Matthew 24:3-8

The Voice

³Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately.

Disciples: We don’t understand Your predictions. Tell us, when will these things happen: When will the temple be destroyed? What will be the sign that You are returning? How will we know that the end of the age is upon us?

In this, the last of the five major sermons, Jesus focuses on prophetic and apocalyptic themes of judgment and the end times. The disciples have been listening to the prophetic judgment Jesus has issued on the religious leaders. They have images of collapsing temple buildings, of prophets pursued from town to town, of floggings, and of blood-soaked garments. They can imagine themselves blood-soaked. When will this all happen, and what does it mean?

Jesus: ⁴Take care that you are not deceived. ⁵For many will come in My name claiming they are the Anointed One, and many poor souls will be taken in. ⁶You will hear of wars, and you will hear rumors of wars, but you should not panic. It is inevitable, this violent breaking apart of the sinful world, but remember, the wars are not the end. The end is still unfolding. ⁷Nations will do battle with nations, and kingdoms will fight neighboring kingdoms, and there will be famines and earthquakes. ⁸But these are not the end. These are the birth pangs, the beginning. The end is still unfolding.