Greetings to All:
This Mystery topic is dedicated to building a strong doctrinal foundation by carefully examining the differences between the
Gospel of the Kingdom; and our
Word of the Cross gospel message for today. God gathers members to the
Kingdom Bride; (
John 3:29) through the first gospel described below and members to the
Mystery Body of Christ; through Paul’s Gospel #2 below.
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This is
NOT our gospel for today. Nobody has been saved by this Gospel message for almost 2000 years.
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I.
Gospel of the Kingdom (
Matt. 4:23, 9:35, 24:14, Acts 8:12). Gospel to the Circumcised.
Galatians 2:7.
1. The good news that the
kingdom of heaven is
at hand; (
Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, Matthew 10:7). i.e.,
preaching the kingdom; Acts 20:25.
2. According to Prophecy;
seen by the OT Prophets.
Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1.
3. Obtain eternal life by keeping the commandments.
Matthew 19:16-17.
4. Water baptism (during confession) for the
forgiveness of sins; Mark 1:4, Acts 2:38. (John’s Baptism; Acts 19:3; name of the Father; John 1:6, 33, Matthew 28:19.)
5. Baptism in the
name of the Lord Jesus; (
Acts 8:16, Acts 19:5),name of the Son; (Matthew 28:19 = my
CF.com Baptisms Thread)
6. Receive the Spirit through the baptism in the name of the Holy Spirit; (Matthew 28:19) through the laying of hands (
Acts 8:17, Acts 19:6).
7. Justified by
works and not by faith alone; James 2:20-24.
8. Kingdom disciples are under Mosaic Law (
Matthew 5:18, James 2:10).
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This is our gospel for today that many believe is the only gospel of the New Testament with inclusions from Gospel #1. This gospel message was revealed to Paul (
Gal. 1:11+12) AFTER his conversion in Acts 9. Note that Christ preached the
Gospel of God; in
Mark 1:14-15, which is gospel #1 above.
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II. Paul’s
my gospel; (
Romans 2:16, Romans 16:25, etc.).
Gospel to the Uncircumcised.
Galatians 2:7.
1. The
Gospel of the Grace of God.
Acts 20:24.
2. According to
the revelation of the Mystery;
NOT seen by the OT prophets.
Romans 16:25.
3. Saved by God’s grace through faith
APART from works.
Ephesians 2:8-9.
4. Sins forgiven through
the redemption IN Christ (
Romans 3:24) and His shed blood (
Ephesians 1:7).
5. Our
one baptism (
Ephesians 4:5) is done by the
one Spirit; (Ephesians 4:4) into the
one body; (
1Corinthians 12:13), which is into
Christ’s body; 1Corinthians 12:27.
6. We receive the Spirit when hearing (
Romans 10:17*) and believing (
Ephesians 1:13-14) Paul’s Gospel by
hearing with faith; Galatians 3:2.
7. We are justified by faith
apart from works.
Romans 4:4-6.
8. We are under grace and
not under law.
Romans 6:14.
The two-gospels hypothesis says that God sent John the Baptist, Jesus Christ and the Twelve in three separate ministries to preach the “Gospel of the Kingdom” starting with John the Baptist who came first as
Elijah (
Matt. 11:14) to
fulfill OT prophecy (
Mal. 3:1+,
4:5-6). John the Baptist received the
Holy Spirit while in his mother’s womb (
Luke 1:15) by way of his father Zacharias who was chosen “
by lot” (
Luke 1:9) to go behind the second veil on the Day of Atonement. Jesus Christ took the
Holy Spirit baton from John the Baptist in the Jordan River (
Matt. 3:1+), when
Christ began to “increase” and John “decreased.”
John 3:29-30. Jesus Christ preached the “Gospel of the Kingdom” far and wide to pass the Holy Spirit (Helper) baton to the Disciples on the Day of Pentecost, after making the plan known, saying:
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away,
the Helper will not come to you; but
if I go, I will send Him to you. And
He, when He comes,
will convict the world concerning sin and
righteousness and
judgment; concerning sin, because
they do not believe in Me; and concerning
righteousness, because
I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning
judgment, because
the ruler of this world has been judged.”
John 16:7-11.
The left side of the color-coded
Prophecy / Mystery Timeline finds “
John the Baptist” (Elijah) stepping through the “
Second Veil” that separates the Old Testament as the “
Holy of Holies” of God’s Living Word. John preaches the Gospel of the Kingdom in the Father’s ministry followed by Jesus Christ doing the same thing under the Son’s ministry. Christ must leave to begin the
Book of Acts (
Acts 1:9-11), so that He could then send the Helper (Holy Spirit) back to begin preaching the “
good news about the kingdom of God” (
Acts 8:12) under the Ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Israel allowed John the Baptist to die in prison (
Matt. 14:10) and
Israel demanded Christ’s crucifixion (
Matt. 27:22-23), but
Israel would murder Stephen (name means “Crown”)
using their own hands (
Acts 7:54-60) to commit the “
transgression” (
Rom. 11:11) that Christ warned about concerning the
blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (
Matt. 12:30-32).
The Apostle Paul (Saul) was raised up in response to Steven’s murder and saved by God’s grace through faith apart from works on the road to Damascus in
Acts 9 to become a “chosen instrument of Mine” (Acts 9:15) to be given
our gospel for today (Gospel of the Grace of God) via “
a revelation of Jesus Christ:”
“For I would have you know, brethren, that
the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it,
but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 1:11-12.
God tricked Satan into killing Jesus Christ by offering the “Gospel of the Kingdom” to Israel and Jesus Christ as the King. Satan stopped the kingdom from becoming a reality 2000 years ago, but God’s Plan all along kept hidden “in” Him was to raise Jesus Christ from the dead “and” us with Him part of the “Mystery of Christ” taught exclusively in the Pauline Epistles to the Gentiles. Do you see just one good news message preached in the New Testament, or do you see two? Good luck in the debate. Blessings, Terral
