Matthew 24:1-14
Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. And he said to them, “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”
As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered them, “Watch out that no one misleads you. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name. Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will appear and deceive many, and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
COMMENT & QUESTIONS
Jesus warns His disciples that Jerusalem is in danger. Most of the words of Christ in this chapter refer to the destruction of Jerusalem which occurred in 70AD. Many people get confused and think that He is talking about the end of the world, but He is simply giving warnings for His disciples to avoid the pain to come.
What are some of the signs in this passage that the destruction of Jerusalem would be near?
Jesus says that they were not to be alarmed when they heard of wars and rumours of wars. Even famines and earthquakes would occur. Jesus says that these were to come first and that the real signs come next.
But then the disciples would be persecuted and killed. There will be so much instability that sadly many will lose their faith and betray each other. Many will be deceived with false prophets and many will grow cold in their faith. The disciples are to endure through this season of intense persecution.
PRAYERS
Pray for people who are in war zones and who are in danger