jeremiah1five
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15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 1:15–26.
Sounds pretty clear-cut. But it’s not. Being that Acts is a historical document of approximately the first 30 years of the origin of the New Covenant Jewish Church founded by Jews this historical manuscript documents what happened during the first 30 years of the Jewish Church and does not teach doctrine, rather, as any historical document in which people, places, and events are recorded it is up to the student, in this case, a biblical student to look into these things and to hold them up to the Scripture already revealed in the Old and New Covenant Scriptures to see where the Jewish Church got it right and where they got it wrong.
First, we have the command of Christ for His disciples to return to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives where Jesus ascended up to heaven and this command is found in Luke 24:
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Lk 24:49.
Jesus commands His disciples to return to Jerusalem and “wait” for the Promised Holy Spirit. From ascension to the Advent of the Holy Spirit is a window of ten days. But sometime before the Holy Spirit arrives Peter STOOD UP! In Jewish culture to teach one sits down. When one officiates a meeting one STANDS UP! Clearly Peter is already in disobedience.
Next is the following passage: (this is a gathering of 120 Jews)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
Question is: If Judas wasn’t alive at the time of David what is Peter referring to that David spake about Judas who wasn’t alive yet? There is no mention of a “Judas” anywhere in the First Covenant Scriptures. There is one person named in Scripture before he was born and that was King Cyrus who allowed Israel to return to their homeland. So, what is Peter’s Scripture?
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
Strong’s: [G#2674] katarithmeo from [G#2596] (kata) and [G#705] (arithmeo); to reckon among.
This is where we get the word “arithmetic.” In vs. 17 it is a compound word. I’ll come back to this later.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
From crucifixion to ascension this word got around quickly the plans of the religious leaders and what they were going to do with the 30 pieces of silver Judas rejected.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
Specifically, Psalms 69:25 “25 Let †their habitation be desolate; And let none dwell in their tents.”
This is a prophecy of the destruction of their Temple by the Romans about 40 years later. Bad grammar and interpretation by Peter taking a prophecy meant in plural for Israel and trying to make it fit singular for Judas. But that’s Peter leaning upon his own understanding in the vanity of his mind. Totally ‘in the flesh’ Peter tries to make Scripture fit Judas but fails. It is bad grammar to try to make an adjective into a noun and to make a plural into a singular.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
For a spiritual office Peter lays out a physical or natural qualification merely of witnessing Jesus’ baptism and resurrection. Besides this I find Peter doing what we all do when we seek God’s guidance. We offer God an “either” “or” not realizing that we don’t know God’s thoughts and His choice may be something else out of left field we never contemplated. Typical leaning on one’s own understanding.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
Really now, does Peter think God was going to follow his offering of two possibilities? And what does Peter mean “his own place?” Can’t be “hell” for there are no apostles of the Lord in “hell.” Jesus called Judas “Friend”, and neither are there any “Friends” of the Lord in “hell.” There is also one other person in all of Scripture called “Friend” and that is Abraham who was a Friend of God.
Still with the “either” “or” proposition.
Strong’s [G#651] “apostleship” apostolē from [G#649] (apostello); commission, i.e. (special) apostolate.
The word the KJV translators use is “apostleship” and it means “commission.” It derives from “apostolos” which means “sent.”
I agree Judas committed a transgression of the Law but I also see in Matthew 27:3-5 Judas understanding what his actions brought for “he saw” Jesus was “condemned” and he confessed his sin “I have betrayed innocent blood” and repented (changed his mind) and returned the money in hopes to buy back the life of Jesus. Actually, he rejected the money and threw it back at the priests in the Temple. He rejected the mammon. Now, what many who study Scripture fail to understand is what happen next. Judas recognizes his transgression that being complicit in the condemnation of an innocent man and his terrible understanding that under the Law if one is complicit in the condemnation of an innocent person, he must give life for life.
One of the religious leaders, possibly the high priest says, “What is that to us. See thou to that?” In other words, “What do we care, YOU handle it!” What these religious leaders should have done is what is prescribed in the Law, that is, death by stoning. But they tell Judas “See thou to that/YOU handle it!” He did. Judas went out and hanged himself in obedience to the Law prescribing Life for Life. Surely, it would have been better had he not been born. But God would have used someone else. So, Judas recognized his sin, he confessed his transgression, he repented and rejected the 30 pieces of silver, and went out and did the only thing left for him to do and hung himself in obedience to the Law of Moses of Life for Life. Looking back now knowing what we know about recognizing our sins before God and confessing them it is also part of salvation to repent of our sins, something Judas did as recorded in Matthew 27:3-5.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
The Urim and Thummim (Lots) were stored in a pouch, sewn into the breastplate, which was placed directly over the priest's heart. They were put in this location to be a memorial before the Lord (Exodus 28:29). The Urim and Thummim were one of the main ways God conveyed his will to Israel (the others being dreams and prophets, see 1Samuel 28:6).
So, here’s Peter. He’s not a high priest and he’s using a mystical method to discern the LORD’S will. If he’d just do what the Lord commanded and wait for the Holy Spirit of Promise this would have turned out differently. But they’re at least one day away from the beginning of the New Covenant and Peter leads 119 disciples to appoint an apostle in the body of Christ and everything was new and they had no clue in what effect the New Covenant and Messiah would have on their covenants (Abraham, Moses, Davidic) until later and pretty much made attempts in hit and miss fashion. Mostly missed. Peter had no authority to cast the Lot as this was authorized and commanded for the high priest to use.
Strong’s [G#4785] synkatapsēphizomai from [G#4862] (sun) and a compound of [G#2596] (kata) and [G#5585] (psephizo); to count down in company with, i.e. enroll among.
This is a tri-compound word. It is completely different from the Greek word “numbered” in verse 15. It is used once and only here. So, what does this mean?
The Greek word “arithmeo” is found in:
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
In Scripture Judas is described as being among the twelve “katarithmeo.” But the word in Acts 1:26 means to be “with.” Jesus saying the hairs of our head are numbered He is describing all the hairs of our head “among” each other. But the word for Matthias means “with” and is like taking a hair from someone else’s head and adding it together with the hairs on your head. Judas is described by the Holy Spirit of being among the twelve, and Matthias as being with the eleven. A very big difference.
The conclusion of the matter is this event in Acts 1:15-26 are recorded as it happened and taking place before the Holy Spirit’s advent Peter was in the flesh, without guidance, and disobeying a clear command of the Lord to wait for they were ‘endued with the Holy Spirit of Promise.’ Peter makes erroneous use of the OT Scripture in Psalms and misapplies the prophecies about the destruction of the Temple to apply to Judas as well as trying to fit a singular into a plural in David’s prayers against his enemies. Peter also provides a physical or natural qualification for being an apostle of merely seeing with one’s eyes Jesus’ baptism and resurrection. Peter submits an “either” “or” to the Lord and uses Lots to discern the Lord’s will when it is reasonable to conclude that while Jesus was on the planet for 40 days speaking about things of the kingdom of God after His resurrection and before His ascension that if He wanted to replace Judas, He would have done it while He was still with His disciples. The Greek language concerning the word “numbered” also clues us in to understand that Judas was among the twelve but Matthias as being with the eleven.
What happened when Herod killed James in Acts 12. Who replaced James? And if the method Peter used in Acts 1:15-26 is the correct way why doesn’t the Protestant Gentile Church continue to choose their apostles in this way today? The Roman Catholic Church does it this way. Why doesn’t the Protestants? Why did it stop? The answer is that by the time Paul and maybe Apollos came on the scend it was learned that Peter was in error as Paul, whose words Peter agrees are Scripture, says:
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, 1 Cor. 12:24.
God baptizes a person into the Body of Christ when they are born again (saved) and in doing so places them in whatever body part He’s called them to. Peter has no authority to place let alone call anyone to be an apostle. My brother, Peter, bless his soul, was in complete error and disobedience in choosing Matthias to be an apostle to replace Judas. Christ builds His Church by adding, not replacing:
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Because of Peter’s disobedience the Gentile Church has been paying for his error ever since.
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 1:15–26.
Sounds pretty clear-cut. But it’s not. Being that Acts is a historical document of approximately the first 30 years of the origin of the New Covenant Jewish Church founded by Jews this historical manuscript documents what happened during the first 30 years of the Jewish Church and does not teach doctrine, rather, as any historical document in which people, places, and events are recorded it is up to the student, in this case, a biblical student to look into these things and to hold them up to the Scripture already revealed in the Old and New Covenant Scriptures to see where the Jewish Church got it right and where they got it wrong.
First, we have the command of Christ for His disciples to return to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives where Jesus ascended up to heaven and this command is found in Luke 24:
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Lk 24:49.
| Strong’s [G#2523] another (active) form for [G#2516] (kathezomai); to seat down, i.e. set (figurative appoint); intransitive to sit (down); figurative to settle (hover, dwell.) |
Jesus commands His disciples to return to Jerusalem and “wait” for the Promised Holy Spirit. From ascension to the Advent of the Holy Spirit is a window of ten days. But sometime before the Holy Spirit arrives Peter STOOD UP! In Jewish culture to teach one sits down. When one officiates a meeting one STANDS UP! Clearly Peter is already in disobedience.
Next is the following passage: (this is a gathering of 120 Jews)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
Question is: If Judas wasn’t alive at the time of David what is Peter referring to that David spake about Judas who wasn’t alive yet? There is no mention of a “Judas” anywhere in the First Covenant Scriptures. There is one person named in Scripture before he was born and that was King Cyrus who allowed Israel to return to their homeland. So, what is Peter’s Scripture?
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
Strong’s: [G#2674] katarithmeo from [G#2596] (kata) and [G#705] (arithmeo); to reckon among.
This is where we get the word “arithmetic.” In vs. 17 it is a compound word. I’ll come back to this later.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
From crucifixion to ascension this word got around quickly the plans of the religious leaders and what they were going to do with the 30 pieces of silver Judas rejected.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
Specifically, Psalms 69:25 “25 Let †their habitation be desolate; And let none dwell in their tents.”
This is a prophecy of the destruction of their Temple by the Romans about 40 years later. Bad grammar and interpretation by Peter taking a prophecy meant in plural for Israel and trying to make it fit singular for Judas. But that’s Peter leaning upon his own understanding in the vanity of his mind. Totally ‘in the flesh’ Peter tries to make Scripture fit Judas but fails. It is bad grammar to try to make an adjective into a noun and to make a plural into a singular.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
For a spiritual office Peter lays out a physical or natural qualification merely of witnessing Jesus’ baptism and resurrection. Besides this I find Peter doing what we all do when we seek God’s guidance. We offer God an “either” “or” not realizing that we don’t know God’s thoughts and His choice may be something else out of left field we never contemplated. Typical leaning on one’s own understanding.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
Really now, does Peter think God was going to follow his offering of two possibilities? And what does Peter mean “his own place?” Can’t be “hell” for there are no apostles of the Lord in “hell.” Jesus called Judas “Friend”, and neither are there any “Friends” of the Lord in “hell.” There is also one other person in all of Scripture called “Friend” and that is Abraham who was a Friend of God.
Still with the “either” “or” proposition.
Strong’s [G#651] “apostleship” apostolē from [G#649] (apostello); commission, i.e. (special) apostolate.
The word the KJV translators use is “apostleship” and it means “commission.” It derives from “apostolos” which means “sent.”
I agree Judas committed a transgression of the Law but I also see in Matthew 27:3-5 Judas understanding what his actions brought for “he saw” Jesus was “condemned” and he confessed his sin “I have betrayed innocent blood” and repented (changed his mind) and returned the money in hopes to buy back the life of Jesus. Actually, he rejected the money and threw it back at the priests in the Temple. He rejected the mammon. Now, what many who study Scripture fail to understand is what happen next. Judas recognizes his transgression that being complicit in the condemnation of an innocent man and his terrible understanding that under the Law if one is complicit in the condemnation of an innocent person, he must give life for life.
One of the religious leaders, possibly the high priest says, “What is that to us. See thou to that?” In other words, “What do we care, YOU handle it!” What these religious leaders should have done is what is prescribed in the Law, that is, death by stoning. But they tell Judas “See thou to that/YOU handle it!” He did. Judas went out and hanged himself in obedience to the Law prescribing Life for Life. Surely, it would have been better had he not been born. But God would have used someone else. So, Judas recognized his sin, he confessed his transgression, he repented and rejected the 30 pieces of silver, and went out and did the only thing left for him to do and hung himself in obedience to the Law of Moses of Life for Life. Looking back now knowing what we know about recognizing our sins before God and confessing them it is also part of salvation to repent of our sins, something Judas did as recorded in Matthew 27:3-5.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
The Urim and Thummim (Lots) were stored in a pouch, sewn into the breastplate, which was placed directly over the priest's heart. They were put in this location to be a memorial before the Lord (Exodus 28:29). The Urim and Thummim were one of the main ways God conveyed his will to Israel (the others being dreams and prophets, see 1Samuel 28:6).
So, here’s Peter. He’s not a high priest and he’s using a mystical method to discern the LORD’S will. If he’d just do what the Lord commanded and wait for the Holy Spirit of Promise this would have turned out differently. But they’re at least one day away from the beginning of the New Covenant and Peter leads 119 disciples to appoint an apostle in the body of Christ and everything was new and they had no clue in what effect the New Covenant and Messiah would have on their covenants (Abraham, Moses, Davidic) until later and pretty much made attempts in hit and miss fashion. Mostly missed. Peter had no authority to cast the Lot as this was authorized and commanded for the high priest to use.
Strong’s [G#4785] synkatapsēphizomai from [G#4862] (sun) and a compound of [G#2596] (kata) and [G#5585] (psephizo); to count down in company with, i.e. enroll among.
This is a tri-compound word. It is completely different from the Greek word “numbered” in verse 15. It is used once and only here. So, what does this mean?
The Greek word “arithmeo” is found in:
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
In Scripture Judas is described as being among the twelve “katarithmeo.” But the word in Acts 1:26 means to be “with.” Jesus saying the hairs of our head are numbered He is describing all the hairs of our head “among” each other. But the word for Matthias means “with” and is like taking a hair from someone else’s head and adding it together with the hairs on your head. Judas is described by the Holy Spirit of being among the twelve, and Matthias as being with the eleven. A very big difference.
The conclusion of the matter is this event in Acts 1:15-26 are recorded as it happened and taking place before the Holy Spirit’s advent Peter was in the flesh, without guidance, and disobeying a clear command of the Lord to wait for they were ‘endued with the Holy Spirit of Promise.’ Peter makes erroneous use of the OT Scripture in Psalms and misapplies the prophecies about the destruction of the Temple to apply to Judas as well as trying to fit a singular into a plural in David’s prayers against his enemies. Peter also provides a physical or natural qualification for being an apostle of merely seeing with one’s eyes Jesus’ baptism and resurrection. Peter submits an “either” “or” to the Lord and uses Lots to discern the Lord’s will when it is reasonable to conclude that while Jesus was on the planet for 40 days speaking about things of the kingdom of God after His resurrection and before His ascension that if He wanted to replace Judas, He would have done it while He was still with His disciples. The Greek language concerning the word “numbered” also clues us in to understand that Judas was among the twelve but Matthias as being with the eleven.
What happened when Herod killed James in Acts 12. Who replaced James? And if the method Peter used in Acts 1:15-26 is the correct way why doesn’t the Protestant Gentile Church continue to choose their apostles in this way today? The Roman Catholic Church does it this way. Why doesn’t the Protestants? Why did it stop? The answer is that by the time Paul and maybe Apollos came on the scend it was learned that Peter was in error as Paul, whose words Peter agrees are Scripture, says:
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, 1 Cor. 12:24.
God baptizes a person into the Body of Christ when they are born again (saved) and in doing so places them in whatever body part He’s called them to. Peter has no authority to place let alone call anyone to be an apostle. My brother, Peter, bless his soul, was in complete error and disobedience in choosing Matthias to be an apostle to replace Judas. Christ builds His Church by adding, not replacing:
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Because of Peter’s disobedience the Gentile Church has been paying for his error ever since.
