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Signs in John's Gospel - The Lamp Broadcast

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Purpose for John’s <strong>Gospel</strong> 11<br />

brought <strong>in</strong>to existence on the day of Pentecost <strong>in</strong> 33 A.D. [comprised<br />

of <strong>in</strong>dividuals who become “Abraham’s seed” after a different fashion<br />

— whether Jew or Gentile — which allows them to be “heirs accord<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to the promise,” i.e., <strong>in</strong>herit the heavenly promises and bless<strong>in</strong>gs taken<br />

from Israel] was the entity which God used to proclaim the message<br />

surround<strong>in</strong>g the reoffer of the k<strong>in</strong>gdom to Israel.<br />

For additional <strong>in</strong>formation <strong>in</strong> this respect, refer to the “Foreword”<br />

<strong>in</strong> this book.)<br />

John’s <strong>Gospel</strong><br />

and the Proffered K<strong>in</strong>gdom<br />

As previously shown, the gospel of John has to do with both<br />

the offer and the reoffer of the k<strong>in</strong>gdom to Israel. That is to say, the<br />

gospel records events occurr<strong>in</strong>g dur<strong>in</strong>g the offer (directed to the<br />

Jewish people alone) but could only have been written dur<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

reoffer (aga<strong>in</strong>, directed to the Jewish people alone).<br />

<strong>The</strong> offer of the k<strong>in</strong>gdom of the heavens to Israel <strong>in</strong> the gospel<br />

accounts occurred dur<strong>in</strong>g a time when the message was to the<br />

Jew only (cf. Matt. 10:5-8; 15:22-24; John 1:11). <strong>The</strong> reoffer of the<br />

k<strong>in</strong>gdom of the heavens to Israel though occurred dur<strong>in</strong>g a slightly<br />

different time — a time dur<strong>in</strong>g which the message perta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g to<br />

the k<strong>in</strong>gdom was “to the Jew first” but now “also to the Greek”<br />

(referr<strong>in</strong>g to saved Gentiles as dist<strong>in</strong>guished from saved Jews [Rom.<br />

1:15, 16; 2:5-10, 16]).<br />

<strong>The</strong> reoffer of the k<strong>in</strong>gdom, seen beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g with Peter’s message<br />

on the day of Pentecost, 33 A.D. — to the Jews <strong>in</strong> Jerusalem,<br />

“out of every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5ff) — occurred dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

that time when the offer of the k<strong>in</strong>gdom was be<strong>in</strong>g extended to<br />

the one new man “<strong>in</strong> Christ.” And though the k<strong>in</strong>gdom was extended<br />

to the one new man dur<strong>in</strong>g this time, the reoffer of the k<strong>in</strong>gdom, carried<br />

over from the gospel accounts, was another matter entirely. This<br />

was strictly Jewish.<br />

(Note: <strong>The</strong> one new man “<strong>in</strong> Christ” — made up of believ<strong>in</strong>g Jews<br />

and believ<strong>in</strong>g Gentiles, though neither Jew nor Gentile [Gal. 3:28, 29] —<br />

could not possibly have been <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> the reoffer of the k<strong>in</strong>gdom to<br />

Israel. This reoffer of the k<strong>in</strong>gdom was attended by signs and <strong>in</strong>volved

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