The End of the End Times
by Paul Sumner
Jesus' Prophecies in Matthew 24
In reading this chapter, one realizes that the "wars and rumors of wars ... famines and earthquakes" and nations rising up against nations (vv. 6-7) are typical of all human history. They are not unique to the Last Days.
There has always been turmoil in creation: volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, catastrophic snow storms, hurricanes and tornadoes. As well as meteorites that hit earth and devastate flora, fauna and all the dinosaurs.
In the human realm, the corruption of our nature and all our wars and murders have long been the universal consequence of our ancestors' explusion from Gan Eden.
Paradoxically, Jesus said such common, everyday events are "merely the beginning of birth pangs" before the end (v. 8).
This suggests that at any time these un-remarkable events in history could be the "beginning." Perhaps the Beginning began centuries or millennia ago. And how long will the Beginning last? How long the "birth pangs"?
In other words, I take it that we won't know for certain what the future holds by merely observing outward events on earth. And maybe that's his point.
If we merely watched natural events and interpreted them to be signs of the Last Days, anyone could predict the End — and that would put prophecy hucksters and New Age fortunetellers out of a lucrative esoteric-knowledge business.
Rightly "understanding the times" (1 Chron 12:32) requires people who are close to the living God and meditate in the Bible assiduously. These people gain the spirit of wisdom. Non-believers do not have access to the counsels of God in this way.
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Yeshua made both Near-time and Farther-time prophetic statements:
He prophesied that "tribulation" would come to his disciples (v. 9). It began immediately when Jewish authorities, then Roman authorities, imprisoned, tortured and executed some of his disciples.
It has continued throughout history, and is prevalent today in Marxist and Muslim countries.
He prophesied the rise of "false prophets" (11). They appeared soon after he departed (see the book of Acts). Their descendants are ubiquitous today, using TV, radio, the Web.
He prophesied a surge in "lawlessness" (Grk, anomia; v. 12). This may mean rejection of and disobedience to all human law, but more likely lawlessness toward the Law of God. People who practice one form also practice the other. This, too, is humanity's long legacy. So nothing new. (But see below on The Anarchist.)
Then Jesus said Daniel's prophecy of an "Abomination of Desolation" will come to "the Holy Place" in Jerusalem (v. 15). Upon seeing this, his people should flee the territory of Judah.
This was fulfilled with the Roman defilement, burning and destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 CE/AD — an event that came as divine judgment for not accepting and rejoicing in Jesus ("You did not know the time of your Visitation"; Heb, pequdatekh; Luke 19:44).
I believe there is more that has not yet occurred in history.
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Soon after Jesus' departure came a flurry of "false Christs" [pseudochristoi] (Matt 24:5, 24). They're also called "anti-Christs" (antichristoi; 1 John 2:18). The Greek preposition anti means both "against" and "instead of."
An anti-Christ is one who opposes the true Messiah and also seeks to replace him: a better version of the One whom God sent.
These imitation, thumbnail messiahs are dangerous because they confuse uninformed people about what a "messiah" is meant to be and do. About them, Jesus warned every generation: "Do not believe" in any of them, even though they come with "great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect" (Matt 24:25-26).
We see the media obsession with messianic figures and the Supernatural in our time. We should expect it to continue into the future.
Most of these faux messiahs are not clowns in circus costumes; they are accomplished deceivers. Many of them appear as miracle-marketing Christian media personalities; some as Lubavitcher-type Hasidic rabbis (the wonder-working mystics and tzaddikim of lore); others come as bearded mullahs or gurus; some as well-dressed apologists for Lady Gaia.
The important thing is: such impersonators are merely the advance teams for the Other One — the last great False Messiah (Heb, tzorer hamashiach).
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The shaliach/apostle Paul — a Pharisee scholar who intimately knew the Tanakh and received a vision of the resurrected Jesus — foretells the coming of "the Man of Lawlessness" [ho anthropos tes anomias]. Or, as one translation perceptively renders the Greek phrase: "The Anarchist."
This rebel figure "exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship." He will boldly display himself "as being God" (2 Thess 2:3, 4).
Before he appears, his path will be plowed and planted with the poisonous seeds of apostasy on the part of many Jews and Christians. Their "rebellion, revolt, falling away" [apostasia] — from the God of the Bible — will pave a welcome avenue for the Anarchist.
This "divine" messianic savior will establish a universal government that mimics the Kingdom of Heaven. But his anarchical rule is the antithesis of the spirit underlying the kingship of Jesus.
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As I pointed out in the study "Are We in the Last Days," the NT says the Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven) "came near" or began with the ministry of Jesus.
As God's King, he assumed authority over the Kingdom upon his resurrection and enthronement at the right hand of God (Eph 1:19-23). Since then, his rule has been in constant conflict with "the kingdoms of this world" — both human and supernatural.
At the moment, the enemies of the Kingdom are not identical to enemies in the past. But their inspiration is just the same. Scripture calls the Inspirer "the Spirit who is now working in the children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2). The Inspirer is Satan, a Hebrew noun [haSatan] meaning "Opposer" or "Adversary." He doesn't look like a bizarre Industrial Light & Magic creation for a Hollywood horror fantasy.
Rather, "The Satan" works through respected religious leaders, seminary professors, public TV Bible scholars, political activists, and such. His "persona" (Latin, mask) will be "as an angel of light," literally a "messenger" of light — not an agent of unholy, demonic darkness (2 Cor 11:13-14).
But behind his crowd-deceiving-winning mask is his true Face, manifested in such human incarnations as Pharaoh, Caesar, Torquemada, Cossack horsemen, and any number of Russian, German, Muslim, Chinese or future Western tyrants.
How long the conflict between the two kingdoms — Messiah's versus the Satan's — will last, none of us can know.
And it must also be said, that even when earth-quaking events can be discerned for what they truly are, still no one can predict when the Messiah will return. "The Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think he will" (Matt 24:44).
So it is incumbent to "be on the alert." Jesus will come "as the lightning" (Matt 25:13; Luke 17:24). Paul says it will happen "in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor 15:52).
(As I write this, we're enduring a massive lightning storm with window rattling and wall pounding authority. We don't know when or where the next flaming bolt will hit. So I vividly get Messiah's point about an overwhelming lightning invasion.)
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Our Hope, No Matter What
Whatever the future unfolds, Scripture says the true Messiah will destroy this and any future messianic god "with the Ruach of his lips" (Isaiah 11:4), "the Pneuma of his mouth" (2 Thessalonians 2:8), the "sharp sword ... from his mouth" (Revelation 19:15).
Contrary to some opinions, King Jesus is ruling now, though he's in exile from human earth. God exiled Adam and Eve from Gan Eden in Genesis 3, but humanity has striven to exile the true God from its world and has naively yielded sovereignty to a false deity.
This situation will not last forever.
While the King wages his war against the principalities and powers of "the God of this world" (2 Cor 4:4) — and as we continue living in the Last Days — we are told to be sober and alert (1 Peter 5:8), gathering valuables that cannot be taken by thieves or tyrants (Matt 6:20).
Jesus, the exiled king, who suffered at the hands of 666-Man (embodied in the Gentile and apostate Jewish leaders), breathes to us across time and space with a two-word mitzvah that God once placed upon Avraham (Gen 15:1).
It is a commandment that instills courage and peace in the face of everything:
“Fear Not”
• Paul Sumner
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