The disciples never were told to preach the gospel; preach repentance yes, but not to preach the gospel, only that they should or would preach the gospel later – after the resurrection. It was after the gospel was revealed in Christ and by Christ that it could be preached in Acts and beyond.

Preaching the Gospel is therefore a large part of the authority and purpose of the Church: she is to publish, preach and disseminate the gospel: god’s honest truth.

Initially, we should view the Gospels from the point of Christ’s dual nature as both man and God. It can be said that the first three gospels represent Christ and his human nature and the Gospel of John is indicative more of our Savior’s divine nature. Notwithstanding,  each Gospel has its peculiar and special meaning that added together makes them a full revelation of the character, life and person of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man.

Traditionally, the four Gospels have been compared symbolically to the four rivers in the Garden of Eden, and most notably, to the cherubic representatives of the creation that surround the throne of God, assigning the man cherub to Matthew, the lion to Mark, the ox to Luke and the eagle to John. It has been observed by Christian historians that the apparent contradictions in the four separate accounts sufficiently solve themselves upon examination and rather than hindering credibility serve only to attest to their honesty, impartiality and the divine inspiration of their authorship. At the same time the four Aversions or perspectives give the believer a varied approach to Christ and a variety of spiritual views that a single account could not have otherwise accomplished. The contrast and compliment supplied by this multifaceted look into Christ’s earthly ministry serves to affirm, consolidate and bring to vivid clarity the kind of relationship God wishes to have with man through His only Son. In this way each Gospel has independent worth but each is only complete when received by their mutual relationship.

It has been further observed that Matthew wrote for the Jews, Mark for the Romans, Luke for the Greeks and John for advanced Christians; but all are suited for all Christians in every age and every nation. Perceiving the Gospels in this way Matthew exhibits Jesus as the Messiah and Lawgiver of the kingdom of heaven who challenges our obedience; Mark is the mighty conqueror and worker of miracles who excites our astonishment; Luke shows Jesus as our sympathizing Friend and Savior who commands our confidence; and John reveals Jesus, the eternal Son of God who became flesh for our salvation and claims our adoration and worship, that through believing in Him we can have eternal life.

Notice that this interpretive scope is bracketed in themes of obeying in Matthew and believing in John. For purposes of understanding they show a remarkable and consistent flow from the Old Testament to the New. Matthew announces that God has brought a ‘sampling’ of the kingdom of heaven as a promise of the fullness to come when God will establish the Kingdom of God in full in the glory to come. The whole duty of man, put in simple and direct terms, has always been and still is to believe and obey. Christ’s coming and its revelation in the Gospels shows us the way to belief and the obedience it requires for all those who wish to enter into its eternal utopian bliss.

While there have been many gyrations and scurrilous attempts by Antichrist elements, all under the name of modern critical speculation, over the last few centuries suggesting that the Gospels were written at various times through the first three centuries after Christ’s death and resurrection, they all appear lame upon the most superficial examination of the facts. The first three Gospels, known as the Synoptic Gospels because of their agreement in form and story, were certainly written before the year 70 AD, for they describe the destruction of Jerusalem as an event yet in the future, and thing near to come and something that would kick off the signs of the entire age leading up to the return of Christ. (Olivet Discourse: Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21).

Had the three Synoptic Gospels been written after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD it surely would have been reported as a fulfilled event and its importance with the return of Christ would probably have been more than partly disconnected to its purpose of kicking off the signs. There is no way to know when the Gospels were penned, but they were probably all written between 50 and 60 AD, or earlier. All the authors, with the exception of John, were probably gone, as was Paul, before the destruction of the Temple and the downfall of Jerusalem and Israel in 70 AD. John lived another couple of decades until quite old and his gospel assignment is the only one which does not give an account of the Olivet Discourse which prophesied the destruction of the Temple, even though he was present on those occasions when Christ taught on the signs of His Return. It is easy to understand that his inspired gospel account does not cover the fall of Israel because it would have been ‘old’ news. He would have been talking of prophecy as prophecy when it had already been fulfilled, so it was not appropriate for John’s Gospel to cover the Olivet Discourse serving only to confuse its prophetic tone and integrity of His accounts of what Christ did and said..

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The following is an article discussing what the word Gospel actually means; while also defining and describing the Gospel in a rudimentary sense.    

ARTICLE ON GOSPEL:

GOSPEL is the English word used to translate the Greek word for “good news.” Christians use the word to designate the message and story of God’s saving activity through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of God’s unique Son Jesus. Although “gospel” translates a Greek word from the New Testament, the concept of good news itself finds its roots in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament.

Development in the Old Testament Bisar is the Hebrew verb which means “to proclaim good news.” Unlike the English language, Hebrew is able to convey the subject of the proclamation in the verb’s root; no direct object was needed with the verb bisar to make clear that the subject of an announcement was “good news.” Originally, the word was used to describe the report of victory in battle (2 Sam 4:10). Because the Israelites believed God was actively involved in their lives (including battles and wars) bisar came to have a religious connotation. To proclaim the good news of Israel’s success in battle was to proclaim God’s triumph over God’s enemies. Believing credit for the victory belonged to God, the Israelites’ proclamation of the good news of victory was, in fact, proclamation about God.

The transition from the use of bisar in a military setting to its use in a personal context is not difficult to envision. If Israel proclaimed good news when God delivered the nation from its enemies, individuals ought also to proclaim good news when God delivered them from personal distress (Ps 40:10). The nation’s victories in war and a person’s individual salvation both called for the announcement of what God had done.

The Book of Isaiah marks the full religious development of the term within the Old Testament. By this time the word is most often used to describe the anticipated deliverance and salvation which would come from the hand of God when the long‑awaited Messiah appeared to deliver Israel (Isa 52:7). The military‑political and personal connotations of the word were fully united in the hope of a Deliverer who would both triumph over the earthly enemies of God’s people and usher in a new age of salvation. The arrival of this Messiah would be good news.

In the Old Testament, the verbal form of bisar dominates in usage. A noun derived from the verb does appear on occasion, but the vast majority of references are to the verb itself. The good news of God’s saving work and the proclamation of that news cannot be separated.

Development in the New Testament
From approximately 300 B.C. until after the time of Christ, Greek was the dominant language of the biblical world. The Greek language crossed geographic and cultural barriers to provide a common tongue for government and commerce. During this same time period thousands of Jews emigrated from Palestine throughout Asia Minor. Consequently, many devout Greek‑speaking Jews lived in the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, many Jews who lived outside Palestine spoke Greek better than they spoke Hebrew. These people eventually translated their Scriptures and the important expressions of their faith into Greek.

As translators performed their work on the Hebrew Bible, the Greek word most commonly used for bisar was euangelizesthai. In its most ancient usage, this Greek verb had many similarities with bisar. Like the Hebrew verb, euangelizesthai was a word used to announce victory in battle. Another similarity could be found in that the Greek verb originally needed no direct object to convey the subject of the proclamation. However, by the time the New Testament was written the usage of euangelizesthai had changed slightly. In later usage the word simply meant “to proclaim,” and some object had to be used with the verb to explain the subject of the proclamation.

This small shift in meaning explains why during the Christian era a noun derived from the Greek verb became much more common. Christians increasingly used euangelion (the noun derived from euangelizesthai) as a specific term to describe the good news of Jesus. Euangelion was indeed the content of their preaching. However, because the Greek language now allowed the content of their proclamation to be separated from the idea of proclamation itself – this meant that, writers of the New Testament could also say the good news was confessed, taught, spoken, told, announced, and witnessed.

Development in English Translations Earliest English editions of the Bible used the Anglo‑Saxon word “godspell” to translate the noun euangelion. Godspell meant therefore – “the story about a god” and was used because the story about Jesus was good news. As English developed, the word was shortened to “gospel,” and the Anglo‑Saxon meaning was lost. It was further corrupted from the german, which was god-spell, or God’s honest truth. 

Because euangelion was used specifically to refer to good news of Jesus, some translators have used other words to translate bisar in the Old Testament, even though the meaning of the two words are roughly the same. This distinction has been drawn in order to differentiate between the good news promised by the prophets and the good news which Jesus brought. Translators who make such a distinction often use “glad tidings” or an equivalent for the Hebrew.

Usage in the New Testament
In the New Testament “gospel” has two shades of meaning: it is both the actual message on the lips of Jesus about the reign of God (Mark 1:14), and it is the story told about Jesus after His death and resurrection (Gal 1:11‑12). In each case “gospel” refers to the work which God alone initiates and completes. Inasmuch as God has chosen to bring about the world’s reconciliation in this one particular way, there is only one gospel (Heb 1:1‑2). Furthermore, since God is the One working through the saving activity of Jesus, God is also the Author of the gospel (1 Thess 2:13). The gospel is God’s message to humankind (Rom. 15:16). Only God calls and commissions the messengers of this good news, and, in addition, only God gives the messengers the story they are to make known (Rom 10:14‑15; 1 John 1:5).

Therefore, the proclamation of the good news is the continuation of the work which God began in Jesus Christ. God’s messengers are not merely telling about the history of salvation when they proclaim the good news; rather, they are an integral part of the work which continues through their efforts. The living Lord, Jesus Christ Himself, confronts listeners through the words of the messengers. To alter the message by adding extra requirements or by omitting crucial details is to pervert the gospel into a false message which ceases to have saving power (2 Cor 11:3‑4; Gal 1:6‑7).  

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The Message of the Gospel
The most basic summary of Jesus’ preaching appears in Mark 1:15. “The time is fulfilled,” He said. “The kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Mark offers no explanation what the good news is or what information it contains. Those readers who live several centuries after the writing of the New Testament must glean the message from careful study of all its books.

The need for good news assumes a bad situation. The bad situation in which humans find themselves and the reason they need good news is that sin has entered each of their lives (John 8:7; Rom 3:23). Sin is a power that controls them and shapes their destinies (Rom 3:9; 6:22). Sin’s power must not be underestimated. In fact, humans are helpless by themselves to overcome its grip on their lives (Rom 7:21‑24).

Because humans cannot overcome the power of sin by themselves, God has intervened on their behalf through Jesus. Jesus has come to seek out all persons so they may respond to God’s grace (Luke 15:1‑10; 19:10). God’s grace, which Jesus bears within Himself (John 1:14), overcomes sin’s power and offers forgiveness for individual sins (Mark 2:5; Rom. 6:14). See Grace.

While God offers grace freely to everyone, this grace is not effective in overcoming the power of sin in a person’s life until that person accepts it (Matt 19:20‑22; John 1:12). Because Jesus bears God’s grace in Himself, grace is accepted only by receiving him (John 14:9‑12). The marks of having accepted Jesus are repentance (Luke 13:3) and a changed life (Matt 3:8; 1 John 1:5‑7).

The fact that forgiveness, freedom from sin, and a new life are possible is good news. Because all this is possible only through Jesus Christ, His message and His story are called the “gospel.”

The Written Gospels
Within the New Testament, the word euangelion always refers to oral communication, never to a document or piece of literature. Not until the beginning of the second century and the writings of the “church fathers” do we find references to “gospels” in the plural, indicating written documents. How did this transition from a spoken message to written books take place?

Literacy was not usual in the ancient world, even if the Jews could be considered a literate nation. Books and writing equipment were expensive and the education needed to use them was usually reserved for the rich and powerful. But by the times of Jesus Israel had synagogues all over the countryside where the Pharisees were nothing less than people devoted to the written word thinking that anyone who was illiterate was dirt – a goyim. Consequently, many societies preserved and transmitted their national stories, traditions, and faith by word of mouth. These societies stressed the importance of telling and remembering their traditions from one generation to another. It was what their religions of mythology were built on and how their religions developed. The Jewish people were to the contrary in all matters of religion.

In times of crisis (such as an invasion by a foreign nation), however, certain learned individuals would try to guarantee the preservation of their society’s oral traditions by writing them down. They often wrote out of the fear of what would happen if their nation was defeated or destroyed and no one was left to transmit orally the living traditions to the next generation.

The gospels of the New Testament developed along a pattern similar to other ancient writings. For many years the stories and teachings of Jesus were communicated primarily by word of mouth. In addition to the fact of limited literacy, members of the early church believed Jesus would return soon, so they felt no urgency to write down His teachings for the future. Then, about thirty years after Jesus’ ascension, three interrelated crises began to impinge upon the church. As a result of these crises, individuals responded to the leadership of God’s Spirit to write down the teachings, stories, and message of Jesus into what we call the Gospels.

The first of these crises was persecution. The Emperor Nero initiated the first official persecution so he could use Christians as scapegoats for his own insane actions. After setting fire to the city of Rome in A.D. 64 as a way to clear a portion of the city for a construction project, Nero arrested Christians and accused them of committing the crime. Using torture, Roman officials extracted a “confession” from one Christian. On the basis of this supposed admission of guilt, Nero began a systematic persecution of Christians which included arrest, imprisonment, torture, and execution. The persecution begun by Nero continued in varying degrees of intensity during the reign of other emperors throughout the New Testament period. From a historical perspective, persecution may have strengthened the spirit of the early church, but that first generation of Christians felt their very existence was threatened.

The second crisis involved the passing away of the generation of people who had actually seen Jesus in the flesh, heard His teachings, and witnessed His miracles. Some died in the persecutions and others simply aged enough to pass away from natural causes. The early church placed a high value on the experience of actually having seen and heard Jesus (Luke 1:2; 1 John 1:1). Therefore, the death of members of the original generation of Christians was viewed as a potential break in their linkage to the historical roots of their faith.

The third crises was the perceived delay in Christ’s return to earth. Preaching recorded in the New Testament has a distinct sense of urgency about it. The apostles believed that Jesus would be returning any day and that it was imperative for them to give as many people as possible the opportunity to respond to Him. Their constant emphasis was to communicate the gospel today, not to preserve it for the future. As a longer and longer period of time passed after Jesus’ ascension, the church became more and more concerned about preserving the message.

The purposes of the Evangelists from approximately A.D. 60 until A.D. 90 was to preach and to set down the history of Christ in writing. Four individuals responded to the inspiration of God by writing down the message of, and about Jesus. As they did, these individuals surely held several goals in common. Responding to the crises around them, they wanted to preserve the gospel message in an accurate form for believers who would follow in future generations. In this sense the authors were each trying to produce a book for the Christian community. They wrote down the good news of Jesus to strengthen, to educate, and to encourage those who already accepted its message. As well as to record the prophecies of God and of Jesus’ return that would be of critical importance as guiding lights to the generations to come, and especially the last generations before His second coming.

The written gospel was not only an additional tool for evangelism (John 20:30‑31), but a source of personal contact used by the Holy Spirit so that Christ could speak with believers in a personal way down through the ages until his return.

The Gospel writers’ primary interest was not to produce great works of literature, their principal objective was to convert individuals to believe in Christ and have personal relationship with Him. They also recorded facts to establish the truth in history that Son of God walked and loved us as a human being, proving that if Man will walk with God in this life they can also love in truth without fear.

The church does not possess one account of the message of and work of Jesus which stands alone as the official record of His activity. Rather, the early church recognized the inspiration of four different accounts of the gospel. Each one was written from a slightly different perspective; each one had a different audience in mind; each one was designed to highlight the elements of the gospel which the author felt most important.

 

Ideas that the Word Renders Concerning the Gospel Itself:

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“That people could be instructed with certainty things they should know.”

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”  [Lk 1:4 & Jn 20:31]

*The gospel was preached before to Abraham. We are told. that God would justify the heathen through faith preached to Abraham, and that all nations would be blessed in him.”  [Gal 3:8] 

*The gospel is not with wisdom of words but to be preached.” [1 Cor 1:17]

*The gospel which they believed, received and in which they stand and are saved if they keep it, is life, unless they have received it in vain.” [1 Cor 15:1-2]

*The Jews are enemies for our sakes as concerning the gospel, but as touching the election they are beloved for the fathers sakes. [Rom 11:28]

*The gospel of your salvation and the sealing of the earnest of your salvation, The holy Spirit of promise.” [Eph 1:13]

*Gentiles be fellowheirs by the gospel, of the same body and partakers of the promise.” [Eph 3:6]

*Gospel of peace part of the armor of God.” [Eph 6:15] 

*For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven whereof ye heard by the word of the truth of the Gospel which bringeth forth fruit and is gone into all the world.” [Col 1:5]

“So that the hope of the gospel, be not moved, which was preached to every creature under heaven. [Col 1:23]

*Gospel comes not with word, but power and Holy Ghost also. [1 Thess 1:5]

*Punishment of those who know not God and obey not the gospel. [2 Thess 1:8]

*Gospel (is) unto the obtaining of glory. [2 Thess 2:14]

*(We need to) Be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. [2 Tim 1:8]

*(He) Has abolished death; and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. [2 Tim 1:10]  

*To be profitable, the gospel must not only be preached but it must be incorporated, or engrafted into a humble ‘receiver’ of truth.

 *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? [1 Pet 4:17]

*The word is ultimately sewed upon earth when the everlasting gospel is preached from heaven. [Rev 14:6]

 

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32 Scriptures with the phrase “Gospel of”:

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(Matt 4:23 KJV)  “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

(Matt 9:35 KJV)  “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”

(Matt 24:14 KJV)  “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

(Mark 1:1 KJV)  “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;”

(Mark 1:14 KJV)  “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,”

(Acts 20:24 KJV)  “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

(Rom 1:1 KJV)  “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,”

(Rom 1:9 KJV)  “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;”

(Rom 1:16 KJV)  “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.”

(Rom 10:15 KJV)  “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!”

(Rom 15:16 KJV)  “That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.”

(Rom 15:19 KJV)  Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

(Rom 15:29 KJV)  “And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.”

(1 Cor 9:12 KJV)  “If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.”

(1 Cor 9:18 KJV)  “What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.”

(2 Cor 4:4 KJV)  “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

(2 Cor 9:13 KJV)  “Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;”

(2 Cor 10:14 KJV)  “For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:”

(2 Cor 11:7 KJV)  “Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?”

(Gal 1:7 KJV)  “Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

(Gal 2:7 KJV)  “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;”

(Eph 1:13 KJV)  “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,”

(Eph 6:15 KJV)  “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

(Phil 1:27 KJV)  “Only let your conversation (way of living) be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”

(1 Th 2:2 KJV)  “But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.”

(1 Th 2:8 KJV)  “So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.”

(1 Th 2:9 KJV)  “For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.”

(1 Th 3:2 KJV)  “And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellow labourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:”

(2 Th 1:8 KJV)  “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:”

(1 Tim 1:11 KJV)  “According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.”

(1 Pet 4:17 KJV)  “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?”

Point of question on Gospel
Changing tides of culture, media, times, eating drinking, politics, etc. How does Gospels effect these. As our time up against the Golden age of Rome. The early church puritanical how efficient is gospel though?  

Hypothesis: Gospel antecedent to Church. Much of analysis and debate of church, looking for church is really gospel or should be gospel. Gospel is what is interested and needs be examined because that determines church essence.  

Another part of the gospel found in beatitudes and stands in contrast to Mystery Babylon and Antichrist. Humble, losers, not wrath shall win, but captives and strangers and pilgrims holding on to crown and faith, etc.  

Should it be pointed out what gospel is not? Law, circumcision, carnal sabbath, food regulations, etc.

This is a very old characterization that goes back to Gregory Nazianzen.

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Peter Said This About the Gospel

“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
    For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
    And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
    We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
    Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
    For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:16-2