The Gospel of the Kingdom in the Tribulation Period

For those who hold a Biblical worldview, it is obvious that mankind’s darkest hour will soon fall upon the world.  I speak, of course, of the Tribulation Period.  Although God’s undiluted wrath will be poured out upon the earth, what we also bear witness to in the Scriptures is the fact He will also shine His glorious light on the world as His message of the impending Millennial Kingdom is shared to all people. 

Although Matthew 24:14 is often used by mission organisations to support the goal of their ministry, the reality is that this verse has a Tribulation Period context.  It reads: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.  What is the “gospel of the kingdom”?  Dr J. Dwight Pentecost explains: “The gospel of the kingdom as preached in the Tribulation will have two emphases. On the one hand it will announce the good news that Messiah’s advent is near, at which time He will introduce the messianic age of blessing. On the other hand it will also offer men salvation by grace through faith based upon the blood of Christ.” 

During the Tribulation Period, those who receive Christ by faith and survive to see His return will be counted amongst the sheep who appear before Jesus at the sheep and goat judgement (Matthew 25:31-46).  The purpose of the sheep and goat judgement is to determine who of the people living at the time of the King’s return will inherit the Kingdom and who will be cast into eternal punishment. But since the church will not be present during the Tribulation Period, who will tell the world the good news?  Well, the Book of Revelation tells us that God will raise up 144,000 Jewish evangelists—bondservants of the Lord (Revelation 7:3).  A bondservant, “doulos” in the Greek, is a person whose will is consumed by the will of their master.  This means that the Jewish evangelists have no personal aspirations of their own, neither will they be distracted by the pleasures and treasures of the world. They will be completely dedicated to their mission to share the good news of the Kingdom throughout the world.

At the aforementioned sheep and goat judgement, Jesus details the conditions for entry into the Kingdom.  He says to the sheep in Matthew 25:34-36: Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”  Since the righteous did not do any of that for Jesus personally, they ask Him to clarify!  He responds in Matthew 25:40: And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” 

Although we commonly refer to this portion of Scripture as the sheep and goat judgement, there are actually three groups of people in view: sheep, goats and the Lord’s brethren.  The sheep are easily identifiable, as are the goats.  But who are the Lord’s brethren?  It seems best to say that the Lord’s brethren consist of the godly remnant of Israel that will proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom to every nation of the world.  In other words, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists.  Well-known Bible commentator, Merrill Unger, also sees it this way: “That the Lord’s brothers endured hunger, thirst, homelessness, nakedness, sickness, and imprisonment suggests their fidelity to their newfound Saviour and Lord.  They proved their willingness to suffer for Him amid the terrible persecutions and trials of the Tribulation through which they passed.  They proved their loyalty to their King.  He attests His identity with them.”               

What is interesting is that the relationship Christ claims with the Jewish evangelists is similar to that which God claimed with Israel in the Hebrew Bible.  In what is perhaps one of the most moving expressions of the compassionate love of God, Isaiah 63:9 says: In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them all the days of old.  Isaiah reveals something of the nature of God that many people do not consider—that in the afflictions of His people, He is afflicted also.  Therefore, take heed all who would call themselves Christians and yet engage in antisemitism.  When the Jewish people are persecuted and afflicted, the LORD is also! 

Though they will clearly suffer much, it is through the ministry of these faithful evangelists that all the peoples of the world will hear the good news of the Kingdom.  None will be able to say they did not hear (Matthew 24:14).  As I said earlier, though often applied to this age, Matthew 24:14 does not teach that the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24) must be spread to every single person before Jesus returns for His Bride.  Nevertheless, that should not lead us to stop sharing the gospel.  We are thankful that God will continue to make His way of salvation known in the Tribulation Period, but we must continue the work we are called to do right now.  As one of my old pastors used to say, “We need to be a going church for a coming Lord.”