THE “GOSPEL” MESSAGE

IN THE NARRATIVES OF JESUS’ BIRTH

By Larry L. Harris

PURPOSE: To discover the meaning of the gospel through the birth narratives of Jesus as found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.  From these beautiful accounts, we will clearly see a consistent presentation of the heart of the gospel.  We will understand clearly from Scriptures the reason for Jesus’ birth.  The word gospel means “good news.”  We will learn what the “good news” (gospel) that was given to Zechariah, Joseph, Mary, and to the Wise Men and King Herod was.  As we examine these passages more closely, may the Spirit of the Messiah give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and a deeper revelation of our understanding of the gospel.

OUTLINE

        I.            GOSPEL IN THE GENEALOGY ACCOUNT OF JESUS [Matthew 1:1]

     II.            GOSPEL IN ANGEL’S ANNOUNCEMENT TO JOSEPH [Matthew 1:18-21]

   III.            GOSPEL IN GABRIEL’S ANNOUNCEMENT TO MARY [Luke 1:26-38]

  IV.            GOSPEL IN ANGEL’S ANNOUNCEMENT TO SHEPHERDS [Luke 2:8-20]

    V.            THE GOSPEL, THE WISE MEN, & KING HEROD [Matthew 2:1-12]

  VI.            GOSPEL IN ZECHARIAS’ PROPHESY [Luke 1:67-71]

I.                    THE GOSPEL IN THE GENEOLOGY ACCOUNT OF JESUS [Matthew 1:1]

The very first book of the New Testament in our Bible, in the very first chapter and the very first verse begins [Matthew 1:1] “The book of generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham” (KJV).  First, referring to Jesus as the “Christ” is most important, because this is the title that was given to Him—Jesus Christ.  John, the beloved disciple of Jesus tells us his whole purpose in writing the Gospel of John is that he wanted his readers to know that Jesus was the Christ [John 20:31].  The word “Christ” is the Greek word “Christos” meaning “anointed ” or “Anointed One;” that is, Jesus was the anointed Son of God, the “Messiah”—the one promised by God in the Old Testament who would save/deliver God’s people from the hands of their enemies [Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:17-26]. 

Next, this Messiah is referred to as the “son of David, the son of Abraham.”  How can that be?  They both lived and died long before Jesus was born.  Then how do we explain the reference to David and Abraham being the father of Jesus?  A good understanding of the accounts of both these men in the Old Testament will shed the necessary light on this issue.  David is mentioned first because God prophesied through Nathan the prophet that David would have a descendant whom God would raise up to establish the throne of His kingdom eternally on earth [II Samuel 7:12-13, 16].  Matthew’s Gospel is telling his readers that Jesus is that promised descendant from David’s lineage, who will set up God’s kingdom on earth eternally.  Jesus is that Messiah.

Next, we have the reference to Abraham being the father of Jesus.  Abraham is also called the father of our faith, yet, we know he is not our father either.  The Apostle Paul helps us best understand this.  He taught Abraham to be the father of all who believe [Romans 4:11].  The gospel originated with Abraham [Galatians 3:8], when he wrote that the “gospel” (good news) was preached in advance to Abraham.  What was the gospel that Abraham received from God?  To know that we would need to go back to the first book of the Bible to understand the gospel Abraham received.  It would require reading all of Genesis chapters 12 through 18, because we have multiple narratives between God and Abraham, where God reveals the various parts of His gospel to Abraham over a period of time.  All the parts taken as a whole give us a clear presentation of the gospel.  See my article entitled, “The Gospel of the Kingdom – Part Two” for a full accounting of the gospel Abraham received from God.  In summary, the gospel given to Abraham and his descendants in advance was all about a conditional promise from God of inheriting land from which God would raise up kings who would rule the nations eternally [Genesis 17:6-8].  God would save/deliver/protect them from their enemies [Genesis 12:3].  However, all this would not happen unless Abraham and his descendants were careful to obey the commands, statutes, and judgments of God [Genesis 17:9, 10; 22:17, 18].

Jesus tells us “Abraham enjoyed . . . the thought of seeing my day” [John 8:56].  Why would Abraham welcome the coming of Jesus?  Because Jesus was saying that His coming was the fulfillment of the gospel promise made to Abraham by God.  Jesus came the first time to build the kingdom promised to Abraham in the hearts of His disciples, but will return the second time to bring God’s salvation (delivering them from their enemies) and setting up God’s kingdom on earth [Matthew 6:10; I Corinthians 15:23, 24; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 11:15].  The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that by faith Abraham and others obeyed and received the land promised to them, but that was not the full revelation of God’s promise; they also longed for the eternal kingdom in the eternal city Jerusalem on earth [Hebrews 11:8-16, 39] from which God the Messiah would reign king and they would share in ruling and reigning with the Messiah [Genesis 17:1-8].

So, Matthew rightly begins his Gospel by connecting his readers back to the two promises God made in the Old Testament through David and Abraham and when taken together gives us the complete Old Testament  gospel.

II.                 THE GOSPEL IN THE ANGEL’S ANNOUNCEMENTS TO JOSEPH [Matthew 1:18-21]

Matthew tells us an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name “Jesus,” for He will save His people from their sins” [Matthew 1:21].  The name “Jesus” means “Jehovah saves.”  Jehovah is the special name the Jews called God.  Jehovah/God was always saving/delivering/rescuing His people from their enemies. 

Is it not interesting that the angel says Jesus came to save “His people!”  Why the specific mention to His people and not the people of the world?  Of all the people groups on this earth, long ago God choose Abraham and his descendants to make a covenant with them to be their God.  Jesus is the answer to the promises God made to Abraham and David of having a Messiah, who would deliver God’s people Israel and put them back into the Promised Land.  These gospel promises were made to Abraham and his descendants; they would have no meaning to other nations.  God had chosen Israel among all the peoples of the earth to receive the promise of inheriting the land eternally and ruling the nations with the Messiah upon His return to the earth.  However, the nation of Israel had repeatedly disobeyed God’s teachings and God allowed them to be captured and taken to other lands and Jerusalem was captured as well.  At this time it was the Romans who had conquered Jerusalem.  The reference to Jesus saving His people from their sins is directly related to this—in Christ, God was calling the Jews to repent from following other gods, so that God could restore them to their rightful place of leadership within the Promised Land.

This is why Jesus’ main teaching was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” [Matthew 4:17, 23].  The kingdom promised to Israel was the Promised Land (the nation of Israel, which included Jerusalem).  If they repented as a people of God, God would return their land to them from which to rule the nations.  The Jews in Jesus day were clearly looking for a Messiah to come and lead them to overthrow the Romans and set up God’s kingdom and rule on earth.  When the angel appeared to Joseph in his dream, he was telling him that this baby in Mary’s womb is the promised Messiah, who will deliver God’s chosen people, thus, fulfilling His promise to Israel.

III.               GOSPEL IN THE GABRIEL’S ANNOUNCEMENT TO MARY [Luke 1:26-38]

Let us now look at the message the angel Gabriel delivers to Mary in Luke’s Gospel.  She is also told His name will be “Jesus” [Luke 1:31].  “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”  Wow!  Did you catch that?  Gabriel was telling Mary that the primary reason for her to have this son was that He would be the one to fulfill the promise made to David—about one of his descendants sitting on the throne of Israel and ruling eternally on the earth.  Nothing is told to Mary about Jesus coming to die on the cross to save the world from its sins.  His primary purpose in coming was to save Israel from her enemies, thus fulfilling the two promises God made through Abraham and David.  This was the good news!  This is the gospel!

The original gospel promised to Abraham was that his descendents would inherit land eternally [Genesis 17:8].  When Jesus returns the second time, He returns to set up God’s kingdom on earth.  This is why He taught his disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to come to earth [Matthew 6:10].  Upon His return all other kingdoms will be put under His feet [II Corinthians 15:24-25].  This is the Millennium (1,000 year) Kingdom of God on earth [Revelation 20:1-6].

IV.                THE GOSPEL IN THE ANGEL’S ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE SHEPHERDS [Luke 2:8-20]

Shepherds were guarding their flocks in the field when an angel from the Lord appears to them.  The very first thing the angel tells them is that they are not to be afraid, because the angel was bringing “good news” of great joy to them.  These were Jewish shepherds and among the poorest of men, so what would be good news for them to hear about from their God?  Every Jew, even among the poorest of them longed for the day when they would be given back their own land and to once again have God bless that land fruitfully as He had promised to them from the time of Abraham. 

In order for this good news to be fulfilled, God had provided Israel a “Savior.”  This Savior would be the one who would lead them to return to their land and defeat whatever enemy stood in the way.  No longer would these shepherds be working in someone’s field, but these fields would be returned to them.  This Savior would ultimately lead them to defeat their enemies, the Romans, who now control their fields. 

This Savior is the Promised Messiah (Christ) that all of knew about and had waited to come.  At the very beginning of His ministry, He declared, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” [Matthew 4:17] and “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel (“euaggelion”) of the kingdom.” [Matthew 4:23].

So, what was the good news (gospel) that the angel spoke to the shepherds?  It was that the newborn baby Jesus was the prophesied Messiah, the Christ, that Israel had looked forward to for hundreds of years.  This Savior was the Promised Messiah, meaning He would deliver them from their enemies and regain the Promised Land that was given to them.

V.                THE GOSPEL, THE WISE MEN, & KING HEROD [Matthew 2:1-12]

The wise men, Magi, from the east, came to Bethlehem to find “the one who has been born king of the Jews.”  Having come from the east, it is highly unlikely that they were Jews or Jewish converts.  They were more likely Persians, possibly from Bagdad (Babel), where astrology originated.  The Persians over the years would have an enormous amount of cross-cultural exchange.  Consider Abraham was originally from that region and the Israelites were taken captive into that region there for quite a period of time.  Is it not possible that these Magi had heard about the prophesy that the God of Israel would raise up for Israel in the lineage of David a king who would rule eternally on the throne of King David.  Also, is it not possible that these magi had access to certain portions of Old Testament writings.  Note that they were traveling to Judah, to worship and pay homage to this new king of the Jews.

Word spread quickly in that region that the birth of baby Jesus was the promised Messiah.  These Magi arrived in Jerusalem looking for the "King of the Jews."  Herod, the Roman appointed King of the Jews, likewise heard about these stirrings and called his scholars together to determine where this "Messiah" was born.  They found from Scriptures in Bethlehem [Micah 5:2].  Herod secretly called the Magi to determine the exact time the star appeared.  He sent them to Bethlehem to search for the child, who was born King of the Jews, and asked them to return to him upon finding where the child could be found.  The Magi left and followed the star till it led them to Jesus.  They presented expensive gifts to this child, fit for a king.  The Magi were warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod.

When Herod realized the Magi did not return to him, he became enraged and had all the male babies  in Bethlehem and its vicinity from two years old and under according to the time which he had determined killed.  Why would Herod want these innocent babies murdered?  Because the birth of the Messiah would be a threat to him or any of his sons being King of the Jews.  Herod, a Jew himself, wold seek to destroy anyone who would take away his kingdom on earth.

However, God had already warned Joseph in a dream to flee Bethlehem and go to Egypt to fulfill the prophesy [Hosea 11:1], "Out of Egypt I called My Son."  It would be God's Son, Jesus, who would fulfill the prophesy to David that one of his descendants would sit on his throne and rule the nations eternally.  This is the main reason Jesus came into the world--to save/deliver God's people from the hands of their enemies and put them back into the Promised Land, from which they would co-reign with Jesus the Messiah.  

  

VI.              THE GOSPEL IN ZECHARIAS’ PROPHESY [Luke 1:67-79]

Zechariah, a priest and father of John the Baptist, was unable to speak for a period of time because he doubted the message from the angel Gabriel that he and his wife Elizabeth would be given a son in their old age [Luke 1:18-20].  When John was eight days old, he was taken to the temple to be circumcised.  When Zacharias was asked his name, the Lord opened his mouth and he declared, “John.”  The people were all amazed, wondering, “What then is this child going to be?” [Luke 1:66]—who is this child named John?  John the Baptist was the forerunner announcing the coming of the promised Messiah [Matthew3:1-3].

Shortly thereafter Zacharias prophesied about “a horn of salvation” coming from the house of David, as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets, who would bring “salvation from our (Israel) enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us (again, reference to Israel).”   In raising up this Messiah, God was “to show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father.”  What covenant?  What oath?  It was the promise God made to Abraham back in Genesis that He would give land eternally to Israel from which they could rule the nations, if they would only be careful to obey all God’s ordinances, statues, and judgments.

Zacharias was now prophesying that the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, was the fulfillment of God’s gospel promise to Abraham and his descendants.  This Savior Jesus main purpose in coming was to fulfill God’s promise of rescuing His people from hands of their enemies.  Note that in this brief prophesy that Zacharias repeats this twice so that it would be clear to all about the purpose of Messiah.  Jesus’ primary purpose in coming was not to die on the cross to forgive sins; He does do that, but it is not “the gospel”.  The gospel is that the salvation that Jesus brought was to deliver His people from the hands of their enemies and to set up God’s kingdom on this earth eternally.  In Jesus’ first coming, He begins the building of the kingdom of God within people’s lives, but when He returns, He will build God’s kingdom permanently on this earth, beginning in the Promised Land.

CONCLUSION:

Our purpose was to discover the meaning of the gospel through the birth narratives of Jesus as found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.  We searched thoroughly these Scriptures and related passages.  Each and every one of these narratives pointed us back to one of two Old Testament references: the eternal promises made to Abraham and King David.  They were all about the promise of a Messiah, a Savior, who would come and set up God’s kingdom on earth by delivering God’s people from the hands of their enemies.  They would be put back into that Promised Land.  This message is the heart and soul of the gospel message!  This is what “good news” to all of them was!

Amazingly enough, the only reference to Jesus coming to save people from their sins was in reference to what the angel spoke to Joseph, and that reference was to save His people—the chosen people of Israel.  There is no mention of the main purpose of Jesus’ birth to be—dying  on the cross to save the world from its sin, and that whoever invites Jesus into their life, can receive eternal life, and go to heaven when they die.  Now that is truly amazing!  Why no mention whatsoever to this purpose of Jesus’ birth?  Because, it was simply not the gospel message!  Yet, God is totally consistent in the message that He gives to each of His messengers in sharing the main reason He was sending His Son into the world to Zacharias, Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, Magi, and King Herod respectively.

How did and why did the people of God get so off course?  The Scriptures make it abundantly clear about the main purpose of Jesus’ first coming to earth.  How did we get away from the truth of the gospel?  Believe it or not the answer is quite simple.  First, we believed what others taught us and never searched the Scriptures for ourselves to see if what they were teaching was true.  Remember the Bereans [Acts 17:10, 11]?  The gladly listened to Paul’s message about the gospel, but returned to their homes daily to search the Scriptures to see if what Paul was sharing was correct.  The only Scriptures they had to search would have been the Old Testament.  They knew well the gospel God shared with Abraham and David and concluded that what Paul shared about Jesus being the Messiah was true, so they believed Paul.

The second reason that the meaning of the true gospel is easily missed is that it is not connected to the Old Testament.  In fact, the gospel was first given in the Old Testament—to Abraham as already mentioned Galatians 3:8].  You must first know from the Old Testament Scriptures what that true gospel was.  The New Testament does not give us a new or another gospel; rather, it fulfilled the gospel of the Old Testament.  When you understand the gospel of the Old Testament, then you can clearly understand what was the “good news” that God’s messengers proclaimed in the birth narratives of Jesus. 

THE TRUE GOSPEL IS THAT JESUS AS MESSIAH CAME TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR ENEMIES AND RESTORE THEM TO THEIR LAND!

                                    AUGUST, 2012     [see also Psalms 145:10-13; Revelations 2:26. 27; 3:21, 22]

GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM: PART THREE

GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM: PART THREE
“Abraham in the New Testament”

Other than Jesus, Abraham is second most central person in the New Testament. He is directly mentioned 73 times in the New Testament, with nearly half of those in the four Gospels. In the gospel of John we have a lengthy teaching by Jesus as to who are true children of Abraham [John 8:31-59]. The Apostle Paul devotes one full chapter to him in explaining his significance to us and how we are related to him (Romans 4). Why are there so many references to Abraham in the New Testament? In the “Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 2, it was shared with you how the “gospel” (good news) was preached in advance to Abraham (Galatians 3:8). And we learned that the good news Abraham received was that he and his descendants were to inherit land eternally and from that land they would rule the nations, if they would obey God’s instruction book, the Bible.

Part Three is arranged in a manner where you can first search the Scriptures on various topics related to Abraham being mentioned throughout the New Testament. Be sure to read all the Scriptures related to each part. Next, you will find some of the major Scriptures referring to Abraham with brief comments by the author.

· ABRAHAM AS FATHER: Abraham is referred to as the father of all who believe [Romans 4:11, 16]. Jesus taught that the poor man Lazarus called Abraham father [Luke 16:24, 30]. Stephen begins his defense in his final speech before he dies by referring to Abraham as father [Acts 7:2]. Why? Abraham is father, because God first gave him the promise of inheriting land on earth eternally and ruling the nations [Genesis 17:6-8]. This promise was for him and all his true descendants [Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 15:18, 19; 17:7].

· CHILDREN (SONS, DAUGHTERS) OF ABRAHAM: Luke 3:8, 13:16, 19:9; John 8:39; Acts 13:26; Galatians 3:7; 1 Peter 3:6. Who are the true children of Abraham? True children follow in the steps of the faith of their father Abraham [Romans 4:12, 16] hold to the teachings of God [John 8:31]; they have room in their hearts for God’s word [John 8:37]; they demonstrate their love to Jesus through obedience to God’s commandments [John 14:23, 24].; and, they hears what God says [John 8:31-47]. True children do not live by their sinful nature; they put to death the misdeeds of their body; they are led by the Spirit of God; they are heirs with Christ in ruling and reigning on the earth eternally [Romans 8:12-17].

· ABRAHAM, ISSAC & JACOB: Matthew 1:2, 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 3:34, 13:28, 20:37; Acts 3:13, 7:32; 1 Peter 3:6 Do you know why these three men are grouped together so many times in both Old and New Testament? It is only these three men: father, son, and grandson that God appears directly to share the promise and make the covenant with them of inheriting land and ruling the nations [Genesis 26:2-5; 28:1-4, 12-15].

· DESCENDANTS (SEED) OF ABRAHAM: Luke 1:55; John 8:33, 37; Acts 3:25; Romans 9:9, 11:1; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Galatians 3:16, 29; Hebrews 2:16, 7:5 True descendants of Abraham are not those circumcised in the flesh, but circumcised in the heart []. True descendant inherit what was promised to Abraham [Galatians 3:29; 4:7].

· PROMISE (OATH, COVENANT, INHERITANCE, BLESSING) TO ABRAHAM: Luke 1:72, 73; Acts 3:25, 7:17; Galatians 3:8, 14, 16, 18; Hebrews 6:13, 7:6, 11:8, 17

ABRAHAM IN NEW TESTAMENT:
· The first verse in the New Testament tells us that Jesus is the son of David and Abraham [Matthew 1:1]. Neither of these were his father. Why then call David and Abraham Jesus’ father? It is because the two most important promises of God in all history were first given to these two men. Abraham first received the promise of eternally inheriting land, blessing and ruling the nations. David received the promise that through one of his offspring God would establish the throne of his kingdom forever [II Samuel 7:12, 13]. Jesus when he returns will fulfill both of these promises on the earth.
· Mary tells Elizabeth about what Gabriel spoke to her and breaks out into song [Luke 1:39-56]—in this songs she speaks of the promise given to Abraham [Luke 1:54, 55]. Why? Because of the Gabriel had spoken to her [Luke 1:32,33].
· Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied also remembered the promise made to Abraham [Luke 1:67-74].
· Tax collector, Zacchaeus, declared by Jesus to be a son of Abraham [Luke 19:9].
· Jesus taught that children of Abraham do the deeds of Abraham [John 8:39].
· Jesus declares Abraham rejoiced to see His days [John 8:56].
· Stephen refers to Abraham during his dying defense [Acts 7:17, 32 (Exodus 3:6)].
· Apostle Paul frequently made reference to Abraham
o Paul declares the message of salvation (being delivered from the enemy) has been sent to the sons of Abraham [Acts 13:26].
o Lengthy teaching by Paul about Abraham [Romans 4:1-25].
o If we are children of God (children of Abraham), then we share in the promised inheritance [Romans 8:16-17].
o Gospel is preached in advance to Abraham [Galatians 3:7, 8, 29]

CONCLUSIONS: THE GOSPEL AND ABRAHAM: Abraham is mentioned so frequently in the New Testament, because God first made the promise of inheriting land eternally and ruling the nations and sealed it with a covenant for descendants of Abraham who were careful to obey God’s word—commands, statutes, and judgments.

THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM - PART TWO

QUESTION: Is the gospel strictly a New Testament teaching or does it have any connections with the Old Testament?

ANSWER: CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING TEACHING FROM THE APOSTLE PAUL:

“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations shall be blessed in you’” [Galatians 3:8].

Did you realize that the gospel was preached to Abraham before John the Baptist [Matthew 3:2] and Jesus [Matthew 4:17, 23] began to preach the message about the Kingdom of God? To best understand the gospel that Abraham received, we need to search the account from Genesis chapters 12-18, because God reveals this gospel to Abraham in parts, each building on the other to give Abraham a clear understanding of that gospel. Let us examine more carefully major texts in these chapters to determine what gospel Abraham received.

Remember the basic meaning or translation of the word “gospel” is “good news.” So as we search the Scriptures about the life of Abraham, we need to ask ourselves, “What was the good news that Abraham received from God?”

THE GOSPEL (GOOD NEWS) ABRAHAM RECEIVED: GENESIS 12-18

· Abraham is told to leave his country and go to a land God will show him [Gen. 12:1].
· Abraham is told by God that He will make him a great nation [Gen. 12:2].
· God will bless those Abraham blesses and curse those Abraham curses [Gen. 12:3].
· The land Abraham was to go to was Canaan [Gen. 12:5].
· God promised to give this land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants [Gen. 12:7].
· God speaks again to Abraham, but this time promising to give him and his descendants, as numerous as the “dust of the earth,” the promised land “forever” [Gen. 13:15-17].
· God promised Abraham a great “reward”—a heir, a son [Gen. 15:1-4].
· God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars [Gen. 15:5].
· God repeats to Abraham that He is giving him this land to possess [Gen. 15:7].
· God makes a covenant with Abraham about giving the land to his descendants and giving further details as to the boundaries of this land [Gen. 15:18-21].
· God adds to His promise to Abraham a conditional covenant with him and his descendants [Gen. 17:1-2].
· God’s covenant includes Abraham becoming the “father of a multitude of nations” (note: this is far beyond the twelve tribes) [Gen. 17:4-5].
· Nations and kings will come from Abraham [Gen. 17:6].
· God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants is an “everlasting covenant” [Gen. 17:7].
· God restates that He will give him and his descendants all the land of Canaan as an “everlasting covenant” [Gen. 17:8].
· When the Lord appeared to Abraham and tells him what He is going to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, God repeats again that Abraham will become a “great and powerful nation,” that “all nations on the earth will be blessed through him;” however, all that was conditional based upon Abraham teaching his children and household how to keep God ways [Gen. 18:18-19].
· An angel of the Lord appears to Abraham to once again recount all the major points of the gospel—Abraham would be blessed; his descendants will be numerous as the sand on the seashore and will take possession of the land (“cities of their enemies”); and through Abraham’s offspring “all the nations on earth will be blessed,” but only through obedience to God [Gen. 22:17, 18].

According to Genesis 12-18, the gospel or good news that Abraham received was primarily about he and his descendants inheriting a specific piece of land on this earth and it was given to them eternally. And from this land all the nations of the earth could be blessed. This promise made between God and his people became a covenant, but it was conditional—they had to walk in obedience to God’s word.

God shares this same gospel to Abraham’s son Isaac [Gen. 26:2-5] and to Isaac’s son, Jacob [Gen. 28:3-4, 12-15]. These three, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob receive the gospel directly from God—no wonder the three of them are mentioned so frequently throughout Scriptures. Jacob near his death passes on this same gospel to his son Joseph [Gen. 48:3-6].

The rest of the Old Testament is one testimony after another as to what happened to God’s people when they obeyed and when they disobeyed. Obedience led to their possessing the Promise Land and prospering; disobedience led to other nations taking control of their land. In other words, entrance to ruling the nations is not 100% guaranteed, lest we forget that the first generation of those who left Egypt, other than Joshua and Caleb, were not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Obedience to living according to the teachings of God’s kingdom had to be adhered to.

When you think about the gospel, do you think about inheriting land eternally on earth? The good news that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob received from God was inheriting a land eternally from which they would rule and bless the nations on earth. For any Jew, it has always been the good news they were looking for both in the past and in our present day. They are looking for God to deliver them from their enemies and put them back in the Promise Land. They are waiting for that to be fulfilled.

In “The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part Three, we will examine how the gospel that Abraham received is connected to the New Testament.

GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM (PART ONE)

QUESTION: "WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?"

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING FACTS FROM SCRIPTURES:


· The first message that Jesus began to preach was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” [Matthew 4:17].
· Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching and preaching “the good news of the kingdom” [Matthew 4:23].
· The first petition that Jesus taught his disciples to pray was to pray that God’s kingdom come, his will be done on earth as it is in heaven [Matthew 6:33].
· Jesus sent his disciples out and gave them the following instruction, “As you go, preach the the message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’” [Matthew 10:7].
· Jesus taught, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it” [Matthew 11:12].
· Jesus taught, “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” [Matthew 12:28].
· When asked why he spoke in parables, Jesus replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them” [Matthew 13:11 (13:10-17)].


· Jesus told numerous parables to explain further what the kingdom of heaven is like.
o Parable of the Sower [Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23]
o Parable of the Weeds [Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43]
o Parable of the Mustard Seed [Matthew 13:31-32]
o Parable of the Yeast [Matthew 13:33]
o Parable of the Hidden Treasure [Matthew 13:44]
o Parable of the Pearl of Great Price [Matthew 13:45]
o Parable of the Net [Matthew 47:47-50]
o Parable of the Owner of a House [Matthew 13:52]
o Parable of the Unmerciful Servant [Matthew 18:23-35].
o Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard [Matthew 20:1-16]
o Parable of the Two Sons [Matthew 21:28-32]
o Parable of the Tenants [Matthew 21:33-44]
o Parable of the Weeding Banquet [Matthew 22:1-14]
o Parable of the Ten Virgins [Matthew 25:1-13]
o Parable of the Talents [Matthew 25:14-30]


· Upon Peter declaring that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus said to him, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” [Matthew 16:19].
· Jesus, when asked by his disciples who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, taught “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become life little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” [Matthew 18:1-4].
· Jesus said the kingdom of heaven belongs to little children [Matthew 19:14].
· Jesus taught it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven [Matthew 19:23-24].
· Jesus warns teachers of the law, who do not practice what they preach, who do things in order to be seen, who “shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces,” will not enter the kingdom of heaven, nor will they let others enter [Matthew 23:1-39].
· Jesus spoke about a judgment that will take place on his return, a separation of sheep and goats. The sheep receiving their inheritance—the kingdom prepared for them since the creation of the world [Matthew 25:31-46].
· The book of Acts begins with Jesus spending his last forty days on earth speaking “about the kingdom of God” to his disciples [Acts 1:3].  The last question the disciples asked Jesus was, "Lord, is it at tthis time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" [Acts 1:8].
· The book of Acts ends with the Apostle Paul, under house arrest for two years, “Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ” [Acts 28:30-31].

SUMMARY: The weight alone of the body of evidence from Scriptures clearly speaks to the fact that the gospel (good news) that Jesus taught and preached about, as well as the Apostle Paul, was all about a kingdom of God coming on earth; about what this kingdom was like; about who can enter this kingdom; about the rewards of God’s kingdom; and about what happens to those who do not enter God’s kingdom.

QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Why do the religious systems teach that the primary message of the gospel is about Jesus dying on the cross to forgive people of their sins, so they can go to heaven when they die? It is hard to believe, but nowhere and no time do we find Jesus teaching his disciples or anyone else that he came into the world to die for their sins so that they can enter the kingdom of God. However, we do find Jesus constantly teaching others about a kingdom of God coming to earth and seeking to disciple chosen individuals so that they can be prepared and qualified to rule and reign with the Messiah in God’s eternal kingdom. The message of the kingdom is THE GOSPEL!