The timing of this series couldn’t be more on point. Bless the Holy Spirit for knowing that this series will be what we need to hear. Most of you are wondering what the future looks like right now. It may be stressful or panic-inducing, but it will be something we can and will fight through.

Jesus found himself at the Mount of Olives, where Zechariah predicted that the Messiah would come to establish his kingdom. It was a place where the disciples would ask Jesus when he would come into power and what to expect. Jesus shared with him the words of Matthew 24:3-51 to talk about what the future would look like. Jesus told them not to be concerned with when it would happen but with consistently living God’s ways. I’ve broken down this passage into a 6-part series to talk about what the future Jesus refers to is all about it. This series is called “FUTURE!” (I need you to imagine SpongeBob saying it from that one episode. If you know, you know.) My goal for this series is to give you some insight and understanding into how Jesus said the future will look.

In Part 1, we began understanding Jesus’ teachings against false prophets. Jesus taught us that no matter what he says in his name, the signs of the world that would lead us to begin to believe its ending isn’t the end. The end will be decided by God and God alone. Until then, we must love God with all parts of our being and love our neighbors as Jesus loves us.

In this part, we’ll continue discussing false prophets and the potential persecution (opposition) we’ll face when speaking out against them.

Matthew 24:9-14

NASB	NLT	VOICE
9 “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.	9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.	9 They will had you over to your enemies, who will torture you and then kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me.
10 And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.	10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.	10 And many who followed Me and claimed to love Me and sought God’s kingdom will turn away  – they will betray and hate one another.
11 And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people.	11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.	11-12 The love that they had for one another will grow cold because few will obey the law. False prophets will appear, many will be taken with them, and the only thing that will grow is wickedness. There will be no end to the increase of wickedness.
12 And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.	12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.	13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.	13 But those who do not waver from our path and do not follow those false prophets – those among you will be saved.
14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.	14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it;  and then the end will come.	14 And this good news of God’s kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, a testimony to all people and all nations. Then, beloved, the end, the consummation of all things, will come.

You may not be facing hatred and intense persecution at this moment, but there are many Christians in other parts of the world who are. According to a 2023 report from OpenDoors.com (link at the end of the paragraph)

• 365 million Christians are subject to “high levels of persecution and discrimination” (Compared to 340 million in 2021)
• 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide, including 1 in 5 in Africa and 1 in 7 in Asia. (Compared to 1 in 8 worldwide in 2021)
• 4,998 Christians were killed for faith-related reasons. (90% of those killed were in Nigeria, where attacks on Christians have become more common since 2020)
  • Open Doors estimates the number of Christians killed for faith-related reasons worldwide was:
    • 5621 – 2023
  • • 5898 – 2022
    • 4761 – 2021
• 14,766 churches and Christian properties were attacked.
• North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, and Yemen had the highest rates of reported persecution against Christians.

(Information taken from: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2024-0017/#:~:text=Around%20365%20million%20Christians%20are,1%20in%207%20in%20Asia.)

As you hear about different Christians suffering for their faith worldwide, remember that they are part of the family of Christ. If you’re not being presently persecuted, pray for those who are. Keep those in your heart suffering when they share the words of the Gospel. We may feel like we’re being persecuted because the world acts and confirms in ways that go against our beliefs. Still, the part of living in the world is the diversity of people that we have. People will believe in different religions, live different lifestyles, and enjoy different cultures, which makes the world go round. At the end of the day, everyone must go before God, but the day may not be soon or tomorrow. Yes, we as Christians should still go out and share the Gospel, but pushing and forcing other people to believe like we do or follow laws that fit our belief structure is not it. A relationship with God is a choice; therefore, we must leave it up to the people and allow them to make the decisions. We can see how we can help them because we all suffer when one of us suffers. Still, we see the kingdom’s benefits when we can come together, agree to disagree, and love despite our flaws.

The Old Testament frequently talks about false prophets. False prophets claimed to receive messages from God. Still, they focused on their agendas regarding military success and economic prosperity. These false prophets said what they wanted to hear, ignoring the primary responsibility to follow God. People like this exist today, whether inside the church or our community. Leaders who strive for clout and popularity will tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear. They’ll say, “God wants you to be rich.” And “Do whatever your desires say.” Jesus said that false teachers would come and warned his disciples and us not to listen to their dangerous words. The words could sound good, but they can take us away from God. The promises of the world’s leaders can lead us to a short-term high, but the world’s ways are led through cruel intentions. God’s way of doing things may feel upside down or confusing, but it will have a longer-lasting impact on us.

With false teachings and loose morals happening more and more frequently, we find more people losing their love for God and others. Reacting to our sinful desires can cause us to either take advantage of God or forget about God altogether. It can also make us more arrogant and prideful and ignore the needs of those around us. We are not truly representing the love of God if we only love ourselves. We share that love through the Gospel, and Jesus states that the Good news of the kingdom must be through the entire world. This was the disciple’s mission and our mission. Jesus used this imagery of the end times and final judgment to show the urgency behind spreading the Gospel. We don’t have to spread with just intellectual knowledge of Scripture and biblical teachings, but through our acts of kindness and compassion, through how we care for the marginalized communities around us. This is how we can combat the teachings of the false prophets.

In Part 3, we move towards ensuring that our actions and words don’t misrepresent the teachings of Jesus. Here’s the list of Scripture that connects with this passage of Matthew 24:

Matthew 10:17-22                       John 16:2                         Matthew 24:5        Matthew 24:24

Matthew 28:19                             Revelation 3:10              Revelation 16:14

Until then, stay blessed!