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Post by ybrown on Apr 26, 2006 23:54:17 GMT -5
Who was the first Gentile to be saved and how/why did it happen? Hint: It may not be who/what you think (unless you know the truth).
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Post by krazeeboi on Apr 27, 2006 0:50:05 GMT -5
Under the new covenant, it would be Cornelius (and company). As for those who died in hope, embracing the coming Messiah in faith, that would be Adam and Eve.
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Post by ybrown on Apr 27, 2006 12:56:06 GMT -5
;D Good answer, Krazee, because that's what we've all been taught; and not so coincidentially the most widely accepted one.
In my studies I'm finding that there may be a reason why the real "firstfruit" isn't spoken of. What's mind blowing to me is that God chose this person specifically to be the first and He orchestrated all of the events in order for it to happen!
Any other takers?
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Post by livinganewlife on Apr 27, 2006 14:54:23 GMT -5
;D Good answer, Krazee, because that's what we've all been taught; and not so coincidentially the most widely accepted one. In my studies I'm finding that there may be a reason why the real "firstfruit" isn't spoken of. What's mind blowing to me is that God chose this person specifically to be the first and He orchestrated all of the events in order for it to happen! Any other takers? Girl you are good; I am going to sit back and see how this goes.................... Does it start in Genesis? |
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Post by nina on Apr 27, 2006 15:08:03 GMT -5
OK: Noah?   |
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Post by hezsweetiknow on Apr 27, 2006 15:09:55 GMT -5
Phillip witnessed to the Ethopian eunuch.....
The eunuch was baptized and went on his way.
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Post by krazeeboi on Apr 27, 2006 15:22:40 GMT -5
Oh yeah, I did forget about the eunuch....nice one HezSweeIknow (even though I'm not sure if that's the right answer).
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Post by hezsweetiknow on Apr 27, 2006 15:41:31 GMT -5
Does anyone know if the thief on the cross was jew or gentile? He went with Jesus to paradise. Is that considered a conversion.
Tapping my head like Pooh Bear...think...think...think....
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Post by livinganewlife on Apr 27, 2006 16:32:12 GMT -5
Does anyone know if the thief on the cross was jew or gentile? He went with Jesus to paradise. Is that considered a conversion. Tapping my head like Pooh Bear...think...think...think.... Tapping my head like Pooh Bear too, but I think I know who Ybrown is speaking of but before I post I just want to know is it found in Genesis. The reason I say that is because the word gentiles is most commonly used as a translation of the Hebrew word goyim and it is first used in the book of Genesis. |
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Post by ybrown on Apr 27, 2006 16:38:25 GMT -5
Phillip witnessed to the Ethopian eunuch..... The eunuch was baptized and went on his way. Hezsweet, that's it. He was an Ethiopian prophet like Daniel. Phillip was divinely directed by the "Spirit of the Lord," to him...to a remote desert, of all places. God divinely elected him to be the first, out of all other Gentiles on the face of this earth. He was an Ethiopian, a high government official, and quite possibly a eunuch. Ancient scholars view him as the father of evangelism in Ethiopia and more importantly, as the firstfruit of salvation offered to ALL Gentiles. Today, some label him a Jew, which I disagree with based on ancient and present-day scholarship. I believe the intent of making him a Jew allows the propagation of Cornelius as the first. A dark-skinned Black man being singled out by Almighty God to be the firstfruit? Some just couldn't/can't have that! But according to historial scholarship, we were sought and singled out by the Father to be saved first. That makes me smile. ;D Does anyone else see signficance to this? |
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Post by livinganewlife on Apr 27, 2006 16:52:30 GMT -5
Wow, i honestly thought it was Abraham, because he was transformed from Abram to "father of many nations" and it said that he was an alien in the land..........
My bad..........
Never thought it was a brotha ;D
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Post by krazeeboi on Apr 28, 2006 3:12:18 GMT -5
YBrown, we can even go a little further back than that. Simon of Cyrene, an African, was selected to carry the cross of Christ to Golgotha. One day I'm gonna REALLY dig into that passage and work it out behind the podium. |
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Post by anointedteacher on Apr 28, 2006 7:17:54 GMT -5
Phillip witnessed to the Ethopian eunuch..... The eunuch was baptized and went on his way. Hezsweet, that's it. He was an Ethiopian prophet like Daniel. Phillip was divinely directed by the "Spirit of the Lord," to him...to a remote desert, of all places. God divinely elected him to be the first, out of all other Gentiles on the face of this earth. He was an Ethiopian, a high government official, and quite possibly a eunuch. Ancient scholars view him as the father of evangelism in Ethiopia and more importantly, as the firstfruit of salvation offered to ALL Gentiles. Today, some label him a Jew, which I disagree with based on ancient and present-day scholarship. I believe the intent of making him a Jew allows the propagation of Cornelius as the first. A dark-skinned Black man being singled out by Almighty God to be the firstfruit? Some just couldn't/can't have that! But according to historial scholarship, we were sought and singled out by the Father to be saved first. That makes me smile. ;D Does anyone else see signficance to this? Ybrown, I was thinking of him, but did Philip see him as a Gentile? The reason I ask, is because the Ethiopian Eunuch went to Jerusalem to worship and was reading the Holy Scriptures when Philip joined him. Do you think he was a Jew by religion? There were Ethiopians that came out of Egypt with Moses and God did not consider it as breaking the Law when Moses married an Ethiopians woman, only his brother and sister had a problem. The Queen of Sheba (Makeda) spend some time with King Solomon, some believe they had a son. I believe she brought back what she learned from Solomon to Ethiopia. Even today we have Ethiopian Jews and many are living in Israel right now. Just something to think about. AT |
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Post by anointedteacher on Apr 28, 2006 7:56:11 GMT -5
I have another one..... Everybody have over looked Simon Zelotes the Canaanite, one of Jesus' Disciple. an Apostle, that is listed with the twelve. Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13.
The Canaanites were black, right?
I was also thinking Simon Zelotes and Simeon that was called Niger (Black) in Act 13:1, who was among the prophets and teachers.
AT
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Post by ybrown on Apr 28, 2006 9:00:30 GMT -5
Yeah, KB, I have to dig deeper in to that one because to be honest, I didn't know about that one until I saw the Passion of the Christ. ;D
AT, it is possible that he could have been a Jew, but the fact that he was rejected when he arrived in Jerusalem tells me that the Jews didn't see him as brother because he considered a "dirty Gentile." His skin color was part of the rejection but it mostly because he wasn't a Jew.
Even still, look at the order in which the Gentile conversion is documented in scripture. In keeping with the oracle of Jesus, as Acts opens, The Gospel first grows rapidly among the Jews in Jerusalem for the first seven chapters.
But then in Acts 8, the sovereign hand of God begins the grafting of the Gentiles into the church. In Acts 8-10, three conversions take place: the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), Saul of Tarsus (Hellenized Jew) (Acts 9), who becomes Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, and then Cornelius, a Roman centurion (Acts 10).
We don't even know the name of the eunuch and I think God had that happen for a reason.
What's even more fascinating is who these three men are. The Ethiopian eunuch, Paul and Cornelius descend respectively from the three sons of Noah - Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Their being saved was truly divine and this should also help in our faith that God had fulfilled the promise to Abraham that in him all nations of the earth would be blessed.
God is something else!
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