Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Matthew

[Lovin Movies]

All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Do you think the end is just beginning? Earthquakes great wars major division among nations power to destroy each other with nuclear warheads... Its getting spooky.

[jimwalton]

Many people are seeing many signs that make them think we may be approaching the End. Granted, through almost all of history people have thought the same thing, but one of these times it's actually going to be true—the End will actually be here. Whether we are there now is difficult to discern. You should know that there is a lot of Internet buzz about this topic, with people working together online to figure out if maybe it is or maybe it isn't.

In this particular text in Matthew, Jesus is saying that when these particular signs appear (wars, famines, earthquakes), we've only just begun. "You think this is bad; you ain't seen nothin' yet" kind of a thought. But these events are so common, they can hardly be much of an indicator. That's why it's difficult to know.

Two commentators (Robertson and Keener) say that what Jesus is really talking about is that these signs (wars, famines, and earthquakes) would characterize every era—"life as usual" in this age. It is other events that will be more important clues (like the ones that follow Mt. 24.8, along with the clues in other texts).

[Curry]

What about the advancement of Modern Technology such as smartphones, computers, and motorized vehicles?

[jimwalton]

Daniel 12.4 mentions, "Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."

As you might guess, there are different interpretations of this verse.

• Those who think it refers to the End Times, and that we might be in the End Times think it refers to smartphones, planes trains and automobiles.
• Some think it means that people will never stop formulating theories about the End Times.
• Some think it shows a contrast between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world (probably the most prominent theme in the book of Daniel). In the Kingdom of God, God's people rest secure in the knowledge they receive from God's Word. In the kingdoms of this world, they scurry helter skelter in their search for truth, but don't recognize it when they see it.

[Lovin Movies]

Does it just mean accept that it will happen and don't worry because you won't know?

[jimwalton]

Well, that's not what it means, but that was Jesus's message: You're not going to figure this out, you are not meant to figure it out, your job is to be faithful.

Jesus's point in the chapter is that people should live lives of alertness and obedience because the hour of His return is not able to be predicted by calculation and reason. This is his point: "Your priority as Christians is to be faithful and holy. Dwell on that." Vigilance, not calculation, is what is being required of them. Other events, such as the destruction of Jerusalem, will be so obvious that they can be clearly foreseen so much so that people will have time to runaway to escape the devastation. Jesus's return, however, will not be like that. It will catch people off-guard, no matter how diligently they try to do the math and study the Scriptures to discern the date of His return.