Where Did Jesus Die? — Page 95
Chapter Eight—Did Jesus Die on the Cross and Ascend to Heaven? 95 When the Disciples tried to dissuade him from preaching to the Gentiles, he claimed that Jesus himself commanded him in a vision, whilst staying in Jerusalem to do so in these words: Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they [the Jews] will not receive thy testimony concerning me. . . Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. 1 Despite being opposed by the Disciples, he continued preaching to the Gentiles and was successful in his mission. The Disciples, who were bitterly persecuted, eventually agreed with him that he should continue his work among the Gentiles and they would preach to the Israelites. 2 disciples that when ‘the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glo- ry, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’(Matt. 19:28). The proceedings of the ease of Jesus in Pilate’s court is also a positive proof that his mission was confined to the Jews only. Pilate considered him ‘the King of the Jews’ (Matt. 27:11, 37) and not the king of all the nations. When Peter began to preach to the Gentiles and to eat with them, those who were of the circumcision contended with him and he, then, could not quote any saying or instruction of Jesus to justify his action, but related his own vision (The Acts ch. 11). This shows that passages such as, ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’ (Matt. 28:19) are later additions. The Disciples never bap- tised anyone in the name of these three persons. The word ‘nation’ in certain passages can be interpreted as ‘tribe,’ while in other such passag- es it has been used in connection with the second advent of Jesus, which is the advent of Ahmad of Qadian, the prophet sent by God to guide all nations to Islam, because Islam is a universal religion. 1. The Acts 22:18–21 2. Gal. 2:7–12