From the Wilderness
From the Wilderness
"Why the Final Frontiers of the Great Commission Matter"
The Ends of the Earth at the End of the Age
We have all heard the expression, “It’s not over until the fat lady sings.” It is often used as a colloquial caution when a situation appears to be nearing its end. For citizens of the Kingdom of God, we have our own familiar version, “It’s not over until Jesus returns!” When He returns, it will not be as an overweight singer belting out a closing refrain from an opera stage, but as the Lion of the tribe of Judah to tread the fury of the winepress of the wrath of God Almighty, and to strike down the nations with the sword of His mouth. When Jesus comes again He will bring this age to an end and establish the rule of His Kingdom from Jerusalem over all nations of the earth (Micah 4:1-3).
Although we, nor angels, or even Jesus himself knows the day or hour of His return, the Scriptures have given us a specific convergence of signs to look for, indicating the beginning of the end (Matthew 24, Luke 21). We will not discuss these things here, but rather touch on a few key passages and corresponding commands of Christ, to bring into focus the importance of the ends of the earth and their relation to the consummation of the end of the age.
In Matthew 24:14, Jesus makes a significant declaration about what must be accomplished before the end is to come. Speaking to his disciples on the Mount of Olives he 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.” What Jesus says is unequivocally clear. Before He returns, the Gospel of the Kingdom must first be proclaimed - to all tribes, to all languages, to all people groups, to every single ethnos of the world.
Fast forward forty days plus a few. Jesus is again on the Mount of Olives with the eleven. He has been crucified, buried and raised from the dead. Despite all that had occurred, the magnitude of what He last shared with them at this location a few weeks earlier was still clearly at the forefront of their minds. Again they asked when He would establish His Kingdom on earth, consummating the end of the age. Jesus’ answer to their question, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This was probably not the answer they were expecting! What do the ends of the earth have to do with the coming of the Kingdom?
For the last 2000 years, Jesus has been calling all nations back to himself, effectively reversing the scattering at Babel in Genesis 11 and fulfilling his unconditional promise to Abraham regarding all families of the earth in Genesis 12:1-3.
The ends of the earth matter because they directly correlate to the end of the age. The end of the age matters because this is when Christ returns. Christ returns when Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled. Undeniably, the Gospel of the Kingdom has progressively advanced from Jerusalem into all the world, just as Jesus said it would, only the final frontiers remain.
The ends of the earth matter because they directly correlate to the end of the age. The end of the age matters because this is when Christ returns. Christ returns when Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled.
When the Gospel of the Kingdom has reached the final ends of the earth, and the full number of people purchased by the blood of Christ from every tribe, tongue, and nation outside of Israel is complete, the partial hardening of Israel’s heart will be removed and all of Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25). Jesus will return, and this age will come to a terrifying and glorious end as the King of kings and Lord of lords rides with the armies of heaven to fulfill the final promise of the ages - His Kingdom come.
The birth pains of the end of the age are increasing in intensity and frequency (Matthew 24:8). Time is short. In this hour, it is all hands on deck. The final frontiers at the ends of the earth which remain must be reached, and they come with a costly price tag. In the words of John Piper, we all have three choices in this matter, “go, send or disobey.” May we all do our part to fearlessly obey the final six words of our King’s first coming, and in doing so, help speed his second - “to the ends of the earth.”
