Matt. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
In light of the coming persecution, imprisonment and death facing the disciples and believers, the LORD thought it important that they understand that the gospel would reach ALL nations before He returned as King. Their persecution and/or death would not prevent others from hearing the gospel; in fact, it would prove to further its spread. These Jewish disciples knew that God had chosen their nation through Abraham with the purpose that ALL nations of the world might be blessed.
Genesis 22:18” And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”
The Gentile believers needed to understand that God’s plan of salvation was always intended to be for ALL mankind. He does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked.
Ezekiel 33:11 “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live….”
1 Timothy 2:1–4 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
God is not going to depend upon man to accomplish this task, even though that is His commission to each of us as believers.
Matthew 28:19–20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
The apostle John confirms this truth for us:
Revelation 14:6 “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”
The gospel is the good news of God’s provision for our salvation, and it is everlasting. There is not one gospel for some and another gospel for others. The good news of the gospel is that our salvation is dependent upon God through faith. Paul tells us in Romans that we are all without excuse because God has revealed Himself to each of us. It is our response in faith to that revelation that will determine our eternity.
Romans 1:16-21” For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Mark 13:11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
Luke 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luke 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Both Mark and Luke continue regarding the time the disciples and believers are delivered up to spiritual and governmental authorities because of their faith in Jesus. It’s a when statement, not an if statement.
Jesus is telling them not to plan in advance how to answer their accusers. They are to trust the LORD to put the words in their mouth through the ministry of the Holy Ghost. That way they will be assured of sharing the truth that God wants to share with their accusers at that time. God’s answer through them will not be able to be denied or contradicted or resisted (stand against, oppose). This is a statement of promise for provision when it is needed.
Notice that Jesus is identifying Himself with the Holy Ghost when you compare the accounts. It also stands out to me that Jesus is emphasizing that He will not be present with them physically when this happens, but He will personally be ministering to them through the Holy Spirit according to their need.
Matt. 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
This statement goes hand in hand with verse 5. Just as surely as there will be false Christs, there will also be false prophets. I thought the Greek for prophet was interesting; it indicated a “pretended foreteller or religious impostor.” Webster defines an impostor as, “One who imposes upon others; a person who assumes a character or title not his own, for the purpose of deception; a pretender.” We are so quick to identify the prophet with the foreteller, but the term also identifies one who is supposed to be a forthteller of the truth. It’s sad to see that the “church” today embraces many such false prophets that are focused on serving self—not God—in the office of pastor and other high profile leadership roles.
Matt. 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
“iniquity” - anomia, an-om-ee´-ah; illegality, i.e. violation of law or wickedness:—iniquity…unrighteousness.
Iniquity is the transgression of the law; and in the minds of these disciples, there was no question as to the law being referenced—it is God’s law. God’s law was given for man’s benefit to protect us from the consequences of sin. It was intended to keep our focus on God; and as John tells us, God is love.
1John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
1John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
When God’s law is ignored, wickedness and unrighteousness become more prevalent. That, in turn, pulls us away from the source of love. The lack of love makes one cold, without feeling, hurtful and unrighteous.
In trying to understand why the LORD stated the things in the order He did, I realized that one of the reasons the believers would be persecuted and killed would be because of the teachings of false Christs and false prophets. These religious impostors are always going to lead one away from the truth of God’s word. It’s part of a repeating cycle that leads to destruction. The further we get from God and His word, iniquity becomes more prevalent and the more love vanishes from our way of life. Our culture today evidences this truth; human life is not valued and “truth” is subjective.
Luke 21:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
After telling the disciples that some would be faced with execution, the LORD encouraged them to look beyond this life. This is a reference to our resurrected body that will live for eternity. Our life here is but a vapor. In comparison, our life in eternity will be an ever flowing river.
James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
This also reminds me of scripture that states that God knows the number of hairs on our head.
Matthew 10:30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
Luke 12:7 “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
Matt. 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
“endure” - hupomeno, hoop-om-en´-o; to stay under (behind), i.e. remain; figuratively, to undergo, i.e. bear (trials), persevere
“saved” - sozo, sode´-zo; to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively): preserve
John makes it clear that endurance and perseverance are evidence that we are part of the family of God.
1John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
to be continued...
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