Wednesday, 6 May 2020 Matthew 24:1-28
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the entire world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”- Matthew 24:14
Three of the major themes of the New Testament- the Gospel, the Great Commission, and the Return of Christ are mentioned in this one verse. The disciples of Jesus met with Him privately on the Mount of Olives and asked Him three questions:
When will all this happen?
Jesus answered, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matthew 24:36)
No one knows the exact time except Father God, but Jesus did give them a hint of when it would happen. “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be….they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, …….and did not know until the flood came and took them all away…” These are times when the world is making merry, living and fulfilling all the desires of the flesh. 2 Timothy 3:2-5 clearly warns us of the terrible times in the end days—where people will love more themselves and their money, boastful, scoffing at God, unloving, unforgiving, having no self-control, puffed up with pride…They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! [Matt 24:5 NLT]
May the Holy Spirit help us to examine ourselves with a sincere heart and see if we only have a form of godliness or if we truly possess His power in our lives. If we truly love God, we will make a conscious effort to keep away from all evil in our lives.
What will be the signs of Jesus’ coming?
Jesus told His disciples that the following would be visible signs:
“For many will come in my name, claiming, I am the Messiah, and will deceive many.”
“You will hear of wars and rumours of wars.”
“Nations will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”
“There will be famines and earthquakes in many places.”
“You will be handed over for persecution and put to death.”
“You will be hated by all nations because of me.”
“At that time many will turn away from their faith.”
“Many will betray and hate each other.”
“Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.”
“There will be an increase of wickedness and the love of most will grow cold.”
We see this happening in our age. We aren’t to be deceived or alarmed as these are only the beginning of the birth pains. We are to be on our guard and stand firm till the end, for in the end we will be saved.
When will the end of the world happen?
Jesus will not return until the end of great tribulation, a time of unprecedented evil in the world. But God has not abandoned this age to the evil one. He has a very clear purpose, in this age that includes each of us. Matthew 24:14 says, “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.” We are called to partake and participate in this Great Commission. To do so we must first and foremost receive the reign and authority of Jesus Christ in our lives by entering His Kingdom (Mark 10:15; Matt.6:13). We thus obey the gospel and His commands. Matthew 28:18-20 is a command of great priority—to go make disciples of all nations and teach them to observe all that He has commanded. The good news of the reign of Jesus Christ is to be preached in the entire world as a witness and then the end will come. As a fulfilment of this, people from every tribe and language, nation will gather before His throne (Rev. 7:9).
Think on: “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)