The End of The Age

In Matthew 24, when Jesus was asked about the “end of the age,” He answered with descriptions of tribulation, and told them that the one who endured to the end would be saved. Then He said that the gospel of the Kingdom would be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end would come. “The end,” was not clearly explained or defined in the narrative. He did mention the passing away of Heaven and earth, but did not directly connect the timing of their passing with “the end.” He simply contrasted their temporal nature with the eternal nature of His words.

In Revelation 21, the appearance of a new Heaven and a new earth is described after unbelievers are thrown into the lake of fire. It is easy to guess that scene could be the end of an age. Literally, then, when the good news of His Kingdom has been preached in all the world, and the end can come, “the end” of this age may be a transition into the next age. What we are responsible for preaching has locked into it the timing of the ages. No matter how many signs of the tribulation appear and move on in how many ages, then, the timing of the end may be in our hands. The implication, however, is that it should be on our lips.

We have not preached the gospel about salvation to all the world yet. We have only begun in recent years to take up the abandoned practice of preaching the Kingdom. If we play around in any fashion that resembles how pitifully we have preached salvation, we could perhaps keep Jesus at bay from returning for many more decades or even centuries.