119.  THE FOURFOLD MINISTRY
OF OUR LORD.
The Appendixes were written by Dr. E.W. Bullinger.


In the Four Gospels the Ministry of our Lord is divided, not into "years", but by subjects, which are of far greater importance than time.  The "years" are mainly conjectural, but the subjects are Divinely recorded facts.

The subjects are two in number :  the Kingdom and the King; and, since these are repeated in the form of Introversion, it brings the Person of the Lord into the Structure of the Gospel as the one great central subject of each, for all four Gospels are similarly constructed.  See pages 1305, 1381, 1427, and 1510.  As, however, the index-letters are not the same in each Gospel, we set them out in their order :--


The Four Subjects.

Their Proclamation. Their Rejection.


These Subjects begin and end respectively in the Four Gospels as follows :--


 
MATTHEW
MARK
LUKE
JOHN
1st. 4:21-7:29
(125 verses)
1st. 1:14-20
(7 verses)
1st 4:14-5:11
(42 verses)
1st. 1:35-4:54
(132 verses)
2nd. 8:1-16:20
(347 verses)
2nd. 1:21-8:30
(295 verses)
2nd. 5:12-9:21
(204 verses)
2nd. 5:1-6:71
(118 verses)
3rd. 16:21-20:34 
(134 verses)
3rd 8:31-10:52
(110 verses)
3rd. 9:22-18:43
(409 verses)
3rd. 7:1-11:53
(248 verses)
4th. 21:1-26:35
(263 verses)
4th 11:1-14:25
(139 verses)
4th. 19:1-22:38
(171 verses)
4th. 11:54-17:26
(209 verses)




From the above it will be seen that, including all the Four Gospels,

Thus, the Subject that occupies the greatest of verses is the KING :  viz. 1865 verses in all (964 concerning the proclamation, and 901 concerning His rejection).

The Subject of the KINGDOM occupies 1088 verses in all (306 verses concerning its proclamation, and 782 concerning its rejection).

These particulars, when compared with the interrelation of the four Gospels as set forth in their respective Structures, are full of interest, and help to determine more specifically the great design of each Gospel.

Taking the Gospel of Matthew as an example, we find :--

The same four subjects may be traced in like manner in the other Gospels.






(*1)  Its first occurrence in the N.T., the last being in Rev. 14:14.  It is the title connected with dominion in the earth.  See Ap. 98. XVI. (*2)  The first series being recorded in Matt. 13 (see Ap. 145); the second series beginning with Matt. 21:28, being specially marked by the word "again" in Matt. 22:1.

Bible Home