UNIVERSAL PREACHING AND EVANGELISM
Matthew 24:14 Mark
13:10
In the midst of tribulation and persecution will come the
greatest time of evangelism in the history of the world. Mark says the gospel
of the Kingdom “must first be preached to all the nations” (Mark 13:10).
Matthew adds, “then the end shall come” (Matthew 24:14). The clear meaning is
that before the end can come the Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached to all
nations. Bible students disagree on when the gospel is preached to all the
world. The main views are:
THE HISTORICAL VIEW
Many hold to a historical view that this has been fulfilled.
The claim is that “the substantial fulfillment of this prediction is found in
the missionary labors of the apostles.”[1]
A.T. Roberson holds “that Paul in Colossians 1:6, 23 claims that the gospel has
spread all over the world.”[2]
Does Colossians 1:6, 23 make a claim for fulfillment of the
universal preaching of the gospel? No! Paul’s claim is to the universal appeal
and scope of the gospel. That the gospel is bearing fruit in the world; not
that the gospel has been preached in all the world. Part of the problem is in
translation. The preposition is en, and is commonly translated “in” and not “to”
(as in the KJV). It “signifies the location where the preaching takes place.”[3]
The word creature would be more accurately translated “creation.” The best
translation of the phrase should be “preached in all creation under heaven.”
Paul is talking about the sphere of preaching, not that every creature was
preached unto. Campbell notes: “To interpret and translate this to every
creature is inconsistent with the known historical facts.”[4]
THE CHURCH FULFILLMENT VIEW
This view holds that the gospel of salvation is now being
preached in all the world. The Church is fulfilling this prophecy. We could not
agree more that the business of the Christ is to preach the gospel to the
entire world. Today the gospel is being spread as never before. We praise God for it, and pray that it continues. But, we
do not hold that the church will fulfill this verse.
We reject this view, not because we believe that the church
will not preach the gospel to the entire world, but because of the specific
gospel message. The text clearly defines the gospel as the “Gospel of the
Kingdom.”
The word gospel is the Greek noun evangelion, which
originally “denoted a reward for good tidings; later, the idea of reward
dropped, and the word stood for the good news itself.”[5]
There are different good tidings or gospels revealed in Scriptures, and they do
not always deal with the same thing. For example, the good news in 1 Kings 1:42
has to do with David being made King; it has nothing to do with salvation of
the soul. A gospel may include salvation, but possess different ramifications
of that salvation dispensationally. Baker points this out saying: “To be sure
there is the “gospel of salvation (Ephesians 1:13) which is basic to all the
other messages of God’s good news, but not all of God’s good news concerns
salvation from sin. Some of the good news concerns what God has saved the
sinner to, which might be called good news for the saint. Some of the good news
concerns a particular program of God, such as the gospel of the kingdom, which
is the good new that God is going to establish His kingdom in the earth.”[6]
Thus, the careful student of the Word must distinguish just
what gospel the Lord is speaking about. The Discourse clearly identifies the
“gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10) as the subject, a gospel
that is identified with the nation Israel, and not the Church.
THE KINGDOM GOSPEL FULFILLED VIEW
The “gospel of the kingdom” is a very specific gospel that
deals with Israel, their Messiah, and His Messianic kingdom. Its foundation is
the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7). In this covenant, God established that from
David’s seed one would come to establish His kingdom forever. In Daniel 2:44 we
see that this kingdom will be set up on earth with a heavenly king. In fact,
the phrases the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven have their origin in
this verse. The God of heaven will establish His kingdom on earth. The “gospel
of the kingdom” is the good news of the coming Millennial Kingdom where Christ
will rule from the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem. It was this gospel
that Jesus preached and declared “at hand” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17, 23; 9:35; Mark
1:4-5). It contained both a salvation message (repentance) and a prophetic
message (the kingdom is at hand). It is this specific gospel that must be
proclaimed to all the world before the end of the age.
“The “gospel of the kingdom” is not the gospel for the
church the body of Christ. The hope of the Church is not an earthly kingdom,
but a heavenly kingdom (1 Tim. 4:18; Phil. 3:20). We preach the gospel of Grace
for the dispensation of Grace. While both gospels contain the elements of grace
and salvation, they are not the same. Baker comments on the distinctions:
“There is grace in the gospel which relates especially to
Israel, but God’s dealings with Israel are based upon covenant promises with
Israel placed as Head over the gentiles (Deuteronomy 28:13). In the present
dispensation, Israel’s covenant dealings have been set aside. Israel has fallen
and has been cast away as enemies of the gospel (Romans 11:12, 15, 28). Now God
is dealing with an alienated world of both Jews and Gentiles who have
absolutely no claim upon God. God’s extension of salvation to such a world is
completely upon the basis of grace. For this reason, the gospel of this
dispensation is called the gospel of the grace of God, just as the dispensation
is called the dispensation of the grace of God (Ephesians 3:2).”[7]
Our hope under the gospel of grace is not the fulfillment of
the gospel of the kingdom and the Millennium. Our position and hope is heavenly
(Ephesians 1:20), as is our citizenship (Philippians 1:20). The Church is
caught up (raptured) into its heavenly kingdom (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17); then
the continuation and fulfillment in the reign of Christ on earth in the
Millennium. The preaching of the gospel of the kingdom will again be sounded
out and find its fulfillment in the reign of Christ on earth in the Millennium.
In the book of Revelation we see some of the process of the
gospel being preached to all the world. In Revelation 7 we see that the remnant
of 144,000 Jews will be sealed (Revelation 7:4). Afterward, a great multitude
is seen from “all tribes and peoples and tongues” (Revelation 9:4, 14:1). This
is a technical formula expressing universality. It is believed by many that the
multitude is the result of the 144,000, and that they are the evangelists that
take the gospel to the whole word. Their ministry will start during the
“beginning of sorrows” and continue through the “great tribulation” because of
Divine protection. However, at best that is an inference, not a statement of
Scripture. We do know that Scripture does say there will be angelic help in
proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to the word (Revelation 14:6-7). There
will also be the ministry of the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3). All three
groups will be used by God to accomplish the universal preaching of the gospel
of the kingdom.
In the universal preaching we see three main elements of
promised salvation in the Old Testament fulfilled. There will be the salvation
of individual Israelites as seen in the 144,000 and the true remnant of Israel.
There also will be individual Gentile salvation as seen by the Old Testament
prophets (Isaiah 60:15; Zechariah 8:23, 14:16). And there will be a national
salvation of Israel at the coming of Christ (Romans 11:26-27). This indicates
worldwide revival in the midst of tribulation. The “gospel of the kingdom” will
be preached to every nation. “Then the end will come” says Matthew 24:14. In fact,
the end will not come before these events take place. The gospel will be
preached to all the world is a condition that is necessary before the end of
the age. The end here is the end of the whole tribulation period, and the
second coming of Christ, to set up His Kingdom on earth.
[1] Henrich
Meyer, THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, 412.
[2] A.T. Robertson, WORD PICTURES, 1:375.
[3] Peter T. O’Brien, WBC: COLOSSIANS, PHILEMON,
70.
[4] Ernest R Campbell, A COMMENTARY OF COLOSSIANS
& PHILEMON BASED ON THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT, 66.
[5] W.E. Vine, EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY, 2:167.
[6] C.F. Baker, DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY, 63.
[7] Ibid, 328.
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