Healing Misconception—Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh by Gloria Copeland
Posted by admin | Filed under Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Copeland Ministries
One tradition that has been well-taught is referred to as Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” from 2 Corinthians 12. (Really it was not Paul’s thorn, it was Satan’s thorn.) Everyone has heard about it. Tradition teaches that the thorn in the flesh was sickness or disease, but the Word plainly says that the thorn was a “messenger of Satan.” This Greek word is translated as messenger seven times in the New Testament. It is translated angel 181 times in the New Testament.
All 188 times this word is speaking of a personality—not a thing like a sickness or disease. Sickness is not a messenger, nor is it a personality. It was an angel or a messenger of Satan assigned to Paul to buffet him. The word buffet means “to give repeated blows, over and over and over.” Weymouth’s translation says, “Concerning this, three times have I besought the Lord that he might leave me” (2 Corinthians 12:8).
The King James Version says, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.” The thorn in the flesh was not a sickness as tradition teaches, but a messenger from Satan as the Bible teaches. God does not use Satan’s messenger service. God did not give Paul this thorn in the flesh—Satan sent Paul the thorn to stop the Word from being preached.
We see an example where Satan buffeted Paul: 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…. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts…. When there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, they were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra….
And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe (Acts 13:45, 50, 14:5-6, 19-20).
In every place, the messenger of Satan stirred up persecution and affliction against Paul—blow after blow, buffet after buffet. Everywhere he went, there was trouble and persecution.
