Have you ever noticed that whenever a threat of war arises in the Middle East, many Christians begin to talk of The End Time and prepare for the Second Coming of Christ? Jesus did warn that wars would be inevitable, but He also said that they would not indicate The End. In fact, the wars that Jesus warned about would be “the beginning of sorrows” – not The End (Matthew 24:8).
“The beginning of sorrows” is how Old Testament scriptures describe birth-pangs: labour pains that precede the birth of a baby. The question that arises is: Who was the “baby” about to be “born” in a time when nation would rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom: a time when famines, plagues, and earthquakes would occur with ever-increasing frequency?
The destruction of Jerusalem could more accurately be called a death than a “birth”: 900,000 Jews were killed and more than 100,000 were taken away and sold into lifetime slavery.
A New Age would at that time become apparent — one which had had begun forty years earlier, when the risen Jesus ascended into Heaven and ten days later poured out the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
After the Roman “eagles” had torn into pieces the body politic of Jerusalem, a New Jerusalem, a spiritual Holy City, would begin to descend and ultimately take its place. The inhabitants of the old Jerusalem would undergo terrible suffering and bloodshed, not only at the hands of the Romans from outside and after its fall, but during the siege itself, when many thousands would be murdered by Jewish fanatics defending the city for wanting to surrender.
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9) The disciples of Jesus would first be persecuted by their fellow countrymen, and from then on by the Romans. It was in Antioch that they first became known as “Christians”.
“And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” (Matthew 24:10) Many believers would buckle under pressure and betray their fellow Christians. Love would turn to hate in the face of torture or death. The world system would be seen by some as preferable to martyrdom, and acceptance by the authorities as preferable to being shunned by those who compromised and so viewed them as fanatics.
“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:11) Lies, anxieties, conflicts, shortages, upheavals, offences, betrayals: ideal conditions for false hopes to arise among Christians. And, as in the past, false prophets would prey on the weak and the fearful (Jeremiah 29:8).
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24: 12) Iniquity is lawlessness. Where there is no law, there can be no love, only lust. Lawlessness would weaken the love of many Christians, to the point where their moral fibre would be destroyed. They would be caught up in the zeitgeist, the spirit of the age, instead of the Spirit of God.
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13) In reply to the disciples’ enquiry as to “the end of the age”, Jesus started with “the beginning of sorrows” and then listed them in detail.
The word “endure” comes from a NT Greek word which means “to patiently persist”. It does not mean to grit your teeth and put a stoical expression on your face! Nor does it mean to keep the level of your simmering anger below boiling point.
Luke puts it this way: “In your patience you shall possess your souls.” (KJV) This can also be rendered: “In your patient endurance you will gain the mastery over yourselves.”
Jesus was telling His disciples that the way out is through! Not under, not around, not over — and clearly not out of because they had a job to do and had to be around to do it!
Will the church go through the Tribulation? My answer is, “Yes, it did!” But almost all of the believers in Jerusalem escaped its intensity by fleeing from Jerusalem and east over the Jordan River, as the Lord had instructed. (Speaking generally, Jesus earlier had said “in the world, you will have tribulation”.)
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14) Many Christians today, especially those in Western nations, think of a “witness” as a word in the ear of a fellow worker or classmate, and that can be so. But the disciples were to be “witnesses for the prosecution”! They were persecuted because they prosecuted their countrymen for crucifying their Messiah!
Stephen’s witness was accusative and reminds us of our Lord’s polemic to the Jews, recorded in Matthew, chapter 23. Those hearing Stephen’s prosecution gnashed their teeth! (Acts 7:51-53)
The Apostle Peter’s witness to the assembled Jews on the Day of Pentecost was equally spirited. It was at the Jews instigation that the “wicked hands” of the Romans had seized Christ and crucified Him (Acts 2:23).
Those who heard Peter were “cut to the heart” — deeply convicted of the sin they had committed. Peter called on his countrymen to “save yourselves from this wicked generation”. Years later, he referred to those who were doing so as “a chosen generation” (1 Peter 2:9).
The deacon Stephen became the church’s first martyr when, after a bold, detailed witness, he shared his Real Time vision of the risen Christ in heaven. Jesus stood up to receive the faithful Stephen as the stones thrown by enraged Jews pounded and battered his body to death. How fitting that in NT Greek the name “Stephenos” means “Crown”! In this case, a martyr’s crown!
May the faces of all Christians who bear witness to the risen, glorified Lord Jesus in the face of social rejection — or even death itself — shine as brightly as the face of Stephen and those of the onlooking angels!