section 1

The Gospel Preached by Christ

The Gospel that was preached by Jesus and the disciples is ABSOLUTELY necessary to understand if we are to have any hope of salvation. If we do not know what it is, if we are ignorant to the message Christ preached throughout his ministry, we have no hope.

Our salvation depends upon it.

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.

Luke 4:43 “And he [Jesus] said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

If someone asked you what that gospel message was, do you know what you would say? Are you confident in your understanding of what Jesus was sent to preach, and in answering someone that inquires?

If you doubt…read on. If you feel confident, definitely read on.

Most people say that “the gospel” is simply that Christ died for our sins. Yet while Christ and the disciples were going throughout the land preaching the gospel, we find the following in Mark 9:

Verse 31 - For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

How is it that the disciples of Christ traveled with him continually while he was preaching the gospel, yet they had no idea about his coming crucifixion, death, and resurrection?

Mark 9:9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

In other words, they had no understanding that Christ was “to die for their sins”. How can that be so, when they were with him for his whole ministry and were there all the while Jesus was “preaching the gospel”?

Christ dying for our sins is critical for our salvation, but that is not the gospel that Christ preached during his ministry.

The Gospel that Jesus preached was “the gospel of the kingdom of God”. Within that message lies the whole hope of mankind. We are told that the gospel was preached unto Abraham [Galatians 3:8], and we are told that the fulfillment of that gospel (good news) of the promises made to Abraham, have still not been fulfilled.

After Christ had ascended, Stephen tells us shortly before his death in Acts 7: 2-5

“The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. … And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him."

Stephen said this about 1800 years after Abraham had died.

The gospel of the kingdom:

We must know what it is, what it was, and what it will be. The gospel, or “good news”, surrounding God’s coming Kingdom…this is our hope.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

In order to “seek it first”, we must understand what it is. Now let’s look at what those promises entail.

Section 2

God's UNFULFILLED PROMISES constitute THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM

God has made very specific promises to some of the faithful in the Old Testament (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David) that have never been fulfilled, and these promises are at the foundation of the gospel of the kingdom.

Genesis 13: 14-17 “And the LORD said unto Abram… Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art … For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: …. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

Note that God promised the land/territory to Abraham himself AND his seed, FOREVER. This clearly has not happened, as was mentioned in Section 1. [and this “seed” includes spiritual Jews (Gentiles who become heirs through Christ) Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”]

Yet Stephen tells us in Acts 7 that Abraham has not received what God promised him.

Acts 7:2-5 ...And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him,

God also made promises to David, that a descendant of David would rule on the throne FOREVER

I Chronicles 17:11 “… when thy days be expired … I will raise up thy seed after thee, …and I will establish his kingdom.12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne forever.13 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and … I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom forever: and his throne shall be established for evermore.

Solomon did not fulfill this and in fact it has never been fulfilled, but Christ will do so when he returns to earth.

Acts 13: 22 … he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

And this seed was also promised to reign forever on his throne.

Acts 2:29-30 “let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day.30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

Clearly Christ has not “sat upon David’s throne ‘forever’”, but Christ will do so when he returns and establishes the kingdom on earth.

Luke 1: 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.31 And, behold, thou shalt … bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

God made all of these promises (and many others not here mentioned) that have yet not been accomplished.

Hebrews 11:39-40 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

The fulfillment of all these things collectively constitutes the gospel of the kingdom. Christ, our savior and king, will finish the work his Father has given him when he returns to earth. He will restore God’s kingdom on earth, in the promised land, and sit on the throne, subdue all other powers throughout the earth and rule the earth in righteousness. The glorified saints (Abraham’s seed) will rule with him. This, in its entirety, is the gospel of the kingdom. This is our hope!

Section 3

What is this "Kingdom to be Restored"?

Acts 1:6 “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”

In the Old Testament we read much about King David. David ruled over all 12 tribes of Israel (the 12 sons of Jacob = 12 tribes) After king David died, his son Solomon ruled, and he also ruled over all 12 tribes. But when Solomon died, the 12 tribes split into 2 separate kingdoms (in the north the 10 tribes were united, and in the south the other 2 tribes were united) and each had its own king for 300-400 years until they were overthrown.

Around 720 BC the Assyrians overran the northern 10-tribe kingdom and destroyed it (2 Kings 17:5-6), carrying away the people and scattering the tribes. Then in 586 BC, after many sieges on Jerusalem, the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and overran the 2-tribe kingdom and destroyed it (2 Kings 25:8-10), having carried away a number captives, including Daniel and Ezekiel.

Israel has never had a king, or kingdom, since then. After king Solomon, there was never an individual king that ruled over all 12 tribes, united as one. However, God has given us many prophecies in His scripture that tell us a restoration of that united 12-tribe kingdom will come, with one king, that will reign in righteousness forever (Christ).

As already noted, the disciples were very aware of these prophecies, because after the crucifixion, before Christ ascended, is when they asked him if now was the time:

Acts 1:6 “, Lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

One of the prophecies of this restoration is in Ezekiel 37, the parable of the “dry bones”. This prophecy was given by Ezekiel AFTER both the northern and southern kingdoms had been destroyed by Assyria and Babylon. In other words, this prophecy was given when the kingdom of Israel no longer existed…so there has never been a time this has been fulfilled.

Ezekiel 37 – Ezekiel is giving this prophecy as a captive in Babylon, after the destruction of Jerusalem.

Verses 11-12 “these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost …. 12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

v. 14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land

v. 19 thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim [Northern 10 tribe kingdom], and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah [ southern 2 tribe kingdom], and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

v. 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.

This has NEVER HAPPENED – but it’s coming, when Christ returns to earth and subdues all nations.

Daniel 2:44 “…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 for ever.

Jeremiah 23:5-8 “Behold, the days come, saith 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. “

Daniel 7:13-14 “ …behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, …14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.