THE NEW COVENANT EXPLAINED - PART 4

The New Covenant is in essence, an improvement of the Old (Sinai) Covenant and not a replacement of it. For one, the New Covenant provides a better relationship with God as the former only provides a symbolic relationship with the Creator. New features were added in the New Covenant and some features that are symbolic were removed from the former. This is because Jesus Christ is now the permanent High Priest unlike the former which was based on the Levitical Priesthood descended from Aaron.

The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ provides a better promise in that eternal life was offered to all who would accept and obey Him as compared to the Sinai Covenant which provides only physical blessings as the blood of bulls and goats can never permanently take away the sins of mankind! Besides, the gift of the Holy Spirit is only available under the New Covenant for all who would repent to become sons and daughters of God born again into His Divine Family. Such gift was not made available to the masses under the Sinai Covenant. However, do note that the spiritual and moral laws of God enshrined under the Sinai Covenant remain intact and has never been replaced under the New Covenant  - they remain relevant even throughout eternity!

The Apostle Paul states that the spirit and not the letter of the law is to take precedence - 2 Corinthians 3:6. What it means is that the original meaning and purpose of the law is to take root in our hearts and mind and not just the letter written on tablets of stone - verse 3. This will enable those who are called of God to live life righteously and be able to have proper spiritual discernment in making life's decisions.

In fact, this is the miracle of "new creation" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) when God writes His law in our hearts and minds through the gift of the Holy Spirit and not through physical circumcision. The Apostle Paul is reminding the Galatians  - having started with the Spirit and to end with the circumcision of the flesh would be foolhardy - Galatians 3:1-3.

We now come to the 'new part' of Jesus Christ's 'New Commandment' that is often misunderstood. Many assume that Christ came to replace all of God's commandment taught in the Old Testament with this New Commandment - John 13:34. However, this is never the case as all His teachings show. Centuries ago before the first advent of Christ, Moses wrote about the same commandment recorded for us in Leviticus 19:18 - 'Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself : I am the LORD'. Jesus added the phrase 'as I have loved you' in John 13:34 but not found in Leviticus 19:18 because at the time of Moses, Jesus Christ was not yet incarnated as Man to walk the earth  and die for the sins of mankind.

The short phrase (as I have love you) holds great significance as it sets the perfect example of love Jesus has for all who would believe and obey Him - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends - John 15:13. The point Jesus was making is that love and obedience are inseparable - If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love: even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love - John 15:10.  All the teachings of Jesus Christ, particularly the Sermon on the Mount and that of the Apostle Paul clearly point to this fact - that observance of God's righteous law in the external form without a change of heart and mind is defective as one could still break God's righteous law inwardly where it cannot be seen by men. Such was the hypocrisy practiced by the scribes and Pharisees which was condemned by the Lord Jesus Christ - Matthew 5:20!

The Apostle Peter's caution about misunderstanding and misinterpreting Apostle Paul's teaching about law and grace has to be taken to heart. Otherwise, some will twist Paul's words out of context to mean different from what he intended - only to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16)! Contrary to what many believed Paul was teaching that the law of God had been 'nailed to the cross', he actually put the law on a firmer footing (Romans 3:31) - by affirming that the law of God is holy, and the commandment holy, just and good (Romans 7:12) as the law define what sin is (Romans3:20) - for sin is the transgression of the law (of God) - 1 John 3:4.

 

THE NEW COVENANT EXPLAINED - PART 3

The New Covenant is different from the Old (Sinai) Covenant is one crucial aspect - where God's law is written. While the Old Covenant was written on slabs of stones, the New Covenant is to be inscribed in the fleshly tablets of the hearts of those who are converted by receiving the gift of God's Holy Spirit - Jeremiah 31: 31-34. This would require a change in the law regarding the office of the High Priest - Hebrews 7:12. The Lord Jesus as the High Priest could assist all true believers in obeying God from the heart as He is seated at the right hand of God the Father, ever making intercession for those who are called by God.

The Old Covenant could only remind the people of their guilt and the need for redemption, but could not blot out their sins through the blood of bulls and goats - Hebrews 10:4. In the New Covenant, the blood of Jesus Christ permanently washes away the sins of those who truly repent - John 1:29; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5. This paves the way for true repentance and reconciliation between God and man through Jesus Christ. Hence, the foundation is laid for God's laws to be written in the hearts of man that comes with obedience made possible with the help of God's Spirit indwelling in the mind of each believer - for all shall know me (Hebrews 8:11). That was not made available under the Old Covenant. With such change, all believers can come boldly before God the Father through Jesus Christ who is the High Priest to help us overcome sin and seek forgiveness before the throne of grace - Hebrews 4;15-16.

In A.D. 70, the Roman army captured Jerusalem and the Jewish temple was completely destroyed. With it, the Levitical priesthood system of worship including the animal ritual sacrificial, which were closely interlinked, came to an end. Jesus Christ foretold of this event and God had allowed it to happen  - thereby ending the Sinai Covenant system of worship. The book of Hebrews explain explicitly that only the symbolic features - food and drink and various ceremonial washing - of the Old Covenant were done away with in the New Covenant. Nowhere in Hebrews did the writer states that the laws of God defining righteousness were changed or abolished. The only things that had changed were the symbolic features of the worship and the system of  Levitical priesthood from one that is temporary to the High Priest who is permanent since He lives forever!

The issue of physical circumcision has been hotly debated among members of the early church during the time of the Apostle Paul. Some contended that unless the non Jewish believers are circumcised according to the law of Moses, they cannot be saved- Acts 15:1. The apostles held a conference in Jerusalem to address the issue so that justification through faith in Christ would not be distorted. Centuries earlier, Moses was commanded to pen thus -  the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed - Deuteronomy 30:6. Paul also affirms that a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter - Romans 2:29.

In Galatians, Paul explained extensively  that a new believer who is circumcised in the heart is a ' new creature or new creation' in Christ - 6:15. Justification is not through the law, for if that is so, then Christ died in vain - 2:21. But that does not mean that the righteous moral laws of God had been done away with - nailed to the cross - and they are free to live and do as they like. Many misinterpreted Paul's argument to their own destruction - 2 Peter 3:16!

Obedience to God's laws does not come by physical circumcision but through the Spirit of God. Circumcision of the heart is the heartfelt repentance that comes about from the inner change of heart and mind and not through observance of some ritualistic practices - 3:1-3.

A common misunderstanding over the debate of law and grace is regarding the interpretation of the phrase "nailing it to the cross" - Colossians 2:14.  The Lord Jesus Christ did take out something at His death on the cross, but that something was the record of all our sins and transgressions - not the laws of God.  At Christ's crucifixion, a signboard was nailed to the cross stating THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS - a charge of treason for which Jesus did not commit. Jesus was framed by the religious leaders fearing that He was up against the Roman authorities by proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom of God, and thereby threatening their hold on position and power - for whosoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar (John19:12). 

Jesus was thereby charged as a transgressor. He did not defend Himself against the charge because by accepting the death penalty for the false charge, He became a substitute sin bearer for the legitimate charge that God has against us for our sins and transgressions. Hence, Jesus "wiped out" our sins and transgressions by taking the charge upon Himself, and in so doing make possible the forgiveness of sin for all who would put their faith and trust in Him!

THE NEW COVENANT EXPLAINED - PART 2

The Lord Jesus came as the Messenger of the New Covenant - Malachi 3:1. He did not come to
put away the laws of God and replace it with grace. However, both law and grace can coexist harmoniously and they are inseparable. For without law there would be no need for grace, for sin is the transgression of the law - 1 John-3:4. If there is no law to break, there is no concept of sin.

Since God is perfect and holy, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Therefore,  God's Plan of Salvation encompassed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through it all, He might taste death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9) for forgiveness of our sins. This is God's grace, His favor, available for everyone who repent by turning away from sin. Those who obey and are given the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32) are people redeemed from every lawless deed, purified and set apart as a group of special people zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). No amount of good works by man can cancel the death penalty for sin save the redemption work of Jesus Christ!

Grace is not just God squashing the death penalty for those who obey Him and receive forgiveness, but much more than that. It also involves the gift of His Holy Spirit to help the believer obey His law from the heart and eventually obtain eternal life in the kingdom of God. Hence, without law there would be no way to define sin; and without grace there would be no way to find forgiveness for all our sins! Contrary to popular belief, both law and grace are interlinked and required for salvation and eternal life. They are not mutually exclusive.

The Sinai Covenant (Old Covenant) given through Moses was not flawed per se, but the problem lies in the people's lack of a willing heart to obey God's law - Hebrews 8:7-8. Also, since the people then were not given the Holy Spirit due to disobedience, they could not understand the full meaning and significance of God's law given to them because the natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God, and foolishness unto him (1 Corinthians 2: 14). But the day is coming when God will give them His Holy Spirit and write His laws on the fleshly tablets of their hearts - 2 Corinthians 3:3.

The writer of Hebrew (whom I believe is the Apostle Paul) states that Jesus Christ came as the Mediator of a better covenant which was established with better promises. It is a better covenant because it included the gift of eternal life which was not available in the Sinai Covenant. Such better promises came about only after Jesus Christ had been crucified and resurrected from the dead! Coupled with the gift of God's Spirit, it can transform hearts and minds of those who will repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Those who eventually succeed to become over-comers will receive the promise of eternal inheritance - Hebrews 9:15.

The Sinai Covenant was temporary in that until everything it symbolized were fulfilled by or through Jesus Christ. Such symbolic features like ceremonial rituals were no longer required under the New Covenant when Jesus Christ came as the sacrificial Lamb  to replace bulls and goats and became our High Priest in place of the Levitical priesthood. It does NOT do away with the moral laws of God of righteousness like The Ten Commandments. All the moral and righteous laws of God remain intact even under the New Covenant! In fact, it expects a higher standard in that not only the letters of the laws but the spirit and intent of God's laws have to be kept. In A.D 70 when the physical temple was destroyed and burnt to the ground by the Roman army, all form of ceremonial rituals practiced by the Jewish system of temple worship came to a halt.

THE NEW COVENANT EXPLAINED - PART 1

There is a deep misunderstanding between the Old Covenant (also known as the Sinai Covenant) of the Old Testament and the New Covenant of the New Testament. Theological debate on these two Covenants centered along the line of law and grace - that the Old Covenant is all about the law and the New Covenant is all about grace. Many believe that the New Covenant taught by the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles was introduced to do away with the law of the Old Testament to inaugurate a dispensation of grace. But is that the correct understanding of Scriptures?

We will attempt to examine the biblical meaning of these two covenants and their role in God's plan for mankind. But first do note that the Bible can be seen as a series of covenants that reveal the relationship God intends to establish with man who is created in His image. It is like a series of promises, but with conditions attached. Those who meet these conditions receive the blessings of God and the reverse holds true for those who refuse to abide by the requirements!

Through His servants (Deuteronomy 5:29; Jeremiah 24:7; 32:40; Hebrews 8:8-11), God revealed that He intends to give His people a new heart and mind that conforms to His plan and purpose for their lives - so that man can acquire the righteous character of Christ-likeness to live for eternity. But how is it to be done? - through believing in Jesus and His gospel message of the kingdom of God. Only then can those who are called of God be empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit to change hearts and minds to conform to His ways instead of the ways of this world ruled by Satan!

God's plan from the beginning is for all human beings to walk the path that leads to eternal life. Only Jesus Christ has ever succeeded in doing so with the rest falling short (Romans 3:23). On the night before His crucifixion, The Lord Jesus instituted the New Covenant - 'this cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you' (Luke 22:20). This New Covenant involves the detailed plan of salvation for mankind instituted by God! Hence, it is important to understand it correctly.

The central message of Jesus Christ is the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15). In it, God plans to transform all human beings to conform to the likeness of Christ, starting with the hearts and minds. Although the True Church that Christ built is to continue His work, only relatively few are called in this church age, with the rest of mankind to be called after the close of the Millennium Age (Revelation: 20:5). Christ first coming only begins the process, the fulfillment of God's plan for the salvation of all mankind is yet ahead!

The Sinai Covenant or Old Covenant established the ancient national kingdom of Israel, but the New Covenant promises that the Messiah Jesus Christ will establish a more inclusive kingdom that covers the whole earth (Isaiah 9:7; Matthew 25:34; Luke 22:29-30; Revelation 11:15). All who meet the terms specified in God's covenants will inherit the kingdom of God (also known as kingdom of Heaven). The Lord Jesus Christ has set an example for us to follow by meeting all the terms perfectly.

To put it succinctly, the New Covenant is all about changing the hearts and minds of believers. This can only happen through obedience when God will give them the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32) to empower them to make the change. The Israelites under the Sinai Covenant did not obey the law of God and they were not given the Holy Spirit, apart from the few who were righteous kings and called of God to be prophets. For sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). But the time is coming - upon the return of Jesus Christ to earth - when God will put His law in their minds and write them on their hearts (Hebrews 8:8-10).

There is no indication whatsoever that God has done away with His law at the first advent of Jesus Christ. One the contrary, He has strengthened it by requiring His people (meaning all Christians) to observe not just outwardly the letter of the law but inwardly the intent and substance of it. The recipients of the promised New Covenant will have their hearts and minds engraved with the law of God.

What has been been done away with through the New Covenant is the ceremonial law of cleansing and animal sacrifice as given in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 and not the moral law of God like the Ten Commandments! This is because of a change from physical and temporary high priests (they died after some time) from the tribe of Levi to One that is Spiritual and permanent in the Person of Jesus Christ. Such change requires a change in the ritual and ceremonial law under the Old Covenant (Sinai Covenant). But Christendom portrays that all the law of God had being done away with - nailed to the cross. In truth, only the death penalty had been nailed to the cross - not the moral law of God - as no sinful man, apart from Jesus Christ, can satisfy the requirement of the law of God to put away the death penalty due to sin!

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH SUFFERING?

The world is going through uncharted territories with so much problems and unresolved issues but seemingly with no solutions in sight. Wars and conflicts are filling the news headlines with people killed and collateral damages mounting on every front. Though man may be able to send satellites to Mars, mankind has no answer to resolve man's inhumanity to man.

Take poverty and hunger for example, millions are poor and hungry without even the basic necessity of food and water to sustain life. The gross injustice done to the discriminated and marginalized in society is so rampant that it is happening even in Western developed countries.The seemingly endless series of problems and sufferings that millions are going through has no light at the end of the tunnel. Despite all the wisdom, wealth and power of nations, nothing seems able to stop the tide, let alone resolve them.

The question in most people's mind is - why God is allowing all the innocent to suffer? The popular explanation is because of sin due to the Fall of Adam and Eve - the first parents of the human race - and hence the consequences ever since. But while sin is ever present since the Fall because man had chosen the knowledge of good and evil - meaning that man chose to go their own way which has some good and some evil choices as well. The bad choices man made are the causes that result in bad effects, and this is happening all around us, albeit on a massive scale.

One of the fruits of the Spirit of God  - His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)- is listed as longsuffering (Numbers 14:18, Galatians 5:22). The word literally means 'to suffer long'. For those who are called to be followers of Christ, and eventually sons of God, they need to develop Christ-like character and that includes longsuffering - the ability to bear suffering! If God were to eradicate suffering from this world, it would go against His will for His children to be partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). But God will not allow His children to be tempted and to suffer beyond what they are able to endure - 1 Corinthians 10:13.

King Solomon penned that God built suffering into man's life for a purpose - that he might become a mature and better person through it all - Ecclesiastes 7:2-4, 14,15,18. This is evident in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ and His suffering. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered - Hebrews 5:8. Our loving and perfect God has great power and infinite understanding (Psalm 147:5) and He expects the same from His children (Matthew 5:48).

The Bible tells us that one of God's character is longsuffering. Since God's plan is to develop His children  to have the  perfect and righteous character like the Lord Jesus Christ in order for them to be born again as immortal sons of God to rule and reign in His coming kingdom, it is essential for them to learn the value of human suffering in this world! - Hebrews 2:10. Nothing else short will do. Human mind will never understand why a powerful and loving God will allow mankind to suffer the way it is. Theologians taught that it is all a result of sin. While there is some truth in this, it is not the complete picture. Many suffer through no fault of their own, even more so than the wicked!

Similarly, the Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:21, 'For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps'. Those who aspire to be His followers should follow in His footstep to learn the value of suffering and be mature in Christ - 1 Peter 2:19-20. ' If we suffer, we shall also reign with him' - 2 Timothy 2:12.  These verses explain that sufferings build character required of sons of God.

God's true servants like David, Job, Daniel, Paul and Peter among many others all suffer in one form or another. David declared, 'It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes' - Psalm 119:71. The Apostle Paul had endured it all (2 Corinthians 11:24-30), perhaps more than any others apart from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Suffering is unpleasant but necessary to learn the lesson God has intended in His infinite wisdom and power engineered in our lives. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution - 2 Timothy 3:12. The passage in 2 Timothy 3 is written in the context of the last days - the very time we are living in now! But take heart that God will not allow His called elect to endure beyond what they are able to bear, for He will provide them with a way of escape - 1 Corinthians 10:12-13.

THE TRUTH ABOUT HEAVEN

For centuries, traditional Christianity have been proclaiming that all who trusted in Jesus Christ will go to heaven when they die, regardless of what happen between the time of acceptance and death. Theologians and preachers have been trumpeting that heaven is the reward of the saved. Such doctrine has been built into the psyche of Christendom that countering such doctrine would almost certain be branded a heretic. Truth is, that is not what Scripture teaches.

At the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus said, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth - Matthew 5:5. In Revelation 5:10, the Apostle recorded, And hast made them (the saints) unto our God kings and priests, and they (the saints) shall reign on the earth. These verses show us that God's plan for the saved is to rule on earth with Christ after their resurrection.

Christ was given the right to rule in the kingdom of God by God the Father  before His return to earth - Daniel 7:14 clearly reveals that He is coming for His people and the kingdom of God will be on earth, not the saved going to heaven - 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. It goes on to reveal that the saints will possess the kingdom of God - 7:22. Similarly, the book of Revelation affirms the Lord's teaching that the saved is to share rulership in the kingdom of God with Christ over all nations and peoples on earth - And He that overcome, and keep my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations (Revelation 2:26; 5:10) ; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years (Revelation 20:4).

In John 3:13, Jesus said, And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. So did the Apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost that David is both dead and buried and his sepulchre (tomb) is with us unto this day - Acts 2:29. A few verses down in verse 34, it was recorded for us that David is not ascended into the heavens. Since David is a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22),  fell asleep and saw corruption (Acts 13: 36) what is the basis to assume that all other believers will pop up in heaven with they die? This is simply baseless assumption albeit with good intention to soothe and comfort those who are bereaved and mourned!

The Lord Jesus Christ's throne is in Jerusalem on earth as He will sit on the throne of David when He returns (Luke 1:32-33) while the Heavenly Father's throne is in heaven. Together with the resurrected saints (who will by then be born again as immortal spirit-composed beings), they will execute judgment upon all people of the earth - Jude 15. When James and John came to Jesus to request tenure on the throne in the kingdom of God, the Lord replied that such positions are not His to give - but it shall be given them for whom it is prepared (Mark 10: 35-45). The implication is that whom the Father has called (John 6:44, 65) and are prepared to pay the price of obedience will qualify (for many are called but few are chosen - Matthew 20:16; 22:14).

When the Lord returns, He will separate the sheep (right hand) and the goat (left hand) and those on His right hand who are blessed of the Father will inherit the kingdom (of God) prepared for them from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:33-34). The Scripture is explicitly clear about man's ultimate destiny but Satan deceived humanity into believing that the kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven is heaven itself, which is not. God's standard is very high and all born again saints made immortal spirit being endowed with authority and power from on high will judge even the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). It is not merely "believing in Jesus and get to heaven when you die" philosophy propounded by man. Millions simply believe on Him but not His words and teachings!

During memorial services, pastors who conduct the services will often preach on John 14:1-2, comforting those who mourn to take heart that their loved ones who passed on are  "now in heaven with mansions far better than earthly ones". The appropriate translation ought to be rooms or offices, where those who are called will be given different appointments, based on rewards (Luke 19: 12-19), in the kingdom of God much like in large corporations where office bearers have their own rooms or offices to work in.

True Christians are overcomers (Revelation 3:5,21) destined for great works (Ephesians 2:10) and not simply get to heaven to "walk the pearly gates and streets of gold" or "frolicking the beaches all day" in wanton idleness for all eternity! God did not create the universe with trillions time trillions of stars just for show - it has to have a purpose for humanity to have dominion over all his creation (Colossians 1:16-17) - of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom... forever - Isaiah 9:7.

Men and women of faith who died have yet to receive salvation - not even patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (later named Israel) - these all died in faith and were buried in the graves, not having received the promises (of salvation and city of Jerusalem where the kingdom of God will be headquartered) - Hebrews 11:8-16. All are awaiting for the resurrection, for if there is no resurrection, our faith is all in vain - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

In Genesis 5:24, it was recorded that Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him. Many concluded that Enoch was "taken up into heaven". But he was not found (Hebrews 11:5) with his body removed by God to another place for burial (just like Moses) - the same word used for transporting Jacob's body to Sychem for burial (Acts 7:16).

One often hears in Sunday school of how prophet Elijah was "taken up by a whirlwind into heaven " - 2 Kings 2: 1 &11. In biblical term, the word "heaven" has three meanings - the first heaven is the atmosphere that envelops earth while the second heaven is the outer space where no man can survive unaided; and the third heaven is where the throne of God is (2 Corinthians 12:2). Since Jesus Christ categorically states that no man has been up in the third heaven (John 3:13), that leaves one of two possibilities. But no man can survive in outer space without oxygen and the right equipment, Elijah must have been somewhere on earth but at a different location! Some years later Elijah wrote a letter rebuking king Jehoram for not following the ways of his father Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 21:12). Since only earthlings sent letters, Elijah cannot be in the third heaven!

An important point worthy of note is the patriarchs of old who were people of faith has yet to receive the promise of salvation because God's plan encompass all of us who would believe in the church age - God having provided some better thing for us (those living in the church age including now), that they without us should not be made perfect (resurrected into immortal spirit beings) - Hebrews 11:40. The Lord's prayer is "Thy kingdom come" (Matthew 6:10) - not we get into heaven. Three times in Revelation 22 - verses 7, 12 and 20 - the Lord Jesus said "I come quickly" and "my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (verse 12). What an amazing and loving God we have yet so few truly understand His plan and purpose for humanity!

THE TRUTH ABOUT HELL

Most people believed that when a believer died in Christ, he/she will pop up in heaven. Whereas when an unbeliever died, he/she will be eternally burned and tortured in hell. But what most people did not know is that such teaching is pagan in origin and man-made and not the teaching of Scripture. So where does all the talk about heaven and hell come from? The answer will surprise most people - from Greek and Roman philosophers and ancient poets/writers.

Many people, regardless of religious affiliation, believed in a perpetual fiery hell where the wicked will be burning in pain and suffering presumably without end. The idea was first penned by an Italian poet named Dante Alighieri (A.D. 1265-1321) in the early 1300s in his famous work The Divine Comedy.

In the poem, Dante dreamed that the Roman poet Virgil took him on a guided tour of hell, where the souls of wicked people undergo nine circles of hell in perpetual torment and suffering. He let his imagination runs with demons poking, jabbing and whipping the poor souls suffering in boiling blood, buried with their head first and feet burning in scorching flames. Some are frozen in a lake up to their neck to suffer the agony of bitter cold.

Such images have successfully etched in the minds of masses from different religions and cultures up to the present time! Even the Taoist monks practiced some rituals to help departed souls ride through nine circles of hell during the wake of those departed. I know because I was a participant at the wake when my grandparents passed on decades ago. Dante's fictional story has grasped the attention of people from all religious affiliation and culture much more than the Bible. Even the Catholics and Protestants are not spared from such influence, right up to the present time. The Catholic Encyclopedia calls it the Sacred Poem and the fictional story has largely remain the standard understanding of hell and all those who go there will have to endure for time without end!

Let's look at what the Bible actually teaches - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Death means the absence of life, not eternal life in  hell! For all who died, there is no consciousness of the passing of time or anything going on in and around the world. But some may wonder where did Dante got the idea from - the famous Greek philosopher Plato. His concept of the immortality of the soul is a legacy that seeps into many religions, including Christendom!

Plato wrote his renowned work titled The Republic in around 400 B.C. In the book he wrote about two chasms in the earth and two chasms in the heaven above. In between these chasms are judges who will bade the just to the right on the journey into heaven above and the unjust to the left to descend into hell below. Those who descend into hell below will suffer tenfold the wrongs done and those who done righteously will in like manner, be rewarded tenfold. Several centuries later, Catholic writers and theologians like Justin Martyr, Tertullian and Augustine incorporated these pagan teachings into Catholic theology. Subsequently, Protestant churches also adopted these ideas when great evangelists and preachers used them with much drama and effect "to frighten unbelievers into accepting Christ as their Savior".

To get to the bottom of this, one has to understand what the Bible means by "hell" as used in Scripture, otherwise the truth seeker will go round in circles with little hope of understanding. Four different words were  translated as to depict "three hell"  in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible and three of the four words used have nothing to do with hell in the common understanding of the word.

The first "hell" is sheol in Hebrew and hades in Greek. The Old Testament was mainly written in Hebrew (with some Aramaic) and the New Testament primarily in Greek. Sheol and hades refer to the resting place of the dead - the grave  - and nothing more. Most people with preconceived idea automatically assume a fiery inferno of everlasting fire, but that was never the original intent of the word in Scripture! Great men of old like king David and king Hezekiah knew full well that their resting place at death is sheol - the grave (Psalm 88:3; Isaiah 38:10). It is not referring to a place of fiery torment as countless billions had assumed.

Another Greek word "tartaroo", used only once is also translated as "hell" in 2 Peter 2:4. Here the Apostle Peter is referring to fallen angels (demons) who were cast down and are now under restraint or imprisonment. Such fallen angelic beings were  and still are confined in chains unto darkness reserved for the day of judgment. This word is used specifically for fallen angels that sinned against the Creator and in no way refer to any fiery inferno reserved for fallen humanity. Many modern translations have left such word untranslated so as not to add to confusion.

The third "hell" is the Greek word Gehenna, which means the 'Valley of Hinnom'  This is a deep valley which lies to the south-west of Jerusalem. Many years ago, my wife and I went on a Bible study tour to Israel and we had passed through the place with no fire burning at all - let alone an inferno! Instead, many ancient tombs dotted the hillsides of the Valley of Hinnom. In ancient past, the valley was the place where idolatrous worship of the Canaanite gods Molech and Baal took place where children were sacrificed by burning them alive in fiery flames under the reign of king Ahaz and king Manasseh (Jeremiah 7:31, 19:4-5, 32:35). At the time of righteous king Josiah, he put an end to such practices. Because of such ill reputation, the place became a city garbage dump during the time of Christ's First advent.

The Lord Jesus used the term Gehenna eleven out of twelve times recorded in New Testament. During the time of Christ, dead animals and even corpses of criminals were thrown into the fire at Gehenna to be burned up as the flames were left burning continuously. Some corpses fell on branches grew out from the side of the valley and left hanging there but never made it to the fire below and were eventually devoured by worms (Mark 9:43-48)!

The audience listening to Jesus knew full well what the Lord was referring to - a place where everything dumped into went up in smoke - including human corpses. He used this illustration to point to the fact that those who refused to repent will eventually end up in the lake of fire - where they will be burned up (Matthew 5:22, 29-30, 23:15,33; Luke 12:5) - known as the second death (Revelation 20:6) with no possibility of resurrection!

All the unrepentant wicked who end up in the lake of fire will be annihilated as ashes and stubble under the feet of the righteous who will inherit and walk the earth (Malachi 4:1-3) - restored by Christ and His resurrected saints and refined by fire. That is why when the thief requested the Lord Jesus Christ to remember him when He returns to restore the kingdom of God on earth, Christ told him that he will be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:42-43) - when earth will be restored, including cleansing by fire as it was at the Garden of Eden before the Fall of humanity!

Some theologians and preachers believe that after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all has changed. They would normally quote Ephesians 4:8-10, Wherefore he saith. When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the  same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things). The Roman Church use this to justify the doctrine of purgatory.

But the true meaning of  'captivity captive' is that sinners who were slaves to sin were converted to servants of righteousness. The following two verses in 9 to 10 refers to Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate state (Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate state was known as the WORD - John 1:1 and also the God of the Old Testament - John 8:24, 28, 58; 1 Cor 10:4), went to the abyss to  preach to fallen angels before the time of the Flood in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:19-20). Christ having overcome all evil and temptations in the flesh was eminently qualified to return to heaven to receive the kingdom of God from the Heavenly Father and will return at His Second Coming to rule and reign over all things on earth - the gist of the Gospel message that few understood even in Christendom to this very day!

GOD'S MASTER PLAN OF SALVATION FOR MANKIND

Most Christians think that God is trying to save the whole of humanity in this time and age. If that being the case, Satan certainly has the upper hand as most of the world's population has yet to obtain salvation let alone understand the truth of what life and death is all about and why we are place here on planet earth!

But an all wise and powerful God can make no mistake when  the salvation of mankind is concern. He will not leave such important matter to man to determine the eternal destiny of precious billions of souls who had walked the earth! He has worked out His Master Plan of salvation for all human beings who had ever lived. This Master Plan is all detailed in the seven annual Sabbaths and Festivals recorded for us in Leviticus chapter 23.

Traditional Christianity mistook that the observance of these laws and Holy Days are just part of Jewish customs and traditions and simply ignore them. Some even assume that observing such laws and celebration is nothing more than "Judaizing " and going back to Old Testament laws and commandments which were "nailed to the cross". The truth is man's dogma has been nailed to the cross, not God's laws and commandments as these are eternal and unchangeable. Those customs and practices not required are specifically mentioned such as slaughtering of animal sacrifices and circumcision.

Passover - Jesus Christ is our "Passover Lamb" - 1 Corinthians 5:7. He died for our sin so that we can have forgiveness from God through the shed blood and death of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Only when one has his/her sins forgiven can one be born again into the kingdom of God.

The Days of Unleavened Bread - The seven-day of festival is to celebrate the removal of the 'leaven' of pride, vanity and the way of sin from the life of a true follower of Christ - 1 Corinthians 5:8. There has to be genuine change through repentance of our sins and not follow the ways of the world with values propagated from the kingdom of darkness - Ephesians 2:2.

Those who understand that to inherit the coming kingdom of God, one has to live according to the laws governing the kingdom - the give way of life instead of this world's value system of the get way of life. It is the way of give, give, give and forgives instead of get, get, get and then forgets!

The Feast of Firstfruits - This is also known as Pentecost, the day when Jesus Christ started His church in A.D. 31. On that day, God gave His Holy Spirit to all whom He has called and obeyed (Acts 5:32), effectively endowing them with power and authority from on high to do the works of God. They are commanded to come out of this world Babylonian's false religious system (Revelation 18:4) and the pagan ways of this present evil age (Galatians 1:4) to be members of the true church of God (Colossians 1:18).

A true believer is one who has the Holy Spirit actively at work in Him to develop the righteous character, correct understanding of the truth  and not be adulterated by false doctrine (Revelation 14: 4 - they are 'spiritual virgins').

Such spirit-begotten sons and daughters (the firstfruits) will be raised immortal at the first resurrection as kings and priests (teachers) when Jesus Christ returns (Revelation 5:10) to assist King Jesus in helping the rest of humanity to realize their incredible and awesome potential!

The Feast of Trumpets - This is a picture of the time when Jesus Christ will return as the King of kings and Lord of lords to establish the kingdom of God over all the earth (Psalms 67:4; Daniel 7:14, 18, 22, 27; Revelation: 2:26-27, 5:10, 11:15, 19:16). For every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

Together with His resurrected saints, they will execute judgment on all ungodly deeds and words done and spoken against Him - Jude 14-15. These saints and potential immortal spirit beings are now being tested and tried - for judgment must begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). The Apostle Paul exhorts that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God - Acts 14:22.

The Day of Atonement - Satan has been the architect of all sins and wickedness in the high places throughout the history of mankind. On this Day, all the collective sin of mankind will be placed on this originator of sin and cast into the bottomless pit. Finally, man will be at one with his maker and be ruled under the peaceful dominion of God's supergovernment.

The Feast of Tabernacles - This feast celebrates the coming 1,000 year Reign of Christ on earth. It is indeed the wonderful world to come (Hebrews 2:5) and a world without end (Ephesians 3:21) with lasting peace, prosperity and progress when Satan and his demons were incarcerated. The world will be restored to paradise as it was first meant to be at the Garden of Eden.

The Last Great Day - God will bring back to life all human beings who had died, no matter what their age, circumstances and religious affiliation when they died (Ezekiel 37:1-14; Revelation 20:12-13; Isaiah 65:17-25). All mankind then will experience one hundred years of living experience (Isaiah 65:20) without Satan and his demons to learn Godly character and reject the carnal nature in order to submit to God's will and  government. Billions who will be called later will have the opportunity to qualify to inherit the kingdom of God as immortal spirit beings. Those who are called now will assist the rest of humanity in the process of learning and growing (Micah 4:5) - they have their work cut out for them!

Billions of people who have died but had never made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as Savior are not burning in hell-fire. The wages of sin is death, not eternal life in hell! All who are dead stays dead, for the soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ezekiel 18: 4 & 20). The next second of their consciousness is when they are resurrected to life - regardless of how long they had been dead - even if they had been dead for thousands of years! For there shall be a resurrection both of the just (saved) and unjust (unsaved) - Acts 24:15.

Regardless of whether they are saved or not, ALL will hear His (Jesus) voice from the grave - John 5:28. The only difference is that all who are called before the end of the church age will be in the first resurrection and the rest of humanity in the second resurrection (Revelation 20:4-5). The first resurrection (a better resurrection - Hebrews 11: 35) will occur when Christ returns to establish His Reign on earth for a thousand years and the second resurrection will occur towards the end of the millennial age.

No one is burning eternally in hell. But a time will come (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3:17) when all who have been shown the truth refused to abide by the ways of God the Father and Jesus Christ will be burned up in the 'lake of fire' and end up as stubble and ashes as if they have never been (Malachi 4:1-3). There is no possibility of resurrection as the soul is destroyed in total annihilation known as the 'second death' (Revelation 20:6). A merciful God will put them out of misery for good! Man can kill the body but only the Almighty God has the power to destroy the soul of man (Matthew 10:28).

The patriarch Job knew full well that in death there is no knowledge of the passage of time and indeed knows nothing (Psalm 6:5; Ecclesiastes 9:5) when he said - all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come (Job 14:14) - change into immortal spirit being when born again at the first resurrection. King David also understood when he penned Psalm 17:15 - As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake (from the grave), with thy (Jesus) likeness - ( see 1 John 3:2). The Archangel Michael told prophet Daniel that 'for thou shall rest (sleep peacefully in the grave), and stand in thy lot at the end of the days (when Jesus Christ returns as the King of kings and Lord of lords to reign on earth) - Daniel 12:13.

THE GOSPEL OF PEACE

This world is embroiled in constant warfare and conflict since the dawn of civilization. Mankind is disobedient to God's law and His way of government. Whether man's form of government is democracy, monarchy or communism - they are doomed for conflict and are in constant preparation for war, in a state of war or recovering from war. How true this is throughout the history of mankind, when preachers and truce sayers that there will be 'peace, peace, when there is no peace' - Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11,15; Ezekiel 13:10. The increasing number of anti-government and anti-establishment protests worldwide bear testimony to such truth.

The Lord Jesus Christ came almost two millennia ago to announce the gospel of the kingdom of God to mankind (also known as the kingdom of heaven - NOT kingdom in heaven). This good news is brought by the Son of God commissioned by the Heavenly Father in heaven, as shared by Jesus Christ to His chosen disciples on many occasions including some of His parables.

The Apostle Paul also mentioned it as the gospel of peace (Romans 10:15; Ephesians 6:15) which is the same gospel as the kingdom of God and NOT another gospel - otherwise he would be pronouncing a curse upon himself (Galatians 1:8-9). He taught that it was God who entrusted the Apostles with the gospel (1 Thessalonians 2:4).

Jesus Christ is the only One who is authorized by God the Father to define what is the gospel - the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 24:14) and not any other gospel defined by organized religion or any church other than the true church of God that Jesus founded (Matthew 16:18)!

In two of his epistles, Paul states, 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things' - Romans 10:15. 'And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace' - Ephesians 6:15. Since the Bible must interpret the Bible, we found similarities in Isaiah 52:7, 'How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bring good tidings, that published peace; that bring good tiding of good, that published salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reign!'  What all these mean is that only God is able to bring true and lasting peace on earth when Jesus Christ is reigning on His throne; and the rewards of His true disciples will reign together with Him - Daniel 7:14, 18, 22, 27; Revelations 2:26-27; 3:21; 11:15.

True believers walk through life having their feet covered with the knowledge of how the true gospel spells the only way to final world peace. They know what lies ahead for this world. God's plan to shake world events moves on His timetable. Sadly, few have the faith to believe that only God has the power and authority to bring about true and lasting world peace (Isaiah 53:1; Romans 10:16) and not through any human government!

Most organized religion believe that the Person of Jesus Christ is the gospel. Although Jesus' role is of paramount importance, He is not the gospel (John 7:16-18; 12:49-50)! Jesus Christ is the only way to the gospel and that He has to be preached in conjunction with the gospel - Acts 8:12; 28:31. Preaching the true gospel will encompass Jesus Christ but making Him as the gospel will ignore the gospel of the kingdom of God. It is like saying that all Jews (of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin) are Israelites but not all Israelites are Jews.

The good news is that God in His eternal wisdom and Plan had chosen men, and not the angels, to govern with Jesus Christ in the world to come! - Hebrews 2:5. This makes the angelic hosts curious to find out what is hidden in the mystery of the gospel of the kingdom of God - 1 Peter 1:12. Born again true believers will be given the reward to rule and reign as kings and priests with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ  in the kingdom of God on earth - not in heaven ! - Revelation 5:10. Under the reign of Jesus Christ and His saints, world peace, harmony, prosperity and healing of all sicknesses and diseases will take place.

Christ, together with the born again saints of spirit composed beings endowed with power and authority, will bring all these about to make earth a paradise - restitution of all things that had been lost to Satan and his demons (Acts 3:19-21). All of mankind who had ever lived but were not called in the earlier ages will be resurrected (Acts 24:15) as reconstituted human beings (Ezekiel 37) towards the end of the millennium age to be taught the truth of God (Isaiah 65:17-25). Under the government of God, 'at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father' - Philippians 2:10-11.

When Jesus was crucified on the cross, one of the condemned men told Jesus to remember him when He come into His kingdom (meaning when He returned to reign in the kingdom of God). To which Jesus replied that he shall be with Him (Jesus) in paradise - towards the end of the millennial age with the restitution of all things completed and Satan incarcerated (Revelation 20:1-3) to turn earth into a paradise (Luke 23:42-43)!

When the whole world is being governed under the kingdom of God, there will be no need for ministry of defence, military academy or any army, navy or airforce as universal peace will prevail throughout the earth. All military assets will be converted to productive use for the benefit of everyone on earth - Isaiah 2:4; Psalm 119:165. The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea - Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14.

THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS

The common belief of Christendom is that Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday, commonly known and celebrated worldwide as the 'Good Friday' and resurrected on 'Easter Sunday', justifying the Sunday worship as the 'Lord's Day' or the 'Sabbath Day'. But is this what the Lord Jesus and His Apostles taught and written down in the Holy Bible? The truth is that what is being preached and practised worldwide is of pagan origin - primarily initiated by the Roman Emperor Constantine during the fourth century A.D.

Jesus foretold of His death and resurrection and that He will be in the tomb three days and three nights as a sign that He was the Messiah (Jonah 1:17; Matt 12:40). But the Good Friday-Easter Sunday story simply does not add up to three days and three nights. It is more like one day (Saturday) and two nights (Friday's and Saturday's). Sadly, most would prefer to believe deceived men rather than the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ!

After Jesus died, His body was quickly placed in a tomb before sunset as the Sabbath begins from sunset on the day He died (biblical counting of a day). However, that was an annual Sabbath day and not the usual weekly Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, for it was a high day - John 19:31. The high day or high Sabbath falls on a Thursday, which was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread for that year in 31 A.D., which immediately follows the Passover (see Leviticus 23:5-7). The Passover was a preparation day for the annual Feast, which lasted for seven days.

Unlike the weekly Sabbath which occurs from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, the annual Sabbath day can fall on any day of the week. Jesus was crucified and died on the Passover day, which falls on a Wednesday, as prophesied that 'the Messiah be cut-off in the midst of the week' - Daniel 9:26-27.

According to Jewish calendar, Jesus was crucified and died on Wednesdy, 25 April  A.D. 31. Let's do the math - Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset is one day and one night, adding Thursday sunset to Friday sunset makes two days and two nights, then adding Friday sunset to Saturday sunset makes three days and three nights. This was precisely what the Lord Jesus foretold as a sign that He was the Saviour of the world - nothing more and nothing less.

When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb on the first day of the week (Sunday) before the break of dawn ('when it was yet dark' ), the Lord Jesus Christ had already risen! - John 20:1. Many were mistaken into believing that Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week based on a wrong understanding of Mark 16:9. It simply states that early on the first day of the week when Mary Magdalene went to the grave, Jesus had already risen - not to mean that He rose on Sunday. Anything other than what He said and recorded in Scriptures is a denial of Christ and of the truth!

So how did the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition comes about since it does not fit into Scriptures ? (Note: Acts 12:4 - the Greek word pascha should be translated as Passover as in all other cases). The answer can be found in 325 A.D. during the Council of Nicaea. Only the Christian Passover - not Good Friday, Easter Sunday tradition - was celebrated by Jesus, His disciples and the early church and is also relevant for the church today!

Constantine held an assembly of some 250 bishops in Nicaea ( near Istanbul in northerwestern Turkey) in the year 325 A.D., known as the Council of Nicaea. Under the dominance of Constantine and people of similar persuasion, the Council replaced many Biblical truth with man-made doctrines and practises, including changing the times and laws of God as prophesied in Daniel 7:25. The Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition was just one of many Biblical truths being replaced! The dispute over the Christian Passover is known in history as the Paschal Controversy.

The Roman Emperor drew his sword to quench any dissent from adopting the teachings and practices of the universal church - the church of Rome. Those who opposed were martyred and the true church of God had to flee from 325 A.D. until 1585 A.D. when England was free from Catholic dominance after winning the war over Spain who had attempted to militarily impose the Catholic faith on England.

Interestingly, this period of 1,260 years fits in with the prophecy in Revelation 12:1-6 when the true church (represented by a woman) had to flee persecution for 1,260 years (one day represents one year in Biblical prophecy - Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6).

Jesus ate the Passover feast with His disciples shortly before His crucifixion. He also prophesied that He will eat the Passover feast with them when He returned (Second Coming) to establish His kingdom on earth (Luke 22:15-16). Certainly, no where in Scriptures did the Lord Jesus or any of His disciples mentioned or celebrated the pagan Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition as practised by most organised religion the world over.

True believers of Christ are commanded to worship God in spirit and in truth - John 4:23-24. Only the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32) from wrong ideas and practices which are snares to entrap the unwary and gullible into evil. Any worship of the teachings and traditions of man is worshipping God in vain - Mark 7:7-9.
 

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

Most Christians believe that the Gospel of the Bible is about the Person of Jesus Christ. However, the Bible records that the Gospel (meaning 'good news') of Jesus Christ is the message that He came to preach. Christ was sent by God the Father as a Prophet (Deut 18:15) and the Messenger of the covenant (Malachi 3:1) to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14; Matt 4:23; Luke 8:1,4:43). Jesus Christ categorically states that He came from the Father with a message and it is not about Himself - John 7:16-18.

All who are called to be His disciples are commanded to hear Him - the Gospel message of Christ which is the kingdom of God (Matt 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35). One has to believe this same Gospel to be saved!

Christ's first commandment, after overcoming the temptations of Satan in the wilderness is 'repent ye, and believe the gospel' - Mark1:15. The Apostle Paul affirmed that the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jews first and also to the Greek (meaning all the 'Gentiles') - Romans 1:16.

Some Bible scholars and writers believe that the Gospel of the kingdom of God is meant only for the Jews - this is absolutely false. Those who do not believe the Gospel are not called to be Christ's true disciples and will not be in the first resurrection when He returns (1 Cor 15:23; Hebrews 11:35)!

But what exactly is the 'kingdom of God'? Countless millions are confused. It is not the church, neither is it about the Person of Jesus Christ nor the millennium age. Some believe that it is 'in the heart and in the mind' when one says the 'sinner's prayer' and place his/her trust in Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is the government of God which Christ was commissioned by God the Father to restore that which was lost to Satan (2 Cor 4:4) because of sin - first of Lucifer and his fallen angels, and then of Adam and his descendants.

The second Adam - Jesus Christ - had to overcome Satan at the wilderness to regain the right to the throne as 'King' of God's coming government on earth! But the Jews mistakenly thought that His first advent then was to restore the kingdom to Israel. They all looked and hoped in vain!

The dreams of prophet Daniel about the coming kingdom of God (Daniel 2:44) and prophet Isaiah's prophecy that 'the government shall be upon his (Jesus Christ) shoulder...the increase of his government...and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and justice from henceforth even for ever. - Isaiah 9:6-7 - bear testament to this fact. The prophet Jeremiah had also recorded a similar prophecy - Jeremaih 23:5-6. This is corroborated by what the Archangel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary, He (Jesus Christ) shall be great...and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David... and of his kingdom there shall be no end - Luke 1:32-33.

The confusion arises partly from the mistranslation of Luke 17:21- the kingdom of God is within you. A more appropriate translation should be 'in the midst of you' - as given on the margin in the NKJV. In that context, Jesus Christ was speaking to the Pharisees telling them that the kingdom of God cannot be seen with human eyes, so it is pointless looking around to find the kingdom of God.

It is a spiritual kingdom that can only be seen and enter (inherit) when one is 'born again' as an immortal spirit being upon resurrection when He returns (John 3:3, 5-6; 1 Cor 15:50). Christ was making the point that He is the Divine Representative of the coming kingdom of God. No way was Jesus Christ telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of God was within them when He strongly condemned their hypocrisy with strong words (Matt 23:16-33)!

Jesus Christ preached the Gospel wherever He went, often accompanied with healing and casting of demons - Matt 10:7; Mk 1:38. In addition, he sent out His twelve and later seventy disciples to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2; 10:1,9). The Apostle Paul preached the Gospel of the kingdom of God - Acts 19:8, 20:25, 28:31; and so did Peter (Acts 3:19-24) and Philip (Acts 8:12). In fact, Paul and Philip differentiated the Gospel of the kingdom of God from the Person of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12, 28:31).

Does that mean the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind is redunctant? By no means - Jesus Christ's role is very important as He is the way to the kingdom and He is to be preached in conjuction with the Gospel as shown in Acts 8:12 and 28:31.

Christ commanded His true disciples to 'seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness' - Matt 6:33 - and the first item on the Lord's prayer is to pray for 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven' - Matt 6:10; Luke 11:2. In this time and age, God's government is ruling from His throne in heaven. God's Plan is to restore it on earth starting with the Millennial Age when Christ returns to restore His kingdom (Rev 11:15) when all human government will be forcefully evicted to make way for Christ and His resurrected saints - Rev 2:26, 3:21, 5:10; Daniel 7:13-14, 18,22,27.

Almost all the parables of Jesus Christ is about the kingdom of God. He even warned His disciples not to be deceived by preachers who will come to preach about the Person of Jesus Christ and ignoring His message - saying 'I am Christ' - Matt 24:5. Such blantant disobedient to the commandment of Christ is so serious that Paul warned of a 'double curse' on anyone who preached a different Gospel - Gal 1:8-9!

There are four element for a kingdom - land (which is planet earth - Matt 5:5), King (the Lord Jesus Christ - Zech 14:9), laws (the righteousness law and commandments of God - Isaiah 11:9, Habakkuk 2:14, including those taught by Jesus Christ at the sermon on the mount - Matt chapters 5-7) and people (all human beings who survived the Great Tribulation - Zech 14:16).

It is God's divine Plan for those whom He called to enter and inherit the kingdom of God - 1 Thess 2:12; Hebrews 2:9-13. However, they need to bear fruits of the Spirit, the righteous character of Christ-likeness in this mortal life before they qualify - Gal 5:22-26. Only a small group are now called (John 6:44) and lesser still will qualify (firstfruits) -  Matt 20:16, 22:14; Luke 12:32; James 1:18 - with the rest of mankind who had ever lived called towards the end of the millennial age - Isaiah 65:20. When there are firstfruits, there will be subsequent ones to follow. Those who refused to conform will not inherit the kingdom of God - 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5.

In fact, the Gospel was preached to the people of the Old Testament (Heb 4:2) and by almost all the Old Testament prophets (Acts 3:24). The same Gospel was also preached to Abraham (Gal 3:8) - probably by Melchizedek. Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, is the seventh preacher of righteousness (the coming kingdom)  for the period between Adam and the Flood (Jude 14). Noah was the eighth preacher of the one and only Gospel - 2 Pet 2:5. So the Gospel of the kingdom was consistently preached by all true servants of the Almighty God - both in the era of the Old Testament and in the New!

The Gospel is a mystery as it involved the salvation of all mankind (starting with the church as the firstfruits), God's divine family (for those born again) and much more - according to the Plan of God as spelt out in His Holy Days (see Leviticus chapter 23). Jesus Christ told His true disciples that He spoke in parables so that only those who are called will understand its mysteries, all the rest will not! - Matt 13:11; Luke 8:10. It is a mystery of the Gospel which things the angels desire to look into - 1 Peter 1:12. If the Gospel is only about the Person of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, all these would be plain milk doctrine and the preceding verses would make no sense as there is 'no mystery'!

The true Gospel had not been preached for some nineteen centuries since the first century AD when there was a conspiracy to suppress it because the powers that be then were fearful of a higher power and authority that the people will hold allegiance to. They substituted the Gospel with the Person of Jesus Christ instead! In fact, Jesus Christ was crucified because the spiritual leaders then were afraid that their power and authority will be lost because of the Gospel that the Lord preached. Worse, they could be accused of treason and even lost their lives as they were subservient to the Roman authorities.

 The Lord Jesus Christ prophesied that this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come - Matt 24:14. Since we are all living in the last days, it is high time that the true Gospel be preached to fulfill of the Great Commission. Had it been preached in the preceding centuries, Christ would have returned to restore His kingdom.

The issue simply is this - do we really love God and His truth enough (2 Thess 2:10) to lay hold of His promises. Sadly, as it was in the days of the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul, so it is today when one can resonate their cry to God  - 'Who hath believed our report?' - Isaiah 53:1; Romans 10:16. Satan, the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2), had deceived the whole world (Rev 12:9). For those who had overcome the odds to believe the real truth, the promise from God is incredible - But as it is written, 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him' - 1 Cor 2:9.

The Millennial Age of a thousand years will be a time for 'restitution of all things' (Acts 3:21) that had been lost due to the rule of Satan and his demons. God's Plan probably extend beyond planet earth to include the whole universe and hence 'Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end' - Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:33.


 

THE SPIRIT OF MAN

The world's religions believe in the concept of the immortal soul, and so do most of those who called themselves Christians. Such concept has it origin from Greek philosphers, particularly Plato who is a chief proponent with Aristotle followed closely behind. These Greek philosophers were in turn influenced by Babylonian and Egyptian mythologies. The doctrine of the immortal soul teaches that a person's soul will live on after death, either in heaven, purgatory or in hell. All these are pure philosophical and human speculations which appealed to the intellectuals and the Gnostics of that time.

Theologians like Justin Martyr (A.D 100-167),Tertullian (A.D.150-220) and Origen (A.D. 185-254) were either Platonist or neo-Platonist with some blended Catholic theology to write extensively on trinity and the immortal soul. All of these are either Greek, Babylonian or Egyptian in origin and has no biblical basis!

Most Protestant churches adopt a doctrine of heaven or hell after death largely because it was handed down through the founding fathers who were themselves influenced by Greek philosophers. A novel titled Divine Comedy written by Dante Alighierly sometime in the 14th century A.D. about heaven and hell was made popular by preachers and evangelists down through the centuries, albeit with dramatic effect, helped to seal such belief in the church fraternity. But such a position is not the teaching of the Holy Scripture.

When Adam was created, God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul - Genesis 2:7. Scripture is unequivocal in stating the soul that sinneth, it shall die - Ezekiel 18:4 & 18:20. Since all have sinneth, all souls of man will die, regardless of their faith. It is not that man has a soul, man is a living soul. For the true believers, it is the hope of resurrection to immortality and eternal life. But what is it that makes man different from animals? - it is the human spirit given by God at birth of every person dwelling in his/her brain! Animal has none of this.

Man and animal are made of dust and all dies (Eccl 3:19-20). But man is inherently different. Since man is created in the image of God, man has a spirit in him (1 Cor 2:11) which makes him different from any animal (God too has a Spirit which is known as the Holy Spirit). Hence, the theory of evolution of man according to Charles Darwin is absolutely false!

While the spirit of man differentiates a human being from an animal which does not possess a spirit, the leading of the Holy Spirit in a regenerate man distinguished a true believer as the son of God (Rom 8:14, 16) from an unbeliever. Without the human spirit in a man/woman, he /she is simply living life not much different from an animal. But with the presence of the Holy Spirit, the true believer has far more wisdom in understanding the things of God and deep spiritual truth, (1 Cor 2:14) like the mysteries of the kingdom of God - Matthew 13:11!

The spirit of man enables a person to have the power of intellect which is absent in all animals. The Holy Spirit is residing in the frontal lobe of the brain where cognitive abilities operate. The heart is the seat of emotions that works out one's behavior in coordination with the mind. Those who are led by the Spirit of God will exhibit the gifts of the Holy Spirit namely, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23) to reflect Christ-likeness in their daily lives.

Upon death, the spirit of the true believers return to God in heaven but is itself not conscious of anything (Eccl 3:21; 12:7). The spirit of man is the spiritual mold that encapsulates all the character qualities and experiences of the person up to the point of death ready to be made perfect in heaven (Hebrews 12:23) to be resurrected to immortality and eternal life into God's divine Family when Christ returns. Since man is a soul, not that he has a soul, it dies with him at death. It was Satan that deceived Eve at the Garden of Eden into believing that man has an immortal soul - Ye shall not surely die (Genesis 3:4).

However, while the soul of man will die a physical death, it cannot be destroyed by man - only God has the power to destroy the human soul at the lake of fire. While physical death is only a temporal departure - to await resurrection - the second death (Rev 20:14) at the lake of fire is total and final with no possibility of resurrection!

The dead - whether in Christ or without Christ - remains dead and has no sense of consciousness of anything (Psalm 6:5,146:4; Eccl 9:5). The next second of consciousness of the dead is resurrection - the first resurrection for all true believers in Christ to immortality and the rest of humanity who had ever lived, it will be the second resurrection into reconstituted physical human beings - literally where they last left off at the point of death.

The true value and potential of the human life is the human spirit, which dwells within the human brain to give the human mind - the seat of knowledge and intellect. Animal has no spirit and hence no such intellectual prowess, they operate mainly by instinct. With the human spirit working inside the human brain and the human mind working in collaboration with God's Holy Spirit, man has incredible potential far beyond this physical lifetime (1 Cor 2:9). For all of humanity, one lifetime is too short to harness its full potential, with more in store in the life to come!

True believers when empowered with God's Holy Spirit, for those who are willing to obey Him (Acts 5:32), will have the ability to understand and discern spiritual knowledge and truth with Godly wisdom. The Holy Spirit connects with the spirit in man to make him a son of God which will someday judge the angels! - 1 Cor 6:3.

The spirit in man is innately selfish because of our fallen nature. But God's Holy Spirit can change that to a higher level - the 'give way of life' as opposed to the 'get way of life'. The human spirit is limited to understanding of the physical and material aspects but not the spiritual realm. Since most problems of this world have their root causes in the spiritual dimension, man cannot find adequate solutions to solve them. Man can at best find solutions to deal with the symptoms but not the underlying root causes of most, if not all the problems of this world!






 

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

The doctine of trinity which most Protestant churches embrace as a tenet of Christianity is never in the Bible. Millions of Christians the world over assume that God is a trinity. But when asked to explain what that means most would reply that they have no clue, even the most learned theologians and preachers. Their most common reply is to 'take it by faith' or 'if I know, I would be God'  - what a response. But God would not want His true disciples to be ignorant of Who He actually is - He wants them to know Him personally. When we fail to get the correct doctrine of Who God is, our faith is built on a wrong foundation and will not stand up to scrutiny when the real tests come!

The true God of the Bible consists of the two Supreme Spirit Personality - God the Father Who is the Head of the God Family and His Son Jesus Christ. The idea of One God is that they are of one mind, united in purpose. The Apostle Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 8:6, 'But to us there is but  one God, the Father of whom are all things, and we in him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.'  When asked to show them the Father, Christ replied that when they see Him, they see the Father.

Some may contend that it was the spirit of God that moved upon the face of the waters at creation (Geneses 1:2) and hence has to be a 'Spirit Being'.  But Jeremiah 27:5 explained that while the spirit of God originates from God, it is not a separate distinct spirit personality like the Father and Son. In that verse, it states, 'I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.'

In his Psalm of repentance, David begged the Lord not to take away the Holy Spirit from him - Psalm 51:11. If the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the trinity, he would have asked the spirit being directly to not leave him!

In the Old and New Testaments, there are many prophecies about the coming of Christ to earth. However, there is not a single prophecy in the Old Testament about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Although Christ told His disciples that He will send His Spirit to them after His departure to heaven, they only understood the Holy Spirit to be some kind of 'breath' that will fall upon them at Pentecost. Throughout Scriptures, the Holy Spirit is typified as the 'anointing oil', 'running water', 'wind' and 'dove' among others, never as a separate distinct personality.

Since Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Spirit, rightfully Christ should be called the Son of the Holy Spirit if the latter is a Spirit Being. Instead, Christ was named the Son of the Heavenly Father - Luke 1:32.

If the Holy Spirit is a spirit being, then it should be called 'Quadnity' and not 'Trinity'. When Christ was on earth, the Spirit of the Heavenly Father was upon Him. When He ascended to heaven the Spirit of Christ is upon all His true believers.

Throughout His ministry on earth, the Lord Jesus Christ only mentioned of the Holy Spirit shortly before His ascension to heaven, stating that He must leave for heaven before the Holy Spirit can come. In addition, He told His hearers that He and the Father are one - John 10:30, equating Himself with God. This is corroborated in John 1:1 when the Apostle John wrote that Christ was known as 'The Word' before His incarnation as Jesus Christ, and that He and the Father together form the God Head - none else!

Just before His crucifixion, Christ prayed to His Father in heaven and the Holy Spirit was never mentioned in His prayer all night (John chapter 17). This is also seen in Hebrew chapter 1, a brief record of the conversation between God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son regarding God's Master Plan for mankind!

In the Lord's prayer, Christ taught His disciples to pray to the Heavenly Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:9-13), there is no mention of praying to the Holy Spirit! If the Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity living in the lives of millions of believers as Trinitarians believe, then He must have been the most neglected spirit personality in all of the universe!

Almost all the epistles written by Apostle Paul begin with the greetings of  'Grace and Peace' from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no mention of the Holy Spirit - Rom 1:7; 1Cor1:3; 2Cor1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph  1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1Thess 1:2; 2Thess 1:2; 1 Tim 1:2; 2Tim 1:2; Tit 1:4; Philemon 1:3. Similar greetings can be found in the epistles of James (James1:1), Peter (1 Pet 1:3; 2 Pet 1:2) and John (1 Jn 1:3; 2 Jn:3) and Jude 1.

In an end-time vision recorded by prophet Daniel (Daniel 7: 13-27), the Ancient of Days (God the Father) handed the kingdom of God over to Jesus Christ to rule and reign as King of kings on earth, together with the resurrected saints (as kings) from the first resurrection, there is no mention  of the participation of the Holy Spirit.

The Book of Revelation reveals the end-time prophecies which God the Father handed to Jesus Christ Who then instructed the holy angel to reveal to the Apostle John to be written down - Rev 1:1. There is no mention of the Holy Spirit's involvement.

The moot point for many is found in Matthew 28:19 when it is stated that true disciples are to be baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This commandment is for true believers to be baptised into the Divine Family that bears the name of the Heavenly Father (Eph 3:14-15). Jesus is the Saviour who died for the sins of man and believers are saved by His life (Rom 5:8-9) when resurrected and born again as immortal spirit beings.

We are baptised in the name of the Holy Spirit because it is by the power of God's Spirit that begettal happens when resurrected saints are born again as immortal sons and daughters into the Family of God (Rom 8:16). When God's Seed - the Holy Spirit - (1 John 3:9) is implanted in a believer upon conversion, he or she is begotten but not yet born, much like human pregnancy with the church as the "Mother" feeding the new believer (Gal 4:26). The believer becomes an heir of God (Rom 8:17) awaiting to inherit God's kingdom when the time comes for Christ to return, resurrection happens and the saint is then born again (1 Cor 15:50-54).

Then again in 1 John 5:7-8, a passage that seem to support the concept of the trinity. However, a closer examination in the NKJV in the margin shows that many of these words were added by trinitarian Bible Translators! The words from verse 7 starting "in heaven" all the way to verse 8 ending "on earth" were not found in the ancient Greek manuscripts and appear in the Latin Vulgate version much later sometime in the eighth century.

The fact of the matter is that the triad deity originated from Babylon when the followers of Nimrod, his wife Semiramis and their son Adonis were being immortalised as deity. The politics of the Roman Empire in the first few centuries after the death of Christ also played a part in conceiving the doctrine of the trinity. But all the arguments for trinity are human concoction and presuppostion that has no biblical basis.

Throughout the centuries since then, different civilisation, culture and language groups have borrowed the idea and created their own triad diety known by different names throughout the history of mankind. God is dishonoured when some truth is mixed with much falsehood and judgement will come upon all who rebelled against His truth. True believers are warned to come out (Rev18:4) of the Babylonian Mystery religion (Rev 17:5) before it is too late!









 

PROPHETIC SIGNS OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING

In the light of a flurry of events unfolding fast and furious across the world's news in recent years, many may be wondering what on earth is happening. From a Biblical perspective, all these happened for a reason according to God's timeline on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the ushering in of God's kingdom on earth to replace all the governments of man.

According to Christ's teachings on the Olivet Prophecy, the prophetic signs given by Him as recorded for us in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 are in respond to a question from His disciples (Matt 24:3), 'And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (age)?' Revelation chapter 6 parallels that of Matthew 24, depicting in symbols what to expect of the trends and events set to occur shortly before His return.

With about 750 thousand words and one-third prophecy, the Bible is the only source of news broadcast in advance, well before they are set to happen. Some of these signs in the end times to look for can be summarised below.

First, there is a breakdown of character worldwide. People are getting more violent and immoral. Man's brutality against fellow humans just know no bounds and others are even advocating adultery as a way of life. Protest marches are happening everywhere and some opposing camps are resorting to violence to get what they want. This was recorded for us as a warning in 2 Timothy 3:1-6 about perilous times of the last days - for which we are now living.

Be forewarned for it is written, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." - 2 Tim 3:12-13.

Second, the proliferation of false teachings is going viral with different Christian groups, sub-groups and cults sprouting out everywhere. Each denomination with its sub-groups are not in unity and many are at odds with one another teaching different doctrines and practices - but all proclaiming in the name of Christ - just as He prophesied that it would. "For MANY shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (Matthew 24:5). Such trend is set to get worse causing all kinds of confusion - both inside and outside the church fraternity.

The false Christ is portrayed as the first in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6:2 - 'And I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.' The true Christ wields a sharp sword that proceeds out of His mouth and not a bow, and has many crowns upon His head (Rev 19:2), not just one. His name is also known as the Word of God (Rev 19:13) - Christ's pre-incarnate name at the very beginning with the Heavenly Father before He became Jesus Christ (John 1:1).

Third, there will be wars and rumours of wars (Matt 24:6). The second horseman riding a red horse symbolises wars and killings which are prevalent in our times. Wars and civil wars, gun and drug violence have become a frequent occurence that it surprises nobody any longer. Such is the scenario when 'power was given to him (the red horse rider) ...to take peace from the earth' . When peace is absent, war and terrorism are inevitable, with many parts of the earth turning into killing fields!

Fourth, the consequences that follow after warfare are famines and pestilences (Matt 24:7) as depicted by the black horseman of the Apocalypse (Rev 6:5) when the third seal was opened. The world is facing food shortage in many parts of the world. Bacteria are mutating faster than ever and that the most powerful antibiotics are losing its potency in the fight against certain diseases.

With shortage of food and under-nurishment, pestilences and diseases inevitably break out. This will spread quickly and engulf nations on a mass scale like those of the Bubonic Plague in the 20th century where one-fourth to one-half of Europe's population were wiped out, an estimated 75 million people died. The fifth seal of the pale horse will gallop along to strike the earth and even wealthy nations of the world are not spared!

Fifth, Christ warned that 'there shall be ...earthquakes in divers places' - Matt 24:7 - and this could apply to tsunamis as well, often caused by earth's movements under the sea bed. Several nations like Indonesia, Japan and recently, Philippines have suffered severely from earthquakes and tsunamis.

Could these be some of the 'beginning of sorrows' (Matt 24:8) as warned by Christ with more to come as the clock ticks towards the midnight hour? Though we can never be absolutely sure, one thing we do know is that all these natural disasters seem to be happening more frequently and with greater intensity than the ones before, with scientists pointing to global warming as the main cause. Whatever the cause, the Olivet Prophecy does provide us the signs to watch and pray (Luke 21:36).

Sixth, while all these are happening, there will come a time of the seventh resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire with a confederation of ten nation states known in the Bible as "The Beast" that will be controlled by a religious organisation headed by a "False Prophet", also known as the "man of sin" - 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. The symbolic Beast is a political union of ten states in Europe controlled by a two-horned religious beast that will set to dominate the world, just before Christ's Second Coming. Daniel chapters 2 and 7 with Revelation chapters 13 and 17 prophesied of the coming Beast and False Prophet at the time of the end - which is quietly taking place right now!

Finally, Christ foretold that when the true Gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, the end will come - Matthew 24:14. It has not been preached for over 1900 years, otherwise the end of the church age would have been upon us with the ushering in of the kingdom of God - thy kingdom come!

Satan is well aware that his reign as god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) is coming to an end and he knows that he has only a short time left (Rev 12:12) before making way for Jesus Christ to usher in God's kingdom Who will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16). Hence, he is lashing out on the inhabitants of planet earth with such humongous disasters and problems like never before, for he came to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).










 

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE GOSPEL?

When one walks into any evangelical church, invariably the preacher will stress the importance of preaching the gospel. Most Christians when asked what is the gospel will reply that it is the gospel about Jesus Christ coming from heaven to earth to die for the sins of mankind. While this is true, it is not the gospel. Others may say it is about the gospel of grace, or it is about God's blessing in the arena of health and wealth. Yet some will preach a social gospel of doing good in this mortal life.

Although these have noble objectives, they are not the gospel. The gospel is not about the Person of Christ but the message of the kingdom of God. Christ was known as the Word in His pre-incarnate Being, together with God the Father (John 1:1). Christ was sent by the Heavenly Father as the Prophet Messenger (Deut 18:15; Malachi 3:1; Acts 7:37) to earth to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God to mankind (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43).  In fact, it was the same gospel that was preached by all the prophets of the Old Testament (Acts 3:21)! No prophet ever came to preach about himself, always preaching the message given from a higher authority. For the true gospel it was a message from the Heavenly Father Himself.

Although Christ Himself is not the gospel, the Person of Christ has to be preached in conjunction with the gospel because of the important role He has played as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, paving the way for true believers to see and enter the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God and Jesus Christ are two separate matters as recorded in 2 passages in Acts 8:12 and Acts 28:31 - 'Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God AND the name of Jesus Christ'... Paul taught likewise - 'Preaching the kingdom of God AND teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ'.

The kingdom of God is the supergovernment of God that will descend upon earth when Christ returns. It is about the rulership by government with authority set up by God over literal nations and literal people on earth (Daniel 7:27; Rev 11:15). When Christ was on earth, His main pre-occupation is teaching and instructing His disciples about the kingdom of God. In fact, most of His parables are pointing to the gospel of the kingdom. Similarly, the Apostle Paul was fervent in preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God (Acts 19:8; 20:25).

The prophet Daniel recorded what God revealed to him about the world to come - that there will be four kingdoms ruled by man and one after that will be the kingdom of God ruled by Christ (Daniel 2:31-35, 44). Chapter 2:44 reads, ' 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.' At the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the seventh angel sounded and with great rejoicing in heaven saying, ' The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.' - Revelation 11:15.

While on earth, Christ was in the wilderness for forty days and overcame the three temptations of Satan, qualifying Himself to rule as the King in the coming kingdom of God (Mark 1: 12-13). The first words of Christ after that was 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel' - Mark 1:15 - two key verbs that one must repent and believe in order to be saved! The gospel as stated in the preceding verse 14 is the kingdom of God - not something else as most churches are preaching and squabbling over every issue of doctrinal differences, mostly based on the interpretation of man. Only the Bible can interprets the Bible, and this has to be the basis for all interpretation of scriptural verses, including prophesies.

Christ Himself commissioned His twelve disciples to preach the kingdom of God. He also gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases (Luke 9:1-2). He later appointed other seventy, and sent them two and two to do likewise (Luke 10:1-9). In John 8:31, it was recorded that the Jews believed on Him. But that is not enough, Christ continued, If ye abide in my word (kingdom of God), then are ye my disciples indeed.' Then and only then,' ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' 

Similarly, in the Lord's prayer, Christ taught us to pray beginning with Matthew 6:10  - Thy kingdom come . Follow on in Matthew 6:33, Christ taught us to 'seek ye first the kingdom of God (the gospel) and his reightousness (the laws of God)' . Many can memorise it verbatim, but few understand its meaning, let alone obey it.

At His trial before His crucifixion, Christ told Pontius Pilate that He was born to be King (of the coming kingdom of God), and it was for this purpose that He came into this world, 'that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth hearth my voice - John 18:37. Truth of the matter is that the THE TRUTH Christ spoke of is the gospel of the kingdom of God!

This is consistent with the prophecy of Isaiah recorded in Isaiah 9:6-7, ' 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, Counsellor, The mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace...his government shall be no end...and upon his kingdom.' Similar prophecy is recorded for us in Luke 1:32-33, '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... and of his KINGDOM there shall be no end.' The throne to the kingdom is currently occupied by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. It will make way for Christ - the King of kings and Lord of lords - when He returns. Those who are called and qualified will be amongst the kings and lords to rule and reign with Him - Daniel 7:22; Revelation 2:26, 3:21, 5:10.

Religionists of our day try to spiritualise it away saying that the 'kingdom of God is in your heart or that it is the church'. This is the result of misinterpreting Scripture taken from Luke 17:21. The translation 'the kingdom of God is within you' is incorrect - a better translation is the kingdom of God is in the midst of you as Christ is the Divine Representative of the coming kingdom standing in the midst of the Pharisees. No way Christ was telling them the kingdom of God is in them when He called them names of the derogatory kind.

The kingdom of God is not the church as Christ told Nicodemus that one has to be born again to see the kingdom of God - John 3:3. To be born again is to die physically and be resurrected as an immortal spirit being. That is why flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God - 1 Corinthians 15:50. If the kingdom of God is the church, then all humans who have eyes - believers or unbelievers - will be able to see and enter therein!

For centuries since the first century AD, the true gospel had not been preached until the mid 20th century with Herbert Armstrong broadcasting the gospel of the kingdom of God over radio and the magazine 'Plain Truth'. The Lord Christ prophesied that the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to all the nations before the end will come - Matthew 24:14. Had the true gospel being preached before that, the end of the church age would have come with Christ returning to usher in the kingdom of God on earth.

These are all facts from the Bible that cannot be denied. Sadly, many would choose to believe in man rather than from the words of the Son of God, Jesus Christ and His chosen Apostles. Those who choose to follow man are worshipping and serving God in vain (Matthew 15:9; Mark 7:7). Choose wisely, for therein is the difference between life and death - for eternity!