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Babylonian Empire which in the LXX reads te oikoumene hole (Isa. 13:11;
14:17). With these passages before us taken from Scripture, and from
writings during Bible times, other places where oikoumene is used, begin to
assume a somewhat different appearance, and must refer to a much more
restricted area than is often imagined.
If the gospel of the kingdom is to be preached 'in all the world' for a
witness unto all nations, before 'the end' comes, then centuries must roll
their weary way before that blessed consummation is reached.* But if Matthew
24:14 limits this preaching to all the nations that make up the oikoumene,
the area ruled over by Rome and Babylon, no problem arises. So when Christ
was shown 'all the kingdoms of the world' (Luke 4:5) it is reasonable to
interpret the second occurrence of oikoumene in the light of the most evident
meaning of the first occurrence in Luke (2:1), Christ was shown the 'world'
that was ruled over by the successors of Nebuchadnezzar in the image of
Daniel 2, and did not include America or Australia.
*
See the statistics given by the Wycliffe Translation Society.
In order that every reader shall have full opportunity of testing this
matter, we provide a concordance to oikoumene in the New Testament:
Matt
24:14
shall be preached in all the world.
Luke
2:1
that all the world should be taxed.
Luke
4:5
all the kingdoms of the world.
Luke
21:26
which are coming on the earth.
Acts
11:28
dearth throughout all the world.
Acts
17:6
turned the world upside down.
Acts
17:31
in the which He will judge the world.
Acts
19:27
all Asia and the world worshippeth.
Acts
24:5
among all the Jews throughout the world.
Rom.
10:18
their words unto the ends of the world.
Heb.
1:6
the first begotten into the world.
Heb.
2:5
not put in subjection the world to come.
Rev.
3:10
which shall come upon all the world.
Rev.
12:9
which deceiveth the whole world.
Rev.
16:14
kings of the earth and of the whole world.
'The world to come' (Heb. 2:5) is the oikoumene, and there are
indications in this chapter of Hebrews that the sphere of this dominion is
purposely limited. For example, this world to come is contrasted with some
earlier rule exercised by 'angels' (Heb. 2:5), and Adam is spoken of as being
made a little lower than the angels (Heb. 2:7), and when the apostle returns
to the comparison in verse 16, he does not say, as we might have expected,
'for verily He took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him (the
nature of) the seed of Adam', it says, 'the seed of Abraham', thereby
suggesting a less extensive dominion 'under His feet' (Heb. 2:8) than is
revealed in Ephesians 1:21,22 where the word oikoumene could not have been
used.
Before we shall be in a position to come to a Scriptural conclusion, we
shall have to consider the teaching of the Old Testament, and the connecting
link will be the use of oikoumene in the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint
version and the Hebrew words that are so translated.At the moment everything
we have seen points to the conclusion that the prophetic earth is limited to
the lands ruled over by Nebuchadnezzar and his successors until the rupture