Matthew 24:1-14 – The Signs of the Times
The disciples call Jesus’ attention to the buildings of the temple. To their surprise and amazement, He tells them that it is about to be destroyed. They come to Him and ask Him, “Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” – In these words we see the clue to the subject of the prophecy now before us. It covers three points – one, the destruction of Jerusalem, – another, the second advent of Christ – and a third, the end of the world. All these points appear distinctly in the chapter, and without them it cannot be explained, but there is disagreement over which verses refer to which events. As with all of Scripture, we need to pray that God would make clear to us what we need to know and not worry about what we can’t yet understand.
The first part of the prophecy seems to apply to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. In fact, you can almost see the fulfilment of these first 14 verses in the book of Acts. Christians are imprisoned and killed. Paul and the other apostles have to regularly deal with false Christs and those who try to deceive the church and lead it astray. And some might say when Peter preaches to all the different people from all the different countries at Pentecost, that is a fulfilment of Christ’s prophecy here – that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout the whole world. But some would say that the prophecy in these verses is describing the end of time, that there will be an increased period of war and unrest followed by severe persecution of Christians. Others believe that this prophecy refers not to a future or past event, but to a current event – to our world as it has been since Christ ascended to heaven. A world of persecution and suffering and unrest but a world where the Gospel is proclaimed and men and women are saved.
Questions
- What did the disciples ask Jesus?
- What did Jesus say about the Gospel?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for the preaching of the Gospel.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.