The apostle Paul and Barnabas the Levite
And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia: And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples.-Acts 14:19-28***Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) was over 75 years old, childless and in a deep sleep when the Lord God made a covenant with him. Ishmael was born to 86-year-old Abraham and Hagar, the maidservant of Abraham's wife Sarah (Sarai). Isaac was born to 100-year-old Abraham and 90-year old Sarah. When Isaac was 40 years old, he was married to Rebekah, Abraham and Sarah's grandniece. Fraternal twin sons Esau (Edom) and Jacob (Israel) were born to 60-year-old Isaac and Rebekah. In Padan Aram, Haran, Jacob was married to Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Rebekah's brother Laban the Syrian (Aramean). Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and daughter Dinah were born to Jacob and Leah. Dan and Naphtali were born to Jacob and Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant. Gad and Asher were born to Jacob and Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. Joseph was the 1st son born to Jacob and Rachel. During Jacob's 20th year in Haran, he began journeying home to Canaan with his family, servants, animals, and possessions. Near Bethlehem, Benjamin was born to Jacob and Rachel, and Rachel died. Joseph was 17 years old when his brothers sold him to merchants traveling to Egypt and led Jacob to believe that Joseph was killed by a wild beast, and Joseph was 30 years old when Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, proclaimed him second-in-command. Jacob was 130 years old when he moved with his family from Canaan to Egypt. In Egypt, Jacob proclaimed Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons born to Joseph and his wife Asenath, to be his own sons, and the tribe of Joseph became the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Ephraim. Sometime after 147-year-old Jacob died in Egypt, and Jacob's family buried his body in Canaan, and 110-year-old Joseph and his siblings were dead, their descendants the Israelites (Hebrews/Jews) were enslaved in Egypt. Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were born into the tribe of Levi. When Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, the Lord God sent them to speak to the Israelite elders and Pharaoh. After the Lord God brought the 10th and final plague upon Pharaoh and Egypt, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to get the Israelites and their animals and go worship the Lord God. Moreover, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to bless him. Before Moses and Aaron led the Israelites, and those with them, away from Egypt, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of Shur, the Israelites asked for and were given an abundance of valuable goods, fulfilling the words that the Lord God spoke to Abraham. 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, and the Lord God made a covenant with the Israelites, and the Israelites said they would obey the words of the Lord God. When Moses was upon Mount Sinai 40 days and nights with the Lord God, the Lord God gave Moses commands about the offering willing Israelites were to bring, and the Lord God described to Moses and showed Moses the likeness of the tabernacle, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the other sacred items the Israelites were commanded to make, and the Lord God told Moses that only Aaron, and Aaron's sons and the sons born to their descendants were to serve the Lord God as priests. Meanwhile, the Israelites thought they were abandoned and told Aaron to make gods to lead them. Aaron told the Israelites to bring him their gold earrings, and Aaron made a golden calf that the Israelites worshiped and Moses burned and ground. During the 40-year journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Miriam the prophetess died and was buried in Kadesh, in the desert wilderness of Zin. Upon Mount Hor, 123-year-old Aaron the high priest died. When Moses went upon Mount Nebo, the Lord God showed Moses the Promised Land, and 120-year-old Moses the prophet died, and was divinely buried. Joshua, Moses' aide and successor from the tribe of Ephraim, led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. Over 300 years after 110-year-old Joshua died, and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, became the 1st king to reign. David, from the tribe of Judah, was the 2nd king to rule over all of the Israelites. Solomon, a son born to David and Bathsheba, was the 3rd king. Rehoboam, the son born to Solomon and Naamah, was the 4th king to rule over all of the Israelites. After Rehoboam gave a specific answer, the Israelites split into 2 kingdoms, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of Solomon. Judah was the nation in the south, Jerusalem was the royal city and Rehoboam was the 1st king to reign. Israel was the northern nation, Samaria was the final royal city and Jeroboam, the son born to Nebat and Zeruah, was the 1st king to reign. Less than 200 years after Jeroboam's son Nadab became the 2nd king to rule the northern nation of Israel, the Assyrians invaded the kingdom and conquered Samaria, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Less than 140 years after Samaria was conquered, Rehoboam's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson Zedekiah (Mattaniah) became the 19th king to rule Judah. During the 11th year of Zedekiah's reign, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) conquered Jerusalem, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 500 years after Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, were born. John the Baptist was born into the tribe of Levi to Zechariah (Zacharias) the priest and his wife Elizabeth (Elisabeth). Jesus the Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) in the womb of Elizabeth's relative Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem into the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Judah's kings, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ were born, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. 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 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, and testified that Jesus is the Son of God. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men, including Simon Peter, to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach and perform miracles among the Israelites. Jesus chose 12 of his disciples and named them apostles and sent them on a mission only among the Israelites. Less than 3 1/2 years after Jesus was baptized, Jesus was betrayed by the disciple and apostle Judas Iscariot, and Jesus was arrested, crucified, buried in a tomb, resurrected, seen by over 500 people, including the 11 disciples and apostles, and told the 11 men to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all the creation. On the 40th day, Jesus was returned to heaven. Judas Iscariot had killed himself. Paul (Saul) was an Israelite and a Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin and 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. Barnabas (Joses/Joseph) the Levite, an Israelite from the tribe of Levi, was a believer and declared to the apostles in Jerusalem the truth about Paul the apostle and Paul's new life in Christ Jesus. In Caesarea, Cornelius the centurion, a Gentile, a person not born into the Israelite tribes, saw an angel of God in a vision and obeyed the words spoken by the angel. In Joppa, a trance fell upon Simon Peter and he saw a divine vision and heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him, and Simon Peter spoke to Jesus. In Cornelius' house, amid Cornelius, his family and friends, Simon Peter proclaimed the good news of Jesus the Christ and the forgiveness of sins through the name of Jesus for everyone who believes in Jesus. The Israelites with Simon Peter saw that the Holy Spirit fell upon all the listeners, and Simon Peter asked a question and commanded the new believers to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. When Simon Peter went to Jerusalem, the apostles and other Israelites spoke to him about the Gentiles, and Simon Peter explained everything, and the Israelites glorified the Lord God and understood that the Lord God has also given the Gentiles repentance unto life. Barnabas was in Antioch of Syria until he went to Tarsus and found Paul and brought Paul to Antioch, the 1st place the disciples were identified as Christians. Paul and Barnabas were sent by the disciples in Antioch on a special ministry mission to Jerusalem. After Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, with John Mark, they were sent from Antioch, according to the command spoken by the Holy Spirit, and went to Seleucia and Cyprus. In Salamis, Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel in the synagogues, and in Paphos, Sergius Paulus the Roman proconsul of Cyprus, became a believer after seeing the result of words spoken by Paul to Bar-jesus (Elymas) the sorcerer-magician, a false Israelite prophet. After Paul, Barnabas and John Mark went to Perga of Pamphylia, John Mark went to Jerusalem and Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch of Pisidia. In the synagogue in Antioch, Paul spoke of the Lord God, and the Israelite ancestors and Jesus the Christ. A group of Gentiles wanted Paul and Barnabas to speak to them the next Sabbath day, and on Sabbath, almost the entire city came to hear the word of the Lord. The Israelites saw the crowd and started contradicting Paul's message, and Paul and Barnabas said that they were turning to the Gentiles, according to the command of the Lord. A group of prominent Israelites in Antioch kicked Paul and Barnabas out of their region. In Iconium, Israelites who did not believe the good news of Jesus the Christ poisoned the minds of the Gentiles and plans were made to stone Paul and Barnabas. When Paul and Barnabas learned of the intentions, they went to Lystra, and some Israelites from Antioch and Iconium arrived. Paul was pelted with stones, and dragged out of Lystra. Paul went back to Lystra, and Paul and Barnabas went to Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia.-Genesis, Exodus, Numbers 13:1-14:45, 20:1-29, 26:1-27:23, Deuteronomy 31:1-34:12, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra 1:11, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, 2 Peter
Reference Information
confirming = episterizontes/episterizo = strengthening, making stronger
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