What does gospel really mean? In the original Greek language the word gospel means “Good News”.
Secondly, the word kingdom means government or rule.
Thirdly, a kingdom consists of a nation of people in a particular area under the rule and authority of a sovereign head.
Jesus came to proclaim the good news of the government of God and through His total obedience to the Father – even to death and through His glorious resurrection; He was given the authority to rule the Kingdom of heaven.
What Adam and Eve did when they disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden was to rebel against the government of God. Satan previously had rebelled against the government of God and took one third of the angels with him in that rebellion. Many others such as Cain, those who built the Tower of Babel and many others have fallen into rebellion against the rule of God.
In fact all who are in Adam are rebellious, even the religious leaders, such the Pharisees in Jesus’ time who knew fully well who He was but went out if their way to slander him, called him a devil, and attempted to kill Him several times. Of course not to mention in our modern times, we still find people who refuse to submit to the authority of God.
To be able to understand this rulership, we must go back to Genesis 3 and the fall of man.
God created everything and said to man who is in His image;
– be fruitful
– multiply and fill the earth
– have dominion over all that is in the earth (Genesis 1:26-28).
As long as Adam and Eve had accepted God’s rulership without question or doubt they would have been able to resist temptation.
If the thought of making it on their own and being like God to be able to make their own decisions had not appealed to Eve, then she would not have fallen for the bait of Satan,
The book of James 1: 13-15 tells us :
Let no man say when he is tempted , that he is tempted of God,,for God cannot be tempted neither tempeth he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin,and sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death.
Secondly, Adam and Eve took things for granted. When I see God’s verdict for their rebellion, then I get a very good picture of how life was for them in the Garden of Eden.
Like so many of us we never appreciate the value of what we have until the moment it is not available to us.
Let us look briefly at the verdict I will only mention them but will not expand on them, for this is not my message.
1. the ground is cursed for their sake.
2. in toil they will eat.
3. thorns and thistles it will yield for them.
4. eat herbs of the field.
From this piece of information I come to understand that under God’s government, life is not meant to be a struggle, the ground is fruitful and working is not in vain. There is a reward for serving willingly in the Kingdom of God.
Having God as ruler of our lives is wonderful. See Jer. 29:11.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace , and not of evil, to give to you an expected end “.