God has spoken the following to me, and I pass it on to you, "The punishment of America has been decreed. It cannot be turned back. Privation and hunger are determined. America the proud will be debased. And with the church which calls itself by My name, I am especially furious. The earthly church which has cast its lot with those who cried out for the crucifixion of My Son will be burned as stubble. This is only the first punishment. Repent not, and the trumpets of Revelation will sound." (December 29, 2006)
The New Testament paints a fourfold picture of Jesus with the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The first three are known as the Synoptics, a term derived from a Greek word which means, "seeing together". The three Synoptics agree in their general historical arrangement. All three focus heavily on Jesus‘ Galilean ministry and His final journey to Jerusalem. They also agree to a large extent in choice of words. However, they also vary. Because events may be organized topically rather than chronologically, the order of events will sometimes differ. There are also differences of wording. In Matthew, Jesus said "Blessed are the poor in spirit." In Luke, He said, "Blessed are the poor." In reality, He probably said both. Therefore, both Gospels are right.
The Gospel of Mark is compact, action-oriented and would have appealed to the practical Roman mind. It sometimes translates Greek words into their Latin equivalents, and his Gospel explains the meanings of Jewish customs to an audience which would have found them foreign. The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes Jesus‘ fulfillment of the Law and shows that Jesus was superior to Moses. It was very possibly written to show the Jew that Jesus is the Messiah promised by the Hebrew Scriptures. Luke‘s Gospel was written to the Gentile world. Luke, himself, was probably a non-Jew, and he addressed both the Gospel of Luke and Acts to a Gentile named Theophilus. Luke was the most interested in Jesus' contact with those considered to be on the outside; Gentiles, sinners, women and the poor.
The Apostle Matthew was the first to write. The second century Christian Papius said that "Matthew wrote the oracles in the Hebrew language, and every one interpreted them as he was able." Jesus and His Apostles spoke in Aramaic, which was a Semitic language closely related to Hebrew. In all likelihood, Matthew was the group‘s recorder, and wrote the sayings of Jesus in Aramaic. Matthew's record of the sayings of Jesus must have been distributed widely among the Jewish Christians. Matthew‘s record of Jesus‘ sayings, however, was not the same as his Gospel which was written in Greek.
It is likely that Mark was the first to write a complete Gospel. In his book, "The New Testament: Its Background and Message", Dr. Thomas Lea gives four arguments for Markan priority:
Matthew contains nearly all of Mark's material, and Luke contains about half of the material.
Matthew and Luke often repeat the exact words of Mark (Matt. 8:1-3; Mark 1:40-42; Luke 5:12-13).
Matthew and Luke do not depart together from the Markan sequence of events.
Matthew and Luke sometimes appear to alter the wording of Mark in order to clarify or smooth out difficult or grammatically awkward statements in Mark.
Papius said this of Mark, "Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not indeed in order, whatsoever he [Peter] remembered of the things said or done by Christ." It is believed that Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome, sometime during the 50s AD, while he was with the Apostle Peter.
It is likely then that the Apostle Matthew then took Mark's Gospel as his model for organization. To Mark's Gospel he added the teachings of Jesus. Dr. Lea points out that Matthew does not read like a translation from Aramaic to Greek. Therefore, Matthew did not simply translate the sayings of Jesus into Greek. Instead, he knew the teachings of Jesus by heart, and was able to write them with freshness and clarity in the Greek language.
The Bible's only Gentile writer, Luke, would also use Mark as his source, plus Matthew's original "Sayings Gospel", whether that Gospel was then in Aramaic or Greek. Luke writes in his dedication, "Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." As can be seen, Luke freely admits his reliance on existing sources.
Both Matthew and Luke were probably written during the late 50s to early 60s AD. The fourth Gospel, however, was written by the Apostle John at a much later date, circa 90 AD.
The Apostle John organized his Gospel differently than the Synoptics and presented the more philosophical/mystical sayings of Jesus. For John was the most philosophically minded of the Apostles. The Apostle Matthew wrote down the statements of Jesus which were oriented toward everyday life. Statements such as "Blessed are the poor", or parables involving vineyards and the sowing of seed, resonated with the whole group. But statements such as "I and the Father are one" and "Before Abraham was I Am", resonated most distinctly with John.
Dr. Lea points out that there are Johannine-like passages in the Synoptics such as in Matthew 11:25-30 and Luke 10:21-22. The other Apostles heard Jesus' more philosophical statements and remembered them. But it was left to John to expound on these for the world.
The Apostle John anticipated and influenced the philosophy developed in later centuries known as Christian Neoplatonism. God the Father is unseen and cannot be known directly. (John 1:18; 5:37) He can only be known through Jesus Christ His only begotten Son. (John 14:9) The Father's begetting of Jesus did not occur in a point of time, but exists in eternity. For Jesus said, "Before Abraham was I Am", not "I was". (John 8:58) John also quotes Jesus' statement that the Spirit proceeds from the Father. (John 15:26) The Father is the Infinite. He breaks forth into time and space through the Logos. Because Jesus is begotten of the Infinite Father, He is One with the Father. He is also immanent and exists with us on our level which the Infinite Father does not.
All four Gospels are important. Matthew shows us the Messiah Who fulfilled the Mosaic Law. Mark shows Jesus taking direct action. Luke shows us the compassionate Lord Who took pity on the downcast. John shows us the philosophical side of Jesus. They are all perfect and inspired of God, and, together, help bring us to a knowledge of our Lord.
Luke 22:36 Then said He [the Lord Jesus] unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
The Lord so commanded. Therefore, do not argue. Every Christian man, and even woman, should own a gun and know how to use it. Gun control laws do not matter. In Christ's day, the Romans made it illegal for subject peoples to own swords. But, yet, Christ commanded His followers to be prepared for their own self-defense. And it is He Who must be obeyed, not man.
Are you a ready to fight for Christian Civilization?
