Signs of Christ's Return

The Signs of Christ's Coming--Part 3
by
John MacArthur
All Rights Reserved

(A copy of this message on cassette tape may be obtained by calling 1-800-55-GRACE)
Matthew 24:6-14    Tape GC 2368

Introduction

In Matthew 24:3, the disciples ask Jesus a few questions that brought about the great sermon in Matthew 24-25: "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the age?" They wanted to know when the Messiah would judge His enemies, purge Jerusalem, gather the Jewish people scattered throughout the earth, and establish His kingdom. The disciples thought Christ's return was only days away, or at most a few weeks away. But the Lord explains that His coming is off in the future. And in Matthew 24:4-14, He details some of the events that will take place when His return is near.

Review

I. THERE WILL BE DECEPTION (vv. 4-5)

In Matthew 24:4-5 Jesus says, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." There have been false Christs in the past but in the future an abundance of false Messiahs will claim they can deliver the world from absolute chaos.

Lesson

II. THERE WILL BE DISSENSION (vv. 6-7b)

Matthew 24:6-7 says, "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors 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." Some nations will be at war while others will have rumors of war. That can include what we call hot wars or cold wars, and they will be all over the globe.

A. The Intensity

Wars have always been going on in one place or another. However, the Lord is saying in Matthew 24:6-7 that at the end will be worldwide warfare on a scale never before known.

Notice the phrase "ye shall hear" in verse 6. It is a future durative in the Greek text and refers to continual hearing. Christ said that someday people will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. The subject of war will surface constantly.

1. According to the Old Testament

a) The prophecy of Daniel

Daniel chapter 11 confirms that there will be an increase in the intensity and number of wars. The book of Daniel talks about the time when the Messiah sets up His kingdom, and the tribulation period preceding the kingdom. Daniel said that the Antichrist will rule a great kingdom basically made up of the territory that comprised the Roman Empire (Dan. 7:7-8). Some of the countries of Europe will form a western confederacy, and the Antichrist will rule them. He will be a threat to the whole world. According to Daniel 9:27, Israel will seek protection from her enemies in the Middle East and sign a covenant with him.

Interestingly, Daniel indicates that the European confederacy will be made up of ten nations (Dan. 2:41-42; 7:8, 20, 24-25). Right now ten nations are members of the European Common Market. The confederacy Daniel spoke of could emerge from those nations.

In Daniel 11:40 we read, "At the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him [probably an African coalition]; and the king of the north [the Soviet Union] shall come against [the Antichrist] like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through." Those kings and the Antichrist will converge in the Holy Land. Verses 41-43 continue, "[The Antichrist] shall enter also into the glorious land [Israel], and many countries shall be overthrown, but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps."

The Antichrist will defeat Russia and the king of the south. However verse 44 says, "Tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him." Apparently the Russian forces will regroup, and there will be a great army from the east. Revelation 9:16 says the army from the east will number two hundred million people. The army of Red China passed that mark several years ago. When the Antichrist hears that the armies of the east and the north will attack, he will "go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to sweep away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him" (vv. 44-45). He will put his palace in the middle of Jerusalem on Mount Zion, and establish himself as God. But he will come to an end and no one will help him.

So Daniel prophesied a war of mind-boggling proportions in the end times. All western Europe will be involved. Scripture doesn't say if the United States will be in the war. Huge armies from the Soviet Union, Africa, and Red China will all converge in Israel for a major holocaust.

b) The prophecy of Zechariah

Zechariah 14 reiterates Daniel's prophecy about the end times. Verses 1-3 say, "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle." When the Antichrist comes to his end, he will find no one to help him.

c) The prophecy of Haggai

In Haggai 2:22-23 God says, "I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those who ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts." That speaks of the time when God will send His own army to destroy the armies of the world and set up the One who comes from the loins of Zerubbabel and David--the Messiah.

There will be great dissension at the end. We can see that beginning to take place. It's as if the world is a powder keg ready for someone to light a match. We live in the constant threat of nuclear war. There is constant strife and fighting all across the globe. The stage is being set for the final holocaust.

2. According to the New Testament

a) Revelation 6

This chapter gives us more details about the great warfare that will come during the end times. In verse 1 Christ begins to open a scroll with seven seals. The seven seals are interesting in a symbolic sense because the Romans used to put seven seals on a person's will so that if it were violated, people would know. In giving the scroll to Christ, God is willing the world to Him. As each seal is broken, certain catastrophic events take place.

Verses 1-2 say that when the first seal is opened, the Antichrist will come as a rider on a white horse to deceive many. He will conquer the world, and many will worship him. In verses 3-5 John writes, "When [Christ] had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, Come. And there went out another horse that was red; and power was given to him that sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come. And I beheld and, lo, a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand." Verse 6 explains that when the third seal is broken, there will be famine. There won't be enough food in the world as a result of the wars that happen when the second seal is broken.

In verse 7 the fourth seal is opened, and in verse 8 John says, "I looked, and, behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." One-fourth of the world's population will be massacred. That means more than one billion people by today's standards.

b) Revelation 9

After Christ opens the seven seals we read of the seven trumpet judgments. Let's pick it up at the sixth trumpet: "The sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Loose the four angels who are bound in the great river, Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand; and I heard the number of them.... By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails; for their tails were like serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, and silver, and bronze, and stone, and wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts" (vv. 13-16, 18-21). Even after one-fourth of the world's population is wiped out by war and another third is massacred, some people still won't repent.

c) Revelation 13

The demonic forces of hell and Satan himself won't be the only ones waging war during the end times. Verse 7 says this about the Antichrist--the beast: "It was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." He is the one who will massacre the armies of the south, north, and east (Dan. 11:40-44). There will be incessant warfare in the end times.

d) Revelation 16

In verse 13 John saw high-ranking demonic spirits come out of the mouth of the beast and his false prophet. Verse 14 says, "They are the spirits of demons, working miracles that go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty." Verse 16 says they will be gathered at a place called Armageddon. Demonic forces will try to get all the armies of the world to destroy Jerusalem to keep Christ from coming back. In the midst of that battle, Christ will return and destroy them all (Rev. 19:11-20).

B. The Injunction

Jesus said not to be troubled when you hear of wars and rumors of wars (Matt. 24:6). Why? Because "all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet" (Matt. 24:6). The increase in wars won't signal that the end is imminent. Sin will still need to run its full course, and other things have to happen before the second coming. So, even when there are wars and rumors of war, the kingdom won't come yet. It won't be time for the destruction of the ungodly, the renovation of Jerusalem, and the purging of the Temple. That will still be in the future. Deception and dissension will worsen on a worldwide scale.

III. THERE WILL BE DEVASTATION (vv. 7c-8)

The third sign or birth pain Christ talked about was devastation. Matthew 24:7 says, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes" (NASB). There will be famines (Gk., limos) and earthquakes (Gk., seismos). They will occur in staggering proportions all over the earth in the end times. Mark 13:8 says, "There shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows." Luke 21:11 says, "Great earthquakes shall be in different places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." (According to the more reliable Greek manuscripts, Matthew didn't mention pestilences, but Luke did. Thus some versions of the Bible include pestilences in Matthew 24:7.) So from Matthew, Mark, and Luke we learn that there will be famines, earthquakes, pestilences, fearful sights, and great signs from heaven during the end times.

A. The Extent

Pestilences are diseases and plagues, fearful sights are horrible events, and signs from heaven are changes in the sky. Even though we see those things happening around us now, they will happen on a scale like never before.

The terrible events of the end times will happen "in various places" (Matt. 24:7). They won't happen here and there from time to time; they will come in large doses in many places at the same time. There will be disasters to an extent never before known in history. The whole world will self-destruct when sin is allowed to run its full course without restraint.

The Lord is restraining sin and its effects in this age. That preserves the earth. But when He removes His restraints in the rapture of the church, the tribulation will begin. Second Thessalonians 2 confirms that God will restrain the expression of sin until "that wicked one be revealed" (v. 8). After that, the earth won't be able to handle the evil of the people in it and will begin to crumble. Revelation 9 says that during the Tribulation, Satan and many of his demons will be released from hell. God will allow them to do signs and wonders that will deceive the wicked.

B. The Events

1. Earthquakes

In Revelation 6:12 John says, "I beheld, when he had opened the sixth seal and, lo, there was a great earthquake." Revelation 16 says, "There were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.... every island fled away, and the mountains were not found" (vv. 18, 20). Revelation 11:13 says, "The same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city [Jerusalem] fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and the remnant were terrified, and gave glory to the God of heaven." The end times will be characterized by earthquakes.

2. Famine

Revelation 6:6 speaks of what will happen when the third seal is broken during the tribulation: "I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures say, A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius, and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." Those who have oil and wine will be the rich, and everyone else will have to eke out a living. A denarius is one day's wage, and a measure of wheat is one and one-half pints. During the tribulation, one day's wages will earn only a small amount of grain. Food will be scarce; famine conditions will reach disastrous proportions. Verse 8 says that one-fourth of the world's population will be killed by the sword and by hunger. Many people will starve to death.

In Revelation 8:7 we read, "The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were cast upon the earth; and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up." The destruction of vegetation will make that famine that much worse. Verse 9 adds that when the second angel sounds his trumpet, one-third of the creatures in the ocean will die and one-third of the ships will be destroyed. Those who depend on the sea for their food or transportation of food will be affected. Verses 10-11 indicate that one-third of the rivers and fountains of water in the earth will become bitter, causing many to die. Verse 12 says, "The third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars." The cycle of day and night will be thrown off. That will harm the growth of what little crops are left.

3. Pestilences

In Revelation 16 we read of the bowls of wrath that are poured out in rapid-fire succession on the earth. Verse 2 says that the first angel "went, and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and there fell a foul and painful sore upon the men who had the mark of the beast, and upon them who worshiped his image." A terrible plague will bring grievous sores upon people. Verse 3 says, "The second angel poured out his bowl upon the sea, and it became like the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea." When the seventh seal was opened in Revelation 8, only one-third of the sea turned to blood, but in Revelation 16, it all turns to blood. All the rivers and fountains of water will all become blood (v. 4). The sun will scorch people (v. 8), and then the world will be filled with darkness and everyone will gnaw their tongues in agony (v. 10). There will be many terrible plagues in the end times.

4. Fearful Sights

According to Revelation 9, a bottomless pit will open up and many demonic beings will come from it. Men will be tormented by those demons, whose sting will be like that of a scorpion (v. 5). Their torment will be so bad that men will seek death but won't find it (v. 6). The Hebrew name for the leader of those demons is Abaddon (v. 11), and his Greek name is Apollyon, which means "destroyer"--Satan himself. What a terrifying sight it will be to see all the demons come out of hell! Verse 15 speaks of a horrible massacre that will take place. Revelation 12:12 says, "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you." Not only will many demons roam the earth; but also Satan himself. He will bring forth all the evil that his mind can conceive.

Revelation 14:20 speaks of another fearful sight. The bloodshed at Armageddon will be so bad that blood will flow at the height of a horse's bridle for two hundred miles. From the northernmost tip of Israel to the southernmost tip will be one big bloodbath. As we read earlier, Revelation 16 mentions that the sea and fresh water will turn to blood, the sun will scorch people, darkness will come, and people will gnaw their tongues out of pain. Verse 18 says, "There were voices, and thunders, and lightnings." Revelation 18:8 says, "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and she [the worldwide economic system known as Babylon] shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." The rest of chapter 18 describes the devastation of Babylon.

5. Signs from Heaven

The heavens will fall apart during the Tribulation. In Revelation 6:12-13 says, "The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind." Joel had prophesied that (Joel 2:10), and Peter repeated it in his sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:19-20). Just as a mighty wind will shake the figs out of a fig tree, so God will shake the heavens and cause the stars to fall. Verse 14 continues, "The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." What a horrifying time to be alive!

Revelation 8 also speaks of what will happen in the heavens: "The fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise" (v. 12). The calendar, the seasons, and the tides will be thrown off as God's judgment is poured out on the earth. When the final bowl of wrath is poured out, the islands will flee, the mountains won't be found, and hailstones weighing about one hundred pounds will fall from heaven (Rev. 16:20-21).

IV. THERE WILL BE DESECRATION (v. 9)

A. Explaining the Desecration

In Matthew 24:9 Christ says, "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." There will be desecration. To desecrate something is to treat a holy thing in an unholy way. The holy people of God will be treated in an unholy way. There will be widespread persecution of the redeemed that will exceed all other persecutions.

The phrase "deliver you up" is a technical term often meaning, "to arrest" (cf. Matt. 4:12). During the Tribulation, true believers will be arrested, afflicted, and murdered because they identify with the Lord Jesus Christ. In a passage parallel to the Olivet Discourse, Jesus says, "Take heed to yourselves; for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten" (Mark 13:9). At least in the beginning of the end, Jewish people will persecute those who are believers.

How is it possible for believers to be persecuted during the end times if they are raptured before the Tribulation begins? After the church is raptured, God will send two prophets to proclaim the truth (Rev. 11). They will be murdered (v. 7), but they will rise from the dead (v. 11). Many people will probably see the resurrected prophets on international television. Their resurrection will win some people over to Christ. It is those people who will be the objects of persecution from the Jews and the world. They will be delivered up to synagogues. That isn't a remote possibility, because there are many synagogues in Israel now. So believers will be persecuted by Jews and Gentiles. But at the end, God will purge out those rebels from the land (Ezek. 20:38).

B. Examining the Desecration

1. Why it will happen

The world will treat God's holy people shamefully. There will be no place to hide because believers will be hated by all the nations. Why will the world hate Christians? Because Jesus said the persecution will be "for my name's sake" (Matt. 24:9). The world hates Christ--it has in the past, and will in the future. Its mad hatred will reach its peak when the Antichrist sets himself up against the Lord. Believers have been martyred throughout the history of the church, but it will get worse in the end times.

2. What specifically will happen

Revelation 6:9 says, "When [Christ] had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held." The altar represents a place of atonement, so the people under it were saved. From the context we learn they had been massacred during the Tribulation. Verses 10-11 say, "They cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." The Lord responded that their blood wouldn't be avenged until all the other saints that were to die during the Tribulation were killed.

Revelation 7:9-10 says, "Lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." Who are those people? Verse 14 says, "These are they who came out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb." How did they get out of the Tribulation? They were probably martyred for the sake of the Savior.

In Revelation 9, starting from verse 13, we read of an eastern army that massacres people all over the world. No doubt that will include many believers. Verse 21 says, "Neither repented they of their murders." In Revelation 11, the two witnesses God sends to testify of Him are murdered. Chapter 12 says that the dragon--Satan--will make war with the remnant (most likely Jewish believers). Revelation 13:7 says he will he will make war with the saints and overcome them. Revelation 17 says that the great harlot, the false religious system of the Tribulation, will be "drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (v. 6). There will be those who hate believers, and "shed the blood of saints and prophets" (Rev. 16:6).

V. THERE WILL BE DEFECTION (vv. 10-13)

A. Because of Persecution

1. They will break away from Christ

Matthew 24:10 says, "Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." When Christians start being massacred, anyone who is superficially connected with Christ will reject Him. They will be like the seed that falls in the stony ground--it never develops any depth, and therefore can't take the heat, but it looks good at first (Matt. 13:5-6). When they see the price they have to pay for identifying with Christ, they will become offended and reject Christ. They will also tell the persecutors where they can find true believers to kill them.

Will True Christians Reject Christ During the Tribulation?

Are the defectors Christ talks about in Matthew 24:10 true believers? No. If they had been, they would have continued in the truth. First John 2:19 says anyone who professes to be a Christian but later rejects Christ was never a Christian in the first place. Jesus said in John 8:31, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed."

Our Lord says this about discipleship in Matthew 10:24-25: "The disciple is not above his teacher, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not, therefore; for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed." Jesus was saying that because people had accused Him of being of Satan, the same thing and more would happen to His disciples. However it's enough for Christians to be like Christ. The true disciple is willing to suffer like the Master suffered. There's nothing to be afraid of.

In Matthew 10 the Lord concludes, "Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father, who is in heaven.... And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me" (vv. 32, 38). The person who isn't willing to even suffer or die for Christ--who leaves Christ when persecution comes his way--isn't worthy of being a disciple. A person who belongs to Christ will stay with Him. He is willing to pay the price not because of some special characteristic he has, but because every true believer is given a sustaining grace by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 3:12 says, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." When someone departs from God, he manifests an evil heart of unbelief. Paul told Timothy, "If we deny him, he also will deny us" (2 Tim. 2:12). There are people who outwardly attach themselves to Christianity but leave when things get bad. They get out because they're not willing to pay the price. Luke 9:57-62 tells of people who said they were willing to follow the Lord once they were finished with other things they wanted to do. But Jesus said, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (v. 62).

2. They will betray Christians

Jesus says in Matthew 24:10 that not only will there be defectors, but that those defectors will betray true believers. That's tragic. Mark 13:12 says, "Brother shall betray brother to death, and the father, his son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death." Even family members will betray one another! Luke 21:16 says, "Ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death."

B. Because of Deception

Some people will defect because they don't want to pay the price of following Christ. Matthew 24:11 says there will be other people who defect because they were deceived: "Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." In the end times, many false prophets and teachers will arise (cf. Matt. 24:24). They will teach satanic error.

Satan will be running loose in the world during the Tribulation and he can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). Therefore overt evil will mark the end times, as well as a proliferation of false religions. According to Revelation 17, there will be a wretched worldwide religious system known as the harlot. While the church is Christ's bride, this system will be the prostitute of religion. All kinds of religious deception will flourish as Satan does everything he can to keep people away from Christ. Cults will blossom and deceive those who are superficially interested in Christ. According to Revelation 9:21 people will refuse to won't repent of their "sorceries." The Greek word translated "sorceries" is pharmakeia, which means "drugs." Drugs will probably have a role in the religious deception of the future.

C. Because of Love for Sin

The third element of the future deception is stated in Matthew 24:12: "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold." Some will defect because they're not willing to pay the price, some because they're deceived, and some because they chose iniquity. The Greek word translated "iniquity" means "lawlessness." People will chose to violate God's law. Sin will abound to the point where it will draw people who are moving toward the truth right back out of it. That's happening even now. There was a girl in the youth department at Grace Church who left when she was enticed by sin. And the wickedness that will engulf the world during the Tribulation will be much more powerful than what we see today. What is only in a gross pornographic magazine today will probably be going on publicly at that time. Such wickedness will cause the love of many to grow cold.

Paul described that wickedness this way: "Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (2 Tim. 3:2-4). Lawlessness will run rampant all over the globe. And we are approaching that state rapidly. Whatever interest people might have in Christ will grow cold. Their love of evil will call them away from Him.

Matthew 24:13 says, "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." How will you be able to tell who the true believers are? They won't defect from Christ, false teachers won't deceive them, and they won't love evil. Those who endure until the end are the true Christians. They will be delivered from the wrath to come-- God's judgment at the end of the age (1 Thess. 1:10). Endurance is always the mark of the saved.

Jesus says in Matthew 10:22, "Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Jesus was saying that true Christians will go to the end of their lives and endure all that comes their way, thereby demonstrating that they are truly saved. They will be delivered out of this life into the glories of heaven. They are, as Revelation 2:10-11 says, overcomers. They will remain with Christ no matter what the price. Luke 21:19 says, "In your patience possess ye your souls." The faith that perseveres is the faith of the redeemed.

In Revelation 7 we see in white garments those who endured through the Great Tribulation. We also see them in Revelation 19 returning with Christ. They were faithful to Christ in the midst of persecution.

VI. THERE WILL BE DECLARATION (v. 14)

A. The Message

The final birth pain that will signal the imminence of Christ's coming is in Matthew 24:14: "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." In spite of the persecution, defectors, false prophets, demons, iniquity, the Antichrist, wars, earthquakes, famines, and signs in the heavens, there will be a worldwide proclamation of the gospel. Then the kingdom of Christ will come.

B. The Method

How will the gospel be preached throughout the world during the Tribulation? The apostle John says in Revelation 14:6 (just before the bowls of wrath are poured out), "I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." This worldwide preaching of the gospel hasn't happened yet; in Matthew 24:14 Jesus was talking about a future time when an angel will supernaturally proclaim the gospel all around the world before God pours out His judgment at the end of the Tribulation. He will say with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of the waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen" (Rev. 14:7-8). Basically they will be saying, "Man's day is over. You had better get right with God." The angels will preach that God judges sin and rewards righteousness. They will call the world to the Savior. After that, the end will come.

Focusing on the Facts

1. What will be different about the wars during the end times (see p. 1)?

2.Who will be involved in the wars prophesied in Daniel 11 (see pp. 2- 3)?

3.What are some of the things that will happen when Christ breaks the seals on the scroll in Revelation 6 (see p. 4)?

4.What will the demonic forces of the world do at the end of the Tribulation, according to Revelation 16 (see p. 5)?

5.How did Christ say people are to respond when they "hear wars and rumors of wars" (Matt. 24:6; see p. 5)?

6.What will be the extent of the devastation during the end times (see p. 6)?

7.What will contribute to the famine in the Tribulation (see p. 7)?

8.Describe the pestilences mentioned in Revelation 16 (see p. 7).

9.What does Revelation 6:12-13 say will happen in the heavens during the Tribulation (see pp. 8-9)?

10.What will happen to Christians during the Tribulation? (see p. 9)?

11.If all the Christians on the earth are going to be raptured at the beginning of the Tribulation, where will the Christians who endure the Tribulation come from (see p. 9)?

12.Why will God's people be hated by all the nations in the end times (Matt. 24:9; see p. 10)?

13.During the Tribulation, what will happen to those who are superficially attached to Christ (Matt. 24:10; see p. 11)?

14.Will true Christians reject Christ during the Tribulation? Explain (see p. 11).

15.According to Matthew 24:11, what is one factor that will cause some people to reject Christ (see pp. 12-13)?

16.What is one other element that will cause people superficially attached to Christ to stray away from Him (Matt. 24:12; see p. 13)?

17.What did Jesus mean when He said, "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matt. 24:13; see p. 13)?

18.What will be proclaimed worldwide before the coming of Christ, and how will it be proclaimed (see p. 14)?

Pondering the Principles

1.Since the turn of this century, there have been two world wars. Periodically news of devastating earthquakes and famines stretch across newspaper headlines. Tragic things happen daily. Certainly this world is falling apart, but what is happening now pales in comparison to what will happen during the Tribulation. Some Christians fear the prospect of having to live through the Tribulation, but that's an unnecessary fear. First Thessalonians 1:10 and Revelation 3:10 tell us that God will protect His church from the outpouring of His wrath by removing it from the earth. Commit those verses to memory as a reminder of God's love for His church!

2.Revelation 6:9-11 and 7:9-14 speak of great multitudes who will receive Christ as their Savior during the Tribulation. Evidently the tragic events around them will stir them to acknowledge God as Lord. That is an example to us of how God can use difficult circumstances to call our attention to Him. Read James 1:2-4. What does it say about how you can benefit from trials? Although you won't always understand your circumstances, you can take comfort knowing that God will use them to perfect you.

Added to the John MacArthur "Study Guide" Collection by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986