Matthew 24:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

NASB: This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

CSB: This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

NLT: And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

KJV: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

NKJV: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Jesus has described difficult times to come for those who follow Jesus after He leaves the earth (John 16:5–7). He has pointed to an era of intense persecution, death, and hatred for any associated with His name. Many who seem to be true believers will fall away in response to the teaching of false prophets. Lawlessness will increase, and many will grow coldly unloving (Matthew 24:3–13).

Still, none of this will stop the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom. The word "gospel" means "good news." The good news Jesus has been preaching about the kingdom of heaven is that it is coming and will soon be here. He Himself is the king, and He will reign forever (Matthew 4:17; 13:43; 26:29).

Letters written by apostles such as John, Peter, and Paul, will give more specific details about the astounding kingdom of God. The message Jesus' disciples preached to the world was that all who put their faith in Jesus will receive the grace of God (Acts 4:12). God will take Jesus' death on the cross as payment for the sins of those who believe (Romans 6:23) and will give them credit for the perfectly righteous life Jesus has lived (2 Corinthians 5:21). In short, the good news is that all who accept Christ are welcome in the kingdom of heaven through faith in the Son of God (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Aside from Judas, the men to whom Jesus speaks (Matthew 24:3) did indeed remain faithful through persecution. They succeeded in launching the delivery of the gospel throughout the world as a testimony to all nations. They did not complete that work, however. Bible teachers debate when and if the whole world has been reached with the gospel of the kingdom, though all agree that this good news has reached the vast majority of the earth.

The question matters, because Jesus prophesied that when the gospel had been proclaimed to all nations, the end would come, meaning that He would return as king and judge. This was His partial answer to His disciples about a sign that the end of the age was near.

Matthew 24:1–14 follows Jesus and the disciples out of the temple. This comes after His devastating criticism of the scribes and Pharisees in chapter 23. Christ predicts a moment when the temple will be destroyed without one stone left on another. Later, His disciples ask for more information about these future events. Jesus describes a season in which the world will be in turmoil but that alone will not be proof that the end has come. His disciples will be persecuted, killed, and hated for His name's sake. False prophets will rise and some with them will fall away from the faith.

Jesus makes a dire prediction about the destruction of the temple. Immediately after this, while seated on the Mount of Olives, Jesus responds to a question from the disciples. They ask when judgment will come and what signs will signal His return. Christ describes a season of unimaginable world turmoil and persecution. He points to a specific moment of defilement of the temple, at which point people should run for their lives. Jesus speaks of world-threatening tribulation which will be cut short right before He returns as King and Judge. Since nobody can possibly know when He will return, His followers must live in readiness.

Jesus has just left the temple area, after delivering a blistering criticism of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23). After predicting that the temple would be destroyed, He answers their questions about the end times. He speaks of a period when He will be gone from earth and they will be persecuted and killed. The world will be in turmoil, but the gospel will be preached everywhere. Nobody knows exactly when Jesus' return will be completed, so his followers should constantly be prepared. Jesus continues to teach on these themes in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.