We only call you liars when you lie. Why is that so hard for you to understand?
You have claimed, many times, that we call you a liar because you disagree with us.
That is a LIE and you REPEAT that LIE over and over again.
The Lord calls us to judge justly. Therefore, we call a lie a lie.
No.
You are so thin skinned. Perhaps you should stop being such a small child.
Because you are. I informed someone that you are a Seventh Day Adventist and you falsely claimed that I was being "hateful" and that I was "despising a fellow Christian". I simply passed on information that YOU had provided.
Sure you are.
If I was lying... I might have to stop.
All fully justified.
You are Mr. Righteousness. We do not deserve your glorious presence here on TOL.
Again, you lie. You should repent and start telling the truth.
Again, you lie. You should repent and start telling the truth.
Paul disagrees with your behavior.
Galatians 6: 1
BRETHREN, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering
Getting back to the OP. Philip did NOT know the gospel of the grace of God, as it had NOT YET been revealed in the Acts 8 time-frame. It was not revealed until God revealed it to Paul no earlier than Acts 9.
As I've shown many times (from the scripture), the twelve were preaching the gospel of the kingdom for YEARS (at least TWO) and they did not even know that Christ would die.
The gospel of the grace of God CANNOT be preached without the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. THEREFORE, they CANNOT be the same gospel.
The word "gospel" has become a mythological word in modern Churchianity. It simply means "good news" and there are many types of "good news" in the Bible.
Actually they didn't understand the gospel was to go to the world for the entire world for all 3.5 years of Jesus. ministry. They didn't even understand the purpose of His ministry. They thought He was supposed to start a world wide kingdom here on earth. They were very selfish men until they were truly converted.
Matthew 18: 1 AT the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
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.
Matthew 20: 17 ¶ And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
18
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
19
And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
20 ¶
Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him,
Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
22
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
This is near the close of Jesus ministry. Do you really think Jams and John understood what Jesus meant when He told them He was going to be crucified and they answered that they were able to drink the same cup He was going to drink?
All twelve disciples were victims of Pharisaical brainwashing.
Here is a quote from a Jew who became a Christian around the turn of the 20th century. He wrote several books and most were on the subject of the Jews and Christianity. He was born on the day of Atonement so his parents thought he had a good chance of being the promised Messiah so they educated him to be a rabbi.
Here is a quote from one of his books.
TEACHINGS OF RABBIS PLACED ABOVE GOD’S WORD
15. They were putting themselves in the place of God to the people; their sayings were placed
upon equality with God’s teachings. Hence we read that the written law was like water; but the oral law,
Mishna, was like wine: the Gemara, like spiced wine. Some went as far as to say that the words of the
scribes are lovely above the words of the law (meaning the written law), for the words of the written law
are weighty and light; but the words of the scribes are all weighty. One, Rabbi Judah, son of Tamai, said:
“A child at five years should study the Bible, at ten the Mishna, at fifteen the Gernara.”
From this last statement it can be seen that three times as much value is placed upon the words of
men as upon the words of God. The person as he comes to years of maturity should regard the words of the
Scripture only one-third as much as he does the words of the rabbis. Yes, they go so far as to say:
“Yea, though they should tell thee that thy right hand is the left, and the left hand that it is the
right, it must be believed.”
It is not surprising, then, that the Savior condemned those teachers for making void the word of
God by their tradition. By their multiplicity of maxims they enslaved the man; they put the word of God
aside, in order that their words might be highly esteemed.
CONTEMPORARY LEADERS
16. There were times when there were several leaders, and frequently they would disagree as to
their ideas of the Scriptures, or Scriptural exposition. Which is right was often the question, as the people
were only to understand the law interpreted and expounded by these men. The common people were never
supposed to understand the Scriptures themselves; this is why, no doubt, we find the following statement:
“But this people who knows not the law are cursed.” “They answered and said unto him, thou was
altogether born in sins, and does thou teach us? And they cast him out.” [15]
17. It was only the wise and educated who were expected to know the Scriptures; whatever these
men said must be final. An appeal to any other source meant excommunication. [16] No doubt this is why
Nicodemus came to Christ at night. [17] This will also explain why more of the people did not receive
Jesus
HILLEL AND SHAMMI
18. Two of the most noted contemporary teachers were Hillel and Shammi, who flourished about
the time of Christ’s advent. Each represented a different school of theology and were frequently were
engaged in strong arguments. On one occasion there arose a heated discussion about a hen that laid her
eggs on the Sabbath, whether or not it was lawful to eat such egg or eggs. As a result of this strong debate,
an entire treatise, called “Bet-za “ (egg), is written on this subject. Hillel stuck to his legal decision, and
what he claimed would be the position of the other great rabbis, namely, that the egg was not to be eaten.
Shammi, however, who was of the more lenient class, claimed that it could be. What was to be done? Both
of these men were held in great esteem. Their disciples were sitting by and awaiting the outcome. The
whole structure of their interpretation of Scripture might crumble should either admit defeat.
19. Finally one of the company raised his voice, and shouted, “Bath-kol” (literally, the daughter of
a voice). This was their substitute for “the spirit of prophecy.” They claimed this is the way God revealed
Himself to them. When some person said “Bath-kol” a hush fell upon the entire company. What said the
Bath-kol concerning the point under discussion. This was the reply:
“Both are the words of the living God, yet the rule of the school of Hillel should be followed.”-
Tractate Eruvin.
20. Is it to be wondered at that the Savior said they strained at a gnat, and swallowed a camel? Can
we not see why the Savior condemned them and their teachings, and why the Apostles warned the people
against listening to them?
DISTORTING SCRIPTURE.
21. As a result of such misinterpretation of Scripture, we can the better understand what the
Apostle Peter meant when he said there were some who wrested the Scripture to their own damnation. [18]
The word of God was made of none effect through such twisting and distorting. The people were taught to
believe anything and everything; and whatever came from these men to them must be the word of God.
LOOSE INTERPRETATION.
22. It was not difficult for these teachers, in view of such license and arrogancy, to claim that the
word of God had more than one interpretation, and, whichever way the Scripture was interpreted, was
lawful. As a result it was claimed that every passage of Scripture had at least four different interpretations,
to which were given the following names: “Peshat,” or the simple way (This is taking the text as it reads);
“Derush,” or the spiritual way; “Remez,” the allegorical or parabolical way. “Sod,” or the secret way. From
the first four letters of Peshat, Remez, Derush, Sod, the acrostic PaRDes was formed; hence the word
“Paradise.”
It having been established that Scripture could be interpreted, it was found that four ways were not
sufficient; hence this Hillel formed what was known as the seven rules of interpretation. This method was
followed for a time until Rabbi Ishmael raised it to thirteen rules, and finally one, Rabbi Jose of Galilee, (b)
introduced what is known as the “ Thirty-two Rules of Interpretation.” And the Talmud itself says that the
law can be interpreted in forty-nine different modes. From the foregoing, we can the better understand why
the Savior said on one occasion:
“You do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.” [19]
