Part two of Four: The Beginning of Sorrows

As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives the disciples confronted Him to show Him the Temple [1]. Christ told them, “See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down [2].” The disciples thought that the Temple was so massive they couldn’t believe that its destruction was even possible let alone to think of it as imminent. They then asked Jesus three questions, the first of which concerned the Temple and the remaining two concerned the signs of His coming and the end of the age [3].

Since Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives at the time He declared the destruction of the Temple, their questions may have reflected the Old Testament prophecy found in Zechariah 14:4. “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” So when the disciples asked Christ about the sign of His coming and the end of the age, it was logical to them. Christ’s answer was complete and forthcoming in chapters 24 and 25.

Usually the most important thing to someone that they want to discuss will be the first point they bring up in a conversation [4]. Listen to Jesus’ response,

v4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
v5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. — Matthew 24:4-5 KJV

What Christ was saying to the disciples according to the Greek was this, Behold. . .beware, and let no one, no man, not anyone whatsoever [5], seduce you or cause you to go astray or to wander away from me [6]. Because, a great deal of, or large amounts of men will show up in my authority and name [7] and will lead plenty astray [8]. This is very important to Christ because seducers are a more dangerous enemy to the church than persecutors.

The sign that Christ mentioned more than any other in Matthew 24 concerning the end of the age, was an epidemic of false Christs. There are many false prophets of today who are coming in His name and authority [9]. This is why it is so important that we not only read God’s Word, but study it to show ourselves approved [10] for our own sake and for a witness to the people.

I could, as any Christian author could, write a book on these two chapters explaining what God meant according to the Greek translation. However, because of the length of these sayings of Christ, we’re only covering the most important first mention verses to Christ, and that is verses 4, 5. God is the only true God [11] and He will not share His glory with any man [12]. God is also a jealous God [13].

We are in the last days and have been for a period of 2000 years. The age of the last days will end at Harpazo (the rapture of the church). This age is ending, as in all ages of God’s dealing with man. . .in pain [14]. We are in the beginning of sorrows about which Matthew 24:8 talks. The world is going through birth pangs as we speak and is the English translation of the Greek word sorrows [15].

We study the end of the age to prepare ourselves for what is coming, not to worry about or fear what is coming. If we focus on the end times or any other aspect of the Bible more than Christ then it is a wrong focus. Therefore, may I exhort you to please study the end times, but focus on Jesus Christ because it is all about Him. Let’s obey His last command and Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone [16] and take as many with us as we can.

Next week: We will go over 2 Peter 3:3. If anyone would like further study on Matthew 24, the end times, please email me and give the Matthew 24 verses on which you would like me to expound. Thanks for your support and readership. God bless each and every one of you.
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[1] Matthew 24:1
[2] Matthew 24:2
[3] Matthew 24:3
[4] Matthew 24:4, 5
[5] The Greek word for “heed” is blepo, which means beware, behold, look on, look to, perceive, regard, see.
[6] The Greek word for “deceive” is Planao, which means to cause to, roam from safety or truth or virtue, to seduce, to wander.
[7] The Greek word for “name” is onoma and is a literal or figurative name or surname, character, or authority.
[8] Again the Greek word for “deceive” is Planao as above and is also lead astray.
[9] such as Sun Myung Moon, Sergei the Vissarion Christ, and Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda a Puerto Rican, who literally claims to be Christ. Then there is Benjamin Crème, Lord Maitreya, and David Koresh who claimed to be the Lamb of God. Do you remember Marshall Herff Applewhite of Heaven’s Gate who convinced 39 people to evacuate Earth on a Hale Bopp comet, or the infamous Jim Jones cult who convinced 918 people to drink a cyanide based Kool-Aid poison? Three-hundred of those deaths were children.
[10] 2 Timothy 2:15
[11] John 17:3; Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; 2 Samuel 7:22; 2 Kings 5:15; Plus a couple dozen more.
[12] False prophets and those coming in His name. (Isaiah 42:8; 48:11 and others.)
[13] Deuteronomy 4:24
[14] Matthew 24:4-8
[15] The Greek word for “sorrows” is Odin, which means birth pang, sorrow, travail, pain.
[16] Mark 16:15 TLB