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Tag: good news

  • What is the Gospel? What are the Gospels?

    What is the Gospel? What are the Gospels?

    Ask five Christians,

    What is the Gospel?

    And you may hear THREE different answers, see an empty puzzled look and perhaps hear an honest, “I don’t really know; how do you define the gospel?”

    Go ahead: EMAIL ME your definition BEFORE you read the following OR add your definitive COMMENT at the bottom of this Christian Jargon post.

    Gospel & Gospels – Two Definitions

    photo of earth from the moon

    You have probably heard from one version of this Scripture:

    “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

    Gospel of Mark 16:15b NIV

    I mention ‘Gospel‘ in two different contexts here:

    1. Gospel from a quote of the risen Lord Jesus Christ
    2. Gospel identifying the written account of the disciple John Mark

    Four Gospels recorded by four witnesses

    Briefly:

    1. Matthew
    2. Mark
    3. Luke
    4. John 
    We've quoted these four writers of the Gospels many times AND we cross-reference these Scriptures in other accounts as well.

    TalkofJESUS.com treats the GOSPELS as a single category due to the connected importance of the Good News of Jesus Christ reported LIVE and IN PERSON from different perspectives.

    manger of a timeless Christ "I will be with you always even to the end of the earth

    Gospel of Matthew 28:30 – Quote of JESUS after the Lord’s resurrection.

    that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
    Gospel of LUKE 1:4
    John Mark (mentioned above) and Luke, the physician who continued his detailed account of Jesus and the early Church with Acts of the Apostles, were both gentile (non-Jewish) believers who interviewed the Twelve and other witnesses of JESUS. 

    Matthew (quoted above) and John are two of the Twelve Apostles. Jesus includes John and his brother James along with Simon Peter in the Lord's inner circle of closest confidants and friends.
    about the Author the Gospel of John - photo of quill and pen & computer talkofJesus.com
    The GOSPEL of JOHN

    Luke also introduces himself in both volumes of his accounts Luke-Acts.

    The Gospel: Definition

    εὐαγγέλιον

    Strong’s G2098 – euangelion

    a reward for good tidings

    good tidings

    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.

    Topical Encyclopedia

    The term “Gospel” originates from the Old English word “godspel,” meaning “good news” or “glad tidings,” which is a translation of the Greek word “euangelion.”

    In the context of the Christian faith, the Gospel refers to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, encompassing His life, death, resurrection, and the promise of eternal life for believers.

    gos’-pel (to euaggelion): The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word which meant “the story concerning God.”

    The Gospel is simple really, yet with the mysterious depth of God proclaimed as the good Word of saving sinners. 

    I have written topically about the Gospel at least twice:
    Go into all the world (and SHARE the Gospel) – 1

    (Go into all the world and) SHARE the Gospel – 2

    Further Study

    Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words offers a deeper study of biblical words used in the English language. English entries are mapped to each applicable Greek root according to the Strong’s reference numbers, and include biblical usage, main occurrences in the Bible, English transliteration, and definitions.

    εὐαγγελίζω – euangelizō – verb

    Strong’s Number: g2097

    Gospel (Noun and Verb: to Preach):“to bring or announce glad tidings” (Eng., “evangelize”), is used

    (a) in the Active Voice in Rev 10:7 (“declared”) and Rev 14:6 (“to proclaim,” RV, AV, “to preach”);

    Some claiming Christ, christians or even churches, will claim the Gospel without understanding.

    OR worse, pulpits may proclaim the Gospel while hiding behind it.

    AND some christians and churches take no action at all in evangelization or preaching the Gospel to our own personal need of Christ Jesus for salvation.

    Good News before our inevitable end

    death — and the JUDGMENT of ALMIGHTY GOD!

    2025 of the Common Era seems to have begun with story after story and yet more of the continuing BREAKING NEWS of our fallen world.

    Common Era NEWS begins with the same old sins of the world wrapped in the false idolatry: MOTHER NATURE and a world out of control * and a human-created environmental apocalypse – impending DISASTER out of reach of all their hand-holding gods.

    God as provided a paradise for man but the Lord will take vengeance who will not fear the fire of His wrath and judgment. Maui fires of AD 2023 are not the Lord's first warning to the idolaters of the earth
    Fire Maui Hawaii US
    A Kurdish Syrian woman walks with her child past the ruins of the town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, on March 25, 2015. (Yasin Akgul/AFP/Getty Images)
    1945 dead slave labors
    Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the driving rain (Pic: Andrew McGowan)
    prepare for Judgment! Revelation 8:2 KJV apokalypsis of the 7th seal pictured 2 (of seven trumpets) shofars - Prepare, Christians, for Jesus' return on the clouds!
    And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound…

    .. but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He proclaimed G2097  good G2097  news G2097 to His slaves, the prophets.

    The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John 10:7 LSB

    WHAT NEWS TODAY?

    How many died THIS TIME? And how many were SAVED for nothing more than BAD NEWS? (And for how long until the inevitable return of each broken body into the dust of the grave?)

    Does the world’s news end with a feel-good story? *Do YOU feel good about YOURSELF now?

    What percentage of us will die sometime soon?

    What does the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST mean to your eternal soul

    — your deeper human created in God’s image — the YOU by which so many souls you love in this world (or perhaps just a few) know you well as more than flesh and blood?

    DON’T YOU think, mere mortal, that God in his Only Son Jesus Christ enbraces and knows your soul more than any?

    Of course! the GOSPEL proclaims.

    Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out - Acts 3: Peter preaching repentance
    Repentance!

    and BELIEVE the Gospel.

    “Many false prophets will arise and will deceive man.

    And because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold.

    But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

    Gospel of Matthew 24:11-13

    Talk of JESUS .com

    “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in the whole world as a witness to all the nations,
    and then the end will come.

    Matthew 24:14 Legacy Standard Bible

    Comment on Scripture + Share the Gospel

  • Apocalypse 3 – the Gospel Proclaimed from Heaven to Earth

    Apocalypse 3 – the Gospel Proclaimed from Heaven to Earth

    What  Apocalypse?

    Or you might ask, ‘What revelation?’

    We defined these last time in Apocalypse 2 – Good News Unsealed from the original Greek of this Scripture – ἀποκάλυψις.

    apokalypsis of THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

    Do you see it behind this graphic?

    apokalypsis of Good News

    I began by pointing toward an apocalypse from heaven as bad news for some yet Good News for others.

    Then the kings of the earth and the eminent people.. and the wealthy and the strong.. hid themselves…

    Revelation 6:15 excerpt NASB

    More about revealing the Good News from heaven to earth in a moment, but first let’s once again define our terms by narrowing what most readers already know about the Gospel.

    What is the Gospel?

    εὐαγγέλιον

    euangelion

    • a reward for good tidings
      • {Don’t forget this primary definition about our reward for faith in the Lord.}
    • good tidings
      • {The message of good news itself}
    https://www.facebook.com/talkofJesus world missions

    We recognize the four books of Scripture known as the Gospels; however note these contextual uses in the New Testament including Acts, the Epistles and one in Revelation with which we will close.

    From Strong’s G2098 – euangelion {with thanks to BlueletterBible.org} The KJV translates Strong’s G2098 in the following manner:

    1. gospel (46x)
    2. gospel of the Kingdom (3x)
    3. miscellaneous (10x)
    4. gospel of God (7x)
    5. gospel of Christ (11x)

    If you are looking for a more complete definition of the Gospel you can view it here from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.

    Gospel GOOD NEWS: not exclusively about Jesus, but as revealed of eternal life, accessible to sinful man ONLY through Him.

    Roger @ talk of Jesus {dot}.com

    Gospel – 77x as a noun

    But wait, Gospel is also a verb of action.

    Here will be where we must understand distinctions between recognizing Good News, its messengers (be they angels of heaven or saints of the earth), recipients of the Good Message and actions of response.

    εὐαγγελίζω – euangelizō – verb – (55x)

    – from G2095 and G32; to announce good news (“evangelize”) especially the gospel:—declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel).

    • used in the OT of any kind of good news
    • in NT primarily:
    1. preach (23x),
    2. preach the Gospel (22x)

    The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord…

    view of earth from moon

    And he began to say unto them, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” – Luke 4:18,21 KJV

    The Gospel of the End!

    Why should we pay attention to Jesus concerning the apocalypse?

    • The Gospel is not just the four books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
    • It is not only a noun we can describe
    • or is it all preaching and door-to-door evangelism. 
    Don't be misled by christian claimants hitting you over the head with a Jesus sign or hateful christian morality; for they may be members of the synagogue of Satan or white-cloaked followers of false prophets.

    The Lord has revealed to John, the Apostles and those with ears to hear Who He IS!

    Α ἄλφα & ō Ω

    Revealing the Ending First

    Before we move on to the opening of the seals which reveal the apocalypse, let’s not miss what Jesus says to John about Himself.

    Jesus states (4x) in Revelation:

    I am Alpha and Omega..

    The Revelation of Jesus Christ

    apokalypsis of Good News
    apokalypsis of Good News
    apokalypsis the Gospel of Jesus Christ unsealed
    omega revealing the end
    The Revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.

    I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

    Revelation 1:8 KJV

    The Book of Revelation opens with this apokalypsis of WHO JESUS IS! Twice in the beginning of the apocalypse the LORD says HE IS:

    the Α ἄλφα & the ō Ω.

    Jesus instructs John to write to the seven churches with pointed exhortation of encouragement for some and warning for others. We see symbolism of the Holy of holies in heaven!

    John uncovers the place of the churches in the Most Holy Place in Heaven — IF the saints of the church will abide by the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Members of the 21st century churches would do well to heed Christ’s warnings to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 in these last days. I cannot take time to reinforce these teachings from Revelation which I have preached previously.

    Peeking at THE END

    NEXT: We will open the seals hiding the omega of time from us. (I cannot unfold the entire apocalypse before its time.) Yet consider briefly and glance ahead to a Scripture near the ending of the Book.

    And He who sits on the throne said,
    “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”
    Then He said to me, “It is done.
    I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end..

    Revelation 21:5-6a NASB
    To be continued...