“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Matthew 24:9-14

Jesus began this chapter with two answers to the questions being asked by His disciples – when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? (Matthew 24: 3b).

In the verses above, Jesus spoke of some different types of prophecies. One was relatively near to His listeners – the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 AD by the Romans, while the others including the persecution of believers has go on in different places and times throughout the centuries, but as we read earlier in the chapter, we should expect challenges to the Christian faith to continue and accelerate, much like the birth pains Jesus used to describe the state of the church.

Notice that Jesus said lawlessness will increase. Morality without faith in God inevitably fails, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see many of the things happening in our world right now (not happy about it, but not surprised). As a result, our love for God and for our neighbors may grow cold.

But all is not lost! Jesus reminds us that those who remain faithful and endure will be saved and there is hope at the end of the day and the Gospel will be preached to the whole world before the end. How will it all take place? We don’t have all the details and we don’t know the timeline, but we do know God is faithful to complete His plan.