Matthew 24:4-14 – Stay faithful in the midst of uncertainties

There were three things Jesus’ disciples wanted to know, specifically concerning the destruction of the Temple, His appearance as King and the end of the ages. They heard all that Jesus had said would happen and accepted it. But still they wanted to know when it would all happen and what should they watch out for? When would the Temple be destroyed? When would the present age end? And when would God’s new age be ushered in?

Jesus told them that the present age would certainly come to a violent end. And He began by warning the disciples not to be deceived. There would be people coming, claiming to be the messiah. But they must not be misled. He won’t be that sort of a messiah that would come and lead a revolt. When they hear of rumours of war, they should not be frightened. They should instead stay calm and faithful, and not capitulate from their allegiance to Him.   

There certainly will be wars, revolts and rebellions, famines and earthquakes. But all these, like the spasm and contractions before birth, will merely be the indications. It is not the end of the age yet. However, terrible times await His followers. They will be severely tried. And many will be intensely disliked and even killed. Furthermore, they will be hated by the nations for being His followers. Then there would be betrayals and animosity and hatred between one another. Also, many false prophets would come to the scene and mislead many. Mayhem and chaos will increase to a point, where even the love of some believers will grow cold. And due to the demands of it all, many would give up and fall away. But true and committed believers must endure to the very end and be saved. Meanwhile between the present and the time when all these would happen, the Gospel of God’s Kingdom must be preached not only in Israel but to the ends of the earth. This is the task entrusted to all followers of Jesus.  

All that Jesus had said addressed specifically the period that spanned between His public ministry and the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. We need to know that the meaning of it all still affects us today, especially in Christian discipleship. Like the disciples, we are also called to be faithful, to persevere and not to panic or be anxious in the midst of tough times. Events of the world will get increasingly terrifying, but we are to hold on to Jesus and to keep trusting Him. As God had vindicated Him in the first century at His resurrection, God will soon vindicate Him before the eyes of the whole world at His second coming. We must bear with the birth pangs of the present and hold on to the hope that in the exact timing, the new world of God will be birthed.