The Four Gospels

by Terry Wane Benton

The four gospels are like the four directions into the temple compound. They give us a gate into His courts. They are like the four main gatekeepers (I Chronicles 9:24-26) into God's Holy city. They are like the four colors in the Tabernacle door. Because they open the way into Christ, we can "come before His presence with singing" (Psalms 100) and "know that the Lord is good." Matthew opens the door of Testimony to the Jews, Mark to the Romans, Luke to the Gentiles, and John to the gnostic doubters. They are like the four living creatures around God (Ezekiel 1:5-10), they give us the face of a lion, to show Jesus' kingly character, an Ox to show His service to man, the face of a man to identify with earth's greatest, and the face of an eagle to show us how to fly in the heavenly places.

By giving their testimony in the first century, they were never exposed as liars. They saw what they saw, and it all agreed with what had been prophesied hundreds of years before in the Old Testament. The crucible of their testing leaves us with four substantial corners to our faith verdict. They were examined from every angle, by Jews, Romans, Gentiles, and Skeptics, and stood the tests of critical examination. Now we can enter into His gates, His courts, know that He is good, know His mercy, and find it is truly everlasting, that His truth does indeed "endure to all generations."

Have you examined the evidence of the four gospel accounts? What have you discovered? That the Lord is good?