Matthew 24: 1-14
Dear God,
Please be with me as I study the words of Jesus, out-lining prophecies announcing end times. After, Jesus told His disciples of these calamities yet to be, they came to Him privately, with questions about the timing of these things, as well as asking what signs would indicate His coming back to earth and the ‘end of the age.’ Matthew 24: 4.5 “Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.” “for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Likewise false prophets would come and deceive numbers of uninformed, unsuspecting people.
Satan, who has been trying to deceive people and bring Christ down, is now even more active, because events are fulfilling and time is short. 2 Thessalonians 2: 3 “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”
As Jesus says, even when the time is not yet, there will be more wars, and rumours of wars. No need to be troubled, as these signs must be. Peace amongst nations will go, as they rise up against one another, at the same time in the so called natural world increasingly, ‘famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.’ Verse 7 Jesus said as these increase, so does the ‘beginning of sorrows’. Obviously calamitous events are predicted to stay, until the end, as Satan is allowed to reveal the full extent of his evil, and hate toward God’s Son Jesus Christ our Saviour and ultimate Redeemer.
Jesus predicts that things just get nastier on earth and toward anyone who stands true to Jesus. They face persecution, death and blame by nations. Lack of law abiding and true love will be scarce, and lack of loyalty and betrayal will be common. Things sound chaotic and scary, especially if one does know what Jesus forecast.
However this is tempered for the Christian because they know, God will send the angels to care for His own loyal people in whatever unpleasant or dangerous place they are. Jesus recognised life then will be endurance, but if any faithful person stayed true to Him until the end, they would be saved.
Before the end God will give people an opportunity in all parts of the world to know and accept or reject Himself and loving salvation message. Matthew 24 : 14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
Once again I commit myself to You in love, and to tell others the salvation story is for them also; and it is time to prepare for the end time events.
Amen