The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts 15:6-21 comments: keeping the Gentile Christians from idol worship

 

Acts 15:6 ¶  And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. 7  And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. 12  Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. 13  And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 14  Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 17  That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. 18  Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. 19  Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 20  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. 21  For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

 

Interestingly, Peter gives us the order of salvation which can be very confusing by events earlier in Acts as I previously noted. The Gentiles hear the word and believe and then God gives them the Holy Ghost. There is no mention made of baptism as a requirement for salvation. Of course, here Peter claims that he is the minister to the Gentiles. Paul also says this.

 

Romans 15:16  That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

 

Galatians 2:7  But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8  (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)

 

And while Peter did experience a notable conversion of the Roman in Acts 10 he will go on to minister to the Jews in the ancient city of Babylon where Jews were plentiful.

 

1Peter 5:13  The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

 

It is here that the Babylonian Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism, will come from around 200AD. It is a combination of writings and oral law that sets the stage for and is the foundation of Judaism from the 6^th century AD onwards.

 

Verse 9 shows the error of thinking that the Jews are saved differently than the Gentiles. There is no difference between us now.

 

Peter recommends a light load be placed on the Gentiles even though Paul will accuse him of hypocrisy later.

 

Galatians 2:11 ¶  But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12  For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13  And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14  But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of  the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? 15  We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

 

From the last two passages we can see how both Paul and Peter came to a greater understanding of the difference between the Jew before Christ and the Jew and Gentile after Christ.  

 

Contrast verse 10 regarding the weight of the law with Christ’s promise of the lightness of the burden we bear because of Him.

 

Matthew 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 

If your Christian faith is an immense burden on you filling you with anger, bitterness, bigotry, hatred both of yourself and others, and a fear of never measuring up then it is not of Christ.

 

Verse 11 says that by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we are saved. Paul notes elsewhere.

 

Ephesians 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

Note in verse 14 James calls Simon Peter Simeon. Strong’s says the Greek version of the name Simeon is derived from Simon.

 

Verse 16 refers to the following from a different context;

 

Amos 9:11 ¶  In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

 

With the thought in verse 17 being interesting as a residue is what is left over. So consider the end times as well in this passage. But there are several verses that contain a similar thought about the Gentiles seeking after the Lord. Here is an example. Look for others.

 

Psalm 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

 

However, note the figurative message in this passage likening the gospel message to rebuilding the tabernacle of David, curious enough as David did not build the temple and there was a temple finished by Herod that stood at that time. So what can you and I take from this? There is a different kind of temple being taught here, a true temple of God within the heart of the believer.

 

1Corinthians 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

 

Contrast that with Paul speaking of a physical temple in 2Thessalonians 2:4 which will exist at the end of history long after the one he knew was destroyed by the Romans and the physical temple in Revelation, chapter 11. This might lead Evangelical expositors to say that the reference here in Acts 15:16 is a prophecy of the temple to come, a millennial prophecy, but I don’t believe the text warrants that as easily as it does make reference our temple of the spirit being the rebuilt tabernacle of David.

 

As Paul’s writings make it clear that there will be another physical temple and also that our spirit is God’s temple now we can easily see that both interpretations are true based on their context. There will be another physical temple just as there already is a spiritual temple within the believer.

 

Unlike modern fundamentalist preachers and the replacement theology of the Catholic and Protestant and Orthodox churches we Gentiles did not have many restrictions placed on us. What is given to the Gentile believers in this passage would probably be appalling to the modern preacher who likes to place burden after burden on the Christian to prove his or her spiritual state.

 

First, Gentile Christians were to avoid pollutions from idols. This is explained in the next passage as regarding eating things offered to idols. Paul goes into great detail about this in the first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 8. In the context we are talking about physical, literal idols. Although a modern preacher might talk about our idols as referring to our job, entertainment, or other things this is not about that. This is about the idols found in temples and a Christian mingling worship of God with worship of idols. I will go into more detail in my comments on the letters to the Corinthians.

 

Fornication here is not merely being sexually constant with a spouse although it does contain that meaning. There is the fornication that can occur with adultery and the fornication that can happen with temple prostitutes as in the temple of Aphrodite or Venus in Corinth. First, what is fornication. From the Greek word which gives us the English word pornography, fornication is linked synonymously with adultery.

 

Matthew 19:9  And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

 

1Corinthians 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

 

1Corinthians 7:1 ¶  Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2  Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3  Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4  The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

 

This sexual sin extends to religious practices in the ancient world. This was a grave danger to Christians in the pagan world as I will discuss my comments on the Corinthian letters. Rising above Corinth was Acrocorinth, or Upper Corinth. It is the acropolis of ancient Corinth, a monolithic rock rising above.

 

Now the city of Corinth was known not only for the most expensive and skilled prostitutes in the Greek world but also the temple prostitution, common throughout the ancient world, of the cult of Aphrodite in her temple on Acrocorinth. Aphrodite, who was also Venus, Astarte, and Ishtar or the many other names listed in the Bible for her had, it is said, a thousand temple prostitutes with short hair or shaved heads servicing the devoutly religious pagan men of the city and pious visitors. We’ve already discussed how prevalent ritual prostitution, both hetero and homosexual, was in the ancient world. This is often disputed in scholarly circles with some saying that temple prostitution has been overemphasized. However, we have the context from the Old Testament of how prevalent the practice of ritual prostitution was.

 

Fornication, having sexual intercourse with someone who is not your lawful spouse in the eyes of the God of the Bible, is condemned by Him.

 

Aphrodite had her temple. I’ve read that the second most exalted temple in ancient Babylon to Ishtar, goddess of immigrants and prostitutes and freedom, who sits in New York Harbor under the guise of Lady Liberty, a statue patterned after one to the Egyptian version of Ishtar, Isis, was called the “White House” or “Shining House”.

 

Animals which were strangled would not have the blood properly removed from them, which is the interpretation used by most commentators. But consider the context. Pollution from idols, eating things offered to idols, is the first proscription. So, now we are in the realm of heathen worship. Then comes mention of fornication, which we do note as practiced in rites of certain goddesses. Keeping in the context of pagan worship we have things strangled and from writers like the Greek historian, Herodotus, we know that certain tribes practiced ritual strangulation in some of their ceremonies. We then come to the forbidding of eating blood which is banned before the Law;

 

Genesis 9:4  But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

 

Under the Law given to Moses;

 

Deuteronomy 12:23  Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

 

And, of course, here. Drinking blood was commonplace among many religions of the ancient world including Egypt just as it is a practice in witchcraft.

 

Psalm 16:4  Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

 

So, taking these admonitions to the Gentiles in context it is at least arguable that they were from more a desire to keep Gentile Christians from the pollution of pagan worship than from a desire to make them a little Jewish. These forbidden practices defined ancient religion in its expression. Paul will go into more detail in Corinthians.

 

Matthew Henry wrote that verse 21 suggests that they would not try change the Jews who heard the Law read often and were used to its observance. There was liberty shown to the Gentiles and there was moderation in dealing with the observances of the Jews in honoring God.

Numbers chapter 1:1-16 comments: the order for numbering the Israelites able to go to war

 

Numbers is the fourth book of Moses.  It is not just a history but also gives information about civil and ceremonial laws. I will be commentating sometimes on large passages that say what they say and understanding of them, I don’t think, is helped by my commenting on every detail. The question is, how can these passages enrich our understanding of God’s ministry in history of reconciling mankind to Himself that started with one person, a Gentile, Abram of Ur?

Numbers, chapter 1

 

Numbers 1:1 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2  Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; 3  From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. 4  And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. 5  And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur. 6  Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7  Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8  Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 9  Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon. 10  Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 11  Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12  Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13  Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran. 14  Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15  Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan. 16  These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.

 

The timing of the first verse is, according to John Gill, equivalent to part of our April and May. God tells Moses to number the children of Israel in their tribes. From twenty years old and upward they are to be numbered, as men capable of fighting. Gill notes that this numbering does not include the Levites or the mixed multitude that came out of Egypt. An important note is that only two, Joshua and Caleb, will be left to enter Canaan out of this large number. There is a disagreement among Bible scholars as to whether the Levites, who are not counted here, would have been included in the judgment that made everyone but those two fall dead in the wilderness over the forty years of wandering.

This numbering is commanded by God. It is a commission. Later, King David will do so without God’s commission, without His command, and pay a terrible price for his presumption. Please read 1Chronicles 21 and 2 Samuel 24.

We Christians can commit the error of not waiting on God, of presuming to do something that we think God must bless because we say we do it for Him. But God is under no requirement to bless anything we do and He may not, no matter how pious sounding it is. There is a commission here to number the children of Israel ready to fight for the Promised Land with the help of the twelve princes.

Regarding Judah, in Exodus 6:23 Nahshon’s name is spelled Naashon and we learn there that Aaron married Naashon’s sister, Elisheba. Nahshon is spelled from Greek in Matthew 1:4 as Naasson. The King James translators stayed true to the texts they used even sometimes to the point of syntax and grammar but also in differences in the spelling of the same name. Nahshon is an ancestor of David through whom the Messiah would come in Jesus’ stepfather, Joseph, and his mother, Mary. 

The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts 15:1-5 comments: false doctrine confronted

 

Acts 15:1 ¶  And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2  When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. 3  And being brought on their way by the church,they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. 4  And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. 5  But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

 

If you have difficulty understanding why these Judean Christians were trying to put the Gentiles under the Law then compare it to a preacher trying to put his congregation back under the Law with himself as a kind of modern-day Moses that must be obeyed without question if one is to obey God. It happens all the time, especially in Baptist Fundamentalism.

 

Paul is not going to tolerate this in his teaching;

 

Galatians 5:1 ¶  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2  Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3  For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4  Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

 

Which means that Paul must have learned something from the time between the following passage to the writing of the letter to the Galatians.

 

Acts 16: 1 ¶  Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: 2  Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.3  Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

 

Verse 5 goes to show us that the early predominantly Jewish church still contained the various sects of the Jewish religion. So, there was a lot of confusion to be sorted out. This may be why the famous TV preacher in Texas preached that Jews don’t get saved the way Gentiles do, which is, of course, a heresy and a lie.

Leviticus chapter 27 comments: conclusion of Leviticus

 

Leviticus 27:1 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation. 3  And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4  And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. 5  And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 6  And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. 7  And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8  But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him. 9  And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy. 10  He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy. 11  And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the LORD, then he shall present the beast before the priest: 12  And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be. 13  But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.

 

If a man makes a special vow of dedication and service to the Lord, while not specifically commanded by the Lord, it is acceptable to the Lord. Commentators like Gill and Henry say that the Jewish rabbis explained that since people might dedicate their service which was not required or things which were not necessary they could redeem their vow by money. It appears then, if I am correct, that this passage is like me saying to the Pastor, “I’ll fix the roof,” and then rather than me doing it myself paying someone to do it or giving the Pastor a fixed amount based on certain considerations, to have it done.

Leviticus 27:14 ¶  And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand. 15  And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his. 16  And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17  If he sanctify his field from the year of jubile, according to thy estimation it shall stand. 18  But if he sanctify his field after the jubile, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubile, and it shall be abated from thy estimation. 19  And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him. 20  And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more. 21  But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest’s. 22  And if a man sanctify unto the LORD a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession; 23  Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubile: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD. 24  In the year of the jubile the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong. 25  And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.

 

Here are the same instructions regarding real estate the owner sets apart to the Lord. The priest estimates the value and if it is a field this will include its potential for productivity. The law of the Jubilee applies here as well, which was discussed earlier.

Leviticus 27:26 ¶  Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the LORD’S firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORD’S. 27  And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation. 28 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. 29  None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death. 30  And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD. 31  And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32  And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. 33  He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. 34  These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.

 

This entire chapter deals with gifts voluntarily made and promised to dedicate to God. It doesn’t give specific instructions as to if they should make a vow or how they should make the vow. Throughout the Bible there is a lot of room for an individual’s will. The chapter talks about things like if an Israelite wants to break his vow and how much that will cost, expressing that it can be costly to break a vow. Of course, it is understood that man is sinful and his religious zeal will wane and there is some allowance for that.

The Book of Leviticus underscores the holiness, the separateness of God. It also underlines man’s sinful nature. The book shows us the abundance and variety of God’s grace and mercy. Another thing that it provides us is with a look toward God’s ideas of justice and mercy for those less fortunate than ourselves. There are many things we can look to the Book of Leviticus for that are edifying. Plus, we can see Christ throughout.

Romans 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts, chapter 14, comments: Paul nearly killed

 

Acts 14:1 ¶  And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed. 2  But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. 3  Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4  But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. 5  And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, 6  They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: 7  And there they preached the gospel.

 

Lystra and Derbe are referred to as cities of Lycaonia, a large region in the central part of what we call today, Asia Minor, the country of Turkey. Lycaonia was bordered by Galatia on the north, Cappadocia on the east, and the west by Phyrgia and Pisida with the Taurus mountains on the south. From ancient times Greek mercenaries and merchants had spread out on the Asian mainland as we saw before in our study of the Bible in the Old Testament. Greek speaking and culture permeated the cities of western Asia Minor, Turkey today.

 

There is no small ruckus caused by Paul and company’s preaching in Iconium so they flee to these cities to preach the gospel.

 

Acts 14:8 ¶  And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: 9  The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10  Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. 11  And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. 12  And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. 13  Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. 14  Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, 15  And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: 16  Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. 17  Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. 18  And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

 

Here is a man who never walked in his entire life who is healed through Paul. The response of this in this city of Greek culture and religion was to proclaim Paul and Barnabas as gods.  

 

Jupiter also known as Jove, was the king of the gods whom the Romans recognized as their version of the Greek Zeus. This will be important later when Paul is witnessing to the Greeks in Athens. It is interesting that Barnabas gets that title. Paul, doing most of the talking is called Mercurius, also known as Mercury. Mercury was also a major god in the Graeco-Roman religion, a god of, among other things, eloquence, messages, and divination. His Greek counterpart was Hermes. He was a son of Jupiter/Zeus.

 

Paul and Barnabas, of course, reject this worship and a sermon is preached on God’s nature and the need to turn from pagan gods to Him. A very important point is made in this short passage. God has a witness of Himself, not just in prophets and evangelists. He has a witness in nature and although this is lost on modernist Christians today, nature is, next to the Bible and the hearts and minds of Christians, His greatest witness. Nature reveals God, not blind forces.

 

God’s bounty is a witness to all mankind of His mercy and goodness.

 

Matthew 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

 

Luke 6:35  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

 

Paul will make a similar argument when talking to the Greeks in Athens as he does here in verse 16 with suffered meaning tolerated, allowed, or permitted as in the English phrase “I suffer fools gladly.”

 

Acts 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

 

Acts 14:19 ¶  And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. 20  Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 21  And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, 22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 23  And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. 24  And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. 25  And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia: 26  And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. 27  And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. 28  And there they abode long time with the disciples.

 

Preachers will often say that Paul’s being near death by stoning or having died and been brought back was the occasion for his remarks in;

 

2Corinthians 12:1 ¶  It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2  I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3  And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

 

This event did not keep Paul from returning to Lystra, Iconium, & Antioch of Pisidia. As I noted before these were cities of Greek culture in Western Asia Minor, the country of Turkey today. We saw, though, that being Roman by citizenship they used Roman names for gods like Jupiter instead of Zeus and Mercurius instead of Hermes. We’ll see Ephesians use the Roman goddess Diana instead of Artemis. Diana is the Roman version of Artemis. From there they went to Pamphylia, preaching in Perga, and then to Attalia, on the coast. From there they sailed to Antioch. Remember that Seleucia was Antioch’s seaport, about 16 miles from it. This is the Antioch in today’s extreme Southern Turkey where Christians were first called so, south and east of Pisidian Antioch mentioned earlier. There they rehearsed, relayed all that God had done with them.

 

Verse 22 presents an important question of doctrine we should take the time to consider. We enter the kingdom of God through much tribulation? You mean, it is not simply a matter of 1-2-3 repeat-after-me prayer?

 

First, what is the kingdom of God? To lay the groundwork we should note that only Matthew uses both the phrases kingdom of God and kingdom of Heaven. Indeed, Biblically speaking they are synonymous. A difference is not necessary to prove the millennial reign of Christ or Israel’s importance as there are many verses that declare those doctrines emphatically. But, with regard to the kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God compare the following verses. First, these two verses link both as synonyms.

 

Matthew 19:23 ¶  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

 

Now, compare these verses;

Matthew 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

 

With;

Luke 7:28  For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

…then…

Matthew 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

 

With;

Mark 4:10  And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11  And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

 

And…

Matthew 13:31  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

 

With…

 

Mark 4:30  And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? 31  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32  But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

  

Luke 13:18 ¶  Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

 

And…

 

Matthew 13:33  Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

 

With…

 

Luke 13:20  And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

 

And…

 

Matthew 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

 

With…

 

Mark 10:14  But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

 

Luke 18:16  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 17  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

 

 

And…

 

Matthew 4:12 ¶  Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;…17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

With…

 

Mark 1:14 ¶  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

 

And…

 

Matthew 5:3 ¶  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

With…

 

Luke 6:20 ¶  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

 

Now, you and I have to note that the kingdom of God and of Heaven is an invisible kingdom, not possessing armies and weapons of war, buildings or parliaments and congresses.

 

Luke 17:20 ¶  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

 

One cannot see this kingdom of God inside of us unless one is born again. Note this very important passage in John’s gospel.

 

John 3:1 ¶  There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [natural birth, see verse 4 for context] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh [natural birth; see verse 4]; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9  Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10  Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

 

What is the kingdom of God, though?

 

Romans 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

 

And these are not just mere words alone without substance.

 

1Corinthians 4:20  For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

 

In the kingdom of God and kingdom of Heaven parables there are warnings given about counterfeits and counterfeit faith, and about people with malicious intent deceiving and doing harm. They will be dealt with in God’s own time as the parable of the tares and the wheat and the parable of the woman leavening three measures of meal show. There is a parable about a sower and the word as seed and it is shown how false conversions and shallow conversions can happen and what their result is. I remarked on those in the comments on the gospels.

 

But, there Paul said in Romans in the text itself that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, the very mind of God, indwelling the believer. The verse-by-verse comparisons show that the kingdom of God and of Heaven are synonyms with the kingdom of Heaven used only by Matthew who also uses the kingdom of God so we are not talking about a political rule with armies and fortresses and weapons of carnal war but spiritual in nature having to do with the heart and mind.

 

As Paul said;

 

2Corinthians 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.