Are We Living In the Last Days?

Matthew 24

Along side a road, there were two men standing holding signs that read “Turn yourself around now before it’s too late” and “The End is Near”. “ Leave us alone you religious nuts!” one man said as his car sped past them. Shortly afterwards the two men heard the screatching of tires then a big splash. One man turned to the other and said, “maybe we should change our signs to read, “Stop Now”, and Bridge is out.

With all the uncertainty in the world, you sometimes wonder if these were the last days that we are currently living in. Jesus’ disciples were wondering the same thing at one time. Fortunatly Jesus gave us a glimps of what we are to look for to determin if we are indeed living in the last days in the Gospel of Matthew chpater 24.

Matthew 24:1–2 “Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.””

Here Jesus is giving His disciples a lesson on how fleeting man’s marvels can be. We also saw a glempse of that on 9/11, when we witnessed the marval of New York through the twin towers come tumbling down after a terrorist attack. This reminds us how temporary our life, and this earth is.

Matthew 24:3–14 “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

The King James tells us not to be decieved. Many escatological preachers take this out of context saying that in the last days there will be great deception on the earth in a broad sense. This isn’t what Jesus is telling us, He is teaching that there will be many people claiming to be Christ, and don’t be deceived by them. Will there be a deception in a broad sense? Probably, but that is not what Jesus is talking about here.