GOD WANTS US TO BE PROTECTED (Matthew 24:1-5)

When Jesus says something will happen, it will come true (Matthew 24:35). The Jerusalem temple was a massive structure that took 80 years to build, yet in 30 A.D., Jesus prophesied that its stones would be torn down. This was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.

The disciples were very conscious of the coming kingdom at the end of the age, where God will create a new heaven and a new earth and all pain and sorrow will be removed. God wants us to know about the end times because there will be false teachers who will deceive God’s people by claiming that they are the Christ (Matthew 24:24). This deception is Satan’s lie (Revelation 12:9), and we can protect ourselves from these lies by aligning our thoughts with God’s truth and trusting God’s goodness and love. We don’t know when Jesus will come again, so we always need to be ready (Matthew 24:25, 42). What we do today will impact our eternity (Matthew 24:48-51)!

GOD WANTS US TO PERSEVERE (Matthew 24:6-14)

The Great Tribulation will affect everyone and will be the worst time in history, but God will intervene to save His elect (Matthew 24:21-22). When Jesus comes again, it will be known to the whole world, and He will be in great power and glory (Matthew 24:30-31)! Wars, plagues, and famines around the world are “birth pangs” leading to His second coming — but a clear sign that the end is near is when the gospel is preached throughout the world. This is being fulfilled today, but there are still 2 billion people who have not heard the gospel. Christians are also persecuted and killed because of their faith in Christ; many have been arrested and their properties have been destroyed. But though many Christians will survive persecution, few can survive prosperity — which gives us things that may draw us away from God. We are living in the last days wherein people are lovers of self, money, and pleasure (2 Timothy 3:1-4). The most dangerous thing that can happen is for our hearts to grow cold towards Jesus.

Let us live each day as if Jesus will come any time — but keep on doing what is right and not neglect our responsibilities. Some people spend a lot of their time studying prophecy while some claim that Jesus will not be coming again. Let us avoid these extreme beliefs.

GOD WANTS US TO BE PRUDENT (Matthew 24:37-39)

There are seven illustrations found in Matthew (Matthew 24:32-47, 25:1-30):

1. Fig tree            3. Two workers            5. Servants                 7. Talents

2. Noah                4. Thief                             6. Ten virgins

The last days will be as it was in the days of Noah (Genesis 5:32, 6:9-10) where the earth was corrupted and filled with violence — just like today. God commanded Noah to build an ark (Genesis 6:14-15) and everything on the earth was destroyed by the flood. But Noah and his family were saved because he obeyed God (Genesis 6:17-18, 7:1, 4-5, Hebrews 11:6-7). It was the Lord who closed the door of the ark after Noah, his family, and the animals were all inside (Genesis 7:13, 16). God alone has the right and the power to destroy everything, yet He is also good and holy.

All of us are given the chance to change but there are those today who will hear about Jesus’ second coming but will not believe. The door of salvation is still open, but it will soon be too late for those who do not repent 

(2 Peter 2:5, 3:3-4). God wants all of us to be inside the “ark”, and there is only one door to salvation: Jesus.

We don’t know when Jesus will come again, but we are to preach the gospel by our words and by our lives 

(2 Timothy 4:1-2). Jesus is coming again soon! Be ready!

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LAST WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE

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. (Matthew 24:14)