Before humankind existed, the existential, spiritual Being we call God existed. He is eternal, has always been and will always be. He is the everlasting Creator and Sovereign of heaven and Earth.
Beyond our limited observations of His works and ways, we can read what He has chosen to reveal of Himself to select holy men of old. These trustworthy, prophetic words are not of “any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:20-21, NKJV).
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These prophetic words were recorded and have been recognized for thousands of years as sacred Scriptures, “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus…” (2 Tim. 3:15-17, NKJV).
The Everlasting “Good News” of Jesus Christ
The word “gospel” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word euangelion and means to speak a good word. It is the word used to speak of evangelism in Jesus’ Great Commission in Mark 16:15-18.
Based on 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, the “Good News” is often theologically defined as the substitutionary death, burial and bodily Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. ”Preaching the gospel to every creature” encompasses the complete work of Christ from eternity past to the eternity promised with Jesus in His “mansions in heaven.”
From the declaration of angels at Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:8-20) to the angels’ “everlasting gospel,” which will be preached by flying angels “to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6-7). This will occur after the saints have been “harvested” to heaven (vv. 14-16), even as Jesus spoke of His elect being gathered together after the tribulation of those days” (in Matt. 24:29-31).
Biblical scholar Henry Morris has explained that “creation is the foundation of the gospel, the second coming is the blessed hope of the gospel, the cross and the empty tomb constitute the power of the gospel…One does not really preach the gospel unless he places and teaches all of these together in their majesty and fullness.”
Have Faith in God!
When the apostle Paul evangelized in Asia, he focused first on the Jewish migrants he found there. He began with the Jewish Scriptures and taught them that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised in their Scriptures by their prophets. However, among the erudite, pagan philosophers of Athens, he used observational accounts of creation and a loving Creator God to preach the eternal, everlasting gospel of creation through our resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ.
Significantly, this gospel message began with creation but concluded with a warning of God’s wrathful judgments to come. Both unrighteous men and fallen angels had rejected God as Creator, and, instead, worshipped and served “the creature more than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). Today, as artificial intelligence begins to influence our lives and impact our decisions, it will also set up the world for the antichrist and the false prophet, who will seek to “deceive those who dwell on the earth” and cause any who do not worship the image of the beast (antichrist) or take his name or number to be killed (Rev. 13:12-17).
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God’s people who may still be on the earth at this time are urged to “have faith in God” and to patiently endure to the end, when He shall make us “overcomers.” The God who created us will save us, as we take authority in the spiritual realm to impact things in the natural realm (Rev. 12:7-11).
With faith in our powerful Creator-God, we can overcome “the great dragon, that Serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan “ and “the Accuser of the Brethren” (v. 9). Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil!!
Gary Curtis served for 27 years as part of the pastoral staff of The Church on The Way, the First Foursquare Church of Van Nuys, California. Since retirement in 2016, he has continued to blog at worshipontheway.wordpress.com. Gary and his wife live in Southern California and have two married daughters and five grandchildren.
