Matthew 24
When there’s a crisis, war breaks out, an earthquake wreaks havoc, a famine or disease threatens the lives of millions – people anxiously wonder – is it the end of the world? Others scoff at such an idea and naively imagine things will keep going along just fine, believing we’re all somehow evolving into something better.
The Son of God reveals very clearly to His followers that the world as we’ve known it WILL come to an end. But it won’t be through global warming or nuclear war or some imaginary comet colliding with earth, it will be when He, Jesus the Christ returns in divine majesty to judge evil and gather His people to Himself.
This real apocalypse as predicted in the Bible in passages like Matthew 24 will make the worst wars and disasters we’ve experienced thus far pale and seem insignificant. The Lord Jesus teaches us to expect several key things.
Firstly there would be judgement on the nation of Israel. Although Jesus Himself and the first Christians were Jewish there was little initial uptake among God’s traditional people for the grace and peace offered by their Messiah. Jesus was largely despised and rejected by His own nation.
Therefore less than forty years after He sadly spoke these words the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple and massacred the people, the survivors being scattered for centuries among other nations.
This first part of Jesus’ prophecy came true literally in 70AD. The world would do well to pay attention to the rest!
The Lord warned of an increase of wickedness, stirred up by evil spiritual forces. There would be opposition to the truth and cruel persecution of Christians. 1st century Emperor Nero slaughtered Christians in the amphitheatre for amusement but it didn’t end there. Churches are being bombed and thousands of Christians are being murdered by Islamic militants in countries like Nigeria today and even in Great Britain Christians are being arrested for preaching the Gospel in the open air. Fashionable ideologies like diversity and inclusion are often being exploited in practise by anti-Christian forces.
Jesus said that love would grow cold and many would fall away from faith. This is what we see, leaders in institutional churches embracing secular theories like evolution and endorsing perversion and immorality to try and be politically correct and most of the population subsequently ignoring church as irrelevant.
Human beings are spiritual creatures and when we reject the true God we must find something else to worship and there’s no shortage of deceitful alternatives, not least the trendy atheism that lets us set our own rules. Or look how sport is packaged on TV these days. Observe how the players are elevated, witness the passionate adoration of the fans! That’s the ‘religion’ of many today!
People of the world seem determined to reject the Creator and His Laws and idolise themselves instead!
Yet despite this rise in wickedness the Lord in grace has continued as He promised to build His Church worldwide. This Gospel will go global, He said in Matthew 24, and then the end will come. And so we are encouraged to see some from every nation, tribe and language responding positively to the good news of grace and putting their trust in Jesus.
So, this climax, what will it look like? We must be careful with things that haven’t happened yet but let’s note what Jesus tells us. The Son of God will return suddenly when He is least expected. His coming will be with heavenly glory and will be seen worldwide. He will send forth His angels to marshall earth’s inhabitants. There will be judgement – punishment for those who have chosen sin and idolatry. But there will also be a wonderful gathering – salvation and reward for those who have trusted firmly and stayed faithful to Him. The end for them will actually be a new beginning, heavens and earth renewed in resurrection wholeness and beauty, no more sickness, death or sorrow.
There will be a great separation between those saved and those lost, there’ll be no sitting on the fence. In which group will you be?
You can try and ignore Jesus’ words today just like many chose to carry on, business as usual, in Noah’s day and were swept away in the flood. Only those who took refuge in the ark would be saved.
For us the ‘ark’ is Jesus, crucified and risen to atone for sin and give eternal life. He is the refuge God has provided. He is the Saviour.
Make sure today that He’s your Saviour!
When there’s a crisis, war breaks out, an earthquake wreaks havoc, a famine or disease threatens the lives of millions – people anxiously wonder – is it the end of the world? Others scoff at such an idea and naively imagine things will keep going along just fine, believing we’re all somehow evolving into something better.
The Son of God reveals very clearly to His followers that the world as we’ve known it WILL come to an end. But it won’t be through global warming or nuclear war or some imaginary comet colliding with earth, it will be when He, Jesus the Christ returns in divine majesty to judge evil and gather His people to Himself.
This real apocalypse as predicted in the Bible in passages like Matthew 24 will make the worst wars and disasters we’ve experienced thus far pale and seem insignificant. The Lord Jesus teaches us to expect several key things.
Firstly there would be judgement on the nation of Israel. Although Jesus Himself and the first Christians were Jewish there was little initial uptake among God’s traditional people for the grace and peace offered by their Messiah. Jesus was largely despised and rejected by His own nation.
Therefore less than forty years after He sadly spoke these words the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple and massacred the people, the survivors being scattered for centuries among other nations.
This first part of Jesus’ prophecy came true literally in 70AD. The world would do well to pay attention to the rest!
The Lord warned of an increase of wickedness, stirred up by evil spiritual forces. There would be opposition to the truth and cruel persecution of Christians. 1st century Emperor Nero slaughtered Christians in the amphitheatre for amusement but it didn’t end there. Churches are being bombed and thousands of Christians are being murdered by Islamic militants in countries like Nigeria today and even in Great Britain Christians are being arrested for preaching the Gospel in the open air. Fashionable ideologies like diversity and inclusion are often being exploited in practise by anti-Christian forces.
Jesus said that love would grow cold and many would fall away from faith. This is what we see, leaders in institutional churches embracing secular theories like evolution and endorsing perversion and immorality to try and be politically correct and most of the population subsequently ignoring church as irrelevant.
Human beings are spiritual creatures and when we reject the true God we must find something else to worship and there’s no shortage of deceitful alternatives, not least the trendy atheism that lets us set our own rules. Or look how sport is packaged on TV these days. Observe how the players are elevated, witness the passionate adoration of the fans! That’s the ‘religion’ of many today!
People of the world seem determined to reject the Creator and His Laws and idolise themselves instead!
Yet despite this rise in wickedness the Lord in grace has continued as He promised to build His Church worldwide. This Gospel will go global, He said in Matthew 24, and then the end will come. And so we are encouraged to see some from every nation, tribe and language responding positively to the good news of grace and putting their trust in Jesus.
So, this climax, what will it look like? We must be careful with things that haven’t happened yet but let’s note what Jesus tells us. The Son of God will return suddenly when He is least expected. His coming will be with heavenly glory and will be seen worldwide. He will send forth His angels to marshall earth’s inhabitants. There will be judgement – punishment for those who have chosen sin and idolatry. But there will also be a wonderful gathering – salvation and reward for those who have trusted firmly and stayed faithful to Him. The end for them will actually be a new beginning, heavens and earth renewed in resurrection wholeness and beauty, no more sickness, death or sorrow.
There will be a great separation between those saved and those lost, there’ll be no sitting on the fence. In which group will you be?
You can try and ignore Jesus’ words today just like many chose to carry on, business as usual, in Noah’s day and were swept away in the flood. Only those who took refuge in the ark would be saved.
For us the ‘ark’ is Jesus, crucified and risen to atone for sin and give eternal life. He is the refuge God has provided. He is the Saviour.
Make sure today that He’s your Saviour!
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