Jesus commanded the 12 to go to all nations, and thats what they did.
Paul never met the living Jesus which is a requirement for Apostleship. Paul was trained by revelation, nothing wrong with that, but there many, many, many others trained by revelation as well.
Gal 1:11-24, please pay attention to the parts in bold.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. [SUP]12 [/SUP]For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it,
but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
[SUP]13 [/SUP]For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; [SUP]14 [/SUP]and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. [SUP]15 [/SUP]But when God, who had set me apart
even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased [SUP]16[/SUP]
to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles,
I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, [SUP]17 [/SUP]nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
[SUP]18 [/SUP]Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. [SUP]19 [/SUP]But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. [SUP]20 [/SUP](Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) [SUP]21 [/SUP]Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. [SUP]22 [/SUP]I was
still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; [SUP]23 [/SUP]but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” [SUP]24 [/SUP]And they were glorifying God because of me.
We can take it to the bank that while Paul was in Arabia for 3 years he was taught directly by Jesus himself.