Stand Strong Until the End

Introduction:

If you claim to know about the future, people will line up at your door.

• Economists like to give financial forecasts.

• Political analysts will predict who might win the next election.

• Sports reporters will predict which team will win the championship.

But who can tell us what things will be like at the end of the world? No one is qualified to tell us about this all-important subject—except the perfect, sinless Son of God. And that’s exactly what Jesus did in a section of His teaching called the Mount Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24–25.

Christ did not tell us everything about the end times that may satisfy our curiosity, but He told us what we need to know—and what Christ taught should impacts the way we live today.

As we begin let’s ask the Lord to prepare our hearts to hear clearly from His Word as we examine His teaching in this study. (PRAY)

Stand Strong to the End

As we look at this study we will see that as we choose to follow Christ we should expect to experience difficulty.

Since the earliest days of the church, each generation has wondered if it is the one that will experience the end times and the return of Christ. Such thoughts are based on the hardships and events experienced. Life can be difficult, but not every difficulty or catastrophe signals the imminent return of Christ. Whether or not what we experience is a sign of Christ’s return, we can expect hardships simply because of our relationship with Him.

Question#1 When have you been surprised by how difficult something turned out to be?

Unfortunately, difficulties don’t leave us when we choose to follow Christ. Jesus never glossed over the challenges we face. When He spoke of His return, Jesus also spoke of hardships we face - difficulties that would even increase. Thankfully, we do not face them alone.

Let’s look at Matthew 24.

Here we find Jesus and His disciples on the Mount of Olives looking down at the Temple.

Matthew 24:1–3 NKJV

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 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?”

It is believed Matthew recorded his Gospel account before AD 70. In AD 70 we see what Jesus predicted coming true as the Romans led by Titus, attacked Jerusalem. They destroyed the city, killed many and enslaved the survivors. At this time the Temple was burned and dismantled. As the Temple burned the gold decor melted into the cracks of the stones and they took them apart stone by stone to retrieve the gold.

In verse one, we see the disciples pointing out the temple to Jesus. I am curious what their purpose in doing this was. Were they taken by its beauty, by its strength, by what it stood for as a religious hub for the Jewish people. What ever it was Jesus to this opportunity to share a lesson with them.

Matthew 24:2 NKJV

2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

This had to take the disciples by surprise. Instead of affirming how great the Temple is He delivers the shocking new it will be destroyed.

This building would no long be part of God’s plan for worship. This reminds me of what Jesus said to the woman at the well. John 4:19-23

John 4:19–23 NKJV

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

Jesus came and made a way to the Father, breaking down barriers.

This information begins to make the disciples think, then comes questions.

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 phrase the end of the world or “end of the ages” is used six times in the New Testament, five of which are in Matthew’s Gospel (Matt. 13:39,40,49; 24:3; 28:20; also Heb. 9:26). It points to the consummation of world history and the final judgment. Jesus, however, was talking about two separate historical events. One would occur soon and the other at an indeterminable time in the future.

It is not surprising that Jesus’ disciples were curious and excited about the events and timing of the end of the world and Jesus’ second coming. Throughout history, Christians have wondered about the time of Christ’s return. That is a good thing, as we must always be alert for His coming. Unfortunately, many sincere Bible students, or self-proclaimed prophets, have tried to pinpoint dates they claimed would be the day of His return. In many cases, it has led to pain and disillusionment for them and their followers.

So, while nothing is wrong with wanting to learn all we can about Jesus’ second coming, our source must the Bible as it is properly and soundly interpreted. The study of end times events and prophecy (eschatology) has been one of the most deeply scrutinized topics of Christian theology. Scholars have drawn widely diverse conclusions about how to understand the Bible’s teachings on these issues. We will examine some of those perspectives later in this study.

What do you wonder about when it comes to the end times?

It is okay to wonder about the end times. In the next verses, we see that we shouldn’t let the traumatic events of the world deceive us.

Matthew 24:4–8 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. 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.

Jesus says, Take heed (literally “see to it”) that no one deceives you. He warns of many false teachers and false christs.

In verse 6 Jesus warns about jumping to conclusions about the end times. We will hear of wars and rumors of wars that is nothing new wars are almost always raging somewhere.

It was commonly accepted that the last days would culminate with a great war, but Jesus said not to make too much of the vague reports of when that is. The Book of Revelation states that the battle of Armageddon will occur at the end of days but will be far worse than any previous war (Rev. 16:16; 19:17-19). So, Jesus made it clear they were not to let rumors of war frighten them, nor should they take these wars as specific signs that the end is near.

Matthew 24:7 NKJV

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

Jesus confirmed the sad fact that wars happen, that Natural disasters happen. Inevitably there will be wars, famines, pestilence and earthquakes in various places. As the world become smaller with technology it seems like these thing happen all the time because we are watching the world in real time.

Jesus is not dimimishing the significance of these issues but He puts it in perspective in verse 8.

Matthew 24:8 NKJV

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

How should we evaluate world events in light of these verses.

In the next verses, we see that we should not let persecution keep us from sharing the Gospel of Christ.

Matthew 24:9–14 NKJV

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.

Persecution is suffering inflicted on believers for the purpose of intimidating, silencing, or punishing them for their faith. Sometimes it involves attempting to force them to deny their faith or convert to another religion. The history of the Christian church testifies to the accuracy of Jesus’ prediction. Millions have paid the ultimate price for their faithfulness to Christ. Even today millions are living under constant persecution in numerous countries around the world. This is especially so in nations with communist governments and in predominantly Islamic countries. According to the 2021 World Watch Report of OpenDoors ( opendoorsusa.org), an organization that monitors persecution, the worst offenders are North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and Pakistan.

Matthew 24:10 NKJV

10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

Verse 10. A result of these tribulations, Jesus acknowledged, is that many will fall away. (apostatize). Apostasy is always a problem in the church. Tragically, people renounce their faith for many reasons: fear, intellectual doubt, disillusionment, anger, or just to be

free to commit sin. This presents a theological dilemma. Some Christian traditions teach that those who consciously apostatize actually lose their salvation. Others assume those who fall away were never saved in the first place. Jesus made it clear that those whom God calls to be His sheep can never be snatched out of His hand (John 10:27-29).

Not only will some leave the faith, but many will betray one another. Literally, “they will hand you over” to the ungodly authorities. Fear for one’s life, or the lives of loved ones, can compel people to do things they normally would not do. Most of us want to believe that we would never betray a fellow believer, yet we can never know what we would do in the direst of circumstances.

But the treachery runs deeper in some cases. Jesus said they will hate one another. Hate is the most destructive emotion persons can express toward their fellow humans. Christians are commanded by Jesus to love another as He has loved them. He calls it the sign of their discipleship (John 13:34-35). Yet, Jesus warned His disciples that they should expect to be hated because He was hated (Matt. 10:22; Luke 6:22; 21:17; John 15:18). But He also told them not to hate their enemies but to love, pray, and do good for them (Matt. 5:43-44; Luke 6:27).

Matthew 24:11 NKJV

11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

Verse 11. Jesus again raised a caution against following counterfeit leaders. In this case, He warned that false prophets will deceive many people. This was not a new warning. Moses provided the Israelites a test for discerning genuine prophecy from false prophecy (Deut. 18:15-22). Jesus had already told His disciples to beware of ravaging wolves (false prophets) disguised as gentle sheep. He said some of them would even appear to do miracles in His name but would be cast out at the judgment (Matt. 7:15-23). Today cable television is full of self-proclaimed prophets making all kinds of pretentious pronouncements in God’s name. Thus, more than ever, Christians have an urgent need for discerning true versus false prophets.

Matthew 24:12 NKJV

12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Verse 12. The Lord also predicted that this deterioration of spiritual life would lead to greater iniquity. Wicked people are not restrained by civil law andpunishment by law enforcement agencies and the courts. Iniquity in Scripture goes deeper. It refers not just to disobeying the civil law but, more heinously, to scorn and rebel against God Himself and His precepts. It is the essence of sin (1 John 3:4 “4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”

Consequently, as sin multiplies, Jesus said the love of many shall grow (wax) cold. Jesus might have had in mind the so-called believers who apostatized, and not Christians. But He also might have in mind those churches, as He later charged Ephesus, whose “first love” for God and one another had diminished because of hardships and apathy (Rev. 2:4).

Matthew 24:13 NKJV

13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Verse 13. Jesus made an important distinction between those who “fall away” and faithful believers who endure unto the end. This is a promise of glory and relief to those who genuinely follow Christ and endure the hardships described in the previous verses. The end may refer to the time of Christ’s return, but, for most people, it must mean the time of their physical death. He promised they shall be saved. Those who persevere will enjoy the blessings of eternal life. Jesus knew many of them would suffer martyrdom for His sake. However, for the faithful believer this life is not the ultimate; eternity with God awaits in heaven.

Matthew 24:14 NKJV

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.

Verse 14. In this verse, Jesus made an audacious prediction about the future prior to His return. He said that this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations. Despite the opposition the church constantly experiences, the spread of the gospel cannot be stopped. The world includes not just the Roman Empire, as some interpreters argue, but all people in all places. This is clear because it will be a witness unto all nations (peoples). The gospel is not confined to any geographic, ethnic, or national limitation. Christians in each generation are responsible to proclaim the message of Christ. Jesus’ Great Commission makes that plain: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 28:19).

Why is that so significant in this context? Because, Jesus said, then shall the end come. It seems clear that the Lord’s coming will not occur until all the peoples of the world have heard the gospel. In this generation, we are witnessing the fulfillment of this commission as the message continues to spread to every corner of the earth.

What are some of the ways this passage encourages our sharing of the gospel?

LIVE IT OUT

We should expect difficulty when we choose to follow Christ. Choose one of the following applications:

Consider. Remind yourself each morning of God’s prior knowledge of that day. We read in Psalm 139:16 that God knows all our days before even one of them comes to pass. This truth can see us through many tough times, including the turbulent end times.

Practice. Persevere in your prayer life. Paul tells us to devote ourselves to prayer (Col. 4:2). The Lord tells us not to allow difficulties to alarm us. Sometimes we live a fear-focused life. Prayer is a marvelous focus-shifter. Continue to call out to God even when the pressures of life begin to mount.

Speak out. Embrace your role in world evangelization. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:14 that the gospel will get to the nations before He returns. Whether you serve as one who sends, prays, or goes—or a mixture of all of them—God has a role for you in reaching the nations.