The Gospel preached to the whole world and then the end shall come

On the Mount of Olives, Jesus pointed to the glorious and massive Temple, and he sadly told the disciples "See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." The disciples were surprised, and they responded with questions of their own. They asked Jesus "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Mt 24:3) Often overlooked is the fact that those are actually three questions, and Jesus gave three answers. However, remember that the context of His giving the answers was in relation to God's program for the Jews, not the Church. The completion of God's work with the church will be the rapture. His answer to the second question, the signs of His coming, speaks to that. It is important and actually commanded for us to understand the signs of the end times Jesus related in answer to the second question, but phrase "the end will come" means the actual end when Jesus arrives after the 7-year Tribulation.

In response to the third question the disciples asked, what is the sign of the end of the world?" Jesus replied "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." (Mt 24:14)

Many people take that to mean as in what we call "The Great Commission," Matthew 28:19-20 in which Jesus commanded, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." There is a difference in witnessing to believers, to go and make disciples who grow over time, and a statement of fact from Jesus that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached and then the end will come.

Pre-rapture, God gives each person on earth the opportunity to get to know Him. He does this through disciples and missionaries who obey The Great Commission (Mt 28:19-20; Mt 5:16), or through making His handiwork evident (Rom 1:20), or through the Holy Spirit drawing them (John 16:8-11) and many other ways. Jesus gives us myriad opportunities to get to know Him and time to grow once we do.

The scripture Jesus related to the disciples as to the gospel being preached right before the end is a post-rapture event. After the rapture, the gospel will be preached to the whole world. The gospel is now being preached IN the world and AROUND the world. Jesus said right before the end the gospel will be preached TO the whole world. And the difference is supernatural.

In the post-rapture Tribulation, God sends 144,000 witnesses to bring the gospel to tribulation survivors, some of whom become believers. These 144,000 are supernaturally sealed to be able to survive all the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments coming upon the earth and destroying so many people. (Rev 7:2-4) Many unbelievers die, but many people are saved but because of the judgments ongoing and the severe persecution from the antichrist, the tribulation believers have little time to grow and become disciples. Many die, and quickly.

In His infinite mercy, God also supernaturally sends Two Witnesses to preach the gospel to the whole world. These are the two who proclaim night and day (likely at the Third Temple in Jerusalem (Rev 11:4, 8), and who are hated by the world and then allowed to be killed by the Antichrist. The Witnesses lay in the streets for three days and then God resurrects them and they ascend to heaven. The whole world heard their testimony, the whole world rejoices in their death, the whole world sees their resurrection. (Rev 11:3-12)

Even then, our merciful God still never leaves us without a witness to preach Good News to all the world! He sends and angel who flies around the earth preaching to all who dwell upon it! "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." (Rev 14: 6-7)

And God in His mercy sends a second angel! "A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." (Rev 14:8)

And still, He sends a third angel! "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb." (Rev 14:9-10)

So the gospel is preached to the whole world and then the end will come. It is useful and instructive to track the progress of the Gideons and how many countries they have now delivered the gospel to, (185 out of 194 countries in the world), and to see the reach of Billy Graham's sermons worldwide, because it is exciting to see so many come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. But they do not in my estimation indicate that the rapture may be near if they approach a 'preaching to the whole world.'

But isn't it amazing to read history ahead of time and confirm the fact that God sends His emissaries to us right up until the last moments! This is because "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) However, the end will come, as Jesus promised, for all of Jesus's words are sure. "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." (2 Peter 3:10)

Jesus is waiting for you. He is the Great Shepherd, and you, if you are a lost sheep, can come home and find safety in forgiveness of your sins. Your wool looks white compared against the green grass, but against the white snow it seems as they are only filthy rags. Jesus wants you to listen to His Good News, that He saves you from your sin, but only if you ask Him to forgive them. I pray that this essay has shown you that we have a merciful God who is and will do everything in His power to offer you this Good News. Will you take him up on His offer before the end shall come?