What do I know with Isaac Carroll
What do I know with Isaac Carroll
Matthew 24: Decoding Christ's Warning to Believers
Prophecy has always captivated believers, but what happens when we strip away sensationalism and return to Christ's actual words? In this thought-provoking examination of Matthew 24, we uncover Jesus' warnings about deception, persecution, and spiritual resilience in the last days.
The startling reality that seven men currently claim to be Christ reincarnated—with substantial followings—perfectly illustrates Jesus' warning about false messiahs. While many view these prophecies as distant future events, the brutal truth is that Christian persecution is happening now. Since January alone, over 4,500 believers have been publicly executed for their faith worldwide. These aren't abstract predictions but present realities.
Most challenging is Jesus' warning that "because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold." This spiritual numbness represents the greatest danger to believers today. When surrounded by hostility, maintaining Christ-like love becomes increasingly difficult. Yet Jesus declares that "the one who endures to the end will be saved," suggesting that perseverance—not just initial belief—marks authentic faith.
This exploration of Matthew 24:1-14 reveals that Jesus wasn't speaking exclusively to Israel but primarily to His followers who would face persecution throughout history. While many prefer to imagine being raptured away before facing tribulation, Christ's words prepare us for potential suffering while paradoxically pronouncing blessings on those persecuted for righteousness.
Listen now to challenge your understanding of end-times prophecy and strengthen your spiritual preparation for whatever lies ahead. Subscribe to continue this study as we dive deeper into Matthew 24 in our next episode.
May God bless you and lead you always.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know? All right, in today's Bible study we are going to be in Matthew 24. Matthew 24 is well known for its prophetic scriptures and I just want to say, starting off with this is in no way a end-time teaching for me. I'm going to try to stick to scripture as much as possible and see if we can do the best we can. Let's start in verse 1.
Speaker 1:Jesus left the temple area and going on his way when his disciples came up to point out the temple building to him. But he responded and said to them Do you not see all these things? Truly, I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another which will not be torn down. And as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came up to him privately saying Tell us when will these things happen and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said to them See to it that no one misleads you. And Jesus answered and said to them but that is not yet the end, for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places, but all these things are merely beginnings of the birth pains. Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. And at that time many will fall away and they will betray one another and hate one another, and many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will become cold. But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. 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, all right. So let's stop here at verse 14 and discuss what we just read. Jesus prophecies the destruction of the temple, and this happens probably around 40 years later. And this happened around 70 AD, when Roman destroyed the temple, and you can read about this by the famous Roman historian who was named Flavius.
Speaker 1:Josephus, who was a Jew. Now, after him saying this, this prompts the disciples to approach him on the Mount of Olives and ask him what the sign of the end of age would be. And Jesus' first response was to say to let no one deceive you. Now, the first thing people want to ask when we're talking about prophetic scriptures is is Jesus talking about the Jewish people or is he talking about followers of Christ? I believe personally that everything up until Jesus came was based off the Jewish nation, based off Israel, and then, after he came, it moved us into a new age and I believe this is backed up in scripture.
Speaker 1:Take the verse in John 4, when Jesus is at the woman with the well and he says this, starting at verse 19,. The woman said to him I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain and yet you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where you must worship. Jesus said to her believe me, woman, that a time is coming when you will worship the father, neither on this mountain. Jesus said to her, has arrived when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For such people, the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
Speaker 1:Again, I believe all Old Testament prophecies were based off Jews and about the coming of Christ, and I believe all the New Testament prophecies are, to the believers, about the return of Christ. So when Jesus says do not let anyone deceive you. I don't think he's talking to the Jewish nation. I think he's talking to Christians. I know the Jews are still looking for the Christ and this could very well be understood as that, but I believe he's talking about those who are looking for his second coming.
Speaker 1:Now. I didn't know this, and I just looked it up, that we currently have seven men from around the world who are claiming to be the reincarnation of Christ right now, this very moment. Seven men who claim to be the reincarnation of Christ and they have a master following, which blows my mind. Because don't people actually read the Bible? If Jesus said that he would return the same way he left and when he returns. When he left, he left on the Mount of Olives and he went straight up into the sky, and when he returns, he's going to return in the same way. I think that would have been big headlines if Jesus returned, and I don't think we missed that. That would be something impossible to miss.
Speaker 1:So why would people think that Jesus would come back any other way? Think that Jesus would come back any other way? It blows my mind. But that they have amassed a following is prophetic, because Jesus says that they would mislead many, and there's been many who have come in the name of Christ or saying that they were the Christ over the last 2,000 years. Then he moves on to birthing pains, wars and rumors of wars, and natural disasters. These things happen at such frequency nowadays that if they're not happening right outside your door, people rarely even pay them any mind.
Speaker 1:And then Jesus comes to the meat and he says, starting in verse 9, then they will hand you over to tribulation and they will kill you and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. And at that time many will fall away and they will betray one another and hate one another, and many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will become cold. But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. 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.
Speaker 1:All right, I do not believe Jesus is referring to Israel here either. I mean, has there ever been a time when Israel wasn't hated, when they weren't killed or tortured or persecuted? I can't look back through history and think of a time that they weren't scattered, hunted, killed, persecuted, hated. I can't think of a time when they weren't. I believe Jesus is referring to Christians, and I believe that Christianity started out being hated and then it grew in popularity, and then it grew and it spread around the world. I believe the return of that hatred for Christianity is in full swing. We know that Christians have been persecuted over the last decade, and more and more so recently. Matter of fact, since January of this year, there has been over 4,500 public executions of Christians, and that's just this year alone, and we're just getting into May.
Speaker 1:Revelation 6, verse 10, says and they cried out in a loud voice how long, o Lord, holy and true, until you judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood. Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed. I believe this is fulfillment of what Jesus told his disciples that night on the mountain. Then Jesus says something else. He says because lawlessness will be increased and the love of many will grow cold. This is very dangerous for us believers because it happens so easily. We become so hardened by the ugliness of the world, we become so jaded by the sin of the world and by the hatred of the world that we start to look like that church in Ephesus that was wrote about in Revelations.
Speaker 1:You know the letters to the seven churches. Jesus says that you've lost your first love. What does it mean for our love to grow cold For a Christian? For our love to grow cold is our love for others. We stop loving our neighbor, we stop forgiving, we stop showing that love for Christ, christ who died for us. Jesus said that this would happen and that the hatred for Christians would grow until those who would follow Christ give up and not endure to the end. Why would you want to endure other people's hatred? Why would you want to tell them about Jesus when all they want to do is kill you? Jesus was persecuted by those whom he loved. Jesus wanted to save those who were killing him, and he wants us to be Christ-like and do the same thing. I know we're not Christ, but he's asking us to be like Christ. Jesus says this in Matthew, verse 13. He says but the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.
Speaker 1:Now, I know this is a hard teaching. I myself would much rather be snatched away in the rapture than to face these things, but there are people facing them today. This isn't like it's going to happen sometime in the future. This is happening today in our world. Around the world, people are being pushed into churches and the doors barred and the windows barred and the church is set on fire because of their hatred for Christianity. This isn't happening in some far off event of their hatred for Christianity. This isn't happening in some far off event. So we can't say that Jesus is talking about a time in the future. He's talking about a time that's happening now. It just may not be happening to us, but it's definitely happening to somebody.
Speaker 1:I've often said I feel blessed that I don't have to face this kind of persecutions and I don't have to watch my family face these kind of persecutions. But Matthew 5 and 11 teaches something different. It says blessed are you when people insult you, when they persecute you. They falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of me. Verse 12 says rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. Say all kind of evil things against you because of me. Verse 12 says rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecute the prophets before you. I knew this was going to be a long, and we're just in verse 14. I knew this was going to be a long, a long study, so we're going to stop this one here and we'll pick up in verse 15 in our next study. Until then, I love you guys. God bless you. Goodbye.