Matthew 24:9-14 (ESV Strong's)
9 “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. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 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.
The End Will Be Bad!!!
We have all types of people who are proclaiming, due to climate change, that the world, as we know it, is going to end shortly. They seldom describe what the end looks like. They just want us to know it is going to be bad. It is obvious they want to be right. In the above passage Jesus is asking a question put out by the disciples, earlier in this chapter:
Matthew 24:3 (ESV Strong's)
Signs of the End of the Age
3 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?”
Jesus is giving them a description of the end times. He does, point to severe changes in the weather patterns. Note:
Matthew 24:7 (ESV Strong's)
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
It is great that our politicians are warning us about the catastrophic end of days. However, like most things, they want to give even the credit for the end to mankind. It is God who will be bringing things to an end. Now, like many times, God does use mankind’s sin and waywardness to accomplish His end. So, wars and climate disruptions, due to mankind’s failure to respect God’s creation, can be a tool God uses to accomplish this end. But, the real issue for the end days is not the deterioration of the physical elements of the earth, but the complete and utter spiritual desolation of the earth. That is what Christ is warning about in the above passage. He wants us to know that believers will be under attack, false teachers will be on the rise, lawlessness will be on the rise, and the love of mankind toward other mankind and the love people have for God will wax cold. That actually sounds like last week in the news. Jesus is doing a better job of accurately portraying the end of the age 2,000 years ago then our current political framework does today. The real accuracy of the last days is the apostasy and rejection of truth. Jesus warns that believes need to “endure” to the end to be saved. He is telling us that even the church will fall away at the end. Again, this is the current news cycle. How many, once strong believing pastors and teachers, are now denouncing their faith. Jesus is telling us that the end is coming. It has little to do with the melting of the polar icecaps and much to do with the melting of the warmth we have for God.
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