Itisfinished,
Just take a look at another verse from the Gospel. According to Matthew, the final words of Jesus before He ascended into heaven were "I am with you always, to the very end of the age." The "end of the age" means the end of the world, so Jesus promises to be with believers until the Second Coming, until the Final Judgment. Jesus promises to be with Christians until the world ends, not until the church is removed from the world.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
--Matthew 28:10-20 NIV
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
--Matthew 28:19-20 KJV
Commentators are quite clear on what this means. It means the Jesus Christ with be with the church and with all believers until the Final Judgment.
John Gill Commentary on Matthew 28:20
and lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world:
meaning, not merely to the end of their lives, which would be the end of the world to them; nor to the end of the Jewish world, or state, which was not a great way off, though this is sometimes the sense of this phrase;
but to the end of the world to come, the Gospel church state, which now took place; or to the end of the present world, the universe: not that the apostles should live to the end of it; but that whereas Christ would have a church and people to the end of the world, and the Gospel and the ordinances of it should be administered so long, and there should be Gospel ministers till that time; Christ's sense is, that he would grant his presence to them, his immediate disciples, and to all that should succeed them in future generations, to the end of time: and which is to be understood not of his corporeal presence, which they should not have till then, but of his spiritual presence; and that he would be with them, in a spiritual sense, to assist them in their work, to comfort them under all discouragements, to supply them with his grace, and to protect them from all enemies, and preserve from all evils; which is a great encouragement both to administer the word and ordinances, and attend on them.
Link to John Gill commentary
Matthew 28:20 Commentary - John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
Turning to
Matthew Henry's commentary on Matthew 28:
I am with you
to the end of the world, not with your persons, they died quickly, but,
First, With
you and your writings. There is a divine power going along with the scripture of the New Testament, not only preserving them in being, but producing strange effects by them,
which will continue to the end of time. Secondly, With you and your successors; with you and all the ministers of the gospel in the several ages of the church; with all to whom this commission extends, with all who, being duly called and sent, thus baptize and thus teach. When the end of the world is come, and the kingdom delivered up to God, even the Father, there will then be no further need of ministers and their ministration; but till then they shall continue, and the great intentions of the institution shall be answered.
Link to Matthew Henry commentary
Matthew 28 Commentary - Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete)
