I've been referring to the eternal gospel in my posts, but that's a misnomer in regard to scripture, which calls it the "everlasting gospel", given that it is understood and proclaimed at the end of this age and the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ. It's been true from the foundation of the world, but not proclaimed for what I would think obvious reasons.
6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” Revelation 14:6-7
We already have the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of salvation, the rock upon which Jesus chose to build His church (the good confession). In Christ, God has initiated and completed the new covenant of peace with God and the redemption in His blood. Its finished, written in eternity.
So why another "everlasting gospel" pronounced at the beginning of "the hour of judgment " and to "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people"?
It would seem a bit redundant if it weren't meant for the remnant of the nations and the remnant of Jacob, those brought through the judgment.
Again, we ask ourselves "why", but the answer is obvious. How can a gospel of faith in the person of Jesus even be relevant after Jesus has been seen by every eye at His second coming? It's not faith to believe what you've seen to be true.
So why have I called it "eternal"?
For one, although the New covenant was established in a moment of time and through the precious blood of our savior Jesus Christ, it was predetermined by God. We know this from Revelation 13:8, in context about "the beast", but revealing God's plan from the beginning:
It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:7-8
Since the everlasting gospel is meaningless without the New Covenant, the propitiation of sin, and the redemption in His blood, it was founded in Him from eternity as well, but proclaimed for the millennium. Since it's given in His word and through the body of Christ, and since all redemption is through Jesus Christ and the atonement in His blood, and since all is accomplished through Christ, then it seems that we were meant to understand it before His return. Chapter 13 of the Revelation of Jesus Christ doesn't give us much to go on, regarding understanding, so short of direct revelation by His Spirit, we should be able to find all the essential elements of the everlasting gospel in scripture (it wouldn't be very believable in heaven or on Earth if the scriptures didn't confirm the coming proclamation.)
So, where do we start?
So what are the first words out of the angel's mouth?
"Fear God."
Most who have read the scriptures should recall that "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" and that's a foundation demonstrated in Genesis immediately after the fall of man through Adam's transgression.
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden.
Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Genesis 3:6-10
Now, at this point in scripture the Lord asks Adam and his "wife" directly if he disobeyed His commandment, and they both confess, Eve to being deceived, Adam to transgression.
11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:11-13
This is the first conviction by God of sin and the first confession by the transgressor and the decieved.
God then pronounced the curses upon the serpent first, Eve second, and mankind through Adam, as well as the ground from which he was created, earth. However, God does not take Adam and Eve's lives, but rather, shows them mercy and also grace, providing for them clothing of animal skins and by implication "shed blood."
So we see here the fear of God, the confession of sin, mercy and grace.
To sum up, fear God and live.
There is a lot more to examine, many more posts, but I need help understanding Genesis 3:20 and I don't know if the translation is accurate:
" And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. " (as far as I can discern, there were no births yet and I want this verse to make sense.)
Any help here?
