Jesus Was Foretold to Bring the Gospel
All the Apostles Preached This Same Gospel
Back to 1The Bible’s Greatest Prophecies Unlocked!
The Old Testament reveals that Jesus was to come as a messenger. Malachi 3:1 declares, “Behold, I [Christ] will send My messenger [John the Baptist], and he shall prepare the way before Me [Christ]: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger [Jesus Christ] of the covenant, whom you delight in.”
As we have seen, Jesus was the Messenger of the gospel, not the message. And His message is the core—the very center piece!—of the Bible.
Now compare the passage in Malachi with another in Luke: “The law and the prophets were until John [only Old Testament scriptures had been preached previously]: since that time the kingdom of Godis preached, and every man presses into it” (16:16). Remember, in Mark Jesus preached the “kingdom of God” and called it the gospel.
Meaning of “Gospel”
The word gospel is an old English word meaning “god spell” or good news. The word kingdom is also an old English term, simply meaning “government.” Therefore, it is accurate to say that Jesus preached “the good news of the government of God.” We will come to learn the who, what, where, when, why and how of this “news,” and its relation to the very greatest prophecy in the Bible.
The kingdom of God is the dominant theme of not only the New Testament, but of the whole Bible. Yet, incredibly, most know little or nothing of it. This world’s ministers are oblivious to this gospel, and never preach about it. Instead, claiming God’s kingdom is here now, and is spread by “kingdom building,” they stress “preaching Jesus” (not the kingdom) to the masses. Therefore, virtually the whole world stands in complete ignorance of the single greatest truth in God’s Word!
When Jesus Christ began preaching the message of God’s kingdom from the beginning of His ministry, He set the standard for His Church of the most awesome announcement the world would ever hear. Incredibly, uncounted millions cannot even get the meaning of the word “gospel” clear. They have no idea what Jesus talked about, even though He said the same thing over and over and over, everywhere He went!
How Many Times Mentioned?
The word gospel is found over 100 times in the Bible. Sometimes it is found alone, and sometimes the phrase “of the kingdom” follows it. Other times, it includes “of the kingdom of God,” or the equivalent phrase “of the kingdom of heaven.”
Note that this phrase says, “of heaven,” not “in heaven.” It is heaven’s kingdom and there is a big difference between the two. Just as kingdom of God means God’s kingdom—not the kingdom in God—the same is true of the kingdom of heaven or heaven’s kingdom. Unlike all the kingdoms of men, this kingdom belongs to heaven, meaning to God. Grasp this crucial point, lost on almost everyone!
Throughout the New Testament, the word “kingdom” is found 27 times, “kingdom of God” 75 times, and “kingdom of heaven” 34 times. All are one and the same.
What Paul Preached
While the apostle Paul preached the kingdom of God, notice two verses in the book of Acts showing that he did not neglect the subject of Christ’s role in the salvation process.
First, Acts 19:8 establishes which gospel he preached: “And he went into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.” In many of his epistles, he taught the kingdom to Gentile congregations. His message was always the same. He continually preached, taught and referred to the kingdom of God.
Next, Paul states in Acts 20:25, 21, “I have gone preaching the kingdom of God…repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” He preached the same gospel to both Jew and Gentile.
Now notice Acts 28:30-31: “Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Luke, the one who recorded Acts, differentiates between preaching the kingdom of God and preaching Jesus Christ! While both are vitally important, they are clearly separate subjects!
In Acts 8:12, we saw the deacon Philip also preached both of these same teachings: “But when they believed Philip…concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” We see that Philip not only preached God’s kingdom, but he also differentiated it from the teaching about Christ. Remember, the messenger is not the message.
Notice that these in Samaria were baptized only after “they believed” the right message—not some human substitute for it. Jesus’ name and role were taught as an important, but additional, understanding.
Finally, recall the powerful warning in II Corinthians 11:4. Paul makes the distinction between the gospel and the Person of Christ: “For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached…OR another gospel which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him” (most Bible margins correctly render “him” as “me”). Paul wanted the Corinthians to reject false teachers and hold to what he had taught them. The point here is that Paul distinguishes between the teaching of a false Jesus and that of a false gospel. These are—and always have been—two separate things!
Ask: If Jesus is the gospel—is the kingdom of God—why did Paul (four times) and Philip speak of them as separate matters?
Jesus Christ is NOT the gospel—and He is certainly NOT God’s kingdom!
All the Apostles Preached This Same Gospel