Matthew___24

Scripture  Matthew 24:6-8 & 13  You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs...But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. Observation-What does it say?  Before sacrificing himself on the cross, Jesus prophecies about the second coming.  He talks about things to expect as the precursors of this age, like war and famine. He warns of the false teachers and prophets that will come.  Finally, he tells his followers that they would be tortured and killed for following him.  Some of Jesus’ predictions, like the destruction of the physical temple, have already come to be.  Additionally, we live in a time where we are already seeing many of these tragedies, like wars and famines, take place regularly all over the world.  This, then, poses the question of whether or not to expect the second coming sooner rather than later?Understanding-What does it mean?  I saw a friend post a funny picture (read meme), and the comment in the picture read, “I have to workout in the morning, before my brain realizes what is going on.”  I really appreciated this, as it can be really difficult to convince myself that exercise is a good idea after I get off work. Other times, I have to warn myself of the pain that will be associated with the exercise that I am about to undertake, knowing that not only do the ends justify the means, but that the suffering during is part of what makes me a better person.  You have to embrace the suck.While I am not schooled well enough to take a stance on whether we live in a premillenial, postmillenial, or amillenial world, I can tell that these end times sound both scary and horrible.  But is fear the stance we should take in approaching these times? Should we be concerned when Jesus will make his return? I think the simple answer is no. But, knowing what is to come makes the inevitable suffering easier to understand.  It helps me to embrace the suck.  Multiple times in scripture we are warned that we will need to be prepared for trials associated with the choice of following after Jesus.  Jesus clearly tells us of this here, but we also hear it from Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, and from Peter in his letters. But, we are not expected to have the strength to endure these hardships on our own accord.  The Holy Spirit was sent to us as our helper for exactly this reason. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)  And in the Holy Spirit, we can rely on the body of Christ to give us strength to endure as we approach the end of times.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23-25)Life Application  Jesus, help me not only to rest in the peace of your strength, but also a catalyst of encouragement to your body.  Help me to clearly hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and trusting the prompts he gives me. Help me to live out of love and not fear, for your perfect love casts out fear.  -Tyler Galloway