"The Apostles Preached the True Gospel"

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What evidence is there that other New Testament writers preached this same message? A great deal! Peter preached the kingdom. Notice: “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting KINGDOM of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 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).

Matthew’s account mentions the term “gospel of the kingdom” three different times. Here is another example, almost identical to Matt. 4:23, already quoted: “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).

In most of His parables, Christ taught the basics of the kingdom of God. Matthew alone, mostly through parables, makes over fifty references to the coming kingdom of God.

Luke records that 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” (Luke 9:1-2). Soon after, He sent seventy others to preach, and they also carried the message of the “KINGDOM OF GOD” (Luke 10:1, 9).

John records Christ’s words before Pontius Pilate on the night He was betrayed. This is an important clue to comprehend. Christ said, “My KINGDOM is not of this world [this present society]” (John 18:36). We will discover the details later of exactly how God’s government will be established on Earth.

Recall that Philip, a deacon, preached the kingdom to the Samaritans (Acts 8:12). Notice that he preached separately the kingdom and Christ: “But when they believed Philip … concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12).

Philip not only preached the gospel of the kingdom, but he also differentiated it from the teaching about Jesus Christ. Take time to read this entire account. Remember, the messenger is not the message. Christ is not the gospel. However, He does stand directly alongside it and will rule the entire Earth when the kingdom is established.

So then Luke, the writer of Acts, further differentiates between preaching about the kingdom of God and preaching about Jesus Christ! While both are vitally important, they are clearly two separate subjects!

We have addressed how some claim Paul preached a “different gospel.” These are obviously unaware that it was Paul whom God used to pronounce a curse on anyone who did this (Gal. 1:8-9). We have seen that Paul preached the kingdom of God. However, you will notice two verses in Acts, which show that he did not neglect the second subject of Christ’s role in the process of salvation.

First, let’s establish that Paul preached God’s kingdom to the Gentiles. Acts 19:8 states, “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.” There are many places in his epistles where Paul taught the kingdom to various Gentile churches. His message was always the same, continually preaching and referring to the kingdom of God.

Examine this from Acts 20:25: “I have gone preaching the KINGDOM OF GOD.… repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ac 20:21). This account makes clear that Paul preached the same gospel—also alongside the role of Christ—to both Jew and Gentile. (The Ephesians were primarily Gentile converts.)

Next, 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.” Like Philip, Paul understood that the gospel and who Jesus Christ was were two separate subjects.

Finally, consider one more passage where Paul made a distinction between the gospel and the Person of Christ, by briefly referencing again 2 Corinthians 11:4: “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 urged the Corinthians to reject false teachers and to hold to what he had taught them. He plainly distinguished the teaching of a false Jesus and a false gospel as two separate errors.

Again ask yourself: if Christ is the gospel, then why did Paul (four times) and Philip speak of them as two separate matters?

Every Old Testament Prophet Preached the Kingdom

Many have supposed that the gospel is exclusively a New Testament message. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Bible is literally filled with places, Old and New Testament, which describe various aspects and prophecies about the kingdom of God.

Let’s consider an amazing statement by Peter found in Acts 3:19-21: “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—“the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19), with Ac 3:20 stating 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 that “God has spoken by … ALL His holy prophets since the world began.”

This is a stunning statement! But is it true?

Could God have actually used every one of His prophets to announce His kingdom? Why do Bible scholars and religionists ignore this—or even reject it outright? Let’s survey the Old Testament.

The Pre-flood Preachers

Jude wrote that “Enoch [Noah’s great grandfather] … prophesied … saying, Behold, the Lord COMES.… to execute judgment upon ALL” (Jude 14-15). This obviously refers to Jesus Christ returning to establish a government, ruling ALL nations.

In 2 Peter 2:5, Noah is referred to as the “eighth … preacher of righteousness.” Jude wrote that Enoch was the “seventh from Adam.” Hence, Noah, next to follow him, is referred to as “the eighth.” Beginning with Abel, and including Enoch, there were seven men who previously held this role before Noah. These eight men’s lives spanned the entire period between Adam and the Flood, and they all preached the same message.

Careful review of Jude reveals that Enoch also preached about sin and righteousness. While much could be said about this sixteen-and-a-half-century period, suffice to say, all of these men spoke the same message. Remember, Peter said, “… since the world began.” Who else preached of God’s kingdom?

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