How  Will  You  Respond  to  God’s Prelude to the End?

© 2020 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6)

Jesus was responding to this question by His disciples:

“…what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3)

Have we experienced, and are we, experiencing “wars and rumors of wars”?  Yes! However, even before mentioning this part of His prelude to the end, Jesus gave an urgent warning.  He warned His people to guard against false teachers.

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4-5)

Are we experiencing “false teachers”?  Yes, indeed!  Many so-called church pastors downplay the truth of Scripture.  They deem such truth counterproductive to building large congregations.  Few wealthy consumers of their “seeker friendly” product are willing to invest in Christ’s message that we are sinners!  In order to attract large congregations, they abandon this truth.  Yet, rejection of this truth is deadly.  Without Jesus’ remedy for this unpopular truth, we’d all be cast, forever, into the even more unpopular lake of fire.

Having dealt with false teachers and wars, Jesus turns to more distant events in His prelude to the end.

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” (Matthew 24:7)

Have we experienced increasing famines, pestilences, and earthquakes?  Yes, we have!  Pestilence is another word for “plague.”  Just in terms of Corona viruses, we have seen SARS, MERS, and now, COVID-19.  Are these fulfillments, of Jesus’ prophesies, part of God’s merciful warning that the final end is drawing nearer?  That final end will not destroy just a small percentage of unbelievers.  One hundred percent of all who reject or ignore the only Redeemer, God the Son, shall perish eternally.  From that eternal end there shall be no recovery.

It’s interesting to contemplate the multiple stages of Jesus’ prelude to the end.  He warns, and then He warns, and warns again.

Will you curse God for sending these painful warnings, or thank Him for warning you to seek His merciful forgiveness?  Where shall you end?

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