“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness UNTO ALL NATIONS (capitals mine); and then shall the end come.”
Matthew 24:14
When Jesus gave His disciples the command to preach the gospel to the entire world and once that was done it would be a precursor to the End Times. We now know it wasn’t just 12 apostles who personally went out and told all the nations what He said. Rather, it was also what they wrote with His (via the Holy Spirit) influence on their teachings. Thus the New Testament was born! The New Testament, along with the previously existing Old Testament (Torah), gave the entire world God’s message of Salvation.
“And he said unto them, Go ye into ALL THE WORLD (capitals mine), and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Mark 16:15
So, if Jesus was speaking to more than the 12 disciples who lived in the first century AD to go out and preach to every creature in the world, who else was He talking to? I believe His message to each, and every disciple was to write the Bible as we know it and, yes, to tell all possible about His sacrifice for our sins and our ability to be redeemed only through faith in Him. But it went further than that. As Christians we cannot simply sit back and wait for our pastor, priest or minister to tell others what we know. We are also told to tell others what He, through the disciples AND His Holy Word, the Bible, what it takes in order to be saved and to be able to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We should not be worried about life in this world but instead go out and “…preach the kingdom of God.”
“Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:60
What exactly did Jesus say we should preach? He tells us everything we need to know in a number of Bible verses!
“And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Acts 10:42-43
“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with the wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”
1 Corinthians 1:17
We are also warned what happens if we DON’T tell others!
“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”
1 Corinthians 9:16
And I personally take the following Scripture seriously.
“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:”
Ephesians 3:8-9
If we have already been Raptured, God has not given up on those remaining alive on the earth. He will get His Message out ONE LAST TIME!
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, SAYING WITH A LOUD VOICE, FEAR GOD, AND GIVE GLORY TO HIM; FOR THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGEMENT IS COME: AND WORSHIP HIM THAT MADE HEAVEN, AND EARTH, AND THE SEA, AND THE FOUNTAINS OF WATER (capitals mine).”
Revelation 14:6-7
So, do you agree with me and Romans 1:16?
“So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Romans 1:16
What gives us the power and authority to preach God’s Word to others? I found the very interesting story below that I believe applies to each and every one of us today who believe. I apologize that I did not get the name of the author and hope someone can tell me so I can give proper credit for their words very well said!
Hudson Taylor said, “All God’s giants are weak people … God uses ordinary people with shortcomings and weaknesses who are willing to trust God.” I know it sounds upside down, but that’s the way it works. If you were to select twelve guys to turn the world upside down, would you have picked the same twelve Jesus picked? Imagine if Jesus submitted the resumes of His twelve to a modern-day HR department. The results might read like the following letter I came across.
“To: Jesus, Son of Joseph. Woodcrafter’s Shop. Nazareth.
From: Jordan Management Consultants. Jerusalem.
Subject: Staff Aptitude Test.
Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you’re considering for management positions in your new organization. All of them have taken our battery of tests, the results of which we’ve run through sophisticated computer analyses. We’ve also arranged personal interviews for each candidate with our psychologist and vocational-aptitude consultant.
It is our staff’s unanimous opinion that most of the nominees are lacking in qualifications for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. We recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience and managerial ability and proven capability.
We find that Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. He seems far too impulsive to be put in a position of oversight. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The brothers James and John place personal interest above company loyalty. And they seem to be impatient with others. Due to this impatience and ambition, they could one day become disgruntled employees.
Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that could tend to undermine morale. We feel it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau.
In closing, one of the candidates shows great potential. He is a man of ability, resourcefulness, and ambition. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your comptroller and right-hand man. All the other profiles are self-explanatory.
Sincerely yours,
Jordan Management Consultants, Jerusalem” (Source of story unknown)
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong and the base things of the world and the despised that no man should boast before God.” 1 Corinthians 1:28-29
God chose the bottom of the rung, the ones with no bragging rights. He doesn’t choose perfect people but the inadequate, the weak and lowly. God doesn’t use stained-glass saints. He uses the unqualified to do the impossible. If you feel foolish, weak, or ordinary, welcome to the club. The things you think disqualify you actually qualify you. And if you think God couldn’t use you after what you’ve done, think again.
I humbly submit I am NOT intending to boast! When I started www.comfortoneanother.com in January 2017, my intent was to simply attempt to let others know through a non-denominational point of view what the Bible tells us about those MANY things coming during these Last Days. Most admit the Church today does not do a thorough job educating their congregations what over one fourth of the Bible tells us to be looking for. Remove prophecy and a 1,405-page Bible becomes a 1,018-page Book.
But there is a major interest by many in Bible prophecy, especially as we see so many things converging together today. Someone needs to educate others if our pastors will not. So far (and I put myself into the category above that would not be recommended by the Jordan Management Consultants to work for Jesus) my articles have now been read by hundreds of thousands of people in 186 countries (today the UN recognizes 195 countries). How in the world do people in Iran, North Korea, China, Russia, etc. even get their hands on my articles? Only God knows but I pray that He continues in making this outreach possible.
What can you to do to be “…a witness UNTO ALL NATIONS (capitals mine); and then shall the end come.” and help facilitate the Return of Jesus Christ? If my message today causes just TWO people in the world to tell others, and each of those two tomorrow tell two more each (4), and then on day 3 the number rises to 8, do you know how long it would take to reach 9 billion people in the world? Less than 30 days! AND, as I was doing the calculation on my computer, I realized it is not that everyone starting today must tell 2 EACH day for the next 30 days. No, you only have to tell two today and get the two you tell that they only need to tell two each, and so on. Incredible! It is that fast we can all preach His Message to the entire world. If you only share/like this article on Facebook or Linkedin, or forward it as an email to your friends and ask them to do the same, we can preach His Word and Promise of eternal salvation to the entire world in one month!
Hopefully by reading the Scriptures above you will recognize spreading Jesus’s message of Salvation was not solely put on the shoulders of 12 “inadequate” disciples. The Holy Spirit works through all of us to get His Word out. To know we can have that profound of a result is comforting. If you agree, we should all feel compelled to do as we are ALL told to do and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”.
May God Bless you as we anxiously await the Holy Spirit encouragement to tell others the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.