2024-10-23 周三 国度的福音

经文:祂受害之后,用许多确据,将自己活活的显给使徒看,四十天之久向他们显现,讲说神国的事。(徒一3,另译)

耶稣及门徒的传讲

施浸者约翰开始新约的传道,说要为着国度悔改(太三2)。然后主耶稣来了,祂重复了施浸者约翰的传讲(太四17)。主耶稣不是头一个传讲为着国度悔改的人,祂是第二个。主耶稣重复并继续施浸者约翰的传讲,这是何等美妙。当然,这表明国度的重要。

主耶稣呼召了一些门徒,不只十二位,还有至少七十位。祂差遣他们出去,嘱咐他们传扬国度,说,‘诸天的国已经临近了’(太十7,路十1,9)。不仅主自己重复并继续传扬国度的福音,祂也嘱咐祂的门徒重复这传扬。

国度的福音

当主耶稣预备要离开祂的门徒时,祂预言说,国度的福音要传遍天下,传给万民(太二四14)。有些圣经教师教导说,国度乃是时代的事。他们教导说,主要带着国度而来,把国度给犹太人。当犹太人弃绝祂时,祂就收回国度,将国度悬起来,直到另一个时代。按照他们的教训,现今是教会时代,不是国度时代。国度已经被悬起来,有一天要再来临。当主回来时,祂要带着被悬起的国度而来。这种教训不是照着神纯净的话。按照圣经,神的国从未被悬起来。在马太二十一章四十三节主耶稣说,神的国必从犹太人夺去,赐给别的百姓,就是教会。这指明国度从未被悬起来。如果国度被悬起来,主复活后就不需要四十天之久,向祂的门徒讲说国度的事(徒一3)。

马太二十四章十四节是说‘国度的福音’,不是恩典的福音,或得救的福音。虽然你们许多人读过马太福音多次,你们也许从未注意‘国度的福音’这辞。然而主耶稣说,这国度的福音要传遍整个居人之地。居人之地的意思是指一切人所居住之处。国度的福音必须传到居人之地,对万民作见证。国度的福音不仅要传给犹太人,也要传给万民。在原文里,译为‘民’的字,与别处译为‘外邦人’的是同字。国度的福音要传给所有的外邦人。阿利路亚!我们大部分是外邦人,我们都有特权听见国度的福音。这福音必须传到居人之地的每一个角落。主向我们开启了这事,好叫我们无论把教会的恢复带到那里,都要传扬这国度的福音。

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The Gospel of the Kingdom — Acts 1:3

Preaching of Jesus and His Disciples

John the Baptist began the New Testament preaching by speaking of repentance for the sake of the kingdom (Matt. 3:2). Then the Lord Jesus came and He repeated the preaching of John the Baptist (Matt. 4:17). The Lord Jesus was not the first to preach repentance for the kingdom; He was the second. How wonderful that the Lord Jesus repeated and continued the preaching of John the Baptist. It demonstrates the importance of the kingdom.

The Lord Jesus called some disciples, not just twelve, but at least seventy. He sent them out and charged them to proclaim the kingdom by saying, “The kingdom of the heavens has come near” (Matt. 10:7; Luke 10:1, 9). Not only did the Lord Himself repeat and continue to preach the gospel of the kingdom, He also charged His disciples to repeat this preaching.

Gospel of the Kingdom

When the Lord Jesus was preparing to leave His disciples, He prophesied that the gospel of the kingdom would be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations (Matt. 24:14). Some Bible teachers consider the kingdom a dispensational matter. They say that the Lord comes with the kingdom and gives it to the Jews. Whenever the Jews forsake Him, He will take the kingdom back and suspend it till another age. According to their teachings, nowadays is the church age, not the kingdom age. The kingdom has been suspended and will come again one day. When the Lord returns, He will come with the suspended kingdom. This kind of teaching is not based on the pure word of God. According to the Bible, the kingdom of God has never been suspended. In Matthew 21:43 the Lord Jesus said that the kingdom of God will be taken away from the Jews and given to another people, that is, the church. This indicates that the kingdom has never been suspended. If the kingdom had been suspended, the Lord would not have needed forty days after His resurrection to speak to His disciples concerning the kingdom (Acts 1:3).

Matthew 24:14 refers to the “gospel of the kingdom,” not the gospel of grace or the gospel of salvation. Although many of you have read the Gospel of Matthew many times, you may have never paid attention to the term “gospel of the kingdom.” However, the Lord Jesus said that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the entire inhabited earth, meaning the place where all men live. The gospel of the kingdom must be preached to every inhabited earth and for a testimony to all the nations, not only to the Jews but to all nations. In the original text, the word translated “nations” is the same word as “Gentiles”. Thus, the gospel of the kingdom is to be preached to all the Gentiles. Hallelujah! Most of us are Gentiles, and we all have the privilege of hearing the gospel of the kingdom. This gospel must be preached to every corner of the inhabited earth. The Lord has opened this matter to us so that wherever we take the recovery of the church, we will proclaim the gospel of the kingdom.