Yes, Paul’s three years in Arabia were a period of personal preparation and divine revelation.
Les Feldick explains that God took Paul to Mount Sinai in Arabia to distance him from the Twelve and reveal the doctrines of grace. It took time to get Judaism out of his system and to absorb the newly revealed mysteries.
Galatians 1:17 — Records Paul's direct statement that he went into Arabia after his conversion, not to Jerusalem.
In Galatians 1:15-17, Paul writes that after God revealed His Son in him, he immediately conferred not with flesh and blood, nor went he up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before him, but he went into Arabia. This was a deliberate departure, not a casual detour. Later, in Galatians 4:25, Paul explicitly identifies Hagar as Mount Sinai in Arabia, tying the place of his sojourn to Sinai.
Les emphasizes that God sovereignly sent Paul to Mount Sinai in Arabia for three years as a private seminary, where the ascended Lord revealed the doctrines of grace. This period was essential to distance Paul from the Twelve, who were steeped in Judaism, and to cleanse his mind from his former religious background. It also gave him time to absorb the mysteries that had been hidden, but were now revealed to him for the Gentile world.
Les says God wanted to distance Paul from the Twelve because they were steeped in Judaism and the Law. This new economy of grace required a fresh start, untainted by their influence.
Les teaches that during those three years, the Lord revealed to Paul the doctrines of grace that are found nowhere else in Scripture. These were totally new and different, poured out on him alone.
Les quips that it probably took the Lord two and a half years to get Judaism out of Paul's system. The change was not instant; a human being needs time to unlearn his background and be reskilled for a new message.
The Rapture Is a Mystery — What Paul Revealed That No One Else Did
But once He reveals it, then it becomes the human responsibility to believe it. Alright now then your next one is Corinthians, and so you might just as well go on into Corinthians a moment. And 1 Corinthians 4. Now he puts a responsibility on believers of this age. And I know that he's talking here in the first person, but whatever Paul applies to himself, he applies to all of his listeners.
Private Seminary at Mount Sinai
Les identifies Mount Sinai in Arabia as the place where God revealed the doctrines of grace to Paul during three years of private seminary.
Cleansing from Judaism
Les explains that the three years were needed to get Judaism out of Paul's system and to start with a fresh slate.
Ready for the Gentile World
Les states that after three years at Sinai, Paul was ready to take the message of grace to the Gentile world.
Revelation of New Doctrines
Les says that during three years alone with his ascended Lord, God poured out on Paul all the new doctrines for the Gentiles.
Why Paul's Letters Are the Most Neglected in the Bible
It was past Paul's understanding. Why should He, as He called Himself, the least of all, be made the greatest? Well, Paul will be the first to tell us the grace of God. The grace of God, see that? All right, verse 16. To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen, or the Gentiles.
Revelation of Grace Doctrines
Les reiterates that God took Paul to the desert and revealed these tremendous doctrines of grace, which are found nowhere else in the Bible.
Why Paul's Gospel Is Different From Peter's — Acts 9 & Galatians 1
You were with Him forty days after His resurrection. Fill me in so I can go out and preach with some authority. Oh, he makes it so plain. He did not do that. He did not have contact with the twelve or the leadership in Jerusalem. But I went into Arabia, now I've got Arabia on the map down here, or Sinai, and so from Damascus he made his way down to, I'm sure it was Mount Sinai in Arabia.
Galatians 1:17: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
This verse records Paul's own testimony of going to Arabia, setting the foundation for Les's teaching.
Galatians 4:25: For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Paul identifies Sinai as being in Arabia, helping Les place Paul's three years at Mount Sinai.
Les, based on Galatians and Acts, believes Paul was down there three years. He interprets this period as a divine preparation time.
Les says that as far as we know, Paul was alone with the Lord, having no contact with the Twelve or other leaders. It was a private seminary.
Les points out that Sinai was where the Law was given, making it an appropriate place for God to reveal doctrines of grace to Paul, contrasting the old covenant with the new.
Watch the Teaching: The Rapture Is a Mystery — What Paul Revealed That No One Else Did