Paul certainly did preach to the Jews of the diaspora when he traveled.

The Israel Only cult willingly and joyfully teach that the apostle Paul certainly did preach to the Jews of the diaspora when he traveled. However they also willingly forget to note that Paul held a custom he followed whenever he worked on his missionary journeys. The Bible tells us that he would speak unto the Jews in the diaspora, but only for first, and did it only for a certain amount of time. After preaching to Jews, he then turned to preach to non Jews. It was HIS CUSTOM TO FIRST PREACH AT THE LOCAL SYNAGOGUE OF THE JEWS for a period of three Sabbaths wherever he traveled. He would preach first to the gentiles as God has commissioned him to do right from the get go!

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By Joe Daniels and Terry Cropper

The Israel Only cult willingly and joyfully teach that the apostle Paul certainly did preach to the Jews of the diaspora when he traveled. However they also willingly forget to note that Paul held a custom he followed whenever he worked on his missionary journeys. The Bible tells us that he would speak unto the Jews in the diaspora, but only for first, and did it only for a certain amount of time. After preaching to Jews, he then turned to preach to non Jews. It was HIS CUSTOM TO FIRST PREACH AT THE LOCAL SYNAGOGUE OF THE JEWS for a period of three Sabbaths wherever he traveled. He would preach first to the gentiles as God has commissioned him to do right from the get go!

When God sent Ananias to Paul do you remember what God said to him about Paul being a chosen vessel? It's recorded in Acts chapter nine where we have the story of his conversion?

“But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” Acts 9:15 (NKJV)

He was to preach to both the Gentiles, and the “children of Israel”. Funny how the Israel Only cult teach that the “Children of Israel” are the “Gentiles” that Paul ONLY spoke to! Do you see their dilemma in face of a scripture like this? Here we see that the Gentiles are separate from the children of Israel! In other words, one group are Jews and the other is not! Now to substantiate our claim we want to point you to what we read about Paul's teachings as cited when he reached Thessalonica:

“Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” Acts 17:1-2 (NKJV)

So it was Paul's custom to preach the gospel to the Jew first, then the gentile! This fact itself destroys the Israel Only claims that he only preached to the Jews of any particular city he ministered to! Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit stated this himself when he exhorted to the church in Rome. He states that the gospel is for everyone who believes the Jew first, and then for all others including Greeks.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Romans 1:16 (NKJV) Paul never in any of his preaching mentioned the gospel was only for a limited amount of time. According to John the gospel of Christ is an everlasting gospel. (Revelation 14:6)

In verse fourteen of that same chapter Paul said that he is a debtor to not only the Greeks, but also the Barbarians! Now the Israel Only guys want you to believe that the power of salvation is for “everyone who is of Jewish stock”! Wow! Think about the absurdity of that! We really want you to think about this long and hard.

The emperor Claudius banished all Jews from the urban center of Rome in A.D. 49 and as historical fact, we recognize that this decree lasted until his death 5 years after. Claudius at first even banished all Jewish assemblies from meeting together a few years earlier. Now with this said, we know that the church at Rome existed prior to the Jewish expulsion … right? So Terry and I want you to dwell on this question … do you mean to tell us that the church in Rome became non existent at that time if they were all just gentile Jews who made up the church of Rome?

The Israel Only cult would have us to possibly believe this if in fact they believe in their own nonsense! The truth is, No! The church remained in Rome populated in the very least with Gentiles! By the time Paul wrote his letter to them the non Jewish members outnumbered the Jews who were finding their way back to that geographical location! He opens the letter by saying that he had wished to come to them to have fruit among them as among other Gentiles! (Romans. 1:13)

This then leads into his gospel being what it was, as to Greeks and barbarians! (Romans 1:13-16) To the Jew first, but to non Jews also. So much so he has to separate the two by saying that he openly stated in Romans 7:1 that he was speaking to those who knew the Law! (Romans 7:1) He is of course by doing so, choosing to address another audience namely the Jews or Israelites that were in the church at that time! He states his grief in those of his own lineage, blood, and flesh like this:

“That I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.” (Romans 9:2-4)

Why didn't he just simply state that his sorrow and continual grief in his heart was over all other, or fellow countrymen according to the flesh if this church had no NON JEWISH OR ISRAELITES as members? After all, those who heeded the call per the Israel Only cult claim that only so called Jewish descendants now know as gentiles where all that heeded the gospel message of Paul! The Israel Only Cult is totally dishonest concerning the language and the context of Scripture. The number one distorted teaching from this cult is that the gentiles that were saved from the gospel being preached in the first century were only of Israeli stock only.

They go on to teach whether you are speaking of the captivity and dispersion of either the northern kingdom by the Assyrians, or the southern kingdom by the Babylonians the gospel was to bring salvation only to these people! They teach that when they were taken captive and were dispersed among the nations they became gentiles.

Furthermore, their belief is that when gentiles heeded the gospel, and became saved in the first century, it was only these dispersed Jews and never non blood related Jewish or Israelites that responded and were saved! Hopefully you can already see that this not only a nihilistic teaching, but foreign from God's plan! The Israel Only cult is quick to point out scriptures like Amos 3:2 where God states that He has chosen them over all the families of the earth … yet a close friend of ours shut the mouth of one of these advocates and leaders when he quoted Amos 3:2 with Isaiah 19:25!

“You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” (Amos 3:2)

“whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:25)

You mean to tell us there is a scripture mentioning Egypt and Assyria who conquered Israel who are actually mentioned first as God's people? Wow! Amazing! Terry and I would also ask if anyone is so slow as to know that Israel was to be a light unto all the world, and not just be the people that God chose to reveal Himself through, speak up! Because we see the God of Israel being called them to be a light to all the nations, and not to horde salvation for themselves!

Is it that hard to understand, that they failed that task to be the light unto the world? The authors of this article exhort you to read all of Isaiah 19:18-24 to see that the new thing (The New covenant that the IO people love to point to was to bring all peoples to the salvation of God, Israel first, all others second. Israel was really a failure! God had to come and do it for Israel first, then the good new gospel message was spread by Paul to the gentiles as was they mystery that was revealed in the first century.

We have seen in this study so far that Paul was chosen to preach to the Jews first that Jesus was the Son of God which is a title of deity! (Of course most, if not all of your leaders in the Israel Only cult reject the deity of Christ! So they teach a false gospel from the start!) Paul after his conversion immediately preached Christ as the Son of God in the local synagogues soon after! (Acts 9:20)

God wanted him to preach first to the Jew, but then he was to preach and be a light to all peoples! Wasn't this Paul's appointed ministry ordained by Jesus Himself? Paul was to be a light unto the gentiles Let's look at some of the story of Paul, who was at that time called Saul and a persecutor of the church. (We will just use the name Paul.) Paul was actually on his way to persecute the church when he had his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Suddenly Jesus the true light blinds him!

When Paul had fallen to the ground, he heard a voice speaking in the Hebrew language, as he witnessed this blinding light shining around him. The voice said, Saul Saul why are you persecuting Me? Paul then asked, who are you Lord? (Context meaning the word “Sir”.) Jesus answers by saying “I am Jesus who you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." (Acts 9:3-4) This divine presence and blinding light created such confusion and panic for Saul; that he is now reduced to fear, astonishment, and trembling! He asked Jesus, what do you want me to do? It's recorded that Jesus told him to stand, and go into the city and it will be told to him what he has to do. (Acts 9:6)

Now jump ahead to chapter 26:15-18 in the book of Acts as we read details of something else Jesus tells Paul he has to do that is not recorded in acts chapter nine. 15 “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ Acts 26:15-18 (NKJV)

Paul commissioned by Jesus was to be a light unto the gentiles which was his appointed ministry. Something that is missed by many Christians is that Paul even understood his ministry (As well as those who labored with him.) as a light to the gentiles, as being a fulfillment of Isaiah 42:6 & 49:6 as he clearly quotes those verses in Acts 47. We are going to list Acts 13:46 & 47 together for you. (But please read it in your bibles starting in verse one through six when you look up Isaiah 49)

46 “Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us:’” Acts 13:47-47 (NKJV)

Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit sees himself (As well as Barnabas) as another layer of the prophecy known as the second servant song. (Isaiah 49:1-6) Paul saw himself and those who labored with him as the embodiment of Christ Jesus to continue to carry out the prophecy of Jesus being the light unto the gentiles! The servant initially is Israel, a nation who labored as a light unto the world failed miserably! What you are to grasp in this is that Jesus is true Israel, the True Light, the faithful servant who provided the light for even the gentiles. As the layers of meaning unfold, we then see that the body of Jesus beginning with Paul was to be the faithful servant, the faithful true Israel of God (Galatians 6:16) which was to carry the light unto the gentiles!

We are taking the time here to point out an important overlooked fact missed by many, especially within the preterist, and Israel Only circles. Paul's mission was to open the eyes of both the Jewish people, as well as the Gentiles and to turn them from darkness to light. This does not mean like many say that Jesus only came to save His contemporaries from the destruction of Jerusalem! Or just from the big bad religious rulers in Israel at that time! These were all a part of His reason for coming, but it was from something even greater than those! It is defined here for us in verse 18 as to deliver both Jew and Gentile from the power of Satan! Praise God that the Israel Only doctrine is not true, and we can be saved as well!