Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

In the message of the angel, this Gospel, this eternal “good news,” we see four key truths:

1. Creator: There is only One True God, our Creator. Mankind must “Fear God.” Which God? Which of the gods? “Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” All life comes from and is sustained by our Creator Whom we should honor.
2. Judge: God is the Judge of mankind. To Him alone we give an account for our lives. Mankind must “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come.” Whether His judgment is future or impending, it is just and sure; His wrath is real.
3. Faith / Fear (Reverence): Mankind must believe these things are true and repent, giving glory to God through obedience, or experience His judgment. “Fear God and give him glory … worship him.”
4. Reward: Mankind must be rightly related to, worship, and serve God. Those who do so escape God’s judgment and become one of His blessed people forever.

These four truths make up the eternal gospel. This good news is everlasting. It is the overarching general message of the Bible to the nations.

In this sense the Gospel is the same from Genesis to Revelation, though significant details differ from one testament to another in relationship to the Messiah, Jesus. Mankind must acknowledge God their Creator, understand He is our Judge, repent and submit to Him in obedient faith to become one of His people, or face eternal judgment.

Old Testament Saints Believed the Eternal Gospel

Hebrews shows us that old covenant believers believed this eternal Gospel in 11:1–3, and 6.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible … And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

In these verses we see that they believed in God as their Creator, the One True God. He is acknowledged as Judge of mankind who must be pleased as the One to Whom we will give an account. Each expressed Faith / Fear (reverence). Though imperfect, each believed God’s promises, repented, knew forgiveness of sins by drawing near to God, and gave glory to God through obedience. These saints experienced God’s faithfulness to His promises and His presence in their lives as they served Him. They knew that God rewards those who seek Him.

Hope in the Coming Messiah

With varying levels of knowledge and clarity, these old covenant believers looked forward to the Messiah, the King and Savior, Who would bring salvation and fulfill all the old covenant promises. They longed for Him to come, bringing full salvation, true shalom, peace, deliverance from sin, death, evil, and the wicked, and to see God’s people rewarded. They also embraced the fact that the covenant included many national promises specific to Israel.

While prophecies, types, and shadows under the old covenant pointed to the coming Messiah in countless ways, God withheld clarity about how all of this would be fulfilled. Old covenant saints knew that there was more to come. When the Son of God became flesh, then the mystery of the Messiah and His Church was revealed.

Jesus Taught the Eternal Gospel

The Jews universally believed there was only One True God, Yahweh, our Creator. Jesus spoke with this assumption.

Jesus preached much about God as the Judge of mankind, emphasizing that all would give account to Him. The subjects of judgment, heaven and hell, eternal destruction, and entering the kingdom of God were major themes in Christ’s teaching.

Jesus continually called His hearers to repent and to believe on Him. Those who did would be rewarded with forgiveness, entrance into the kingdom of God, escape from eternal judgment, and eternal life.

The Hope of the Messiah and the Eternal Gospel

With the Messiah’s coming, the eternal Gospel message remained the same.

Hope in the Messiah Who Came

Mankind’s relationship with God our Creator now revolves around faith and obedience to His Son, Jesus Christ, Who died and rose again. Now no one who claims to worship and serve the Creator can do so without believing on Jesus Christ His Son Whom God sent to save us from our sins.

The eternal Gospel now focuses on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ to reconcile mankind to God their Creator (John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 14:6; Acts 4:12, etc.).

Hope in the Messiah Who will Come Again

The Messiah has not yet established His literal physical kingdom on earth. He has not yet ruled the nations from Jerusalem or brought salvation to Israel as a nation. The Messiah’s coming takes place in two phases, not just one, as was first assumed. We wait for this Second Coming.

The Apostles Preached the Eternal Gospel to the Jews

Since the Jews acknowledged only One True God, our Creator, the apostles did not spend time on this assumed truth. Throughout Acts, we see that they taught the Jews that God is the Judge of mankind and that salvation from sin’s judgment comes only through Jesus. Jesus is the promised Messiah the Jews have waited for. The Messiah, Jesus, fulfilled prophecy by dying for our sins and rising again from the dead. The Jews must repent, believe on Jesus Christ, become His disciples, and wait for His second coming. Repentance and faith come with reward: forgiveness, the gift of the Holy Spirit, entrance into the kingdom of God, escape from eternal judgment, and eternal life.

The Apostles Preached the Eternal Gospel to the Gentiles

When the apostles preached to the Gentiles, they had a much different starting point. The nations must know God as our Creator and acknowledge Him as the only One True and Living God (Acts 14, 17; Romans 1; 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10). They need to understand that the Creator God is also the Judge of mankind. To Him alone we will give an account for our lives. No other god or faith matters. All must fear God and repent of their sins and be reconciled to God our Creator through the Savior that He has sent, His Son, Jesus Christ. They must believe on Jesus as their Lord and Savior and wait for His return. Their reward is forgiveness of sins, the indwelling Spirit, entrance into God’s kingdom, God’s promises and presence, and eternal life.

Even after the Second Coming of Jesus when He comes in glory to rule and reign, the eternal Gospel will be the same until the final judgment.

The Importance of the Eternal Gospel to Missions

It is vital that the gospel message that we teach and preach include every part of this eternal Gospel! No aspect of this eternal Gospel should be ignored or diminished in our evangelistic outreach.

1)  The eternal Gospel provides the basic description of the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation.

The Bible is all about knowing God, our relationship to Him, fearing Him, the need to repent and believe on Him because of our sin, eternal blessing for those that do, and eternal judgment for those who will not. This is the basic framework for evangelism, communicating God’s message.

This foundational content must remain unchanged, no matter the context. Hindus, Muslims, animists, Communists, secularists, Buddhists, Mormons, Catholics, Hasidic Jews—every single one needs the eternal Gospel for salvation.

 2)  The Bible is one story founded on the eternal Gospel. 

The Bible begins with a detailed account of Creation and the Fall of Man that lays the foundation of the eternal Gospel. As we seek to make disciples, it is crucial that we include clear teaching about who God is through Creation and the Fall of man—this is how God chose to reveal Himself to us. Only by this truth is the cross of Jesus understood.

Missionaries must immerse themselves in the big picture of salvation, the eternal Gospel. There needs to be a firm commitment to evangelistic teaching and methods that emphasize this foundation. We must refuse to skip to the cross and forgiveness of sins without teaching about who God is and mankind’s relationship to Him. This is especially important when making disciples among unchurched and unreached peoples.

Those who are committed to proclaiming the full eternal Gospel embrace what is often called a Creation to Christ approach in evangelism. Various ministries provide evangelistic Bible study helps to encourage this emphasis for all contexts: Answers in Genesis, New Tribes Mission/Ethnos360, ABWE’s Good Soil, and Matthias Media’s Two Ways to Live.

Our approach to evangelism must reflect God’s evangelism toward us through the Scriptures. 

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