Already preached to all creatures?

It is well known from the Scripture that the gospel must first reach all nations before the end comes. The great commission of Jesus Christ to his disciples is to preach the gospel to all nations. And we are still working on that commission today. But, in Colossians 1:23, we saw something interesting, which seems to indicate that the task was already accomplished even in the time of Apostle Paul:

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Colossians 1:23, KJV

This of course is very puzzling at the first glance, but the key seems to be in the prophesy of Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, when he was filled with the Holy Ghost:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: Luke 1:68-70, KJV.

Paul also wrote in the book of Hebrews, testifying that those of the old times had the same gospel as we have now:

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Hebrews 4:2, KJV

And indeed, the gospel was pronounced even when Adam and Eve fell, because the Lamb of God was slain at the foundation of the world (ref: Revelation and Ephesians). Now in the end times, this mystery is fully manifested to us, and this gospel of salvation should be preached among all nations, to have them know the fulfillment of the word of God, to have hope of eternal life, till the end comes:

whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:25-27, KJV.

It is only that the gospel is now fully manifested, but the same gospel was preached from the very beginning to all men, only that most of them hardened their hearts and rejected it quickly, and followed their own ways of this world. Hey, but now it is high time to tell everybody what our Lord Jesus said on the cross: it is finished!

Where you stand is holy

In the Book of Joshua 5:13-15, we can read of this amazing record of the encounter of Joshua with the LORD before the fall of Jericho:

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Ney; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said onto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13-15, KJV

As Joshua worshiped him, who then told Joshua to loose off his shoe, for the place is holy, we know that he is none other than the Christ, the Son of God! It is interesting to note that when moses was called in the wilderness at the age of 80, he was also told to take off his shoe. So, here is the question: why taking off their shoes? Undoubtedly, both Moses and Joshua are serving the God who is holy. As servants, they must stand before God, and where they stand is holy. The shoe, however, is what we ware to walk in this world, and consequently, is filthy. So, to serve and stand before God, we must take off our old wakings in this world, and stand in holiness. This is such an important issue for us to have victory in our lives serving God, that the LORD come on special purpose to emphasize this to Joshua before the battle to take Jericho, the first city in the promised land.

The First Lie

Why all these terrible sufferings now all around the world? Why men and animals all die? It all goes back to a lie (yes, just a single lie!), the first lie man ever know, but a very deadly one.

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Genesis 3:1-7, KJV)

While the lie suggested a better life, it resulted in immediate death: after they ate the fruit, they immediately knew that they were naked -- for their eyes were both opened. Before they ate the forbidden fruit, "[And] they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." (Genesis 2:25) So, they knew they were naked. Why they did not know before? Were they created blind when God first created Adam and Eve? Surely not, for before they ate, "the woman saw that the tree was good for food". Then why it says that their eyes were opened? Because their state of being has been changed permanently, and they saw a totally different human being in themselves! They are ashamed of what they saw of themselves, and they wanted to hide themselves away. So they "sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons". This shall become evident when we read later that for the very nakedness, they were in fear and hid themselves from the face of the LORD God. Why would they become so ashamed of themselves, and feared? For they were conscious of the filthiness of themselves, being captured by sin from breaking the command. Meanwhile, they defended themselves using the wisdom they have just acquired -- that they were not guilty.

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. (Genesis 3:8-12, KJV)

Because of the sin, the harmony between God and men, and the harmony among men, are all shattered. And men are caught in a dilemma, that their consciousness accuses themselves, but their wisdom defends themselves in vain, because it begot itself from a lie.

And so Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, hanged himself in the end, and was lost forever. Oh, how great is that blindness, when the Savior is at sight for three years! And when God afterwards sacrificed an animal so that their nakedness can be covered from the animal skin, God had already preached the Gospel to the very first couple, that at a pointed time in the future, the Lamb of God will be sacrificed, that the power of death and the grip of sin will be broken (Genesis 3:15), and all our nakedness can be covered because of him!

You don't have to die!

When Lazarus was dead for four days, his body already stinking in his tomb, Jesus said to his sister Martha, 'I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?' (John 11:25, KJV) With those words already said, Jesus proved his claim by raising Lazarus from the dead, as recorded in the Scripture:

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. (John 11:38-44, KJV)

Now many believed in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. But because of the same thing, the council gathered and plot against Jesus, and there the Scripture reveals the price Jesus paid for us so that we could have eternal life:

And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. (John 11:49-53, KJV)

Hey, you don't have to die! For Jesus Christ already paid the price, so that whosoever believes can have eternal life!

Errors in Greenleaf's Harmony

There are some errors in Greenleaf's harmony of the resurrection accounts, as adapted by W. R. Miller below:

The Greenleaf's Harmony of the Resurrection Accounts
http://www.tektonics.org/harmonize/greenharmony.htm

Nevertheless, it is a great work by Professor Greenleaf, a Harvard law school professor, who was first an unbeliever, but as he studied the Scripture to find evidence against the resurrection account, and thus to overthrow the whole Christiandom, eventually became a believer, quite the opposite to his initial goal of study.

Let us first get a more accurate understanding of John 20:1-2, as is a key:

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.(John 20:1-2, KJV)

John's account did not mention that Mary had met the LORD, but according to the principle behind Le Clerc's canon, no mentioning does not mean nonexistence, we shall not assume that Mary did not tell that. According to what happened later, it should be clear that the opposite is true:

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. (John 20:7-9, KJV)

So after John examined the situation in the sepulchre, he believed. Believed what? From the context, the details inside the sepulchre as described herein, he believed the resurrection! Now it also explicitly mentions that "they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead", then where comes the information of resurrection? The only possible answer here is Mary! The reason of not mentioning it might be that what really motivated John and Peter to run to the sepulcre is the missing of the body of the LORD, not the resurrection -- since her words "seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." (Luke 24:11) Also, the Gospel according to John was written much later than the other three, and at the time of writing it was well known that the other Gospels already gave more details.

So Mary did tell them about her meeting Jesus after she came out of the sepulchre. This understanding of John 20:1-2 is then in perfect harmony with the accounts in the other Gospels (Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10). The account in Luke 24:11-12 clearly shows that Mary was not alone when she told Peter and John about that, and in Matthew 28:8-10, they were found to have met the LORD alive early that morning. The reason that only Mary Magdalene was mentioned by John, and that she was mentioned before the other women with her by the other Gospels, should be found by Mark 16:9, "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." This meeting was recorded in Matthew 28:8-10, but Mary was not singled out. Since Mark 16:8 mentioned the other women, then in the next verse Mary Magdalene was singled out, it is likely that Mary Magdalene met Jesus alone first, then her reaction caused the others to come to meet Jesus.

Then in John 20:11-18, Mary met the LORD the second time, which is not mentioned in the other three Gospels. From the account, it seems obvious that Mary believed not the resurrection then, even after her first meeting with the LORD. We do not know for sure why, a possible reason could be that she overly worried about the disappearance of the body of the LORD and she was extremely sorrowful. Her unbelief may partly explain why the disciples did not believe from her account, or on the contrary, may be the result of the unbelief of the disciples, not taking her account seriously. But she really loved Jesus, that she followed the two disciples again back to the sepulchre. I bet that's why the LORD appeared to her again, so as to turn her sorrow into joy.

Now, let us come back to Greenleaf's harmony. The errors lie in that Mark 16:9-11 were considered to be parallel with John 20:11-18, which should not be, for the reasons given above. Once these errors are corrected, we found perfect harmony in the four Gospels. Harmony, perfect harmony!!!

No reasonable man can study these evidences and deny that our LORD was raised the third day!

The canon of Le Clerc

Many of the alleged disagreements in the Gospels come from the ignorance of the sound canon of Le Clerc:

Qui plura narrat, pauciocra complectitur; qui pauciora memorat, plura nzon negat.” (Harmony of the Gospels, p. 525. Can. XII. fin.)

This is in Latin, translated into English, it means:

What is narrated as plural, already covers the singular case; what is mentioned as singular, does not deny the plural case.

The principle behind this canon is very intuitively simple: while mentioning means existence, no mentioning does not mean nonexistence. When you apply this canon, many of the alleged disagreements automatically disappear. For example**, in the visit of the women to the sepulcher (Matt. 26:1-8. Mark 16:1-8. Luke 24:1-11. John 20:1, 2.), Matthew mentions Mary Magdalene and the other Mary; v. 1. Mark enumerates Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome; v. 1. Luke has Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others with them; v. 10. John speaks of Mary Magdalene alone, and says nothing of any other. The first three Evangelists accord then in respect to the two Marys, but no further; while John differs from them all. Is there here a real discrepancy?

We may at once answer, No; because, according to the sound canon of Le Clerc. Because John, in narrating circumstances with which he was personally connected, sees fit to mention only Mary Magdalene, it does not at all follow that others were not present. Because Matthew, perhaps for like reasons, speaks only of the two Marys, he by no means excludes the presence of others. Indeed, the very words which John puts into the mouth of Mary Magdalene, (v. 2), presupposes the fact that others had gone with her to the sepulcher. That there was something in respect to Mary Magdalene, which gave her a peculiar prominence in these transactions, may be inferred from the fact, that not only John mentions her alone, but likewise all the other Evangelists name her first, as if holding the most conspicuous place.

The instance here under consideration is parallel to that of the demoniacs of Gadara, and the blind men at Jericho; where, in both cases, Matthew speaks of two persons, while Mark and Luke mention only one. Something peculiar in the station or character of one of the persons, rendered him in each case more prominent, and led the two latter Evangelists to speak of him particularly. But there, as here, their language is not exclusive; nor is there in it anything that contradicts the statements of Matthew. There are no disagreements, the whole Bible is in perfect harmony.

**Ref: Greenleaf's Harmony of the Resurrection Accounts
http://www.tektonics.org/harmonize/greenharmony.htm

The Mission and Offices of Jesus Christ

Once we have identified Jesus with the Christ, the Son of God, we naturally wonder why God sent his Son Jesus Christ into this world, who became flesh, and dwelt among us? Today we will study the mission of Jesus Christ, without which, the office titles would be meaningless. Let us hear what the Scriptures say with regard to this (all quotes are from the King James Version) :

And she [Mary] shall bring forth a son, and thou [Joseph] shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

The name JESUS means Savior, and so the name of Jesus already indicates the mission. It is plainly stated that **his people** are to be saved from **their sins**. Who are his people? The elect -- first the Jews, then the Gentiles, as explained in the parables (The parable of the wicked husbandmen in Matthew 21:33-41, and the parable of the marriage feast in Matthew 22:1-14), and by apostle Paul in Romans 11. Remember those famous verses in the Exodus? "Let my people go!" Moses is a shadow of the true Savior to come, and Egypt shadows the state of sins, and the people were slaves. But who were saved by the passover in Egypt? Aren't they that put the blood of the passover lamb on their doors by their faith, without regard to persons? The same is true when the True Lamb of God is sacrificed. So the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached the gospel unto Abraham: In your seed shall all nations be blessed (the promises sworn by God himself, and the seed being Christ). Isiah the prophet also said: And in his name shall the Gentiles trust (as cited in Matthew 12:21). Another prophecy by Isiah: And all flesh shall see the salvation of God (as cited in Luke 3:6).

Do man must be saved from sins? The consequence of sin is death -- complete and eternal separation from the living God: God is the God of the living, not of the dead. All good things come from God, and such a separation from God is just terrible. We now still enjoy a lot of good things in this life, righteous or unrighteous, for the final judgment is not yet. And none can free themselves from the bondage of sin, which comes from the womb even at the conception. Since we are all dead even before we were born, how can we save ourselves? We must therefore need a Savior!

How did Jesus save us from our sins? First he needs to get there, yet not by his own sin -- as he is sinless, but by bearing our sins, and to die in our stead. Then, he breaks the power of death, and was raised again the third day! Thus, all of us are no longer subject to the bondage of sin, but become free. But we first need to delegate our sins to him, so that we identifies ourselves with the death of Jesus Christ (he died in our stead), and then with his life everlasting (we participate in his life). We are freed from the dominion of the power of darkness, and saved into the Kingdom of light. For the atonement of sins, Jesus Christ is the High Priest; for the freedom and life, Jesus Christ is the almighty King that overcome the power of darkness to bring us into the Kingdom of God; and for us to put our faith in him to be saved (to delegate our sins onto him, to identify with his death and resurrection), Jesus is the Prophet (in fact, all the prophets are sent by him), so that we can believe in the Word and have eternal life.

Praise the Lord!