By Rosetta Thomas

The Clock struck 12 and the year 2024 started out with a bang! People from all nations of the world celebrate the new year in style, hoping that this year will be better than the previous ones. On day one however, Japan had multiple earthquakes, toppling buildings, and taking several lives. As with previous years, uncertainty looms across several nations as people grapple with the reality of social and economic distress and external factors such as the ongoing wars in Israel and the Ukraine, which threatens to destabilize the global economy. These are unusual times indeed, but not unusual to God, as He already told us in Matthew 24 that these events would take place and he gave us insights into how we should deal with them.

The following represents marks of the End-Time as fore-told by Jesus in Matthew 24:

1. Increase in Deception

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” – Matthew 24:4-5

2. Wars and Rumours of Wars

You will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. – Matthew 24:6-7a

3. Natural Disasters

And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. – Matthew 24:7b-8

4. Persecution of Christians

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. – Matthew 24:9

5. Deep Offence and Betrayal

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. – Matthew 24:10

6. The rise of False Prophets

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. – Mathew 24:11

7. Cold-heartedness

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. -Matthew 24:12

8. Propagation of the Gospel

But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:13-14

Having looked at these signs, we can say beyond a doubt that they are evident in our times. This however give rise to the question as to: What exactly should our response be to these signs and events? Below, I provide the answers I believe are appropriate for this question:

1. Be not afraid

It goes without saying that men’s hearts are failing them for fear when they observe the things which are happening on the earth (Luke 21:26). Fear is a natural response to uncertainty; however, the Lord Jesus told us in Matthew 24 verse 6 that we should not be troubled because all these things must come to pass. We can further conclude that things will also get worse over time because Jesus told us that these are just the beginning of sorrows. Our solace should however be in the Lord, that He will surely make a way of escape for His children. Accordingly, in Isaiah 3:10 the scriptures tell us:

“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings”.

 My belief is that as long as we remain righteous before the Lord, everything will work together for our good, and as such we should never be afraid.  

2. Be watchful

Another response that we should have towards the situation of the times in which we live is to be watchful. I have witnessed over the years where many people have fallen away from the faith. I have also seen where vibrant ministries faltered, church split due to disagreement, sheep scattered, and mighty men and women of God fall into error. All this has happened because believers were not watchful, and the enemy came in at unawares and destroyed whole churches and people’s lives. In 1 Peter 5:8, the scripture tells us:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

The Scripture also tells us that we should watch and pray that we enter not into temptation. “Watching” means to be always on the alert. It means that we should never take things for granted and it means that we should never be complacent. In this regard, we are warned in Amos 6:1 (AMP).

“Woe (judgment is coming) to those who are at ease and carefree in Zion (Judah) And to those on the mountain of Samaria who feel secure, the distinguished men of the foremost of nations, to whom the house of Israel comes.”.

The truth is that destruction waits at the door of the one who is complacent, and as such we must ensure that we are always watchful.  

3. Be in a state of readiness!

Another response that we should have towards the end-time is to be always in a state of readiness. Death is certain but no one knows when it will come. The rapture, the taking away of the saints as fore told in scriptures, can also happen at any time. We need to ensure that we are ready to meet either or both events, so we don’t end up in a devil’s hell. We ensure we are ready by daily consecrating ourselves before the Lord and working out our salvation with fear and trembling.

4. Be not deceived

The times in which we live are characterized by deception. With an abundance of iniquity on social media, advancement in artificial intelligence, the rising up of false prophets and preachers peddling the gospel, it is hard to detect truth from falsehood. We however have a responsibility to ensure that we keep ourselves circumspect and completely rely on the Lord for assistance because by our own strength, we cannot prevail. But in order for us to avoid deception, we must have an appreciation for what is right. We can only know what is right when we spend time in the presence of God to know His word, His will, and His mind towards us. Scripture tells us that except the days be shortened, even the very elect will be deceived. We must therefore ensure that we go above and beyond the call of duty to guard against every form of deception.

5. Be witnesses for Christ

The Bible encourages us to be witnesses for Christ, and there is no better time to do that than now. Jesus did not come for the healthy but the sick and right now there are many spiritually sick persons in the world who are thirsty for sound doctrine. God wants to use you and I to water that thirsty land. We can be witnesses by sharing gospel tracks, writing Christian blogs, sharing devotionals, buying, and giving our Bibles and other Christian literatures as well as preaching the gospel and sharing podcasts.

6. Occupy until Jesus comes

Some persons erroneously believe that the prophetic outlook of the end-times means that they should drop their hands and give up their earthly ambitions. We saw examples of this at the turn of the century, when a group of persons in my country, Jamaica, sold their properties and went on a hill in preparation for the return of the Lord. The Lord however advises us to occupy until He comes. Considering this, one should go right ahead and pursue their dreams! Buy their home! Get married and have their children! Know however that these earthly ambitions are secondary to our walk with the Lord and as such should hold that place.

In conclusion, we can attest to the fact that as we journey through the new year and beyond, we will continue to see firsthand accounts of what the Lord fore-told in Matthew 24, displaying before our eyes. The world will continue to celebrate and hope for the best with each passing new year; however, we must always remember that the Lord Jesus has already made it clear that perilous times are ahead, and scriptures cannot be broken. Notwithstanding, as the end-times unfold, we should do well to ensure that we are not afraid, that we are watchful, that we are always be in a state of readiness, that we avoid deception, that we are witnesses for Christ and that we occupy until the Lord comes. The clock continues to tick, and new years will come and go, but the reality is that for each tick, we are one step closer to our eternal home. My prayer is that the Lord will order our steps, so much so, that when the time comes for us to depart this life, we will leave with a bang; and not just any bang, but one that will cause us to fall right in the bosom of Almighty God. Until then, we continue to live on the edge … !