Following the prediction of famines, pestilences and trouble, discussed in the previous chapter, Jesus made a forecast of fearful sights and great signs from heaven (this is only recorded in Luke 21:11). Notice, not in heaven, but from heaven.

History records that many great signs were given the Jews in the forty years from the crucifixion of Christ to the destruction of Jerusalem.

The first sign was that of a star like a sword which hung over Jerusalem, then a comet which continued for a year. At the feast of unleavened bread, at the ninth hour of the night, a great light shone around the altar of the temple for half an hour.

At that same feast, a cow gave birth to a lamb in the temple. The eastern gate of the temple, made of heavy brass which took twenty men to shut, was bolted and barred, and at the sixth hour of the night, it opened on its own. All over the area, chariots and armies were seen fighting in the clouds, and besieging cities. A voice was heard, which sounded like a multitude, saying: "Let us depart hence!"

Four years before the war, a man from the country, named Jesus, began (in a time of peace and prosperity) to cry out: "A voice from the east! a voice from the west! a voice from the four winds! a voice against Jerusalem and the temple! a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides! and a voice against all the people!" "Wo, wo to Jerusalem," "Wo, wo to the city and to the people, and to the temple!"

He did this for years, until he was struck and killed by a stone from a sling or war engine.

Although he had received many stripes from the magistrates, and underwent much punishment, they could not restrain him until his prophecy was completed, and then he died.1

So the signs which were predicted in Luke 21:11 were from heaven, and literally came to pass prior to A.D. 70.

Notice the frequent use of the word "you" in this paragraph. Jesus was explaining to His disciples what would occur before all the other things He had just told them, and it would involve them personally, not some future generation.

History confirms this, as we read in the Book of Acts, and in secular history, of persecutions and violent deaths of many of His disciples. He said they would be delivered up to the synagogues, which could hardly happen to us today, but was a real threat to the disciples in that age, because of the power of the Jewish leaders.

He said they would be delivered up to prisons [Paul spent many years in prison and several others had shorter incarcerations], before kings and rulers [read Acts Chapters 21-28] for "My name's sake," and it would turn to them for a testimony. The book of Acts is full of dissertations of Paul, before various authorities as a testimony to them.

That Jesus was addressing those events that would occur "before all these," can readily be seen also in Mark 13:9, "But look to yourselves: [specifying His disciples] for they [the Jews] shall deliver you up to councils: [sanhedrin] and in synagogues shall ye be beaten; and before governors and kings shall ye stand for My sake, for a witness to them." Mark 13:9, NENT.

How clear can it be? The reason for their persecution was spelled out plainly, that it was for a testimony, a witness to those before whom they would be taken. Can you think of circumstances under which an unwavering testimony of Jesus Christ would be more effective? If they stood strong before councils and kings and rulers, this made their witness much more effective to those looking on. And many of them believed. Even some of the rulers almost believed. "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, " would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I, except these bonds." Acts 26:28-29.

So we can see that Jesus was pointing out the events that would befall the disciples prior to the time of sorrows. Those words in Luke 21:12-19 were addressed personally to His disciples. In fact, this whole portion of Scripture is almost identical to Matthew 10:16-23, where Jesus sent out the twelve Apostles, telling them: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; and you shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to speak." Luke 21:12-19, NASB.

Now there is no doubt that the above was addressed to the Apostles, because the text in Matthew 10:5 says so, and likewise, Luke 21:12-19, which states it in almost the same words, was addressed to His disciples. Mark 13:3 specifically names Peter, James, John and Andrew as the ones who asked the questions. Matthew 24:3 tells us that the questions were asked by His disciples, privately. The very fact of the martyrdom of many of His disciples shows that He was speaking of what would befall them, specifically, as a witness or testimony of Him.

The nineteenth verse of Luke 21 closely parallels Matthew 24:13 and Mark 13:13, "In your patience possess ye your souls," or as stated in Matthew and Mark, "But he that shall endure [have patience] unto the end, the same shall be saved [possess his soul or 'person']."

This may come as a surprise, but this Scripture appears to be speaking of the end of the age contemporary with Jesus, and not the end of the world itself.

Mark puts it this way: "And the gospel must first be published among all nations." Mark 13:10.

What is the significance of the word first? Before what? Notice that this statement is located in the middle of the warning that Jesus gave His disciples about what would happen to them prior to the time of sorrows.

"But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you [disciples] up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before kings for My sake, for a testimony against [Greek text says "to"] them; and the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they lead you [disciples] and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak..." Mark 13:9-11a.

Notice that Matthew 24:14 says "...into all the world for a witness [marturion: evidence]" and Mark 13:9 reads: "...and ye [disciples] shall be brought before kings for My sake, for a testimony [marturion: evidence] to them;" It's the same Greek word for both, witness and testimony, but the King James version renders it witness one time and testimony the other. Many times, what appear to be discrepancies in our Bibles, are only inconsistent rendering of words.

So the purpose that Jesus gave for first publishing the Gospel (good news) at that time, was to allow all those, who could possibly lose their lives in the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem, the opportunity to repent and accept Christ, and to be warned to flee the wrath to come.

This is a principle with God, that He is altogether just and always forewarns His people through His prophets before doing anything (Amos 3:7).2

The Jews were given almost forty years, after they killed Jesus, to repent and escape the destruction, but they would not.3 "He came unto His own and His own received Him not." John 1:11. Had they received Him, they would have been spared.

We have already seen that the Jews resisted Jesus and the prophets, killing many of them, and putting to death the Christ on a cross. This is why it says "this Gospel must first be published." Jerusalem was about to be destroyed.

The Gospel went first to the Jews, then after they rejected it, to the gentiles, including all other nations and even to the Israelites in the dispersion.

And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you [Jews] first; since you repudiate it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For thus the Lord has commanded us, 'I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you should bring salvation to the end of the earth.' And when the Gentiles heard this they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." Acts 13:46-48, NASB.

When the Bible speaks of the whole world, the Greek word is kosmos, from which we get our word, cosmos, that we use now-a-days for "universe." The following is an example from Scripture of the use of the word kosmos. "Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world [kosmon], this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial to her." Mark 14:9.

Notice that world is kosmon, another form of kosmos. We can see from this Scripture that the word kosmos means the whole world.

Now a very good example of the use of oikoumene: And it came to pass in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the habitable world [oikoumenen] should be registered." Luke 2:1, BINT.

This speaks of the part of the world over which Caesar Augustus had authority as all the habitable world. Any good Bible atlas will show that the Roman Empire covered only a small portion of the whole world.

Oikoumene means the habitable earth, or Roman Empire. Kosmos means the whole world, as far as the New Testament Greek is concerned.

When in Matthew 24:14 it says: "into all the world for a witness unto all nations," the word oikoumene is used, meaning all the nations under control of the Roman Empire.

Matthew 24:14 then says: "and then shall the end come."

It seems that a more literal rendering of this Scripture might be: "And there shall be proclaimed these glad tidings [gospel] of the kingdom in all the habitable earth, for a testimony to all the nations; and then shall come the end." The end spoken of here was the end of that age, and of Jerusalem as a nation, with its inhabitants, not the end of the world.

In his book, "The Search for the Twelve Apostles," William Steuart McBirnie, Ph.D., Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL., has the following information:

p. 282, The evidence on the subject, though ( as we have said) not copious, is yet conclusive so far as it goes; and this is all one way. "The most important portion of it is supplied by Clement, the disciple of Paul mentioned in Phil. iv. 3, who was afterward bishop of Rome.  This author, writing from Rome to Corinth, expressly asserts that Paul had preached the gospel 'IN THE EAST AND IN THE WEST,' that he 'had instructed the whole world [i.e. the Roman empire, which was commonly so called] in righteousness,' and that he 'had gone to the extremity of the west' before his martyrdom.
"Now, to a Roman author the extremity of the West could mean nothing short of Spain, and the expression is often used by Roman writers to denote Spain.  Here, then, we have the express testimony of Paul's own disciple that he fulfilled his original intention (mentioned Rom. xv. 24-28) of visiting the Spanish penisula, and consequently that he was liberated from his first imprisonment at Rome.

p. 290, "Capellus, in History of the Apostles, writes: "'I know scarcely of one author from the time of the Fathers downward who does not maintain that St. Paul, after his liberation, preached in every country of the West, in Europe, Britain included.'" (The Drama of the Lost Disciples, George F. Jowett, p. 196)
However there is more solid evidence for an early Christian tradition of Apostolic evangelism in Britain--possibly that of St. Paul.

TERTULLIAN, A. D. 155-222, the Early Father, the first great genius after the Apostles among Christian writers, writing in A. D. 192, said: "The extremities of Spain, the various parts of Gaul, the regions of Britain, which have never been penetrated by the Roman Arms, have received the religion of Christ." (Tertullian, Def. Fidei, p. 179)" (St. Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury, Rev. Lionel Smithett Lewis, pp. 129, 130)

ORIGEN, another Early Father (A. D. 185-254), wrote:
"'The divine goodness of Our Lord and Saviour is equally diffused among the Britons, the Africans, and other nations of the world." (Ibid)

"ST. CLEMENT speaks of Paul going to "the extremity of the West, then returning to Rome and suffering martyrdom before the sovereigns of mankind."
 

Does the Bible say that this occurred?

The following Scripture shows the preaching of the Gospel to the nation (Gentiles) in progress:

"For thus the Lord has commanded us, I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU SHOULD BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH. And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."  Acts 13:47-48. NASB.

The Bible, itself, tells us that the gospel reached the whole inhabited earth at that time. "For the Scripture saith, Whoever believeth on Him shall not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for He is the same Lord of all, rich unto all that call upon Him: for, Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful the feet of them that bring a gospel of good things! But they did not hearken to the gospel. For Isaiah saith, [prophetically] Lord, who hath believed our report? The faith therefore is by hearing, and hearing by Christ's word. But I say, Did they not hear? Yea, verily, Their sound when out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the inhabited earth [oikoumene]." Romans 10:11-18, NENT.

--This Scripture refers to preaching of the gospel (glad tidings), saying that Israel is without excuse, because the gospel (evangel) had gone out into all the habitable earth, at that time.

Another Scripture in the Bible addresses this spread of the gospel: "because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you, just as in all the world..." "If in deed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not move away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and which I, Paul, was made a minister," Colossians 1:5, 6 and 23, NASB.

Yet a third Scripture found in Romans 16:25-27 says:  "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

Again, Paul wrote in Romans 15:18, "For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jersualem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build upon another man's foundation; 21 but as it is written, "They who had no news of Him shall see, And they who have not heard shall understand."
22 For this reason I have often been hindered from coming to you; 23 but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you 24 whenever I go to Spain -- for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while -- 25 but now I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints."

What did Paul mean when he said there was no further place for him in those regions?  He meant that he had covered them thoroughly with the gospel and it was time to continue on to somewhere else.  He was now planning to go to Spain.

In Acts 19:10 it says that all in Asia heard.
In Acts 13:49 It says that the . . .word. . .spread through the whole region. . .
Romans 1:8, "Your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world."

Cities and countries where the Book of Acts specifically says the Gospel was preached.

Antioch, Syria, Cilicia, Cypress, Pamphylia, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Phrygia, Galatian region, Asia, Mysia, Bithynia, Troos, Macedonia, Samotrace, Neopolis, Phillipi, Thyatira, Amphipolis, Appollonia, Thessalonica, Berea,  Corinth,  Cenchrea, Ephesus, Caesarea, Alexandria, Achaia, Athens, Greece, Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos, Miletus, Cos, Rhodes, Patara, Phoenicia, Tyre, Ptolemais, Mnason, Tarsus, Damascus, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Antipatris, Rome, Italy, Myra in Lycia, Cnidus, Crete, Salmone, Rheguim, Puteoli, Azotus, Galilee, Judea, Samaria, Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Egypt, Libya, Cyrene, Arabia, Lydda, Joppa, Seleucia, Salamis, Paphos, Perga, Pesidian, Lycaonia, Attalia, Three Taverns. Ethiopian Eunuch.  A total of over 80 cities and countries.

Most of the above list was the work of one man, Paul.  Phillip preached to all the cities from Azotus to Caesarea.  Note that Rome and Italy are listed in separate scriptures and the same is true of Athens and Greece. This indicates that the country as well as specific cities were taught the Gospel.   The other apostles were also busy preaching the Gospel to the Jews and some gentiles.

Remember, the requirement was not for the whole earth (kosmos), but for the inhabitable earth (Oikoumene) or Roman Empire.

In Mark 16:20, after Jesus had ascended to the heavens, it says, "And they went out and preached EVERYWHERE, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed."

Was the Gospel preached into all the world (oikoumene) for a witness?

It is hard to argue with the Bible. The Gospel was taken into all the world for a witness at that time.

Writing of a time prior to A.D. 70, Eusebius said: 'And it was at this time that "over all the land there went forth the voice" of His holy apostles and "their words over all the earth."'5

Further, speaking of the apostles, Eusebius said: 'They were driven from the land of Judea and they traveled to all the nations, bringing the message of the Gospel. They did so by the power of Christ, for He had said to them: "Go and teach all nations in My name."'6 So the church's greatest historian agrees, that the gospel had already been preached into all the world for a witness, prior to the desolation of the city and the temple in A.D. 70.

At another place, Eusebius said: "As for the holy apostles, and disciples of our Savior, they had spread over all the inhabited world."7

Again, we quote Eusebius, "But the members of the church in Jerusalem were instructed by a prophecy, revealed to the leaders, to abandon the city before the war and to take up residence in one of the cities of Perea which was named Pella. From Jerusalem the followers of Christ migrated to Pella, and thus the royal Capital of the Jews and the whole land of Judea were all abandoned by holy men. The justice of God could now at last come upon the Jews for all their crimes against Christ and his apostles. This race of impious men could at last be blotted from the world."8

As we saw in Acts 13:46-48, the Jews rejected the gospel, and following its proclamation, the end did come, indeed, in the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

It is also easy to see that the early church historians did not know about many of the inhabited areas of the earth. They spoke of the area that they knew as the whole inhabited earth.

Matthew 26:13 says: "Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached through the whole world (kosmon)..." This indicates that it would reach beyond the Roman Empire at some point in time, which we know it has.

The "great commission" in Matthew 28 tells us to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe the commandments of Jesus.

It is sufficient evidence that we should continue to share the gospel, that God honors our efforts by bringing into His kingdom many converts by means of the Gospel. If there were no such results from our efforts, only then would we be justified in questioning its continuance.

But, the prophecy of preaching the gospel to all the world for a witness was literally fulfilled before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Continue with:"Here"Second Destruction of Jerusalem"

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