The Bible says when the word of God is preached throughout the whole world, then comes the end (Matthew 24:14). Now has the Word not yet been preached till the ends of the world?
To answer this question we need to look at the verse from which the question is derived. In this case there are two parallel verses.
- Matthew 24:14 reads, “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.”
- In Mark 13, Jesus’ disciples ask Him when the end will be. Among other signs, Jesus says that “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.” (Mark 13:10)
A people group
Our answer depends on how we define the word “nations.” The word “nation” as found in Matthew 24:14 is the Greek word “Ethnos.” The meaning of the word Ethnos may be best defined as a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus, or more simply put a people group.
If we think of the word nation as simply a geopolitical boundary then certainly the Gospel has been preached to every nation. However, the Biblical understanding is a people group. With this definition the task is far from over, since many nations house multiple people groups that live separate from each other and don’t have any contact with each other. To give just one example: Papua New Guinea has 840 living languages! Preaching the Gospel in one of these clearly does not reach all inhabitants.
A helpful resource
A resource that I have found very helpful is the Joshua Project. You can find the Joshua Project online. The address is www.joshuaproject.net On the site you will find information concerning unreached people groups. Moreover, GlobalRize regularly publishes a “ranking of the unreached”, which shows where in the world the number of Christians is lowest and where mission is most needed.