Heralded Everywhere: HAS BEEN or IS BEING?

In Colossians 1:23, Paul writes about the Evangel that is being heralded in the entire creation under heaven. This statement sounds strange when you consider that Paul wrote these words only a few decades after Christ’s resurrection. That the Evangel was being heralded worldwide is certain, but that by then it had already been heralded everywhere is surprising.

When this Bible verse came up on the forum over the past few days and particular emphasis was placed on the completed tense, I first consulted – as always – the ISA program. To my surprise, I read there: “being proclaimed.” So: “is being proclaimed” rather than “has been proclaimed.” When I then looked further into the grammar, I discovered that the word “proclaim” in Colossians 1:23 is indeed NOT a perfect (completed tense) but an aorist. An aorist is a verb form that literally means “without horizon.” It points to “the bare fact,” without boundaries of time.

In other words: in Colossians 1:23, Paul points to the fact that, in his day, the Evangel is being heralded in the entire creation under heaven. This heralding was not completed in Paul’s day; on the contrary, it was still taking place everywhere.

And, for that matter, that is still the case today.

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