Study Lesson 3
The Hearing Of End Time Wars
Scripture To Consider:
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and pestilences [plaques], and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24.6-8
A Few Words Of Warning:
What About The Hearing Of End Time Wars
The hearing of wars and the hearing of rumors of wars in and of itself may not constitute a sign of the end times. Wars and rumors of wars have been a human historical reality in every generation since the early existence of mankind. The earliest documented war was recorded taking place in 2700 B.C., which was between Sumer [modern Iraq] and Elam [modern Iran]. Since then wars have played a major part in the history of the Middle East and around the world. This reality will not change as we approach the end of time. In fact, the 20th century has been declared the bloodiest and costliest century for wars of all time.
Therefore, the real biblical word of warning according to Jesus is based on His proclamation that we will continue to hear of wars and rumors of wars. Jesus also admonished all who have ears to hear, by stating, “See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Earlier in John’s gospel chapter 14, Jesus declared, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”
Jesus knows how quickly our hearts are troubled at the sight or hearing of what we deem to be a bad or an evil report. Jesus’ disciples were more than likely troubled by the words of warning spoken by Jesus. We too, two thousand years later are still prone to having troubled hearts.
Something To Consider:
The apostle Paul writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3.1, warned of future end time troubles or perilous times, by acknowledging, “Know this also, that in the last days [end times] perilous times shall come.” Therefore, Paul completely agrees with Jesus’ warning, “For all these things [troubling times] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” The question should be asked, are we ready and spiritually prepared for the soon coming troublesome or perilous times? Are our loved ones ready and spiritually prepared?
If we are listening to the counterfeit messages of this 21st century, we will not be ready. The 21st century message is simply a continuation of the Americanized Escapism message first devised in the 19th century and deployed in full force in the 20th century. If we are listening to a pre-tribulation rapture message, and that message proves to be utterly false and non-biblical, many millions will be destined to be taken totally by surprise.
The disappointed and disillusioned listeners of that message may well be among those who Jesus spoke of in Luke 12.45-46, when He said, “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying His coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and maidservants [other servants of God], and to eat and drink and be drunk [practicing iniquity], the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for Him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.”
But, if we in all humility and meekness listen to, heed, and obey the words of warning so graciously spoken by Jesus and lovingly preserved in Matthew chapter 24 and 25 and elsewhere, we will be both ready and spiritually prepared for the coming future difficult and perilous end times. And if prepared by the truth of the Word of God, we shall not remain troubled, but rather heed Christ’s warnings.
Something Else To Consider:
The Truth Is Wars Have Consequences
The New Testament message of truth concerning the future end times is a message that predicts danger, hazards, sorrows, and difficulty which is indeed troublesome without the peace and promise of Christ’s never leaving us or never forsaking us. And yet Jesus continues His end time scenario by adding, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”
For more than twenty centuries the words of Jesus have proven to be prophetically accurate; for nations have risen up against other nations for such fleeting earthly reasons as gold, oil, enlarged borders, and prideful religious and political indifferences. Each war-like encounter of kingdom against kingdom, whether physical kingdom or spiritual kingdom, has severe consequences to be suffered by many.
Some of the consequences of nations and kingdoms rising up and declaring war is also predicted by Jesus in His Mt. Olivet end time discourse. Jesus further warned, “And there will be famines, and pestilences [plaques], and earthquakes in various places.” The historical record is clear, wars worst by product is the suffering of those left alive to experience the destructive natural force of famines. And not far behind on the hellish heels of famine is the real possibility of the outbreak of plaque-like pestilences.
As man’s research and development of biological and chemical weapons are advanced in all corners of the globe, and without proper oversight; plaques and pestilences are potentially capable of world-wide devastation within the human race. Jesus, though painting a most gruesome war-like portrait of mankind’s end time, reminds us, by having exclaimed; “See that you are not troubled.”
And yet, what may be more troubling is Jesus’ mentioning that there would be earthquakes in many or different places as we approach the end of times. Just as with wars, there have always been earthquakes. There was even an earthquake in the area of Jerusalem the day Jesus was crucified according to Matthew 27.51.
But something recently in the history of planet earth has become alarming to the U.S. Geological Survey scientists, according to an article posted on the internet April 11, 2012. The article is entitled, “Is the Recent Increase in Felt Earthquakes in the Central U.S. Natural or Manmade?”
Something More To Consider:
What About The Substantial Increase In Earthquakes
The above mentioned article was posted by the U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey. The article reveals evidence that there has been a substantial increase in the frequencies of magnitude 3 and greater earthquakes in the United States since 1970. The U.S. Geological Survey scientists report that from 1970 to 2000 the magnitude 3 and greater earthquakes steadily increased to about 21 per year. From 2000 to 2008 the recorded data reveals a further increase of magnitude 3 or greater earthquakes by nearly 50% to 31 earthquakes per year. And from 2008 to 2012 there was a startling 300% increase and frequency of magnitude 3 or greater earthquakes to include about 151 per year.
In Oklahoma, of all places, between 1978 and 2008, it was recorded that there was an average of 2 earthquakes per year with at least a magnitude of 3.0. On November 5, 2011, there was a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Prague, approx. 44 miles from Oklahoma City. The shock waves were felt 17 states away. Between October 2013 and April 14, 2014, there were 183 earthquakes in Oklahoma of at least a magnitude 3.0. The number increased tremendously for all of 2014 in Oklahoma to a total of 583 earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or greater. And the latest data reported for worldwide earthquakes between 4.0 – 9.9 magnitudes for 2014 was 16,674 in total. This number is more than in any other year since earthquakes have been recorded.
What is it that we should overwhelmingly learn from the words of warning spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, and the data being collected by scientists within the United States? If nothing else, we should learn and firmly believe that Jesus prophetically meant every word when He proclaimed in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Every word Jesus uttered in all four gospels and in the seven letters to seven churches in the book of Revelation shall indeed come to pass.
Therefore, we are further warned by Jesus in our text concerning these end time events, by His saying, “All these things are the beginning of sorrows.” The great end time flood of deception, the overwhelming rising tide of misleading messages being heralded within the church world-wide, the wide-spread 20th century and beyond proliferation of wars and rumors of wars, the extensive outbreak of famines, and both natural and biological pestilences, as well as the substantial increase in earthquakes, are the beginning of sorrows, according to Jesus.
And yet, also according to Jesus, we are admonished, “See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
A Few Final Words:
Are We Ready For Future End Time Events
Are we ready for what has already begun to be unleashed upon the inhabitants of planet earth? Are we ready and able to rightly discern the spiritual deception disguised as political correctness that has washed over the shores of Christianity in America? Will we become deceived or will we remain steadfast in our defense of Scripture?
The choice remains our choice? May we choose wisely, for life is full of choices! We choose our friends. We choose whether we marry or not. We choose what career path to follow or change. But when it comes to the most important choices we make in life, or refuse to make, many fall short of making the right choice.
For instance, how many of us have made the choice to be ready for future events? This is an eternally revealing question every individual, in every generation, must answer in their lifetime. We must be ready for future end time deception. We must be ready for future end time calamities. As true believers, not willing to compromise, we must be ready for future end time hatred of compromising believers. We must be ready for the future increase of iniquity and political and religious lawlessness spoken of by Jesus.
We must be ready for the flood of false prophets that Jesus and others warned us of. Yes, we must, as true followers of Jesus Christ; we must be ready for future end time events warned of in advance in the Word of God.
Prayer: Our Father in heaven, though the earth be filled with wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, may our hearts not be troubled. For all these things must come to pass. And as they come, they too will pass. Therefore, help us Father to be ready for future end time events as exposed by Jesus in advance. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 