The end-time sign–the establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948–was observable to anyone with an elementary knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. However, a most important sign produced by the Lord a decade earlier was, and continues to be missed by both the churched and the unchurched world.  Jesus prophesied this sign in Matthew 24:14 when He said: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, then the end shall come.” The fulfillment of this globally-recognizable sign was not possible until the invention of the radio. Then came television and the internet which greatly expedited the Truth dissemination process. Only in relatively modern times was the true gospel (good news) of the coming Kingdom of God sent into every nation on earth. Beginning in the mid-1930’s, the gospel preached by Jesus and His apostles began to be heard around the world. Not since around 70 A.D. had the world heard the gospel of Jesus preached. This was the gospel (good news) of (about) the Kingdom of God, not the gospel about Jesus Himself, which He neither preached nor instructed His ministers to preach. It was during the 1930’s that the world once again heard the gospel of the Kingdom of God as Herbert W. Armstrong began to broadcast the Lord’s Truth globally via radio and later by television. Today those speaking the same message of the kingdom continue the work commanded by the Lord using all of the venues God makes available. Because the message is carried over the air, even people living in the most restrictive nations such as North Korea, Cuba and China can hear the Truth preached. True to form, Satan uses his ministers, speaking the various messages of his religious system–Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, etc.–to drown out the Lord’s Truth. Foreseeing this, Jesus said in Matthew 7:13,14 that only a “few” earnest God-seekers would “find” His strait gate, “strive” to enter it then walk its narrow way, thereby qualifying to  join Him in His Father’s earthly kingdom. Jesus said that only those who “…. overcome (Satan) as I (Jesus) overcame (him) shall sit with me on My throne” in the kingdom (Rev. 3:21). Those few who search out His church, strive to enter it and walk its difficult way to the end will be saved (Mat. 10:22).

It is important at this point for the reader to understand the difference between God’s gospel (good news) about His kingdom and the church’s gospel about Jesus Christ. The Institutional Church lost track of the Lord’s gospel some 2000 years ago when ministers began to preach about the person of Jesus and not about His Words. It is His Word we are to speak and write about. We are never told to preach or teach about Jesus Himself. In order to emphasize this Truth Jesus said that He Himself would not judge mankind, but that His WORDS would judge all who ever lived (Jn. 12:48). We are told that Jesus “went about, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God” (Mat. 4:23). Following His resurrection Jesus returned to earth where, for 40 days, He taught His disciples “the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). It was “… this gospel of the kingdom,” not a gospel about Himself, that would be preached throughout the world as a witness just before He returned (Mat. 24:14). L.J.