The Unknown Cross 3

In part one and part two of “The Unknown Cross” we have seen that Peter and the 12 went about for three years, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. They had healed people, raised the dead, cleansed lepers and cast out devils. In other words all of the signs which were prophesied. Messianic signs. Remember that when John the Baptist was put in prison he sent disciples to Jesus to ask of him, “are you he that should come or do we look for another. The Lord had said:

Luke 7:22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

So all of the disciples believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the heir to the throne, the King of Israel. But just before his death, he told them that he would be crucified, buried and raised from the dead. They didn’t believe it. Peter said, “Not so, Lord, this shall not be unto thee,” and in the garden he took out a sword and began to fight. He cut off a man’s ear. He was NOT going to let his King be killed. But it happened and they didn’t know why. Three days and three nights later, he rose from the dead…and they didn’t believe it! And they still didn’t believe it and doubted it until the Lord began to appear to them and continue to appear to them over a period of forty days. Then you come to the first part of the book of Acts

Acts 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Now watch what happens on the Mount of Olives on the day the Lord ascended into heaven:

Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

So you can see that their greatest concern was the restoring of the kingdom to Israel, not that Christ died for our sins. The fact that Christ died for our sins was simply not known by Peter and the 12 at that time. The truth of the cross and the WHY of the cross was a special revelation given to Paul, much later, in Acts chapter nine. So it was Paul who preached that Christ died for our sins, as in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Now let Paul tell you where HIS gospel came from:

Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.