What in the World is Going On? Part 1

Matthew 24:3–31 NKJV

3 Now 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?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. 23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Olivet Discourse is the name given to the orderly and extended teaching given by Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives. His subject is the end times. This discourse is recorded in Matthew 24:1 – 25:46. Parallel passages are found in Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-36.

The Mount Olivet discourse is the last of the Five Discourses of Matthew and occurs just before the narrative of Jesus' passion beginning with the anointing of Jesus . In all three synoptic Gospels this episode includes the Parable of the Budding Fig Tree.

There are four quite different Christian eschatological views. Preterism is the belief that all of these predictions were fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in 70 AD.[20] Preterism[3] considers that most, if not all, prophecy has been fulfilled already, usually in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70CE.

Partial preterism says that most (but not all) Bible prophecy, including everything within Matthew 24, Daniel, and Revelation up to chapters 19 or 20, has already been fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed.[21] Since it still includes belief in a future physical Second Coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the last judgment, partial preterism falls within the parameters of orthodoxy because it conforms to the early Christian creeds.

Full preterism says all biblical prophecy was fulfilled by 70CE. It does not hold to a future judgment, return of Christ, or resurrection of the dead (at least not for non-Christians). Due to the belief that all biblical prophecy has been fulfilled, it is sometimes considered "radical" and usually described as "unorthodox" because it goes against the ecumenical creeds of early Christianity.

Historicism considers that most prophecy has been or will be fulfilled during the present church age. It was the chief view of Protestants from the Reformation until the mid-19th century. Only among Seventh-day Adventists is historicism applied to current conservative Christian interpretation of Tribulation understanding.[3]

Futurism is the belief that the future Jesus predicted is the unfolding of events from trends that are already at work in contemporary human society.[22]

Futurism typically holds that all major unfulfilled prophecies will be fulfilled during a global time of catastrophe and war known as the Great Tribulation, in which many other prophecies will be fulfilled during or after the Millennium Reign of Jesus Christ. According to many futurists, many predictions are currently being fulfilled during the Church Age, in which lawlessness and apostasy are currently plaguing secular society. This is seen as a major sign of the approaching fulfillment of all other prophecies during the Tribulation. Within evangelical Christianity over the past 150 years, futurism has come to be the dominant view of prophecy.

Jesus’ instruction to His disciples from the Mount of Olives is one of the Bible’s most important texts because it not only provides the Lord’s final discourse but also His most extensive prophetic teaching.

It reveals His interpretation of crucial Old Testament prophetic passages concerning Israel and the nations and serves as an inspired master outline of end-times events. Furthermore, it explains God’s judgment on Israel, especially His promised restoration of it at the advent of King Messiah and the establishment of His Messianic rule.

If properly interpreted, the Olivet Discourse enables the church in this age to [understand] the events that will characterize that time immediately preceding Christ’s return to Earth.

Jesus Answers a Question

Matthew 24:3 NKJV

3 Now 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?”

The First Sign is Deception

Matthew 24:4–5 NKJV

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

Matthew 24:23–26 NKJV

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

He Covers It Twice - Important

Matthew 24:4-5 Amplified Bible 4 Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error].

5 For many will come in My name [misusing it, and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many.

Over 60% of born-again Christians in America between the ages of 18 and 39 believe that Jesus isn't the only way to Heaven — and that Buddha and Muhammad also are valid paths to salvation, the Christian Post reported.

Over 30% say they either believe that Jesus sinned just like other people or aren't sure.

The study, which interviewed 3,100 Americans ages 18 to 55 in 2020 and looked at various other previous studies, saw a drop in "basic biblical worldview" — God's attributes, the accuracy of the Bible, salvation and Jesus being sinless — from 47% in 2010 to 25% in 2020 among born-again Christians. The drop in the "expanded biblical worldview" — beliefs about Satan and morals being objective — went from 32% in 2010 to 16% in 2020.

"So, the percentage of Born Again Christians with a biblical worldview (of either type) has been cut in half over the last decade," the study says, according to the Christian Post, adding that it compared the 18-29 age group from 2010 with the same age group 10 years later, now 30-39. "This result is a startling degradation in worldview beliefs of born-again Christians over just 10 years."

Kerby Anderson, president of Probe Ministries, said that means even born-again Christians "can have a false view of Jesus Christ and embrace a pluralistic worldview" and that "pastors and church leaders just can't assume any longer that the members of their church or Christian organization have a biblical worldview," the outlet reported.

The Christian Post said Anderson attributes the disturbing fall of biblical views — especially among younger Christians — to the media.

He said they are "not paying attention" and are "focused — nearly exclusively, it seems — on their phones, social media and other content they deem more compelling," the outlet said.

Anything else?

The Christian Post added that an article about the study's findings on the Probe Ministries website explains that in the Roman Empire in AD 60, biblical-worldview Christians made up fewer than 1% of the population — but "three hundred years later, virtually the entire empire was at least nominally Christian."

"If we will commit ourselves to 'proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light,' God will bring revival to our land," the article adds, the outlet noted.

Misappropriating His name:

Some questions I found:

Would Jesus....

...Be an EMO?

What would Jesus do about inequality?

...wear a mask and be vaccinated?

…wear a Rolex on his television show?

…be a socialist?

What would Jesus do in today’s world?

I honestly can't tell you - and you can’t tell me with certainty.

We Can only Counter Deception With Truth

But I can tell you some things He said in His Word:

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Acts 4:12 NKJV

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Matthew 19:4 NKJV

4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’

Matthew 19:5 NKJV

5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

Isaiah 29:16 HCSB

16 You have turned things around, as if the potter were the same as the clay. How can what is made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”? How can what is formed say about the one who formed it, “He doesn’t understand what he’s doing”?

Matthew 10:28 NKJV

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Romans 10:8–10 NKJV

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Philippians 2:10–11 NKJV

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Hosea 4:6 NKJV

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Matthew 24:35 NKJV

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

John 8:32 NKJV

32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Context of John 8 - the woman caught in the act of adultery

The Truth Won’t Change the World Without Love

Ephesians 4:15 NKJV

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

1 John 3:18 NKJV

18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

John 13:35 NKJV

35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Matthew 5:44–45 NKJV

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

John 13:34 NKJV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Matthew 22:37–40 NKJV

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus Promises to Guide Us in Difficult Times

John 10:27–30 NKJV

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”

John 10:10 NKJV

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 14:27 NKJV

27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Matthew 24:35 NKJV

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.