This gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world and then Jesus will come. So says Jesus in Matthew 24:14. Or does He? There is no doubt that the text seems to say so, and there is a great emphasis on this understanding in our Seventh-day Adventist church.
When Jesus came the first time the Jews thought they understood the scriptures. They had been studying them and knew them forward and backward. They thought they knew how the Messiah was supposed to come and what He would do when He arrived. They could quote them and did so on many occasions, including correctly directing the Wise Men to where Jesus was born.
Currently our church is seeking a revival and reformation. There is an emphasis on "Revival", which is stated as receiving the Holy Spirit so we can give the gospel in all the world and then Jesus can come again and take all who are ready to heaven.
In this chapter, and in other places where Jesus talks about His return to earth, He commands us to "take heed" that we are not deceived. We are commanded to "watch and pray". We are warned that love will die out, but that those who "endure" will be saved.
Jesus does not command us to preach the gospel so that the end can come. Rather we are commanded to Watch, to maintain our Love, and in this way Endure whatever the devil throws at us. It is in living the life Jesus lived that the gospel is preached. It is as people see how the kingdom life is lived that they are made aware of God and His plan for them.
Just as Jesus showed us the character of God, so we are called to show how the children of God live in this world as they prepare for the new world He is preparing for us.
