9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:9–14 (ESV)
With every study of a particular biblical text, it is important to ask five fundamental questions. Those inquiries are fundamental to every devotional I write. The five questions, pertinent to any portion of Scripture, certainly and significantly apply to Matthew 24-25 in general, and to today’s text in particular.
Those five questions are as follows.
- What did the biblical text mean to the original audience?
- What are the differences/similarities between the biblical audience and people today?
- What is/are the principle(s) found in the biblical text?
- Are the principles(s) found in the particular biblical text found elsewhere in the Scriptures?
- How may we apply the biblical text in our lives?
In Matthew 24:5-8, Jesus proclaimed life and living, following His ascension to heaven and prior to His glorious return to the earth, would be characterized by false prophets claiming to by the Christ. It would also be a time of deception, wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, kingdoms rising against kingdoms, famines and earthquakes in various places. He compared these circumstances to the beginning of birth pains. Jesus continued by describing the same historical context as a time of tribulation, hatred and death for believers in Christ (Matt. 24:9).
Jesus then revealed a series of effects by this overall preceding cause. The first effect would be defection, betrayal and hatred by those who professed Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, but who were not truly believers in Christ. “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another” (Matt. 24:10).
To fall away (σκανδαλίζω; skandalizo) means to cease believing and to fall into sin. We derive our English word scandal from this Greek word. A scandal is a disgraceful, shameful, dishonorable and humiliating behavior and act. This behavior of apostasy will be scandalous. It will be the result of a prior persecution of Christians.
Second, these many scandalous defectors will also betray their once fellow believers in Christ. To betray (παραδίδωμι; paradidomi) is handing over and delivering someone to an authority. The idea of treachery is inherent in this verb.
“Under pressure, many converts to Judaism reverted to paganism, and Jewish texts warn of many Jewish people turning from God in the end time as they had just before the rise of the Maccabees in the second century b.c. Apostasy and especially handing over friends to persecutors were considered horrible crimes,” explains commentator Craig Keener. “Thus Jewish readers would have readily understood Jesus’ warning about persecution and apostasy.”
Third, the attitude by these defectors towards those they betray will be hatred. To hate (μισέω; miseo) means to detest and to be hostile. One idiom for hate is “to spit at someone in the heart,” or “to kill in the heart.” The Lord predicted His disciples would encounter this type of response (John 15:18-27).
Have you ever encountered defectors, betrayers and haters in your Christian life? If you’re a true believer in Christ, you will. What is to be our response? Matthew 5:44-46 reminds us or our calling. Meditate upon this text today.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 