The Unknown Cross 1

Many people are greatly surprised when you show them the truth concerning the earthly ministry of Christ. The thing that most surprises people is that for the most part, religion today just assumes that when Jesus Christ came on the scene that everyone automatically knew that he was going to the cross to die for men’s sins.

People also somehow assume that that was the gospel message of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It’s a great surprise to some people to find out that the fact that Christ was dying for men’s sins was totally unknown during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ.

To demonstrate that, let’s look at a few verses. In Matthew 16, for instance, Peter and the 12 apostles had been going about preaching the gospel of the Kingdom for three years. A short time before Christ was arrested and crucified, he tells the 12 that it’s about to happen.

Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Now remember that Peter and the 12 had been given a commission to go out and preach the gospel of the Kingdom. The Lord had given them power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out devils. And they had done just that. Now watch Peter’s attitude when the Lord tells him about his coming death:

Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

So it is clear that at that time Peter did not believe that Christ was going to die for his, yours or anyone else’s sins. He knew nothing at all about it. Now a parallel passage can be found in Luke 18:31-34. You should read it. Three times Luke writes “they didn’t know, they didn’t know, they didn’t know.” So what is the point of all this?

It is simply that the preaching and teaching of the gospel of the Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is NOT the gospel by which you are saved today. The gospel of YOUR salvation is not in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, but the gospel by which you and I are saved today was a MYSTERY which was revealed to Paul. The Lord from Heaven revealed to Paul that Christ died for our sins, that he was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification. So the gospel of your salvation can be found in that which was revealed to Paul, and written in Romans thru Philemon, the thirteen books written by Paul.