This essay will be a continuing look at the Gospel of the Kingdom as presented in the Old Testament, that is, The Law and The Prophets.
We started to look at this topic in an earlier teaching, Gospel Of The Kingdom [http://www.etpv.org/2008/gotk.html]
We will focus on the question: What is the Gospel? And touch on the nature of the Kingdom. Also we’ll consider what difference there is between saying: The Kingdom of God is at hand, and saying: Our God Reigns.
What got this discussion going was the raised by this verse from Acts 28:
Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Paul was teaching the Kingdom of God from the Old Testament. How would he do that, and what scripture would he use?
Gospel Definitions
Gospel
A word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning “God's spell”, i.e., word of God, or rather, according to others, “good spell”, i.e., good news. It is the rendering of the Greek evangelion, i.e., “good message.” It denotes
(1.) “the welcome intelligence of salvation to man as preached by our Lord and his followers.
(2.) It was afterwards transitively applied to each of the four histories of our Lord's life, published by those who are therefore called 'Evangelists', writers of the history of the gospel (the evangelion).
(3.) The term is often used to express collectively the gospel doctrines; and 'preaching the gospel' is often used to include not only the proclaiming of the good tidings, but the teaching men how to avail themselves of the offer of salvation, the declaring of all the truths, precepts, promises, and threatenings of Christianity.” It is termed “the gospel of the grace of God” (Act_20:24), “the gospel of the kingdom” (Mat_4:23), “the gospel of Christ” (Rom_1:16), “the gospel of peace (Eph_6:15), “the glorious gospel,” “the everlasting gospel,” “the gospel of salvation” (Eph_1:13).
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Gospel
gos´pel (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, tó euaggélion): The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word which meant “the story concerning God.” In the New Testament the Greek word euaggelion, means “good news.” It proclaims tidings of deliverance. The word sometimes stands for the record of the life of our Lord (Mar_1:1), embracing all His teachings, as in Act_20:24. But the word “gospel” now has a peculiar use, and describes primarily the message which Christianity announces. “Good news” is its significance. It means a gift from God. It is the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins and sonship with God restored through Christ. It means remission of sins and reconciliation with God. The gospel is not only a message of salvation, but also the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works (Rom_1:16).
The gospel differs from the law in being known entirely from revelation. It is proclaimed in all its fullness in the revelation given in the New Testament. It is also found, although obscurely, in the Old Testament. It begins with the prophecy concerning the 'seed of the woman' (Gen_3:15), and the promise concerning Abraham, in whom all the nations should be blessed (Gen_12:3; Gen_15:5) and is also indicated in Act_10:43 and in the argument in Rom 4.
In the New Testament the gospel never means simply a book, but rather the message which Christ and His apostles announced. In some places it is called “the gospel of God,” as, for example, Rom_1:1; 1Th_2:2, 1Th_2:9; 1Ti_1:11. In others it is called “the gospel of Christ” (Mar_1:1; Rom_1:16; Rom_15:19; 1Co_9:12, 1Co_9:18; Gal_1:7). In another it is called “the gospel of the grace of God” (Act_20:24); in another “the gospel of peace” (Eph_6:15); in another “the gospel of your salvation” (Eph_1:13); and in yet another “the glorious gospel” (2Co_4:4 the King James Version). The gospel is Christ: He is the subject of it, the object of it, and the life of it. It was preached by Him (Mat_4:23; Mat_11:5; Mar_1:14; Luk_4:18 margin), by the apostles (Act_16:10; Rom_1:15; Rom_2:16; 1Co_9:16) and by the evangelists (Act_8:25).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
The Gospel Summarized in First Corinthians
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Here is Paul giving a summary of the Gospel, this is the gospel and it is good news. But is this all there is to it? No this is only one expression of the good news. It can be phrased in many other ways.
Glad Tidings The Gospel of Peace
The expression Glad Tidings is a synonym for Gospel; sometimes it's rendered Good News or Good Tidings. See here how it is used in Luke
Luke 8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
So the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is the Good News or Glad Tidings. That same phrase is found in Romans 10, where the Gospel is spoken of as the Gospel of Peace.
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Now let's find this in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 26 there is a mention of peace that we can relate to our previous discussion, Gospel Of The Kingdom. There we said: to seek first the kingdom of God is the same as to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and the same as to have no other gods before him.
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Show me someone whose mind is stayed on The Lord: because he trusts in The Lord, and I'll show you someone who is seeking the Kingdom of God first and foremost.
In Romans 10:15, quoted above, we see the words: as it is written, Romans is quoting from Isaiah 52.
Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
This one verse ties together several ideas which are, in typical Hebrew fashion, differing ways of saying the same thing. These are:
good tidings
publishing peace
publishing salvation
saying to Zion: [Israel and or the Church] Thy God Reigns, i.e. the Kingdom of God.
So if you are preaching from Isaiah 52 or anywhere in the Old Testament on any of these synonymous themes, you are preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God from the Old Testament. Here are some other examples.
Nahum 1:15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
Isaiah 40:9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Isaiah 57:19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.
Notice that in both Isaiah and Nahum The Spirit uses a curious expression: the feet of him that bringeth good tidings. Romans 10:15 also says How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6 tells us that the Gospel of Peace is part of the whole armor of God. It's the part that goes on your feet! This is what enables you to Go and Preach. And this is what makes for beautiful feet!
Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Earlier in Ephesians it tells us that Jesus Christ is our peace.
Ephesians 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
So the gospel is announcing the Kingdom of God, who is our peace, The Prince of Peace. He is called that in Isaiah 9.
Isaiah 9:6 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.
So if you're preaching from Isaiah 9, that's the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, from the Old Testament.
The Son, The King, The Cornerstone, The Promise
Here is a passage from Acts 13 that links the Glad Tidings with Psalm 2.
Acts 13:32-33
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
And in Psalm 2 we read:
Psalms 2:6-8
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Acts 2 links the Gospel with the promise made to the fathers; i.e. the covenant with Abraham, and then links it to Psalm 2 where the anointed one, i.e. the Messiah is declared to be the only begotten son. Psalm 2 then links these ideas to The Kingdom, Mount Zion and his inheritance. His inheritance is the heathen, [the nations] and all the earth.
Let's look at a mention of Mount Zion found in Isaiah 28.
Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
This is a parallel depiction of what is says in Psalm 2 "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." Another depiction of the same event is given in Zechariah 4 where the cornerstone is termed the headstone. The Lord Jesus is the head stone set in place on the great mountain, which is Mount Zion.
Zechariah 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Notice that this quote mentions that the mountain shalt become a plain. This is seen in the book of Micah, and Isaiah.
Micah 3:12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.
Isaiah 40:3-5
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
You can also tie in the mention of Mt. Zion from Psalm 133, and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom from the Old Testament.
Psalms 133:1-3
1 <A Song of degrees of David.> Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
The Promise To The Fathers
Now let's look at the Promise.
Acts 13:32-33
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
This quote from Acts links The Gospel with the Promise To The Fathers and to the Messiah, the Son mentioned in Psalm 2. We can find the promise spoken of in Genesis 12, although the first hint of it is in Genesis 3.
The promise to Abraham is seen in Genesis 12 thusly.
Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:.
7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
Now here is a multi part promise.
- I will make of thee a great nation
- I will bless thee
- and make thy name great
- and thou shalt be a blessing
- And I will bless them that bless thee
- and curse him that curses thee
- and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed
- Unto thy seed will I give this land
Item number 7, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed Is the really important one. Galatians speaks of this blessing as The Gospel.
Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
And Galatians 3:14 elaborates on that saying that the Gospel is the blessing of Abraham coming to the gentiles, and most importantly that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. This promise of the Spirit is the promise of a New Covenant. It’s the same new covenant that was promised to Israel of old. Also it is telling us that the promise of a new covenant goes back to Abraham.
Galatians 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Thus the Gospel of the Kingdom is the promise of the Spirit. This would mean that any scripture in the Old Testament that mentions the Promise of a New Covenant or the Outpouring of the Spirit, is a preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom from the Old Testament!
Romans looks at the promise to Abraham and describes it, not as a promise just to receive the land of Canaan but to inherit all the world.
Romans 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Now turn that right around and take it back to Psalm 2.
Psalm 2: 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen [nations] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
And remember how the Gospel is spoken of as Good News for All in Luke 2 in the New Testament and in Isaiah 52 in the old testament.
Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Isaiah 52:7-10
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Here we see the gospel is a promise of the Spirit. When one says the Kingdom of God is at hand, he says, there is a kingdom coming. When you say Our God Reigns as is Isaiah 52:7, you are saying the kingdom is here. This has to do with when the promise of a new covenant is fulfilled by the coming of the king. And so lets look at when the Kingdom of God comes to earth. That is when will God’s will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Here are some verses that indicate the timing on this.
On Earth As It Is In Heaven
Daniel 2:44 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 for ever.
Revelation 11:15-17
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Psalms 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psalms 110:1-3
1 <A Psalm of David.> The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
Righteousness Peace and Joy
Let's look at another way the Gospel is related to the Kingdom. Romans 14 lists
Righteousness Peace and Joy as three signs of the Kingdom of God.
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
We can see in the following three quotes where the Gospel is seen as salvation, peace and joy.
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
So we could simply claim the salvation is synonymous with righteousness to tie in the three signs of the Kingdom to the Gospel. However it's easy enough to find scripture that links these two ideas.
Isaiah 56:1 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
This last quote also brings in the idea of Joy once again. And of course Ephesians 6 informs us that righteousness and salvation are a part of the whole armor of God.
Ephesians 6:13-17
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
So there you have righteousness, and peace, and joy: The Gospel of the Kingdom of God!
Other Aspects Of The Gospel
The Gospel Has Power
Consider these quotes mentioning power relating to the Gospel of The Kingdom.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
The Gospel Requires Obedience
Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
Romans 16:25-26
25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Summary
In Acts 28 we read another one of those parallel expressions. This one also makes a good definition of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
Acts 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
It's telling us that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God consists of those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ. So your old testament sources can be any of the following themes and more besides.
Any passage relating to the first commandment or
The coming of the Messiah, or
Peace or
Salvation or
The promises to Abraham and the fathers or
The King in Zion or
The cornerstone laid in Zion or
The promise of the New Covenant or
The Promise of the Spirit
Now we'll generalize a bit further. Consider that this quote from Acts 28 tells us that the Gospel of the Kingdom consists of those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's take a look at the opening verses of Acts.
Acts 1:1-3
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
The mention of the former treatise in verse one is usually understood as speaking of The Gospel of Luke who wrote both Luke and Acts. Since we know that the true author of all scripture is the Holy Spirit, it is not too much of a stretch to see that the Former Treatise has a double meaning. That is to say, it is a veiled reference to the Old Testament! And with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we should be able to teach on the Gospel of the Kingdom of God from just about anywhere in the Old Testament. Selah!
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