Not That Kind of Apocalypse

Recently, some friends from The Gateway Project visited our church and shared a beautiful insight I had never heard before (don’t worry, I’ll explain who they are in a second). It was based on something Jesus says in Matthew 24, a chapter often used to predict the apocalypse, freak people out, and make really dramatic YouTube thumbnails.

But there’s one specific sign Jesus mentions that actually triggers the end. And it’s not earthquakes. Or wars. Or blood moons.

Here’s the real key:

“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

—Matthew 24:14

See it? Not the disasters. Not the famines. Not the antichrist with a barcode scanner. The thing that ushers in the end is… good news (meaning of the word “gospel” FYI).

The Real Plot Twist: It’s Always Been About Love

Here’s what struck me: we often read Matthew 24 with a doom-and-gloom lens. But Jesus is pointing to a Kingdom message that transforms hearts—not terrorizes them.

Let’s bring back what we explored in Part I: the Gospel is more than a message about getting out of hell. It’s the story of our redemption into the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit…the restoration of our original design. It’s the truth that we were always meant for communion, for union, and for joy.

This good news changes everything. When you receive it in your heart—really let it take root—you stop living like a spiritual orphan. You stop performing, striving, and living out someone else’s broken script. And guess what happens when millions of people start awakening to their true story?

The whole world starts to shift.

Ethnos, Not Borders

So Jesus says the good news will be preached to “all the nations” before the end comes. But the word used here isn’t about geopolitical borders (which are always shifting anyway). The word is ethnos—it means people groups, unique cultural-linguistic families within the nations.

Take India, for example. It’s one nation politically, yet it contains over 2,000 ethnos. And many of those groups still haven’t heard the Gospel. Not the real Gospel, the one that says you were always loved.

The 10/40 Window

This is where The Gateway Project comes in. Missiologists refer to a part of the globe known as the 10/40 Window—a rectangular region stretching from West Africa to East Asia, between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator. It’s home to most of the world’s unreached people groups, especially in places like the Middle East, India, and parts of Southeast Asia.

The Gateway Project was born with one focus: bring the real Gospel of the Kingdom to these places. In that sense, it’s an eschatological ministry—meaning it’s not just about missions, it’s participating in the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy.

We’re not just watching for the end… We’re part of hastening it. (Yes, that’s biblical—see 2 Peter 3:12.)

A “Gateway” Hotel (You Can’t Make This Stuff Up)

Let me take you back to 2022. I had the honor of attending the launch of The Gateway Project in Bangkok, Thailand, where a hub was being established to train missionaries and families to carry the Good News to unreached ethnos.

There’s a whole backstory to this trip, but I’ll skip ahead to the divine wink moment.

My friend Alex Seidler, who oversees Gateway, booked us a completely random hotel for our stay. It seemed normal enough—we were in and out all week. Nothing seemed especially “Christian” about it.

Until one night.

We had to take a taxi back to the hotel, and…let’s just say our driver was mostly blind (not exaggerating), and the situation got sketchy. We bailed and decided to walk back.

This detour led us around the back of the hotel—and that’s when we saw it.

A giant Christian cross, lit up at the top of the building, broadcasting the Gospel into the city skyline. It had been there all along, we just never saw it because we were always coming in from the front. (There’s probably some prophetic message there but I’ve got too much more to type, so I’ll leave it.)

Now remember: Thailand has very few Christians, and the Gospel has been very slow to take root here. So this was already wild. But it gets even crazier.

We went to the hotel’s website, curious now. And under the “History” section, we found a hidden gem. The hotel states that it is a located at the gateway to the entire city. It then goes on to say that their desire to provide hospitality and rest echos the call to bring people back to the place of original blessing found in Eden. 

I had just preached on Original Blessing.

Our jaws dropped. Stunned silence. The group of us just stared at our phones like, Did that really just say that?

It was another “August 16, 1987” moment. Only this time, it was a group experience—and we were absolutely, unequivocally flabbergasted. There’s not a better word.

Note: The terminology “original blessing” is not a common one at all. Everyone is much more familiar with its sinister cousin “original sin”; however, original blessing speaks to the glorious realities that came way before the Fall and will endure long after.

Confirmation from the Other Side of the World

Why was this moment so powerful?

Because back in 2017, on my first trip to Asia, the Lord had spoken something profound to my heart about original blessing and the vision for the 10/40 window. And now, five years later, I’m standing outside a hotel I didn’t choose, in a city I’d never been to, with a cross towering overhead—and a mission statement that echoes what I’d carried all along.

God’s fingerprints were all over it.

But as we prepare to enter Part III, I want to leave you with this thought:

God’s plan has never been to abandon the earth while the Church beams up to some cosmic mother ship. His heart is restoration. His vision is Eden restored. His mission is to bring all people back into the divine dance they were made for.

So when Jesus said the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached to all ethnos, I believe He meant it would be received to the point of entire nations being transformed and set free.

Now, I get it. A lot of people assume this prophecy means the Gospel will be presented to all groups, but that most will reject it, leading to a final cataclysm.

But…can we pause for a moment?

The first time Jesus came, people had all kinds of expectations for what the Messiah would do. They thought He’d overthrow Rome, flex divine power, and fulfill every prophecy their way. When He came lowly and full of mercy, they missed it—even though they were quoting Scripture the whole time.

Could it be that His second coming may also carry surprises?

Could the end actually be about the beginning?

Could the “final judgment” actually be a sweeping restoration of what was lost?

One More Story Before We Go…

If this is all a bit much, or if you’re still on the fence, I get it. All I ask is that you hold this gently and prayerfully.

Because in Part III, I’m going to share one last story. One that brings together original blessing, the nations, and the return of Christ in a way that might just flip the table on what you thought you knew.

Are you ready?

Go to Part III: Silk Roads and Spirit Winds

And you can click here for the Avana Hotel “History” mentioned above.