The Meaning of Matthew 24:14 Explained

Matthew 24:14

KJV: 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.

YLT: and this good news of the reign shall be proclaimed in all the world, for a testimony to all the nations; and then shall the end arrive.

Darby: And these glad tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole habitable earth, for a witness to all the nations, and then shall come the end.

ASV: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Matthew 24:14 Mean?

Study Notes

world oikoumene = inhabited earth.
world
(Greek - οἰκουμένη = "inhabited earth)." This passage is noteworthy as defining the usual N.T. use of oikoumene as the sphere of Roman rule at its greatest extent, that is, of the great Gentile world-monarchies Daniel 2:7 . That part of the earth is therefore peculiarly the sphere of prophecy.
kingdom (See Scofield " Matthew 3:2 ") .
world oikoumene = inhabited earth.
world
(Greek - οἰκουμένη = "inhabited earth)." This passage is noteworthy as defining the usual N.T. use of oikoumene as the sphere of Roman rule at its greatest extent, that is, of the great Gentile world-monarchies Daniel 2:7 . That part of the earth is therefore peculiarly the sphere of prophecy.
kingdom
world
kingdom .
world oikoumene = inhabited earth.
world
(Greek - οἰκουμένη = "inhabited earth)." This passage is noteworthy as defining the usual N.T. use of oikoumene as the sphere of Roman rule at its greatest extent, that is, of the great Gentile world-monarchies Daniel 2:7 . That part of the earth is therefore peculiarly the sphere of prophecy.
world
kingdom .
world oikoumene = inhabited earth.
(Greek - οἰκουμένη = "inhabited earth)." This passage is noteworthy as defining the usual N.T. use of oikoumene as the sphere of Roman rule at its greatest extent, that is, of the great Gentile world-monarchies Daniel 2:7 . That part of the earth is therefore peculiarly the sphere of prophecy.

Verse Meaning

Another characteristic of this second half of the Tribulation period is that during those years the good news concerning the coming of the messianic kingdom will reach the ears of virtually everyone on earth. "And" ties this verse into the period in view in Matthew 24:9-13. The "gospel of the kingdom" is the same good news that John the Baptist, Jesus, and the disciples had preached, namely, that the kingdom was imminent ( Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17). Later revelation informs us that the144 ,000 Jewish missionaries that God will protect during the Tribulation will provide the leadership in this worldwide gospel proclamation ( Revelation 7:1-8; Revelation 14:1-5). Undoubtedly the message will be similar to the message John , Jesus, and the original disciples preached. They preached that people should get ready for the inauguration of the messianic kingdom by believing in the King, Jesus. Undoubtedly, too, some people will believe and others will not.
"For those who accept the message, entrance into the kingdom awaits. But eternal damnation accrues to those who refuse the gospel of the kingdom." [1]
"This is not exactly the same message the church is proclaiming today. The message preached today in the Church Age and the message proclaimed in the Tribulation period calls for turning to the Savior for salvation. However, in the Tribulation the message will stress the coming kingdom, and those who then turn to the Savior for salvation will be allowed entrance into the kingdom." [2]
"This verse does not teach that the Gospel of God"s grace must be spread to every nation today before Jesus can return for His church. It is the Lord"s return at the end of the age that is in view here." [3]
In answering the disciples" second question, Jesus explained that there would be many signs of His coming and the end of the present age. Wars, rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes would be relatively common occurrences ( Matthew 24:6-8). The signs would include the worldwide persecution of His disciples, the apostasy of some, the success of false prophets, and increased lawlessness (wickedness). The love of some disciples would cool, but others would persevere faithfully as the gospel would extend to every part of the earth ( Matthew 24:9-14). Then the end (of the Tribulation) would come ( Matthew 24:14; cf. Matthew 24:3).
"In general, these signs have been at least partially fulfilled in the present age and have characterized the period between the first and second coming of Christ." [4]
However, we should expect complete fulfillment in the future. Revelation 6-18 gives further information concerning this time.

Context Summary

Matthew 24:1-14 - Be Ready To Endure
Successive generations have pored over these words of our Lord with great eagerness, endeavoring to extract from them a clear forecast of the future. In the case of the early Christians, they warned them to flee to Pella, and in doing so, to escape the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. But to all of us they are full of instruction.
It is best to consider these paragraphs as containing a double reference. In the first place, up to Matthew 24:28, they evidently deal with the approaching fall of Jerusalem. Our Lord describes the events which were to mark the consummation of the age, Matthew 24:3, r.v., margin. Antichrists, disturbances of physical and national conditions, the persecutions which the infant Church must encounter, the progress of the gospel, and finally the swoop of the Roman eagles on their prey-all these were to mark the close of the Hebrew dispensation and the birth of the Christian Church. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 24

1  Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple;
3  what and how great calamities shall be before it;
29  the signs of his coming to judgment
36  And because that day and hour are unknown,
42  we ought to watch like good servants, expecting our Master's coming

Greek Commentary for Matthew 24:14

Shall be preached [κερυχτησεται]
Heralded in all the inhabited world. Εν οληι τηι οικουμενηι — En holēi tēi oikoumenēi supply γηι — gēi It is not here said that all will be saved nor must this language be given too literal and detailed an application to every individual. [source]
World [τῇ οἰκουμένη]
Lit., the inhabited. The whole habitable globe. Rev., in margin, inhabited earth. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 24:14

Luke 2:32 Gentiles [ἐθνῶν]
Assigned to the same root as ἔθω , to be accustomed, and hence of a people bound together by like habits or customs. According to biblical usage the term is understood of people who are not of Israel, and who therefore occupy a different position with reference to the plan of salvation. Hence the extension of the gospel salvation to them is treated as a remarkable fact. See Matthew 12:18, Matthew 12:21; Matthew 24:14; Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:45; Acts 11:18; Acts 18:6. Paul is called distinctively an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles, and a chosen vessel to bear Christ's name among them. In Acts 15:9; Ephesians 2:11, Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 3:6, we see this difference annihilated, and the expression at last is merely historical designation of the non-Israelitish nations which, as such, were formerly without God and salvation. See Acts 15:23; Romans 16:4; Ephesians 3:1. Sometimes the word is used in a purely moral sense, to denote the heathen in opposition to Christians. See 1 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 10:20; 1 Peter 2:12. Light is promised here to the Gentiles and glory to Israel. The Gentiles are regarded as in darkness and ignorance. Some render the words εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν , above, for the unveiling of the Gentiles, instead of for revelation. Compare Isaiah 25:7. Israel, however, has already received light by the revelation of God through the law and the prophets, and that light will expand into glory through Christ. Through the Messiah, Israel will attain its true and highest glory. [source]
Luke 2:1 The world [τὴν οἰκουμένην]
Lit., the inhabited (land )The phrase was originally used by the Greeks to denote the land inhabited by themselves, in contrast with barbarian countries; afterward, when the Greeks became subject to the Romans, the entire Roman world; still later, for the whole inhabited world. In the New Testament this latter is the more common usage, though, in some cases, this is conceived in the mould of the Roman empire, as in this passage, Acts 11:28; Acts 19:27. Christ uses it in the announcement that the Gospel shall be preached in all the world (Matthew 24:14); and Paul in the prediction of a general judgment (Acts 17:31). Once it is used of the world to come (Hebrews 2:5). [source]
John 1:9 The world [τὸν κόσμον]
As in John 1:3, the creation was designated in its several details by πάντα , all things, so here, creation is regarded in its totality, as an ordered whole. See on Acts 17:24; see on James 3:6. Four words are used in the New Testament for world: (1) γῇ , land, ground, territory, the earth, as distinguished from the heavens. The sense is purely physical. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
(2) οἰκουμένη , which is a participle, meaning inhabited, with γῆ , earth, understood, and signifies the earth as the abode of men; the whole inhabited world. See on Matthew 24:14; see on Luke 2:1. Also in a physical sense, though used once of “the world to come” (Hebrews 2:5). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
(3) αἰών , essentially time, as the condition under which all created things exist, and the measure of their existence: a period of existence; a lifetime; a generation; hence, a long space of time; an age, era, epoch, period of a dispensation. On this primary, physical sense there arises a secondary sense, viz., all that exists in the world under the conditions of time. From this again develops a more distinctly ethical sense, the course and current of this world's affairs (compare the expression, the times ), and this course as corrupted by sin; hence the evil world. So Galatians 1:4; 2 Corinthians 4:4. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
(4) κόσμος , which follows a similar line of development from the physical to the ethical sense; meaning (a) ornament, arrangement, order (1 Peter 3:3); (b) the sum-total of the material universe considered as a system (Matthew 13:35; John 17:5; Acts 17:24; Philemon 2:15). Compare Plato. “He who is incapable of communion is also incapable of friendship. And philosophers tell us, Callicles, that communion and friendship and orderliness and temperance and justice bind together heaven and earth and gods and men, and that this universe is therefore called Cosmos, or order, not disorder or misrule” (“Gorgias,” 508). (c) That universe as the abode of man (John 16:21; 1 John 3:17). (d) The sum-total of humanity in the world; the human race (John 1:29; John 4:42). (e) In the ethical sense, the sum-total of human life in the ordered world, considered apart from, alienated from, and hostile to God, and of the earthly things which seduce from God (John 7:7; John 15:18; John 17:9, John 17:14; 1 Corinthians 1:20, 1 Corinthians 1:21; 2 Corinthians 7:10; James 4:4). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
This word is characteristic of John, and pre-eminently in this last, ethical sense, in which it is rarely used by the Synoptists; while John nowhere uses αἰών of the moral order. In this latter sense the word is wholly strange to heathen literature, since the heathen world had no perception of the opposition between God and sinful man; between the divine order and the moral disorder introduced and maintained by sin. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

1 Timothy 2:6 To be testified in due time [τὸ μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις]
Lit. (gave himself a ransom) the testimony in its own times. That is, the gift of Christ as a ransom was to be the substance or import of the testimony which was to be set forth in its proper seasons. Thus μαρτύριον testimonyis in apposition with the whole preceding sentence, and not with ransom only. Μαρτύριον is used sometimes simply as witness or testimony (Matthew 8:4; Mark 6:11): sometimes specially of the proclamation of the gospel, as Matthew 24:14; Acts 4:33; 1 Thessalonians 1:10. The apostles are said, μαρτυρεῖν tobear witness, as eye or ear witnesses of the sayings, deeds, and sufferings of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:15). In 1 Corinthians 1:6, μαρτύριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ is practically = the gospel. In 2 Thessalonians 1:10, τὸ μαρτύριον ἡμῶν ἐφ ' ὑμᾶς ourtestimony among you is our public attestation of the truth of the gospel. The idea of witness is a favorite one with John. See John 1:7. The exact phrase καιροῖς ἰδίοις inits own times, only in the Pastorals, here, 1 Timothy 6:15; Titus 1:3. In Galatians 6:9 καιρῷ ἰδίῳ indue time. Comp. Galatians 4:4. [source]
2 Peter 3:12 Hasting unto [σπεύδοντας]
Wrong. Rev., earnestly desiring, for which there is authority. I am inclined to adopt, with Alford, Huther, Salmond, and Trench, the transitive meaning, hastening on; i.e., “causing the day of the Lord to come more quickly by helping to fulfil those conditions without which it cannot come; that day being no day inexorably fixed, but one the arrival of which it is free to the church to hasten on by faith and by prayer” (Trench, on “The Authorized Version of the New Testament”). See Matthew 24:14: the gospel shall be preached in the whole world, “and then shall the end come.” Compare the words of Peter, Acts 3:19: “Repent and be converted,” etc., “that so there may come seasons of refreshing” (so Rev., rightly); and the prayer,” Thy kingdom come.” Salmond quotes a rabbinical saying, “If thou keepest this precept thou hastenest the day of Messiah.” This meaning is given in margin of Rev. [source]
Revelation 14:6 To preach unto [εὐαγγελίσαι ἐπὶ]
Rev., proclaim, which is better, because more general and wider in meaning. Ἑπί which is omitted from the Rec. Tex. is over, throughout the extent of. Compare Matthew 24:14. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 24:14 mean?

And there will be proclaimed this - gospel of the kingdom in all the earth for a testimony to all the nations then will come the end
Καὶ κηρυχθήσεται τοῦτο τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ εἰς μαρτύριον πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν τότε ἥξει τὸ τέλος

κηρυχθήσεται  there  will  be  proclaimed 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: κηρύσσω  
Sense: to be a herald, to officiate as a herald.
τοῦτο  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
τὸ  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
εὐαγγέλιον  gospel 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: εὐαγγέλιον  
Sense: a reward for good tidings.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
βασιλείας  kingdom 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: βασιλεία  
Sense: royal power, kingship, dominion, rule.
οἰκουμένῃ  earth 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: οἰκουμένη  
Sense: the inhabited earth.
μαρτύριον  a  testimony 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: μαρτύριον  
Sense: testimony.
πᾶσιν  to  all 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
ἔθνεσιν  nations 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: ἔθνος  
Sense: a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together.
ἥξει  will  come 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἥκω  
Sense: to have come, have arrived, be present.
τέλος  end 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: τέλος  
Sense: end.