Paul of Tarsus

At an early time, the apostles evidently understood “Israel” to include the circumcision only. The proof of that lies in Acts Chapter 10 and Peter's need for the vision which he later received from God. The apostles, being unlearned in literature, were not aware of the identity of the long-ago-dispersed Israelites, which was the entire reason for the later ministry of Paul of Tarsus.

Benjamite

Eleven of the twelve apostles were of the tribe of Benjamin. Saul of Tarsus, called much later, was also of Benjamin (Rom. 11:1). When the ancient Kingdom of Israel was divided after Solomon’s death, Benjamin was left with the Tribe of Judah for this very purpose (1 Kings 11:9-13, 36). The apostles of this tribe were fulfilling their duties as the light-bearers to Israel.

Historical Understanding

Corinthians

The Corinthians were Dorian Greeks. Paul at 1 Corinthians 10:1 tells the Corinthians “Now I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all had passed through the sea”, therefore telling the Corinthians that their ancestors had been in the Israelite Exodus out of Egypt.

Biography

Final Farewell to Assembly in Ephesus

Matthew 7:15 Keep away from the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are rapacious wolves. 16 You shall know them from their fruits. Does anyone gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? 17 Thusly every good tree produces fine fruit, but the rotten tree produces evil fruit. 18 A good tree is not able to produce evil fruit, nor is a rotten tree to produce fine fruit. 19 Each tree not producing fine fruit is cut down and cast into the fire! 20 Indeed from their fruits you shall know them.

Wolves, foxes, dogs, they are all of the biological family named Canidae. Out of these, wolves and dogs are called Canini, and foxes are called Vulpini. Dingos, jackals, coyotes and hyenas are also of this family. They are all Canines, and to the ancients they were all basically dogs. Herod was called a fox by Christ. The Canaanite woman was called a dog. Psalm 22 prophesied that Christ was to be killed by the “power of the dog”, which referred to the Edomites in control in Jerusalem. By all of this, we know who the wolves are. Paul warned in Acts chapter 20, that after his departure “oppressive wolves shall come in ... not being sparing of the sheep”, and then he contrasted these to the false teachers who would arise among the people themselves. So we see that while not all false teachers are wolves, we certainly must be aware of and defend against the wolves first. Christ is warning us to do this, and we have no commission to be complacent regarding these wolves! We must spot and eject them – or at least sound the alarm - it is our duty!

Thorn in the Flesh

Matthew 10:40 He receiving you receives Me, and he receiving Me receives He who has sent Me.

Paul of Tarsus has often been criticized for saying at Galatians 4:14: “and of my trial in my flesh you did not despise or loathe, but as a messenger of Yahweh you accepted me, like Yahshua Christ.” People accuse Paul of claiming to be “like Christ”, but that is not what Paul was saying at all. Rather, Paul was commending the Galatians, that in spite of Paul's fleshly trials – in this case his very poor eyesight – they nevertheless received him as a messenger of Christ, and they received him as they would have received Christ Himself. In other words, the Galatians were fulfilling these very words which Christ uttered to His followers here in Matthew 10:40, and Paul was recognizing that on their behalf! This is understood further once one realizes the importance which Greek culture placed upon physical perfection. Paul's poor eyesight was a great reproach to him, and a burden placed upon one claiming to be a messenger of God. We often bear this same prejudice today, even though it is not spoken of openly.