Verses About Paul in Matthew

List of Verses Prophesying / Warning About Paul in

Matthew
Verse Quote / Description Fulfillment in Paul
17`Do not suppose that I
came to throw down the Law
or the prophets -- I did not
come to throw down, but to
fulfill;
18for, verily I say to you, till
that the heaven and the earth
may pass away, one iota or
As a Roman citizen from birth (Acts 22:28),
one tittle may not pass away
Saul had to have a Roman name from birth,
from the Law, till that all may
Matthew and it was "Paulus." This name in Latin
come to pass.
5:17-19 means "least." Farrar notes: "Paulus, a
19`Whoever therefore may
contraction of Pauxillus, means `least.'"
loose one of these commands
(Farrar:200.) See our article.
-- the least -- and may teach
men so, least he shall be
called in the reign of the
heavens, but whoever may do
and may teach [them], he
shall be called great in the
reign of the heavens."
(Young's Literal)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Paul teaches if you try to be right with God by
Jesus says that "unless your obeying the Law, "you are severed from
Matthew 5:20 righteousness exceeds that of Christ." (Gal. 5:4.)
the Pharisees, you will not "I am a Pharisee." (Paul in Acts 23:6 after 14+
enter the kingdom of heaven." years as a Christian.)
15`But, take heed of the false Paul was a Benjamite (Romans
prophets, who come unto you 11:1; Philippians 3:5). Paul started as a killer
in sheep's clothing, and of Christians or as one who approved the
inwardly are ravening killing of Christians (Acts 7:58; 8:1-3, 9:1
Matthew 7:15 wolves." (Young's). "murderous threats"). Paul said the twelve
COMPARE: gave him the exclusive right to recruit
Genesis 49:27: "Benjamin is Gentiles as Christians while the twelve
a ravenous wolf; in the apostles supposedly would exclusively recruit
morning he devours the prey, Jews. (Galatians 2:9.)
 in the evening he divides the On Paul, like priests of ravening wolves in Ez
plunder / spoils." 22:26, teaching sabbath is abolished, see
Ez 22:26 "Her priests [of "Paul abolished Sabbath." And Paul, like
ravening wolves princes] those same priests, taught all food is clean,
have done violence to my even meat sacrificed to idols.
law,..., neither have they
caused men to discern
between the unclean and the
clean, and have hid their eyes
from my sabbaths, and I am
profaned among them."
21 Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
Paul expressly said his validity was proven by
enter into the kingdom of
"signs and wonders." (2 Cor. 12:12.; Romans
heaven; but he that doeth the
15:19.)
will of my Father who is in
Paul was a worker of ANOMIA -- the
heaven.
negation of the Law, as Paul admits in 1 Cor.
22 Many will say to me in
9:20-21. There Paul says he "works" to appear
that day, Lord, Lord, did we
"anomos" i.e., without the Law around those
Matthew7:21- not prophesy by thy name,
who are Gentiles, saying Paul himself is `not
23 and by thy name cast out
under the Law.' In the very next verse, Paul
demons, and by thy name do
defended being `all things to all men' to fit in
many mighty works?
with their morals. (1 Cor. 9:22.)
23 And then will I profess
Paul cast out demons in the name of Jesus.
unto them, I never knew you:
(Acts 16:18). But those who tried to cast out
depart from me, ye that work
demons in the name of the "Jesus who Paul
ANOMIA -- either "iniquity"
preaches" could not. Acts 19:13.
or "negation of the Law of
Moses."
"I robbed other churches, taking wages of
"Do not take wages." (Shem- them that I might minister unto you." 2 Cor
Tob) "Without cost you have 11:8 ASV. "The elders who direct the affairs
Matthew 10:8
received; without cost you are of the church well are worthy of double honor
to give." [i.e., payment] especially those whose work is
preaching and teaching." 1 Tim. 5:7-18
25 and, while men are
sleeping, his enemy came and "Enemy is in the Pseudo-Clementine
sowed darnel in the midst of Recognitions and Homolies a constant
Matthew
the wheat, and went designation for Simon Magus by whom is
13:25, 39
away,...39 and the enemy meant Paul." "Gospels," Encyclopædia
who sowed them is the devil, Biblica (1901) at 1787 fn.
and the harvest is a full end of
 the age, and the reapers are
messengers. (Young's Literal)
17And Jesus answering said
to him, `Happy art thou,
Simon Bar-Jona, because
flesh and blood did not reveal
[it] to thee, but my Father
who is in the heavens.
18`And I also say to thee, that
thou art a rock, and upon this
rock I will build my
Matthew assembly, and gates of Hades
16:17-19 shall not prevail against it;
19 and I will give to thee the
keys of the reign of the
heavens, and whatever thou
mayest bind upon the earth
shall be having been bound in
the heavens, and whatever
thou mayest loose upon the
earth shall be having been
loosed in the heavens.'
"and ye may not call [any]
your father on the earth, for
Matthew 23:9 one is your Father, who is in
the heavens" (Young's
Literal)
Jesus said, in a correction of
Pharisees who thought an
oath offered "by" articles
offered at the Temple were
Matthew binding but not an oath by the
23:21 Temple at Jerusalem itself:
"And he who swears by the
temple swears by it and by
the one who dwells in it."
(Matt. 23:21.)
"Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
Matthew
pay tithe of mint and anise
23:23
and cummin, and have
omitted the weightier matters
12 for neither did I from man receive it, nor
was I taught [it], but through a revelation of
Jesus Christ, (Gal. 1:12 YLT)
16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might
proclaim him good news among the nations,
immediately I conferred not with flesh and
blood,
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem unto those
who were apostles before me, but I went away
to Arabia, and again returned to Damascus
(Gal. 1:16-17)
Paul attacked Peter in Galatians as a hypocrite
(Gal. 2:11-12), dismissing him as a "seeming"
pillar of the church (Gal. 2:9) who "imparted
nothing to me" (Gal 2:7) and "whatsoever
they [i.e., Peter, James and John] were makes
no difference to me," i.e., Paul is unimpressed
by their stature with Jesus. Gal 2:6.
"For even if you had ten thousand others to
teach you about Christ, you have only one
spiritual father. For I became your father in
Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News
to you." (1 Cor. 4:15, NLT)
"God who made the world and everything in it
is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not
live in temples built by hands." (Acts 17:24)
The Temple at Jerusalem still was standing
when Paul said this.
Paul contrarily portrays Pharisees as strict
legalists. He says inPhilippians 3:5-6 that as a
result of his time as a Pharisee that "as
touching righteousness, found blameless."
In Acts 26:5 Paul says "I conformed to the
 of the law, judgment, mercy, strictest sect of our religion, living as a
and faith: these ought ye to Pharisee."
have done, and not to leave
the other undone." (King
James)
1 Cor 9:20-21 ("to the Jews I became as a Jew
that I might win Jews...myself not being
myself under the Law....") Paul even extolled
hypocrisy for the sake of gaining followers:
28 so also ye outwardly
"But be it so, I did not myself burden you;
indeed do appear to men
but, being crafty, I caught you with guile." (2
Matthew righteous, and within ye are
Cor. 12:16, ASV.)
23:28 full of hypocrisy and
"All things are lawful but not all things are
lawlessness [i.e., ANOMIA,
necessarily expedient." (1 Cor 6:12.) "Give no
abrogation of the Law.]"
offense ...to the Jews... just as I also please all
men in all things,...seeking...the profit of
many, that they may be saved." (1Corinthians
10:31-33.)
26`If therefore they may say
to you, Lo, in the wilderness
he is, ye may not go forth; lo,
in the inner chambers, ye may
not believe;
Acts 9:5-8 is Paul's encounter with someone
27 for as the lightning doth
on the road near Damascus (a wilderness per
come forth from the east, and
1 Kings 19:15). It is (a) in the wildnerness and
doth appear unto the west, so
(b) not seen by every one on earth, and hence
Matthew shall be also the presence of
affirmatively could not be the true Jesus.
24:26-27 the Son of Man;
Paul did not recognize this figure, but had to
Cf 1 Kings 19:15. "And
ask "who are you?" (Acts 9:5.) His
Yahweh said unto [Elijah]
companions heard the voice but did not see
Go, return on thy way to the
anyone. (Acts 9:7-8.)
wilderness of Damascus."
This is the only identification
elsewhere in Scripture of the
Road to Damascus. It is
called a "wilderness."

Jesus' Pharisees Criticisms Can Also Be Cited

We could also cite each and every reference to the Pharisees by Jesus in Matthew. But it
requires explanation.
First, for many years into Paul's Christian walk, Paul still insisted "I am a Pharisee" (Acts
23:6). Second, when you compare Paul's doctrine and tactics, you will see a direct match
between the Pharisees Jesus condemned and Paul, the Pharisee-Christian -- an identification
confirmed by Paul's own admission. In other words, Jesus gave us criticisms of the Pharisees
which invariably are true also about Paul. Here is an article on the "Tribulation" from
Reformed Online (4/10/2012) which unwittingly indicts Paul when summarizing what Jesus'
views were about the Pharisees primarily from the book of Matthew:
The scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites (Mt. 23:13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29; 15:7) who
through their false teaching "shut up heaven" (Mt. 23:13) and made their converts "sons of
hell" (Mt. 23:15). They had perverted the doctrine of salvation to the extent that they were
teaching damnable heresy and thus had completely lost the preeminent mark of the true
church. No wonder Jesus said that their father was the devil (Jn. 6:44) and their synagogues
were of Satan (Rev. 3:9). The scribes and Pharisees were also exceedingly wicked in their
behavior. They were stealing from widows (Mt. 23:14) and putting on an insincere religious
show (Mt. 23:14). They made up human traditions in order to circumvent the law of Moses
(Mt. 23:16 ff.; Mt. 15:6). They neglected the weightier matters of the law to focus on trifles
(Mt. 23:23-24). Thus they were "fools and blind" (23:17, 19), "blind guides" (Mt. 23:16, 24;
cf. 15:7), "white-washed tombs" (23:27), "full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Mt. 23:28),
"serpents" and a "brood of vipers" (23:33). They were the "sons [i.e., of like mind and
behavior] of those who murdered the prophets" who will "persecute," "scourge," "crucify" and
"kill" the "prophets, wise men and scribes" that Christ will send (Mt. 23:34).
How does this summary apply to Paul?
Paul played the hypocrite -- a pure chameleon -- in his evangelism, by his own admission.
(See our article on "Guile in Paul"). Paul taught a salvation doctrine that similarly

"circumvented the law of Moses" completely. (See our

article "Paul's Contradictions of Jesus.") Paul robbed widows -- by denying arbitrarily to any
widow under 60 the support mandated in the Law given Moses. (See "Paul Denies Widows
Suppport.") And on and on the parallels can be proven.
And the way Jesus skewers the Pharisees in Matthew 23:15 for "crossing land and sea to win
one convert," and end up making the convert "twice as worthy of Gehenna as you are," has a
subtle reference to Paul's best known characteristic -- his so-called 'missionary' journeys to far
away places to win converts. That is not to say missionary
journeys are bad, but Jesus is saying the Pharisees were known as evangelists, and evidently
used that fact to gain a good reputation, no doubt. However, their success was deleterious to
the kingdom, Jesus taught, because Pharisees taught a shallow version of the Law (Matt
23:23) and taught oral traditions that negated the Law (Matt 15:6). Hence, Jesus said the
Pharisees taught a fairly lawless version of Judaism except tithing. Hence, they damned souls
to hell with such teaching, our Lord said. At the same time, Jesus identified this one leading
others to hell as one who goes on missionary journeys to convert souls, a distinctive feature of
Paul's life.
Hence, the book of Matthew (and needless to say parts of John's Gospel) talk of the Pharisees
in a way that is a prophetic warning about one more Pharisee -- Paul. For despite his
conversion Paul maintained his identity as a Pharisee -- telling a large crowd more than 14
years into his being a Christian, "I am a Pharisee" (Acts 23:6). And Paul fit all the references
Jesus made about them while condemning them: they were law looseners (Matt 23:23); law
negators (Matt 15:6); and evangelists on "land and sea" to convert people. (Matt. 23:15).