Could the disciples have been preaching the gospel during Jesus' earthly ministry if they didn't know He would die and rise from the dead?
No. Since Peter and John did not know the Scripture that He must rise from the dead, and no one understood He would be crucified, the disciples could not have been preaching the Gospel as we know it. That message of His death, burial, and resurrection was not yet understood by them.
Les teaches that the disciples could not have been preaching our Gospel during Jesus' earthly ministry because they had no idea He was going to be crucified and raised from the dead. He says there was no way. This contradicts the view that the Gospel as we know it began as soon as Jesus came on the scene. The prophets had written Christ's death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and coming again—360-some distinct prophecies—but in veiled language, so even the prophets could not understand. Peter and John, the closest to Him, had no idea He would die, and after He was dead they had no idea He would be resurrected; they simply had not been able to comprehend it.
For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Did the gospel as we know it begin when Jesus first came on the scene?
No. The Gospel as we know it did not begin as soon as Jesus came on the scene, because no one understood that He was going to die. Even Peter and John did not know that He must rise from the dead, so they could not have preached that Gospel during His earthly ministry.
How could the disciples have preached the gospel during Jesus’ ministry when they didn’t know He would die and rise?
They could not have preached the gospel as it is known after the cross, because Peter, John, and the others did not understand that Jesus must die and rise again. The Old Testament prophecies were veiled, so even the prophets could not comprehend them. The death, burial, and resurrection gospel could not have been preached during His earthly ministry.
More Questions
Did the disciples know before the resurrection that Jesus would rise from the dead?
Even after Jesus had been put to death, the disciples still did not know the Scripture that He must rise from the dead; John 20:9 says this plainly.
Did the disciples know Jesus would rise from the dead when they went to the tomb on resurrection morning?
Even after Jesus' crucifixion, on the resurrection morning at the empty tomb, the disciples still did not know what Scripture taught—that Jesus must rise from the dead (John 20:9).