Jesus ascends to heaven – Before Jesus returned to heaven, He gave His disciples one last charge: go tarry in Jerusalem until you are filled with power from on high. Being filled with the Spirit would empower them to be the Apostles that Jesus had called them to be. This would give them power to preach the gospel and do the works of God as Jesus had commanded them to do in all the world.
Holy Ghost poured out – After the disciples tarried in the upper room for a hundred and twenty days, they were all in one place and in one mind when they heard a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind. It filled the place where they were sitting, and cloven tongues of fire sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
By the filling of the Spirit of Christ, they testified that they no longer knew Him after the flesh, but rather as He is in heaven, the Son of God, creator of heaven and earth. It was now time to go into all the world and declare the risen Christ.
The acts of the Apostles – Immediately after the apostles were filled with the Holy Ghost, they began to work by a send of God and began to preach the power of the resurrection with signs following. They preached the gospel, and many believed. They laid hands on the sick and they were healed. They spoke with new tongues and cast out devils with power and demonstration. Nothing was withheld from the Apostles of God as their message spread throughout the world. Their message was simple; Jesus is Alive!
These Apostles were of Israel, and were Jews by birth. As they went forth, they mostly preached unto the people of Israel until the apostle Peter was visited by the Lord in a trance. This visitation is the beginning of God saving all Israel and grafting in the Gentiles to the body of Christ by faith. This is a very defining moment for the followers of Jesus Christ and changes the way the gospel is preached in the earth.
God visits the Gentiles – during the time that Peter was having a trance from heaven, the angel of the Lord was visiting a Gentile man named Cornelius. He feared God and honored him, so God sent Peter to him to save his whole family and fill them with the Holy Ghost just like God did with the apostles. This opened the door to all Gentiles, showing them that a new way had been established for them by faith.
Even though the Gentiles, who are called heathens and sinners, were never raised in the teachings of God, they could now be called God’s people by the Spirit and by faith in God. This was a game changer among the soon to be established church.
Saul converted to be an Apostle – Saul was a very zealous man who, by the law and instruction of the high priest of Israel, went about persecuting the church of the living God. He was working with the group that killed Jesus, and was pressing hard upon all those who followed Him.
One day, he was on a journey to continue his persecution of the church when the Lord appeared unto him in a great light. After falling to the ground, Saul experienced one of the greatest conversions in the bible. He was chosen by God to be an Apostle of God. It was told to him that he will suffer many times for the name of Jesus so that many could have a chance to receive Christ. Saul accepted this great honor and gave his life to serve the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This sent shock waves around the early church believers as well as the religious leaders of Israel. After his conversion, he went by the name of Paul. He was taught the gospel, which he called his gospel, by the revelation of Jesus. The Lord made him the Apostle of the Gentiles, who are non-Jews. His ministry would defy the religious ordinances of his time and bring much glory to the kingdom of God.
Although Paul was a mighty man of God, his gospel caused much conflict among the religious counsel (mostly the hard-core Jews) and because of it he was greatly persecuted and often cast into prison. He was the Apostle that God used to stand against the self made, self sent leaders of Israel. If God was going to save all Israel, and include the Gentiles into His gift of salvation, He would need Paul to shake up the whole religious government of man made doctrines and bring a new gospel to the world.
Paul never wavered in his faith in God, and continued preaching the word of God with power and demonstration throughout the world. Most of the New Testament Bible that we have today, was written by the apostle Paul, and gives us great insight on the governments of God and His will in the earth.
With Paul now a part of the Apostles, the kingdom of God was preached to all the world, demonstrating God’s love and redemption for all souls that live upon the earth, no matter what nation, or race that you belong to.
The epistles of the Apostles – After the book of Acts, there were many books written by the Apostles of Jesus Christ unto the people of God and the established churches. These epistles were written by the witness of the Holy Spirit and to this day have a great impact in all who will believe.
These writings of the Apostles teach us the doctrines of Christ, as well as reveal the many hidden mysteries of God that have been kept secret since the world began. In these teachings are the answers to the questions left unanswered by the Old Testament.
If you are to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, you will need to be taught these doctrines and have the mysteries revealed to you. These teachings are the key to walking in eternal life right now. Without them your faith will waiver in times of conflict.
Some of the key teachings of the Apostles are…
- Jesus is the Messiah that was prophesied to come.
- The resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
- Jesus is the only way to heaven.
- Grace without work.
- Faith with works.
- Salvation is to all nations by faith, Jews and Gentiles alike.
- The day of the Lord and second coming of Jesus Christ.
All of these teachings make up the mysteries of God, which, when understood, reveal the one true revelation that God wants to teach us all; the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The revelation of Jesus (Book of Revelation) – the book of Revelation was given to the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos through visions of the Spirit. He was then commanded to write what he saw and send it to the seven churches in Asia. It’s great message is to reveal to the angels of the churches the Lord’s day and show them what must take place in that day.
The Revelation of Jesus is simple, direct, and powerful. In simplicity, it is the key to understanding the rest of the Bible, and how to make sense of it. The Bible has always been about Christ being glorified in His saints, while the wicked are judged and destroyed. It’s about the government of heaven and earth and about who will reign with God for all eternity.
This book is the finality of God’s amazing story of how He taught His sons (You and me) to rise up and walk as the heirs of the Kingdom of God. While there is great wrath and judgment in this book, the thing that must not be overlooked is the true celebration of heaven. The Lamb of God is glorified and all the saints who suffered and died at the hands of the wicked, will be justified and exalted with Him.
If we are going to benefit from the Bible and its teachings, then we must let the revelation of Jesus guide us through it. Everything in the Bible is used to clarify what God’s intent is for mankind and what must be accomplished in them.
This revelation is revealed to show His servants things that must shortly come to pass. It’s a revelation of who Jesus was, who He is, and who He will be. Though the revelation of Jesus Christ has been fulfilled and finished in the Spirit, it has now been given to us to reveal the revelation of Jesus Christ in every one of us.
This is why the revelation of Jesus is the fulfillment of the whole bible. It is all of God revealed in us. While you could see Jesus manifested in thegospels, He is not truly revealed until His revelation is made known to you by the Spirit. You can experience all that the book of Revelation says, because it is the revelation of Jesus in you.
If we are going to reign with Him in His kingdom then we also will be a partaker of that same revelation as the Son of God. Although the Book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible, it is the whole revelation of Jesus from beginning to end and will be experienced in every man.
The End of the New Testament
