The apostle Paul, and those with him,
arrive at Jerusalem:
And after those days, we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple with whom we should lodge. And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.-Acts 21:15-26***The apostle Paul (Saul) was born in Tarsus in Cilicia into the tribe of Benjamin, and was a descendant of Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob (Israel) and his 2nd wife Rachel, and Jacob and Rachel's 2nd and last son Benjamin. On the 8th day after Paul was born, Paul was circumcised according to the covenant of circumcision that the Lord God gave 99-year-old Abraham. Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born into the tribe of Judah. Judah was the 4th son born to Jacob and his 1st wife Leah. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem, approximately 6 miles from Jerusalem, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. On the 8th day after Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, Jesus was circumcised. Approximately 30 years after Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by Mary's relative John the Baptist, from the tribe of Jacob and Leah's 3rd born son Levi. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach and perform miracles among the Israelites, the treasured and chosen people of the Lord God. Less than 3 1/2 years after Jesus was baptized, Jesus was betrayed, arrested, crucified, buried in a tomb, resurrected, and returned to heaven. Paul did not believe Jesus to be the Christ. Throughout Jerusalem, Paul persecuted and imprisoned Israelites who believed Jesus to be the Christ of God. When Paul was journeying to the synagogues in Damascus, Syria, to find, bind and take to Jerusalem any Israelite believers he found, Paul and those with him saw a light from heaven flash around them. Paul heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him, and Paul spoke to Jesus, and obeyed Jesus. In Damascus Paul was baptized. Jesus told Ananias the disciple that Paul was to carry the name of Jesus to Israelites and Gentiles, people not born into the Israelite tribes. When Paul was in the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus spoke to Paul of Paul's divine purpose involving Gentiles. When Paul's fellow Israelite believers learned of the growing number of Gentile believers, the Israelite believers gathered together and listened to Simon Peter, 1 of the 3 disciples and apostles who had been most constantly with Jesus. The Israelites listened to Paul, Barnabas and James. Afterwards, as led by the Holy Spirit, the Israelites agreed to actions that were later restated when Paul was in Jerusalem. Over 1,500 years earlier, Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were born in Egypt into the tribe of Levi. When Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, they led the Israelites away from Egyptian slavery, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of Shur, according to the commands of the Lord God. In the desert wilderness of Sinai, in the region of Mount Sinai, the Israelites heard the voice of the Lord God proclaim the Ten Commandments to them, and the Lord God began giving Moses judgments, statutes, and laws for the Israelites.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers 13:1-14:45, 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 6:1-81, 8:1-40, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans 11:1-36, Philippians 3:1-21
Reference Information:
charges = dapaneson/dapanao/dapane = spend freely, pay expenses
Reference Scriptures:
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.-Acts 15:19-20
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