[continued from previous message]   
      
   >>>>>>>>>>> Jesus then taught Paul in the desert for during a time of three   
   >>>>>>>>>>> years.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Gal 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was   
   >>>>>>>>>>> preached   
   >>>>>>>>>>> of   
   >>>>>>>>>>> me is not after man.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Gal 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taughtit,   
   >>>>>>>>>>> but   
   >>>>>>>>>>> by   
   >>>>>>>>>>> the   
   >>>>>>>>>>> revelation of Jesus Christ.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Gal 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Jews'   
   >>>>>>>>>>> religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God,   
   >>>>>>>>>>> and   
   >>>>>>>>>>> wasted   
   >>>>>>>>>>> it:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> ***   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Gal 1:17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles   
   >>>>>>>>>>> before   
   >>>>>>>>>>> me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Gal 1:18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see   
   Peter,   
   >>>>>>>>>>> and   
   >>>>>>>>>>> abode with him fifteen days.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Gal 1:19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the   
   Lord's   
   >>>>>>>>>>> brother.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Gal 1:20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God,   
   >>>>>>>>>>> I   
   >>>>>>>>>>> lie   
   >>>>>>>>>>> not.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> This was an interesting read. At first I thought you were writing a   
   >>>>>>>>> synopsis   
   >>>>>>>>> of one of his writings, but such does not appear to be the case. I   
   >>>>>>>>> have   
   >>>>>>>>> not   
   >>>>>>>>> studied his works, but I briefly reviewed some of the comments made   
   by   
   >>>>>>>>> others   
   >>>>>>>>> who have their own views of what he wrote. Sadly it is difficult to   
   >>>>>>>>> comment   
   >>>>>>>>> on them since I would have to study up on Paine in order to know   
   >>>>>>>>> something   
   >>>>>>>>> about him, and it would have to be mainly the things written by his   
   >>>>>>>>> hand,   
   >>>>>>>>> not   
   >>>>>>>>> based on the comments of others, unless they were peer friends of   
   his,   
   >>>>>>>>> personally.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> What little I read this morning, was a whole lot of things supposedly   
   >>>>>>>>> of   
   >>>>>>>>> what   
   >>>>>>>>> he said and thought, but it was clear that people cherry picked   
   >>>>>>>>> phrases   
   >>>>>>>>> that   
   >>>>>>>>> lent themselves to support their personal agendas. According to what   
   >>>>>>>>> you   
   >>>>>>>>> outlined it would seem that Paine had at best a shallow and limited   
   >>>>>>>>> understanding of the Bible, and virtually no personal knowledge of   
   >>>>>>>>> God.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> I will make a brief comment to each numeric point. LOL, hopefully   
   >>>>>>>>> brief.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> An interesting contradiction occurs with Paul's testimony, which was   
   >>>>>>>>>> pointed out by Thomas Paine, one of America's founding fathers. Here   
   >>>>>>>>>> it   
   >>>>>>>>>> is in outline form:   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> 1) Paul, while being a Jew, claims to have persecuted Christians, a   
   >>>>>>>>>> claim also made about him by the author of Acts.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> This point shows and gives an understanding of how little attention   
   he   
   >>>>>>>>> paid   
   >>>>>>>>> to the NT.   
   >>>>>>>>> It is obvious that he was a chief persecutor and he explained why.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> 2) When someone persecutes another, especially, a strange, it is   
   >>>>>>>>>> because you do not like what that person has done, is saying, and/or   
   >>>>>>>>>> certain viewpoints that they, as a group, hold to. (As an example,   
   it   
   >>>>>>>>>> is possible for a Jew and a Muslim to hate each other even though   
   >>>>>>>>>> they   
   >>>>>>>>>> have never met.)   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> That would describe his agenda for those he persecuted. He took the   
   >>>>>>>>> attitude   
   >>>>>>>>> of a Muslim towards the destruction of all those who opposed his   
   >>>>>>>>> religious   
   >>>>>>>>> mindset, under the authority of the High Priest of his day.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> 3) As such, Paul, prior to his conversion to Christianity, must have   
   >>>>>>>>>> head the accounts of Jesus of Nazareth rising from the dead, which   
   >>>>>>>>>> must   
   >>>>>>>>>> have included the so-called appearances of Jesus to the "five   
   >>>>>>>>>> hundred".   
   >>>>>>>>>> In spite of hearing those accounts, Paul continued to persecute   
   >>>>>>>>>> Christians; as such, Paul himself did not find the accounts of Jesus   
   >>>>>>>>>> being raised from the dead by God as being convincing.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> He may have heard, and was aware of the reports. Especially because   
   he   
   >>>>>>>>> was   
   >>>>>>>>> chief amongst the Pharisees. Like the typical atheist of today, they   
   >>>>>>>>> hear   
   >>>>>>>>> much and deny all, and this was also the mindset of the Jews who   
   >>>>>>>>> persecuted   
   >>>>>>>>> their brother Jew who believed in Christ. To them it was heresy. Yet   
   >>>>>>>>> the   
   >>>>>>>>> OT   
   >>>>>>>>> spoke of the Messiah that was to come, when, and where, and what he   
   >>>>>>>>> would   
   >>>>>>>>> do.   
   >>>>>>>>> They had an idea that he was to come and set them up as a ruling   
   >>>>>>>>> Nation   
   >>>>>>>>> over   
   >>>>>>>>> all other nations. And that will happen in the future, but many   
   looked   
   >>>>>>>>> for   
   >>>>>>>>> it   
   >>>>>>>>> happening then, even demanding that he be that or else be denied. The   
   >>>>>>>>> NT   
   >>>>>>>>> spells it out but few pay attention to it so that they might   
   >>>>>>>>> understand   
   >>>>>>>>> the   
   >>>>>>>>> MO of that day amongst the religious Jew.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> 4) It was only after Paul's private experience that he converted.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> It was only then that he was hit full face with the undeniable truth   
   >>>>>>>>> that   
   >>>>>>>>> he   
   >>>>>>>>> could not ignore. No longer could he deny and put things off and   
   >>>>>>>>> discount   
   >>>>>>>>> the   
   >>>>>>>>> truth without cause. The believer who came to him and healed him of   
   >>>>>>>>> his   
   >>>>>>>>> blindness and spoke to him, as commanded by God, was fearful of doing   
   >>>>>>>>> so,   
   >>>>>>>>> based on Sauls reputation for killing and torturing believers. Said   
   so   
   >>>>>>>>> to   
   >>>>>>>>> God, yet he went to him and ministered to him what God said he should   
   >>>>>>>>> do.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Conclusion: The only evidence that Paul offers for the Risen Christ   
   >>>>>>>>>> is   
   >>>>>>>>>> his private experience, as he himself discounted all the experiences   
   >>>>>>>>>> of   
   >>>>>>>>>> all the other Christians who claimed to have experienced the Risen   
   >>>>>>>>>> Christ.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Personal experiential knowledge, yes. But it also revealed to him   
   that   
   >>>>>>>>> he   
   >>>>>>>>> was persecuting others by believing lies. And that what the other   
   >>>>>>>>> apostles   
   >>>>>>>>> taught was indeed true.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> I do not believe that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead, and any   
   >>>>>>>> "appearances" to the contrary after his Passion were purely   
   >>>>>>>> physiological in nature.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Dawn   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Then by those standards any denials of it are also physiological in   
   >>>>>>> nature.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Dead caterpillars turn into Butterflies.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Interesting that you used the word “Passion”.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Why? "Passion" is defined in Merriam-Webster:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> No kidding? And you used it capitalized to emphasize your passionate   
   >>>>> nature?   
   >>>>> What exactly was Jesus “Passionate” about, or did you make a Freudian   
   >>>>> slip?   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passion   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> As for "denials" being "physiological", one could make the same claim   
      
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