{"id":1162,"date":"2012-03-23T13:46:32","date_gmt":"2012-03-23T18:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/emergentvillage\/?p=1162"},"modified":"2012-03-23T13:46:32","modified_gmt":"2012-03-23T18:46:32","slug":"was-the-gospel-preached-in-all-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/emergentvillage\/2012\/03\/was-the-gospel-preached-in-all-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Was the Gospel Preached in “All the World”?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Was the Gospel been preached to all the world? A Fulfilled Perspective <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re speaking with someone who is new to the topic of Fulfilled Eschatology, (or preterist theology, the understanding that all Bible prophecy, including Jesus\u2019 coming, was fulfilled by 70AD) there are many questions that come up. One frequent flyer is, \u201cDoesn\u2019t the Bible say that\u00a0 the Gospel must be preached to the whole world before the End and Jesus can come?\u201d<\/p>\n

And if I sense they\u2019re actually interested in learning something new to them, I gladly engage, \u201cYes! The Bible says that. But I no longer think it means what you\u2019re probably thinking\u2026\u201d It\u2019s true, the Bible does say that. In fact, it says it several times, in several ways.<\/p>\n

But the Bible also<\/em><\/strong> says something else that most Christians miss \u2013 even most pastors and theologians today. And it\u2019s something worth knowing. Would you believe that the Bible says the Gospel WAS PREACHED<\/span><\/em><\/strong> to the 1) WHOLE WORLD, to 2) ALL NATIONS, to 3) ALL THE WORLD, to 4) EVERY CREATURE UNDER HEAVEN and even to the 5) ENDS OF THE EARTH \u2014 all BEFORE<\/em> 70AD?<\/p>\n

Read it for yourself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Surprised?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This shows that, yes, Jesus\u2019 prophecy about the Gospel being preached to \u2018all the world\u2019 \u2013 as HIS AUDIENCE understood it \u2013 was fulfilled. But, like many misunderstood fulfilled prophecies, it was fulfilled according to the way THEY understood their terms, in 1st c Palestine, not the way WE define those same words today, in 21st c America. This is why it\u2019s important to remember original audience relevance. We must continue to try and put ourselves in their sandals and progress in our understanding of what THEY thought Jesus taught. We must continually ask, \u201cWhat did THEY think this meant? In what sense do THEY interpret this passage?\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Indeed, the Gospel had been preached to what THEY considered to be the whole world.<\/strong> And \u201cthe end\u201d that THEY were anticipating \u2013 that is, the end of the Old Covenant world<\/em> \u2013 came to pass, in 70AD, when the very center and symbol of that world, Temple and Jerusalem, were destroyed. <\/strong>This is why all the New Testament writers said the Last Days were back THEN<\/em>. They were not talking about the New Covenant age beginning with a pronouncement of last days of history or the world. What sense would that make? They were talking about the Last Days of the Old Covenant AGE<\/em>, which ended in 70AD.<\/p>\n

The \u201cend\u201d that Jesus said would come after the Gospel reached \u201call the land\u201d was a COVENANTAL END<\/em><\/strong>. It was the end of our redemption from the curse of Adam and the consummation of our New Relationship of life in God in the way of Jesus. This is why Jesus called it the \u201cEnd of the Age\u201d. He meant the \u2018End of the Old Covenant Age\u2019 that THEY were in, which was the age of keeping the Mosaic law, sacrifices, circumcision, kosher and incomplete atonement. <\/strong><\/em>That burdensome life was not the way it was meant to be. They dreamt of freedom, of complete atonement and peace with God. The hope of Israel was Exodus <\/em>and everything it stood for; to be resurrected from that age of bondage with, in and through their atoning Messiah.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

There is no reason, from the text<\/em> to believe that Jesus was ever talking about <\/em>the \u2018end of the world\u2019, neither in that passage, nor any other passage. Despite poor Bible translations which misinterpret \u2018end of the age\u2019 for \u2018end of the world\u2019, a look at the Greek reveals that Jesus was always talking about the end of the Old Covenant AGE \u2013 NOT the material world.<\/em> Jesus was anticipating a new world order, a new spiritual reality, a Kingdom of God\u2019s children finally at peace with God, FREE <\/strong>from Mosaic law and sacrifice. We are citizens of that Kingdom now<\/em>. That Old Covenant age passed away with a roar and flames of fire at the destruction of the Temple. And this happened <\/strong><\/em>just as<\/em> and when<\/em> Jesus said it would in his Olivet Discourse \u2014 TO that first generation of saints to whom<\/em> the New Testament teaching was delivered (Mt 24, Mk 13, Lk 21). Once again, original Hebrew audience relevance and context are key to understanding what kind of \u201cend\u201d and what scope of \u201cworld\u201d THEY were talking about. \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Does a fulfilled view of this prophecy negate one\u2019s desire to share the Gospel in the wider world today? Of course not, as evidenced by the powerful and prolific ministries of people with a fulfilled view. But it effects our motivation and our message. We don\u2019t need to act as if we\u2019re sharing God with people to hasten a mysteriously \u201cdelayed\u201d coming of Jesus. (As if good news is telling people that they get to wait indefinitely with us for something good or awful that may or may not ever occur in their lifetime. How is that good news?). Instead, we can joyfully and confidently go forth sharing a returned, presen<\/strong>t and reliable Jesus<\/strong>; One who is HERE WITH US right now. <\/strong>One who has glorified us as Sons and Daughters. One in whose resurrection life we live and move. One who is working in and through us amidst the ups and downs of life on earth NOW<\/em>. We can be confident in this because He did what He said He would do\u2026 and when<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Riley O\u2019Brien Powell<\/p>\n

For more from a Fulfilled perspective, see LivingtheQuestion.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Was the Gospel been preached to all the world? A Fulfilled Perspective When you\u2019re speaking with someone who is new to the topic of Fulfilled Eschatology, (or preterist theology, the understanding that all Bible prophecy, including Jesus\u2019 coming, was fulfilled by 70AD) there are many questions that come up. One frequent flyer is, \u201cDoesn\u2019t the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,54,237,26],"tags":[95,1100,1105,301,55,302,1097],"class_list":["post-1162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-2","category-eschatology","category-evangelism","category-theology","tag-bible","tag-eschatology","tag-evangelism","tag-fulfilled-eschatology","tag-preterism","tag-realized-kingdom","tag-theology"],"yoast_head":"\nWas the Gospel Preached in "All the World"?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Was the Gospel been preached to all the world? 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