may you have peace! And may I respond? Thank you!
You ask:
What was "this good news"?
The short answer can be found here:
Acts: 1:8; 8:5; 9:20; 19:13; 2 Corinthians 1:19; 4:4; Revelation 1:9; 12:17.
However, since you went on, I will address your response which was:
That the Christ had arrived.
You continued:
So I decided that the Good News had already been preached. That work is done as far as I am concerned. If not by the disciples and first century christians, then certainly by catholic missionaries. All around the world people have been told Christ came to earth. Some choose to believe, some don't but the message has been spread. Just wondering about other opinions on this matter. No criticism, just an open discussion. OPINIONS?
I do not wish to offer this as a criticism, so it i my SINCEREST hope that you do not take it as such, but rather, in the spirit that it is given: love... and truth:
The "good news" is neither "about" the kingdom (i.e., "this good news OF the kingdom," as misinterpreted by the WTBTS), nor is it that Christ has already arrived. May I explain? Thank you!
The "Society" teaches that the "good news" of the kingdom is ABOUT the kingdom, the "theocratic GOVERNMENT," and therefore, that is what they teach their followers to preach... as well as to look forward to. However, the TRUTH is that the good news ... IS the Christ... not his "arrival"... but HIM... and the TRUTH about him... and it is HE that will be "heralded" in all the inhabited earth, for a witness to all the nations before the "end" comes.
Acts: 1:8; 8:5; 9:20; 19:13; 2 Corinthians 1:19; 4:4; Revelation 1:9; 12:17.
How do we know this? Because:
1. The "kingdom" is not that which saves you, but it is the Tree of Life, CHRIST, from which we must EAT... and which is IN the kingdom... that saves us, gives us life, the REAL life... a spirit body... "WHITE robes"... in order to even enter INTO that kingdom.
John 6:51-53 (actually, if you will, start at verse 48 and read through to 56).
2. It is not his "arrival" in the flesh that is such "good news"... but his re-arrival AS A SPIRIT... that brings permanent benefits!
His presence in the flesh brought only temporary relief and dealt with things pertaining TO the flesh (with its blood): people were healed, but became sick again; resurrected, but died again; fed, but became hungry again; forgiven, but most probably sinned again. That is because what was healed, fed, resurrected... and forgiven... was the FLESH... and the "sins"... OF the flesh.
However, since HIS death IN THE FLESH... resurrection and change to a spirit body (white robe), whereby he became a LIFE-GIVING spirit... all things now pertain TO the spirit: it is the spirit that is healed, the spirit that is fed, the spirit that is resurrected... and the spirit that is forgiven.
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-44, 49 (actually, you can read from 35 through 49; however, most folks get confused by verses 39 through 41, which is only telling us that like there is different flesh between terrestrial (earthly) bodies - flesh of cattle, flesh of birds, flesh of fish - there is also a difference between terrestrial (physical, earthly, FLESHLY)... and celestial (spiritual, heavenly, SPIRIT)... bodies. Most folks don't get that, though...)
Thus, while Israel previously worshipped God with the FLESH... by attempting to adhere to a law written on stone (by God), with decrees regarding eating, drinking, standing, laying, with its animal sacrifices and festival observances and a fleshly priesthood, etc., NOW we must worship God... with SPIRIT... and truth... by means of the law written on our HEARTS (by God's SON), which is summed up in "You must love God with your whole heart, soul, strength and mind, and you must love your neighbor as yourself."
John 4:21-24, 18; John 1:47
3. Paul (?) said the following:
"For whoever calls on the name of (please do not believe it was "Jehovah" here - it was not; rather, it was "the Lord", and such "Lord" is the SON of God, JahEshua (Jah Saves - Psalm 68:4) MischaJah (chosen of Jah)...
Continuing...
"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. However, how will they call on him in whom they have not put faith? How, in turn, will they put faith in him of whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? How, in turn, will they preach... unless they have been sent forth?"
And such sending forth is NOT by means of the WTBTS... or any earthling MAN... but by the Christ HIMSELF... who now "rules" as God's king: Such ones have always been sent by God himself first and now by God through Christ: For instance, who sent Moses? Noah? Jonah? Isaiah? Jeremiah? John the Baptist? The 70? The 12? Philip? Peter to Cornelius? Saul of Tarsus (Paul) to Ananias? Paul to the nations? Name anyone--name one--who was sent by anyone other than God or Christ themselves.
No TRUE prophet is sent... by earthling man. Not one. If they are, it is eventually proven that such sending was false: their own desires will become manifest, sooner... or later... usually by their treatment of God's "sheep".
John 10:1-13
True, some are ACCOMPANIED by others and accompany others. But they are not sent by one another, for it is only by means of HOLY SPIRIT that a true prophet is sent:
John 20:21, 22; Matthew 10:40-42
The writer continues:
"Just as it is written: 'How comely are the feet of those who declare good news of... GOOD things!"
What "good" things? The writer continues:
"Nevertheless, they did not all obey the good news."
Okay, so not everyone obeyed. Obeyed what? The good news. However, that "good news" is not a "what"... but a WHOM. They did not all obey HIM. How do we know? It goes on...
"For Isaiah says, 'Jah, who put faith in the thing heard from us?"
Since times past, many have not listened to the prophets, from before Isaiah, even down to this day. Listen to the prophets about what? It goes on...
"So faith follows the thing heard."
And what is the "thing" heard? Is it "the good news" ABOUT the kingdom? Well, let's see. The NWT goes on to say...
"In turn, the thing heard is through the word about CHRIST."
However, this, too, is a misrendering. For the TRUE transliteration is:
"In turn, the thing heard... is the WORD of Jah."
Romans 10:13-17 (See NWT Ref. Bible footnote.)
And who is that Word? John 1:1, 1:14, and Revelation 19:13 tells us: it is the Christ.
So... what folks are to hear... IS the Christ... and the "good news" is HIM!
John 10:27; Hebrews 12:25
It is NOT the "smoke and mirrors", "things that go 'bump' in the night," "SCARE the b-jeezus out of 'em so they'll follow US," propaganda that religion "sells" in order to keep you in line, in control, under their thumb, and contributing to their coffers. THAT... is "news" from the FALSE prophets, and FALSE christs... whose purpose is, "to mislead, if possible, EVEN the chosen ones."
The writer goes on...
"Nevertheless, I ask, they did not ALL fail to hear, did they?"
And the answer is no. For if you read on, Isaiah, by means of holy spirit says:
"I was FOUND by those who were NOT seeking me"...
Found... by those who were NOT Israel (by blood)...
"I became MANIFEST to those who were NOT asking for me."
Understanding the word "manifest" here is VERY important. It means not just a BLIND faith... but a DEMONSTRATED reason for such faith. Such faith was the RESULT of some manifestation. These literally FOUND God... by means of finding... literally... Christ! The disciples... and others found him... when he was a man of flesh. WE... must find him... with the SPIRIT... for he is a spirit! And, yet, since he is at the right hand of God... he is not, then, far off!
John 1:41; Acts 17:27
But what happened to Israel? It goes on...
"All day LONG I have spread out my hands toward a people that is DISobedient and TALKS BACK."
Acts 65:1-5
The good news, then, dear Unique, is that Christ is NOT an "exacting" master, as religion and the false stylus of the secretaries (those who've mistranslated and mistranliterated the Bible - Jeremiah 8:8) would have you believe. Rather, he is like his Father, the Most Holy One of Israel, the One whose name is JAH... of Armies... the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... who is:
"a God MERCIFUL, and GRACIOUS, SLOW to anger, and ABUNDANT in loving kindness for thousands, PARDONING error and trangression and sins..."
Exodus 34:6
And... who unlike FALSE gods... SPEAKS to... and lets himself be FOUND by... those seeking him with faith... NOT doubting... at all... and approaching with meekness and lowliness of heart.
Psalms 135:15-19; Luke 18:13, 14; James 1:5-8
How do we know this? Because he (Christ) DEMONSTRATED what kind of person he is by his life IN the flesh: he fed the hungry, healed the sick, resurrected the dead, forgave sins, released people from demons... washed the feet of his disciples, although HE was "greater" than they... and gave his life on behalf of not only those who loved him... but even his enemies. He even said... "You MUST... LOVE... your enemies."
And since he could not do "a single thing of his own initiative," but just as the FATHER taught him, and just as observed the FATHER doing... so he did.
The good news, then, is that rather than run AWAY from God, we can and should run TO Him... by means of Christ. That rather than BLAME God for our maladies, we should take a lesson from Job and KNOW that God does not bring trials upon us, but it is our Adversary that does. That God WANTS to love us and help us... and speak to us... and that He WILL... through Christ... the "one that speaks to [us] from the heavens."
THIS... is the good news of the kingdom. The Son of God, JahEshua MischaJah, the One who gave his very LIFE... so that ANYONE who eats of the "manna" that is him... and drinks from the "cistern" that flows from HIS "inward parts"... can have everlasting life... that such "water" will bubble up in THEM... to impart to THEM... everlasting life.
Why? Because we deserve it? Nope. We don't. He will do it... because HE... has pity... for US... and thus... he WANTS to.
I hope this is of some help to you, dear Unique, for it is truth that I have spoken to you, just as I have received such truth FROM the Truth, the one and ONLY Truth, my Lord, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH.
Let every living thing... let every living BREATHING thing... let it praise Jah! Praise JAH... you people!
Your servant... a servant to the Household of God, Israel, and all those that go with them... and a slave of Christ,
SJ (2 Corinthians 4:5; Phillipians 1:15, 16)
