They Will Not Receive Thy Testimony: Acts 22: 17-21
Acts 22: 17-21: "And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to
Jerusalem, even
while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of
Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every
synagogue them that believed on thee:
20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was
standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of
them that slew him.
21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto
the Gentiles."
"Him" is Jesus Christ in verse 18 who spoke to Paul who says he was in a
trance. Trance is Strong's number 1611, ekstasis, "a displacement of
the mind, i.e., bewilderment, ecstasy, ...astonishment, trance."
Paul was not hallucinating. This text describes a rational
conversation that Christ had with Paul, in which Paul was told by
Christ "they will not receive thy testimony concerning me."
Jesus Christ told Paul that the Jews would not hear Paul's testimony
about Christ and the Gospel of Christ.
Now, after the falling away of II Thessalonians 2; 3-4 and the
leavening of the churches of Luke 13: 21 which began in the 19th
century with several Christian cults - the Jehovah's Witnesses, the
Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, Christian Science, British Israelite or
Christian Identity theology and dispensationalism - many who claim to
be Christians will not hear the truth of the Gospel of Christ. They
will only hear that part of the New Testament which agrees with their
cultic theology.
They do not like it when Paul in Romans 2: 28-29 is quoted saying that
the real Jews are not those of the flesh, but those who are Jews
inwardly are the real Jews, and that Revelation 2: 9 says of Christ
that "I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and are
not, but are of the synagogue of Satan" agrees with Romans 2: 28-29.
They do not accept Romans 9: 6-8, that they are not all Israel,which
are of Israel, and that the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God.
They will not accept Galatians 4: 25-26, that the literal, physical
Jerusalem which is, is in bondage with her children, and that the
Jerusalem which is above is free and is the mother of us all.
Jerusalem stands for Israel.
Above all they will not hear the truth that in Romans 11: 26 when Paul
says "And so all Israel shall be saved" he is not talking about all
physical Israel, the children of the flesh, the outward Jew, those in
bondage to the law , but is saying that after the Cross and after the
Day of Pentecost there is only one saved or elect Israel, the Israel
transformed in Christ and reborn in him.
And - now we are seeing a rise of the Hebrew Roots movement, Sacred
Name Theology and Messianic Judaism, which, along with some of the
cults mentioned above, believe that the Old Covenant teaching that the
physical descendants of Abraham remain the chosen people of God.
These people will not hear any message from the New Testament which is
different from their theology that they are the chosen people, or
that those who claim descent from a tribe of Israel are the chosen
based on genetics.
Matthew 10: 14 "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your
words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of
your feet."
Acts 22: 17-21: "And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to
Jerusalem, even
while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of
Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every
synagogue them that believed on thee:
20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was
standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of
them that slew him.
21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto
the Gentiles."
"Him" is Jesus Christ in verse 18 who spoke to Paul who says he was in a
trance. Trance is Strong's number 1611, ekstasis, "a displacement of
the mind, i.e., bewilderment, ecstasy, ...astonishment, trance."
Paul was not hallucinating. This text describes a rational
conversation that Christ had with Paul, in which Paul was told by
Christ "they will not receive thy testimony concerning me."
Jesus Christ told Paul that the Jews would not hear Paul's testimony
about Christ and the Gospel of Christ.
Now, after the falling away of II Thessalonians 2; 3-4 and the
leavening of the churches of Luke 13: 21 which began in the 19th
century with several Christian cults - the Jehovah's Witnesses, the
Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, Christian Science, British Israelite or
Christian Identity theology and dispensationalism - many who claim to
be Christians will not hear the truth of the Gospel of Christ. They
will only hear that part of the New Testament which agrees with their
cultic theology.
They do not like it when Paul in Romans 2: 28-29 is quoted saying that
the real Jews are not those of the flesh, but those who are Jews
inwardly are the real Jews, and that Revelation 2: 9 says of Christ
that "I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and are
not, but are of the synagogue of Satan" agrees with Romans 2: 28-29.
They do not accept Romans 9: 6-8, that they are not all Israel,which
are of Israel, and that the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God.
They will not accept Galatians 4: 25-26, that the literal, physical
Jerusalem which is, is in bondage with her children, and that the
Jerusalem which is above is free and is the mother of us all.
Jerusalem stands for Israel.
Above all they will not hear the truth that in Romans 11: 26 when Paul
says "And so all Israel shall be saved" he is not talking about all
physical Israel, the children of the flesh, the outward Jew, those in
bondage to the law , but is saying that after the Cross and after the
Day of Pentecost there is only one saved or elect Israel, the Israel
transformed in Christ and reborn in him.
And - now we are seeing a rise of the Hebrew Roots movement, Sacred
Name Theology and Messianic Judaism, which, along with some of the
cults mentioned above, believe that the Old Covenant teaching that the
physical descendants of Abraham remain the chosen people of God.
These people will not hear any message from the New Testament which is
different from their theology that they are the chosen people, or
that those who claim descent from a tribe of Israel are the chosen
based on genetics.
Matthew 10: 14 "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your
words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of
your feet."