Part II

In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke about the future, and over the next few posts we will be taking a look at and going back to the future that Jesus spoke about. In this next section of the future—signs of Jesus’ return and the end of the world—Jesus spoke about wars, natural disasters, and how His followers would be treated.

“‘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. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.’” (Matthew 24:6-7a)

Wars are something that have been with us for a very long time. Whether they are civil wars or world wars, people have been fighting for power, control, and money for hundreds of thousands of years. The longest war the United States has ever been involved in was just put to an end as America spent twenty years fighting in Afghanistan. Not only have wars been with us, but the threats of war have loomed large as a means of nations or peoples gaining leverage over people they feel they can control. Jesus predicted all of this and called it a sign of the end times.

“‘There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.’” (Matthew 24:7b-8)

Natural disasters have been with us longer than wars. We have seen hurricanes and flooding in the east and droughts and wildfires in the west. We have seen the melting of ice caps and the freezing of power grids. Jesus told us this would happen, and He equated it to birthing pains—the pains of labor. Nature knows its Creator and it longs for the return of perfection, the way the Earth was when it was first created.

“For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:19-22)

“‘Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.’” (Matthew 24:9-10)

The disciples directly experienced this prediction about the future. They were all either arrested, persecuted, or killed, with many experiencing all three. One of the apologist arguments for Christianity is this exact point of persecution: the disciples had nothing to gain for telling people that Jesus rose from the grave. Christians around the world still face persecution, arrest, and even death in some parts of the world. Even in countries that claim to have religious freedom, we find Christians at the very least being persecuted when they stand on or speak up about their Christian principles. Something that probably hasn’t gotten a lot of media attention are all of the churches that were burned and vandalized in Canada over the summer. Persecution is growing for Christians that live in free countries and it will continue to do so, as Jesus predicted.

“‘And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.’” (Matthew 24:11-12)

Much like our last post, Jesus said that there would be many false prophets and many will be deceived. This of course is not only obvious in the blasphemous offshoots of Christianity but can be found in other religions and cults based around other gods and false teachings (such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Scientology). I don’t know a single person who would argue that sin is not rampant everywhere, but it would seem that after the lockdowns of 2020, there has been a significant loss of love among people. Locking people away and creating separate classes of citizens has certainly caused the love of people to grow cold. But Jesus always gives us hope.

“‘But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 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.’” (Matthew 24:13-14)

The Good News is spreading throughout the entire world with the help of the internet and increasing ease of travel for missionaries. In fact, it could be estimated that only 21% of the world population has yet to hear the gospel. Much of Jesus’ predictions of the future have come true and we have every reason to expect His return soon. We must endure. We must hold to the truth and not be swayed by false prophets or lose our love for our neighbors or fear persecution, arrest, death, natural disasters, or wars. Endure, for the one who endures to the end will be saved.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.