Christ’s Overview for the End Time Years
Parallel accounts in Mark 13 and Luke 21
Jesus’ disciples Peter, James, John and Andrew ask Him what will be the sign of His coming and the end of the age.
For many years, especially since the end of World War I, the things Jesus mentions in verses 5 through 8 have been, to one degree or another, a part of our world scene. In recent years there has been an intensity of activity. Jesus’ comments in Matthew also refer to a period of extreme world upset during the end time.
In Matthew 24:4, Jesus answers and warns the disciples and future believers first and foremost to take heed that no one deceives them. The warning is to be aware, on guard and vigilant, to pay attention to and notice what’s going on around them. The word could have been “regard,” which means to observe, mark, watch, give attention to and contemplate.
For a true Christian, the main concern is not to allow oneself to be deceived and lied to. If the truth slips away, then the future cannot be discerned and understood.
Jesus states in verse 5: “Many will come in My name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Although we have had, for many hundreds of years false teachers preaching the Jesus of their imaginations and their biased understanding of Scriptures, it seems that in this verse Christ intends for us to understand that in the end times there will also be those who preach an inaccurate and incomplete Messiah. Certain of these false leaders and teachers could very well be of God’s church – men who have an opinion of truth that they hold as correct and will not humble themselves and believe the words Jesus spoke that define and establishes all the truth of God.
Verses 6 through 8 read: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
Here Christ focuses on wars, rumors of wars, famine, pestilence and earthquakes – these things being the beginning of sorrows. All of these things have always been a part of mankind’s history. Jesus is telling us here that in the end time years these things will escalate and fill the earth as never before.
In parts of Africa today, tens of hundreds of thousands of people have been slaughtered. Drought has caused widespread crop failures. The corrupt governments of these destitute nations withhold food and medical aid for political gain and simply out of hatred. Gifts of money, grants and loans that are given specifically to aid the suffering people are taken and pocketed for personal use by insensitive, selfish and corrupt government “officials.”
Disease and infection are rampant in many African nations. Children and babies die at a rate of 500 to 1,000 per day. The prospects for much higher tolls are just weeks and months away. Several countries are so severely infected with AIDS that in some areas, 25 to 30 percent of the children are orphans. As much as half of the adult population could be lost in the next 10 to 15 years.
In time, all of these things and more will make their way to the prosperous western world and increasingly to the eastern nations. God’s delayed judgment will visit itself especially upon His chosen people, for their rebellious and evil ways. So write the prophets.
Verse 9 says: “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”
In the end time, true Christians will be caught in tribulation and persecution. Many will suffer and some will die. At some point, the “new world order,” as formed and directed by the antichrist, will have identified the true believers in the Messiah as a problem and a threat.
Jesus’ comments in verse 10 are unsettling: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.”
It appears that even among various church organizations, groups and individuals, there will be betrayal and hatred. As many see things come to a head, doctrinal and philosophical differences will become much more apparent. Fear, lack of understanding and faith will cause many to turn on each other. Those matters that are not clearly understood and agreed to doctrinally are perceived as a threat, which generates fear, anger and hatred.
Verse 11 continues: “And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.”
As national tribulation comes closer, there will be false prophets and teachers among many of the established Christian religions, as there has always been.
It is appreciated that certain of the verses in Matthew, which quote Jesus, can be understood as applying to the longstanding Christian organizations of the world. However, these words of Christ are primarily directed to those who have a more complete knowledge of the true God, His Son and the law of Moses. Many of these people are probably converted, many others have come to see the truth of Jesus’ words and those of the prophets. These people, for any number of reasons, are uncertain and somewhat confused. The ground, in a sense, is fertile for the false teachers and deceivers. These false teachers seek to gain a following for themselves for purely selfish reasons. These self-deluded would-be leaders will have a message of submission that signifies that if you become a part of us and believe what we believe, then you will have an opportunity for salvation. Of course, that is foolish and of a cultish nature.
Verses 12 and 13: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
These words certainly have application for the world, but they seem to have a specific utilization for God’s end time people. Verse 13 goes on to tell us that only those who endure to the end shall be saved. This is a cleansing and sorting time for God’s people and His church.
Verse 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
This verse has been greatly misunderstood. The questions of who and when is supremely important and is covered in the Two Witnesses study paper.
Verses 15:20 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel, let the reader understand then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.”
This complex, involved and exciting set of prophecies are very exact in their nature. The Place of Safety presentation looks at all the related Old and New Testament Scriptures and organizes and details the story flow so the reader will readily discern that God is not causing things to be written in a mysterious and hard to understand manner, but rather, with some thought and study, every event comes into being in a logical and common sense way.
The problem is, and always has been, that men desire to form their own ideas and opinions of what they believe the intent of Scripture is, especially the words of the Messiah. All that is necessary is for one to understand the simplicity of Scripture – to believe the recorded words of Christ, the prophets and the apostles.
Verses 21 and 22: “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
The great tribulation being spoken of here has two parts. The first has to do with famine, disease and war coming to the house of Jacob and Judah. “Jacob” or Israel in prophecy is a general biblical term referring often times to the English speaking peoples of the world today. America, being the foremost among these nations. “Judah” in prophecy quite often, is a reference to the Jews today as found in the modern day nation of Israel. These things will annihilate many millions of people. The remaining population will go into captivity, and from that group only a remnant will be saved. Then there is the tribulation of war, famine and disease on the remaining world population. Mankind, if left to his own devices, would destroy all life on the face of the earth, but as it is said, because of the elect, the saints of Christ, it will not be so.
Verses 23-26: “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.”
Leading up to, and as a part of the tribulation, there will be false prophets and ministers who will show great signs and wonders that could possibly deceive even the elect of Christ. They will claim Jesus has returned and is in such and such a place. Jesus Himself tells us not to believe the liars. How will they deceive people? By twisting scriptures and producing lying signs and wonders. These signs and wonders will be upon us in a short time.
The activities of the antichrist during Daniel’s 70th week prophecy will eventually lead to the desecration of the Jewish temple, most likely a tabernacle of some sort, soon to be built. His influence and world control is the real beginning of Jacob’s troubles. This will be a stressful time for the true Church of God; for in all likelihood, the signs and wonders of verse 24 will in time be a fact and especially pronounced as the tribulation and captivity of our peoples comes near. Jacob, Israel, Joseph, Ephraim and certain other old testament names in prophecy are references for end time America, Great Britain and certain democracies of Europe, upon whom will come the tribulation for their wholesale rejection of God and His law.
Some of these false prophets and ministers will no doubt be of the longstanding religions of the nations and people. This is also possibly a reference to the supreme false religion and its leader, who will give power to the beast (antichrist), and thus seek to dominate all mankind.
A Christian must always be on guard and not assume anything. He must know, understand, believe and obey the word of Jesus Christ, the only Lord and Redeemer of men.
Verse 25 is comprehensive and a strong admonition. Jesus tells us that He has given us the necessary information to understand what is happening, and thus to protect ourselves.
Verses 27-29: “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
In verses 27 and 28, Jesus gives two signs as to His immediate coming. In verse 29, He continues on to tell of the conditions after the tribulation (Jacob’s trouble), but before the sign of His coming.
Verses 30 and 31: “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
With these words, Jesus confirms the Old Testament prophets and lays the groundwork for understanding the detailed prophecies found in the book of Revelation.
Verses 32-51 are parables and illustrations to give support and to clarify and reinforce what has been previously discussed.
Parable of the Fig Tree — Matthew 24: 32-35
Verses 32 and 33 are straightforward concerning the ways of the fig tree and knowing that summer is near. So it will be that when all these things Jesus previously and specifically stated begin to take place, then know the time of His return is not far off.
In verse 34, the generation that will not pass away until these things are accomplished is that generation in which all these prophecies given by Jesus come into fulfillment. It is that last end time generation that will witness His second coming. You and I are now living in this generation.
Illustration of Noah’s Days — Matthew 24:36-44
In verse 36, Jesus says of His exact time to return that only God the Father knows. It is very likely Jesus now knows His time. When He spoke these words, God the Father had not divulged this information.
In order to help end time believers appreciate events leading up to this great event, Jesus talks about how conditions were in the time of Noah leading to the flood. Life went on as usual and humanity took little notice and did not seriously consider Noah’s warning message.
The parable of the two women and the two men in the field, I believe, has application for God’s end time Church. It appears that when God offers His protection, only a part of the Church will believe. It will be in some ways difficult to discern the times, but those who believe and trust Christ will understand. They will be busy, but they also will be watching and making themselves ready. For the wise, everything taking place concerning end time prophecy will indicate the “main event” is not far off.
Verse 43 tells a story about the man of the house, the owner, who, if he knew the time, the hour, the house was to be violated, would have watched and prevented the break in. Thus Christians must watch and understand the times. An hour is a very brief period of time, so one needs to be in a constant state of alertness and readiness for the Messiah’s coming.
Story of the Two Servants — Matthew 24: 45-51
God commends the faithful and wise servant. God expects His people to be busy living righteous lives and doing the assigned tasks in preparation for the return of His Son to earth. The gift and the reward are well worth the dedication and perseverance.
On the other hand, if the believer in Christ reasons there is still time, more time than certain others would agree to, he may become accusative and abusive towards the brethren. The evil servant will receive visitation when he is occupied with other concerns and matters and has discounted the times. God is not pleased with an unbelieving and fearful attitude.
Understanding Prophecy Is A One-On-One Matter, Between Jesus and the Believer
Well over one half of the Bible deals with prophecy. Approximately 90 percent is yet to be fulfilled in the years directly ahead of us. The words of Jesus, the prophets and the apostles are specific and firm.
Many Christian churches and groups have presented their ideas and understanding of end time prophecies with varying degrees of accuracy and completeness.
There is an attitude and an actual position that says, “We have done our part and our best, now we must wait and see.” This approach is nowhere near satisfactory for believers.
Many of these organizations and individuals claim they have the whole and necessary understanding and truth of prophecy. These people are only fooling themselves and those who give a serious ear to them.
They have taken their opinions, ideas and traditional thoughts and built a firm supposition that they claim is the truth of the matter. All men should be aware and not let any man or organization substitute its reasoning for the clear plain words of Scripture.
A good foundational set of verses is found in 2 Peter 1:19-21. Peter knew how prophecy came to be; men should heed the written prophetic word, and they also are not permitted personal interpretations of these words.
2 Peter 1:19-21: “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Concluding Thoughts
Prophecy is a vital and integral part of God’s recorded word. It is not to be treated lightly, disrespectfully or with arrogance. Neither should it be feared, viewed with suspicion or avoided. It can be understood, and must be so in this end time.
Jesus said, “I have told you beforehand.” We must believe the Messiah who has set the stage so that we can understand the prophets and the apostles.