Matthew 24
COMMENTARY:
: 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (26 “love” [agape] means charity, affection, benevolence, fellowship meal, affection or dear.)
DEVOTION: Jesus is answering the disciples question regarding what is going to happen in the future. They want some signs. Jesus gives them an explanation of what is going to happen before the Great Tribulation.
A couple of things HE mentions are found in this verse. Remember that only the Father knows the day and the hour before HIS return. We sometimes get caught up in the facts that we think we can figure out the day and the hour and that causes real problems. We have had people predict the end of the world. They are all false prophets. Some are involved in the cults. The problem is that some of them are involved in so called Biblical churches. They are on Christian radio and many believe them and sell all that they have to support these individuals. Then when the date is wrong and it always will be they think the LORD was wrong. That is never the truth. Do not follow false prophets. Jesus stated that NO ONE knows and HE is God.
However, we can see that things are happening around us. We don’t know the day or the hour so we need to keep busy serving the LORD until we can serve no more.
Jesus informs them that “iniquity will abound” and it seems like we are living in a nation where this is true. We have babies being aborted because people are selfish and don’t want to be burdened with children. Remember God calls children a blessing. We have people who don’t want God in the schools or witnesses for the LORD on the streets and because of God taken out of society we have people running around killing everyone they can. We had a man locally that liked to kill and so he killed a couple of firemen and wounded some others. We have individuals killing children in mass in many countries including America. People ask why and the reason is that they don’t want any morals and so everyone can do as they please. We have people who believe that there are no absolutes so anything goes. A society where everyone can do what is right in their own eyes just like during the time of the Judges. Sin has abounded.
The second fact HE states is that “love of many shall wax cold” and this is true today as well. Even in the church we find that we have a majority of people who don’t show charity to one another. They look for faults in everyone but themselves. They feel good if they can criticize others instead of encouraging them. Our charity to each other has waxed cold except in those places where the name of Jesus is honored.
CHALLENGE: Be part of the group that works with the Holy Spirit to decrease sin in their lives and in the process encourage others to do the same.
: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (2347 “tribulation” [thlipsis] means affliction, distress, an oppressive state of physical, mental, social, or economic adversity, trouble, hard circumstances, or suffering.)
DEVOTION: Sometimes we look at our circumstances and think that it couldn’t get any worse. Yet we know that it could. Each day brings its own trouble into our life. Sometimes we give in to temptation. Sometimes things happen to us that we have no control over. Sometimes things go well and we wonder why. That is all part of life. The Bible teaches that “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Here we find that there is a time period coming that has never been and will never be again. It is a time when there will be greater anguish or tribulation than the world has ever seen. Remember the world has seen a worldwide flood that only eight people survived but this is going to be even worse.
It is a time of judgment of the world that will affect everyone who is still living. During this time period there will still be those who are called “elect.” Remember that there are three groups of “elect” talked about in the Bible. There are Old Testament saints, New Testament saints and Tribulation saints. This verse is talking about the time period when the Tribulation saints are alive.
So what we are going through at present is not the worst that the world is going to see but it seems like it. There is nothing new under the sun. Minor tribulation is common. We need to realize this and ask the LORD’S help to face these times of trials and show the joy of the LORD through it all.
CHALLENGE: We need to thank the LORD for the blessed hope of eternity in heaven. Our trials only last for a short time.
: 42 Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (1127 “watch” [gregoreuo] means give strict attention to, be cautious, be active, take heed or be vigilant.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is giving instruction to HIS disciples. During the instructions HE informs them that no one knows the day or hour of HIS return but the Father. The angels in heaven don’t know the day or hour.
Jesus gives the disciples some signs of HIS second coming. This is the second time the trumpet will sound. There will be false messiahs. There will be false prophets. There will be wars and rumors of wars. Some of these false messiahs might even try to fool the elect of God during the Tribulation time period. They won’t succeed but they will try.
Jesus wants HIS disciples to keep working. HE wants them to be faithful to their calling. HE wants them to be wise and good servants. No matter how long it takes.
One of the problems we have today is many people seem to want to predict the day and hour. Many cults have predicted days and hours. When it doesn’t happen, they make up a story to prove themselves right. There are some in the church who have predicted days and it has not happened. They were deceived and they deceive many. We have some who teach that it happened back in the first century. The disciple, John, wrote the book of Revelation about the year 90 A.D. and he thought it was still future.
We need to take heed to what we believe regarding the end times. What Jesus said in the verses previous to this one has not happened as of yet. It is going to happen after the church is taken out of the world and the 144,000 witnesses walk on the earth. There are three types of saint who are elect in the Word of God. There are Old Testament saints. Secondly, there are the elect in the church age. Finally, there are those who are elect during the Tribulation period. These are the ones who might be deceived by the false messiahs.
Our responsibility is to be active until HE comes. We are to be vigilant. We can look at the “signs of the times” and say that the LORD is coming soon. BUT more important than looking at the “signs of the times” is to be active in our service for the LORD while we still have breath in our bodies. Are we using our God-given gifts in the local church? Are we witnessing to the world about our great God who can predict the future and is in control of our daily lives? Are we teaching other Christians to encourage each other? Are we being an encouragement to those we know in the LORD? We don’t know the day or hour of the LORD’S return but we should be busy doing HIS work while we are waiting.
CHALLENGE: Encourage someone today to be faithful in the use of their gift for the LORD. Encourage to never retire from their service to the LORD. Too many are sitting in the pews wasting their God-given gift. We are to work until we go home to HIM.
: 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (5273 “hypocrites” [hupokrites] means an actor, stage player, pretender, a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives, impious person, or duplicitous.)
DEVOTION: Remember that Jesus teaches more about hell than about heaven. HE is warning HIS disciples that there is going to be a time period after the church is taken out of the world that will last for eternity.
This time period could be a good time period for those who are willing to become followers of the LORD during the Great Tribulation. There will be a large group but not a majority even when this time period is the worst in human history. The followers of the LORD will find their name written in the book of life. They will spend eternity with the LORD.
The second group will face a place where all hypocrites go to spend eternity. It will go to a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. What would cause such a reaction? It is a place where there will be suffering. It is a place that the rich man who mistreated Lazarus went and wanted Abraham to warn his brothers that such a place existed. Abraham said that they had the Word of God to inform them of such a place but he still wanted Abraham to send someone. Abraham said that even if someone came back from the dead they wouldn’t believe them. It is sad but true.
We warn people each Sunday in our Biblical Churches that this place exists but people just think they have so much more time to make a decision to follow Christ. They are wrong.
CHALLENGE: Today is the day if you are not a genuine follower of Christ.
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