WHAT IS THE TRUE GOSPEL?

Many professing Christians assume that they understand what is the true gospel. Sadly, most do not. They assume that the true gospel is about the Person of Jesus Christ. But Christ came in the first century A.D. as a Prophet to bring the gospel of Good News from the Heavenly Father about the coming kingdom of God on planet earth. His first advent was first prophesied by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15. Though Christ is preached in conjunction with the gospel, He is not the gospel. This can be verified in Acts 8:12 when the Apostle Philip preached 'the kingdom of God AND the name of Jesus Christ'. Similarly, the Apostle Paul preached ' the kingdom of God AND teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ' (Acts 28:31).

Throughout the centuries, man has invented many gospels - all false - such as the gospel of grace, social gospel, the gospel of faith healing and many others. There is only ONE true gospel which was preached by all the Old Testament prophets  (Acts 3:21), our Lord Jesus Christ and the early Apostles. Christ Himself started the ministry of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God after He was tempted by Satan to give up His mission.  Mark 1:14-15 records that 'Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, saying "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."  He states categorically in Luke 4:43 that it was for this purpose of proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God that He was sent (by the Heavenly Father). In fact, most of His parables are in direct or indirect reference to the kingdom of God!

The deception is so strong (Rev 12:9) that the Apostle Paul warned the churches in Galatia not to pervert the gospel OF Christ (Galatians 1:7) - the very gospel of the kingdom of God that Christ came to preach. However, many went on to pervert it by changing it to the gospel ABOUT Christ! Christ preached the gospel even before He walked the road of Calvary. The Old Testament prophets preached the same gospel long before His first advent. The promise land is a typology of the kingdom of God. However, Christ was prophesied to come as a Messenger of the covenant (Malachi 3:1c).

Simply put, the gospel means Good News and kingdom means Government. Thus the gospel of the kingdom of God is about the coming Government of God which will be installed on earth at Christ Second Coming (Daniel 7: 13, 14, 18, 21, 22, 27; Rev 11:15; 20:4). Christ will be the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16) and when every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).

There are four criteria for a kingdom - King (Lord Jesus Christ), territory (earth), citizens (humans who survived the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord) and laws (ten commandments and the law of Christ - Sermon on the Mount). Christ will rule with His disciples who will be resurrected in the First Resurrection (Rev 20:6) and born again as immortal sons of God in the Divine Family (Rev 3:21; 1 Jn 3: 2; 1 Jn 5:1). Many preachers are mistaken thinking that the kingdom of God is within the heart and mind of believers - all base on the wrong understanding and translation of Luke 17:21. Christ was speaking to the Pharisees who will not inherit the kingdom of God. In that verse, Christ was referring to Himself in the midst of them as He is the Divine Representative of the kingdom!

The Apostle Paul consistently preach the gospel of the kingdom of God recorded for us in Acts 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23 & 31. So did the Apostle Philip in Acts 8:12 where he differentiates the gospel from the person of Jesus Christ. Many sincere preachers quotes 1 Cor 15:1-4, mistaken the gospel (verse 1) to mean that Christ died for our sins (verse3). But they are two separate matters. Christ's role is important as without His death and resurrection, there is no forgiveness of sins and no means to enter the kingdom of God! The other Apostles like Peter (2 Peter 1:11) and James (James 2:5) also preached the gospel of the kingdom of God.

In Acts 3:19-21, the Apostle Peter refers to Christ Second Coming as the presence of the Lord, when all things (lost to Satan and sins) will be restored as the Garden of Eden before the Fall. The Lord Himself preached the gospel in all the cities and villages, synagogues (Matthew 9:35), healing every sickness and every disease among the people and He taught His disciples to do likewise (Matthew 10:7). All those who are the true disciples of Christ are commissioned to do so as recorded in Mark 16: 15-16, ' Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned'.  Can we not take heed?

Matthew 6:33 commanded us to seek first the kingdom of God and the Lord's prayer instructed us to pray, 'Thy kingdom come' (Matt 6:10). But the true gospel has not been preached since the early centuries and when those who do were martyred. But Christ prophesied in Matthew 24:14 that 'This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end (of the church age) will come'. Are you ready? Do watch and pray that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things (Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord) - Luke 21:36!