The Biblical Gospel - Part
1
I, sometimes, watch the hucksters, false teachers, jews acting
as Christians, and other charlatans on television and listen to them on
the radio. One must keep up with what the enemy is teaching to offer our
people the truth and expose them for the liars they are. The filthy liars,
false teachers, and jew loving creeps they are. So this is an effort to
show the false teachings they are currently, and from time to time teach,
about the Gospel of Christ. It is taken, in part, from "Is The Judeo-Christian
Gospel The Biblical Gospel?" by Pastor Lawrence Blanchard, pp. 53-95.
Whom I believe is one of the greats that God has hidden from most of the
world, on the teachings of Christian Identity.
The Biblical Gospel Before The New Testament: It is widely assumed
that Christ and His Apostles first preached "the gospel." This assumption
allows for the possibility of a new message of salvation to be proclaimed
to all races since "the gospel" had little to do with the historical context
of the Old Testament Scriptures. However, this assumption that "the gospel"
was first preached in the first century does not line up with several New
Testament passages.
The Gospel Was Preached To Abraham: The Context of Galatians 3:8:
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there
is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
Before we get into the specific text of Galatians 3:8, the immediate
context of the letter to the Galatians will help us to correctly interpret
this text. The correct interpretation of this particular text is critical
to understand the meaning and application of the gospel in the New Testament.
This letter was written to "the churches of Galatia." (Galatians
1:2) The Galatians were also the recipients in part of the letter of 1
Peter where thy are referred to as "scattered" (1 Peter 1:1; Gk; diaspora)
which means "the (converted) Israelite resident in the Israel nations.
(Strong's Concordance #1290). The Galatian churches were, therefore,
Israelites composed of both "Jews," or Judeans, and Greeks (part of the
scattered ten tribes of the Northern House of Israel) who were converted
to Christianity, residing in Gentile (The word "Gentile" is the translator's
choice of the Greek word ethnos (Strong's #1484) which means "a race...a
tribe..." The Biblical context shows that the word "Gentile" or "nation"
or "nations" originally referred to those of the Adamic race, specifically
the "nations" of the sons of Noah (Genesis 10:32). Later the word "nations"
sometimes narrowed to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel
(Genesis 17:4-5); Deuteronomy 32:8). As punishment for Israel's disobedience,
God promised to "...scatter you (Israel) among the nations..." (Deuteronomy
4:27), i.e., among the Adamic nations) countries (like Galatia) outside
of Palestine.
Paul wrote to the Galatians to expose and combat what he called
"another gospel." (Galatians 1:6) It was a perversion "of the gospel of
Christ." (Galatians 1:7) Apparently, the Israelite Galatians were entertaining,
and being persuaded by, a judaistic teaching that by "the works of the
law" (Galatians 3:2) in Christ. Paul precedes to correct this other heretical
gospel by explaining the true one. As he does, he not only defeats the
pharisaical "justified by works" doctrine (referring to the Mosaic Law),
but also the present day Judeo-Christian concept regarding to whom the
gospel applies.
To show the true gospel, Paul illustrates the relationship between
Abraham and the gospel. Just as Abraham was justified by God because he
"believed God," (Galatians 3:6) so "God would justify the heathen (Once
again, "heathen" is the translator's choice for the same Greed word ethnos
also translated "Gentiles" or "nations." One wonders whether the variety
of English words used was meant to be confusing to lead people to interpret
these words in a universal manner. It would have been more consistent to
always interpret this Greek word ethnos as "nations.") through faith. (Galatians
3:8)
Galatians 3:8, stated in its entirely, is instructive: "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."
In "foreseeing that God would justify the heathen (nations) through
faith," God "preached before the gospel unto Abraham..." The words "foreseeing"
and "before" immediately infer that the gospel preached to Abraham was
the same one that was preached to the nations by Christ and His Apostles
in the New Testament.
Once again, the general Judeo-Christian assumption is that "the
gospel" began at the first advent of Christ. According to Galatians 3:8,
that is a false supposition.
It is also commonly conjectured that the word "nations" ("heathen"
or "Gentiles") in 3:8 means non-Adamic or non-Israelites. Is this true?
Let us take a closer look at the meaning of the word "nations" of 3:8 from
the Old Testament passages quoted by Paul.
The Context of Genesis 12:3: It is clear from Galatians 3:8 that
"the gospel" was applied specifically to Abram in these words of promise
in Genesis 12:3: ‘And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him
that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Notice that Paul used the word "nations" in Galatians 3:8, but
in Genesis 12:3 the word "families" is employed. Since we have already
defined "nations" in the Old and New Testament (see footnote #1), let us
examine the word"families." The Hebrew word for "families" is mishpachah
(Strong's #4940), which means "a family, i.e., circle of relatives: fig.
a class (of persons), a species (of animals), or sort (of things): by extens.
A tribe or people..." So, this word could refer to people (since animals
would not make sense in regard to Abraham) either figuratively or physically
as a "circle of relatives."
This Hebrew word mishpachah is used 300 times and translated "families"
289 times, "kindreds" 9 times and "kinds" 2 times. It is used predominantly
in the Pentateuch where, as in the rest of the Old Testament, it either
refers to the genetic descendants of the sons of Noah (Genesis 10:32) or
to the relatives of Abraham (Genesis 24:38), the descendants of Abraham
or specific families within Israel. The only other use of this word refers
to a genetic family of animals. (Genesis 8:19) In other words, mishpachah
always refers to the racial family of Adam (except in one passage clearly
referring to animals).
So, the context of the Old Testament dictates that the "families
of the earth" of Genesis 12:3 could either refer to all the descendants
of Adam or Abraham's descendants, particularly Israel, i.e., a "circle
of relatives." In no case in which this word is used does the Scripture
allow for a spiritual or figurative meaning. It is confined to the physical,
racial family of Adam.
The Biblical Gospel - Part 2
It is possible that Paul could have also quoted from Genesis 18:18
and 22:18 in which a different Hebrew word is used other than mishpachah:
"Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and
all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?" (Genesis 18:18)
"And in they seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Genesis 22:18)
The word "nations" used in these two passages of promise is the
Hebrew word gowy or goy (Strong's #1471).Strong's gives a rather ambiguous
definition of this term as "a foreign nation hence a Gentile..." The Biblical
context of this word reveals, however, a more specific explanation. For
example, the first instances of the use of goy is in Genesis 10 specifically
referring to the Adamic sons of Noah: "These are the families of the sons
of Noah, after their generations, in their nations (#1471): and by these
were the nations (#1471) divided in the earth after the flood." (Genesis
10:32)
Goy also identifies that the Adamic descendants of Abraham would
become a "great nation": "And I will make of thee (Abram) a great nation
(#1471), and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt
be a blessing..." (Genesis 12:2)
It was even revealed that Isaac's wife, Rebekah, had "two nations"
(#1471) in her womb, Jacob and Esau. (Genesis 25:22-23)
Goy can also be identified with the Adamic descendants of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, that is, Israel: "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of
priests, and an holy nation (#1471). These are the words which thou shalt
speak unto the children of Israel." (Exodus 19:6)
This word can even refer to the early inhabitants of Canaan prior
to Israel's conquest. (The "nations" described in this context are the
descendants of Canaan, the cursed son of Ham and grandson of Noah, who
was a direct descendant of Adam, thus all Adamic).
"To drive out nations (#1471) from before thee greater and mightier
than thou art, to being thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance,
as it is this day." (Deuteronomy 4:38)
In no case in the Old Testament does the word goy ever refer to
a non-Adamic people. Thus, this word translated "nations," "heathen," "Gentiles,"
or "people" either means the descendants of the Adamic sons of Noah or
descendants of Abraham and specifically Israel. (Interestingly, in the
Septuagint, which was the Greek translation of the Old Testament Scriptures
used in Paul's day, the word ethnos is used for "nations," the same as
in the New Testament. This particularly makes it clear that the meaning
of "nations" in the Old Testament is also the same in the New Testament
"Nations" refers to the Adamic race). It is, therefore, consistent in its
contextual meaning with the word mishpachah or "families" of Genesis 12:3.
There is even more light shed on the meaning of the "families"
of Genesis 12:3 from another New Testament rendering of this promise to
Abraham in Acts 3:25-26. Peter, preaching to an audience of Israelites
(Acts 3:13), proclaimed: "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the
covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham. And in thy
seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God,
having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away
every one of you from his iniquities." (Acts 3:25-26)
The word "kindreds" (Strong's #3965; patria) means "paternal descent...a
group of families or a whole race...family, kindred, lineage." It is derived
from pater (Strong's #3962), which means "father."
"Derived from pater are the words patria, lineage, clan (indicating
descent from the same father and ancestral patriarch...) (Dictionary of
New Testament Theology, Colin Brown, Editor, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1971), p. 616)
Acts 3:25-26 indicates that this promise to Abraham was directed
to his family lineage. In other words, the gospel Peter was preaching was
directed only to Abraham's racial family through Isaac and his "seed" who
is Israel; the "kindreds of the earth" who were to be "blessed" by "turning
away everyone...from his iniquities."
The "gospel" Paul was writing about in Galatians 3:8 to the Galatian
Israelites was the same one God declared and promised to Abraham. This
"gospel" contained the promise that in Abraham and his seed "shall all
nations be blessed," (Galatians 3:8) that is, all the racial family of
Adamic Israel specifically, and other non-Israelite descendants of Adam
generally. "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise."
(Galatians 4:28)
The "gospel" promise to Abraham, therefore, does not apply to
other non-Adamic races. It is limited, by strict Biblical interpretation,
to the Adamic race generally and Adamic Israel in particular.
The Gospel Was Preached To Old Testament Israel: Not only was
the gospel preached beforehand to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel but also
to their offspring, the nation of Israel. Yes, the Scriptures testifies
that the same gospel preached by Jesus Christ and His apostles is the very
one which was previously preached to the genetic descendants of the Biblical
patriarchs.
The Context of Hebrews 4:2-3, 6: The writer of Hebrews addresses
Israelites, calling them "brethren" (Hebrews 2:12) and identifying them
with their "fathers" (Hebrews 3:9) of the Old Testament. Other Old Testament
characters and allusions abound throughout the epistle further linking
the readers as Hebrews, the genetic family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel.
From Hebrews 3:8 through 4:11, the audience of this letter was
exhorted to believe "the gospel" in contrast to their ancestor who had
the same gospel preached to them. For example:
"For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them (Meaning
the ancient Israelites): but the word preached id not profit them, not
being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed
do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall
enter into my rest: although the works were finished form the foundation
of the world. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein,
and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief.."
(Hebrews 4:2-3, 6)
The Biblical Gospel - Part 3
These verses clearly indicate that the gospel that was preached
to the New Testament readers of Hebrews, centered in Christ (Hebrews 3:6,
14; 4:14-16), was the same one preached to Israel after they exited Egypt
under Moses. They did not believe this gospel but hardened their hearts
(Hebrews 3:8) and provoked and grieved the Lord with the result that He
would not let that generation enter the promised land. (Hebrews 3:9-11)
So, that generation died "in the wilderness" (Hebrews 3:17) because they
did not believe the gospel. According to the above passage, this is the
same gospel preached to their descendants in the New Testament in Jesus
Christ.
Context of Psalm 95:11: What does the Old Testament context reveal
regarding whom this gospel was given to and what this gospel was about?
Hebrews 4?3 is borrowed from Psalm 95:11: "Unto whom I swear in my wrath
that they should not enter into my rest."
Psalm 95 was a summons to Israel to worship and believe their
God, indicated by the phrase "we are the people of his pasture, and the
sheep of his hand." (Psalm 95:7) Further, they are identified in relationship
to the "fathers" (Psalm 95:9) and with their ancestors under Moses who
rebelled against the Lord. (Psalm 95:8-11) This rebellion specifically
centered around the murmuring and unbelief of the congregation of Israel
in regard to the Lord.'s promise to cause them to inherit the land of Canaan.
(This promise was one of many unconditionally given to Abraham (including
the one previously discussed in Genesis 12:3) and to Isaac and Jacob and
their offspring. This promise to inherit the land of Canaan A(Genesis 12:1,
7; 13:15; 15:18; 17:8; 24:7; 26:3; Hebrews 11:9) was also a part of this
gospel according to this Hebrews 4:3 text) The story is told in Numbers
14 concluding with the Lord's declaration that that generation would all
die in the "wilderness" instead of inheriting the promised land. Obviously,
Psalm 95 and Numbers 14 and Hebrews 4 speak of the same people to whom
the gospel was given.
What was that gospel which was given to Israel under Moses? First,
it was the promise form the Lord that Israel would inherit the land of
Canaan promised to Abraham: "Behold, I have set the land before you: go
in and possess the land which the Lord swear unto your fathers, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them." (Deuteronomy
1:8)
The gospel included a promised "land" a place where Abraham's
seed could be nourished, sustained, protected and free. It was a land where
they could prosper under the Lordship of their Redeemer God. It was there
that they could continue to be fruitful and multiply, take dominion, become
a great nation and a company of nations, and possess the gates of their
enemies as also promised to Abraham and his seed. These promises then were
also included in the message of the gospel to the Israelite people in Moses'
time: "O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
He is the Lord our god: his judgments are in all the earth. He hath remembered
his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed
the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:
Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance..."
(Psalm 105:6-11)
Confirmation to Israel of the "covenant" God "made with Abraham"
their father was the actual physical possession of "the land of Canaan."
The land was a visible sign of this covenant and the many promises therein.
This covenant was the gospel preached to Abraham, and just as
it was preached unto Abraham, so the same gospel promises were proclaimed
to Abraham's seed, Israel, in the Mosaic covenant. They are linked and
interdependent. "Keep therefore the words of this covenant (the Mosaic
covenant), and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do. Ye stand
this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes,
your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, You little
ones, you wives, and thy (Adamic) stranger that is in thy camp, from the
hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: That thou shouldest enter
into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord
thy God maketh with thee this day: That he may establish thee to day for
a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said
unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto they fathers, to Abraham, To Isaac,
and to Jacob." (Deuteronomy 29:9-13; There are different Hebrew words for
"stronger" which is ambiguous as to an exact racial definition in comparison
to Israel. We know that some inhabitants of Egypt came out of Egypt with
Israel at the exodus. Egyptians were basically of Adamic origin, at least
in the first six dynasties of Egypt. Taken in the overall context of Scripture,
other Adamic people still could partake of the covenant as long as they
agreed to be obedient to the terms of the covenant. However, there is no
Biblical justification for "strangers" here being of another non-Adamic
race).
Now the same gospel promises given to Abraham by covenant, and
to Israel in the Mosaic covenant, are the very ones preached to Israel
in the New Covenant in Jesus Christ. The gospel has been the same gospel
to the same racial family from Adam to Abraham to Moses to Adamic Israelites
in Christ; to Israel and Israel's racial family alone.
The two New Testament passages discussed here from their own context,
as well as the context of their Old Testament counterparts, that the "gospel"
has its meaning and application in the promises to Abraham and his seed,
Israel. To simply spiritualize the gospel of the New Testament applying
it to all non-Adamic races, is to remove it from the historical and racial
context of Scripture. However, when the gospel is interpreted within the
historical and racial context of the Bible, the meaning and application
of it are without strain or contradiction. This gospel becomes the exclusive
gospel of the Bible for the elect family of God who are Adamic Israelites
in Christ Jesus.
The Biblical Gospel As Prophetic Fulfillment: Not only have we
seen the historical roots of the gospel of the New Testament as preached
to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Israel, but now we come to the texts of the
gospel accounts that testify that the gospel proclaimed by Christ and His
disciples has its foundation in Old Testament prophecy. We will examine
the instances where the word "gospel," as used in Matthew, Mark, Luke and
Acts, also have their reference as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
This should answer the question: "What, and to whom, was the Gospel that
Christ preached in the view of Old Testament prophecy?"
The Biblical Gospel - Part
4
The Gospel In Matthew: The Context of Matthew 11:5: "The blind
receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the
deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached
to them."
The surrounding context indicates that Jesus had just commanded
His disciples to "go...to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew
10:6) in order to "preach...the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 10:7) At the
end of His instructions to them, Christ encountered two disciples of John
the Baptist with a question from John as to whether Jesus was the one "that
should come" or not. (Matthew 11:2-3) The essence of Jesus' answer to him
are His words recorded in Matthew 11:5 in light of His mission to the house
of Israel.
The wider preceding context of Matthew 11:5 shows first that Christ's
birth was a fulfillment of prophecy of Micah 5:2 that one would come out
of Judah as "a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." (Matthew 2:6)
Second, Jesus' ministry was preceded by John the Baptist who was
sent to prepare the way for the beginning of Jesus' Messiahship, preaching
repentance to those in "JerUSAlem, and all Judea, and all the region round
about Jordan." (Matthew 3:5) thus, John's message was for those of Israel
in Judea.
Third, Jesus began His ministry preaching repentance and announcing
"the kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17) to the "Gentiles" living
in "the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali...Galilee of the Gentiles."
(Matthew 4:15) this was a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2. In context, these
words identified the house of Israel (Ephraim) as the "Gentiles" or "nations"
who were under punishment for their disobedience. The house of Israel (the
northern kingdom in the land area known also as Samari in Jesus' time)
was dispersed among the Adamic "nations" beginning with their captivity
by Assyria, which started in 745 B.C. The "Gentiles" were the house of
Israel, located in part, in "the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali."
It was "the Gentiles" of the dispersed house of Israel to whom Jesus preached
"the kingdom of heaven."
Thus, Christs' birth, purpose, ministry and preaching of the gospel
preceding Matthew 11:5 was exclusively related to Israel. Further, the
context after Matthew 11:5 reveals the exclusive nature of Jesus' ministry
and preaching when He said, "...I am not sent but uno the lost sheep of
the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24) This corresponds with the healing
ministry of Jesus in which the people who witnessed it "glorified the God
of Israel." "Insomuch that the multitudes wondered, when they saw the dumb
to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see:
and they glorified the God of Israel." (Matthew 15:31)
From the context of Matthew therefore, Matthew 11:5 has in view
the "blind," "lame," "lepers," "deaf," "dead... and the poor" as those
of Israel who also had "the gospel preached to them." This fact is confirmed
by the prophetic fulfillment in Matthew 11:5 of Isaiah.
The Context of Isaiah 29:18-19; 35:5-6 and 42:7: The words of
Matthew are taken primarily from Isaiah 29:18-19: "And in that day shall
the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see
out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their
joy in the Lord, that the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One
of Israel."
Blind: Strong's Concordance #2795 cheresh (khay-rashe');
from 2790; deaf (whether literally or spir.): -deaf.
#2790: charash (khaw-rash'); a primitive root; to scratch,
i.e. (by implication) to engrave, plough; hence (from the use of tools)
to fabricate (of any material); figuratively, to devise (in a bad sense);
hence (from the idea of secrecy) to be silent, to let alone; hence (by
implication) to be deaf (as an accompaniment of dumbness): KJV-- X altogether,
cease, conceal, be deaf, devise, ear, graven, imagine, leave off speaking,
hold peace, plow (-er, man), be quiet, rest, practice secretly, keep silence,
be silent, speak not a word, be still, hold tongue, worker.
By this we can see that the use of the word blind did not necessarily
mean that one was blind physical but could be blind spiritually. Therefore
when Christ opened their eyes He did not necessarily stop them from being
physically blind, but opened their eyes to see who they were and that they
were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel.
Of course this is not to say that He did not cure
some people from their physical blindness, lameness, deafness and etc.,
for there is no doubt that He did all those things and more.
Now to continue on with Pastor Blanchard's presentation.
The immediate context of the above passage reveals that only Israel
is in view. It was first predicted by this prophecy that Jerusalem, "the
city where David dwelt," (Isaiah 29:1) would be eventually taken captive.
(Isaiah 29:3-4) Second, the condition of blindness and hypocrisy of Israel
is spoken of in Isaiah 29:9-13 which Jesus also applied to Israel's leadership
in Matthew 15:7-9. Third, Isaiah revealed that "the blind," "the meek,"
and "the poor among men" (Strong's #120 = adam) in 29:18-19 are the same
people as "concerning the house of Jacob" (Isaiah 29:22) who also respond
to the message and work of Christ and "sanctify the Holy One of Jacob"
and "fear the God of Israel." (Isaiah 29:23 The context of Isaiah 29:18-19,
therefore, reveals only Israel is in view here who responded to the gospel
of Matthew 11:5.
Matthew 11:5 could also have been taken from Isaiah 35:5-6: "Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the
dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in
the desert."
The surrounding context here reveals that "the blind," "the deaf,"
and "the dumb" are the "redeemed" and "ransomed." (Isaiah 35:9-10) The
Hebrew rod for "redeemed" is gaal (Strong's #1350) which means: "to redeem...i.e.,
to be next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative's property, marry
his widow, etc)..." Essentially, this word, although used in different
contexts in Isaiah, always has Israel as the "redeemed," and in the rest
of the Old Testament the "redeemed" is always by a kinsman-redeemer. Of
course, Christ, being made like His brethren, (Hebrews 2:17) born as an
Adamic Israelite of the tribe of Judah, was the Kinsman-Redeemer of Israel
fulfilling the law of Leviticus 25:24-25; 47-49)
The word "ransomed" in Isaiah 35:10 is the Hebrew word pariah
(Strong's #6299) which means "to sever, i.e., ransom; gener. (Generally)
to release, preserve..." This word is closely associated with gaal, but
involves a ransom price or payment in order to buy something back such
as redemption of the firstborn of Israel, (Exodus 13:13, 15; Leviticus
27:26-27; Numbers 3:46-49; 18:15-17) release form slaver (Exodus 21:8)
and deliverance, figuratively speaking of either individuals of Israel
(Psalm 34:22) or the nation of Israel. (Deuteronomy 9:26; 2 Samuel 7:23)
This word "especially refers to the deliverance from bondage." (Synonyms
Of The Old Testament, Girdleston, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing
Company), p. 120) In Isaiah, this word is either used of Abraham or his
seed, Israel.
The Biblical Gospel - Part 5
These two words, "redeemed" and "ransomed" then, can be logically
deduced to refer only to Israel. Therefore, Matthew 11:5, and the context
thereof, is consistent with the people referred to in Isaiah 35:5-6. The
gospel is given to Israel alone.
There is one more Old Testament passage from which Matthew 11:5
may be quoting which is Isaiah 42:6-7: "I the Lord have called thee in
righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee
for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the
blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit
in darkness out of the prison house."
Though this Isaiah text may be a prophecy better fulfilled in
Luke 4:18, there is some semblance in Matthew 11:5. It is obvious that
Isaiah 42:6-7 was fulfilled in Jesus' time according to Luke 4:18, but
what does the context of Isaiah 42 tell us about to whom this refers? First,
it is Christ who is the "servant" and the "elect" of the Father (Isaiah
41:1; cf. Matthew 3:17; 12:18-20) who is "a covenant of the people, for
a light of the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:6) who are "the blind" whose eyes are
opened and "the prisoners" who are set free. Of course, the "covenant"
can only be the New Covenant that was ratified by the blood of Christ ("The
blood of the New Testament" (Matthew 26:28)) exclusively for "the house
of Israel and...the house of Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8:8) Once
again, Isaiah 42:6-7 clearly refers to Israel and thus, the gospel of Matthew
11:5 is restricted to Israel alone.
The Gospel In Mark: The Context of Mark 1:1-2: The gospel of Mark
begins by identifying "the gospel of Jesus Christ" with the advent of John
the Baptist as a fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi 3:1: "The beginning
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the
prophets. Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare
thy way before thee." (Mark 1:1-2)
Preceding the ministry of Christ, John was sent by God as His
"messenger." (Mark 1:2). John ministered to all who "went out unto him
all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem..." (Mark 1:5) After John's
ministry ended, Jesus continued to preach in "Galilee...the gospel of the
kingdom of God." (Mark 1:14) He ministered to His "sheep" (Mark 6:34) and
associated the Kingdom of God with those of "Israel" who obey the commandments.
(Mark 12:28-34) These, among other evidences, reveal that the gospel of
Jesus Christ in Mark is directed to the people of Israel. This is the meaning
of the text at hand (Mark 1:1-2) as also confirmed by the prophecy in Malachi.
The Contexts of Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3: The words of Mark
1:2, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare
thy way before thee." is taken partly from Malachi 3:1: "Behold, I will
send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord,
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of
the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord
of hosts."
This is the prophecy about John the Baptist in connection with
the coming of the Lord who is described as "the messenger of the covenant."
Thus, the prophecy about John is directly related to Christ as the "messenger
of the covenant." What covenant? It is not the New Covenant announced and
rarified by Christ and which only pertains to Israel (the house of Israel
and the house of Judah)?
Malachi once again speaks of the ministry of John the Baptist
as "Elijah the prophet" (Malachi 4:5) who would "turn the heart of the
fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers."
(Malachi 4:6) It would make no sense in the context of either the Old or
New Testament to believe this reference is speaking about any other people
than Israel. This conclusion is confirmed in Luke 1:16-17: "And many of
the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall
go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just;
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Not only does Malachi testify of John's ministry to Israel, but
Isaiah 40:3 also prophecies that the coming of John and his mission would
be of comforting words "to Jerusalem" (Malachi 40:2) preparing the way
for "good tidings" to "Zion" (Malachi 40:9) in "the cities of Judah." (Malachi
40:9)
"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." (Isaiah
40:3)
John was the "voice...that crieth in the wilderness" unto Israel
in order to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, it is evident that "the gospel of Jesus Christ" in Mark 1:1,
in the contexts of Mark, Malachi and Isaiah is none other than the good
news given unto Israel. The gospel in Mark is not an inclusive gospel for
other peoples of all races, but an exclusive message for Israel.
The Gospel in Luke: The Context of Luke 4:18-19: The beginning
of Jesus' ministry was marked by His Scripture reading on the Sabbath in
the synagogue located in His hometown of Nazareth. The Scripture that He
chose to read was from Isaiah 61:1-2 recorded also in Luke 4:18-19): "The
Spirit of the Ord 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."
What was the context of this passage in Luke? As has already been
noted previously. Luke begins essentially with the discourse on the advent
and ministry of John the Baptist. It was John who was to "turn" the "children
of Israel...to the Lord. their God." (Luke 1:16) Likewise it was prophesied
at the announcement to Mary that her virgin born Son, Jesus Christ, would
be given "the throne of his father David" (Luke 1:32) and that He would
"reign over the house of Jacob." (Luke 1:33) In view of Christ's impending
birth, Mary further testifies that God the Father "hath helped his servant
Israel (Luke 1:54) as He spake "to...Abraham, and to his seed forever."
(Luke 1:55)
Zacharias confirms that in view of Christ's coming "the Lord God
of Israel...hath visited and redeemed his people" (Luke 1:68) in order
to save Israel from their "enemies" (Luke 1:71) and "perform the mercy
promised to our (Israel's) fathers, and to remember his holy covenant"
(Luke 1:72) to "Abraham." (Luke 1:73)
At Jesus' dedication as an infant, Simeon who was "waiting for
the consolidation of Israel," (Luke 2:25) revealed, when he saw Jesus,
that He would be "a light to lighten the Gentiles, (the divorced house
of Israel who were scattered among the Gentiles, or nations of Adamic people)
and the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:23) who was, at that time,
represented by the house of Judah who was not divorced of God. This was
a prophetic fulfillment of Isaiah 42:6, among other references in Isaiah.
The Biblical Gospel - Part 6
The context after Luke 4:18-19 reveals Jesus' ministry and teaching
about and concerning Israel in the healings, the parables and the prophecies
concerning Himself. This gospel in Luke is directed to Israel, represented
by the house of Judah, and the scattered Israelites among the nations.
This exclusive nature of the gospel is also confirmed by the context of
the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-2 fulfilled in Jesus' time according to Luke.
The Context of Isaiah 61:1-2: To whom was Christ referring when
He read the prophecy that was written in Isaiah 61:1-2? "The Spirit of
the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good
tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day
of vengeance of our God: to comfort all that mourn."
Who were the "meek," "the brokenhearted" and "the captives?" the
context of this Isaiah passage concludes they were the Lord's "people"
and "the house of Jacob" (Isaiah 58:1) who "like the blind...grope" (Isaiah
59:10) and who "mourn sore like doves." (Isaiah 59:11) Were they not "the
Gentiles" (Isaiah 60:16) of the scattered and divorced house of Israel
as well as "Zion" (Isaiah 61;3) of Judea? To Israel, the "anointed" Jesus
preached "good tidings" whereby there would be "an everlasting (new) covenant."
(Isaiah 61:8) He is "the bridegroom" that "rejoiceth over the bride," (Isaiah
62:5) the Israel of God.
The context of Isaiah 61:1-2 reveals that it was Israel who was
the recipient of the gospel preached by Jesus. Once again this conforms
to the context of Luke that the good news prophesied by Isaiah and preached
by Jesus was intended for Israel alone, comprised of the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
The Gospel in Acts: The Context of Acts 8:30-35: This is the account
of the Apostle Philip who encountered, and "preached" gospel to, an Ethiopian
eunuch in the early days of the Acts of the Apostles. "And Philip rant
thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esias (Isaiah), and said,
Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some
man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit
with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led
as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so
opened he not his mouth: humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who
shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. And
the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the
prophet this? Of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his
mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached (euangelize: Strongs's
#2097) unto him Jesus." (Acts 8:30-35)
Who was this eunuch? Specifically this eunuch was called "a man
of Ethiopia" (Acts 8:27) who apparently held an important position of "great
authority" (Acts 8:27) as the treasurer of "Candace queen of the Ethiopians."
(Acts 8:27)
It has been assumed and touted by the Judeo-Christian clergy that
this Ethiopian eunuch was a Negro who had the gospel preached to him. Thus,
this is one of the examples held out by Judeo-Christian universalists to
prove the gospel in the New Testament times is open to all races. That
this Ethiopian eunuch is supposed to be a Negro, however, is complete conjecture.
This is due to the mistaken belief that the residents of the land called
Ethiopia in the first century had a predominately Negro population. One
authority stated that the name of "Ethiopia" was "anciently given to Upper
or Southern Egypt, of which Meroe a rich island formed by two branches
of the Nile; was the capital." (A commentary On The Old And New Testament,
Vol. 3, James, Fausset and Brown, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers),
Part 2, p. 53)
Charles Weisman historically recounts that: "When Babylon attacked
and destroyed Jerusalem, many Israelites escaped and sought refuge in Egypt.
(Jeremiah 24:8; 26:22; 43:7) Isaiah alludes to Israelites who were scattered
throughout Cush (Ethiopia) (Cush was the son of Ham and grandson of Noah
(Genesis 10:1, 6)) and Egypt." (Isaiah 11:11) Ptolemy, the successor of
Alexander and the first king of Egypt, invited more Israelites to Egypt
to translate their Old Testament text into Greek, now known as the Septuagint.
This is the text the Ethiopian eunuch was reading." (Is Universalism of
God? By Charles A. Weisman, Weisman Publishing, 11751 W. River Hills Dr.
#107, Burnsville, MN 55337, p. 62)
In other words, there was a predominantly Israelite population
in that land of Egypt that spoke the Greek language of the times accounting
for the fact that this eunuch was reading the Greek Septuagint. Additionally,
it makes better sense to believe that this eunuch from Ethiopia was an
Israelite and perhaps a Judean by birth, since he had made a long journey
to "come to Jerusalem for to worship" (Acts 8:27) and had possession of,
and was reading, the prophet Isaiah. (Acts 8:28) why would a Negro be going
to Jerusalem to worship, and why would he be reading the Greek Old Testament
prophecy of Isaiah if this Hebrew religion only applied to Israelites?
Also, this eunuch was not the first "Gentile" convert (if "gentiles" are
assumed by the Judeo-Christians to be non-Israelites) Acts 10 reveals that
Cornelius was the first "Gentile" convert. The evidence strongly identifies
this eunuch as an Israelite whom God had prepared for Philip to preach
the gospel.
The Context of Isaiah 53:7-8: When Philip approached the eunuch's
chariot, he was reading Isaiah 53:7-8. The eunuch told Philip that he did
not understand what he was reading, or more specifically, that he did not
know who Isaiah was referring to in this passage: "...he is brought as
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so
he openeth not his mouth. He was taken form prison and from judgment: and
who shall declare his generations for he was cut off out of the land of
the living." (Isaiah 53:7-8)
Generations: Brown-Driver-Briggs' Definition: #1755 dowr
or (shortened) dor-a period, a generation, a habitation, a dwelling
a) a period, an age, a generation (a period of time)
b) a generation (those living during a period)
c) a generation (characterized by a quality, a condition, a class
of men)
d) a dwelling-place, a habitation
The above quote from the Old Testament was the one recorded in Acts
8:32-33. Notice the New Testament wording does not line up exactly with
the Old Testament text. (This is one of the many places in the New Testament
where the quoting of the Old Testament dos not match the English translation
of the Old Testament. That is because all English versions of the Old Testament
are translated from the Hebrew Masoretic text instead of the Greek Septuagint.
The Septuagint was the Greek Old Testament written almost 300 years before
Christ. The Septuagint was the text that was used by Christ and the Apostles.
This is why there are extensive New Testament quotations taken directly
from the Septuagint. The Masoretic text, on the other hand, was formulated
by the Talmudic Jews 1000 years after Christ. There are significant textual
differences between the Septuagint and Masoretic texts. One wonders why
there is almost a total absence of scholarly translation from the Septuagint
into English since it is widely agreed that the Septuagint is the oldest
and most accurate manuscript of the Old Testament available. Could it be
the influence of the Jews again?) Nevertheless, despite the different wording,
the context in Isaiah makes it clear that this passage, to which Philip
based the preaching of the gospel of Christ to the eunuch was specifically
written to Israel.
