This is a discussion on the meaning of Act 13:48
"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."
Questions one should ask are: "What does the context indicate that they heard that caused them to rejoice and believe? What was it that the context indicates they believed? Who does the context indicate it was that believed? For instance, in John 20, John says that when he and Peter saw the linen cloths John believed, but immediately in the next verse John admits that neither he nor Peter yet understood that Jesus must rise from the dead.
Jhn 20:8 "Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
Jhn 20:9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead."
So, what did John believe? He believed Mary's assessment: "They have taken the body".
Jhn 20:2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
Likewise in Acts 13. What the audience heard that cause them to rejoice was the following -
Act 13:46 - 48 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." And when the Gentiles heard THIS..... they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed (THIS).
So, they believed THIS after having heard Paul's preaching of the gospel during which some had heard the gospel and had been appointed/had arranged themselves to aeonous life. We are ordained to aeonous life by believing the gospel which the jews had been contradicting.
Act 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming
Also there were Gentiles there who has heard Paul a week earlier and had believed the gospel, or had at least been open to it, because Paul had encouraged them to continue in the grace of God. So some of Paul's audience may have been appointed/arranged themselves for aeonous life during the previous week.
Act 13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
So, the context indicates to me that those who had listened open-heartedly to Paul the previous week and during Paul's present preaching had been appointed/had arranged themselves to aeonous life by believing the gospel, after which they heard Paul say He was being sent by God to the Gentiles, news that they believed and rejoiced to hear.
There is no indication from the text that this appointing had been done any earlier than the previous sabbath.
"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."
Questions one should ask are: "What does the context indicate that they heard that caused them to rejoice and believe? What was it that the context indicates they believed? Who does the context indicate it was that believed? For instance, in John 20, John says that when he and Peter saw the linen cloths John believed, but immediately in the next verse John admits that neither he nor Peter yet understood that Jesus must rise from the dead.
Jhn 20:8 "Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
Jhn 20:9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead."
So, what did John believe? He believed Mary's assessment: "They have taken the body".
Jhn 20:2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
Likewise in Acts 13. What the audience heard that cause them to rejoice was the following -
Act 13:46 - 48 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." And when the Gentiles heard THIS..... they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed (THIS).
So, they believed THIS after having heard Paul's preaching of the gospel during which some had heard the gospel and had been appointed/had arranged themselves to aeonous life. We are ordained to aeonous life by believing the gospel which the jews had been contradicting.
Act 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming
Also there were Gentiles there who has heard Paul a week earlier and had believed the gospel, or had at least been open to it, because Paul had encouraged them to continue in the grace of God. So some of Paul's audience may have been appointed/arranged themselves for aeonous life during the previous week.
Act 13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
So, the context indicates to me that those who had listened open-heartedly to Paul the previous week and during Paul's present preaching had been appointed/had arranged themselves to aeonous life by believing the gospel, after which they heard Paul say He was being sent by God to the Gentiles, news that they believed and rejoiced to hear.
There is no indication from the text that this appointing had been done any earlier than the previous sabbath.
