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.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
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!
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!
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