Global Gospel Proclamation and the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:14)
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14
A woman rebuked Oprah using this verse from the Olivet Discourse once.
On the show, they were talking about spirituality, and Oprah, though she’s likely not the anti-Christ, is clearly an anti-Christ, the proponent of an ugly eclectic blend of universalism, new-age spirituality, and works-based righteousness. An indignant woman rose from the audience to challenge her. “There is one way and there is only one way and that is through Jesus!”
Oprah retorted incredulously, “If you’re somewhere on the planet and you never hear the name of Jesus, but yet you live with a loving heart, you lived as Jesus would’ve had you to live, you lived for the same purpose that Jesus came to the planet, to teach us all, but you are in some remote part of the earth and you never heard the name of Jesus, you cannot get to heaven, you think?” She couldn’t believe how short-sighted this woman must’ve been.
“Well, you know, Oprah,” the woman parried, “Jesus cannot come back until that Gospel is preached in the four corners of this earth! So?” with a questioning shrug. “Figure it out,” was her final exhortation accompanied by some scattered applause.
Online, Christians rejoiced at Oprah’s rebuke and at the clear promise, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ “will be proclaimed throughout the whole world”, and only then will Jesus return. What a great promise!
But what if that’s not what that verse means?
The Global Proclamation of the Gospel
If I only had this verse, this would be my only possible conclusion. If I plucked this verse from Matthew 24 and put it on a coffee cup or a wall-hanging, I would necessarily conclude that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be proclaimed globally, though I’d encounter difficulty actually defining what that means, but that this would be a necessary condition for the end to come, which is marked by the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
But, of course we must assess this verse in context and we must ask questions of the verse.
What does the “whole world” mean? How would we define that?
Which nations?
The end of what?
We’ve already discussed the overall context of the Discourse here. Recall that Jesus is responding to two questions asked by the disciples in verse 3:
“When will these things be?” referring to Jesus’ previous statement concerning the destruction of the Temple (verse 2), and
“What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Because they were Jewish, the disciples believed that the Temple would endure until the end of the age and Jesus’ return. Jesus corrects that mistaken notion. In verses 4-35, He answers the first question concerning the destruction of the Temple, but in verse 36, He changes tone and tense, “But concerning that [emphasis mine] day,” addressing the second question concerning His return and the end of the age. The rest of the Discourse answers that question, and one cannot help but notice the dissimilarity between the two sections. Concerning the destruction of the Temple, Jesus gives clear signs as a warning, but concerning His return, no signs are offered. The very absence of signs is what distinguishes the end of the age.
Birth Pains
Jesus’ answer concerning the first question can be further divided into sections. In verses 4-14, Jesus gives the signs leading up to the destruction, they are “the beginning of the birth pains.” (v. 8) I’ve heard that birth can be a painful process. Genesis 3:16 guarantees it! However, birth pains are not the actual pain of childbirth, they tell you that a birth is going to happen, and the closer you get to birth, the greater the pains become…or so I’ve been told. Verses 4-14 provide the indicators that the season is imminent for the destruction of the Temple.
Machin writes that every theologian is a historian. That being said, for this interpretation to hold true, we must be able to look at these verses and see them come to pass in the period after the death of Christ in A.D. 33 leading up to the final destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70.
First, notice that Jesus is addressing “you” as in, his present audience, the disciples. He’s not talking to you and me, but to them. (v. 4, 6, 9) Is there application for us? Certainly! But the clear meaning of the Scripture comes from Jesus’ message to them. “You, disciples, look for the following signs and know that the destruction of the Temple is coming. Don’t be surprised. Be ready!”
1. False Christs and False Prophets
Verses 5 and 11 speak of those who say, “I am the Christ,” and lead many astray. One only need to look to Scripture to validate this. The book of Acts covers a span of about 30 years which would cover from the death of Christ in A.D. 33 to the neighborhood of A.D. 60, just a few years before Rome’s conflict with Israel began in A.D. 66. Throughout Acts, Luke records several instances of exactly this:
A. “For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.” (Acts 5:36-67)
B. “But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great’.” (Acts 8:9-10)
C. “When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.” (Acts 13:6-8)
D. “Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness” (Acts 21:38)
Likewise, the Epistles of Paul, Peter, John, even Jude, address the false teachers and various false prophets that arose after the death of Jesus seeking to lead the people astray.
2. Political Turmoil and Natural Disaster
Verses 6 and 7 describe “wars and rumors of war”, that “nation will rise against nation.” During this time, leading up the beginning of the First Jewish-Romans war in A.D. 66, the Jews lived in a nearly continuous state of rebellion against Rome. In A.D. 38, Caligula had his statue erected in a Jewish synagogue, resulting in widespread religious riots throughout the empire. In response, he had it erected in the Temple in Jerusalem, intensifying the riots. Only Caligula’s death the next year prevented the entire region from descending into total war.
In A.D. 46, a Jewish uprising led by two brothers lasted for nearly two years before being put down in 48, the brothers executed. Other uprisings in Caesarea, Scythopolis, Alexandria, and Damascus claimed tens of thousands of lives.
The Annals of Tacitus describe the turmoil of the day, citing conflict across the Roman empire. There were “disturbances in Germany,” “commotions in Africa,” “commotions in Thrace,” “insurrections in Gaul,” “intrigues among the Parthians,” “the war in Britain,” and “the war in Armenia.”[1]
Again, we return to the book of Acts to see widespread natural disaster during the timeframe 33 to 66 A.D. Agabus prophesied “a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius)” (Acts 11:28) And we see this come to pass as the widespread famine in the year 44 necessitates an extensive relief effort from the Christian community in Antioch, to send aid to Christians living in Judea. (Acts 11:29). Acts 16:26 records an earthquake.
At least three other famines occurred during the reign of Claudius. Earthquakes destroyed the cities of Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae in the year 60. Numerous other earthquakes were recorded from Crete to Rome.
Astronomical phenomena accompanied Luke’s parallel prophecy of “terrors and great sign from heaven.” (Luke 21:11) Halley’s Comet appeared in 66 along with other comets as recorded by the historian Josephus.
These are all still the birth pains as verses 6 and 8 make clear, signs of impending judgment. The end is not yet, but these signs accompany the approaching destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.
3. Widespread Religious Persecution
Mark’s parallel passage records, “For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them,” and this is exactly what happens as recorded throughout the book of Acts. The Apostle Paul lived this reality as did the first martyr, Stephen, along with Peter and the other Apostles and early Christians. The mention of persecution before councils and in synagogues necessitates a pre-70 fulfillment as after the destruction of the Temple, the Jewish religious system ceased to exist.
Amidst persecution, many fall away, betraying one another, hating one another. (verse 10) Again, this is what is recorded. “All those in Asia have turned away from me.” (2 Timothy 1:15) “Demas has forsaken me.” (4:10) “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me.” (16)
The Whole World
Verse 14 serves as the culmination of the birth pains, the warning signs, that “this Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world” and only then will the end come, i.e. the destruction of the Temple.
Does the “whole world”, the oikoumene, mean literally the entire planet? In light of the context of warning signs leading up to the destruction of the Temple, it is better to take it in context as applying to the entire known world, the Roman Empire.
Observe the same limited use elsewhere in Scripture. “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world (oikoumene) should be registered.” (Luke 2:1) Agabus prophesied a famine over “all the world (oikoumene).” (Acts 11:28) “For we have found this man [Paul] a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews through the world (oikoumen).” (Acts 24:5)
Jesus is prophesying that the Gospel must be proclaimed throughout the entire known world, the Roman Empire, prior to the destruction of the Temple, and once again, we see exactly this occur. Consider that within a generation of the death of Christ, a flourishing church existed in the very seat of persecution, the city of Rome. The church spread like wildfire across Asia Minor and Europe. Paul writes to the Colossians, “Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing.” (Colossians 1:5b-6) Here Paul uses the word kosmos for world, a much more expansive term than oikoumen. To the Roman church, Paul thanks God “because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.” (Romans 1:8) Later in the book, he writes “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” (10:18)
To summarize, in verses 4-10, Jesus is providing a list of signs for the disciples to look for as the destruction of the Temple draws near, culminating in the widespread preaching of the Gospel. These signs do not accompany the end, but only indicate that the end is coming, the end of the Temple along with Jerusalem and indeed, the entire Judean political-religious system.
This verse has nothing to do with the Second Coming of Christ. Clearly, had Oprah known her Bible she could have quickly refuted the woman’s less than thorough misapplication of Matthew 24:10.
What Then Must We Do
1) We must continually assess our biblical interpretation, as to the extent our presuppositions color our understanding. We must always ask, “What have I been taught that Scripture says?” and “Does it actually align with the text? What is the context?”
2) The Bible is clear in its mandate. We must “make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19) The Christian is to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, starting right at home. These verses in the Olivet Discourse just don’t teach that.
[1]Storms 240.
