The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 24 Part 5 Universal Gospel Preaching During End Times

Matthew 24:3-5  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  

This paragraph ends with verse fourteen, as Jesus gave a general overview of end time conditions while answering His disciple's questions.

Deception, false teachers, false prophets and false Christs are markers of the end times.

The redeemed children of God are always susceptible to deception because Satan is the father of lies who opposes all that God is doing.

He twisted the truth of what God said to Adam and Eve into a lie by adding one little word. 

God said "Thou shalt surely die" if they ate the forbidden fruit while the Devil said "Ye shall not surely die."

Therefore, Jesus warned us against being deceived by listening to a voice other than the voice of God in scripture.

Heresy will creep into Christ's church like a silent enemy when Christians do not know their Bible.

False teaching will pollute Christ's church like like an oil spill contaminates and ruins all that it touches.

Many imposters have risen up claiming to be Christ or claiming to speak for God but upon closer examination, what they say or do, does not square with what God says to us in His Word.

This is one general trait of the end times that has periodically arisen since the Church was birthed at Pentecost (See Acts 2).

The main difference between general trends of deception and imposters in the world and in the Church,  is that they will multiply and intensify as the end of the world draws nearer.

Matthew 24:6-8  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8  All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

Another indicator of the end times or last days, is ongoing wars and conflicts that are often followed by humanitarian disasters like famine or outbreaks of disease. 

Such terrible ongoing conflicts and hardship that inevitably follow, is woven into the fabric of human history.

We noted that this is a result of the fall of man into sin and the presence of sin in the world since the fall.

Many people wrongly believe that all people are basically good and just need more education, more money, or more self esteem to become achievers.

This is why social programs fail, because they are built upon a false assumption that all people are basically good.

If this were true then we would not have so many laws that criminalize certain behaviors or actions. 

The Word of God clearly teaches that all people are born with a sin nature and in need of a Savior.

Scripture clearly teaches that the only way to God, the only path to heaven is through repentant faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Lamb of God who died for us.

Psalm 51:5-7  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 

King David was the sweet Psalmist of Israel and God called David a man after His own heart, yet David committed terrible sins in the matter of Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite (See 2 Samuel 12:1-14; Acts 13:22).

Herein lies the root cause of wars, ongoing conflicts and societal crimes.

David said he was shaped in iniquity and conceived in sin, which affirms that we are sinners at birth, separated from God and lacking spiritual life.

This is why King David said God wants truth to reign in our hearts and it shows we must ask God to save us from our sins with hearts and spirits that are humble and contrite.

John 6:35-37  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36  But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 37  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 

Jesus Christ is the Savior provided by our Father in heaven and all who come to Him through repentant faith in His Son, will find a ready reception.

All those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will be regenerated by the Spirit of God and receive eternal life.

New, spiritual life from God is life changing such that our old sinful ways and circle of sinners we hung out with, pass away.

Our life is made a new creation in Christ so that we can walk with the light of His word and in newness of life (See Titus 3:4-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 3:15-18).

Wars, conflicts, destruction and misery exist because all people are born with hearts that are deceitful and desperately wicked.

Wars and conflicts accompanied by human misery are indicators of end times, with the main distinction being increasing intensity, like the travail of a mother about to give birth to her child.

Matthew 24:9-10  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 

In our last post, we read how the Old Testament prophets foretold how friends and family members will betray one another.

Again, this is a general trend woven into the fabric of human history because of mankind's plunge into sin (See Genesis 3).

The world hated Jesus when He walked upon this earth that He created, and it will hate His followers too.

Christians and Jews in America and other places, are seeing an explosion of hate and violence because of faith in God.

It seems to be intensifying around the world and the rise in frequency and intensity demonstrates that the end times are rapidly approaching.

Following is the next trait that Jesus used to describe the end times. 

Matthew 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 

1 Timothy 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  

I put this text from the apostle Paul beside the words of Christ because they complement each other.

False prophets preach another gospel that is a false one, and false gospels lead to Hell (See Galatians 1:6-10).

False prophets promote doctrines of devils given to them by unholy spirits who seduced them away from the truth of God's Word.

2 Peter 2:1-3  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 

Christ, speaking through His apostle Peter, gave us more warnings about false prophets.

Stealth is their main tactic because bringing spiritual error into the clear light of God's Word quickly reveals the deception for all to see.

They deny that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh (See 1 Timothy 3:16).

They may deny that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way of salvation See Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

They may deny that salvation is by faith alone, by grace alone in Christ alone.

They are hypocrites who live a lavish lifestyle by making merchandise of God's people.

Jesus said for the second time that false prophets claiming to speak for God, will spring up and they will deceive many people.

A classic example are those who preach the health, wealth and happiness gospel so that they can enrich themselves in the process.

Men like Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer or Paula White are false prophets according to scripture.

They are multimillionaires living a lavish lifestyle at the expense of tens of thousands of their followers.

So when Jesus warned us about false prophets who will lead people astray, it is very real and happening each day.

Therefore, this trend will increase as the end times draw nearer and we must guard against being deceived.

We must read and study the scriptures like the Bereans did in order to see if what they say is true or not (See Acts 17:11).

False doctrine always leads to a lack of close fellowship with God.

False doctrine offers something else in the place of a right relationship with God, through repentant faith in Christ.

Matthew 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 

In seducing times when false prophets arise, or in times of persecution for the sake of the gospel when saints are hated, expect these two things:

The abounding of iniquity and the abating of love.

Iniquity shall abound much more than the normal degradation and depravity that we observe in the world each day.

First, we notice that Jesus said it is of the love of many that will wax cold, not of all. 

In the worst times of Israel's history, God had a faithful remnant that hold fast their integrity, and retained their zeal. 

The prophet Elijah thought that he was all alone in speaking for God but the LORD told him that He had seven thousand men who never bowed down to Baal (See 1 Kings 19:18).

Second, we notice that Jesus said that this love has grown cold, but it is not dead. 

Love for God among true believers will decline, but not be extinguished. 

Because there will remain life in the root, love for God and others can be revived.

We see this in our own lives as we reflect upon our walk with the Lord.

There are times where our fervor is hot and we follow Christ vigorously.

But, there are times when we are too busy for God, doing too many things and our zeal cools off.

God knows this about us and He tells us to be filled with His Spirit. 

He gave us His Word and sent His Spirit to live in us in order to revive us when we grow weary in well doing and to seek us when we go astray.

These things will intensify to such a degree that it will seem like all Hell has broken loose unleashing horrendous blasphemies against Holy God.

It will seem as if the forces of evil unleashed an unstoppable barrage of hate and violence toward the people of God.

Iniquity will explode like a flooding river pouring over its banks to endanger life and property.

When this happens, the love that many profess to have for God will wax cold.

Matthew 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

If or when we face violent persecution from wicked men our task is to persevere with a steadfast, enduring faith in Christ, believing His Word.

We will see many fall away to follow false prophets but we will also see those who remain true to God's Word and hold on to Christ's teachings.

We must learn to patiently bear all persecutions and afflictions for the sake of the gospel, until the time that Jesus calls us home to heaven.

Thus, the idea here is of persevering until the end of our life on earth.

1 Corinthians 1:7-9  So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8  Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Hebrews 3:6  But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. 

Hebrews 10:38-39  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. 

Each Christian will receive the fullness of our glorious salvation at death. 

In this life, we do receive beautiful glimpses of it and can taste and see that the Lord is good.

But, the fulness of our salvation cannot be experienced in this life. 

This aspect of salvation means that we endure this life as faithful followers of Christ to the end of our lives, however long they may be (See 1 Peter 1:9; Romans 2:7).

Matthew 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. 

One final trait of the end times is a universal preaching of the gospel in the world.

It is called the gospel of the kingdom because it reveals the kingdom of grace, which leads to the kingdom of glory. 

Gospel preaching establishes the parameters of Christ's kingdom in this world and secures our place in it. 

Universal gospel preaching can mean that we reach a point where all nations have been reached with the gospel and the end will come.

Certainly, modern technology makes preaching the gospel to the whole world a strong possibility.

A good example is this Bible study blog that God has sent into about 180 different nations. 

The fact that this has happened at all, is the work of God. 

Although I would love to meet all who read the blog face to face, and one day in heaven, we shall meet, and the reality is that God led you here to read His Word.

Therefore, it is indeed possible in this present time for the gospel to reach many places in the world.

In the apostolic era, the Roman empire represented the ends of the world, in terms of spreading the gospel of Christ and His kingdom.

Another way to look at this text is that each time the early church was persecuted, the gospel spread to more places (See Acts 4:31; Acts 6:7; Acts 8:4; Acts 9:31; Acts 12:24).

As persecution arises during the reign of antichrist, persecution of saints will increase.

It may be in our own lifetime that we encounter persecution and if we do, we are to bear witness of Jesus Christ. 

We are to share the gospel with those who hate us.

The idea of watching for Christ's return and working for Him while we wait is found here and in the parables Jesus gives in the next chapter.

Let us be those who are counted faithful men or women who love and serve God no matter the cost.

Ezekiel 22:30  And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. 

Ezekiel listed God's complaint against idolatrous Israel as the root cause of why He was going to bring strong judgment upon the nation.

Priests and Levites were to maintain a spiritual hedge of protection around the nation by teaching the scriptures and showing them how to rightly worship God.

Instead, they failed to carry out their duties.

In like manner, many Pastors and church leaders have set the scriptures aside in favor of worldly worship and sound byte preaching that does not feed the souls of Christ's sheep.

Therefore, much of professing Christendom is more like the world is, rather than being more like Christ is.

In Israel's dark days God looked for faithful men to repair the spiritual hedge of protection and to stand in the gap to fight against the enemy.

Today, God still looks for faithful pastors, parents and parishioners who will stand upon His Word without apology.

He looks for us to repair the spiritual hedge of protection around our family and around our churches, by faithfully preaching and teaching the Word.

Will you be one of those faithful ones?

Will you stand in the gap and defend it with the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God?  

Bob