We frequently use the familiar term, “gospel”, or ‘good news”. Where is the first place it appears in the Bible? The answer may surprise you. The great discovery that the Bible is a “message system”: it’s simply not 66 books penned by over 40 authors over thousands of years, the Bible is an integrated whole which bears evidence of supernatural engineering in every detail.
 The Jewish rabbis have a quaint way of expressing this very idea: they say that they will not understand the Scripture until the messiah comes. But when He comes, He will not only interpret each of the passages for us, He will interpret the very words; He will even interpret the very letters themselves; in fact, he will even interpret the very letters themselves,in fact, He will even interpret the spaces between the letters.

 When I first heard this , I simply dismissed this as a colorful exaggeration. Until I reread Matthew 5:17 and 18.”Think not that I have come to destroy the Torah and the prophets; I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law , till all be fulfilled.” ( a jot and tittle are the Hebrew equivalent of our dotting an “ I” and the crossing of a “t”.)

 A remarkable example of this can be glimpsed in Genesis Chapter 5, where we have the genealogy of Adam through Noah. This is one of those chapters which we often tend to skim over quickly as we pass through Genesis, it’s simply a genealogy from Adam to Noah. But God always rewards the diligent student. Let’s examine this chapter more closely. In our Bible, we read Hebrew names . What do these names mean in English?  The meaning of proper names can be a difficult pursuit since a direct translation is often not readily available. Even a conventional Hebrew lexicon can prove disappointing. A study of the original roots, however, can yield some fascinating insights.

 Lets take an example, the Flood Judgment. “Methuselah” comes from muth, a root that means death   and from shalach, which means to bring or send forth. The name Methuselah means, ”his death shall bring.”

 Methuselah’s father was given a prophecy of the coming Great Flood, and was apparently told that as long as his son was alive, the judgment of the flood would be with held; but as soon as he died, the flood would be brought or sent forth. Can you imagine raising a kid like that? Everytime the boy caught a cold , the entire neighborhood must have panicked. And, indeed, the year that Metuselah died , the flood came. It is interesting that Methuselah’s life , in effect, was a symbol of God’s mercy in forestalling the coming judgment of the flood.

 If there is a significance in Methuselah’s name, let’s examine the other names to see what may lie behind them. Adam’s name means “man”. As the first man, that seems straight forward enough.

 Seth, Adam’s son, means “appointed”. Eve said , “For God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.”

 Seth’s son was called Enosh, which means “mortal”. It was is the days of Enosh that men began to defile  the name of the Living God.

 Enosh’s son was named Kenan, from which can mean “sorrow”.

 We have no idea as to why these names were chosen for their children. Often they may have referred to circumstances at birth ect.

 Kenan’s son was Mahalalel from which means “blessed” or “praise”; and El, the name for God. Thus Mahalalel means “the Blessed God”.

 Mahalalel’s son was named Jared, from the verb yaradh, meaning “shall come down.”

 Jared’s son was named Enoch, which means “teaching” or “commencement”. He was the first of four generations of preachers. In fact , the earliest recorded prophecy was by Enoch, which amazingly enough deals with the Second Coming of Christ (although its quoted in the Book of Jude in the New Testament.) “ And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these , saying Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints , To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against.” (Jude 14,15)  Enoch was the father of Metuselah, who we have already mentioned. Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah.   Apparently, Enoch received the prophecy of the Great Flood, and was told that as long as his son was alive , the judgment would be with held. The year Methuselah died , the flood came.
 Enoch ,of course, never died : he was translated   ( or raptured).

 Methuselah’s son was named Lamech, which suggests “despairing.”

 Lamech, of course is the father of Noah, which means to “bring  relief or comfort” as Lamech himself explains in Genesis 5;29.

 “ Man (is ) appointed mortal sorrow;( but) the Blessed God shall come down teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest.”

Here’s the “Gospel” hidden within the genealogy in Genesis!

 The implications of this discovery are more widespread than is evident at first glance. It demonstrates that in the earliest chapters of the Book of Genesis, God had already laid out his plan of redemption for the predicament of mankind. It is a love story, written in blood on a wooden cross which was erected in Judea almost 2,000 years ago. The Bible is an integrated message system, the product of supernatural engineering. Every number, every place name every detail is there for our learning, our discovery and our amazement. Truly, Our God is an awesome God.

Notes From a lecture by Chuck Missler