Wk. 1: Quest Begins Pt.1

Week One

What is the Gospel of Peace? Genesis

Week One: Our Quest Begins - Part One

Welcome to the Gospel of Peace: Genesis study

Content of this week’s study:

Day One: “Context”

Day Two: Why we need to know

Day Three: What is a relationship with the Lord?

Day Four: Preach the Gospel

Day Five: So, what, exactly, is the Gospel?

Day Six: Shalom (peace)

Note: I try to remember to place an asterisk (*) before each paragraph which contains my educated opinion and insight to give you an instant identifier of the type of information you're reading.

Day One – Introduction: The Importance of Context

Have you ever sat down in the middle of a movie and tried to figure out who is who, and what, exactly, the movie is about; struggling to understand the plot, the characters, the history that has brought the narrative to the current situation? Even if you, somewhat, figure things out, you miss, and misunderstand, so much.

I’m sure we can all agree that without a good, contextual understanding of the beginning; it is actually impossible to fully comprehend the message being delivered, and the end will leave you perplexed and under-whelmed. I know this will shock many people, but this is precisely the state of the doctrine of most of Western Christianity.

Most of us have been convinced that the New Testament [Brit Hadashah] (AKA: “the middle and end of the drama”) was written to supplant the Old Testament [Tanakh]; and it has long been implied that these scriptures were written by and for Greeks, Romans and Jews who converted; and we have believed all this because we were told that the Jewish scriptures were “Old”, and “we don’t really need them much because we are under a ‘New’ covenant” [agreement with God].

When we think of Jesus [Yeshua] most of us picture what Roman Emperor Constantine and his associates presented, i.e. a Greco/Roman “savior”. This idea was eventually accepted by most of the world and has now been promulgated for nearly two millennia. If you, like me, have this image cemented in your theology of who Yeshua [Jesus] is; and if it is your understanding that the sole reason He tabernacled among us the first time was to suffer punishment for sin so we can live however we wish; I assure you, it is no accident you have found your way here to this study. Our Heavenly Father has some truths He wants to make clear for us.

In our relationship with the King of all creation, God; the cost of a lack of information or, as is the case with many of us, some level of misinformation is entirely too high; and today more than ever, in the current state of the world we live in, we simply cannot afford to be uninformed.

Therefore, our purpose in this Gospel of Peace study; is to dig into the details of those first days of creation and beyond; to finally begin to uncover some of the information we've been missing --- to consider the message of scripture in-light of the culture and beliefs it was actually-written in. Our goal is to ascertain “some” of the keys that will begin to unlock the mysteries of: life, the world, Yeshua's ministry, etc. We are on a treasure hunt my friends; a holy quest for information.

As God prodded me to start this study to guide anyone who would go on a journey of discovery through His gospel, He made it clear that His gospel has been the same from the beginning; it, like God Himself, has never changed and it never will; so, we are going to begin this study at the beginning; the very beginning; at least it is the beginning as far as mankind can comprehend.

"In the Beginning"- from the First Testament:

Genesis 1:1 (TLV) Tree of Life Version

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Everything began with God Himself.

The Gospel, the Kingdom, the earth and all God’s amazing creation, were made by and for God. There is absolutely nothing that was not created by Him.

“In the Beginning Yeshua”- from the Second Testament:

John 1:1-5 and 10-14 (TLV)

~1 In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.

~10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him; but the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. 12 But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God. 13 They were born not of a bloodline, nor of human desire, nor of man’s will, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Note the Apostle John says, “In the beginning was 'the Word'".

John later reveals that this title "The Word” refers to Yeshua.

1 John 1:1

The Word, which gives life! He existed from the beginning. We have heard him, we have seen him with our eyes, we have contemplated him, we have touched him with our hands!

Revelation 19:13

He was wearing a robe that had been soaked in blood, and the name by which he is called is, “THE WORD OF GOD.”

*Yeshua was with God in the beginning and He, Yeshua, is God (as we’ll address later, Yeshua is the part of God we can see, i.e. “The Prince of the Face”. [no one can see God the Father and live])

John [Yochanan] did not make this connection with Genesis 1:1 by accident or flippancy. He was purposefully and carefully linking the opening verses of his testimony to the very opening verses of Genesis [Bereshit] to reveal a truth about Yeshua --- to inextricably link Yeshua with God the Father and the acts of creation.

Whether we choose to believe John’s eye witness account or not; brother John left no doubt about his message. We will, of course, be exploring this topic more as we go along.

Journaling:

Journal your thoughts about my comments of the importance of knowledge of the beginning in understanding the middle and end. Also, what do you think/imagine John meant in John 1:4-5 when he said “4 In Him *[Yeshua] was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it…”?

Please note: I use primarily the 1) Complete Jewish, 2) Tree of Life and 3) New King James Bibles because I have found them to be closest to the original Hebrew in cultural context and clearest in interpretation. You are, of course, welcome to consider other versions in your study, but do careful research to ensure you are gaining an accurate understanding of the original meaning of what is being said.

Link - Youtube Video - Maggie's Commentary on Today's Study

Day Two: Why We Need to Know

The goal of digging into the "whole Gospel" is;

#1, to deepen our own understanding of the truth of what the scriptures actually-reveal.

#2, to drive each of us to a greater level of faithfulness to God

#3, to empower all of us to be comfortable sharing our faith and to arm ourselves with effective answers to questions about God and His Kingdom.

Basically, our purpose in studying God's scripture is to constantly correct and deepen our own understanding of God's will, His truth, His character and our role in His Kingdom --- and to become consistently better emissaries as we continue to walk with Him and serve His Kingdom --- bringing others to finally realize the peace and joy [in Hebrew: Shalom and Simcha] God promises to those who choose to subject ourselves to His authority.

The number of believers who are comfortable or even competent in telling others why Yeshua HaMessiah [Jesus, our anointed King] had to dwell [tabernacle] among us and why the cross was necessary are heart - breakingly low.

*Although many churches urge their congregation to share their faith, I have never found one that really taught what or how to share. Those who attempt to equip their members at all, merely teach psychology based exercises, salvation without works or say to simply "share your own testimony, but I suggest to you that:

#1, Psychology: psychology is an attempt by man to "fix" man (not always the best remedy). Disclaimer; though I mean the statement above, I do believe it is sometimes very helpful to discuss our issues with someone trained and experienced in matters of human psychology.

*You may disagree, but I don’t believe exercises or scripts - based on psychological theories has ever been the best way of learning or sharing God’s Besorah [Gospel i.e.good news].

#2, Salvation Without Works: as James [Jacob or Yaakov] said in James 2:14-17 - “Faith without works is dead” (NKJV).

James 2:14-17 (CJB)- "14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but has no actions to prove it? Is such “faith” able to save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, 16 and someone says to him, “Shalom! Keep warm and eat hearty!” without giving him what he needs, what good does it do? 17 Thus, faith by itself, unaccompanied by actions, is dead".

Yaakov [James] was Jewish and, therefore, his admonition to “recent converts coming from the nations” in this scripture can only be understood by dropping our Christian ideology and taking up the Hebrew concept he is sharing here. The Hebrew understanding of this word interpreted “faith” is very different than the Western or Christian understanding.

Whereas Christianity teaches that “faith” is “believing and trusting”; The Hebrew concept is more “faithfulness”.

Re-read the above scripture substituting “faithfulness” i.e. the idea of “being committed to doing the work God has called us to do”.

I believe this scripture is further explained in

Matthew 25: 31- 40 (CJB)

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, accompanied by all the angels, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. 33 The ‘sheep’ he will place at his right hand and the ‘goats’ at his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you made me your guest, 36 I needed clothes and you provided them, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the people who have done what God wants will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and make you our guest, or needing clothes and provide them? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 The King will say to them, ‘Yes! I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did them for me!’

*The word "faith" is a covenant word. We'll dig in to define the word "faith" more as we go along.

#3, Sharing Our Own Testimony: what’s even more important than sharing our own testimony is being ready and equipped to share Yeshua’s testimony.

There, I’ve tipped my hand and revealed our underlying purpose. The direction of much of the course of this study will be focused on learning, applying and learning to share, “Yeshua's testimony” in a clearer, more accurate and more meaningful way.

Journaling:

Write a paragraph (or so) in your journal proclaiming why you feel it is important for you to do this study at this time and what you believe learning Yeshua’s testimony will do for your relationship with Him and your confidence and effectiveness in fulfilling your role as God's ambasitor.

Your paragraph can include my points, words, etc., but should ultimately come from your own heart with your own sentiment and proclaim your own purpose.

Link - Youtube Video - Maggie's Commentary on today's study

Day Three: What is a relationship with the Lord?

My friend, don't skim over today's lesson in the faulty belief that this topic is an obvious one; I assure you, it is not.

Proverbs 9:10 (TLV)

“The fear of Adonai is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs 16:16 (CJB)

How much better than gold it is to gain wisdom! Yes, rather than money, choose to gain understanding.

The following word Definitions are from the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Defining certain words will be a usual part of our study going forward.

In your journal write your summation of what the following words might mean as they're used in Proverbs 9:10; can be the same word used in our scripture, a word from the definition or your own clarifying word.

Note:The words interpreted: “wisdom and understanding” in both of the Proverbs above, are from the same Strong’s definitions.

Fear 3374H yir′âh, yir-aw´; … fear (also used as infinitive); morally- reverence: --- x dreadful, x exceedingly, fear (-fulness).

X___________________________________________________.

*Fear, which might sometimes be better understood as “reverence” means to have deep (high) regard for something or someone; i.e. a high level of respect; to obey, give honor, obeisance.

Wisdom 2451H chokmâh, khok-maw´; wisdom (in a good sense): --- skillful, wisdom, wisely, wit, from 2449H khaw-kam´; (primary root word [PR]); to be wise (in mind, word or action): --- x exceeding, teach wisdom, be (make self, shew self) wise, deal (never so) wisely, make wiser.

X___________________________________________________.

Knowledge 1847H da′ath, dah´-ath; … from 3045H yâda′, yaw-dah´; (PR=primary root word); to know (properly- ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses- figuratively, literally, euphemistic, inferential (including- observation, care, recognition; and causatively- instruction, designation, punishment, etc.) [as follow]: --- acknowledge, acquaintance (-ted with), … be diligent, … familiar friend, … instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, … perceive, privy to, x prognosticator, regard, have respect, … be sure, … understand, have [understanding], ….

X___________________________________________________.

Understanding 998H bîynâh, bee-naw´; understanding: --- knowledge, meaning, x perfectly, understanding, wisdom, from 995H biyn, bene; (PR); to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e. (generally) understand: --- attend, consider, be cunning, diligent, direct, discern, eloquent, feel, inform, instruct, have intelligence, know, look well to, mark, perceive, be prudent …

X___________________________________________________.

Kingdom Principles:

We are going to begin noting some of what I am calling “Kingdom Principles”. We’ll add another principle on certain days throughout the remainder of this week and part of next week. I recommend making a list (preferably in your own words) with a brief description of each as we encounter them.

Kingdom Principle One - Reverence

We must come into relationship with God by reverence [being in awe of His glory and greatness, acknowledging His authority to rule over us and the world] --- then; once our reverential thought toward Him has been established, we continuously draw closer to Him (always in reverence --- knowing He has the right to determine our ultimate fate) to build a bond of dedication and to develop a heart that hears, reveres, understands and obeys Him.

In the broader sense, our ultimate journey --- which will never actually end --- is to be like Abraham; to become a “friend of God” in the truest and most loyal sense. The word “friend” here does not mean the King of the Universe is someone you pal around with or sit casually discussing how heavy the traffic was on the way to work. This word interpreted “friend” is covenant terminology --- meaning, someone who has sworn an oath to another (the partners in a covenant are defined as “friends” because they have sworn loyalty to each other).

In the case of making a covenant with a king or other official; the common person is under the authority of the king or official, and as long as both partners uphold their promises they are called “friends”.

In the ancient world, if someone made a covenant but then failed to uphold (or broke) their promises, the covenant partner actually had the right to kill the other (or have them put to death). To be friendly with God means you are on favorable terms because you are upholding your obligations to Him; those He has required, because He is your King. As I think we’ll see; God is always faithful in upholding His covenant promises.

Link- Word Definition - American Heritage Dictionary - "Reverence"

https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=reverence

Journaling:

Finally, in your journal write Proverbs 9:10 (above) in your own words [perhaps utilizing the words which stood out in the definitions above]. Be sure to contemplate and note, briefly, in your journal if and why you think Solomon (the author) is imparting information as to how to build a relationship with God in the above Proverbs.

Link - Youtube video - Maggie's commentary on today's study

Day Four: Preach the Gospel

Our mandate is to preach the gospel [besorah (good news)].

Yeshua [Jesus] said, “And this 'gospel of the kingdom' will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come”. Matt. 24:14 (NKJV)

The gospel is called by many names throughout the Brit Hadashah [New Testament], for this exercise we are using the New King James Version (NKJV);

1. The Gospel - Luke 4:18

2. The Gospel of the Kingdom - Matthew 4:23

3. The Gospel of Yeshua HaMessiah (mushiakh) [which means “Yeshua our King”] - Mark 1:1

4. The Gospel of God - Romans 1:1

5. The Gospel of the grace of God - Acts 20:24

6. The Gospel of His Son - Romans 1:9

7. “my (Paul’s) Gospel” - Romans 2:16

In a couple places, including in Ephesians 6:15, Paul [Sha’ul] calls the gospel the “Gospel of Peace”.

Please read Ephesians 6:10-17 (below).

This is Paul’s comparison of the believer’s spiritual armament to the armor of a soldier of ancient Rome.

In this scripture Paul likens strapping the “Gospel of Peace” on our feet to the sandals ancient warriors wore, and this dialogue could also be hinting at the garments of the Cohen Gadol [Jewish High Priest who served in the Tabernacle and Jerusalem Temple (we’ll be discussing the Tabernacle, Temple, the priests and Cohen Gadol and their garments as part of our [future] “Exodus” study)].

Ephesians 6:10-17 (CJB= Complete Jewish Bible)

10 Finally, grow powerful in union *(covenant) with the Lord, in union with his mighty strength *(under the banner of His protection and power)! 11 Use all the armor and weaponry that God provides, so that you will be able to stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary. 12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. 13 So take up every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing. 14 Therefore, stand! Have the belt of truth buckled around your waist, put on righteousness for a breastplate, 15 and wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of shalom [i.e. Gospel of Peace]. 16 Always carry the shield of trust, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. 17 And take the helmet of deliverance; along with the sword given by the Spirit, that is, the Word of God;

But why---On Our Feet?

I believe there may be many possible reasons why Sha'ul [Paul] used this analogy of putting the gospel of peace "on our feet", but we’re going to list three here;

1) A reminder of our deliverance from the exile caused by sin: In the ancient world slaves went barefoot. Typically, only free men and noble women wore shoes (i.e. sandals). Wearing sandals set a person apart as free, and if you had been a slave in the past, when you would see the slaves, their bare feet bruised, scorched and calloused from the odd jagged rock and baked dust on the roads, you would automatically feel the leather on your own feet and feel thankful for your freedom.

If you remember when God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush He said: Exodus 3:5. “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is Holy Ground”

That instance at the burning bush, when God told Moses to remove his sandals [lay down his freedom] shows that to come near God we must give up our freedom, dreams and self-will to obey as servants, accepting God’s supremacy and authority, but the mystery revealed through putting on the Gospel, as sandals, in Ephesians 6:15 (above) is that we receive true-freedom through our submission and faithfulness. By laying aside our “rights” and submitting to God’s ruler-ship, we actually come under His protection and provision, and we become eligible to inherit Yeshua and His Kingdom; true freedom.

2) Protection: Constant mindfulness of our identity as covenant partners with our King, provides protection and empowerment.

*This is the obvious message throughout Sha’ul’s [Paul] discourse on the armor of God in Ephesians 6 (above). We have hope because we have the “Good news of God's offer of being restored to the covenant and to His Kingdom”.

3) To deliver the "Good News" to the world:

What is the primary purpose of our feet? Yes, we have feet so we can walk. Although we must carve out adequate personal time with our Messiah, the scriptures clearly tell us that we are not just to sit in our little happy place soaking in the knowledge of who we are in Yeshua while the world around us is desperately lost, corrupt and hopeless. We must follow Yeshua's example and serve faithfully to make sure everyone hears the Gospel of the Kingdom.

*I believe the most vital reason Sha’ul said to put the gospel on our feet is that we must take it out to the world. We are to strap into the gospel, which we are going to be learning in a deeper way, and---go.

God desires you and I to learn His promises and what He requires from us and to:

1 Pet. 3:15 (CJB)

15 but treat the Messiah as holy, as Lord in your hearts; while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you — yet with humility and fear,

And as Matthew said:

Matthew 28:18-20 (CJB)

18 Yeshua came and talked with them. "He said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim [students], immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.'”

*Note: Not all translations of the Bible include the end of verse 19, “immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh;” or the end of verse 20, “And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age." These sections may have been removed from other manuscripts --- or added to the manuscript this interpretation was taken from --- by someone wanting to twist the meaning of scripture, or they may have been added by an interpreter to bring clarity.

Kingdom Principle Two – Go

Matthew 24:14 (CJB)

14 And this Good News about the Kingdom will be announced throughout the whole world as a witness to all the Goyim *[Gentiles/non Jews]. It is then that the end will come.

It is not enough to simply “walk with God” in our own lives. There is a whole world out there who also need to know how good and faithful our King is; and how to serve Him as the King. We must go and take God's truth out to those around us. Let's face it, we all have our communities we encounter on a daily, weekly, monthly, annual basis, and our goal should be to learn how to effortlessly yet meaningfully share God's truth with as many people in those communities as possible.

*I am not suggesting that you preach at everyone you meet. Often, our best message is one we live rather than simply preach, however, Yeshua gave us a mandate to teach others the way to God. That is the purpose of Strength and Courage and these Gospel of Peace studies, to be a resource for people who want to know God in a deeper way and who want to learn how to serve God as He told us to do.

The world is always looking for something different and powerful that will give meaning and joy to their lives, and the core standards we live by and the union with the King of the Universe which those who are truly committed to him are privy to --- are unique and uniquely powerful forces in the world. If we live our beliefs, people will see the difference, and I assure you, you will encounter many who will want to know what and why.

As we will soon see, God has called for a “peculiar people”, a people who will live His kingdom principles even though we are, for now, still in this fallen age.

As always, our understanding and insight on this subject will grow as we continue our studies together.

Journaling:

Now write Matthew 28 vs. 18 - 20 in your journal highlighting in a meaningful way the words; go, make talmidim (students- people who obtain increasingly deeper understanding of God, His will and His scriptures, learning to be faithful covenant “friends” in the process), people from all nations, teaching.

Q) Answer the obvious question: did Yeshua command us to go out and pray a prayer with people and tell them they are now “saved” (safe)? If not, what are we to “go” do? _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Note: Matthew 28:18-20 (above) reveals the answer to this question.

Link - Youtube video - Maggie's Commentary on today's study

My friends, I just wanted to let you know I flubbed today's video and said it is "day five". Please don't be confused, it is indeed day four! Shalom

Day Five: So, what exactly is the Gospel?

Have you ever asked yourself, "what exactly is the 'gospel''?

That's a very good question and one we’ll spend a great amount of time answering during the course of this study. For now, however, let's see if we can get a basic idea doing a word search in the Strong's:

In the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:

Note, in the Strong's definitions and scripture references used as part of our studies, I will occasionally add a vital piece of insight which clarifies something in the description i.e. as pertaining to covenant, kingship, etc. These additions will be marked with my usual brackets *[ ] with an asterisk before as you will see in this first Strong's definition.

1.This first word interpreted as "Gospel" is used in scriptures such as Acts 16:10 and Roman’s 1:15---: 2097G *[G= the Greek definition section of the Strong's] ĕuaggĕlizō, yoo-ang-ghel-id’zo; to announce good news (evangelize) especially the gospel: --- declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel).

X___________________________________________________.

*This word primarily means to tell (preach). Although it insinuates preaching "the gospel in the scriptures", it’s just basically, "preach" or "tell" --- "announce or proclaim" good news.

2. This next word is used in Ephesians 6:15, Romans 10:16, and 2 Corinthians 9:13 ---: 2098G ĕuaggĕliŏn, yoo-ang-ghel'’ee-on; a good message, i.e. the gospel: --- gospel.

X___________________________________________________.

Notice that, where 2097G (above) means (primarily) to “preach” or tell --- this word, though it is derived from the same two root words (as 2097G above) which are; 32G preacher or pastor, angel, messenger---and 2095G good or well done [i.e. "good- news"]; this word focuses more on “what” to preach, good news --- i.e. in our case, the `Gospel [we'll be seeking out a real-meaty understanding of "what is the actual good news" as we go through this Genesis journey and also our Exodus study].

3. Our final word interpreted as Gospel in the scriptures is found only once; in Galatians 3:8

Some technicalities and terminology before we read the scripture:

a. In Hebrew, kh or ch, is, usually, pronounced as softly clearing the throat [without using your voice] as in the Hebrew word for the entire Old Testament, "Tanakh". The "kh" at the end of this word makes that soft "throat clearing sound". ~[Tanakh= Hebrew for what gentiles call "Old Testament"]

b. Goyim= Hebrew word; literally means- "the nations". Although, today, this word refers to the world outside of Judaism (outside the covenant), even Abraham, the patriarch of the Jews, came out of the nations. The title "Goy" is simply a shortened version of the word Goyim (it is typically-not used in a derogatory way).

Galatians 3:8 (CJB)

“8 Also the Tanakh, foreseeing that God would consider the Gentiles righteous when they live by "trusting and being faithful"

...told the Good News *[Gospel] to Abraham in advance by saying, “In connection with you, *[by joining ourselves to the covenant along with the "seed of Abraham”] all nations will be blessed."

From the Strong's:

4283G prŏĕuaggělizǒmai, pro-yoo-ang-ghel-id´-zom-ahee; … to announce glad news in advance: --- preach before the gospel.

X___________________________________________________.

This last word comes from two root words. As with 2098G (above), this word is derived from 2097G i.e. "to preach", but this word now combines 2097G with 4253G which is a preposition meaning in front, before, prior.

The use of this word in the above scripture (Gal. 3:8) shows how the gospel was pre-revealed all the way back to Abraham.

Sha'ul [Paul] says that Abraham knew the Gospel of Peace [Shalom (return to covenant)]. Even back in his time, Abraham heard that God would send a ruler [Messiah=King] who would return creation to its created state and purpose. God, Himself, preached the “Gospel” to Abraham.

Yeshua [Messiah; the "blessing" the above scripture references], was divinely born into the line of Abraham.

In our studies we will see that even Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, etc. knew “the Besorah [gospel] of Shalom” [covenential peace].

The patriarchs and matriarchs heard the Gospel in advance of Yeshua’s tabernacling. It was preached to them in advance.

Kingdom Principle Three: -Faith- Nope, "Faithfulness"

Does God want us to merely have faith (belief) in Him, or is there something more we need to be striving to develop ?

What is Sha’ul [Paul] talking about in Galatians 3:8a when he mentions “being faithful”?

In the Strong's:

Faithful [faith in (KJV)] 4102G pistis, pis-tis; persuasion, i.e. credence, moral conviction( of religious truth or the truthfulness *[trustworthiness] of God...) especially, reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstract - consistency in such profession; by extension - the system of religious (gospel) truth itself: --- assurance, belief... fidelity, From 3982G pi-tho; (primary verb); to convince (by argument, true or false); by analogy, to pacify or conciliate...: --- agree, assure, believe...make friend, obey, persuade...

X___________________________________________________.

One Hebrew word interpreted as faith is "emunah" which means something like; belief to the point of faithfulness---we will do a quick exercise as part of our journaling today to gain a better understanding of what emunah means],

From the Strong's:

4283G prŏĕuaggělizǒmai, pro-yoo-ang-ghel-id´-zom-ahee; … to announce glad news in advance: --- preach before the gospel.

X___________________________________________________.

The use of this word in the above scripture (Gal. 3:8) shows how the gospel was pre-revealed all the way back to Abraham.

Yeshua [Messiah; the "blessing" the above scripture references], was divinely born into the line of Abraham.

In our studies we will see that even Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, etc. knew “the Besorah [gospel] of Shalom” [covenential peace].

The patriarchs and matriarchs heard the Gospel in advance of Yeshua’s tabernacling. It was preached to them in advance.

Link- Article - Blue Letter Bible - "Emunah":

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=h530

Journaling:

In your journal; write at least a small paragraph about what you believe, right now, is the Gospel. You can use scriptures and some of the information I noted above if it helps.
Write the definition of Emunah; and explain if necessary.

Link- Article - Blue Letter Bible - "Emunah":

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=h530

Day Six: Shalom

Ultimately, what Abraham, Adam, Eve and all the other ancients who saw God's provision afar off were waiting for was --- shalom.

Though shalom is often translated as "peace" (means = quiet, serenity), shalom is a Hebrew word and has a much richer meaning.

In the Strong's:

Shalom 7965H Shȃlôwm, shaw-lome’ safe, well, happy, friendly, prosperity, peace,:---..., from 7999H shȃlam, shaw-lam’; to be safe (in mind, body or estate); figuratively- to be (causatively- make) completed;...:--- make amends, (make an) end, finish, full, give again, make good, (re-) pay (again), (make) (to) (be at) peace (-able), that is perfect, perform, (make) prosper (-ous), recompense, ...make restitution, restore, reward, x surely.

X___________________________________________________.

Just as we are today, the Hebrew patriarchs and Matriarchs were waiting for the fullness of the restoration of all things to God’s original design, i.e. "shalom"; the ability to live in complete unity [covenential peace] with God.

True shalom is only obtained through the Kingdom Covenant with God. This, shalom, will happen fully when Yeshua returns to set up His Kingdom on the earth, however, this is not to be a stagnant time for those of us who want to inherit God’s Kingdom. You and I are to come into the Covenant (i.e. peace treaty) with God to learn to live in Shalom (covenential-peace) with Him now.

Once God’s Covenant has been established within us, we are to serve as conduits of His “Good News” to unite others with His Kingdom.

Link - Youtube video - Rabbi Manis Friedman - God is Vulnerable:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD7TNFoTYSA

Journaling:

In your journal, (can use parts of the description of the word "Shalom" [above] that stand out most to you) write a brief description of what you think it means to live in covenant (shalom) with your creator.

Our Week One study is Now Complete. Be Strong and Courageous Friends!

Week One

What is the Gospel of Peace? Genesis

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