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.
-Matthew 24:14
Throughout the course of the centuries the gospel of the kingdom was preached all over the world. From the rise of the missionary works that flourished in Jerusalem that was started by the Apostles themselves, until the modern day civilization, the preaching of the gospel still lives on. This time, however, the gospel was widely preached and delivered faster than it was before. A wondrous sign that Jesus himself once revealed to his disciples as one of the anticipated event of his coming.
The Gospel shall be Preached Worldwide
It was in the 1st century A.D. when the Apostles started their missionary works to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven to all Jewish communities outside Palestine. Although, much of the known world was controlled by the Roman empire during those years, but they only traveled the areas where their Jewish brothers were dispersed. However, an unlikely event happened when Peter was commanded by God to preach the gospel to the household of the Roman centurion named Cornelius. He and the rest of his family was eventually baptized by the Holy Spirit and water. Since then, more missionaries started their ministry and preached the gospel not only to the Jewish communities but also to the Gentiles. Wherein the Apostle Paul was greatly known as one of the most accomplished missionary in the early days of Christianity.
After the days of the Apostles, the early churches designated elders or bishops whom they given the leadership on church administrations. The gospel during these days had already reached and widely circulated as far as Europe to the north and Ethiopia to the south. Due to the time constraints of traveling from one nation to another and the vastness of the land that covered the whole Christian communities, communication among churches became a major obstacle in spreading the gospel. That is why a great dissensions arose over some doctrinal matters among them. Thus, bishops of the churches often met to discuss and resolve their disagreements in several councils they invoked.
In the twilight of the middle ages, a great schism broke out in Europe, which was once controlled by the Holy Roman Empire. Prior to this event, the pope was revered to be infallible over doctrinal matters and by theocracy ruled much of Christendom. Later, many Christians came out of Catholicism. They were those who were discontented against the church's corruption and those who were disgusted of the Inquisition that claimed countless lives (John 16:2; Revelation 18:3-5). Majority of the victims were Christians, who were martyred and branded as heretics, both nobles and laity who opposed the papacy (Matthew 24:9). This event was then known as the Age of Reformation. Some of the Protestant movement moved to the New World to seek religious freedom, wherein the most notable of all was the Mayflower, that landed in Plymouth, Virginia. These settlers later became the founding fathers of Christianity in the west.
Preach the Gospel to the world.
In the days of modern civilization, Christianity was the most widely distributed religion of the world, for the legacy of the early Christian missionaries is still very alive today. Now that the unchartered regions of the world were finally explored, there is a need for more missionaries than ever before. Nevertheless, this problem was somehow resolved with the advancement of technology in which the message of the gospel can easily reached many people. The use of social media such as newspapers, radios, televisions and the internet made these things possible, reaching even the utmost part of the world.
A Witness to All Nations
The purpose of spreading the gospel is to bring everyone to the love of the Father through his Son, Jesus Christ. The same "good news" that was published to the whole world shall be the living witness in the judgment day, both for believers and unbelievers. Therefore, those men who rejected the gospel have no reason at all to complain in the great and terrible day of God's wrath.
The End Shall Come
The rise of technology and other means communication became the fulfillment of unveiling the mystery of this prophecy. It is not surprising at all to see such rapid advancement are unfolding before our own eyes, since all these things must come to pass. Thus, it fulfilled what is written in the Scriptures, that in the last days many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase (Daniel 12:24; 2 Timothy 3:1, 7) and then the end shall come.
Prophecy Status: Partially fulfilled and almost complete.
