And again we are in Romans 16:25-27 where we find this; "Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!" Now here is my question and dilemma, just what is the Gospel? Many will answer with, "it is the good news," but then over the past almost 2000 years, now, and many translations of man of the scriptures, I am sure that much has been lost in the process, as not all were under the influence of the Holy Spirit while writing or rewriting the translations. Now there are millions who swear that the "King James" is the "only Bible," and is accurate to the last word, jot or title, I think not so. For do we still use the King James language to day? NO! Much of it has been lost due to time and the lost meanings of the old world English words and phrases used. So what is the Gospel? John Gill has this to say, "and the preaching of Jesus Christ: being that Gospel which Jesus Christ Himself preached, for which He was anointed and sent, and which first began to be spoken by Him in its power and purity, and in such a manner as it never was before or since: and of which He also is the subject; it treats of His person, offices, righteousness, blood, sacrifice, redemption and salvation; and which when preached aright is done in His name, by His authority, through gifts, grace, and strength received from Him, and with a view to His glory: it follows as a further explanation of it."
Now here is what Adam Clark has to say about the Gospel, "According to my Gospel - That Gospel which explains and publishes God’s purpose of taking the Gentiles to be His people under the Messiah, without subjecting them to the Law of Moses. This is what Paul here calls the preaching of Jesus Christ; for without this he did not think, as Mr. Locke observes, that Christ was preached to the Gentiles as He ought to be; and therefore in several places of his epistle to the Galatians he calls it the truth, and the truth of the Gospel, and uses the like expressions to the Ephesians and Colossians. This is that mystery which he is so much concerned that the Ephesians should understand and adhere to firmly, and which was revealed to him according to that Gospel whereof he was made a minister. And it is probable that this grand mystery of bringing the Gentiles into the kingdom of God, without passing through the rites of the Mosaic Law, was revealed more particularly to Paul than to any other of the apostles, and that he preached it more pointedly, and certainly with more success. See Taylor and Locke."
So what were the prophecies related to this Gospel? This is where I will start from in today's blog.
Prophecies Relating to the Gospel,
Deuteronomy 18:17-18, 20 "The LORD said to me, 'They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to My words that he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.
But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.'"
Isaiah 2:2-4 "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go the law [instruction], and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."
Isaiah 29:17-21 "Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right."
Isaiah 52:3-6, 7-10 "Thus says the LORD: "You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money." For thus says the Lord GOD: "My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. Now therefore what have I here," declares the LORD, "seeing that My people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail," declares the LORD, "and continually all the day My name is despised. Therefore My people shall know My name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am."
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD has bared His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."
Isaiah 61:1-3 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."
Matthew 24:9-14 (Jesus is speaking) "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Romans remains a mystery book to many people even still to this very day, because they over look a simple phrase within it which is spoken of in chapters 9 and 11. This simple phrases is "prepared of God" which may not be expressed in this fashion as we have already seen in this blog. The Thayer's Dictionary states this about "prepared:" Strong's G2090: to prepare the minds of men to give the Messiah a fit reception and secure his blessings. Now I am given to say that John the Baptist used this phrase to describe his activities. Now as we have seen the law is the path one is to take in life's journey, meaning that we are mature before God. Where we see God in everything be it bad or good for HE is in all things. Within the scriptures we find junction with God through Christ as typified by Jesus and His life walk. Since creation man has been a vessel in which Divine Deity is meant to dwell.
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