“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.” – Matthew 24:14
I was reading an article about Anne Graham Lotz’s eulogy for her father’s, Billy Graham, funeral. The article said that Anne had found that the day Billy died was on a day that the Jews remembered Moses’ death – February 21. She said that it could be a sign of end times in that when Moses died, Joshua came after and that the name Joshua is the same in Hebrew as Jesus, or Yeshua.
You can read the article here.
She said perhaps God is telling the church that Jesus is about to return because her father could be a type of Moses. This is essentially my interpretation of the point she was trying to make. She said that her father was a great liberator as Moses was and Joshua was the one who lead Israel into the Promised Land. So perhaps her father, being called out of this earth, will be replaced by Yeshua who will lead the Church into heaven.
She then capped her point by saying that Jesus said this: “…when the gospel is preached to the whole world as it is today in this service, as it is through churches, missionaries, ministries, Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, ‘When the gospel is preached, then the end will come.”
So the question is, is this a correct interpretation of what Jesus meant? Most Christians, in my experience, would agree with Mrs. Lotz. The idea is that technology and missionaries have enabled the gospel to reach everywhere and so it is a sign that we are at the ‘end’.
I do like the analogy of Moses and Joshua, but unfortunately Billy’s daughter is incorrect in her interpretation of Matthew 24:14.
There are two messages labeled as ‘gospel’ in the New Testament. There is the ‘gospel of the kingdom’, as labeled by Jesus in Matthew 24 (and John the Baptist in Matt. 3:2), and there is the ‘gospel of salvation’ as labeled by Paul in Ephesians 1:13 –
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise”
There are similarities between the two, but the distinctions between the them are critical when it comes to understanding what Matthew 24:14 is talking about and when it takes place.
The similarities are that they are both ‘good news’, because that’s what gospel means. They both are meant to cause people to repent, or turn their hearts and lives back to God. And both are soul saving messages requiring faith with Jesus as the focal point.
The difference in the messages, while nuanced, are significant. One message is the good news of the Kingdom of God about to be established on earth, and the other is the good news of the redemption of man. One is about the restoration of God’s kingdom on earth with Jesus ruling from Jerusalem, and the other the restoration of man to God.
Before you go any further you should read my post “The Covert Mission of Jesus Christ“. Understanding what Christ’s mission was is critically important with regard to understanding the ‘gospel of the kingdom’.
Again, the ‘gospel of salvation’ is the message that if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then your sin will be removed for eternity and you will become a child of God (A person is not a child of God until they do this – John 1:12).
In Matthew 24, Jesus is NOT talking to the Church. He is talking to the Jews. This is the context. Matthew 24 is all about the 70th week of Daniel, or the 7 years of tribulation. In verse 14, Jesus is actually describing the spreading of the message of the imminent restoration of the kingdom of God to earth before He returns. Most likely this is going to happen due to the witnessing work of the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and the 2 witnesses in Revelation 11.
Again, Jesus is talking to Jews. His intention in Matthew 24 is to leave a survival manual of sorts for the remnant of Israel. That is why He said in Matt. 24:15, the very next verse, “when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;”.
The holy place is the Holy of Holies in the coming new temple in Jerusalem. This is a message specifically for the Jews to save a Jewish remnant.
I believe the ‘end’ that Jesus is referring to is the end of the 7 year tribulation. All of the 144,000 and the 2 witnesses will be killed during the first 3 1/2 years. Then the ‘Great Tribulation’ (Big T) will begin (Matt. 24:21; Daniel 12:1), which will be the focused destruction of all the Jews and Israel by Satan (Rev. 12) that will last another 3 1/2 years (Daniel 12:7).
The message that was preached before Christ died was the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ meaning the Kingdom of God is at hand. It will be the same message preached during the 7 years of tribulation. The first time Jesus had to die, which deferred the literal restoration until Jesus returns to earth. The mysteries of the kingdom are here now in the Church through the Holy Spirit. But the literal kingdom with Jesus on the throne in Jerusalem for His 1000 year reign has not begun.
The message preached now until the rapture is the gospel of salvation. It could only be preached after Christ died and rose. All mankind has been atoned for (see “What God Has Cleansed“). Now, to be reconciled to God, a person only has to believe in Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior. Repent, turn to Him and denounce sin, accept Him into your heart, and you will become a new creature. You will be forever bound to God through the Holy Spirit who will never leave you or forsake you – Ephesians 1:13-14.
Both messages are good news but for different times.
Dan Baker