Paul claims to have received his gospel direct from God. A divine revelation "The gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ..... When God ..... was pleased to reveal his Son to me. so that I might proclaim him among the gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me but I went away at once into Arabia and afterwards I returned to Damascus- Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas (Peter) and stayed with him fifteen days." Gal. 1:11-12. And again, "How the mystery was made known to me by revelation." Eph. 3:3. "I know a person in Christ..... was caught up to heaven; whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person, whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, was caught up into paradise and heard things that are not to be told. that no mortal is permitted to repeat". 2 Corin. 12:2-4. I am immediately suspicious. What is Paul hiding? Paul is talking about himself but for some reason he uses the third person. This experience could only have happened in a dream or in his own imagination. Again he is hiding something.

Several times Paul talks about my Gospel. '"According to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ according to the revelation." Rom. 16:25. Paul makes a distinction between HIS gospel and the gospel taught by the disciples of Jesus. He claims to have received instructions by revelation direct from God. When, how or in what circumstances he does not say. "I did not receive it from human source, nor was taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." Gal. 1:12. So did Mohammed, Joseph Smith and others also claim to have received their sacred texts direct from God by revelation. Why should Paul's revelation be more acceptable than the others?

Paul's gospel is not the same as the gospel proclaimed by the disciples of Jesus after the crucifixion. Jesus was to be the Messiah of the Jewish nation, a political Messiah, the son of King David who was to restore David's kingdom, rescue the nation from their enemies and set up a just and righteous government, just as the prophets had foretold. The Jews saw the Messiah as someone specially relating only to the Jewish nation. Remember Jesus had said "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matt. 15:24. and "Go nowhere among the gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matt. 10:5. Paul's gospel is something completely different. It is not concerned with the Jewish nation at all. Paul is not interested in the life of Jesus. He says to the Corinthians "I am determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." 1 Cor. 2 : 2. Gentiles who became proselytes to the Jewish faith were always welcomed- They would be expected to keep the Ten Commandments and the ordinances of Moses. Paul does not invite the gentiles to embrace Judaism but a new and different religion, his gospel.