BIRTH PAINS

Passage: Matthew 24:1-14

Key verse: 8

NIV

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times(A)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;(B) every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,(C) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming(D) and of the end of the age?”(E)

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.(F) 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.(G) 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(H) There will be famines(I) and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted(J) and put to death,(K) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.(L) 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets(M) will appear and deceive many people.(N) 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(O) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom(P) will be preached in the whole world(Q) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

24 (A)Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, (B)there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

3 As he sat on (C)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him (D)privately, saying, “Tell us, (E)when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your (F)coming and of (G)the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, (H)“See that no one leads you astray. 5 For (I)many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am (J)the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you (K)are not alarmed, for this (L)must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For (M)nation will rise against nation, and (N)kingdom against kingdom, and there will be (O)famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of (P)the birth pains.

9 “Then (Q)they will deliver you up (R)to tribulation and (S)put you to death, and (T)you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away[a] and (U)betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many (V)false prophets will arise (W)and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, (X)the love of many will grow cold. 13 (Y)But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom (Z)will be proclaimed throughout the whole world (AA)as a testimony (AB)to all nations, and (AC)then the end will come.

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Footnotes
  1. Matthew 24:10 Or stumble
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

When we look at the world superficially, we see beautiful and splendid things. But in reality, everything is fragile. Even the magnificent temple would fall. Our vision is temporary; God’s is eternal. The disciples wanted to know what the signs were that would lead to Jesus’ coming again. The signs of his coming would be calamitous: deceit, wars, natural disasters, and famines. Jesus taught his disciples not to worry about all these signs, because these things must happen. They would occur because God deemed that they would. These may seem like the end of all things, but they will actually be birth pains. Childbirth is very painful. But something beautiful comes from it. These signs would be horrifying, but the kingdom of God that these would usher in would be beautiful beyond belief.

It would not only be the natural world that would roil in chaos. Jesus’ disciples would also face many hardships. They would be persecuted, jailed, even killed. They would be hated and betrayed. But Jesus encouraged them with the promise that if they stood firm to the end, they would be saved. Their hardships would be testimonies to the world of Jesus’ salvation.

Prayer: Father, help me to keep my eyes firmly on you in this chaotic world. Help us to know this life is but birth pains.

One Word: These are the beginnings of birth pains