The Gospel heralds God’s kingdom and the time of the end

An egg always consists of the shell, the white, and the yolk. Anything less than that is not an egg. Similarly, the Gospel is about the arrival of God’s kingdom and the end of the age. Therefore, no one can claim to care only about the preaching of the Gospel without also caring about eschatology, which is the doctrine of the last days or, more commonly, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. See Matthew 24:14, Jesus Christ said.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Scripture never speaks of an end time, but the time of the end. See Daniel 12:1-4. Scripture said, “At that time shall arise, Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people [Jewish people]. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time [cf. Matt 24:21]. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt [cf. 1Co. 15:51-54; Rev 20:11-12]. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever [cf. Matt 13:41-43]. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Here is a presentation by R.C. Sproul gathered through the writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and that of the Roman historian Tacitus narrating the events leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. R.C. Sproul argued that the “last days” spoken in Scripture concerns not that of the world, but of the Jewish age.

See Christ’s Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24:1-34. Scripture said, “Jesus left the temple and was going away, when His disciples came to point out to Him the buildings of the temple. But He answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that He is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”

Jesus Christ spoke of His coming judgment upon Old Covenant Israel. Twice, He prophesied about the destruction of the Jewish temple (Matt 23:37-38; 24:1-2). Jesus said everything He said would occur within the generation of His then-living apostles (Matt 23:36-38; 24:33-34). It was indeed the last days of the Jewish age.

Oh! Incidentally, regarding God’s kingdom, Jesus Christ said, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.’” (Luk 17:20-21)

Reflect carefully. Check your Bible. Can you see now that it was a lie to believe in a future coming of Jesus Christ? Learn only from Scripture, not men’s writings. I have written repeatedly on this same topic arguing from the Scripture. R.C. Sproul offered the same thought but from an eyewitness account. That’s the purpose of this blog.

Peter, in the words of Acts 3:6, declared, “I possess neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, I offer you what I have.” Share freely, for you freely receive. Stay updated by heading to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Blessing!

Disclaimer: I do not endorse R.C. Sproul’s other video teachings. Just this one. Because his position agrees with the Scripture.