The Gospel has been preached in all the world already, according to the Apostle Paul. The way that the King James Version bible translated Matthew 24:14 has misled many Christians in their expectations of a still future literal return of Jesus.
According to the KJV, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14
Thus, year after year, much emphasis is given in the measurement of the spread of the gospel among the nations of the globe. Christians believe that when this has been accomplished, then the ‘end will come’ and Jesus will finally return after his 2000 year absence.
Once more the KJV has misled Christians
However, when we look at the original greek word which the KJV has rendered as ‘world’, we can see the shocking truth of what Jesus was really talking about.
What Jesus actually said was that the preaching of the gospel in all the ‘Oikoumene’ was a sign that the end had come. However, ‘Oikoumene’ does not mean the entire globe! What is the meaning of ‘Oikoumene’?
