Good News for All Nations

Jesus is the Shepherd of the nations, sent to redeem kings, nations, and a vast multitude of men, women, and children . Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth, the Messiah who cleanses us from our sins and joins us to his people. He is the Lamb who purchased men and women from every nation for his Father’s kingdom, and the Shepherd who guides kings, nations and peoples to everlasting life in New Jerusalem.

The covenant with Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus, including the gift of the Spirit, our Resurrection, and new creation – Romans 8:1-30. Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of faith. God accounted the Patriarch’s faith as righteousness when he was still uncircumcised. This means that he was declared righteous without the deeds and rituals required by the Torah .

The conspiracy to unseat the Messiah is applied by the New Testament to the plot to destroy Jesus – Psalm 2:1-6. The Second Psalm is a key passage that the New Testament applies to Jesus, but when were the Psalm’s predictions fulfilled? Is the Messiah reigning now on David’s Throne or is the world waiting for his enthronement at a future date? What is the revolt of nations and kings against the Son of God?

Paul presents the points of agreement and disagreement with his Judaizing opponents in Galatia – Galatians 2:15-21. What identifies the people of God and determines membership in His covenant community is Christ, especially the Messiah who has been revealed on the Cross. Jews and Gentiles are justified through Jesus and his death,   and nothing else !

We are acquitted before God through the faith of Jesus Christ, and not from the works of the Law – Romans 3:21-26. Having demonstrated that all men violate God’s revealed will, the Apostle Paul concludes that no man or woman is acquitted from the penalty of sin from the works and rituals required by the Law of Moses. Instead, we are declared innocent through the faith or faithfulness of Jesus Christ.

At the end of his sermon, Jesus claimed absolute authority for his words. If we ignore them, we risk rejection by him – Matthew 7:21-28. “ I never knew you! Depart from me! ” These are the most frightening words we might ever hear from Jesus. His warning demonstrates that Christ’s teachings are not optional. The commandments of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ teach us how we are to live as faithful citizens of the Kingdom of God.

In Jesus, the creative word by which God made all things is manifested for all men to see . The  Gospel of John  identifies Jesus as the ‘ Logos ’, the word through which God made the Cosmos. This theme is prominent in John’s Gospel and is derived from the Hebrew Bible. God created the world, especially life, through His spoken word. Jesus of Nazareth is the living expression of that same creative word.

If the Thessalonians remain faithful to the apostolic message, they will receive the Crown of Glory when Jesus arrives from Heaven – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20. Having turned from dead idols to serve the Living God, the saints of Thessalonica will receive a glorious crown when Jesus returns if they continue their present course. This includes remaining “ blameless ” in conduct and persevering in persecution and tribulation.

Despite his miraculous deeds, Christ’s own village rejected his ministry and took offense at his humble origins – Mark 6:1-6. Jesus experienced growing conflict as he began his journey to the city of Jerusalem. In Galilee, he displayed his authority over nature, demons, disease, and even death, and the crowds welcomed him. However, among his own people, he was met with unbelief and rejection.

The Church of Thessalonica began to serve the Living God and wait eagerly for the arrival of His Son from Heaven – 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10. The saints of Thessalonica responded to the preaching of the Gospel by turning “ from idols to serve the living and true God .” Their life orientation changed radically because of their new allegiance to Jesus Christ. Rather than a comfortable life in Macedonia, they chose a path that guaranteed opposition, trials, and even persecution.

The Thessalonians received the Gospel of Christ in tribulation yet remained faithful while eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7. In the first chapter of First Thessalonians , Paul anticipates the Letter’s main subjects - the tribulation of believers, Christian hope, and “ the arrival ” of Jesus, when he will rescue his people from wrath, resurrect the righteous dead, and “ meet ” his assembled saints as he descends from Heaven. On that day, we will “ obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ .”

Jesus submitted to a shameful death on the Cross, and he summons us to follow his example and path . Jesus tells us that if we wish to be his disciple, we must “ d eny ourselves, take up his cross, and follow him .” This was more than metaphorical language when he made this pronouncement on his final journey to Jerusalem. In the City of David,  he would demonstrate just what it means “ to take up the cross .”

Jesus is the key that unlocks the Hebrew Scriptures and reveals the nature and redemptive purposes of the God of Israel . Jesus unveils the knowledge and plans of God, and he is the center of his Father’s purposes for the redemption of humanity. He is  the key  that opens our understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, and only Christ is qualified to explain and demonstrate the Divine Nature. In Jesus of Nazareth, all the promises of God find their “Y ea and Amen! ”

The previously hidden mysteries of God are revealed in Jesus of Nazareth, and especially in his Death and Resurrection . The Bible speaks of the “ mysteries ” of God, His ways that are hidden from human wisdom and defy our expectations. As Jesus declared, not everyone can understand the “ mysteries of the Kingdom .” It is God who reveals the deep and obscure things to whomever He pleases, and in His Son, He has done so for all men to see.

Jesus is the Greater Tabernacle in which the presence and glory of God dwell and manifest for all men to behold – John 1:14. The  Gospel of John  presents Jesus as the ‘ Logos ’ (λογος), the “ Word made flesh ,” where the glory of God is manifested before all men. The Son of God is the Greater and True Tabernacle in which God’s presence dwells, not the portable tent carried by Israel in the Wilderness or the later Jerusalem Temple “ made with hands .”

When disciples react to hostility with hostility, whether by government, society, or individuals, Satan triumphs . The reality of persecution raises important questions. How should we react to hostility and opposition? Should we engage in civil disobedience and public protests ? Our human desire to live without conflict is natural. Nevertheless, Jesus warned that all men who decide to follow him would experience tribulation and persecution.

The New Testament warns of a future apostasy caused by deceivers and the Son of Destruction, the Lawless Man, before the Day of the Lord arrives . The New Testament warns us that before Jesus returns, his Church will be attacked from within by deceivers, “ false anointed ones ,” and “ false prophets .” Before the “ Day of the Lord ” begins, his disciples will be confronted by the “ Man of Lawlessness , ” whom the Apostle Paul links to the “ Apostasy ,” the final great “ falling away ” from the faith.

Иисус - это Слово, ставшее плотью, через которое открывается слава Божья, то же самое Слово, посредством которого Бог сотворил все сущее . В Евангелии от Иоанна Иисус назван ‘ Логосом ’ (‘ Logos ’. λογος), “ Словом ”, посредством которого Бог сотворил Вселенную. Эта тема занимает важное место в Евангелии от Иоанна . Оно основано на традиционных представлениях еврейской Библии о том, как Бог сотворил мир, особенно жизнь, посредством Своего изреченного Слова. Иисус из Назарета - живое выражение этого созидательного слова.

Jesus is the true and only way of access to the Father, the Greater Tabernacle, and the House of God – John 1:47-50. The  Gospel of John  presents Jesus as the  True House of God . He is the way of access to the presence of God that is now open to all men. The man from Nazareth has become the True  Bethel , the “ House of God .” From now on, Heaven is open to all men, and angels are “ ascending and descending ” on the “ Son of Man .” What Jacob saw in a vision long ago has become reality in Jesus Christ.

Последние дни, время свершения, начались со Смерти, Воскресения и воцарения Иисуса Христа . Когда мы слышим термин “ Последние дни ”, мы предполагаем, что он относится к последним нескольким годам истории непосредственно перед возвращением Христа. Тем не менее, Новый Завет описывает этот период как эпоху свершения, которая началась после смерти и воскресения Иисуса и излияния Святого Духа в день Пятидесятницы. Во Христе “ Конец эпох ” настал для Церкви, народа Божьего - (1–е Коринфянам 10:11).