The BIG Picture (Study)

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 3 --- By the Scriptures) In this post we continue with the comparison of the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ. I recommend to start at the beginning of this comparison to gain the necessary context of this series of posts. By the scriptures vs. Unsearchable  The gospel of God is the Kingdom gospel with the addition of one HUGE event; the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This gospel, preached by Peter in Acts 2, reignited the hope that the King could come and bring a restoration to Israel through His Kingdom. This narrative had been prophesied centuries before and many aspects of Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection can be found in the scriptures as proof of His identity and purpose. Before we continue with our point, I'd like to state one fact that is worthwhile mentioning at this time. We must understand that even if all of Jesus life and purpose was laid out in the prophetic scriptures, it was God who

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 2 --- To the Jews first) We continue, from this post , to work through the comparisons, differences, and nuances, between the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ through the transition period. To the Jews first, then to the Greek vs. to all men or nations During the Kingdom gospel, Jesus, on multiple occasions, mentioned that He had come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, ( Matt.15:24 ). By saying this, He was excluding the Gentiles from His ministry. This was because of the plan of God to save the Jews first so that they, according to prophecy, could be the light to the Gentiles, ( Isa.60:3 ). The gospel of God was no different. Because this gospel was based on the Kingdom gospel, the audience was still the same. In the first few chapters of Acts, Peter and the other apostles were still going to the Jews only. The difference however was that the gospel messaged had changed to include th

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 1 --- Introduction) In the previous study we discussed how Paul, during the first half of his ministry, — that is, his missionary ministry represented in ACTS , —preached two gospels. The general trend that Paul would follow is; He would preach the gospel of God to those Jews and Gentiles (friends of the Jews) who came together, typically, but not exclusively, in the Jewish synagogues. The gospel of God in summary was, believe in Jesus' resurrection and 2nd coming, repent, be water baptized, receive the Holy Spirit, obey the law, prove your faith with works, and endure to the end. Then, to those who believed Paul's preaching of the above gospel, he would introduce them to the 'mystery' gospel of Christ . that Jesus died for their sins and that they could trust in nothing else but the all-sufficient cross-work of Christ (death , burial, resurrection) for sal

How the Gospels Transitioned through ACTS (Part 5 --- The Gospel of Christ) As we build on the transition of the gospels through the book of Acts, it is important to keep in mind a progression of events that influenced its message. To do this, I'd like to reflect on the details we have already discussed, and just build it up again to get a good understanding of the progress of change, not only from the gospels, but also from the practicality and presentation of the good news to the people of that day. We can logically deduce that the lifestyle and mentality of a typical Jew (let's call him Jacob), who lived during the Acts period was as follows. Jacob was law abiding, —well, as far as possible! The main laws were no problem to keep as it was part of the routines that Jacob was used to. Jacob went regularly to the temple to offer sacrifices. He upheld the Sabbath and did the best he could to remember and practice the many intricate laws he learned from childhood from his f

How the Gospels Transitioned through ACTS (Part 4 --- The Gospel of God) Before I get into the topic, I'd like to remind you of the infallibility of God's Word as printed in the King James Bible (1611). As I have written in other posts, we can trust that every word of every paragraph in this version is accurate and has inspired meaning and context.  So, when we read of the 'gospel of God' in some places, and in other places of the 'gospel of Christ', we, as students of the Word, should take note and understand that it's not just an inconsistency or a reference to the same gospel with two different names. No!   It's similar to the expressions, the "day of the Lord" ( Amos 5:18 ), the "day of our Lord Jesus Christ" ( 1 Col.1:8; 2 Col.1:14 ), the "day of God" ( 2 Peter 3:12; Rev.16:14 ), or "the last day(s), which are specifically used in the context of future events when Christ will intervene decisively for jud

How the Gospels Transitioned through ACTS (Part 1 ---  Introduction ) The transition period of Acts is a very intricate period, and one that can be expounded on in many different ways. One of the ways, to gain deeper insights into the transition period of Acts, is by studying the content of the gospels, and matching their differences up to the audiences who heard and responded to them. This study is going to delve into these topics to hopefully bring some meaningful insights to the transition period of Acts, and provide greater clarity regarding the different gospel messages and the people who were affected by them. Before we get into the details of four gospels, lets focus on what we know about the way of life before, and after, the gospel transition period. This will help us better understand the impact and conditions of the gospels and how they would affect the lives of those who lived during, and after this transition, which also includes you and I to

OBS: ACTS, The Transition (Part 7) The focus is not so much on studying Acts, as it is on using the book to teach us about dispensation truths. Acts 1:8   But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Below are the basic notes overview. For details please see the video lesson of this study here . Persecution and the Spread of the Gospel(s) In Acts 1:8 , Jesus, as He did in Luke 4:17-20 (Isa.61:1-2) , could have stopped speaking right in the middle of the verse. He could have stopped speaking after the word " Samaria ", because that is as far as this verse is going to be fulfilled where the Jews