So that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous bloodshed. Rev 18: 20-24.

 This dive into Revelation 18 begins with verse 20.

Revelation 18:20 NASB "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her."

When you think about the judgment and what that horror looks like for the nations and Israel, why would you rejoice? 

One answer might be because this means that the beginning and the eventual end of this fury, from both humanity and God, is close and peace is finally near. Another train of thought occurs to me, for as you migrate through the Revelation, you see the martyred saints crying out, how long, oh Lord. It is difficult to see this question as anything other than a cry for vengeance. Considering that these are before the throne when they say it and that those who have been martyred, which are now in heaven, cannot stand before the throne without this change we see in 1Corinthians 15:22. It does not make sense that they would be seeking an eye for eye justice since the drive to sin has been removed from them.

Look at what Revelation 6 tells us. 

and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
(Revelation 6:10-11 NASB)

Completion?

Sadly, our religious training drives us to look at the Great White Throne, as a place where many teachers send all who come to this throne to their final, inescapable day of justice.

Do I rejoice over the idea that we can so easily send people to hell?

No, I mourn, as many have foolishly chosen to follow Satan to his eternal punishment and they don't need our help. Ah, but there is a high point in this throne of judgment, for many will be found worthy to enter the kingdom. You see, this Great White Throne is the same throne we see in Matthew 25, and there Jesus, the gentle shepherd, separates the crowd into two groups. One He calls the sheep and the other goats. Jesus tells the “sheep” to enter the kingdom, while those referred to as goats get sent to the eternal hell meant for Satan and his followers. So, there is hope even in this.

Justice/judgment began with the breaking of the first seal in Revelation chapter 6 and comes to completion approximately seven years later when Jesus returns as the conquering king at the end of the seven years. As you begin to read Revelation 6 you see a rider on a white horse and another on a red horse. The rider on the white horse represents the antichrist and he comes conquering. The red horse rider takes peace from the earth. If you can understand that God just used two humans to fulfill His prophecies, then you are on your way to understanding the Revelation.

'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; (Revelation 2:26-27 NASB)

The only one who has overcome and kept God's deeds until the end is Jesus. He is the one who has the authority over the nations.

Note the ominous words, He (Jesus) shall rule them with a rod of iron, as he breaks the vessels to pieces.
God is the one who made every vessel (that includes you and me,) and He is the one who has the right to destroy those vessels.

What did the Holy Spirit say in Revelation 18:20?

God has pronounced judgment for you against her.

So, who is the “you” in this sentence?

The verse itself tells us that it is the saints, the apostles, and the prophets.
Saints, in the context of the Revelation, apply to those who have been martyred during the time of God's wrath.
If the application applies to all saints, then wouldn't they already be in heaven, with the Father; they would.

"For indeed, while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--" (2 Corinthians 5:4-6 NASB)

Assuming that we, the church, fit into one of these categories, saints, apostles, or prophets then the potential is here for at least a couple of these as being descriptives of the church; and, I could then say, yes, we are saints.

Use 1Corinthians 1:2 as a definition of a saint,

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: (1 Corinthians 1:2 NASB)

Secondly, as the prophetic, in the Revelation, is defined like this, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, then believers fall under this category as long as you are testifying of the work of Jesus in your life, as described in the Word. In a sense, you are prophesying every time you proclaim Jesus. Let that sink in.

Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10 NASB)

I am bypassing the term apostles as it is saturated with controversy and misuse. It effectively means sent ones, and according to Jesus' commission, we have all been sent to spread the good news of the kingdom.

A former pastor used to say, in heaven, we will be looking down over the edge of the balcony, able to see what is going on here on earth during the time of wrath, and we will rejoice with those who come to know Jesus and enter into the kingdom because they are martyred. That pastor seems to forget that there will be no more sorrow in heaven. Being able to witness the horror and suffering that those on earth will continue to experience until that Revelation 19 moment when Jesus comes back to end all fighting seems rather sadistic and bizarre.

If I can find the church among those rejoicing, it is only because God has pronounced judgment.

Revelation 18:21 AMP Then a single powerful angel took up a boulder like a great millstone and flung it into the sea, crying, With such violence shall Babylon the great city be hurled down to destruction and shall never again be found. [Jeremiah. 51:63, 64; Ezekiel. 26:21.]

There is that phrase once again, the great city. One dramatic verse is Revelation 11:8, where it says.

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:8 NASB)

The context of Revelation chapter 11 has much to do with God's two witnesses coming back to earth and giving testimony of God, His power, and Jesus Christ. That last one, Jesus Christ, will still only be marginally acceptable to the Jews.

Notice that their dead bodies lie in the street of that great city. The only place God puts these men is in Jerusalem, so the city is Jerusalem. Verse 8 continues on by identifying Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt, spiritually. Obviously, it is NEITHER of those two places.

So, if Jerusalem can be referred to as Sodom and Egypt, then what is to prevent it from being called Babylon?

Well, nothing really. Revelation 18:21 says, “with such violence shall Babylon the great city be hurled down to destruction and never be found.”

In the book of Lamentations, we find this.

"The Lord has rejected all my strong men In my midst; He has called an appointed time against me To crush my young men; The Lord has trodden as in a wine press The virgin daughter of Judah. (Lamentations 1:15 NASB)

It is the Lord that is doing the crushing and He is doing it because of sins.

For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the LORD, To rebel against His glorious presence.
(Isaiah 3:8 NASB)

More evidence for why they are fallen.

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity. (Hosea 14:1 NASB)

In the book of Amos, we again see a direct address against Israel.

Hear this word that I take up against you in lament, house of Isra'el: The virgin of Isra'el has fallen; she will not rise again. She lies abandoned on her own soil with no one to lift her up. (Amos 5:1-2 CJB)

Continuing through chapter 18.

Revelation 18:22-23 NASB (22) "And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer, and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer, and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; (23) and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer, and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.

If this is the definitive telling of the end of Jerusalem then where and when is this new city going to come and sit?

At the end of the seven years, after Jesus has ended the fighting and bloodshed, the New Jerusalem will come down. It will sit upon the entirety of the land God promised to Abraham – 1500 miles square, and it will be filled with the sound of music, laughter, water running, merchants, and joy.

At the end of this morass and punishment, the new Jerusalem will be filled with the opposite of the curse. Within the city, there will be no deception and sorcery.

Sorcery?

For me, my imagination turns to something that looks like a scene from Harry Potter. No, I have never seen any aspect of Harry Potter except for commercials. This word sorcery seems so simple and self-explanatory, and it is unless sorcery was a poor choice for a translation.

Sorcery is the Greek word pharmakeia and means medication. The word also conveys the idea of using or administering drugs and poisoning people by drug usage. What do you think the so-called vaccinations are?

You might ask, what does this have to do with Israel and Jerusalem?

Are you not aware that Israel was in full agreement with this globalist agenda of population reduction and made it very difficult for anyone that was not fully inoculated. After they noticed, that many of their population were having horrid reactions to the vaccines and that the majority of Covid cases we coming from fully vaccinated people, they dropped the mandates. Don't worry, the propaganda has had the desired effect and many, even in the church, are enveloped in fear and will probably comply with all future attempts to control the populace.

The last verse in chapter 18, and my last attempt at convincing you that we are NOT looking for a rebuilt Babylon speaks about the fact that the blood of saints and prophets have been found in her.

Revelation 18:24 NASB "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth."

I have pointed out, on several occasions, that the primary source of information we have on Babylon is from the Prophet Daniel and the three Hebrew young men who were taken captive with Daniel. Every attempt to kill these young men failed, so surely these are not the subject of verse 24.

Since Babylon is a continuation of Babel, then we know even less, and what we do know is wholly extra-biblical.

What do the scriptures say about this blood?

"Also on your skirts is found The lifeblood of the innocent poor; You did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things, (Jeremiah 2:34 NASB)

I suggest you read all of Ezekiel 22.

"You have despised My holy things and profaned My sabbaths. "Slanderous men have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood, and in you, they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst, they have committed acts of lewdness.
(Ezekiel 22:8-9 NASB)

And I will end this with Jesus' words from Matthew's gospel.

"Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous bloodshed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
(Matthew 23:34-35 NASB)

Did you get that?

“ so that upon you (Israel) may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth

How badly some want to see Babylon rebuilt. I suppose it comes from a need to validate their false prophecies.

Do you understand that I want you to be able to understand the Revelation and the words you find here? It is not that difficult when you realize that the majority of the prophecy is derived from the Old Testament and that figuring out what the context is, is key.

I was accosted by one of my pastors, several years ago, when he said, NO ONE understands the Revelation or the prophetic. I later learned that this pastor's anger was triggered by another brother in Christ who pushed his theories with the insistence that the pastor allow him to teach his theories.

I have written to believers who wish to understand God's word, as I do.

If you are not a believer and want to be, then follow these simple words.

A - Admit you're a sinner.

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

B - Believe Jesus is Lord.

John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

C - Call upon His name.

Romans 10:13 "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

He appeared to more than five hundred brethren. 1 Cor 15:5-11

 We ended the last study on these verses.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NASB (3) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (4) and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Of the utmost importance is the fact that Christ died for our sins. If you knew the scriptures and had some faith, that statement alone would be enough for you; there is, however, more. The Jews knew the scriptures, yet they chose NOT to believe, receive, or acknowledge Jesus. An excellent piece of evidence for their unbelief comes out of this story from Matthew 2.

Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'" Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. (Matthew 2:1-7 NASB)

Deeply troubled, for several reasons, Herod calls the chief priests and scribes of the Jews and inquired as to where this King of the Jews was born. They knew the answer and exclaimed, in Bethlehem of Judea.

Micah 5:2 AMP But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, you are little to be among the clans of Judah; [yet] out of you shall One come forth for Me Who is to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from ancient days (eternity).

Note how, in our example from Matthew, there was no denial and no refusal, but it was there. The fact that Herod had to turn to the Magi for answers is the most damaging piece of evidence against them, for their refusal to receive Jesus.

Many were aware of Christ's death on the cross. The Apostle John was standing close enough to the cross for Jesus to direct John to take care of Mary, Jesus' mother. Others witnessed this event, although they may not have understood what had taken place or what was about to occur.

There was a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea in Judea. Joseph was a good and honest man, and he was eager for God's kingdom to come. He was also a member of the council, but he did not agree with what they had decided. (Luke 23:50 CEV)

Though many despise the man, Kenneth Copeland preached a powerful message called, From the Cross to the Throne. What happened during those three days? We have evidence that tells us what happened during that time, and Hebrews 5 is one of them.

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:8-10 NASB)

Page 1.

He (Jesus) suffered, not only the beatings, but the cross, and then hell itself. Yes, I have heard mere men like Hank Hannegraf express his scorn toward those that think that God could be put in hell. But what you, who are unwilling to accept that piece of information, forget is that Satan thought he had won. As far as Satan was concerned, he had killed Jesus. The problem with Satan's logic is that hell was made for those who sinned, and that would have included all of us were it not for Jesus and the cross. Jesus was NOT born into sin like we are; and, He never sinned. Satan had put Jesus there illegally, kind of like Joe Biden and this rigged election. The difference being, because Jesus never sinned, Satan could not hold Him, and this is why Jesus was able to rip the keys of death, hell, and the grave from that moron’s hands; preach to the captivity, and set them free.

Let's park here for a moment.

How many different ways could a person understand captivity?

At least a couple. Being born into sin, we are, in a sense, in captivity as we speak. The other definition of captivity comes from doing Satan’s will.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 NASB The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, (25) with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, (26) and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

This would be a most unfortunate and hopeless situation if there were no salvation. Ah, but there is a way to reverse this hopeless situation, and His name is Jesus. That change from a hopeless person to one that is hope-filled only comes through faith in Jesus' price that He paid on the cross for you, and, occasionally, it requires that we walk away from things that would enslave us.

Romans 6:5-7 NASB For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, (6) knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; (7) for he who has died is freed from sin.

So if you find yourself doubting your salvation, or wondering if there are legitimate reasons for your salvation, keep in mind that there were witnesses. Paul spells out, in generalized terms, who they were. I will walk through this slowly.

1 Corinthians 15:5-7 NLT He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. (6) After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. (7) Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.

At the time of its writing, this statement was vital, as many of these people knew Peter by visual contact. To add that most of these witnesses are still alive is like telling these readers to go look them up for yourself, as they will validate what I say. When you realize Paul's potential age, as he wrote this letter to the church in Corinth around 59 A.D., you can guess the ages of those living witnesses and ascertain that they may not be around much longer.

Our faith is not the ramblings of fools and older men; they were the words of Jesus/God. John, in the opening lines of his gospel, tells us that Jesus spoke the worlds into existence.

Page 2.

John 1:1-3 NASB, In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being.

He told us what He was going to do, and then He did it with such a precision that it leaves the wisest baffled. He rose from the dead and is now seated with the Father. God put Him there and the writer of Hebrews tells us that.

Hebrews 1:1-4 NASB God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, (2) in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. (3) And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (4) having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

He is not merely lounging around, waiting for His next mission, He is constantly standing on our behalf much like a defense attorney.

Hebrews 7:25 NASB Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them.

What Paul says next is a challenge to understand.

1 Corinthians 15:8 NASB (8) and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

Some translations talk as though Paul is saying that he should have been aborted. I would like to tell you that something like this never happened in Paul's day, but I cannot attest to the fact that it did not. Murdering a baby, as we do today, was detestable to the Jews, although handing your newborn into the arms of the god Moloch is no better. So, to read something like abortion is absurd, and therefore, forces us to look at some other meaning. The assumption then would be, that after all these years, perhaps he now wishes he could have been there at the beginning and walked with Jesus, as these disciples did. Paul tends to answer the question for us.

1 Corinthians 15:9 NASB (9) For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Why would he say, I am the least of the apostles?

Peter, originally called to be the apostle to the Gentiles, fumbled the ball, and Paul, in time, picked it up and ran with it, although we, for the longest time, still see Paul with a focus on the Jews.

When Paul says, I am not fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church, it makes sense. Remember, Paul told us he had a thorn in the flesh. You can continue to rant how you know what Paul's thorn was, based on some traditional but incorrect teaching. Still, you fail to remember that Paul, was above all else, an astute theologian, with the only known composition they had, the law and the prophets. There, in the book of Numbers, God told Israel to eliminate the Canaanites, or they will become pricks in your eyes and thorns in your flesh. This reference to scripture by Paul tells us that he did not adequately eliminate something from his life.

Page 3.

If you have read the book of Acts, then you can admit that Paul was not only a passionate man but a man capable of a fast temper. Remember, he chased off John Mark and Barnabas, a decision that he may have regretted for years, and yet, there is this statement from Paul.

1 Corinthians 15:10 NASB (10) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain, but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

• But by the grace of God, I am what I am.

What is it that Paul turned out to be? Only one of the most influential writers of not just the New Testament, but the Bible itself. If one of us Gentile believers thinks about a writer of the Bible, we think about Paul. You would think he wrote the book of Acts. He didn't, but he was a dominant player as we learn about the grace of God first hand. We also saw the labors of Paul as he went on his missionary journeys. And finally, we see Paul point to the fact that it was the grace of God working through him that makes his labors so significant.

Paul closes out this fifteenth chapter of 1Corinthians with this comment.

1 Corinthians 15:11 NASB (11) Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Wow, Paul put tremendous trust in the idea that others were following Paul's lead and preaching the same message that Paul preached. We know he struggled with this idea and told young Timothy:

1 Timothy 1:3 NASB As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,

As many of you know, doctrines are the foundational reasons for us having church, and clearly, this had become a problem in Ephesus. The phrase “to teach strange doctrines” is merely a repeat of the same word three times. It translates to English as instruct differently. Example. If the doctrine is one of salvation upon the cross, and you tell the Christians that attend your Bible study weekly that they are sinners with no hope of anything other than hell's flame, then you are instructing differently. By the way, I mention this because I attended a bible study in which the leader repeatedly said such things.

Many of us have sat under false teachings. It is nothing short of a miracle, or perhaps God's grace that we have come to know and understand this grace – the same grace that Paul preached.

One last thing. This forgiveness on the cross happened once, with no reason, whatsoever, to repeat the event, as the Jews had to do with their sacrifices. Having believed, we are saved eternally.

Hebrews 5:8-9 NASB Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. (9) And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

In Christ, we have eternal salvation.

The Apostleship of Paul. Romans 1:1-6.

Do you ever wonder what our purpose and goals are? I am not talking about standing at the door of a grocery store and passing out Jesus loves you tracks; I am talking about our hope and destiny. Well, I have and the conversations I have had with God sound a little like this. If this is not real and there is no home with you, living in peace, something I have rarely experienced, then I might as well go party with the fools, or eliminate some of the world's bullies. In other words, without this hope, there is no purpose.

Regardless of how I occasionally feel, there is hope and the promise of a life with the Father in this place we call heaven. All of His promises are for real.

Paul's words in his letter to the group of believers in Rome begins to spell that out to them.

Romans 1:1-3 NLT  This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.  (2)  God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.  (3)  The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life, he was born into King David’s family line,

Since I previously elaborated on Paul and this idea of being a slave of Christ Jesus, I will bypass that and move on. We make huge assumptions about the amount of time and the quality of that time that Paul spent with some of these groups of people. If he had, then they should have understood the calling(s) placed on Paul, but apparently, they did not, so Paul begins to tell them that God chose him -

• to be an apostle

• and that he was sent out to preach the Good News about Jesus Christ.

Let's pause here for a moment.
Paul was, without doubt, a disciple, although not among those that Jesus hand-picked to walk with Him. That word merely means one disciplined; and Paul, when he went by the name Saul, was an adept disciple among the Pharisees.

If someone wants to claim discipleship, you should be asking, for and of what?
Consider how MMA fighters discipline themselves in multiple fighting styles to take on and defeat whatever comes against them; isn't this is the goal and purpose of Apologists, such as Ravi Zacharias and others.
I am not good at Apologetics as my memory is not working so well anymore. I think about the religious groups that occasionally come to our door; most are young, trained to argue their theologies, and their memories are not betraying them as mine does.

We would certainly expect an apostle to be a disciple or disciplined one. Apostles, on the other hand, are typically thought of as one set forth in the authority of another (like a pastor) - in our case, Jesus Christ. I, like many of you, assumed that an apostle was so much more than merely being a pastor. I suppose I got that impression because speakers with titles came to a couple of the churches I went to. The pastors in both cases made a big deal about these speakers, almost as if we should bow to them, and how they were not only an apostle but the pastor at their own churches. In the case of one church I attended, these guest speakers poured out accolades upon my pastor, announcing that he too was also an apostle (at one of them Pastor was almost like one of us in the sense that he rode a motorcycle with us.) For me, the problem with all this is that there are the implications that this man who assigns himself the title of apostle is automatically demanding that you treat him differently, almost as if he were some pontifical ruler.

Definitions of an apostle read like this: Apostle - one sent forth.
In the New Testament, the term was applied to the twelve disciples whom Jesus sent forth to preach the gospel and to be with him during his ministry on earth.
It also implies ‘one commissioned’ - a Hebrew word which signifies that the person is not merely a messenger but a delegate, bearing a commission, and, within the limits of his commission, wielding his commissioner’s authority.
And, finally, A person sent by another; a messenger; envoy. This word is used as a descriptive designation of Jesus Christ, the Sent of the Father (Hebrews 3:1; John 20:21).
So, with the little we know about the Apostle Paul let's see if we can match Paul with some of these characteristics I see in this definition above?

• One commissioned.
• not merely a messenger but a delegate
• bearing a commission
• wielding his commissioner's authority
• A person sent by another;

Paul was all those things, as he preached and taught a message of good news.

I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God's words and acts. (Romans 1:1a MSG)

It doesn't take a vivid imagination to picture what life was like under the oppressive rule of the Pharisees, and the Roman law. A hot shower and a flushing toilet were unheard of, for anyone to stand their ground against the constant draw toward selfish hedonism could have been unbearable. Not so dissimilar to how we live today.

So, what to them would have been good news?
To the Jews, who longed for the Messiah to come and rule over them in a peaceable kingdom, good news meant just that. There is a problem with that, as their Jewish leadership only just a short time before, they rejected and killed the Messiah. (Most Jews did not know that Jesus death was all a part of the more excellent plan to redeem humanity.)
Those outside of the Jewish religion might have only seen the oppressiveness of Roman rule, or the lack of sustenance. The good news it seems means different things depending upon the condition. The sad part is that we, with our inherent brokenness, do not realize that the sadness we feel comes from brokenness inside of us which calls out to be redeemed and longs for the hope – the good news.

“God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.”

What exactly did God promise?
While most might miss the promise in Genesis chapter three, it is there. Genesis 3:14-15 NASB

The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; (15) And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

God, speaking to Eve about her descendants/seed, promised that they would bruise him/the serpent, on the heel. This ability to bruise the serpent, no less than the promises made to Abram, were taught and passed along through oral history.

Genesis 12:1-3 NASB Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; (2) And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; (3) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed."

• A land
• a great nation
• I will make your name great.
• And you shall be a blessing.

One last thing.

• I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed.

How could all families on earth be blessed since there are atheists, and diverse religions not accepting of the one true God? The answer is only found in Jesus, and the price He paid on that cross. That price was more than enough to cover all humanity, for all time, obtaining their forgiveness.
You would think that what Jesus did on that cross should have removed everyone from any list destined for the great white throne and any eternal damnation, and it did. Sadly, we know some will follow Satan to his destruction, so how do I explain that? Simple, since no man comes to the Father, but through Jesus, the Son, then there has to have been a form of acceptance, not only of who He is, but what He did for the individual.
Because you and I cannot see the heart, we do not know what that looks like. I am quite convinced that it does not have to look like some standardized religious experience. So, this blessing is obtained through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

We should be able to grasp Paul's direction at this point, and one of those directives was to preach the Good news, which Paul spells out in the following verses.

• The Good News is about his Son. (Romans 1:3 NLT) Jesus, and
• He was shown to be the Son of God (Romans 1:4 NLT)
  • In the gospels, we are introduced to family lineage. This heritage is something intensely relevant in the Jewish community, as it is traceable to King David’s family line, and the information we are given fulfills prophecy.
  • He, Jesus, was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. And the words of Jesus who said,
  • He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
• Romans 1:5 in the NASB it reads like this - "through whom we have received grace and apostleship."

The NASB has that word I struggle with, apostleship, so let's look at it in another translation and see if it makes any more sense.

Through whom grace has been given to us, sending us out to make disciples to the faith among all nations, for his name: (Romans 1:5 BBE)

An emissary - another word for an apostle, which we are, is merely one commissioned on behalf of another, most often thought of as a representative. Every nation has its ambassadors, but I wouldn't want to have someone who is drunk trying to represent me, but that is another story. Look at these words in the CJB version, “promoting trust-grounded obedience.” Trust must be developed, and it is built through words and actions. Doesn't that imply that we are to demonstrate those words and actions ourselves?

• (This grace and apostleship) includes you, who have been called by Yeshua the Messiah. (Romans 1:6 CJB) Unless you were born of Jewish heritage, you were considered a gentile, but through your acceptance of Jesus Christ/Yeshua the Messiah you have been grafted into the rootstock, Israel. Since that grafting took place, we who follow Jesus are part of the vine that God pours His heart and life into. This integration into spiritual Israel is a disappointment to those who believe in replacement theology. To others, salvation is something distant that they can never attain, nor be accepted into, but you are wrong. Redemption and love like you have never known is only a breath away, as you, by your acceptance, hand your life over to Jesus the Messiah, and accept the mercy and grace that was paid for at the cross.