I N T R O D U C T I O N
(THIS BOOKLET HAS 27 PAGES)
What in the world are you up to now, Jan…???
I wish I knew – but I have just started a serious ‘roller coaster ride’ tracing Paul the apostle of Christ. Not only on a road map, but in the many dramatic situations that went along with Paul both physical as well as spiritually.
When I mention Paul – that is enough to set off a detonation of explosive events in Biblical history….cause Paul was used by the Lord in such a way that he really changed everything.
What exactly I mean by that, - will be looked upon below in this read. Paul was a key-person to God’s plan regarding salvation of humankind.
We have to go to Acts to find Paul, firstly called Saul. But I have the advantage of being ‘armed’ with his Doctrine of Faith, as he wrote to the Church, the Body of Christ…which he also called for ‘one new man’. When we thus come on with both the historical narrative of Acts coupled with the doctrinal of Ephesians and Colossians, we’ve got dynamite!
I noticed a very true saying, uttered by the famous actor Sir David Suchet (he who played detective Hercule Poirot in many TV-series). In a documentary series on Paul the Apostle, he said…if it had not been for Paul’s journeys preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, the Christian early sect would have been forgotten, lost to the world. It would have died out and the world would not have gotten the Gospel.
I must agree to this saying. Peter and the eleven never were sent to the world outside Israel. But Paul certainly was!
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“PAUL IN ACTS ERA”
PRIOR TO THE ERA OF THE CHURCH:
PAUL’S CONVERSION 37 CE, TO ROME 62 CE
This is how it all started, at Paul’s journey on his way to Damascus to arrest and punish the disciples/believers of Jesus Christ, Acts 9:1-9, NASB,
“1 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;
4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,
6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what * you must do."
7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
Paul was actually knocked out of his wits by the Lord’s revelation, blinded, and he must have been scared to death: now I will be punished for my consent to the stoning of Stephen….!! I am finished. This is it!!
Paul’s dramatic encounter with Jesus, as He revealed Himself to him at the road to Damascus, entirely changed the history of the world! And also – eventually – the history of Christian faith in the world as such.
Jesus laid a heavy burden upon the shoulders of Paul. But He was with him all the way, to see through that the Gospel was sent out to us Gentiles…after first having it preached to Israel and the Jews.
Jesus spoke to Ananias at Damascus, when he was used to take care of the newly converted Saul, after the powerful revelation changing him, and He told him, via a vision to Ananias, quote,
“But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake." (Acts 9:15, 16).
Jesus did not tell Paul directly…but He discretely told Ananias that Paul would suffer much for the sake of His name! Going to the provinces of the Roman Empire with its many Jewish Synagogues, would indeed pester Paul with all sorts of hardship and trouble, as we read on in Acts. Three groups of people were mentioned to Ananias, - Gentiles, kings and the sons of Israel.
RIGHT AFTER PAUL’S CONVERSION,
HIS DRAMATIC MINISTRY STARTED, AS DID
PERIL AND SUFFERINGS FOR THE LORD’S SAKE
Acts 9:19-23, NASB,
“19 Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,
20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."
20 All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, "Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?"
22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.
23 When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,”
Paul was, at this early stage in ministry, preaching to the Jews, verse 22. After many days doing so, - right ‘out of the box’ came what was going to become his ‘Brand mark’ - …the JEWS plotted together to do away with him…” verse 23.
The drama was on.
This is what the Bible says of his very first ‘getaway’ escaping his angry persecutors, verses 24-31, - now Paul was coming on in full open publicly in Jerusalem, preaching the very opposite of when he had started to persecute the Messianic believers there, (participation in Stephen’s death, Acts 8:1-3),
“24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;
25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
28 And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.
29 And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.
30 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.”
Paul acted just about unstoppable…he raged on and went straight into the lion’s den at Jerusalem, the group of Hellenistic Jews. And for the second time, yet so early in his ministry, he was threatened and his life was at stake! Personally, I believe that Paul thought he had an obligation to tell his fellow countrymen at Jerusalem, that Jesus and His disciples must not be opposed. “They are of God, and their message to us Jews is entirely correct! We must take heed to their message.”
So consequently, knowing that nothing would stop Paul in his efforts, the disciples in town thought it was best to have Paul sent back to his hometown Tarsus. They could not let anyone succeed in their evil plans to kill him, - verse 30. It is widely estimated among scholars that Paul must have been around the age of 27-30…since this was the most common with the students of Scripture as they passed the examination.
Paul was a learned Pharisee with papers to prove his skills, however so young, having been taught by Gamaliel. See Acts 5:33-39. Gamaliel advised against persecuting the apostles! So, that goes to show that Paul not only was a furious persecutor of the disciples, but he actually rebelled against the goodhearted soul, Gamaliel, his own tutor. Not in class perhaps, but a few years later…as Paul participated in the stoning of Stephen. Gamaliel however, he was more than a regular ‘Rabbi’ – he had earned the honorable title of ‘Rabbon’ – which means ‘Our teacher’. He was a Pharisee and a well-respected member of the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem.
Now, Paul’s stay in Tarsus would not last for very long. Paul had a powerful ‘comeback’ as an apostle of Christ…and thus the persecution of the apostle would be on again. It is held true that he was in Tarsus for two years only.
PAUL’S COMEBACK, INITIATED BY GOD
USING BARNABAS FOR THE TASK
Acts 11:25, 26, NASB,
“25 And he (Barnabas) left for Tarsus to look for Saul;
26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
Barnabas is described as a believing Messianic Jew … a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. See verse 24.
Thus God found it convenient to use Barnabas to have Paul getting on with the ministry He had called him to. This happened in the time when Emperor Tiberius Claudius reigned; from January 24, 41 CE, to October 13, 54 CE, - he brought unexpected stability, bureaucracy expansion, and military expansion to Rome, most notably the conquest of Britain in 43 CE. His full name was Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.
Acts 11:27-30, NASB, tells of a famine ‘…all over the world…”,
“27 Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
28 One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius.
29 And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.
30 And this they did, sending it in charge * of Barnabas and Saul to the elders”.
This foretold famine was terrible, and this is how an AI-generated comment puts it:
“The famine during Emperor Claudius's reign (c. A.D. 41–54) was highly severe and widespread, characterized by multiple regional crises rather than one single event. Significant shortages occurred in Rome, Judea, Syria, and Greece, lasting from about A.D. 46 until at least A.D. 54, causing extreme hardships like soaring food prices.
Key Details of the Crisis:
Widespread Impact: It included a major famine in Judea (c. 46 CE) and recurring food scarcity in Rome.
Causes: The crisis was caused by a combination of factors, including poor harvests, a rising Nile, and regional unrest.
Urban Danger: In Rome, the shortages were so severe that citizens pelted Emperor Claudius with bread, according to Suetonius.
Infrastructure Response: To combat the crisis, Claudius heavily invested in infrastructure, including the construction of the Portus harbor.
Historical Documentation: The famine is confirmed by both ancient historians like Tacitus and Josephus, and is mentioned in the New Testament (Acts 11:28).”
Notice in verses 29-30, we learn that Barnabas and Paul were elected to bring the economic help/aid to the Christian Messianic believers in Judea. This was not a mission free of dangers: along the Roman roads there constantly were robbers and dangerous elements…and even the Roman authorities had problems with stopping this. That is the reason we find Paul (later in history) was transported down to Caesarea – not by 4-5 soldiers – but by 470 heavily armed Roman soldiers, as we read Acts 23:23,
“And he called to him two of the centurions and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready by the third hour of the night to proceed to Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen."
The Roman Captain, Claudius Lysias, wanted Paul to be safe from the death-threats he had heard from the angry mob in the temple site, Jerusalem. And he knew how certain roads were infested with robbers and villains. (The road to Caesarea was nearly 70 miles long, equal to the ‘600 stadia’ told by Josephus. That makes about 116 kilometer – but todays route on modern roads is 120 kilometer). See image of Road no. 6 to Caesarea, as it shows the landscape near Shoham Town.
Paul mention such dangers in 2 Cor. 11:26, NASB,
“I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;”
But the gift sent with the two, Paul and Barnabas, was arriving with them as they came to the elders in the Messianic assembly in Judea. I will make a short side-remark to this incident: we learn from the Gospel preaching of Jesus, offering Israel to have a kingdom with Himself as their Messiah King, He bade (or urged) His close followers to SELL THEIR PROPERTIES and valuables, and so invest this into the (coming) Kingdom promised. Barnabas was one of those who chose to do this for the Lord, Acts 4:36, 37. Barnabas was a Levite, and thus member of the Priestly tribe of Levy, as with Moses and Aaron.
Jesus’ preaching on giving is found in Mat. 19:21; Mark. 10:29, 30; and also seen practiced in Acts 2:44, 45…And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Editor’s note: “All” here, means ALL their fellow believers, and not just anyone. It was shared only between the congregations of Messianic believers. And according to Acts 2, they were around 3-4000 souls.
What a faith! What a heroic effort among the Messianic early believers! We might as well conclude that the entire assembly at Jerusalem and in Judea was heroes of faith and obedience to the Lord!
They all had in mind that Jesus at His Second Advent would establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, and Himself as the King of Israel. Provided Israel first would repent and believe on Him. Thus the well-known question they asked Jesus, Acts 1:6, ….So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (referring to the promised coming of the Holy Spirit, v. 5).
But due to the hard hearted Jews, not getting converted to faith in Jesus Messiah, the Second Advent tarried…and thus the money were used up and they could not meet the bills pounding on their doors. So when that dreadful famine (it lasted full 8 years, from 46 CE) hit the region along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, it was in high demand to get help sent to them, like we just read above. Luke thus has given us proof of the fact that the Messianic believers, in Acts time, expected Jesus to come again in their life time! It is clear that when they were selling off their properties, their diverse valuable belongings, it was with the expected Second Advent in mind. That was their hope of salvation actually. The Kingdom of God on earth. The congregation must have gotten very sad and somewhat depressed over the famine and perils thereof hitting them. ‘Where is our Messiah Jesus? Isn’t He going to come back here after all? What is happening?’
Allow me telling you, that as we find the apostolic council at Jerusalem, Acts 15 – agreeing on how to guide the proselytes in light of the Law of Moses, the famine was keeping Israel and other places in peril. It was 49 CE, and the famine lasted till 54 CE. Thus – I cannot by any means explain to you how it was that Luke did NOT refer to this ill situation…hunger, lack of money, clothing getting worn out, eventual diseases due to that famine (?)…it seems like he left such depressing information out of his story willfully. And if Peter was starving, and James and the others, then surely Paul suffered with them. It also has to be said: This horrific famine was probably so crushing and pestering to them all, that Luke detested even to use one single word to describe it. But I also suspect that in those times the believers prayed to the Lord, like, as no one had prayed before – wouldn’t you think? Imagine (God forbid!) if a serious famine hit the USA, or the UK or other continents. What would we Christian believers do? Actually, such dreadful famines have plagued vast parts of Africa for many decades. Africa is veterans in regard to famines and uproar and disease and mass deaths over centuries, sorry to say.
These issues shall be dealt with from the day that Jesus Christ arrives from heaven to establish His Kingdom of God on earth. He will indeed solve all these problems, included wars. By Isaiah, He is called for the Prince of Peace…and shall lead the world into a time when weapons are removed entirely.
Paul was thus part of a change in regard of giving gifts/aid to the Lord: from now on it was no longer “..sell everything you have, and give to the poor” – but it became: give according to what each of you can afford!
But the Acts story also gives us very unfortunate information regarding the seriousness of giving to the Lord – namely the greedy theft committed by Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5:1-11. They were both caught in willfully lying before God and the Holy Spirit, and they fell dead in the presence of Peter. But this kind of judgmental action is no longer in effect in this age of the church dispensation. We live in the Grace era, and the Law of Moses abolished, Eph. 2:14, 15.
In Acts 12 Luke paused his referring to Paul’s ministry, and went back to Peter and the eleven. It had become the year 44 CE – when the evil Herod Agrippa I was king of Judea – and he persecuted the assembly at Jerusalem during Passover that year. He killed James, and jailed Peter. But he was rescued by an angel of God.
But in Acts 13 we shall find the real start of Paul’s dramatically apostolic ministry.
LUKE CONSENTRATED HIS STORY TELLING,
ON FOLLOWING ONLY PAUL HEREAFTER
In the four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we find that it was Jesus in person, present on earth and giving His disciples the commission to go preach the Gospel to Israel.
But in Acts 13, as Luke refers to the assembly at Antioch, we find the only incident in which the Holy Spirit sends out apostles to go OUTSIDE of Israel. The twelve followed Jesus’ order as they tended to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (John 21) – but now, 8-9 years after Pentecost in Acts 2, God wanted to have a separate apostle to go outside, to the Gentiles, Jews and kings. Paul was to be sent to the eastern parts of the Empire so that those who had not heard the Gospel preached during the following several Pentecost feasts in Jerusalem could hear of Jesus Messiah. This action by the Holy Spirit simply confirms to us that the twelve were never sent to the Gentile world outside Israel’s land. That is the reason He had Paul sent for this mission.
Acts 13:1-5, NASB,
“1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.”
NOW THE RACE WAS ON – REGARDING ALL
THE HARDSHIP THAT WOULD COME AGAINST PAUL
Paul’s ministry was not only persecution and trouble, but he had the mighty signs of the Holy Spirit: healing miracles and the casting out of demons, and he even woke up a dead boy. It is a full mix of these two factors, miracles and sufferings.
Among the sufferings, Paul had been ‘given’ a satanic angel who kept beating him, causing much pain. He prayed to the Lord if He could take this plaguing evil angel away, but was met with the answer from Jesus: My grace is sufficient for you Paul! (2 Cor. 12:7). It was the Lord’s method of keeping Paul in a mindset of humble and meek attitudes.
To this dark narrative with Paul in ministry, I shall have to point out one true Biblical fact: When we meet this word ‘Grace’ anywhere in the Acts period, it was used to describe God being graceful in certain situations. And we must understand that this – God being graceful and longsuffering in character – is one thing, BUT establishing an entirely NEW dispensation (Greek oikonomia) with GRACE as main factor for this dispensation, is a much more powerful arrangement towards us believers in Christ. Only Ephesians and Colossians has revelation of that Mystery, a new dispensation where GRACE is the main factor. In this dispensation it means that God will not judge at all! It is Grace all the way…up until we reach the super-heavens meeting Christ (Col. 3:1-4). Paul was the apostle used to establish this Grace era as we now have seen. See Eph. 3:1-3 in particular.
HERE ARE SOME SELECTED PASSAGES
REGARDING MIRACLES IN PAUL’S MINISTRY
1. Extraordinary Miracles and Healings (Acts 19:11-12)
God performed "unusual miracles" through Paul in Ephesus, where even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried to the sick. These items healed diseases and cast out evil spirits.
2. Raising the Dead (Acts 20:9-12)
In Troas, a young man named Eutychus fell asleep, fell from a third-story window during Paul’s long sermon, and was picked up dead. Paul went down, embraced him, and restored him to life.
3. Healing a Lame Man (Acts 14:8-10)
In Lystra, Paul saw a man crippled from birth who had faith. Paul commanded him, "Stand upright on your feet!" and the man jumped up and walked.
4. Casting Out Demons (Acts 16:18)
In Philippi, after being followed for days by a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination, Paul commanded the spirit in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her, which it did immediately.
5. Striking Elymas Blind (Acts 13:8-11)
In Paphos, a sorcerer named Elymas tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul declared that the hand of the Lord was against him, causing Elymas to be blind for a season.
6. Healing the Father of Publius (Acts 28:8-9)
While shipwrecked on Malta, Paul visited the father of Publius, who was sick with fever and dysentery. Paul prayed, laid hands on him, and healed him.
7. Surviving a Viper Bite (Acts 28:3-6)
After the shipwreck on Malta, a viper bit Paul, yet he felt no ill effects and suffered no swelling, leading the inhabitants to consider him a god.
8. The Vision of an Earthquake (Acts 16:25-26)
While Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi, they were praying and singing hymns. At midnight, God sent an earthquake that shook the foundations, opened the prison doors, and loosed the chains of all the prisoners.
Summary of Apostolic Ministry
In 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul mentions that "the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works," affirming these miracles were central to his ministry.
It seems as if miracles and signs were intertwined with dramatically and certain sufferings for Paul and his helpers. Had he not been jailed by persecutors at Philippi, we never would have read of the God initiated ‘earth quake’ opening the prison doors and so forth.
Had he not stranded at Malta as the ship went down, we never would have read of Paul surviving a deadly snake bite.
By writing this little booklet on Paul, I also make an untold ‘statement’ which is entirely true: namely that Paul was the ONLY apostle sent to us Gentiles. And he was also the final and ultimate apostle which God and Christ personally sent out in the world. In history we cannot find one single new apostle, to take that ministry further down the following centuries. When John and Paul and the other apostles died, in the first century, the world was…and still is (!) entirely void of any apostle of God. Neither are there any of the other ministry-gifts present in our time.
There simply is no inspired minister of God on earth in our time. We have to cling on to Paul’s church epistles, Ephesians and Colossians for correct guidance in our faith and practices.
PAUL’S SPECIAL HARDSHIPS AND
PERIL DURING ACTS
The Book of Acts records numerous persecutions of Paul, including stoning, imprisonment, beatings, and death threats, which occurred during his missionary journeys and ministry. He was arrested in Jerusalem, beaten in Philippi, and forced to flee cities like Iconium and Antioch due to conspiracies against him.
Key persecutions of Paul detailed in Acts:
Damascus (Acts 9:23-25): Jews plotted to kill him, forcing him to flee, lowered in a basket from the city wall.
Jerusalem (Acts 9:29): Hellenists tried to kill him, causing him to flee to Caesarea.
Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:50): He was persecuted and expelled from the region.
Iconium (Acts 14:5-6): He faced a conspiracy to be stoned and had to flee.
Lystra (Acts 14:19): Paul was stoned, dragged out of the city, and left for dead.
Philippi (Acts 16:22-24): He was severely beaten with rods and imprisoned.
Thessalonica & Berea (Acts 17:5-14): A mob attacked his lodging, and agitators followed him between cities.
Corinth (Acts 18:12): Apprehended by Jews and taken before the judgment seat of Gallio.
Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41): A riot by silversmiths created a major disturbance against him.
Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-30): Mob violence resulted in his arrest, leading to prolonged imprisonment in Caesarea.
The dangerous sea voyage to Rome (Acts 27-28) Paul was sent as a religious diplomat to Rome, to give an ultimatum to the Sanhedrin Council there. It was the end station for Israel as a nation for God. They fell from God, and in 70 CE they were destroyed by Rome utterly.
I have a separate considerable article-series on that sea voyage and its implications, called “Paul’s Journey to Rome Was Entirely Piloted by the Lord”, which you can read on my site, section 13 and 14. Thus I will not go further in that topic in this booklet. IMAGE: An Egyptian-Roman vessel built for taking loads of grain, and even passengers. On the ships Paul travelled – they had capacity to take at least 276 passengers (Acts 27:37). Actually, the ship and the 276 people on board, were saved by God’s divine intervention – and Paul was told of it by an angelic vision. God simply HAD TO HAVE PAUL CONFRONTING SANHEDRIN AT ROME! The voyage as such, was an excellent demonstration of how Paul both was suffering hardships, and how he also experienced God’s divine protection and guidance through it all!
Paul faced consistent opposition, often described as accusations of disrupting the peace, creating riots, or leading a sect. And in addition to this, he went through innumerable hardships of all sorts…let me repeat his own description of this, 2 Cor.
“23 Are they servants of Christ?-I speak as if insane -I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.
24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. (Totally, 195)
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.
26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles,
dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;
27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”
All those things described above, was happening during Paul’s ministry to preach the Kingdom-Gospel (of the Kingdom of God on earth), called for the ‘Millennial Reign of Jesus’ in Christendom. See Dan. 2:44, Rev. 20:4. Also see Luke 1:32, 33.
It was Jews first, then Gentile (or Greek, as Paul used as term). Rom. 1:16.
I do recommend you the article on my site, written by Donnie S. Barnes, called simply “The Sufferings of Paul”. It is telling of absolutely all things regarding that topic. Paul was not a ‘dandy’ of a man, he was an outright super-hero…a man of true faith and faithful to God and Christ, and he gave up his life for the sake of his dear Master, Jesus Christ, and the Gospel message we now have in our possession!
I shall now introduce the great, great divinely initiated change in Biblical history, namely the establishing of the new Grace dispensation revealed in Ephesians and Colossians. This happened not long after the close of Acts, 62-63 CE. The two epistles where written in 63-67 CE it is held among scholars. Paul was at that time jailed for the second time. Some historians have said that this jailing may have been caused by the fire in Rome 64 CE – but they also admit that it has to remain theory.
“PAUL IN POST-ACTS ERA”
AFTER THE CLOSE OF ACTS 28:
PAUL WAS SENT AS A ‘PRISONER OF CHRIST
FOR US GENTILES’ (NATIONS) 63-67 CE.
This era have several major CHANGES to it compared to the era of Acts and Paul’s ministry to ‘Gentiles, kings and the sons of Israel’ (Acts 9:15).
In the fresh new Grace dispensation presented in Ephesians/Colossians he tells of being sent ONLY as a PRISONER for us Gentiles. Eph. 3:1-3.
This literally meant – no more plagues, persecutions, beatings and such were hitting against Paul. The evil, satanic angel, who pestered Paul earlier, is no longer to be found. The only suffering remaining, during the years of his work establishing that new dispensation/oikonomia, was the fact that he sat in jail behind bars – together with his co-prisoner Aristarchus. Thus of course, suffering the uncertainty of his forthcoming execution. Most scholars hold to the year 67 CE as when Paul was executed by Nero’s police officers. But Paul was fortunate to have at least 9 faithful partners in the faith, who brought his writings to the congregations in Asia Minor in those years. In Col. 4 he listed up these helpers.
In Colossians 4:7–15, Paul highlights several co-workers who supported his ministry during his imprisonment, specifically identifying Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus (called Justus) as his only Jewish companions ("men of the circumcision") who were fellow workers for the kingdom of God. Others mentioned include Tychicus, Onesimus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Archippus (Nymphas, a woman who opened her house to have fellowship with the believers in town is mentioned also).
Tychicus (v. 7): A "beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant" who delivered the letter to the Colossians.
Onesimus (v. 9): Described as a faithful and beloved brother.
Aristarchus (v. 10): A Macedonian from Thessalonica, referred to as Paul’s "fellow prisoner".
Mark (v. 10): Cousin of Barnabas, who had reconciled with Paul.
Jesus called Justus (v. 11): One of the Jewish believers aiding Paul.
Epaphras (v. 12): A Colossian member who worked hard in prayer for the church.
Luke (v. 14): Referred to as "the beloved physician".
Archippus (v. 17)
Timothy is named in Col. 1 greetings.
These individuals brought comfort and support to Paul during his imprisonment. And some took the epistles from Paul and had them read to the assemblies in Ephesus, Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea. It is held for true and most probable that these writings were read several other places as well, in Asia Minor. His epistles were circular ones.
Strangely enough, Luke was not telling of Paul as if he – in this final prison situation 63-67 CE had any particular contact with the local believers in Rome! His attention seems to be on the assemblies in Asia Minor only. The Lord had indeed turned His back to Israel, and in 70 CE the Roman army crushed the nation and scattered them in the world. It is the greatest diaspora period of all times, and still lasting. The present ‘Israel’ is not a nation of God. To become such a nation, they have to receive Jesus as their Messiah. But this shall be accomplished when He comes from heaven right after a great 7 years of tribulation in Israel. The Seventy Year-Week prophesied in Daniel 9.
But notice: All of this work by Paul was OUTSIDE OF THE PROMISED LAND, ISRAEL.
There exists no genuine documentation that Paul’s Grace-Gospel as found in Ephesians and Colossians, ever were preached or taught inside Israel.
THE END OF ACTS IS THE END OF ISRAEL
Acts 28 tells of Paul confronting the Sanhedrin Council at Rome, but they would not repent (all of them) and come to faith in Jesus as the Messiah, thus he bid them farewell with pretty stern words, v. 28, even if some of them came to faith,
"Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen."
This was Paul’s farewell greeting to the disbelieving Jewish religious leaders at Rome, representing the nation of Israel in this narrative.
This was the end-station for Israel as a nation for God.
Jesus used Paul as a religious diplomat – by sending him specifically to encounter the Sanhedrin at Rome, just as he had stood before the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem in 58 CE. These are the words Jesus told Paul, as He revealed Himself to him, Acts 23:11, NASB,
“But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, "Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also."
It was of utmost importance to have Paul testify to the Council at Rome – because this was the final limit of His patience with the disobedient Israel. They had resisted His message of the Kingdom of God on earth for over thirty years, since Pentecost in Acts 2, and persecuted and killed His true servants…mostly His apostles (Jesus prophesied of this in Mat. 22:7). So this was the end of the line for Israel, unless the Council at Rome all repented. They did not. And consequently they were killed (Israel as a nation) due to the great rebellion in 66-70 CE. The 10th of September, 70 CE (a Sunday) – same date as when the Babylonian King destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC – General Titus and his army crushed Jerusalem and burnt the temple, and according to Deut. 28:68 vast numbers of war prisoners were sent by ships to Egypt to be sold as slaves!
Deut. 28:68, NASB,
"The LORD will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I spoke to you, 'You will never see it again!' And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer."
Josephus, in his book work “The Jewish War”, testifies to this extreme action taken by Rome. Prisoners from the age of 17 were sent away to Alexandria including spouses, to be tried sold to the mines as slaves. But they had to give this project up since nobody was buying. It happened during 71-72 CE.
SINCE ISRAEL NOW WAS ENTIRELY OUT,
SO WAS THE LAW OF MOSES WITH ITS
COMMANDMENTS AND ORDINANCES
The extreme truth of Christ cancelling/abolishing the Law on the cross, but kept this fact hidden in the Acts era, made Him reveal to Paul an entirely fresh NEW dispensation, administration (Greek, oikonomia), and Paul wrote this, Eph. 3:1-3, NASB,
“1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles -
2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you;
3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.”
You may scrutinize the entire Bible, but you will not find that any other of the apostles, including of course Peter, ever had such a revelation given them by Christ!
Only Paul was given this great news for us Gentiles. By faith we are now co-heirs with Christ to the heavenly blessings up above, as Paul further describes in both Ephesians and Colossians.
Paul introduced a new hope of salvation – not found in any other Scripture but Ephesians/Colossians: The epiouranos heaven – Greek for ‘Heaven up above the heavens. By some Bible expositors called for the ‘Super-Heavens’. In Strong’s Lexicon it is numbered G2032.
Col. 3:1-4 tells of the believers to be revealed with Christ up in the heavens,
“1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
Eph. 2:14, 15, NASB,
“14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,”
Here Paul was looking back at the cross – as Jesus died, was buried and rose again – saying that it was at the cross the Law of Moses with its commandments and ordinances was abolished. It was nullified, made entirely out of effect…it was littered, cast away for never to appear again.
The Greek word, for such a move of Christ, is katargesas, or katargeó. In Strong’s lexicon it is numbered 2673. Other lexica use the meaning “to render completely inoperative”, and “To put out of use”, and Col. 2:14 has it translated from Greek: Having cancelled out (the Law, called certificate of debt)..
“…having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
The Greek word is exaleipsas, numbered in Strong’s 1813.
Paul’s use of a variable in Col. 2:14 is saying the very same as in Eph. 2:15. Both katargesas or katargeó, and exaleipsas tell of a nullification, a cancelling, a putting out of use, rendering it inoperative. In our modern day language 2026 – we might even say that the Law was littered, cast in the litter bin. It is a fact that the Law of Moses shall never be used again, it is gone forever. Isa. 2 tells of Christ establishing the millennial reign, and issuing a new Law as the Messiah King of Israel. The only ordinance from the Law which will be made operative again, is the Sabbath.
But we do see in Acts, by several passages, that the Messianic believers observed the Law, and they observed the New Covenant which was ‘laid on top of the Law’. Pentecost in Acts 2 was a feast day from the Law, and they observed it. Paul left Ephesus by ship, hoping to make it to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost (Acts 20:16) – and he succeeded this plan. Arriving Jerusalem he met with the leaders there – and due to some untrue rumors….that Paul had worked against the Law, James persuaded him to go and take the Nazirite, an ordinance of seven days fasting, Acts 21:20-24, NASB, - we also learn that the Jews there observed the Law (58 CE) and were zealous for the Law,
“20 And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law;
21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
22 "What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 "Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under * a vow;
24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.”
In spite of Jesus having already cancelled the Law, abolished the Law, at His death on the cross back in 28 CE, we find that the Law was still being observed by Messianic Jews at Jerusalem and Judea 30 years later!
How come?
Because this Biblical truth, the abolishing of the Law, was kept hidden to Israel and the Jews, as Christ was testing them….whether they would repent and believe on Him.
But they turned Him away, as Paul had a final encounter with their religious leaders at Rome, Acts 28:25-28. And from that moment in time, spring 60 CE at Rome, God turned away from them and quit entirely to address them and revealing Himself to them in any way. They had fallen from God as a nation! Acts 28:28 tells of the Gospel now having been sent to the GENTILES.
This action is the background for God revealing the Mystery to Paul, that Gentiles by faith now are to be considered as heirs with Christ in heavenly salvation. Eph. 3:1-9 is the declaration of this new revelation, which caused God to establish this present dispensation/oikonomia of the Grace of God, to the entire world.
PAUL – KEY PERSON TO CHRIST’S CHANGING
OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
After the casting away of the Law of Moses as well as the fall of Israel, we find that all things pertaining to the previous narrative with the preaching of the Kingdom of God on earth, offered to Israel, was never again held forth by Paul or any other apostle for that matter.
Paul CHANGED IT ALL, and a vast number of ordinances and concerns regarding their national Kingdom-hope, now were entirely extinct…we cannot find any of these things from Paul’s teaching Post-Acts, and his two only epistles to the Church, the Mystery body, called for ‘One new Man’.
The miracle signs and healings are gone. As is the teaching on the Second Advent, the Anti-Christ to come, all kinds of eschatology, and on the so-called rapture (up in clouds). Holy Communion is never mentioned – since His Second Advent is no concern of the Church. The five so-called ministry gifts, apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists and elders/pastors are gone. Water baptism is gone, as well as ‘baptism’ in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. Acts proves that only the apostles were authorized to baptize believers in water, and never do we find any regular church-member doing this; and only these servants of Christ in the first century, was authorized to lay hands on people so the Holy Spirit could come upon them. We never find any regular church-member doing this ‘laying-on-of-hands’. PAUL CHANGED IT ALL. And he demonstrated this change by not mentioning these former and cancelled ordinances and gifts. And not to forget: there is no teaching of having to ‘Make confession of sins’ (like James 2:14-18, etcetera) in order to obtain salvation, and of course there neither is any ordinance of works to accompany our faith (like James 5:14-16).
Paul’s teachings in Ephesians and Colossians are entirely REPLACING all previous teachings….Paul gave us the ONLY valid doctrine of faith. None of the twelve apostles has any word to offer to the church. They ministered only to Israel in their time. The four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are out. There is no teaching to the church dispensation in these historic writings.
If these things are not found in Paul’s two only church epistles, then this is because it is of no concern to the church.
We are not supposed to look for Jesus to come down from heaven; instead we are looking upward to Him in the heavens, with our hope of salvation which do include us being transferred into heaven to be revealed with Christ – as I quoted from Col. 3:1-4.
This particular narrative is one which I have mentioned in most of my latest articles. Paul is our teacher and apostle, and Jesus sent him to have us grasp that marvelous hope of the heavenly calling.
Eph. 4:30, NASB, says a lot regarding us coming up to Him, and not Him coming down to us,
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
The day of redemption is not Jesus coming from heaven. It is the church being transferred into the heavens where Christ is at His Father’s right hand. At that particular future day, He shall conclude the Church dispensation, and He shall then, shortly after, turn to Israel and through the prophesied ‘Great Tribulation’ (Mat. 24:21, 22) use 7 years to purge and make Israel ready to welcome Him from heaven to establish the Millennial Kingdom ruling from Zion. He sends down Moses and Elijah to administer/prophesy the many scary judgment plagues as seen in Rev. 6 and on. These two prophets will start the Great Tribulation, Rev. 11.
Here, to round it off, I’d like to quote Paul, as he related his hardships and sufferings to the sufferings of Jesus, Col. 1:24 – by using the AI-generated explanation from the internet,
“Paul expresses joy in his sufferings for the church, stating he "fills up in his flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions." This does not mean Christ's redemptive work was insufficient, but rather that Paul is extending the benefits of Christ’s suffering—producing and building up the Church—through his own hardships.
Key Aspects of Paul's Suffering in Colossians:
Purpose of Suffering: Paul’s pain is not meaningless; it is "for the sake of his body, which is the church".
"What is Lacking": The "lack" refers to the continued application of Christ's suffering to the world, which Paul accomplishes through his ministry and persecution. It represents the ongoing, daily trials required to bring the gospel to the church, rather than a deficiency in the crucifixion itself.
Joy in Suffering: Paul finds purpose and joy in these sufferings because they contribute to the growth of believers.
Connection to Christ: By enduring these trials, Paul is sharing in Christ’s own suffering for the church, strengthening his identification with Him.
Essentially, Paul views his ministerial suffering as a continuation of the same sacrificial love that Christ showed, bringing the gospel and its benefits directly to the church.”
Thus we can say that Jesus suffered on the cross – firstly for Israel, as He is likened with the sacrificial Lamb causing the angel-of-death to pass every house in Egypt where the blood was applied onto the door ways. This is why it is called the Passover in the Law.
Thus again, the messenger who was sent to us Gentiles, Paul the Apostle, likewise had to suffer as well. Not to become a sacrifice for sin, but to become the solution for the sin among us Gentiles. This call for utmost awe and respect towards Paul, as he actually (as he says) suffered so we could receive the Gospel of salvation by faith in Christ.
Indeed, Paul’s ministry was dramatic in every way!
Yes – I am well aware of that this little booklet contains quite a lot of repetitive issues, mentioned often in my many articles on this site. But such repetition is a healthy thing; it keeps us spiritually awake and may be strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ.
I urge you all to be steadfast in your faith in Jesus Christ. Keep looking up – for our day of redemption will arrive soon, I believe.
APRIL 2026.
Gracepano.com
