What is Christianity Wiki

Jump to: navigation, search

Meaning of “Gospel”

Next Part What the Apostle Paul Preached


Back to The True Jesus Christ Unknown to Christianity


Back to By David C. Pack


The word gospel is an old English word meaning “god spell” or good news. The word kingdom is also an old English term that means “government.” Therefore, it is accurate to say that Jesus preached “the good news of the government of God.” We will examine the who, what, where, when, why, and how of this good news, and how it relates to the Bible’s greatest prophecy.

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. Most ministers are oblivious to the true gospel, and never preach about it. Therefore, virtually the entire world stands in complete ignorance of the single greatest truth in God’s Word!

Yet another example that the true Jesus Christ is unknown to Christianity!

How Many Times Mentioned?

The word gospel is found over 100 times in the Bible. Sometimes it is found alone, and sometimes “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 it 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. Grasp this crucial point!

Throughout the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus talked constantly about the kingdom of God. Here is but a tiny sampling: “And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings [gospel] of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with Him” (Luke 8:1).

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” (Matt. 4:23).

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (Matt. 9:35).

“And He said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables” (Mark 4:11).

Seven Proofs God’s Kingdom Is Not on Earth Now!

Many professing Christians misread Luke 17:21 and Colossians 1:13 and conclude that the kingdom is here now, either in the form of the Church or “in the hearts of men.” They then conclude that it is their “Christian duty” to spread it through brotherly love, tolerance, etc.

As sincere as this belief may be, it is not biblical. Then how did men jump to this false conclusion?

Here are two major reasons:

First, they don’t let the Bible interpret the Bible. Instead of heeding II Peter 1:20, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation,” they assign their own preconceived notions to Bible verses. Also, they do not allow the Bible to teach, reprove, correct or instruct them (II Tim. 3:16-17). Second, they limit their understanding on a subject by reading only one or two passages, and taking them out of context. They also ignore many other verses that would give the “big picture” of what the Bible actually teaches. To understand the Bible on any doctrine, one must search all the scriptures on the subject. No single verse captures the entire meaning and understanding of any subject.

Isaiah 28:9-10 states, “Whom will He teach knowledge? And…make to understand the message?…For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (NKJV). In a sense, God designed the Bible to be like a jigsaw puzzle. Always piece together all related verses found throughout the Bible.

Now let’s examine seven proofs God’s kingdom is not on earth now.

ONE: The Kingdom of God Is Within You?

In Luke 17:20-21 Christ said, “The kingdom of God comes not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Many read this verse and conclude, “Aha! God’s kingdom is within me.” But is that what the verse really says?

To understand the meaning of this verse, it is important to recognize to whom Christ was speaking. The first part of Lk 17:20 gives the answer: “And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said…” Christ was talking to the Pharisees—not His disciples! They asked Him, “When will your kingdom come?”

Here is Christ’s answer: “The kingdom of God is within you.” Could Jesus have meant that His kingdom was within the Pharisees—men He called “hypocrites” and “blind guides,” who “omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith,” who were “full of extortion and excess,” who were like “whited [tombs], which appeared beautiful outward, but…within [were] full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:21, 23-27)?

Emphatically, NO! More study shows that the phrase “within you” is a mistranslation. Some margins in the New King James Version read, “in your midst.” The New English Bible reads, “is among you.” The Revised Standard Version says, “in the midst of you.” Christ was telling these carnal men that His kingdom was in their presence. How?

Jesus was referring to Himself. He represented God’s kingdom. While Jesus was a flesh and blood man, He was also the Messiah. Born to become a king, He never sinned or went against His Father’s will. He was, quite literally, the perfect representative of God’s government.

TWO: Defining a Kingdom

All kingdoms consist of four parts: territory, a king (or ruler), subjects and laws. If God’s kingdom is already here, whether as the Church or in the “hearts of men,” then the entire earth would be under its rule (Zech. 14:9).

If God’s kingdom is already here, Christ, its King, would be sitting on David’s throne (Isa. 9:6-7), ruling from Jerusalem (Zech. 8:3). Note: Jerusalem means “City of Peace.” Yet today it is one of the most chaotic, terrorized, war-torn cities on earth! Obviously, Christ is not ruling from there.

If God’s kingdom is already here, His subjects (all mankind) would live under Christ’s rule. Even Gentile nations such as Egypt will be required to obey Him—or suffer the consequences (Zech. 14:16-19). This is not the case today.

If God’s kingdom is already here, His laws would be known by every man, woman and child throughout the earth. All people would at least be moving toward obedience. No one would be able to claim ignorance of these laws (Isa. 30:21; Jer. 31:34). This has not yet happened.

THREE: Seeing the Kingdom

In John 3:3, Christ told Nicodemus, a Pharisee, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Confused, Nicodemus replied, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:4-5).

To see and enter God’s kingdom, you must become spirit. Paul wrote, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. 15:50)!

Jesus further explained that spirit is like wind. It is invisible. One cannot see it. But human beings are flesh and blood, and can be seen.

Those who are “born again” shall resemble Christ (I John 3:2). No physical man looks like Him as He is in heaven today: “His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters…and His countenance was as the sun shines in [its] strength” (Rev. 1:13-17).

Do you know of anyone who looks and sounds like this now?

We should also consider that the first resurrection (when God’s servants are “born again”) will not happen until Christ returns (I Cor. 15:50-54; I Thes. 4:16-17). If this had already occurred, the whole world would know it. No one could possibly miss such an event (Matt. 24:23-27).

(We will address the subject of when one is “born again” in more detail in Chapter Eighteen.)

FOUR: World Peace Now?

Isaiah 9:6-7 says of Christ, “The government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.”

Watch the networks, read national news magazines and newspapers. Is this world enjoying peace? Do you believe Christ would allow murders, rapes, child molestation, riots, terrorism and wars under His divine rulership?

No! Obviously, Christ—the Prince of Peace—is not yet ruling His kingdom on earth.

FIVE: What About Colossians 1:13? To “prove” that God’s kingdom is here, many cite this verse: “Who [the Father] has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

Let’s carefully examine this verse and let the Bible interpret itself.

What is the “power of darkness” that God delivers His people from? Acts 26:17-18 states, “…delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send you, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God…” Satan and his demons rule the nations today. This is why Paul wrote that Christians do not “wrestle…against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Eph. 6:12), and it is also why Christ said, “My kingdom [government] is not of this world: if [it] were…then would My servants fight…but now is My kingdom not from here” (John 18:36).

When God delivers His people from the “powers of darkness,” He calls them out of this world (Rev. 18:4), out of its Satan-inspired (Eph. 2:2-3) system and ways of life—its governments. And He “has translated [margin: transferred] us into the kingdom [government] of His dear Son.” God delivers His servants from the government, laws and ways of Satan to His government at conversion.

Christians are citizens of God’s kingdom, though it is not here. For example, you are an American travelling abroad. Though you are not in the U.S., you are still an American citizen. Your citizenship is in America. In the same way, a Christian’s citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), though he does not live there.

Now consider Romans 4:17 as it speaks of Abraham: “God, who quickens [gives life to] the dead, and calls those things which be not [do not exist] as though they were…” When God said to Abraham, “A father of many nations have I made you” (Gen. 17:5), Isaac would not even be born until a year later (compare Gen 17:1-5 with Gen 21:5). His offspring did not grow into a single nation until hundreds of years later in Egypt! God knew that their descendants would become prosperous nations many centuries later. Since nothing can stop God from fulfilling His plans, to Him they are as good as done. Though His people are not yet born into His kingdom, He knows that they will be. Nothing can prevent this from occurring. In His mind, it is certain.

SIX: Thy Kingdom Come

If the kingdom is here now, either as the Church or “in the hearts of men,” why would Christ command His servants to continually pray, “thy kingdom come” (Matt. 6:9-10; Luke 11:2)? If at least the beginnings of the kingdom were here, or if the Church is the kingdom, wouldn’t Christ have commanded His followers to pray “thy kingdom grow and spread”?

SEVEN: Seeking the Kingdom

If God’s kingdom is here now, why would Jesus tell His followers, “But seek you first the kingdom of God” (Matt. 6:33)? If church members are already in the kingdom, why seek it? Again, would not Christ have told them to “first spread the kingdom”?

The Great Domino Effect

The Bible states that Satan is the “god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4). If he can lead people to believe that God’s kingdom is here now, then they will believe they are “born again.” And if they are “born again,” they must be “saved.” If they are “saved,” they cannot sin. If they cannot sin and break God’s Law (I John 3:4), they do not need to actually keep the law, because righteousness is being “imputed” by Christ. If they do not keep God’s Law—which defines His way of life (Rom. 13:10)—then they will no longer be a Christian (John 15:4-10, 14). This is exactly what Satan, your enemy, seeks.

Carefully examine the Bible for all that it says on every subject. Let it interpret itself. Only then will you grow in true biblical understanding!

“And He said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent” (Luke 4:43). “And the people, when they knew it, followed Him: and He received them, and spoke unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing” (Luke 9:11).

A great many more scriptures could be cited showing that Christ’s message was about the kingdom of God—not the forgiveness of sins, as most assume. Many of Jesus’ parables were about God’s kingdom.


Next Part What the Apostle Paul Preached


Back to The True Jesus Christ Unknown to Christianity


Back to By David C. Pack


Copyright © 2011 The Restored Church of God. All Rights Reserved.