What Paul Preached'

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Paul preached the kingdom of God to the gentiles. Yet, some believe that he preached a “different” gospel—again, unaware that it was Paul who pronounced a curse on anyone who did this (Gal. 1:8-9). However, while Paul preached the kingdom of God, notice two verses in 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: “And 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 writer of Acts, differentiates between preaching about the kingdom of God and preaching about Jesus Christ! While both are vitally important, they are clearly two separate subjects!

In Acts 8:12, 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 the kingdom of God, 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 idea about it. Also, Christ’s name was taught as an all-important, but additional, understanding.

Jesus is not the gospel. However, He does stand directly alongside the true gospel and will rule the entire earth when He returns and establishes His kingdom. Do not lose sight of this!

Finally, consider another verse where Paul himself made a distinction between the gospel and the person of Christ. II Corinthians 11:4 contains this powerful warning: “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” (the margin more correctly renders this last phrase “with 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.

Some get confused when they read I Corinthians 15:1-4, thinking that Paul contradicts himself from other passages we have seen by stating that “the gospel” (I Cor 15:1) is “how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day” (I Cor 15:3-4). Simply note that “the gospel” reference in I Cor 15:1 is not connected to Christ’s death for our sins and burial in I Cor 15:3 and 4. Careful reading reveals this. When correctly understood, rather than saying that Christ is the gospel, this passage confirms the opposite, and supports Acts 8:12, 20:21-25, 28:31 and II Corinthians 11:4!

Since Jesus preached “repent and believe the gospel,” it should now be clear why. His role must always be preached in conjunction with the kingdom of God, because one cannot enter the kingdom unless he understands and accepts that “Christ died for our sins,” and that person has repented of his sins.

Ask yourself: If Christ IS the gospel—is the kingdom of God—then why did Paul (four times) and Philip speak of them as two separate matters?

What evidence is there that other New Testament writers preached this same message? A great deal! The apostle Peter also preached the kingdom of God: “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 1:11). So did the apostle James: “Hearken, my beloved brethren, has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to them that love Him?” (James 2:5).

All of God’s Prophets Preached the Kingdom

Acts 3:19-21 contains an amazing statement: “Repent you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”

Notice that Peter refers to the Coming of Christ (Ac 3:19) as “the presence of the Lord.” Ac 3:20 states that God “shall send Jesus Christ.” Ac 3:21 describes God’s kingdom as the “restitution of all things.” Peter stated that this “restitution” (Christ establishing His kingdom) is something “God has spoken by the mouth of all His Holy Prophets since the world began.”

This is a stunning statement! But is it true?

Could God have actually used all of His prophets to announce His kingdom? Bible scholars and religionists ignore this knowledge—and even reject it without examination.

Let’s review some examples.

The Pre-flood Preachers

The apostle Jude, Christ’s brother, stated, “Enoch [Noah’s great-grandfather]…prophesied…saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all” (Jude 1:14-15). These verses clearly refer to Christ coming to establish a world-ruling government.

II Peter 2:5 refers to Noah as the eighth preacher of righteousness. Jude wrote that Enoch was the “seventh from Adam.” These men were called “preachers of righteousness.” Including Abel, there were six other men who previously held this role, with their lives spanning the entire period between Adam and the Flood. Careful review of Jude reveals that Enoch preached about sin and righteousness. All of these “preachers” spoke the same message. Remember, Peter said, “…since the world began.”

Abraham, Moses and Samuel

Was the gospel preached during the period following the Flood?

In Genesis 12:3, God said to Abraham, “…in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.” This verse is also referenced in Galatians 3:8, but is phrased a little differently: “…in you shall all nations be blessed.” This same verse states that the gospel was “preached before unto Abraham.” This is fascinating understanding! Not only did Abraham have the gospel preached to him (probably by Melchizedek), but it is also preached in Genesis, through the writings of Moses! How could all nations be blessed unless Christ establishes His government on earth?

Moses was the first man that God raised up to lead Israel. While not a preacher of righteousness or an apostle, he was a prophet and a judge, preaching the gospel to ancient Israel when they were in the wilderness. Genesis 12:3 records the gospel, as does Numbers 24:17-19.

Acts 3:22 also shows that Moses, in effect, preached the coming kingdom when he foretold that God would raise up Christ as a great Prophet (Deut. 18:15) to preach to the whole world (Acts 3:23) at His Return. Now consider Hebrews 3:9 and 4:2. These verses make clear that Moses preached the gospel to ancient Israel: “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them [ancient Israel]” (Heb 4:2).

These verses, along with Acts 3:1-26, show that this included the period all the way up to—and through—Samuel! Notice how Acts 3:24 references Samuel as having preached the gospel: “Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.” These are clear and powerful statements that cannot be glossed over. Take a moment to reflect on what you have read. This verse says, “all God’s prophets…as many as have spoken…foretold of these days.”

David

David was a king. But even he preached the kingdom of God! In Psalm 67:4, he wrote, “…for You [God] shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.” This obviously refers to God’s coming government. Nations are on earth, not in heaven!

Isaiah and Jeremiah

Isaiah wrote, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever” (Isa 9:6-7).

This prophecy is so obvious that it needs no explanation!

Jeremiah wrote, “Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will raise unto David a Righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer 23:5-6, but also read Jer 23:7-8).

As with Isaiah, these verses need no further explanation. The prophet Jeremiah directly preached the gospel!

Ezekiel and Daniel=

Ezekiel wrote this of Israel’s descendants, alive today: “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Eze 36:24).

The next ten verses describe a period of rebuilding and national prosperity that can only happen after Christ’s Return. Take time to read them. They are unmistakably clear.

And Daniel wrote, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Dan. 2:44).

Did Daniel preach the kingdom of God? The Bible answers, “yes”—repeatedly!

All the Minor Prophets

With the possible exception of Jonah (who must have preached it outside of his book), all of the Minor Prophets recorded the gospel of the kingdom of God in one way or another.

Remember, seeing the phrase “the gospel of the kingdom of God” is not the only proper way of describing this coming government! Genesis 12:3 and Galatians 3:8 have already shown this.

Review the following verses. In each case, you will find that they refer, directly or indirectly, to the kingdom of God: Hosea 2:16, 19; 3:5; Joel 2:21-27; Amos 9:11-15; Obadiah 21; Micah 4:1-3; Habakkuk 2:14; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Zechariah 14:1-3, 8-9; Malachi 3:1-3.

Peter was right. “God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began…the restitution of all things”—that can only occur with the coming of God’s government. It is important to make one final point from this verse. It says, “God has spoken by the mouth of…” The gospel of the kingdom of God is a message from God. It should be clear that God speaks through whatever kind of servant He is using—prophet, patriarch, judge, deacon, preacher of righteousness, king, apostle or pastor!

His servants always spoke the same message!

Matthew’s account mentions “gospel of the kingdom” three times. Notice: “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” (Mt 9:35). In most of His parables, Christ taught the basics of the kingdom of God. Matthew alone makes over fifty references to it.

Luke records that Jesus Christ commissioned His disciples to preach this same message: “Then He called His twelve disciples together...And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:1-2). Soon after, He sent seventy others to preach, and they also carried the message of the “kingdom of God” (Lk 10:1, 9).

Standing before Pontius Pilate on the night He was betrayed, Christ gave an important clue to understanding the kingdom: “My kingdom is not of this world [this present society]” (John 18:36). We will discover the details later of how God’s government will be established on earth.

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