24:11 “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.”
All of time since the sacrifice, resurrection and ascension of Jesus is the end times, the last age. It is the Church Age, the Age of Grace, the season when the gospel of Jesus is being proclaimed across the earth prior to His return. And although we will not know the exact day or hour of His return, the Lord wants us to be discerning, aware, alert. So He has much to say regarding the characteristics of the end times.
Continuing in Matthew 24, Jesus warns us about false prophets. There have always been false prophets, false teachers, heresies, deception. The Apostle John, in the first century, said, Many deceivers have gone out into the world (2 John 1:7).
The Apostle Paul warned against false workers misleading the flock, But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (I Tim. 4:1). Paul was not referring to doctrines about demons but rather, doctrines inspired by demons — deceitful spirits.
The Apostle Peter warns us, There will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1). The apostolic generation contended against false teachers and false prophets and so it has continued throughout the centuries.
Satan has two primary weapons employed against the church: persecution from without and false teaching within. We see today a multiplying of false teaching and this will intensify in the final season of the last days. Jesus warns that they will mislead many but this does not include the true follower of Christ. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who, Jesus assures us, Will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13).
Who will be deceived? Paul reveals it will be those who did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness (2 Thes. 2:10-12). Those who do not love the truth but instead love that which is false — they are deceived and God will give them over to the deception which they have chosen.
How do followers of Jesus guard against deception? By maintaining an intimate relationship with the Christ who said, I am the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). Our security is not in merely reading His truth but knowing the One who is truth and living His truth, as Jesus said, If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31,32). The truth will keep us in freedom and light as we digest the truth, as we live the truth.
24:12 “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.”
The increase of lawlessness is another sign that we are moving deeper into the end times. As people are deceived by false teaching, false prophecy and doctrines inspired by demons, there will be an increasing contempt for that which is lawful and truthful.
Lawlessness is a love for that which is not lawful, a love for that which is outside the life God has purposed for us. To the extent that anyone loves unlawful things, their life becomes more and more self-centered and their love for others will grow cold. To the degree that anyone loves anything that grieves or offends God, their love for God will grow cold. There are those who love unlawful things so much that they will not love God at all and as we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, God will eventually give them over to that which they do love — deception, lies.
Jesus said that our love for Him is proved, not by our songs or sermons, nor by our prophecies and miracles but by our obedience to His Lordship in every area of our life, If you love Me, you will keep My commandments (John 14:15, also 14:21,23).
Conversely, unwillingness to obey Jesus reveals, not only a lack of love for Him, but the reality that we may not know Him at all. He asked, Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not what I say? (Luke 6:46).
On the day of judgment, Jesus will say to many, in spite of their religious words and works, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (Matthew 7:23).
It is impossible to love God or others with any warmth or passion if we are busy loving things of this world which violate God’s love and truth. We do well to remember that God has purposed a good life for us, a blessed life, abundant life but this life is found only in union with God and in service to Him. The blessed life is found in Him. Anyone who loves life apart from God, anyone whose profession of love for God grows so cold that they love unlawful things more than they love the God of all blessing, they will miss the blessing and the abundance which God purposed for them. Instead of blessing, then there is only judgment.
24:13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
Salvation cannot be separated from endurance. We are exhorted to endure hardship (2 Tim. 2:3), to endure temptation and trials (James 1:12), to endure discipline (Hebr. 12:7). Jesus reminds us that the one who endures to the end will be saved. Luke records a slightly different statement of Jesus, By your endurance you will gain your lives (Luke 21:19).
This does not mean that endurance earns salvation. Rather, endurance proves our salvation. Just as the act of falling away demonstrates that a profession of faith was insincere (I John 2:19), so endurance demonstrates true, saving faith.
Everlasting life is a gift of God freely given to all who repent of sin, place their faith in Jesus and follow Him. We receive this gift of eternal life by faith. We demonstrate that we have taken possession of the gift as we endure in the living out of our salvation.
God Himself provides the grace to endure. Just as the Lord provided saving grace, He also provides persevering grace, grace to endure. Peter reminds us that God caused us to be born again, To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected (kept, guarded) by the power of God through faith (I Peter 1:4,5).
Our inheritance is everything that salvation obtains: forgiveness of sin, resurrection into eternal life with God, the riches of His grace enjoyed in His presence, the perfection of our humanity in the glory of heaven. This inheritance cannot be destroyed, cannot perish or be defiled. Neither can the faith which secures that salvation be destroyed nor can the believer who holds that faith be destroyed. Faith, and the faithful believer are secured, protected by the power of God through faith (I Peter 1:4,5). God’s perfect knowledge of all that can ever happen and His perfect power which enables Him to accomplish all that He purposes, and His perfect love which purposes our good, hold the believer securely.
However, the believer is not a passive bystander in this endurance. Just as we responded to God’s gift of saving grace, we must also respond to God’s gift of persevering grace. We are continually exhorted to purify our hearts (James 4:8 2 Corinthians 7:1). But it is God who creates in us a pure heart (Psalm 51:10 Ezekiel 36:26,27)
We are exhorted to separate ourselves from sinful practices (2 Corinthians 6:17). But it is God who calls us and separates us unto Himself and for His holy purposes (Galatians 1:15).
We are exhorted to lay aside sinful entanglements, strengthen our feeble limbs and run with endurance the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1,12,13). But it is Christ who strengthens us, energizes us, empowers and enables us to do all things (Philippians 4:13 Ephesians 3:14-16).
We are called to hold fast our faith (Philippians 3:12, I Timothy 6:1) but reminded that it is God who is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). The Psalmist testifies, My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me (Ps. 63:8). We cling to the God who upholds us.
We are exhorted to hold onto our faith but Jesus reminds us that we are held in the palm of His hand, My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand (John 10:27-29).
We are commanded to press on that (we) might lay hold of that for which (we) have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus (Phlp. 3:12).
We are commanded to keep ourselves in the love of God and to wait anxiously for the mercy of our Lord (Jude 1:21). But we are reminded that God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8) and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Rom. 8: 35).
We are warned, Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (I Ptr. 5:8). But we are reminded that God is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy (1:24).
God warns us about those who fall away (Hebrews 10:26,27) but promises, But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul (Hebrews 10:39).
We are commanded to work out our salvation with reverent humility but reminded that it is God who is at work in (us), both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phlp. 2:12,13).
We are exhorted to discipline ourselves like athletes in order that we might win the prize of eternal life (I Corinthians 9:24-27). But we are reminded that, He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
Living in the end times we do grow weary and there are times when history does not seem to make sense, times when we may not see the full pattern of God’s purpose in our lives nor in the world around us. But the Lord is not asking us to judge with perfect clarity the times or the seasons of His purpose. It is our responsibility to discern as best we can the signs of the times and to endure, patiently and faithfully fulfilling the purpose of God in our season of the last days while passionately expecting His return.
24:14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
Whatever wars and rumors of wars shake this world, whatever rending of nations or nature, whatever persecutions arise, the end will not come until the Gospel has been preached in the whole world. God is and will remain sovereign over history and over this world. History will not be completed, time will not end, until Christ’s redemptive purpose has been fulfilled.
This is the God whom Daniel worshipped, saying, Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him (Dan. 2:20-22).
This is the God who declares through the prophet Isaiah, Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’ (Isa. 46:9,10).
Jesus promises that the whole world will have the opportunity to hear the Gospel. We hear in these words the all-encompassing love of Christ, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2). The joy set before Him was a multitude of sons and daughters standing in glory, a holy Bride, redeemed from every tribe and tongue and nation. However much this lost world may hate, despise and persecute its Savior and His holy church, nevertheless, the Good News of salvation will go out to every nation, so great is the mercy of God and His heart for fallen, lost, depraved humanity.
The end times church will be a persecuted, persevering church that preaches the Gospel to all the world. World wide evangelism will take place in the context of world wide chaos and persecution. A great harvest will be won for Christ in those final desperate days of history, possibly the greatest harvest in the history of the church. And then the end shall come.
So let us not become lost in charts, calendars and predictions. Let us maintain focus on our Lord’s priority: sharing the good news of salvation with a lost, hurting world. And may we remember that even if the Lord does not return in our lifetime, there is an end of days for each of us. May we use our time, our resources and our opportunities wisely, to the glory of God.
24:15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)”
Throughout His ministry, Jesus contended against evil, overcoming the tempter in His own life (Matthew 4:1-11), casting out demons and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). But there are times and places where evil manifests with particular, malicious violence and Jesus reiterates the prophecies of Daniel concerning a terrible abomination in the holy place. The phrase, abomination of desolation may be translated abomination which desolates, or, the abomination which causes desolation.
As is often the case in prophecy, Daniel, who lived during the 6th century BC, was speaking of a particular historical event closer to his day but also pointing to an event or events far beyond his time. The near historical event was the desecration of the Jerusalem temple by the Greek general Antiochus in the second century BC (Daniel 9:27, 11:31 and 12:11). Antiochus (who called himself Theos Epiphanes — god manifest), invaded Judea, set up an altar to Zeus in the Jerusalem temple, sacrificed a pig on the altar, massacred thousands of Jewish men, women and children and forbade the practice of the Jewish religion.
However, Jesus applies Daniel’s prophecy to something future. At the climax of the Israeli / Roman war which ended in 70 AD, the historian Josephus records that the Roman army breached the walls of Jerusalem, brought their military banners into the temple and made sacrifices to their gods before destroying the temple along with the city and the nation. The temple was profaned, desolated with abominations.
There is strong historical evidence that the Holy Spirit had spoken prophetically to the leadership of the Jerusalem church, warning of the approaching danger and the entire church escaped across the Jordan River. Not so the nation Israel, which did not exist again as a sovereign political state until 1948.
So this is one possible application for Jesus’ words: the Jerusalem temple was destroyed and desecrated in 70 AD while the church heeded the warnings and escaped. But remember, Jesus is responding to the disciples’ question about the end of the age (Matt. 24:3) and obviously, history did not end nor did Jesus return in 70 AD. So there must be an even more future application for this prophecy.
An alternative interpretation is that the abomination of desolation represents false teaching and moral corruption which has, throughout the centuries, desecrated the church.
However, many Bible commentators believe the abomination of desolation refers to the desecration of a rebuilt Jerusalem temple by the Antichrist during the last days of history (see Daniel 9:27). Though there has always been a demeaning of the sacred in every generation, the actions of Antiochus in the second century BC and the actions of the Antichrist at the end of time stand out. Both represent a direct affront to the holiness of God — deliberately profane, idolatrous acts in the place where God has chosen to manifest His glorious presence on earth.
As we said, Jesus quotes the phrase, abomination of desolation from Daniel 11:31 and 12:11 (though the prophetic description of the end time desolation is in Daniel 9:24-27). Jesus is speaking of a future event so He cannot be referring to the actions of Antiochus two hundred years before His birth. He is obviously referring to a time beyond His time. As we said, this may refer to the abominations poured out by the Romans in 70 AD but there must be something more since, as we said, history has not ended nor has the Lord returned. So the far future prophecy of Daniel has not yet been entirely fulfilled.
In a related Scripture, the Apostle Paul speaks of the coming of the man of lawlessness ... who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God (2 Thess. 2:3,4). Paul is referring to the idolatrous worship of the Beast, the Antichrist, of which the Apostle John wrote in Revelation chapter 13. He will set up an altar to himself in the Jerusalem temple and declare himself to be God. Some commentators believe this will occur at the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation and will be a sign to those alive on earth at that time that the hour of the end is approaching and the return of the Messiah is soon.
Obviously this requires that the Jerusalem temple is rebuilt at some point prior to or early in the seven years known as the Tribulation. The temple mount is currently occupied by an Islamic mosque so there will have to be a cataclysmic change in the stewardship of that property.
24:16-20 “then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.”
When Luke records these words of Jesus, he includes, But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains (Luke 21:20). As we have said, when the Roman army surrounded Jerusalem in 70 AD, the end of the city and the Jewish nation was near but the church, having been warned by the Holy Spirit, had already escaped.
But as we have said, this Scripture must refer to something beyond that event because the Lord did not return nor did history conclude in 70 AD. Obviously this is a future event.
Some believe this Scripture references the midpoint of the seven year Tribulation when the Antichrist will make war against Israel in order to establish an idol to himself in the temple. When that sacrilege occurs in the rebuilt Jerusalem temple — the abomination of desolation — there will not be time to even grab a coat. A terrible, genocidal onslaught of the Antichrist will be launched against the Jewish people in that day. This will be the final attempt to destroy the covenant nation. For centuries Satan has attempted to annihilate the Jewish people. The Messiah could not have been born if there had been no Jewish nation and God’s salvation purpose cannot be fulfilled without a Jewish nation.
Satan’s rage will be especially incited by the massive spiritual revival taking place in Israel in those last days as many Jews finally recognize Jesus as their Messiah. An army of evangelists will go out from Israel, preaching the Gospel around the world (Rev. 7:4-8). So it will be that Satan, acting through the Antichrist, will launch this final assault against the Jews.
The Apostle John warns us that the antichrist spirit has been at work in every generation (I Jn. 2:18) and these verses in Matthew 24:16-20 remind us of the suddenness of evil, the unexpected manifestation of evil, the sudden breakthrough of evil that changes all of life in a heartbeat. One moment we are in the house or in the field. In the next moment we are fleeing for our lives.
But the end of the end time will not only feature an explosion of evil and demonic activity. It will also witness an outpouring of the wrath of God upon an evil world and a final offering of grace. As evil multiplies, God will continue to pour out judgment and simultaneously, through His holy church, the Lord will continue to call for repentance and proclaim the good news of salvation. Many people will not heed the voice of God and the divine response will be final judgment and the collapse of every aspect of the wicked, idolatrous, God-rejecting world system. But many will turn to the Lord in that day, creating possibly the greatest harvest of souls for the kingdom of God in history. Of special significance will be a massive turning to Jesus among the Jewish people, a powerful sign of the end.
During those final three and one-half years of history, idolatrous, God-rejecting civilization will be consumed by the evil which people have chosen and by the wrath of a holy God who confronts evil. The end will rush in with unexpected fury and swiftness.
24:21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”
Throughout history, there have always been times of tribulation and suffering. But Jesus is speaking of this greatest of all tribulations, the Great Tribulation at the end of history. It will be of earth shaking proportions, with previously unseen levels and dimensions of destruction, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now. Nature and civilization will collapse. It will be a time of unrestrained demonic activity, floods, earthquakes, famines, plagues, wars and divine judgment outpoured.
24:22 “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
The times will be so terrible that no human life would survive unless those days had been shortened. This is a testimony, not merely to the destructiveness of evil, but also to the sovereignty of God. Even in the midst of the greatest manifestation of demonic activity and human sin, even as the Lord pours out consuming judgment on the rebellious, Babylonian world system, God is still Lord over history. It is God and God alone who determines the times and the seasons, establishing all things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11).
Even in the midst of judgment God exercises mercy. For the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. There are some who believe that followers of Christ will have been removed from the world in the rapture of the church, before or during the Tribulation. So it was for the Jerusalem church before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.
However, many believe the church will be present during the Tribulation. This was, in fact, the teaching of the church for 1800 years. Whichever interpretation we believe, there will be multitudes who come to faith during those final days. They will endure terrible persecution but God will be faithful to keep them in faith. This does not mean that they will not die. John spoke of those who loved Christ more than their own life, who loved not their lives even unto death (Rev. 12:11). In Revelation 6:9 we read of the martyrs who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained. These martyrs have testified with their lives in every generation and surely will in the final days of the end time.
In Revelation 7:14 we read of the great multitude who come out of the great tribulation, obviously some through martyrdom but others come out in the sense of being preserved by God for His purposes. The result of their witness will be a great harvest of souls into the kingdom of God during the last days of history. As the hatred of the world against God multiplies, many will die for their faith but God will preserve their faith, their testimony and their eternal reward.