The prophets divine lies...and strengthen the hands of the wicked, that he should not turn from his wicked way, by promising him life. (Ezekiel 13:8-23)
The prophets divine lies...and strengthen the hands of the wicked, that he should not turn from his wicked way, by promising him life. (Ezekiel 13:8-23)
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Thought for this Discussion: "Whatever the devil cannot be or do as it relates to God in Jesus Christ, he will either counterfeit or wipe out." Gary Flannigan, 111: The Media War (2008) at 131.
Years after Jesus ascended, and Christians were waiting for the second coming, Paul was walking on a wilderness road outside the city of Damascus. Paul was with two companions when Paul saw a great light, and heard a voice identify itself as "I am Jesus," "why are you persecuting me?" Acts 9:3-7. (Those with Paul "saw no one." Acts 9:7.)
[Damascus in era of Paul with surrounding wilderness. Philip Schaff & Miss E. Rodgers, Damascus.]
In Acts 9:3, Paul "came near Damascus," (KJV) or was "coming near" Damascus (God's Word), or "began to approach Damascus" (Aramaic Peshita). The pertinent Greek word is engizein, meaning "draw near." Thus, Paul is outside Damascus but getting closer to it.
It was at that spot that Paul had his enounter with a light and voice which said "I am Jesus." See Biblios versions for Acts 9:3.
As we will demonstrate later, it is important that Paul's call from the one he assumed was Jesus occurs outside Damascus in what is understood Biblically to be a wilderness. This is important because Jesus specifically prophesied that we are not to listen to those who claim to be Himself in the wilderness, as we will detail here, and instead Jesus said He will never appear on earth again unless every eye sees Him. This is how you know it is NOT Jesus when someone reports seeing Him in the wilderness. See Matt 24:5-6; 27-29. Jesus thus warned us that anyone coming in His name in the wilderness would be a COUNTERFEIT Jesus. Yet, I have no doubt in Paul's sincerity and that he thought he met Jesus.
The word "wilderness" as used in the Bible means an area outside a city. Gill in his Exposition of the Bible explains the term "wilderness" as Paul used in 2 Cor. 11:26 "may be understood not strictly of desert places, but of the country in distinction from the city."
Others refer to Paul's experience with the figure who says "I am Jesus" took place in the "semi-wilderness of the great city territory immediately bordering on the city of Damascus." (Martin Hengel, Anna Maria Schwemer, Paul Between Damascus and Antioch: The Unknown Years (1997) at 109.)
Similarly, this extreme pro-Paul commentator in The New Birth concedes that Paul claimed to have met Jesus in the "wilderness" outside Damascus.
The gospel of the Jerusalem church became a perverted gospel once the Law Covenant was fulfilled and set aside as the governing covenant economy. And the Jerusalem church would not accept this fact, but continued stubbornly trying to keep the Law Covenant. It will be explained in this article that trying to keep both the Law Covenant along with the New Covenant perverted the gospel of Christ and annulled both covenants. It was necessary for the Lord to take Paul out into the wilderness apart from all the others and teach him directly the pure gospel of Christ, because the gospel of the Jerusalem church was now a perverted gospel, Gal 1:11-24. ("Firstborn Sonship of Christ," The New Birth (February 2000) Vol. 25 No. 2.)
Scholars believe that the exact place where Paul met the one who said "I am Jesus" is where Elijah centuries earlier heard the voice of God. And in 1 Kings, this way to Damascus was called "a wilderness." This helped Paul believe this was a true message from God.
Christian pro-Paul scholars cite 1 Kings 19:15, and they claim Paul likely believed he was called on the same wilderness way to help confirm to Paul that Paul would indeed be used as a second Elijah. For Elijah was told to take the same way to Damascus, hearing the "still small voice" of God, and which place God referred to as a "wilderness" way to Damascus. So we read in 1 Kings that God tells Elijah to "return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus," en route to Damascus. (1 Kings 19:15.) Pauline scholars believe that the fact this took place in the "wildnerness of Damascus" for Elijah made Paul believe his voice-and-light encounter in Acts 9:3 at the same spot was a sign from God that Paul indeed was being called by God Himself. See N.T. Wright, "PAUL, ARABIA, AND ELIJAH (GALATIANS 1:17)," in Journal of Biblical Literature vol. 115, 683–692 (available at this online link.)
Hence, the Bible teaches both grammatically and historically that this road to Damascus where Paul heard "I am Jesus" from the voice and light was in the wilderness. This will become important as we weigh whether our Savior warned us about such encounters with someone coming in His name in the "wilderness" on earth when Jesus said He would not be seen that way again unless "every eye" on earth could see Him.
In that encounter, Paul did not recognize this voice as Jesus even though the voice spoke first. For Paul asks in response: "'who are you Lord?" The key passage reads as follows:
4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. (Acts 9:4-5.)
Very clearly this person came in Jesus' name and implied he was the Messiah whom Paul was persecuting. The voice was intending Paul know he claimed to be Jesus of Nazareth rather than someone else by the name of Jesus. Yet, Paul did not recognize this as Jesus, and thus Paul had no independent means of verification. Paul needed to ask: "Who are you Lord?"
And certainly, there was no visual verification. For Paul saw the light, and was soon thereafter blinded by an extraordinary light. Otherwise, Paul solely heard an unfamiliar voice. Paul must have regarded this blindness as a sign from heaven, and thus the 'proof' he needed that this was Jesus. Paul himself later would inflict blindness on Elymas (Acts 13:11) so Paul must have viewed such powers by the light he encountered as a 'sign and wonder' which verified it as Jesus.
Did Jesus prophesy of this event on the "way" to Damascus as Paul "neared Damascus" (Acts 9:3, NIV)? That someone would mislead potentially even possibly the elect by saying "I am Jesus" in a wilderness place, leading "many" to not follow the way the TRUE Jesus taught? And did Jesus give us the clearest way of knowing it was not the true Jesus in that wilderness because Jesus said that unless "every eye" will have seen him in a supposed wilderness encounter, it cannot be the true Jesus?
Yes.
To see this, let's begin with Paul's account of his encounter with a voice-and-light outside Damascus who said "I am Jesus."
In Acts 9:3-7 (NIV), we read:
3 As he came near (KJV) neared (NIV) Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.
Of course, Jesus warned repeatedly about false prophets to come in His name who would "have signs and wonders" so that they could deceive even the elect. Matthew 7:15-23; 24:11,24; Mark 13:22-23. See Study Notes below.
But Jesus did more than that. In Matthew 24:4-5, Jesus gives a series of warnings of events that must precede the end. The very first one in church history--and chronologically far earlier than events that would take a long time, such as wars, etc, Jesus says this will happen:
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray. (NIV)
In Luke, Jesus warns this one coming in "my name" says "I am He...." (Luke 21:8.)
Jesus then advised anyone claiming a vision in a wilderness place (like on the road to Damascus) would be deceived if they thought the one coming in "my name" was indeed Jesus. The word "wilderness" as used in the Bible means an area outside a city. As mentioned earlier, Gill in his Exposition of the Bible explains the term "wilderness" as Paul used in 2 Cor. 11:26 "may be understood not strictly of desert places, but of the country in distinction from the city." Luke in Acts 9:3 says this event occurred "near" Damascus, i.e., outside the city, and hence in what the Bible calls a "wilderness" area.
In Matthew 24:24-27, Jesus warns about just such an encounter one may have with one coming in His Name (Jesus) claiming to be He (Jesus) but you know it is not Him because when Jesus returns, every eye will see Him. Jesus said:
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
25 Behold, I have told you beforehand.
26 If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.
This passage clearly implies to beware someone in a wilderness or private room who will claim not only to be Messiah (i.e., a false Christ, v. 24), but also to be Jesus because Jesus says you know it is not Himself by the very obscurity of the location it takes place. "Every eye" will see Jesus when He returns to communicate directly with men on earth. This claim to be both Messiah and Jesus appearing in a wilderness or private encounter is false, our Lord says.
This is not the same experience John had in the book of Revelation. John said specifically he was taken up into heaven where He saw Christ seated at the right hand of the Father. Hence, John implied that Jesus was not present on earth speaking to John, but rather Jesus was in heaven where John saw, as if through a door, Christ who 'raptured' John into heaven. See Rev. 4:1; 21:10-27; cf. 1:10-18. Cf. Elijah who was caught up into heaven, taken up in a whirlwind; and who never tasted death, per II Kings 2:1-12.
Christian commentators unaware how this warning in Matthew 24 operates to invalidate Paul admit that Jesus' words are designed to protect us from a COUNTERFEIT Jesus:
The reason He constantly talks about returning in the clouds is because He wants us to look up into Heaven in anticipation of His return, so keep your eyes on Him. He told us to be ready, to watch for His return! This also prevents us from believing in those who claim to be Jesus Christ, since we are told that He will come in the clouds and every eye will see Him when He comes back. (Frank Gonzalez, Jesus Tells John to Write (2009)(PDF) at 11.)
Hence, Mr. Gonzalez concedes that Jesus' warning aimed to tell us not to listen to someone who says He is Jesus Christ in an encounter on earth because unless every eye saw the same event, it is not the true Jesus. And had Paul heeded that warning, we would not have to now weigh the issue of whether Paul was a dupe of this light-and-voice version of this so-called Jesus.
Is this a prophecy by Jesus about the person who identified himself to Paul as "I am Jesus, the one you persecute"?
Yes for several important reasons.
First, what Paul experienced per Luke quoting Paul's account to a Roman official precisely fits this prophecy. The statement Paul heard was by someone coming in the name of Jesus, specifically using the name "Jesus." Paul records the voice said: "I am Jesus."
Second, because there are many persons named Jesus in that era -- the third most popular name, the 'voice' made clear that he claimed to be Jesus the Messiah / Christ. The voice said he was Jesus "the one you persecute." Paul thereby knew the voice claimed to belong to Jesus the Messiah / Christ whose followers Paul then persecuted. Thus, in substance the voice conveyed "I am Jesus who is the Christ."
Third, Jesus also warned in Matthew 24:24-27 that some will try to deceive you by telling you they are Jesus, the Messiah, in the wilderness or a private room, but know instead this can only be true if every eye on earth sees Jesus. In fact, Jesus said this false Christ will use "signs and wonders" to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
Hence, Jesus specifically prophesied of just such an event. Paul's encounter with the voice whom Paul asked to identify itself all took place in the wilderness road to Damascus. Not every eye saw him. The Bible elsewhere identified the Road to Damascus as a “wilderness.” (1 Kings 19:15. See Study Notes below.) The ESV reads:
And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. (1 Kings 19:15 ESV.)
Pro-Paul Scholar N.T. Wright even thinks Paul connected his experience to that of Elijah spoken about in 1 Kings 19:15 because both took place / were to take place on the wilderness outskirts on the way to Damascus. (N.T. Wright, "Paul, Arabia, Galatians 1:17," Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 115 at 683-92 - PDF.) Paul was coming from Jerusalem 135 miles to the south with letters. MacArthur describes what he calls the "Wilderness of Damascus" is "the Syrian desert south and east of the City of Damascus" (MacArthur Bible Commentary). This means one coming from the South -- Israel -- necessarily had to pass through this way to reach the city of Damascus in Syria.
Compare Luke's account:
Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. (Acts 9:3 ESV)
Thus, this fits Matthew 24:24-27's warning not to believe someone claiming to be Himself in such a setting.
Jesus also prophesied that the event of someone claiming to be Himself in the wilderness would lead many astray.
Is that aspect true as well? Was a nonbeliever like Paul at the time of the vision led astray? Yes. This voice had a different voice (message) than Jesus. In Paul's letters, Paul repeatedly contradicts Jesus on the Law, meat sacrificed to idols, salvation-doctrine, on calling others by the name of 'father,'etc. For a long table of contradictions, go to our page: "The Contradictions of Jesus by Paul."
Next we will see Jesus has further prophecies about this individual whom Paul met.
In Matthew 7:21-23, we learn there are those who "prophesy by the name [of Jesus]," and who can "cast out demons by the name [of Jesus]," but whom Jesus will say "I never knew you." Why? Because they are workers of ANOMIA. This word ANOMIA is a Greek word that can mean either "lawlessness" or "negation of the Mosaic Law." (Torah is NOMOS in Greek; the prefix "A" means negation, like 'anti' in English.) Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23:
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work ANOMIA -- either "iniquity" or "negation of the Law of Moses."
Jesus meant this as a supplementary prophecy to Matthew 24:4-5 and 24:24-27. It tells us one can "never know" Christ but still do signs and wonders in His name. This can apply to Paul. If someone other than Jesus came to Paul but convinced Paul that Paul was now commissioned to do signs and wonders in Jesus' name, and Paul did this successfully, Jesus tells us in Matt. 7:21-23 that this is not sufficient proof Paul ever met Jesus. We could still conclude Paul was misled by the luminous being whom he met on the Road to Damascus to think otherwise, proving again Paul did not meet Jesus.
One of the proofs Paul was misled by the "Jesus" Paul met on the Road is that Paul in effect disputes Matthew 7:21-23. Paul claims in 2 Cor. 12:12 and Romans 15:19 (see infra) that his doing signs and wonders in Jesus' name proves Paul did meet Jesus, and was commissioned as an apostle. But Jesus emphatically says NO in Matthew 7:21-23 as well as Matt 24:24-27.
Here are Paul's two contradictions of Jesus where Paul says such signs are proof Paul not only knew Jesus but was commissioned as an apostle:
First, Paul expressly said his validity turned on "signs and wonders." (2 Cor. 12:12.) He said:
"The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance." Id.
Lastly, Paul in Romans 15:19 likewise said:
"Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ."
The Greek roots for 'signs and wonders' in Paul's two statements were "semeion" and "teraton."
But Jesus told us to be on guard about those who could lead us astray who had 'semeion' and 'teraton' -- signs and wonders (the same Greek words as Paul used) -- Matthew 24:24 (false Christs with "signs and wonders"). This proves signs and wonders are no proof that one coming in His name was from God. (See STUDY NOTES infra.). Jesus repeats this in Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus says those with signs and wonders will be told "I never knew you" when their ministry worked ANOMIA - negation of Nomos -- negation of Torah.
Paul's contrary thinking on that key issue in 2 Cor. 12:12 and Romans 15:19, as well as his many other contradictions of Jesus, prove Paul never "knew" Jesus on the road to Damascus as Paul supposed. The most salient proof is that Paul was a worker of ANOMIA -- the negation of the Law, as Paul admits in 1 Cor. 9:20-21. There Paul says he "works" to appear "anomos" i.e., without the Law around those who are Gentiles, saying Paul himself is 'not under the Law.' In the very next verse, Paul defended being 'all things to all men' to fit in with their morals. (1 Cor. 9:22.) For a detailed discussion on 1 Cor. 9:20-21, see our heading "Paul Admits He is Anomos," in ch. 4 of JWO. On thorough proof that Paul negated the entire Law given Moses, see ch. 5 of JWO at this online link.
Thus, the voice instructed Paul to spread ANOMIA--living without the Law given Moses in any of its scope that applied to either Gentiles or Jews like Paul himself. And Jesus in Matt. 7:21-23 explained one could prophesy and cast out demons in his name, as Paul did, and still Jesus will say "I never knew you" if such person, which includes Paul, brazenly worked ANOMIA -- the negation of the Law of Moses.
Paul's experience on the road to Damascus thus precisely fits the criteria of Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24:4-5 as well as Jesus' affirmation that Paul could do signs and wonders in Jesus' name yet Jesus say 'I never knew you' -- i.e., 'I never met you on the road to Damascus' -- in Matthew 7:21-23 -- because Paul works ANOMIA. -- negation of the Law given Moses by God.
But there is more evidence that the person whom Paul met was not Jesus even though the voice claimed to be Jesus.
In the three versions of the vision account recorded in Acts, the blinding light goes from a "light" (Acts 9:1-9), to a "great light" (Acts 22:3-11) to a "light brighter than the Sun." (Acts 26:9-20.) This great light blinded Paul. Who could this blinding light be? After all, the Bible says Lucifer is a blinding angel of light. (See this link for more discussion.) Could it be Lucifer then?
This did not cross Paul's mind. Paul asked the voice who it was, and the voice said in version 1 in Acts 9 and in version 3 in Acts 26 "I am Jesus whom you persecute." Beyond that, Luke gives us no other reason to think this is Jesus. But should Paul be taking a blinding light's word for it?
"Apparently all it took to convince Paul that he was hearing the voice of Jesus was for the voice to say so." (Delos B. McKown, Behold the Antichrist: Bentham on Religion (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus, 2004) at 122.)
McKown comments that "taken at face value, this reveals credulity (or gullibility) of a high order." Id. at 122.
But Paul knows that the devil can disguise himself as an angel of light. See 2 Cor. 11:14. Yet the Devil-in-Disguise Principle was not applied by Paul on this occassion. Luke gives us no sign of any effort by Paul to verify the light and voice was truly from Jesus.
Delos B. McKown while critically summarizing Bentham's Not Paul But Jesus realizes the validity of some points of Bentham in criticism of Paul. So McKown recounts his exchange with a student when a student claims Jesus told him to do something outrageous. McKown then applies his cautions to the young student on how we too should weigh Paul's experience on the Road to Damascus:
To this I said, But how can you be sure it was Jesus and not the Devil disguised as Jesus who told you to do as you are doing (see 2 Cor. 11:14 for Paul's description of the prowess of the Devil as a deceiver)? The waif, clearly shaken by the application of what I call the Devil-in-Disguise (DID) Principle, fell silent for a time. Then confidently, serenly he assured me saying, 'Oh, it was Jesus all right.' Having done my best to 'test the spirit' in question, I bade my visitors farewell. Even if we grant that Paul heard an extramental voice addressing him on the Damascus road, why did he not apply the DID principle? Why did the [author of Acts] not make inquiries about this and tell us how Paul verified the genuiness of the voice? (Delos B. McKown, Behold the Antichrist: Bentham on Religion (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus, 2004) at 155.)
Indeed!
Is it impossible that Paul was fooled at this point as he came near Damascus? Paul was not yet a Christian. Not a born again believer, right?
If Paul was subject to a forced-conversion first (if that is possible), then Paul should have recognized the voice as Jesus when the voice said "Saul Saul why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:5.) But Paul did not. Paul asked "Who are you Lord?" in response.
Why does this Paul prove was not yet a Christian? For if the true Christ, Paul would have recognized the voice as that of Jesus. For Jesus tells us in John 10:4 that the sheep "know his voice." John 10:27 (NLT): "My sheep recognize my voice...." But Paul in Acts 9:5 admits he does not recognize the voice at all: "And he [Paul] said, `Who art thou, Lord?' and the Lord said, `I am Jesus whom thou dost persecute; hard for thee at the pricks to kick;'" (Acts 9:5, YLT)
This has further repurcussions. It proves not only Paul was not yet a Christian if it were the true Jesus, but it also proves Paul never knew Jesus in the flesh prior to this event. For Paul then should have at least recognized the voice that way too. And this proves that Paul had no means of telling whether this was truly Jesus. Hence, we know logically that Paul must have been a lost man the moment this figure, whether the true Jesus or not, encountered Paul.
And even if Paul prior to encountering this "light" and "voice" had the Holy Spirit already (which Luke does not imply), Paul would not be immune from the wiles of Satan. David, who had such Holy Spirit, was not above Satan planting ideas in his head:
Now Satan, designing evil against Israel, put into David's mind the impulse to take the number of Israel. (1 Chron. 21:1.)
Furthermore, in 1 Kings 1:13-32, God tells us that a true prophet duped another true but young prophet by lying to him about a prophecy supposedly from God that the young prophet could go home by another route. (See our article.) Thus, if even a true immature prophet can be duped that someone who indeed is a true prophet is telling the truth when he is lying, so much more can a lost man as was Paul be duped by someone claiming to be Jesus as a voice coming from a blinding flash if it were not the true Jesus.
Thus, Paul, whether you think he did or did not have the Holy Spirit yet, could be fooled. And if guided by common sense, he should have put up a barrier of concern about a being whose appearance he only saw as a blinding light and knew only by means of a voice. And which event only took place on a wilderness road.
And if you believe Paul had the Holy Spirit when the voice-and-light appeared, Paul should have been very dubious of this experience. Jesus warned the 12 apostles that such an event was coming that would decieve if "possible" the very elect. (Paul was not yet a Christian actually, per Luke's account). And Jesus specifically warned not to believe someone in the wilderness claiming to be Jesus there! (Matt 24:26-27.)
What corroborates this was not Jesus? As demonstrated earlier, we know it was not Jesus because of the kind of messages Paul received from this one he accepted as Jesus (when Paul was not yet a believer). These confirm Jesus' prophecies, proving this luminous being whom Paul encountered in the wilderness around Damascus could never truly be Jesus. And with hindsight, we have a pretty good idea who indeed was this blinding light.
Let's remember our Lord's warning that Satan comes to "steal" as well as to kill and destroy Christians. And what better way to "steal" Christians by taking those who are attracted by the figure of Jesus who then are given a counterfeit version. As Jesus said:
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. (John 10: 10 ESV.)
Jesus specifically prophesied that someone will come in His name -- the name of Jesus -- and claim to be Jesus the Messiah, and this false Jesus will lead many astray. (Matt. 24:4-5.) This figure would use "signs and wonders" to lead astray even the elect, if that were possible. (Matt. 24:24.) In Paul's case, Paul was a lost soul -- a murderer and Pharisee -- when the figure Paul thought was Christ appeared to him as a "light brighter than the sun" which blinded him. Paul was helpless against the impression that a deceptive use of signs and wonders -- a bright light and sudden blindness -- made upon Paul.
How will we tell if the one whom Paul assumed was Jesus had true prophetic messages? Whether the light-and-voice Jesus was the true or false Jesus? The true Jesus told us we would know someone never truly met Him despite doing signs and wonders in His name because this person would be a "worker of ANOMIA."A worker of the Negation of the Law. (Matt. 7:21-23.)
Did Jesus elsewhere tell us the NAME of this person so duped?
Yes, as we discussed in another webpage. Jesus in Matt. 5:17 said the one who works the negation of the Law (i.e., teaches it is not to be followed) shall be called by those in the kingdom of heaven the LEAST . And elsewhere we establish that Saul-Paul's Roman-citizenship name of Paulus is a shortened form of the name Pauxillus -- something admitted by Pauline scholars, and they also confess it means "Least" in Latin. See "Jesus on Paul the Least." Yet, Jesus says the anti-Law teacher in Matt. 5:17 will be known by the name of "LEAST MAN" by those who are in the kingdom of heaven. Our Lord was being prophetic again. For all eternity among those enjoying heaven, all the anti-Law teachers will be known as Paulinists, Pauline teachers, followers of Paul, etc. -- the LEAST.
Hence, Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24:4-5 was fulfilled in the duping of Paul by the blinding light (likely Lucifer) on the Road to Damascus. It led Paul to believe that the voice belonged to the true Jesus, the Messiah. This voice claimed to be Jesus, and it first misled Paul. Then through Paul, "many" have been led astray, making Paul's evangelism also fulfill Jesus' prophecy that those teaching us not to follow the Law will henceforth be known among the saved by the name of the Least Man -- Paul -- fulfilling Matthew 5:17 as well.
How great is our Lord to leave us prophecies for those who have 'ears to hear' which would protect His flock who closely listen to Him, our sole Teacher.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Do not forget that Satan likes to patrol the wilderness, and it is there Satan met Jesus to tempt Him.
Furthermore, while we generally associate the wilderness today with a good-time to see natural wonders, in the Mosaic era, it generally meant a dangerous place, typically without food or water, and subject to evil robbers intend on killing you for your money. So a wilderness had a negative connotation. Hence, Jesus went to the wilderness as a test of himself, knowing the threats it might entail.
In Moses' day, God rejected Israel and let them wonder in the wilderness for 40 years as punishment before letting them take the promised land. See Numbers 14. In the wilderness, there was also Korah's rebellion which sought to incite the people to no longer heed Moses. Numbers 16. Atonement by incense caused God to relent in His punishments. And elsewhere in the Bible, thewilderness becomes a place of rebellion as in Psalm 106 and Ezekiel 20.10-26.
Hence, the wilderness in the Bible was generally a place of testing where God permits Satan to test our loyalty to God. This included rebellions against Moses' rule -- the Law given Moses by God -- by Korah. As Bruggerman says: "The wilderness is either the way to land or the way to death." (Oropeza, Paul and Apostasy (2000) at 125 fn. 29.)
In the same vein, John the Baptist also lived in the wilderness where John invited men to come and hear his message, repent, and be baptized. For the listeners, it was a moment of decision in the wilderness, for or against God.
There does not appear to be any scholarly book ever written that has asked whether Paul's wildnerness encounter is directly put in doubt by our Savior's words in Matthew 24. A google "books" search with the term "every eye" (to connect Matt 24) and "Paul Damascus wilderness" turns up 4 cites (including our website), but none of those other 4 deal with this issue. See this link.
However, there are several web-articles that do raise the question.
NYC Bible Study does so at this link.
Solitary did so in a blog discussion in 2010. See this link. I like the simplicity of Pat's comment on the blog: "Jesus said He would not be in the wilderness, Paul said Jesus was, it's that easy, who do you believe?" (link)
Also, CW in his Questioning Paul in chapters 4 and 12, excerpted in our website review raises the link.
I just found that "Messenger" in 2006 similarly saw the issue, and here is Messenger's argument:
[Matt 24:24-27- quotation] If people accept that Jesus spoke Truth, only then the answer to Paul's question is NO ... he has NOT seen Jesus because Jesus said nobody would see him in a localised place. Jesus warned that anybody who says they have seen him is to be avoided i.e., GO NOT AFTER THEM NOR FOLLOW THEM!!!!
Was the one who supposedly identified himself to Paul as 'Jesus' a false Christ as warned about by our Master or are they accusing Jesus of not telling the Truth in his warnings? ...
What is astonishing to me is that ONCE you see the issue, you cannot get rid of it from your mind because it is 100% on point. Then you wonder how centuries of Christians missed it. It is a puzzle. One theory is that it was seen, and then suppressed. Or that Satan has blinded us all these centuries. God sent warnings but we do not listen. But if there is eventually a discovery of an earlier reference, then we will know the thought was simply not repeated and then forgotten.
When I weigh all the arguments pro and con about Paul, this passage from our savior is the most conclusive. There is no escaping its application to Paul. Because under Constantine and following, elevating Paul was necessary to argue against the Sabbath, so it could be moved from Saturday to Sun-day to placate the Sol-Sun worshipping Constantine, this argument was known, but had to be suppressed. It is inconceivable to me that no one thought of it. It is too obvious once you see it. Only by suppression can it be overcome because no explanation around it is conceivable.
DD
Hello Doug,
EXCELLENT... outstanding... wonderful... well done and very much appreciated. I have been praying for 'confirmation' that it was, indeed, Lucifer who blinded Paul on the road to Damascus, although your evidence was compelling to me the first time I visited your web site. Your information simply "rang true" to me from the get-go and I have referred many to your web site ever since. Jesus never had to blind anyone to get their attention. H. (Nov 27, 2012)
