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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.
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.
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
Jesus came and made a way to the Father, breaking down barriers.
This information begins to make the disciples think, then comes questions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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