THE GOOD NEWS

Matthew 24:14  “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.”

As we in Mark 16:15, Jesus Christ commissioned His Church to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God in all the world.

Here in Matthew 24:14 Jesus gives a prophecy of the effects of that preaching in the end time just before His return to save humanity from self-destruction (Matthew 24:21-22).

“A witness” here can mean “testimony” or “a declaration of facts”. The word is neutral—it can include both giving a message of hope and a message of warning. “The Gospel will bring either salvation or a curse, depending on how it is received” ( Matthew 24:14).

The “end” Jesus referred to is the end of this evil age of human misrule. When it ends, something much better will come in its place—the peaceful Kingdom of God.

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. (Romans 13:12)

• This is a word of hope to suffering Christians.
• It’s a word of hope to Christians who hate their own sin and long to be done with sinning.
• It’s a word of hope to Christians who long for the last enemy death to be overcome and thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).

How is it a word of hope for all these?

“The night” stands for this age of darkness and all its sin and misery and death. And what does Paul say about it? “The night is far gone.” The age of sin and misery and death is almost spent.

The key way it is different is that the day has dawned in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the end of this fallen age. He defeated sin and pain and death and Satan. The decisive battle is over. The kingdom has come. Eternal life has come.  Amen