Posted by mntzion [mntzion] on November 05, 1999 at 08:05:20 {6xiCHW3gJ2i1Us5iQnLw9dahiI6DLo}:
Petro asked an interesting question about the subject of Jesus comments on when the "good news of the kingdom" was preached in the world, then shall the end come. This, of course is from the Olivet Discourse, specifically Matthew 24:14.
"This particular prophecy has inspired the efforts of many missionaries eager to hasten Christ's second Advent. But ther has been debate concerning what is required for the fulfilment of this prophecy.
The prophecy indicates that the Gospel must be preached to all the nations in the world. But questions have been raised concerning what Jesus mean by the phrases 1) Gospel of the kingdom, 2) all the world, 3) all nations, and 4) the word preached.
1) The definition of 'Gospel of the kingdom' is the least difficult and least disputed of all the terms involved in this prophecy. The word 'gospel' is derived from the Anglo-Saxon term 'God-spell' meaning God-story, and is use to translate the Greek word "euanelion" which simply means 'gladtidings' or 'good news'. This can be understood as the good news of the Christ, ie Jesus' teachings and the redemption accomplished through Him.
The wording of Matthew 24:14 is more specific in that Jesus does not simply use the word 'gospel' but, rather uses the phrase 'gospel of the kingdom'. There is general agreement on the definition of this phrase. Matthew Henry writes:
It is called the gospel of the kingdom, because
it reveals the kingdom of grace, which leads to
the kingdom of glory. (Matthew Henry's Commentary 1327)
Asimiliar view is expressed by William Hendriksen:
'the kingdom', that is, of the reigh of God in
heart and life, by grace and through faith. (New
Testament Commentary 855)
2) The greatest debates hve been over how much of the world is intendred by 'all the world'. It Gospel 'was preached to every creature under the heaven' (Col.1:23) Paul quoted Psalm 18:4 and asserted that the message had 'gone out to all the earth', in fact, 'to the ends of the world' (Rom. 10:18). Also, the Book of Acts (2:5) records that the Apostles preached the Gospel to Jews from 'every nation under heaven'.
Paul's statements have led some commentators to conclude that Jesus' prophecy may have been fulfilled at an early date; some even argue that 'the end' does not refer to the end when Christ returns but, rather, to the destruction of Jerusalem, meaning that the Gospel had been preached to all nations before AD 70, but this point is greatly debated.
The optomistic view that the Gospel had already been preache throughout the world. (Gibbon, Decline and Fall 186) During the time of Christ and the early church the whole world meant largely the Roman Empire, and 'all the nations under the rule of Rome. In part, how one interprets Jesus' prophecy depends on how one views the extent of the world.
With the spread of missionaries throughout the world during the early nineteenth century, some saw the "world" in a broader sense and began to argue that the fulfilment of Jesus prophecy was in sight. However, it is hard to tell how widespread this view was. As previously mentioned, in ninetteenth-century missionary literature, the Matthew 24:14 prophecy does not appear to have been a dominant concern; but the existence of this view seems undeniable. Grattan Guiness (1835-1910) who founded the east London Institute for training missionaries, wrote:
the time for evangelising the nations, and
gathering in the church of the first-born
is speedily to expire...if we be right in
believing that scarcely a single prophecy
in the whole Bible, relating to the events
prior to the second advent of Christ, remains
unfulfilled. (The Approaching End of the Age)
3) The word 'nations' from the Greek 'ethnos', originally meant 'a multitude'. In this context, its plural from could simply mean 'the multitudes', such as those who live outside the Jewish nation. If defined narrowly, it could be taken to mean whole racial groups having organized nation-like societies, in which case, many of the world's smaller tribal societies could be essentially discounted or overlooked. If applied broadly, tribes and people living in any organized community could be included.
4) The word 'preached' entails the same difficulty of definition. For example, how significant is a small group of English or Spanish missionaries landing on the shores of a newly discovered land and reading the Bible in English, Spanish or another European language to a group of indigenous inhabitants? It seems unlikely that such efforts could be regarded as sufficient to fulfil Jesus' prophecy. If carried to the other extreme, however, it could be argued that all the peoples of every nation must truely hear the message in such a way as to be able to discern its actual character and thus be equiped to make an informed decision of faith.
The difficulties of defining the language of Jesus' prophecy illustrates that it is probably best to avoid trying to fix its meaning legalistically. Therefore, in the opinion of this writer, it seems fruitless to try to fix a precise time when this prophecy was fulfilled. It can be argued that, from the early Christian point of view, the prophecy had been fulfilled before the time of Muhammed (AD 570-632). After the age of exploration, (AD 1420-1620) the world view was considerably expanded, and in the context of the expanded view, it can be argued that it was fulfilled before or roughly at the time of the early days of the Baha'i Revelation (1844-63).
Jesus states that the Gospel will be preached as a 'witness' to all nations. The word 'witness' is from the Greek 'maturion' , which is also translated as 'testimony'. The meaning is that the Gospel, or Word of God, testifies to the truth of Christ. That is, the Word is itself the "proof", testifying to the divinity of Christ.
Howver, the Word of God itself, what it teaches about God and how it guides our actions, can affect our lives personally. Thus, we can practise the teachings, the message of Scripture, and know their truth directly. Christ stated:
If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know
concerning the doctrine, whether it is from
God or whether I speak on My own authority. (John
7:17)
In this passage Jesus links direct experiance of the Word of God to the verification of its truth. MOreover,
it is the Word of God that is the channel through which we are 'born again' (John 3:3, 1Peter 1:23) and come into 'everlastiing life' (John 5:24).
From this understanding it follows that the words and teachings of a Prophet are the criteria for establishing the truth of that Prophet. Christ's teachings and the record of His life are the testimony of His truth, the proof He entrusted to His followers to carry to all nations.
Christ speaks of the preaching of the Gospel to all nations and says, 'then shall the end come'. As we have seen, some beleive the 'end' refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and not the time of the Second Advent. However, the 'end' mentioned in verses 3, 6, and 13 cannot mean the end of the Jewish era, signified by the destruction of the Temple, because the Jewish era ended ended even before that event. Christ had already inaugurated the Christian Era when He called together His Apostles and preached His teachings (Mat.10). It therefore seems possible that the 'end' refers to the end of the Christian era. "
Quoted from "The Prophecies of Jesus" by Michael Sours
1991 One World Publications, Oxford, England
mntzion