Israels focus was RESTORATION of the NATION, NOT the Cross! Take a look...

THE UNKNOWN CROSS: PART ONE

Many people are greatly surprised when you show them the truth concerning the earthly ministry of Christ. The thing that most surprises people is that for the most part, religion today just assumes that when Jesus Christ came on the scene that everyone automatically knew that he was going to the cross to die for men’s sins.

People also somehow assume that that was the gospel message of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It’s a great surprise to some people to find out that the fact that Christ was dying for men’s sins was totally unknown during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ.

To demonstrate that, let’s look at a few verses. In Matthew 16, for instance, Peter and the 12 apostles had been going about preaching the gospel of the Kingdom for three years. A short time before Christ was arrested and crucified, he tells the 12 that it’s about to happen.

Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Now remember that Peter and the 12 had been given a commission to go out and preach the gospel of the Kingdom. The Lord had given them power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out devils. And they had done just that. Now watch Peter’s attitude when the Lord tells him about his coming death:

Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

So it is clear that at that time Peter did not believe that Christ was going to die for his, yours or anyone else’s sins. He knew nothing at all about it. Now a parallel passage can be found in Luke 18:31-34. You should read it. Three times Luke writes “they didn’t know, they didn’t know, they didn’t know.” So what is the point of all this?

It is simply that the preaching and teaching of the gospel of the Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is NOT the gospel by which you are saved today. The gospel of YOUR salvation is not in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, but the gospel by which you and I are saved today was a MYSTERY which was revealed to Paul. The Lord from Heaven revealed to Paul that Christ died for our sins, that he was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification. So the gospel of your salvation can be found in that which was revealed to Paul, and written in Romans thru Philemon, the thirteen books written by Paul.

THE UNKNOWN CROSS: PART TWO

In part one of “The Unknown Cross” we learned, from Matthew 16:21-22 and from Luke 18:31-34 that Peter, James and John went about for three years preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers and casting out devils, but knew nothing at all about the cross of Christ.

Knowing that Jesus of Nazareth was the son of David, the heir to the throne of David, the King of Israel and the message being preached was the gospel of the Kingdom and that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand,” they believed that Christ had come AT THAT TIME to set up the promised and long awaited Kingdom. They believed that he was about to RESTORE the Kingdom to Israel. But when Christ was arrested and put to death on a Roman cross it was as if all their hopes were gone. Now this is not what most are taught in religion today, but as you can see from your bible, these are the facts.

Now Christ was crucified. They didn’t know why. He was buried, and three days and three nights later he rose from the dead. But guess what? They DID NOT believe it. This is quite a shock to some people who have been taught something totally different all of their lives in the fundamental, denominational religious system. But let’s just look at the facts, and let’s just believe our bibles. Reason? Because we want to know WHAT IS and WHERE IN THE BIBLE IS the gospel of your salvation.

Early in the morning of the first day of the week, after Christ rose from the dead, there are several women who get involved, and a flurry of activity takes place. But all of the activity and all of the women eventually get back to the apostles. Here they are:

Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.

Luke 24:11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

Idle tales? They believed them NOT? Now that’s an odd attitude for someone who is trusting in the fact that Christ died for their sins wouldn’t you say?

Mark 16:12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.

Mark 16:13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.

THE UNKNOWN CROSS: PART THREE

In part one and part two of “The Unknown Cross” we have seen that Peter and the 12 went about for three years, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. They had healed people, raised the dead, cleansed lepers and cast out devils. In other words all of the signs which were prophesied. Messianic signs. Remember that when John the Baptist was put in prison he sent disciples to Jesus to ask of him, “are you he that should come or do we look for another. The Lord had said:

Luke 7:22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

So all of the disciples believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the heir to the throne, the King of Israel. But just before his death, he told them that he would be crucified, buried and raised from the dead. They didn’t believe it. Peter said, “Not so, Lord, this shall not be unto thee,” and in the garden he took out a sword and began to fight. He cut off a man’s ear. He was NOT going to let his King be killed. But it happened and they didn’t know why. Three days and three nights later, he rose from the dead…and they didn’t believe it! And they still didn’t believe it and doubted it until the Lord began to appear to them and continue to appear to them over a period of forty days. Then you come to the first part of the book of Acts...

Acts 1:2 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:

Now watch what happens on the Mount of Olives on the day the Lord ascended into heaven:

Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

So you can see that their greatest concern was the restoring of the kingdom to Israel, not that Christ died for our sins. The fact that Christ died for our sins was simply not known by Peter and the 12 at that time. The truth of the cross and the WHY of the cross was a special revelation given to Paul, much later, in Acts chapter nine. So it was Paul who preached that Christ died for our sins, as in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Now let Paul tell you where HIS gospel came from:

Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

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