The Gospel According to Matthew - Week 34

This teaching is from Matthew 24:6-28.

Today’s class continues with Jesus’ discussion with His disciples on the last days. In verse 6 He tells of wars and rumors of wars with the encouragement to not be alarmed, to not live in fear, because even in the most uncertain of times believers know that God is in control.  Jesus goes on to mention famines and earthquakes with nation against nation and calls this the beginnings of birth pains.

Jesus uses the analogy of a woman giving birth and the birth pains to represent the coming of the last days. Birth pains start slowly - far apart and then grow closer as she gets closer to delivering the baby - stronger and closer.   Meaning these last days events (wars, famines, earthquakes) will become more and more frequent and more severe.

Pastor shares statistics pointing to the evidence of these last days birth pains ramping up.  

Verses 9-11 point to even more attacks and persecution of believers and again these are likened to birth pains - becoming more frequent. Pastor shares stats showing the evidence of Christian martyrdom ramping up.

Verses 12-14 - Jesus shares that there will be an increase of wickedness and that love for God will grow cold. Jesus encourages us to stand firm to the end and not to buy into the narrative of the culture.  Jesus goes on to say that the gospel message would be preached as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.

With the current technology over the last 100 years, people have come to know of Jesus by the 100s of millions.

We don’t know the day - but we are called to be awake and prepared.

As we read on, Jesus’ focus switches to the “abomination that causes desolation” - Jesus refers to Daniels’ prophecy in Daniel 9:26-27.  In Daniel’s vision he saw the day the Messiah would come, that He would be cut off - killed - and shortly after that the city of Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed.

This all came to fruition approximately 40 years after Jesus spoke of Daniel’s vision from centuries earlier from the Messiah’s birth, to His death and 40 years later the temple and the city of Jerusalem being destroyed in 70AD.

Jesus warns them of what’s coming so they will be prepared.  "When you see the signs get out of the city of Jerusalem," He said.  Many were saved because they took this warning seriously.

Many Bible scholars and Pastor as well, see The Great Tribulation is the suffering of God’s people until the return of Jesus, not just the temple’s destruction, but a time through to the end of time.

In Matthew 24:21 Jesus refers to the great tribulation, saying, “For then” meaning from that point on, there will be great tribulation, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again.  What is Jesus saying? What does the New Testament tell us of the great tribulation? 

Many Bible scholars look at the great tribulation not simply as one narrow slice of tribulation at the end of time or one narrow slice of time of the temple’s destruction but basically the suffering of God’s people until the return of Jesus. 

Jesus says in verses 22-25 that these days would be cut short for the sake of believers and to not fall for false Christs or other religious schemes and ideas but instead to get into His word and search out His truth and to not be deceived.  He is sharing this with us so we are prepared.

In today’s closing verses, 26-28, Jesus says we will all know when He returns! There will be no doubt when He returns!! 

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