ACTS 2 42-47

 Universalism in the New Testament

       BooK of Acts of the First Believers

                          (Paraphrased)

(Verse 41 - So those who received the message were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.) 42 And they devoted theirselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. 43 Awe was upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all in common. {This is not ‘put human government in charge of all resources’.}  45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. {Focusing on the message.} 46 And day by day, meeting at the temple porches and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number every day, those who were being saved.

 🗝️ [  ] - word/language insights, cross references, etc.

      {  } - thots

An ‘Enter the Story’ Reading & Study

LUKE 3 15-22 MARK 1 9-13

a paraphrased ‘enter the story’

 🍃🕊️reading & study 🕊️🍃

     07/02 - GospeL Verses

15 - As the people were wondering and questioning concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them, saying, “I baptize you with water! But he who is mightier than I is coming! The strap of whose sandals I’m not worthy to untie! He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with {his} fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand! To clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” {Chaff is part of the wheat.. the kernal goes into his barn - “we’re the big door prize” - Jn Prine. And the chaff is blown away in the breeze.. {like what occurs during “the 8th day”. And it’s HE who has the winnowing fork, not an all powerful devil, a pitchfork in his forever kingdom of pain, sorrow, and death, lol.}

     18 And with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch (the son of Herod the Great who had tried to destroy/devour Jesus when he was one or two years of age, Rev.12:4, the chapter middle of three tellings of the revelation vision - with Mt.23:39) who had been publicly scolded by him for Herodias, his brother's wife. And added to all the evil he had already done, 20 he locked up John in prison.

     21 When the people were baptized [“preparing the way before him”] and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.”

    MARK 1:9 - In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove. 11 And was heard a voice from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son, and with you, I am well pleased.” [“We shall be like him.”]

     12 Then the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. [First gone rogue one. God, being Life, suffers all things, and endowed thinking and reasoning ability to mankind and angelkind anyway!] And he was with the wild animals {wonder if they were friendly with him?} and the angels ministered to him.

             ~ * ~

🗝️ [  ] - word/language insights, usually from biblehub dot com - peering through translator partial unbelief; cross references, etc.

      {  } - thots

Tomorrows verses - Luke 3:23-4:15

My own studies, had to paraphrase to post..

Start the day with a Psalm (jan 1-20, feb-20’s, mar-30’s, apr-40’s, etc. dec-120-150)

ᗷ૦૦қ ๏Ŧ คςtร - 2:22-41

 [Peter is addressing a crowd in Jerusalem on the Pentecost following Jesus’ death and resurrection which the disciples/apostles and others witnessed.]

     22 - “Fellow Israelites, listen to this. Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge. And you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” (Another version - “But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out..” 🤔?God knew that sending His representative to the world - a Light so bright, into the darkness - the darkness, the world was sure to kill him. So(!) God would use it to deliver all from Satan’s treacherous trickery - which God also foreknew, aNd, allowed. After all it’s noT a total ant farm that God is after!  But there does have to be total herd immunity! To all and any darkness. Parable of the decomposing apple and the worm that does noT quit! Prognosis of decomposition is? And it’s an abyss of potential, already PROVEN by history. “GOD has subjected all to disobedience(/corruption/decay) that He may have mercy upon all” Ro.11:32.)

     24 “But God released him from the horror [ódin - a birth pang, agony] of death and raised him back to life, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 King David said  concerning him, ‘I see that the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to (the grave) sheol, you will not let your holy one see decay.” (Jesus most surely spoke Aramaic - sheol - Ecclesiastes 9:5,10 - “..the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing.. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in sheol, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” Ps.30:9 “..what profit is my death? Will the dust praise you?” Genesis 3:19 “..dust you are..”

     We feel the presence of passed on loved ones because they come from another dimension called the future. And or an angel brings us remembrance.)

     28 “You have made known to me the paths of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29 Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to sheol, his body did not see decay. (No decomposition.) 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. (The believers had gathered, about 120.) 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit(/Presence of God) and has poured out what you now see and hear happening. 34 For David himself, never, ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”’ [Cross Ref. - 1Cor.15:22-29, Rev.21:1-5] 36 Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

     37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do!” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins [of your hamartion - missing the mark(s)]. And you will receive the (great) gift of the Holy Spirit(/Presence of God). 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone, whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked [skolios: curved, winding, hence crooked] generation [genea - from ginomai - to come into being].” [“Make straight the way of the LORD!” was John the Baptist’s message.] 41 Those who believed were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the church [believers] that day.

                         ~*~

     Very Brief Outline of Acts:

Jesus returns to where he was with the Father before his advent/visit (his brief first one).

The Holy Spirit/Presence of God is poured out on the believers who were in Jerusalem on the late Spring holy day of Pentecost. Peter speaks, there are 3000 new believers that day.

The good news message spreads, Peter is invited and goes to a Roman’s house and all believe. The first record of non Hebrew believers (besides likely some on Pentecost).

     Persecution breaks out.. jail. stoning. Pharisee Saul leads the persecution, but on his way to Damascus with papers for arrests, Jesus makes himself seen but is so bright Paul falls to the ground and is blinded. After two days he is healed and is a believer, and soon is called Paul. He wrote many (to most) of the New Testament letters, but spent a few years (it seems to me) exclusively listening to the Lord. He established many ‘churches’ in what’s called three missionary journeys, and met and worked with Mark and Luke, and quite a few others. (Luke wrote this Book of Acts.) His fourth journey is to Rome to trial as a prisoner. There’s a shipwreck on the way.. He wrote many of his letters while in prison and under ‘house’ arrest.

                            🍃

They Missed The Boat

Luke 7:27-30

27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, which shall prepare the way before you.
28 For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
29 And when all the people heard Him,even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and scribes rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

So there they were, the religious leaders who had surely read the prophecies of - "a voice crying from the wilderness! Prepare the way of the LORD!" - when the wild figure of John the Baptist came in from the wilderness preaching a message of repentance by baptism, followed by the humble person of Jesus healing the lame and the blind - also prophesied (by Isaiah the prophet).

Romans 9:18

18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
Or as another version put it:
18 Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.

Global

God knew when He gave the Holy Spirit to man, it would set in motion the beginnings of the return of mankind working together to build man's tower (of enterprise / global city) which He had stalled so long ago when He "confused the languages".
~ Genesis 11:1,4-7 - Now the whole earth had one language and one speech... And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech."
~ Acts 2:1-11(38,39) - When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God...  (Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”)