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 be 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). Jesus then stated, “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.” (Matt. 24:11-12).
In today’s text, Jesus used the adjective many (πολύς; polys) three times. The word means a great deal or a great number. Whenever there is a repetition of a word, it is for emphasis. When the repetition is to the third degree, it conveys an ultimate emphasis.
Jesus referred to many false prophets (ψευδοπροφήτης; pseudoprophetes) referring to those who proclaim to be a herald of God’s truth and revelation, and are not. They are liars. They will arise (ἐγείρω; egeiro) and make war against the saints.
2 Peter 2:1 (ESV) says, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”
1 John 4:1 (ESV) says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
These false prophets will lead many astray (πλανάω; planao). They will mislead, deceive, and cause the many to have a wrong view of the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Finally, because of the resulting lawlessness because of their rejection of God and His Word, the love of many will grow cold. The self-sacrificial love for God, and for other believers in Christ, will become callous and uncaring (ψύχω; psycho). In other words, it will diminish greatly into an icy and stony detachment.
“How far and wide this evil extends every person ought to know, but there are very few who observe it. For in consequence of the superior clearness with which the light of the gospel discovers the malice of men, even good and properly regulated minds grow cool and almost lose the desire to exercise benevolence,” states John Calvin. “Christ requires from His followers, on the other hand, such courage as to persist in striving.”
Let us continue to be the many who strive for the glory of God (2 Timothy 2:5). Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 