Gospel to Be Preached in All the World

Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God would be preached in all the world and then the end would come. What does this mean? Did Jesus mean it must be preached to every remote tribe or village on every continent and island on the planet? Did he mean it had to be preached to every people-group, as is assumed by many today, before the end could come? If Jesus cannot come until the Gospel is preached according to his command, then it should be obvious in the text what Jesus meant. What does the text actually say?

 

The Apocalyptic Coming of Jesus

In Matthew 24:30 Jesus said he would come in the clouds, and all the tribe of the land (of Israel) would mourn. Men have taken this passage to indicate Jesus’ Second Coming to this earth. Jesus makes no such reference here in the Olivet Prophecy. He is speaking of his coming in judgment over the Jewish nation that had rejected him as their King. He used the Roman armies to carry out his judgment.

 

Jesus’ Coming in 70 CE

“When shall these things be?” (Matthew 24:3). Some folks try to say that this question concerned the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, but the final two questions in this verse, namely “What shall be the sign of your coming” and “(What shall be the sign) of the end of the age (or world)?” are for our future in the 21^st century. But is this true?

 

Can the Great Tribulation be Shortened?

In Matthew 24:21 Jesus foretold a time of great tribulation. It is from here that we get our modern doctrine of “The Great Tribulation.” In Revelation believers are warned to repent or they would go through “Great Tribulation,” and then in Revelation we find that many did repent while going through “Great Tribulation.” Whether all these Scriptures refer to the same period is uncertain as far as the texts are concerned. There doesn’t seem to be any real evidence to tie them together.

 

This Generation Revisited

What does the term “this generation” mean as it pertains to the Biblical events and especially Matthew 24:34? Many folks seem to think it means a generation 2000 years or more after Jesus gave us the Olivet Prophecy. Notice:

 

Antichrist & Great Signs and Wonders

A lot of folks seem to be looking for some great magician to come on the scene, someone to really WOW the world and cause them to believe that God is speaking through him. I cannot imagine anything like this occurring today, since he would soon become the object of a great many experiments to prove his authenticity. Atheists simply will not believe anyone is speaking for a God they don’t believe exists simply because someone is wowing the crowds and claiming he is from God. This simply does not compute in today’s cultural scheme, and I believe preaching it makes Christianity look foolish.

 

Jesus’ Coming and Paul

In Matthew 24:3 the Apostles asked Jesus what would be the sign of his coming or parousia (G3952). Jesus told them that his coming could not be hid (Matthew 24:27), and it would come upon the people suddenly when they least expected it (Matthew 24:37-39). Recently I wrote that Peter, James and John believed and taught Jesus coming would be in their expected lifetimes in the 1^st century CE. What did Paul believe and teach? Did he agree with those who knew Jesus the longest, or did he teach something different?

 

As Lightening Comes out of the East

Jesus told us that his coming could not be hidden, for “as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27). I think the very fact that Jesus tells his disciples to beware of the possibility of deception (Matthew 24:24-26), that a veil of sorts would be upon his coming, but how could a veil be on Jesus’ coming if it couldn’t be hid? Nevertheless, if there were no veil, why would Jesus include a sign to show his coming had occurred? Why would we need a “sign” if Jesus were speaking of his Second Coming to this earth, as modern Christianity has come to perceive it, and was exercising his great power as the Son of God at Jerusalem?

 

What Does the Olivet Prophecy Answer?

In Matthew 24:3 the disciples came to Jesus and asked him three questions. First, when would all the terrible things he mentioned take place, Secondly what would be the sign of his coming, and finally what sign would there be to show the end of the age. Did you ever wonder why the disciples asked these three particular questions at this particular time? Well, we need to understand what prompted the disciples to ask these questions, if we are ever going to be able to understand Jesus’ reply.

 

Then shall be Great Tribulation

In the Olivet Prophecy Jesus pointed to a time of great persecution. Not only were God’s people persecuted, but this particular event would be like no other in history either before or afterward. Notice what Jesus said in Matthew:

 

Jerusalem Surrounded by Armies

In Luke 21:20 of the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus predicted that Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies just before its destruction. At this time his people were to flee to the mountains. Josephus tells us that this occurred in 66 CE. The Roman general, Cestius, had taken part of the city. He burned the new city and had taken the upper city and encamped at the foot of the Temple wall. Josephus claimed that had he continued, the war would have come to a quick conclusion,[1] but “…without having received any disgrace he retired from the city, without any reason in the world…”[2] It was after this time that “…the most eminent of the Jews swam away from the city, as from a ship when it was going to sink.”[3]

 

Delivered up to be Persecuted and Killed

One of the things Jesus predicted would occur that does not necessarily point to the time of the end is the persecution of the elect, or those who have believed the Gospel. Persecution and the act of killing believers in Christ have been occurring off and on somewhere in the world since the time of Stephen’s death. According to the Scriptures, immediately after Jesus resurrection and ascension into heaven, the church would experience safety for about 3 ½ years (Revelation 12:13-14). Although the disciples were beaten at least once after Pentecost, 31 CE (Acts 5:40), no one lost his life to persecution until the death of Stephen.

 

The Beginning of Sorrows

In the Olivet Prophecy Jesus told the disciples that they had to be on their guard, so they wouldn’t be deceived (Matthew 24:4). Then he pointed out several things from wars and natural disasters to false-christs that would seem to lead people into thinking “the end” is near. People are never more religious than during times of disaster. When hope is ebbing away and control over one’s life seems all but gone, people turn to God, or at least give an appearance of turning to him. Churches fill up during the times of war. Many in America began turning to God during the 911 crises a decade ago. But, as time takes the edge off our fears, we begin to resettle ourselves into the pattern which we had grown to enjoy prior to whatever made us afraid.

 

Who is the Man of Sin? ~ Part 2

We are discussing the identity of the Man of Sin (see part 1 HERE), of whom Paul wrote in 2Thessalonians 2:3. We have also discussed the coming of Jesus being at first unobservable, as indicated by the request of a “sign” by the Apostles, which “sign” Jesus revealed in the Olivet Prophecy. In previous blogposts I had shown that Stephen’s death in Acts 7 represents the setting up of the abomination that makes desolate. In other words whatever was done to shed the blood of Stephen, the first martyr of Jesus, indicates that the abomination had been set up.

 

Who is the Man of Sin? ~ Part 1

In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians he wrote of a Man of Sin who was to come. Paul was speaking of the time of the coming of our Lord, Jesus, and our gathering unto him. The Thessalonians had thought that the biblical Day of the Lord was already present, for someone seems to have been troubling the church saying the Day of the Lord had already come. However, Paul had told the church what to expect (2Thessalonians 2:5), but they had forgotten. Paul then told them again that the Day of the Lord would not arrive until the “Man of Sin” would be revealed.