The Gospel Unchanged

The Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians in the first book chapter 15 and he makes known to them the Gospel that he preached, that they recieved, and that inwhich they stand, by which they were saved. The Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom has never changed and has been preached for nearly 2000 as verified by the scriptures and recorded by the Early Church Fathers.

 

The word Gospel means good tidings or good news and is translated from the Greek word Euaggelion G2098 in the strongs concordance.

 

G2098 euaggelion - yü-än-ge'-lē-on

1) a reward for good tidings
2) good tidings

 

Here we will step through almost the entire chapter so that you may see clearly that the Gospel never discusses a "Pre-Tribulation" rapture or escape. This point is very critical because in these last days many bring the teaching of the "Pre-Tribulation" Rapture or Escape to be part of the Gospel or "Good News" which is simply false, dangerous, and warned against many times.

 

Paul provides this good news in detail from Christ’s death, resurrection, and appearance to the Apostles and others, all the way to the end. He makes great emphasis on the importance of the resurrection, and provides the order of it as well, with Jesus being the first fruits, and then those that are his at his coming, and then the end comes.

 

I Corinthians 15:1-26

1Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 12Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 20But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

 

The order of the Resurrection is clear in reading verses 23-24!

1. Christ the First Fruits.
2. Those who are Christ's at his coming.

 

Now we continue to I Corinthians 15 Verses 50-52 and Paul explains the translation that will take place at the end.

 

 I Corinthians 15:50-52
50Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

 

NOTE: The key to this event is WHEN. Paul already explained there would be a single event then the end would come, but now we have the sign!! The Last Trumpet!!

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

 

Matthew 24:30-31
30"And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31"And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

 

Note: That though Mark does note include the Trumpet in his book, it is clearly the same event as Matthew wrote. Mark also brings clarity that it is the ELECT or Christians that are gathered from the EARTH.

 

Mark 13:26-27
26"Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. 27"And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

 

The Gospel that Paul made known to us is clear as to the Resurrection “But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming”

 

There is only a single coming and a single resurrection mentioned in the Gospel, and the mystery of our transformation that occurs at the LAST Trumpet is the same event recorded by different authors in Matthew, Mark, and II Thessalonians.

 

I Corinthians 15:52

"at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” 

 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 

“with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together"

 

Matthew 24:31

“with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

 

Mark 13:26-27

He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

 

Only by properly understanding the order and connection of these scriptures can we come to proper understanding of when these events will take place, and that is after the Tribulation as Matthew 24 and as we have seen in Isaiah.

 

Jesus makes this very clear when explained this in Matthew 24, for he explains what we must go through and then he closes with that when THIS GOSPEL of the Kingdom is finally preached to the whole world, then the end will come.

 

Matthew 24:9-14
9"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10"At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11"Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12"Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13"But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.