anti-Zionist and anti-Rabbinic Messianics follow Paul in
accordingly referring to Jews as "those stubborn Christ rejecters."
Let us compare a quote of his statement in the NT with the original text of Isaiah which Paul used as
confirmation of his slanderous indictment. He made this hard-hitting judgment when he failed once more,
to persuade the Roman Jews about the Messiah. (Acts 28:23-28). Verse 25 "... as they went away, Paul had one
last thing to say to them: 'How aptly the Holy Spirit spoke, when He told your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah:
Paul's version:
Acts 28:26
"Go to this nation and say:
'You will hear and hear again but not understand,
see and see again but not perceive;
for the heart of this nation has grown course;
their ears are dull of hearing
and they have shut their eyes;
for fear they should see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart
and be converted
and be healed by Me."
The original;
Isaiah 6:9
"Go and say to this people,
'Hear and hear again, but do not understand;
see and see again but do not perceive.
Make the heart of this people gross;
its ears dull;
shut its eyes
so that it will not see with its eyes,
hear with its ears,
understand with its heart
and be converted and healed."
Note the underlined emphasis - Paul turns it into a condemning accusation, blaming their stubbornness - a
stance often used against the 'Christ rejecting Jews' by Messianics. Whereas the Prophetic Scriptures
render it as a Divine Decree to the Messenger: "Make them blind and deaf ... so that they will not hear and
see." Which is the reasoning of this Web Site: What God has decreed, no man (not even Paul) should dare to
challenge. By persisting in his attempts to remove the Divinely imposed 'blindness' of Jews, Paul
reflected his disregard for his Divine Mandate, which he never hesitated to emphasize as having been sent
'to the pagans'. Had he obeyed his mandate, these derogating statements would probably never have been
covering the pages of the NT, leaving a legacy of anti-Judaism for Messianic followers.
The fruits of that same disregard for the true Apostolic Mandate of not evangelizing Jews, given by Messiah
YAHU'SHUAH Himself, presents the greatest obstacle today, against the fulfillment of achieving Peace
between the House of Judah (Jews) and the House of Yosef (re-awakening and returning 10 Lost Tribes of
Israel, mainly Messianic).
Refer http://www.revelations.org.za/Obstacle.htm
Following in the footsteps of Paul, to this day, most Messianics persist in this challenge of the Divine
Decree, by persisting in wanting to make the Jews 'see' that which Divine Intent has blinded them for!
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