Here we have the beginning of the end of the Kingdom of Israel and of the earth as we know it. We ARE living in the Last Days. I know, I know. People have been saying that for centuries. Nevertheless, you can’t ignore what’s happening in the world right now and the uncanny similarities it has to the end time prophecies that Jesus foretold in Mark 13, Luke 17 and 21, and in today’s chapter, Matthew 24. Let’s take each section one by one and I’ve embedded videos that dig deeper into the explanations. Let’s dig in…
Matthew 24
As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2 But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
This actually happened in 70 AD when Roman Emperor Titus destroyed the temple and the city of Jerusalem. (More info on Wikipedia).
The Birth Pains of the Messiah
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
Bold emphasis mine
Points to Ponder
- First, these are signs of Jesus’ impending return and the end of the world. The end of the world is not yet. That happens after the rapture and the Great Tribulation. All that is neatly laid out in the Book of Revelation.
- Then, there will be many false Messiahs, false prophets. And there have been and there are now many loud, false voices preaching in churches today. You need the Holy Spirit in your heart to help you tell the difference from a deceiver and a person preaching the Gospel Truth. This is part of Satan’s spiritual warfare against believers.
- Wars and rumors of wars. Tensions right now in the Middle East are high. Higher than ever before. Check out the videos at the bottom.
- Don’t panic! Jesus tells us not to panic when we see and hear all these things, because they MUST take place!
- The word “nation” in Greek is “ethnos” where we get our words, “ethnic” and “ethnicity”. That’s what we have going on in America right now — hatred, violence and evil are rising from “idea viruses” pinning ethnicities against other ethnicities.
- Famines caused by pestilences are increasing. Pests eat the crops and then there’s no food. We have rats and mice in Australia; Locusts in Africa and the Middle East; An expect swarms of Cicadas in the U.S. The economic downturn that the Coronavirus pandemic caused is also part of this.
- Earthquakes have increase in frequency and magnitude. I found an app called Quakefeed and it shows a map of earthquakes around the world. I follow the EMSC reports of quakes 2.0 magnitude and higher. In one day there have been over 200 earthquakes. This map shows the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean. And, along with earthquakes come volcanoes and tsunamis. If you look closely in the app, you see clusters of quakes in certain areas. These are signs that a big one is coming soon.
Continuing…
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
Points to Ponder
- In the Book of Acts, we can follow the lives of some of the disciples and how they were persecuted.
- Christians are persecuted all over the world. Check out Voice of the Martyrs. Unfortunately, Christians are facing a different type of persecution in America. From churches not being able to meet even outdoors, to a bill in the Senate that will wipe out freedom of religion.
- Jesus brings up false prophets again. More deceivers.
- Do you have a feeling that sin is rampant everywhere? That there is no longer such a thing as a moral compass?
- Then Jesus tells us to hang in there. Be patient, stay strong and endure to the end and we’ll receive our rewards of salvation!
- The last line is one the I stand on daily. The Gospel WILL be preached all over the world! That’s why I support these ministries who have the purpose to translate the Gospel into “heart languages” of unreached people groups.
Then Jesus jumps forward to three and a half years before the return of Christ. The Great Tribulation will be 7 years. This happens halfway.
15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel (chapter 12) the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
Right now, there is no temple for anyone to desecrate in Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock Mosque sits where the temple was. Currently, in Jerusalem, there are groups ready to build the next temple. Check out this video — a computerized rendering of the future temple….
In these next passages, Jesus warns us AGAIN about false teachers and prophets:
23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
This is the Glorious Appearing. Jesus wins!
This next passage is the description of the Rapture…
31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
After the Rapture — who will get left behind?
The Fig Tree
32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation (age or nation) will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.
I’m going to defer here to one of the Bible Prophecy preachers I follow who can explain the meaning of the Fig Tree.
The Generation of the Fig Tree
This next line is important….
35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
No matter how hard the cancel culture can try, you can’t cancel Jesus! You can’t cancel the Bible. It is the Word of God and the Word of God will NEVER DISAPPEAR!
People need to turn to the true Gospel now or they will discover the truth the hard way!
Continuing…
36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(hell)
Matthew 24 NLT
Points to Ponder
- Only God the Father knows when the rapture will happen. I believe that God has a certain number of pre-tribulation believers in mind. Once that number is reached, then He’ll send Jesus to come and get us all.
- We need to be ready! Keep watch. We see the signs, we have to be ready!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
Here are some more end times news videos….To keep up with all the things that are going on, subscribe to these recommended Bible Prophecy channels.
