The Church Has Chosen Paul Over Jesus
(September 2000; Modified January 2004)

Theologians have known for many, many years that certain Scriptures in our Bible are not authentic, and that they had been lifted from the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, and Talmudic writings. They would not speak of such spurious Scriptures being in the Epistles fearing they would be branded as heretics because "the Bible is infallible." Sorry to disappoint you but, the whole of the New Testament is not infallible, in particular "some" of the Epistles have filtered into them pseudo writings, and Talmudic teachings. The Old Testament and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are infallible, and are the yardstick by which the Epistles are to be measured. Jesus did not come preaching one thing, went back to Heaven and from there instructed Paul and other of the apostles to teach something other than what He taught. Jesus is God and God is immutable – He changes not. Paul’s preaching did not and does not revoke the immutable Word of God. The question is, do you really and truly believe Jesus’ Word over some of the writings found in some of the Epistles?

Pharisee means "separatist" or "separated." This sect  followed the Mosaic law of purity and attached utmost importance to the following of tradition handed down to them – the Oral Law/Talmud. They were in control of the synagogues, interpreting the law, and had a large amount of control over even the ordinary people.

The Pharisees made themselves the people’s party by teaching that ‘God has given to all men alike the kingdom, the priesthood, and Holiness’ (2 Macc. ii. 17). (Smith’s Bible Dictionary. William Smith. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN, p 243, 1991.)

God had not given to all men alike the kingdom, the priesthood, and holiness. Mankind did not receive such until after Jesus resurrected and sent back The Holy Ghost to them that believed in Him. The obvious reason for the Pharisees believing that God had given the kingdom, priesthood, and holiness to all men was because God was not speaking to Israel during the 400-year period (Intertestamental) of sin and rebellion in the land.  Since God wasn’t speaking, it was Satan speaking to the Jewish people during "the silent years." 

According to Flavius Josephus, the control the Pharisees had over the people was such that when they said anything against the king or the high priest (even Jesus Christ), the people believed it. Talking about a controlling spirit in operation! Paul was of that sect and had that same controlling spirit upon him as is demonstrated in his writings. He was a Pharisee of the same Pharisees that Jesus denounced as "whited sepulchres" (Matthew 23:27). He was a Pharisee of the same Pharisees that opposed Jesus because He was against their teachings of oral law/traditions (later known as the Talmud). 

It must be said that in the teachings of the influential Pharisees, they

had a complete system of angelology. (A Manual of Church History, Volume I. A.H. Newman. The American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA pp 48-49, 1899.)

The Pharisees system of angelology is closely related to the angelology in the Apacrypha and Pseudepigrapha books. Remember the following about these books: (1) they are false and inauthentic works ascribed to the prophets and other biblical persons; (2) they are filled with angelology; (3) they contradict Old Testament writings and the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and (4) they were written at a time when God was not speaking to the Jewish people – they had no prophets.

First Maccabees is considered an authentic account of the Maccabean struggle with Antiochus Epiphanes, and in it is stated Israel had no prophets. God was quiet and therefore Satan was doing the speaking.

There had not been such great distress in Israel since the time prophets ceased to appear among the people (I Maccabees 9:27).

The Jewish people and their priest have, therefore, made the following decisions. Simon shall be their permanent leader and high priest until a true prophet arises (I Maccabees 14:41).

Paul said of himself, …as touching the law, a Pharisee (Philippians 3:5). He also said of himself, in the present tense, …I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee… (Acts 23:6). Paul, who had become Born Again, still referred to himself as a Pharisee. I was Catholic before becoming Born Again, but God forbid, I will never say in the presence of a bunch of Catholics, "I am a Catholic." No, never, because old things have passed away and I have the real Jesus dwelling in me – I’m saved. Paul is not excused from referring to himself as a Pharisee, because deep in his heart he had not let go of a lot of the Pharisaical teachings. Paul did not totally relinquish Phariseeism when he became Born Again.

Saints, it’s reflected in some segments of Scriptures in his Epistles that don’t line up with The Gospel. Paul himself cautions us to search the Scriptures. You are urged to search the Scriptures and reject that which does not line up with The Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not to say trash your Bible. No, don’t entertain the thought of that because it is God’s Word to us, but it is this very same God who wants us now to filter out the errors that will cause us to go astray, and has already done so by way of oppression of women in The Church.

It was, however, inevitable that such a man [Paul] would have an overwhelming influence upon the Christian Church. His vigorous mind, his persistent and dominating personality, have stamped themselves very deeply upon Christian thought and practice. He overshadowed all other teachers in his own day; and he has overshadowed all other teachers since.

He has been such a commanding figure that he [Paul] has stood in the way of his Master [Jesus Christ], and in important respects has been allowed very largely to overshadow Christ.…

Yet we must not blame St. Paul because the Christian Church has chosen to follow his [Paul’s] confident, assertive teaching, rather than the less obtrusive, but profounder teaching of the Saviour. The Church is to blame, not St. Paul (Was St. Paul Right, or Christ? Hamilton McGregor. James Clarke & Company, Ltd., London, p 26-27 193?.)

To this very day, Apostle Paul has tight control over The Church of Jesus Christ because The Church has allowed it. Paul’s "persistent and dominating personality" equals to a controlling individual; and controlling individuals have to always be in the spotlight, and the attitude is "I know best." Look at the following Scriptures:

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me [Paul] (I Corinthians 4:16).

In the next verse of Scripture, Paul tells the Corinthians that he sent Timotheus to remind them of his "ways which be in Christ…" (I Corinthians 4:17). Paul has made himself the exemplary middle-man for the Church to follow instead of Jesus Christ, The Perfect One. Saints, God is revealing this to you now because you have got to decide if you follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the gospel of Paul the Apostle. It is critical that there is irrecognition of "some" of the teachings in the Epistles that relate to judging angels, angels and Moses’ body, and oppression of women. (The Epistles of Jude, and II Peter, as small as they are, also have angelology in them that conflict with God’s Word.) The Lord is now trying to clean up His Church and the errors she’s been walking in for 2000-plus years. The Church must adhere to the voice of The Lord in this hour because He is in the process of cleaning up His Bride – His Church. The Church cannot be found faithful if she is walking in error. The Lord wants to put a stop to The Church quoting and following Paul more than Himself.

Be ye followers of me [Paul], even as I also am of Christ (I Corinthians 11:1).

Christ never told us to follow anyone except Him – He’s our example. He sent back The Holy Spirit to guide us in our following of His teachings.

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).

Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead (Matthew 8:22).

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Matthew 16:24).

Apostle Peter did not command The Church to follow him but to follow our Lord Jesus because He was our perfect example and the one to suffer for us.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps (I Peter 2:21).

If The Church is taught to follow in Jesus’ steps and not Paul’s, then they will not go wrong. To be told to follow someone in The Church, such as Paul, is a far cry from being told to "follow my example," for we are all to be in example to one another in The Church as well as outside, but we are to follow Jesus Christ. We are to let our light shine before men (Matthew 5:16). To follow Christ is to not walk in darkness (John 8:12), but to have the light of life because Jesus is the light of this world and not Apostle Paul, nor you, and nor I.

Know ye not that we shall judge angels… (I Corinthians 6:3)?

Those were the words of Paul to the Corinthian church, and to the whole of The Church of Jesus Christ.  It appears that God isn’t so immutable after all, or is He? Yes, God is immutable and He changes not because He knows the end from the beginning. Stop! Something is wrong with that verse and I will begin to get to the bottom of this by going first of all to the Almighty Immutable Word of God. Jesus never said that The Church would judge angels, and I believe Jesus. Jesus did say, however, that the apostles (former mortals) would judge the twelve tribes of Israel (former mortals), but that still does not convey that angels are included.

…ye [apostles] may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:30).

What do we mortals know about judging someone we know nothing about? We do know about life as mortals and what is expected of them from God, and could therefore have something to say about their lives if need be, but we are not even privileged to peer into the spirit realm and see the day-to-day activity of angels. Why not? Because man is a little lower than the angels, as even Jesus was when He was on earth in the flesh.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels… (Psalm 8:4-5; Hebrews 2:6-7).

In Mark 12:25, Jesus said that after our death we become as the angels – immortalized. Indeed, though we will be as angels then, we will be in no position to judge them because prior to that time we will not be equal to them and thus know very little about them. The sum of the matter is, God/Jesus is the judge of all, and His Word supports that, not Paul’s word. It is nowhere written in The Bible that The Church will judge angels.

Church, it is nowhere written that the Saints will have the privilege of judging higher beings – angels. Why should we judge angels, they who form a hedge of protection around us?

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone (Psalm 91:11-12).

With the angels doing this for us because they are immortals and have been given more authority than we, who are we to be judging angels? According to those Jewish writings the righteous person surpasses the angels, but Jesus never said anything like that. If the righteous are more than the angels, then God would have the righteous in His court and not the angels. Don’t you agree with that?

Both the Hebrew (malak) and Greek (angelos) meaning for angel is messenger. These messengers are immortal spiritual beings having a higher rank above human beings, but not on par with God. Angels are created beings which means they were created to do God’s will, and only God can judge if they did His will or not – not The Church. We don’t know but a fraction of God’s will for the angels. There is no doubt that angels are spirits (Hebrews 1:14), for that is the only way one can be in the presence of God without dying. Angels get their orders from God. They are also "free moral agents" and we conclude that from the simple fact that Lucifer chose to rebel against God, and the angels that followed him chose to do so.

Angels are known to

In the books of the prophets, angels rarely are mentioned. The most prominent exceptions are the heavenly visions of Isaiah and Zechariah. Much of the pattern observed in the Old Testament is repeated in the New….What is perhaps most remarkable is what the New Testament texts do not say about angels. The interbiblical [intertestamental] period, under Persian and Greek influences, had seen an explosion of speculation about angels. Angels (or comparable spiritual beings) in detailed hierarchies came to be understood by many as necessary mediators between God and humanity….The New Testament texts contain no developed angelic hierarchy…. (Holman Bible Dictionary, Trent C. Butler, Editor. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN pp 51-52, 1991.)

Saints, as said before, much has been written about angels in the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha books which is a sign that the Hebrew people of that time had widespread belief in angels and their activity. Therefore, it can be safely said that the Jews of that time subscribed to angelology. Keep in mind, Paul was a Pharisee and in all likelihood studied these writings – he in fact had to have studied these writings as you will see later on. The writer D.S. Russell believes Paul’s beliefs as a Pharisee were not in opposition to the pseudo writings.

The exact relationship between apocolyptists and the Pharisees has been the subject of much debate. Scholars like W. Bousset, R.H. Charles and S. Zeitlin have argued for a Pharisaic authorship, whilst others, though not necessarily confining their writing to members of any one party, have contended strongly that the apocalyptic (*) tradition and the Pharisaic tradition are by no means opposed to each other. (The Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic. D.S. Russell. The Westminister Press, Philadelphia, PA p 25, 1964).

(*Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha writings contain mysterious revelations supposedly interpreted by an angel and written under the name of the Saints of old)

In First Enoch, the story of the angels (also called "Watchers") coming to earth and marrying the daughters of men is supposedly the revelation of Genesis 6:2. After these angels had committed this sin of great destruction on the earth, Enoch was sent to tell them that they will have no peace and their sin will not be forgiven. The angels were afraid after hearing the news and asked Enoch, a human being, to intercede before God on their behalf. This implies angels are inferior to the righteous or the Saints of God, but God’s Word doesn’t say that.

And they besought me to draw up a petition for them that they might find forgiveness, and to read their petition in the presence of the Lord of heaven (I Enoch 13:4).

Enoch obliged them and drew up and read the petition before The Lord. In the meantime he had another vision, one of chastisement, and a voice told him (Enoch) to reprimand them (angels/Watchers). Think on this, man, who is lower than angels, is going to reprimand the angels. In I Enoch 14, after Enoch had gone before The Lord, he told the Watchers what the Great One revealed to him.

I saw in my sleep what I will now say with a tongue of flesh and with the breath of my mouth: which the Great One has given to men to converse therewith and understand with the heart. As He has created and given to man the power of understanding the word of wisdom, so hath He created me also and given me the power of reprimanding the Watchers, the children of heaven. I wrote out your petition, and in my vision it appeared thus, that your petition will not be granted unto you throughout all the days of eternity, and that judgement has been finally passed upon you: yea (your petition) will not be granted unto you. And from henceforth you shall not ascend into heaven unto all eternity, and in bonds of the earth the decree has gone forth to bind you for all the days of the world. (I Enoch 14:2-6).

Judging from this, as Enoch was righteous, and the righteous Saints on earth will have power to judge angels. We cannot even intercede for angels let alone judge them. This, however, does not line up with God’s Word about judgment, and it is misleading the Saints of God. Saints, us judging angels is not Scriptural.

Being the educated man that he was, Paul, without a doubt, read the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha books because these books were spiritual in nature and were widely read during his time. Not only that, but in his Epistles there are too many parallels to those books.

How to interpret these parallels - whether they are mere coincidences or are literary reminiscenses – is not always clear. In some cases, however, both the thought and the phrasing are so close between the two that it must be concluded that the Christian writers had been influenced directly or indirectly by the intertestamental books. Among the several New Testament authors, Paul, James, and the anonymous writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews [believed to be Paul] display the greatest number of coincidences with the Apocrypha. (An Introduction To The Apocrypha. Bruce M. Metzger. Oxford University Press, New York, p 158, 1957.)

Please take a look at a few of those parallels to the Book of Wisdom (The Wisdom of Solomon). The Book of Wisdom was written under the name of King Solomon, in Greek by an unknown Alexandrian Jew around B.C. 100, and this was way before Paul’s time. From this you can already see deception.

Romans And The Book Of Wisdom

Ephesians And The Book Of  Wisdom

II Corinthians And The Book Of  Wisdom

Saints, these few examples of Paul’s writings and the Book of Wisdom bear a remarkable resemblance. Keeping in mind that Wisdom was written when God wasn’t speaking to Israel those 400 years, you have got to be wondering about these similarities. You have got to now be wondering about the business of women being covered because of the angels (I Corinthians 11:10). Please! That is not God! Paul even tells you that though when he said "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God" (I Corinthians 11:16), but yet these Church leaders still say that women must have a male figure above them as a covering before they can have a ministry. Trash!

You must ask yourself, is all this information revealed in those Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha books true since God wasn’t speaking during that time? Verses in the Epistles that parallel those books, should we hold them dear to our hearts? Look closely at a few  more Scriptures that parallel those books, but don't parallel what God Himself says, and decide who you believe?

1. Paul’s writing and the Book of Enoch are similar, but who do you believe, Paul or God?
2. Paul’s source (directly or indirectly) was not God, but the Pseudepigrapha Book of Enoch – written when God wasn’t speaking to Israel.
3. Remember, God is immutable, and He changes not.

Jesus never said that all are called to salvation but that many are called and even few of them will be chosen (Matthew 20:16). It was prophesied by Isaiah that Jesus would …bare the sin of many (Isaiah 53:12), but he didn’t say for all. I believe Jesus where He said He died for "many" and not for "all" as Paul the apostle stated. There is a big difference between the word "many" which means a goodly but indefinite number of the human race, and the word "all" which means the whole of the human race. I suppose it was easy for Paul to say that Jesus died for all because he apparently didn't’ lay eyes on Jesus’ Gospel since it wasn’t written until around 80 A.D. (Matthew), and 70 A.D. (Mark). Paul did say, however, that he did not consult the eleven other men who had lived with Jesus during His 3-1/2-year ministry, the Gospel wasn’t in writing for him to study, so where did Paul get that information? In his own words:

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood [other apostles]: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me… (Galatians 1:15-17).

Since Paul sought not the apostles, we are led to believe The Lord’s Holy Spirit taught him everything he preached, and that’s entirely possible. But, why would the immutable Jesus, who Himself said He came to "save many" reveal to Paul that He came to save "all"? To some of you this may seem like nothing to fret over, but it is. It is something to fret over because you have once again placed Paul’s word above Jesus’ Gospel, and that does not sit well with The Father. Who do you believe, Paul or Jesus? As for me, I believe Jesus.

Interjection: All of this is to prove to The Church how she has taken Paul’s words as precedence over the teachings of Jesus Christ and in many cases sinned by using those words of Paul to enslave The Church in many ways. Repent! In my spirit, I hear The Lord saying that it’s time for this to change. You  must repent and place His Word above that of Paul’s.

In Closing

Apostle Paul’s Pharisaic Jewish training under Gamalial played a large part in his Christian ministry. This conclusion is safely drawn after looking at the difference between what Paul taught and what was taught by Jesus Christ. The author James Clarke summed it up as follows:

        The thinking of the Christian Church has been largely shaped by St. Paul. He is in great measure the author of her [The Church] theology. If he did not specifically formulate the doctrines of the Church, the more important doctrinal beliefs of the Churches have been formulated under the influence of his writings.
      It is not difficult to understand the reasons for this. St. Paul was a great man and an acute thinker. None of the other Apostles could compare with him in mental equipment. He was also a pre-eminently good man; and this has helped to give force to his teaching. Moreover, he claimed very positively that his explanation of the gospel was ‘not after man’ (Gal. i. 11), but was given to him ‘by the revelation of Jesus Christ’ (Gal. i.12); and the Christian Church has honoured his claim.
      Further: in the arrangement of the writings that compose the New Testament, the Epistles of St. Paul are placed after the gospels; and because of this, many non-enquiring Christian people have assumed that St. Paul’s letters are of later date than the gospels. His epistles are therefore regarded by many as an elaboration and interpretation of the gospel message. Hence, the gospels have been interpreted according to the letters of St. Paul, instead of his letters being subordinated to the gospels, i.e., to teaching of the Lord Jesus.
      This is a double mistake: i.e., both as regards the dates of the gospels and epistles, and as regards their relative value and authority.
       The letters of St. Paul were written before the gospels were compiled; and it is significant that in his letters St. Paul does not quote from, or in any way appeal to, the gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. (Was St. Paul Right, or Christ? Hamilton McGregor. James Clarke & Company, Ltd., London, pp 11-12, 193?)

Saints, we have to draw a deep line in The Bible dividing that in the Epistles that doesn’t line up with the Word of God from that which does and hold fast to it. On the other side of the line, all in the Epistles that does not line up with The Gospel of Jesus Christ, leave it there because it is misleading. An example of misled teaching is that of women in The Church being second class children of God with secondary roles to play (see: Apostle Paul Was Wrong About Women - I and Apostle Paul Was Wrong About Women - II). You may not think so, but for centuries, subjugation of women by men in The Church has sent many so-called righteous people to hell because of that teaching which made (1) it appear that God is a respecter of persons, and (2) the quenching the Holy Spirit of God from working in women in The Church. Paul said,

But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12).

If all of Paul’s gospel was not from man but from Jesus Himself, my questions is, would Jesus borrow from those Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha writings that were not God-inspired, and pass them on to Paul to teach to The Church? Did Jesus do that? No, Jesus did not. Some of what Paul wrote did not come from Jesus, but from Paul’s own intellect. Paul attempted to Christianize Pharaseeism and that simply cannot be done. It cannot be said that this is minor and it doesn’t matter. It is very, very serious and you must this day choose who you will follow – Paul or Jesus!

Surely, however, after nearly 1900 [now 2000-plus] years of St. Paul’s dominance, the time has come for the Christian Church to see that St. Paul and the Lord Jesus change places in its scheme of thinking. Instead of St. Paul overshadowing the Saviour, we want the Saviour to overshadow St. Paul (Was St. Paul Right, or Christ? Hamilton McGregor. James Clarke & Company, Ltd., London, p 27, 193?)

 

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