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The History of the Ages – Lesson 127

If you remember, in Matthew 24 the disciples asked Jesus three questions. The first, concerning the destruction of the temple, we looked at in the last lesson. So, let’s examine His comments regarding the second and third question, what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age? I look at both of these together, as they are so closely related. For this we will return to Matthew 24 and look at perhaps 20 or more signs Jesus gives on this subject.  


First, a brief explanation is in order. I’m about to mention the tribulation period for the first time. This is a time yet future when God will deal with the enemies of Israel and, at the same time, begin to prepare Israel to take their intended place as the spiritual leaders of the earth. The tribulation period is not a worldwide event (though it will have definite effects on the whole world), but will be limited to the territories that make up the Old Roman Empire (this is the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, Europe, the Middle East and across Northern Africa). All this will be fully covered in future lessons. Just know for now that the events and conditions leading up to the second coming of Christ and of the end of the age are connected to this time. 


These signs all follow a definite timeline that leads up to the 7-year tribulation period and through the first half of this time, then through the last half or the time of great tribulation. I’ll make the distinction between these different times when we get to that point. The first 12 signs below are descriptive of the time leading up to the tribulation period and through the first half of that time.


  1. The first sign is deception. This is mentioned in verses 4-5, 11 and 24. The word “deceive” found is these verses is from planao, to deceive by leading into error, to seduce. And Jesus gives us the source of these deceptions: false Christs (verse 5); false prophets (verse 11); and miracles (verse 24), we’ll look at these in more detail later as we go through this.
  2. The next is similar to the first. On the subject of false Christs, Jesus mentions this in verse 5, as noted above; then He expands His explanation in verses 23-26. This later mention will be explained later, as we get to the signs pertaining to the great tribulation. Suffice it to say at this point that as this timeline progresses, the intensity of the deceptions increases.
  3. Then He talks about “wars and rumors of wars” (verse 6). Leading up to the tribulation period, there will be great unrest in Europe, the Middle East and all across Northern Africa. The combination of religious hostility and economic failures will throw this area of the world into chaos and conflict. This leads to “nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom” (verse 7) (compare Revelation 6:3-4). 
  4. The two signs mentioned next are the natural consequences of war. The first is famine. This is described in Revelation 6:5-6 and will be explained in detail in later lessons that will contain a verse-by-verse look at the Book of Revelation. Just know for now that this passage in Revelation tells us during this time food becomes so scarce it takes the average wage earner eight days to make enough money to buy one days worth of food – an impossibly difficult situation.
  5. The other result of these wars is pestilence. Revelation 6:8 tells us these wars cause such severe infectious diseases that one-fourth of the people in the areas mentioned above will die. Plagues will kill millions of people.
  6. Then there are events that ordinarily would be called natural disasters. In the last part of verse 7 Jesus mentions earthquakes. But when you look at the passage in Revelation 6:12-17 also describing this time, it becomes obvious that the magnitude of these earthquakes and other signs involving the sun, moon and stars, cause men to recognize these are not natural disasters, they are God’s judgment. In verse 8 He says this is just the beginning of sorrows. The implication is that it will only get worse, and it does.  
  7. The next thing Jesus describes is widespread persecution of Christians, “you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake” (verse 9).  He tells us in this verse that Christians will be both afflicted (ill-treated) and killed out of hatred.
  8. In verse 10 Jesus says, “many will be offended” because of this persecution. What He means is that many believers will (out of fear) turn from their faith and in order to survive will betray other believers to deflect attention away from themselves.
  9. Then in verse 11 Jesus says the turmoil of this time will bring about the rise of “many false prophets”. I must emphasize again here what a prophet is. The common idea in religion is that prophets predict future events. That is not accurate. Whether it is the Old Testament roeh, one who had immediate communication from God, or nabhi, one from whom the message of God comes forth, or the New Testament prophetes, one who openly speaks forth the divine message of God concerning salvation, they may or may not say anything about future events. False prophets distort the message of God for the express purpose of deception. During this time desperate people will flock to false religions seeking safety from what they know is God’s judgment.
  10. There are two things mentioned in verse 12. The first is an increase in “iniquity”. The word is translated from anomia, and is commonly translated lawlessness or wickedness. When combined, these two words describe a time when disregard for law leads to immoral, evil, even vicious behavior. It suggests mob violence and open rebellion against conventional institutions (law enforcement agencies and governments).
  11. The other thing mentioned in verse 12 is “the love of many will grow cold”. This is the agape love of the New Testament. “God is love.” (I John 4:8, 16) Therefore, for believers, love is the demonstration of Godly character towards others. Here Jesus is expressing the fact that in this time the demonstration of Godly traits will disappear (“cold” is from psuchos, a word used to illustrate the idea of something growing smaller). These last four points describe the breakdown of cultures and nations adding to the upheaval already caused by the wars, famine and plagues.
  12. The next two verses (13 and 14) are connected, so we’ll look at them together. “But he that stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Verse 13) This requires some explanation. “End” is from telos, the limit. This word is used to describe the time in which a person or thing ceases to be. It is obvious that many will die during this time, so Jesus is saying those who refuse to yield to the pressures and circumstances of this time, but remain faithful, will experience God’s power to deliver them.  
  13. He then continues in verse 14 to say “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to the nations, and then the end will come.” Although the troubling events surrounding the tribulation period will only directly affect the area of the world already mentioned above, there will be a definite affect on the rest of the world. There, of course, will be those who recognize these events as those described in John’s Revelation and will begin to preach the gospel with renewed zeal recognizing the reality of Jesus’ statement, “and then the end (of the age) will come.”


In the next lesson we’ll start with verse 15 where Jesus describes the event that begins the beginning of the second half of the tribulation period, called the great tribulation that leads to His second coming to the earth.

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