The Evangelicals got it wrong. And they’ve been doing it wrong since their beginnings.
The message of Jesus has never been about the “good news of salvation”; it’s been about the “good news of the kingdom.”
Os Hillman detailed, “The Difference Between the Gospel of Salvation and the Gospel of the Kingdom.” He presented a table that cites numerous distinctions between these two gospels:
| Gospel of Salvation | Gospel of the Kingdom |
| Focus: Evangelism/salvation | Focus: Taking dominion |
| Eternal, heavenly focus | Material, social, earthly, secular |
| Addresses only the soul | Addresses soul and body |
| “Rapture escape” mentality | “Possess the land” mentality |
| Sacred vs. secular—dualism | Impacts all aspects of society |
| Goal: Transaction, “win the next soul” | Goal: Influence through servanthood, godly leadership, active faith |
| Example: Nigeria | Example: Almalonga, Guatemala |
And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
Matthew 4:23
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14
But the last person I ever expected to explain how and why this failure worked toward the benefit of Beast of Revelation, in a practical manner, is John McArthur.
By way of introduction to the context of his message, I’ll recount an experience I had many years ago.
A former 3-Letter-Agency lawyer, who was on my retainer at the time, told me “never answer any question or speak to any person from the Government without the presence and council of your lawyer. Whatever you say, can and will be used against you. And once you’ve said something, it cannot be retracted. Only your lawyer can retract a statement they make on your behalf” (paraphrased)
I would therefore suggest that today – in the cultural climate of 2021 – when someone says, “I’m from the Government and I’m here to help,” they’re lying.
John McArthur explains why very nicely, and he explains, in a round-about way, how we have misapplied scripture and the gospel for way, way too long.
A Recovering Legalist 