Notes:

The Beginning of the End    See Session Slides Here

Matthew 24:8. These things are not signs of the end of the age but the beginning of the end. We can translate ‘sorrows’ as ‘birth pangs’. Birth pangs before a baby arrives usually begin slow and are manageable, but become more intense, closer together, and less manageable approaching delivery.

The world has experienced these ‘sorrows’ for some time. Near the end they will increase with rapidity, like birth pangs, Matt.24:33. They will be more numerous and more fearful than before, see Lk.21:11,25-26.

Wars and rumours of wars

There have always been wars but they are increasing in intensity. There have been 300 wars in Europe in the past 300 years and two world wars in the last 100 years. During the seven years of World War 2, 54,800,000 people, both military and civilian, died as a result of that war world wide. Since World War 2 there have been at least 12 limited wars in the world, 74 rebellions for independence, and 162 social revolutions.

Famines

The world faces the largest humanitarian crisis since the UN was founded in 1945 with more than 20 million people in 4 countries at risk of starvation and famine, the UN humanitarian chief has said.

Pestilences

Until the 20th century epidemics did not afflict the whole world at one time. Only in the last century did a disease affect every nation on the globe at the same time. Immediately after WWI, a flu epidemic spread worldwide killing 20,000,000 people. Today diseases that were thought to be defeated are returning, including cholera, tuberculosis, diphtheria, bubonic (black) plague, malaria, etc.

Earthquakes (see graph)

Persecution

Matt.24:9-10. Hatred for Christ will manifest in hatred for His people. There will be betrayal and martyrdom.

Deception

Matt.24:4-5. People will turn to false prophets. There have been more people claiming to be Christ in the last century than ever before. One of the greatest temptations in difficult times is to follow blindly anyone who promises only good times, etc. The lie of the New Age Movement is ‘You will be like gods…’ (see Gen.3:4-5). The main teaching of the New Age Movement is that the Christ spirit is within all of us. ‘We are little gods’. This spiritual deception is of such great concern that Jesus reiterated the warning twice more in this chapter, Matt.24:11&24. The end times will be rampant with deception and false teaching. Cults, other religions and finally apostasy in the church (2 Thes.2:3. 2 Tim.4:3-5).

How are we to understand all these things? The judgment of God? Persecution? Deception? No. The consequences of a world which has rejected God. Satan is the god of this world. The 2nd coming will be at a time when humanity has become so depraved that it will resemble carrion ready to be devoured by vultures.

• Rom 8:20&21, understand that these birth pangs are the physical manifestations of the earth and its people groaning under the increasing sin in the world, anticipating redemption when Christ returns. They give advance warning. They will increase in intensity, yet will give birth to the glorious age to come.
• Whilst the god of this world continues to wreak havoc on humanity the Church is called to reach out with God’s rescue plan through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. In the times of Jesus, the Word of God could be spread in only two ways: direct word-of-mouth or parchment. The number of methods for transmission of the gospel today has increased exponentially. Satellite television, cable, internet, podcasts, DVDs, mass printed materials, have enabled the Gospel message to explode around the world.