WISDOM AND WHAT TO LOOK FOR
As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”[1]
This is a most noteworthy question regarding the most consequential hour of human history. With so much riding on the answer to this question, Jesus gave the clearest overview of the nature and timing of His return and the close of this age found anywhere in Scripture. And this is how He chose to begin His lengthy response:
See to it that no one leads you astray.[2]
What a kind and pastoral thing to do. We should take seriously the fact that the Good Shepherd began His answer by urging us not to stray from what He was about to share.
Before we move on, let’s take a moment to appreciate the significance of Jesus sharing these intimate details surrounding His return on the very mountain He will return to - The Mount of Olives.
When Jesus rode into the City of the Great King humbly on a donkey, He began His journey from the Mount of Olives and rode into East Jerusalem.[3] When He returns to save His people and wage war against His enemies, He will begin His precession from the Mount of Olives.[4] This mountain is the very place Jesus stood when He ascended to the Father, and it’s the very place the angels told His disciples He will return to—just like He left: in plain sight, in bodily form, into the sky.[5]
Returning to the passage, Jesus then began to describe what the geopolitical landscape will be like during the season of His return. As you read, consider Jesus’ use of chronological language as He unfolds the events leading up to the end of this age. Look for keywords like “beginning,” “then,” “after,” and “immediately.”
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.[6]
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.[7]
History has shown there have always been earthquakes and famines and wars. That’s nothing new. Seeing these events alone should not alarm us. But Jesus coupled these events with unprecedented persecution of believers and hatred from all nations. He explained that during this time many of His people will grow cold and become love- less as they betray each other and fall away from the faith. And all these things will occur together with increasing intensity and severity much like the birth pains of a woman in labor.[8] And these things are only the beginning of ‘birth pains.’ The end is not yet.
Paul writes to Timothy in detail describing the behavior of society in the final generation marked by terrible, unrestrained debauchery.
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.[9]
So we’re beginning to see the geographic, political, religious, and social landscape the Lord is describing as the final generation.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.[10]
Here’s some good news: amid terrible wars, natural disasters, severe persecution, and mass apostasy, the Church will take the Great Commission more seriously than we have in centuries and will bear witness to all nations. And where we fall short or act too slowly, the Lord will dispatch an angelic messenger to proclaim the eternal gospel to all tribes and languages and nations. The takeaway point: the fulfillment of the Great Commission is inevitable!
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.[11]
Immediately after setting up the geopolitical context for the end of the age, Jesus gives a pragmatic directive with a very precise timing indicator:
So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.[12]
When you see this abominable act Daniel told us about, run! Jesus pastorally guides our understanding of His words by referring us to the book of Daniel, where the angel Gabriel provided details about the nature and timing of the abomination of desolation.[13]
As Jesus continues His discourse, He again quotes directly from the prophecy of Daniel.
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.[14]
Look at the parallel between the verses:
And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.[15]
By quoting the prophets, Jesus—in no uncertain terms—agreed and declared that there will be a future time of unprecedented tribulation coming that would not be possible to survive unless its days are numbered. He is referring to what the prophets describe as the future time of trouble and distress for Israel: the great and terrible Day of the Lord.[16]
Then if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Christ!” or “There He is!” do not believe it... For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.[17]
There will be no missing His unmistakable procession to the Earth when Jesus’ feet physically split the Mount of Olives[18] as He touches down for the first time in over 2,000 years.
The Lord goes on to describe massive cosmic disturbances, gives more details about His physical appearing, and explains how the elect saints from around the globe will be gathered to meet Him in the sky. [19]
This is why Jesus and Paul both warn the disciples not to believe anyone who says the Day of the Lord has come. There will be no mistaking that great and terrible day; there is none like it!
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the Day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God.[20]
Paul quite plainly warns believers not to believe anyone who says the Day of the Lord has already come. That Day won’t come until the abomination of desolation happens first—and culminates with the physical return of the Lord.
Jesus, our Great Shepherd, clearly wants His disciples to discern the season of His return. And He surely does not want us to be led astray from what He is teaching. We are responsible before the Lord for how we steward this crucial subject. But how are we to do so if no one knows the day or hour except the Father?[21]
Jordan Scott lives in the Muslim world with his wife and children. He is the host of THE WAY podcast and author of A Call to Compel: The Simplicity, Urgency, and Joy of Making Disciples, available now from FAI Publishing. Jordan can be reached by email at jordan@faimission.org.
[1] MATTHEW 24:3
[2] MATTHEW 24:4
[3] MATTHEW 21:1-5
[4] ZECHARIAH 14:3-4
[5] ACTS 1:10-12
[6] MATTHEW 24:6-8
[7] MATTHEW 24:9-12
[8] 1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-11
[9] 2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5
[10] MATTHEW 24:14
[11] REVELATION 14:6
[12] MATTHEW 24:15-16
[13] DANIEL 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; 12:4
[14] MATTHEW 24:21-22
[15] DANIEL 12:1
[16] JEREMIAH 30:1-7; DANIEL 12:1; JOEL 2:32; ZECHARIAH 12:2-3; 14:1-4
[17] MATTHEW 24:23,27
[18] ZECHARIAH 14:3-4
[19] MATTHEW 24:29-31; 1 THESSALONIANS 4:16-17
[20] 2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-4
[21] MATTHEW 24:36
