Chapter II
The Word or the Term Gospel in the New Testament
The contradictions, discrepancies and differences between the principles and concepts of the Gospels and the principles and concepts of the Old Testament, as is shown in the previous chapter, are insufficient and not enough alone to prove that it's a new religion, unrelated with the religion of the prophets of the children of Israel, and were not written by the revelation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit, from the point of view of the churches. The Gospels authors and the rest of the New Testament authors, especially Paul, who was fully aware these contradictions, discrepancies and differences, or more precisely, he who has founded them, for this he sought in his letters to justify these contradictions, discrepancies and differences, as shown previously, and considered that this issue is not because of difference sources, but the principles and the concepts of his beliefs have been hidden from all of the former prophets, and has been revealed to him and his followers! As in the following texts:
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
1 Corinthians 2:8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
Ephesians 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles —
Ephesians 3:2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
Ephesians 3:3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
Ephesians 3:4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),
Ephesians 3:5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
Ephesians 3:6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
Ephesians 3:7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
Ephesians 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Ephesians 3:9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
Ephesians 3:10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Romans 16:25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
Romans 16:26 but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith —
In these texts Paul says that the principles and concepts which based on worshiping three gods, who incarnated in the flesh, or at least one of them, according to the faith of every church of the various churches, and they had been flogged, and mocked and spat on them, and crucified and died; was a secret hidden from all Prophets, and that this mystery has not been revealed to anyone else, but only to him and the saints!
This is true in this sense only, because there is no one of the former prophets had spoken about such as this perception about the LORD the Creator of the heavens and the earth, but what is the reality of this mystery which Paul had spoken about?
The reality of this mystery can be recognized by comparing it with the other mysteries which Paul had told to his followers, as in the following text:
1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed —
In this text Paul reveals another mystery, which was not known by anyone else before him, and has not been seen by anyone else after him, which is that he and his followers would not pass away until the next coming of Jesus, which is what he says more clearly in the following text:
1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 For 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 by no means precede those who are asleep.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Yet, unfortunately, the history has shown that this mystery was not true, and he and his followers had fallen asleep, and after them dozens of generations, thus, the failure to achieve this mystery shows that the first mystery is not true, and is not from the Revelation or by the Word of the Lord, because if it was from the Revelation or by the Word of the Lord; it should not contradicts the texts of the revelation in the Old Testament that confirms the greatest fact in the cosmos; which is the Oneness of the LORD the Creator, and worship Him alone, and the lack of the true gods with Him or beside Him, and with the clarity of this fact, but I will mention text from the Old Testament refutes all the words of Paul and the others that the Lord the Creator of the heavens and the earth hid some secrets from the former prophets, which is as follows:
Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
The Lord the Creator does not say any word unless it is a clear; and reveals His secret to the prophets, especially His Oneness, and the lack of the true gods with Him or beside Him, who participated with Him in creating the heavens and earth, or deserve to be worshiped with Him or beside Him, thus, this text invalidates all the words of Paul and the others about hiding the mystery of the Trinity.
The insistence of the New Testament authors and the churches considering that the New Testament and their beliefs are an extension of the Old Testament and its principles and concepts, requires us to examine the Gospels in the New Testament objectively and subjectively, i.e., study the meaning of the word Gospel, and the places mentioned therein, and the purpose of writing the Gospels, and the methods and ways of writing, and the lost Gospels which are mentioned in the Letters of the New Testament. As well as study the texts of the Gospels which were quoted from the Old Testament. This will give us a clear idea of the reality of the Gospels, and if they had been written by the revelation or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit or not, and the sources that were relied on to write the Gospels.
The Word or the Term "Gospel" in the Letters of the New Testament
The Letters of the New Testament are a collection of letters talking about the disciples after Jesus ascension into heaven, whether by talking about their lives and their activities as the letter Acts of the Apostles and some of Paul's letters, or by trying to resolve the practical and theological problems which they have faced at that time, such as a warning of the differences that were taking place among the disciples and the followers, or to prove that Jesus is the Christ, and he who was intended in the prophecies of the Old Testament, or to prove that the Law no longer binding them, not only the circumcision, or the Sabbath but even the rest of the laws, and other issues that summoned the research and debate at that time, and the last letter is the book of Revelation, which is talking about the signs of the End of Time, and the end of life on Earth.
These letters will be significantly helpful in our search for the true meaning of word "gospel", because they talk about how the disciples' preaching was, and the sources which they had relied upon.
The Word or the Term "gospel" in the Letter of James
In this Letter there is no mention to the word "gospel", whether linguistic or idiomatic sense!
While in this letter there is a text for the meaning of the faith disagrees with the meaning of the faith in Paul's Letters, as shown previously, also there is a text contain information that contradicts what is written in the Old Testament, as in following text:
James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
James 5:18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
In this text James says that the rain stopped for three years and six months, and this contradicts what is written in the Old Testament, as in the following texts:
1Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."
1Kings 18:1 And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth."
As we read that the rain came down in the third year and not as James wrote, and this error also was written in the Gospel of Luke, as will be shown later.
Finally he has quoted several texts from the Old Testament, while he did not quote any text from the four Gospels, except one text consistent with what is written in the Gospels on the lips of Jesus but he did not attribute it to Jesus! As in the following text:
James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes," be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment.
The Word or the Term "gospel" in the Letters of Peter
The word "gospel" was mentioned in the Peter's Letters four times, as in the following texts:
1 Peter 4:17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
New International Version
1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
In this text Peter talks about the Gospel of God; and this does not mean the four Gospels, because this letter has been written before the four Gospels, and previously Paul talked about the gospel of Peter! So why the churches did not keep it? Is it not the word of the God? And if it is not the word of the God, why Peter and Paul and their followers had preached from it?
Moreover, Peter had refused to say that his gospel or his preaching is not the word of God, as in the following text:
1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
New International Version
1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.
As well as, he considered that his words and his preaching is the true grace of God, which is his testimony for his followers, as in the following text:
1 Peter 5:12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
King James Version
1 Peter 5:12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
New International Version
1 Peter 5:12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
So, if Peter had considered that his gospel and his preaching as is the Word of God, why the churches did not keep it?
And if what was Peter saying is true, what are the sources which he relied upon?
Did he rely upon the revelation or the inspiration that have been received through the Holy Spirit, or relied upon the texts of the Old Testament?
In fact, Peter, in his letters, did not say that he has received the revelation or inspiration by the Holy Spirit, but it relied upon what he has written in his letters and his words himself, as in the following text:
2Peter 3:1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2 Peter 3:2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.
In this text Peter says that he has written his letters to remind his followers the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and did not say that he has received a revelation or an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which will be shown clearly in the following text:
2 Peter 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
2 Peter 1:21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
New International Version
- And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.
For prophecy never had its origin in the will man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19-21)
In this text Peter says that they have the prophetic word and urged his followers to pay attention to it; for they did not come by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, as well as the interpretation of the prophecies of the scripture is not of any private interpretation, and here we find that Peter talks about the prophecies of the Old Testament, not about the four Gospels, because they have not been written when he wrote this letter, and he considered that the prophecies of the scripture are the basis to prove his faith.
In addition, he said that what is written in the Old Testament of prophecies; they were prophesying about Jesus, and named it the gospel! As in the following text:
1 Peter 1:10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
1 Peter 1:11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
1 Peter 1:12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things which angels desire to look into.
In this text Peter says that the prophetic books had prophesied about Jesus, which proves that his gospel and his preaching relied upon the interpretation of the texts of the Old Testament, not through a special revelation which he has received, or the four Gospels, which were unwritten at that time, and the evidence of this is that he quoted nearly twenty texts from the Old Testament in his letters, while he has written only two texts that consistent with what is written in the four Gospels, for this when he wants to urge his followers to increase their knowledge of the truth of the things which he had preached; he did not urge them to read the four Gospels, but to read the letters of Paul, as in the following text:
2 Peter 3:15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
2 Peter 3:16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
New International Version
- Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand,
Which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15-16)
This text indicates to one of two things, either that the four Gospels have not been written at that time, or that Peter does not consider them as books in which a man can find the truth about Jesus, especially as they contain a lot of errors and contradictions, as we will see in the next chapter.
Finally, there are two texts in his first letter show the true meaning of the word "gospel", which means the way of preaching, not the four Gospels, as many of the good people of the followers of churches believe, which are as follows:
1 Peter 4:6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
New International Version
1 Peter 4:6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
1 Peter 3:19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison.
New International Version
1 Peter 3:19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison.
These two texts talk about Jesus and his preaching of the gospel to those who are dead, and here he certainly did not indicate to the four Gospels, for they have not been written at that time, because this story occurred after the crucifixion and before the resurrection as the churches say. In addition that this story was not mentioned in the four Gospels! So what is this gospel which was preached by Jesus himself, if it did not mean the four Gospels?
Hence, through this careful reading of the texts of the Peter's Letters that have mentioned the word "gospel", we conclude that he used it to refer to his way of preaching, not to a certain book, or the four Gospels, which is based on his understanding and interpretation of the texts and the prophecies of the Old Testament as is shown in his Letters.
The Word or the Term "gospel" in the Letter of Jude
In the Epistle of Jude there is no mention to the word gospel, whether idiomatic meaning or linguistic meaning, although he has urged his followers to remember the words of the apostles, and did not ask them to remember the words of Jesus! As in the following text:
Jude 1:17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
New International Version
Jude 1:17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.
He also says in his letter that he had to write, or "I found it necessary to write to you", or "it was needful for me to write unto you", according to the various versions, and did not say that he wrote it by the revelation or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as in the following text:
Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Jude 1:4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
This way of writing does not indicate that he had written by the revelation or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Moreover, he had written two texts about Michael and Enoch which were not mentioned in the Old Testament, but mentioned in the Apocrypha of the Old Testament! As in the following texts:
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
Jude 1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
Jude 1:15 "to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
Jude 1:6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
The Word or the Term "gospel" in the Letters of John
As in the Gospel of John also in his three Letters, there is no mention to the word "gospel" by any means, whether idiomatic or linguistic. Furthermore there are some verses which confirm that what has been written in his Letters was not through the revelation or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit including the following texts:
2 John 1:12 Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
3 John 1:13 I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink;
In these verses John says that he has many things to write but he did not want to write with paper and ink, and such of these words have never been heard from any Prophet in the Old Testament, because what they had received from the Lord through the revelation or the Spirit; they were speaking it, as shown previously, and this confirms that what was written by John wasn't through the revelation or the inspiration, as well as we read a text in his first Letter which is written in some versions, and has been deleted from other versions, which is as follows:
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
1 John 5:8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
New International Version
- For there are three that testify; the spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (1 John 5:7-8)
This text called the Comma Johannine (also called the Comma Johanneum) which has raised a lot of controversy among researchers and scholars in the Western World, and has been discussed the reasons for this difference between Manuscripts in many books, which is not our subject in this book, but here I would like to mention that the ancient scribes, whether intentionally or accidentally, or for whatever reason, have the ability to add or delete the texts of the New Testament, which indicates that it was not written by the revelation or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because if so, no one dares to add to it, or delete from it, as shown previously.
The Word or the Term "gospel" in the Revelation
The word "gospel" was mentioned in the Revelation once, which shows the true meaning of the word "gospel", which is the telling things that will take place in the future, or in the present as the case with Jesus, by relying on a certain thing like a revelation or interpretation of the texts and the prophecies of the Old Testament! Not as the churches say that the four Gospel are books recorded the historical events of Jesus, and the text is below:
Revelation 14:6 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 —
Revelation 14:7 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."
In this text we read that the angel has the everlasting gospel and wants to preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, and this gospel is certainly not the four Gospels, but the revelation which he has received from God, for this he said "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".
After this detailed and thorough study on the word "gospel" as is mentioned in the four Gospels and the New Testament Letters, we conclude that the true meaning of the word gospel is the preaching for someone or something through the revelation, whether it was received directly, or by interpreting the old revelation for convincing people in what they believe in, and in this case is Jesus, and since the authors of New Testament do not have any kind of revelation; they have quoted hundreds texts from the Old Testament and interpreted them to prove that Jesus is Christ and the son of god, and he was crucified and died and rose from the dead, and most of them claimed that they have their own gospels such as Paul and Peter, however, they never exist and no one of the church fathers have mentioned them!
So what are the sources the four Gospels?
What are the way and the approach and the method of writing the four Gospels?
What is the intent behind the numerous quotations of the Old Testament?
Are these texts true prophecies about Jesus?
Have the Gospels authors quoted these texts (prophecies) only, or they have written the rest of the events of Jesus' life in the Gospels according to the Old Testament texts?!
Have the Gospels authors written their Gospels, based on historical events which they have seen, or received them by those who have seen them, or they have written about these things away from all this, but through a special method or way or approach, for this they have written many stories that inconsistent with the recorded history, as we read in the Gospels?
These questions and the others I will try to answer in the next chapter, which discusses the way of writing the Gospels, and the texts which were quoted from the Old Testament.
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