EMQ » January–March 2021 » Volume 57 Issue 1
By Samson L. Uytanlet
The return of Christ has motivated many believers to be diligent in missions,[1] based on Jesus’ words in the Olivet Discourse, “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). The “end” is interpreted as the return of Christ, leading many Christians to be involved in cross-cultural missions, hoping that by evangelizing the “unreached people groups,” they can see Christ’s return in their generation. Some even believed that the only thing keeping Christ from returning is that many people groups have yet to hear the gospel; and mission to every nation will hasten Christ’s return.
This essay does not raise questions about the diligence and dedication of the missionaries whose only desire is to see nations come to Christ. This is a noble desire, and every believer should be involved in the task as they wait for Christ’s return. It is vital, however, to ground such motivations on the Scripture. This essay revisits this passage to examine Jesus’ prophecy and its implication for the Christian mission.
Evangelism and Christ’s Return in Evangelical Thought
Two of the most influential evangelical writers during the transitional years of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are Arthur Tappan Pierson and Albert Benjamin Simpson. Their ideas about the relationship between evangelism and Jesus’ return remain deeply ingrained in modern evangelical thought.
In motivating believers to get involved in the “holy crusade for God,” Pierson explains Matthew 24:14,
Whether these words refer to the end of the Jewish age, in the destruction of Jerusalem, or to the end of the Gospel age, in the second advent of the Son of Man, or to both, there is here indicated a vital relation which the general proclamation of the Gospel bears to the consummation of God’s plan. He is working toward an end, and that end is conditioned upon this worldwide evangelism.[2]
He also imagined the final judgment scene and asked, “What can you and I do to hasten that consummation?”[3] After eighteen-and-a-half centuries since Christ promised to return, the time seemed ripe for him to come back. Given that technology was advancing, countries had been opening, and people rapidly moving, there are more reasons to get involved in missions. Using a military metaphor for mission, he issued this challenge, “The Regions Beyond, thus marvelously opened to the Church, are a perpetual challenge to us to occupy till He comes.”[4]
Simpson shared Pierson’s idea that evangelism is a precursor to Christ’s return, “The work of missions is the great means of hastening that end.”[5] Until the whole number of God’s elect has been called and gathered home, for Simpson, the coming of Christ will be delayed.[6] Thus, the necessity for worldwide missions. To summarize, for Pierson and Simpson, Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:14 about worldwide evangelization is yet to be fulfilled causing Jesus’ return to be delayed. Thus, Christian participation in this global effort is necessary to fulfill this prophecy.
Basic Assumptions
The idea that Christ’s return is directly correlated to global missions is widespread among the evangelicals that even the fifteenth item of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant states:
We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, in power and glory, to consummate his salvation and his judgment. This promise of his coming is a further spur to our evangelism, for we remember his words that the gospel must first be preached to all nations. We believe that the interim period between Christ’s ascension and return is to be filled with the mission of the people of God, who have no liberty to stop before the end.[7]
Diligence in evangelistic efforts is praiseworthy, but the assumption that the timing of Christ’s return is partly dependent on his followers’ involvement in mission seems lofty. It implies that Christians have, to some degree, control over the timing of Jesus’ return. We can make him come back sooner through proactive involvement in evangelism. Consequently, human salvation becomes a secondary motivation for mission, and hastening of Jesus’ return is the primary. It is necessary, therefore, to revisit Christ’s prophecy and ask whether Jesus was referring to world evangelization as a necessary precursor for his return.
Evangelism as Precursor for His Return?
Jesus’ prophecy raises four questions: (1) What is the “gospel of the kingdom”? (2) What is the extent of the “whole world?” (3) What makes the gospel a “testimony to all nations?” (4) What is the “end” to which Jesus referred?
The Gospel of the Kingdom
Interpreters in the past have proposed various ways to understand the phrase “the gospel of the kingdom.” William Hendricksen explains that this “gospel of the kingdom” is the message concerning the “reign of God in heart and life, by grace and through faith.”[8] Although God’s reign must be experienced in our life, the explanation is inconsistent with how Jesus used the expression. Frederick Dale Bruner suggests that the “good news” contrasts with the bad news of “wars, persecutions, martyrdom, apostasies, false teachings, lawlessness” that characterized the world before the end.[9]
This brings us back to the question: What is the “gospel of the kingdom”? The Romans during the time of Christ might interpret the expression euangelion (“gospel”) as the birth of the emperor.[10] For the Jews, the content of the good news focuses on God’s reign, as summarized by Isaiah’s pronouncement, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isaiah 52:7). In both cases, euangelion is about a king’s rule.
On several occasions, God assured his people of his reign despite foreign domination. Even in Matthew, Jesus invites the people to be under his yoke (Matthew 11:29), a metaphor which means acknowledging his kingship. The image of yoke often refers to foreign domination: Egypt (Leviticus 26:13), Assyria (Isaiah 14:25), and Babylon (9:4). While they are under the yoke of the Romans, Jesus calls the people to carry his yoke. In contrast to the hard and heavy yoke of their oppressors, Jesus’ yoke is both easy and light (Matthew 11:29–30). The “gospel of the kingdom,” therefore, refers to the message about the eternal and benevolent reign of God through his Christ.
The Whole World
For some interpreters, the expression oikoumenē (“whole world”) suggests the universal scope of mission because it is used together with the expression “all nations.”[11] Based on Paul’s claim that he preached to every creature under heaven (Colossians 1:6, 23), others say it refers to the regions under Roman rule.[12] Thus, Henry Alford concludes that this “universal missions” was already fulfilled; however, in a wider sense, this must be a reference to the continuous mission outside the empire.[13] John Calvin explains that the extent is metaphorical, which means that even though there were attempts to prevent the preaching of the gospel, it would still happen.[14]
This brings us back to the question: What is the scope of the “whole world”? The expression oikoumenē can be rendered “whole inhabited world” (in contradistinction with the heaven above or the nether world) or a hyperbolic reference to the Roman administrative unit.[15] The latter is particularly clear in Luke’s use of the expression (Luke 2:1). The same word refers to the extent of the famine (Acts 11:28), and regions where Artemis was worshipped (19:27).[16] The same can be said about Matthew’s use of the expression (Matthew 24:14); thus, the expression “the whole world” is less extensive and referring only to the Roman dominion. A proclamation of God’s reign within Caesar’s territories is a reminder that while an oppressive earthly emperor was ruling, the benevolent heavenly Benefactor is the true regent.
A Testimony to all Nations
A “testimony” may be a statement against an accused, and for Adolf Schlatter, against those who do not know God.[17] For others, however, it is a positive testimony because it is essentially about what God did through Christ for humanity.[18] The recipient of this gospel is the nations. The proclamation was once limited within Israel (Matthew 10:5–6; 15:24), but had gone beyond the confines of the Jewish community.[19] Inclusion of the Gentiles does not mean exclusion of Israel.[20] The proclamation of the gospel “to all nations” is “rooted in biblical prophets’ image of the conversion and tribute of the Gentiles.”[21]
This brings us back to the question: What makes the gospel a “testimony to all nations”? In the New Testament, a testimony (marturion) may refer either to the announcement of God’s work (Matthew 8:4; Mark 1:44; Luke 5:14) or, in a few instances, to the evidence of human sin which would be followed by God’s judgment (Mark 6:11; 13:9; Luke 9:5). In most cases, a “testimony” or “witness” refers to the proclamation of the gospel, especially amidst persecution (Luke 21:13; Acts 4:33; 1 Corinthians 1:6; 2:1). Jesus warned his disciples to be ready to testify before the Gentiles and assured them that God’s Spirit would speak through them (Matthew 10:17–20). Jesus’ warning to his disciples was, to some extent, fulfilled not long after his resurrection. The persecution of the believers in Acts 8 caused them to be scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, resulting in them proclaiming the gospel to many people (Acts 8:1–4).
The End
Finally, we need to examine what Jesus meant when he talks about the “end.” For many interpreters, the “end” refers to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and its temple.[22] For others, the “end” refers to the close of human history and the coming of Jesus, like how Paul uses the word telos (1 Corinthians 15:24).[23] Still others see the “end” as the conclusion of the apostolic era,[24] because the apostles had gone to various parts of the world to preach the gospel; and there are those who suggest that the “end” must be understood as having “two levels of significance,” referring to both the destruction of temple and the end of the age.[25]
This brings us back to the question: What does the “end” to which Jesus refers? Matthew uses two expressions in Greek that can be translated “end” in English, namely, telos and sunteleia. The word telos can either refer to “a point in time marking the end of a duration,” “the last part of a process,” or “the goal to which a movement is being directed.”[26] The word sunteleia has a similar range of meaning.[27] The primary difference, however, is that in the Gospel of Matthew, the latter is consistently used as part of the phrase sunteleia tou aiōn or “the end of the age” (Matthew 13:39, 40, 49; 24:3; 28:20), referring to the final consummation of all things marked by the return of Jesus and the final judgment.
The word telos, in contrast, does not carry such connotation. Jesus encouraged his disciples to endure persecution until the telos (10:22), referring either to the end of the period of persecution or the disciples’ death. When Peter followed Jesus during his trial before the high priest, the disciple was waiting for the telos (26:58), or the conclusion of Jesus’ trial. In Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus about the sign of his coming which marks the sunteleia tou aiōn (24:3). To this Jesus replied describing the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple (24:4–28). It was not until Matthew 24:29 when Jesus began talking about his return, and not until 28:20 when the word sunteleia is used again. What happened to Jerusalem and its temple during the first century is not unrelated to the return of Jesus, but these two events are not the same. Within 24:4–28, the word telos is used (24:6, 13, 14). This means that in Matthew 24:14, the “end” is not referring to the “end of the age,” but to the destruction of the temple. R. T. France aptly summarizes it:
Those who interpret the “end” here as the parousia and the final judgment have sometimes taken this saying as a spur to evangelism in our day: “Evangelize to a finish to bring back the King!” This phrase “all the nations” has also been pressed into a program to bring the gospel to every known nation and tribe in the modern world (including those unknown to the Eurasian world of Jesus’ day) so as to hasten the parousia. In particular, this passage does not speak of worldwide evangelization as the cause of the “end,” but as a necessary preliminary. And we have argued at v. 6 that the “end” (telos) in view here is not the “end (synteleia) of the age” but the destruction of the temple, which happened long ago.[28]
Putting Them All Together: Evangelize Because Jesus is King
For the Jewish people, the “good news” is the message that God reigns. For those who heard Jesus firsthand, the news that God reigns is good, especially for a people who viewed foreign rule as a consequence for their sins (cf. Deuteronomy 15:6; 28:33–36). For the believers to whom Matthew originally addressed his work, the news that God reigns remains good, whether they are those who knew that their beloved city and temple were in danger of being destroyed, or those who were looking back to a recent catastrophe that hit them.
The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 is the clearest assertion of the Romans’ dominion over the Jewish people. Jesus’ prophesied that the good news of God’s reign would be proclaimed “throughout the whole world” (that is, within the realm of the Romans) before the “end” (that is, the destruction of the city and its temple). This is another way of saying that even before the Roman messengers could proclaim the gospel of Rome (that is, the reign of Caesar) in the holy city by destroying it, God’s heralds would first announce the gospel of the kingdom (Yahweh’s reign) throughout Caesar’s territories. The message: God is king! He reigns through his Christ.
Rome may have been successful in asserting its power over God’s people, but like all the other kingdoms of the world, it can never be a worthy rival to God’s kingdom. As N. T. Wright says about God’s kingdom, “It claims to be the reality of which Caesar’s empire is the parody.”[29] The message that God reigns is a message of hope under Roman rule. The city and its temple may be destroyed, but God remains king.
Let us fast forward to today. The fact that God is king should provide enough motivation for us to proclaim this message. God’s invitation to be under his rule includes a call to repentance and acknowledgement of Christ’s rule; the message comes with a promise of blessing and a warning for rejecting his message. Jesus’ final commission and the promise of his presence until the “end of the age” is clear enough that the gospel must be proclaimed until he returns. We must continue to do so, not to force Jesus’ return, but simply because he is king!
Samson L. Uytanlet is the academic dean and a faculty member of the Biblical Seminary of the Philippines. He is also the Biblical Studies Program Director and a New Testament faculty of the Asia Graduate School of Theology–Philippines.
Notes
[1] Before the end of the last century, global missionary movements were initiated among evangelicals in anticipation of Christ’s return. See Robert T. Coote, “‘AD 2000’ and the ‘10/40’ Window: A Preliminary Assessment” in IBMR 24, no. 4 (2000), 161–65.
[2] A. T. Pierson, The Divine Enterprise of Missions (New York: Baker and Taylor, 1891) 68.
[3] Pierson, Divine Enterprise, 321–22.
[4] A. T. Pierson, The Greatest Work in the World: The Evangelization of all Peoples in the Present Century (New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1891), 19.
[5] A. B. Simpson, The Coming One: What Scripture Teaches About the End Times (New York: Christian Alliance, 1902), 220–21.
[6] Simpson, The Coming One, 222.
[7] Lausanne Movement. “The Lausanne Covenant,” https://www.lausanne.org/content/covenant/lausanne-covenant#cov.
[8] William Hendricksen, Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew, NTC (Eerdmans, 1973), 855.
[9] Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew: A Commentary, 2 vols. (Eerdmans, 1990), 2:490–91.
[10] Craig A. Evans, “Mark’s Incipit and the Priene Calendar Inscription: From Jewish Gospel to Greco-Roman Gospel” in Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 1 (2000), 68–69.
[11] John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Eerdmans, 2005), 966–67.
[12] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Matthew and Mark (Baker, 1949), 254.
[13] Henry Alford, Alford’s Greek Testament: An Exegetical and Critical Commentary, 4 vols. (Baker, 1844–1857), 1:238.
[14] John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, and Luke, trans. William Pringle, 4 vols. (Edinburgh Printing Co., 1845), 3:128.
[15] BDAG, s.v. oikoumenē. See also Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew, NAC 22 (Nashville: Broadman, 1992), 357.
[16] R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (Eerdmans, 2007), 909.
[17] Adolf Schlatter, Der Evangelist Matthäus: Seine Sprache, sein Ziel, seine Selbständigkeit: Ein Kommentar zum ersten Evangelium (Stuttgart: Calwer, 1929), 702.
[18] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992) 602.
[19] R. T. France, The Gospel According to Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 339.
[20] J. Knox Chamblin, Matthew, A Mentor Commentary, 2 vols. (Ross-shire: Christian Focus Publications, 2010), 2:1174.
[21] Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Eerdmans, 1999), 572.
[22] Barnes, 254.
[23] W. F. Albright and C. S. Mann, Matthew, AB 26 (New York: Double Day, 1971), 293; Blomberg, Matthew, 356.
[24] Johann Albrecht Bengel, Gnomon of the New Testament, trans. Andrew Fausset, 5 vols. (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1858–1859) 1:430.
[25] Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, The Gospel of Matthew (Baker, 2010), 307.
[26] BDAG, s.v. telos.
[27] BDAG, s.v. sunteleia.
[28] France, The Gospel of Matthew, 909.
[29] N. T. Wright, “Paul’s Gospel and Caesar’s Empire” in Paul and Politics: Ekklesia, Israel, Imperium, Interpretation: Essays in Honor of Krister Stendahl, ed. Richard A. Horsley (Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2000), 182.
EMQ, Volume 57, Issue 1. Copyright © 2021 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.
