We are living in troubled times. Over the last one hundred years, there have been many tuff times in our nation. It is always hard to deal with, and it can feel like the worst thing ever experienced. The quarantine that we are dealing with now has never been seen before. And it is going to take its toll on our nation in many ways death and pain from the virus, isolation, depression, abuse, governmental changes, national economy, and personal finances. The effects will manifest themselves in many ways as people struggle to cope with the stress of it all. When we add all of these things together as a whole, it may be something that none of us has experienced before. This experience will change us personally and nationally.
How does God want us to deal with this situation? Has he given us specific instructions to live by at this time? While Christ was here on earth, he told his disciples what to expect after his ascension. The times they lived in were not going to be good. He said there would be many different types of troubles, including pestilence.
“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
(Matthew 24:1-14)
This passage is talking about the Church Age. To make it simple, that is the time between Christ’s ascension and his return. He puts his disciples on alert to the dangers that are about to come their way. They will endure many troubles throughout their life, and they are going to want to escape them. Jesus wanted to prepare and encourage them that they will be able to make it through these times.
The occasion of this instruction came when Jesus said that the temple would be destroyed. The temple at that time was the most magnificent thing that anyone had ever seen, and it was the center of their worship of God. There were gold-covered stones and white marble that looked like snow from a distance. It had taken years to build, and no one ever thought it would be destroyed completely. Jesus said that not one stone would be left on another. So, the disciples wanted to know when this destruction would come; this is what he told them.
Jesus listed things that they should expect to see. False messiahs, wars, threats of war, rumors of wars going to start or going on, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecution will come. Betrayal by those from within the church, false prophets and preachers, and some will grow cold in love.
Jesus gave them the information they needed to get ready for the times between that moment and the destruction of the temple. We can look at history and see that everything fits that time period. The disciples asked what they thought was one question, but it was, in fact, two questions. They assumed the destruction of the temple, the end of the world, and Christ’s return was one event. In Jesus’ answer He mingled two events together. It applied to the time leading up to the destruction of the temple and leading up to His return.
He tells them, “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:8) This sorrow is like labor pains; this stuff is part of the process of God’s timing coming together. “but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6) These are not signs that Jesus is coming back. He gives those signs farther down in this chapter. We understand that no one knows the time of Christ’s return except God the Father. When someone makes a prediction, we don’t take it seriously because making predictions is foolish and not what we are supposed to be doing. We must be ready for the rapture at any moment, that’s how we are to live our lives. Always prepared to meet Jesus face to face at any moment.
He is telling them that they will have to endure hardship. However, “be not troubled.” (Matthew 24:6) Don’t let yourself fall into panic and anxiety over the matter. Be calm and thoughtful in the situation. How can we do this? By trusting that God is in control. “for all these things must come to pass” (Matthew 24:6). When we see these things happening, we know that God is working out his plan in the world.
Continuing, he reveals that in this time of false messiahs and false prophets, many are going to grow cold in their love for God and love for each other. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:12) Confusion and wickedness will cause them to become worldly, jaded, and skeptical. These are believers growing cold, not turning from the faith. Don’t let the confusion and wickedness affect you. Allow the love of Christ to burn within your soul, the desire for Christ, and those around you.
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13) We see that during persecution, some will turn in their friends and family to escape punishment. They will deny the faith. However, some will turn from the faith during hard times. They choose to blame God instead of trusting that he has things in control. A true believer can not walk away from God. They struggle and even stumble, but they will not leave the faith. As believers, when hard times come, we need to get closer to God. We need to double down on our personal Bible study, prayer time.
He finishes with a vision of world evangelism. The gospel is spread throughout the whole world. To every nation, language, culture, and people group. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14) This goal is the most critical task for us during troubled times. To share the gospel with those who are seeking for truth, and comfort. Trouble times can soften the hearts of the hardest sinners toward the gospel. One of the most effective ways of doing this is by sharing your testimony.