What DId Christ Say About It? Part 2
The point where I left off beginning this series covering Matthew 24 was verse 13, which could be argued to be the main point of Christ’s entire message:
13: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Prior to the end of this age and Christ’s return to rapture His church, there will be accelerated and universal persecution of believers and Christ-followers. Not only does Jesus tell His disciples this, but also that there will be “many” believers who will be deceived by false prophets and false christs, and “many” of these believers will betray their faith. However, those who endure this universal affliction, hatred, and death will “be saved.”
Now, take note of the following verse:
14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
This might possibly be the most misinterpreted verse in all of the four main gospels. To many commentators, this scripture means that the whole world must be evangelized prior to the end of this age, and Christ’s expected return. While I would never intend to downplay the efforts of evangelists and missionaries who have risked all to spread the good news of fallen man’s hope of redemption by God’s grace through Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf (indeed, I am not in any way downplaying evangelism at all), I do not read that interpretation into this verse at all.
Everything that Christ is saying in this message is in context with the words preceding it. When Jesus says in verse 14 that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all of the world,” he is referring to the main point spoken of in verse 13. In other words, when it is realized that enduring, even unto the pain of death, is required of His followers when trials and tribulations are encountered, and the preaching of this crucial message has reached saturation-stage throughout the world, then this ending of the current age shall come.
Naturally, this raises the issue of “eternal security” of believers and Christ-followers, and whether a Christian can lose his salvation. It is not the intention of this post to go down that road at this time. I simply wish to point out what Christ says, as opposed to what men have said. I know of where it says in John 10:28:
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
I’d only point out that this does not discount a believer’s own will to do whatever he wishes to do. God does not turn us into robots once we receive His grace and forgiveness of our sins through Christ’s blood. We can turn ourselves away from God’s will for our lives, should that seem expedient to us. A number of examples in scripture show that the faithful can become enemies of the faith, and who received a measure of God’s wrath as a result of their disobedience. Let me just say that I believe that God has given all men a will to follow whatever path we wish to roam, and if someone who accepted Christ as his Savior later on blasphemes the Holy Spirit, as his own will prescribes, then that person is lost forever. That person has chosen his own destiny in spite of what Christ did for him.
We are told as was told to the twelve disciples that we are to “endure,” and thus we shall be saved. Christ has called us to be his servants and ambassadors for Him on this earth. He wills that we continue through this duty for him, regardless of the personal circumstances that we may face as a result of Christ’s commandments to us. We are not to vary from the path that is narrow, and we are not to tarry in any sin that we commit. Repentance is vital to this service, and we are called daily to bury our old nature, and to put on righteousness.
Being a true believer is an active, persistent matter, and we are not given latitude should it become a matter of life and death. When that time comes, we are told to lose our lives in order to find it for all eternity (Matthew 16:25). We are told to “endure unto the end.”
I will continue on with this message with “What did Christ say about it, Part 3.”
13: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Prior to the end of this age and Christ’s return to rapture His church, there will be accelerated and universal persecution of believers and Christ-followers. Not only does Jesus tell His disciples this, but also that there will be “many” believers who will be deceived by false prophets and false christs, and “many” of these believers will betray their faith. However, those who endure this universal affliction, hatred, and death will “be saved.”
Now, take note of the following verse:
14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
This might possibly be the most misinterpreted verse in all of the four main gospels. To many commentators, this scripture means that the whole world must be evangelized prior to the end of this age, and Christ’s expected return. While I would never intend to downplay the efforts of evangelists and missionaries who have risked all to spread the good news of fallen man’s hope of redemption by God’s grace through Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf (indeed, I am not in any way downplaying evangelism at all), I do not read that interpretation into this verse at all.
Everything that Christ is saying in this message is in context with the words preceding it. When Jesus says in verse 14 that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all of the world,” he is referring to the main point spoken of in verse 13. In other words, when it is realized that enduring, even unto the pain of death, is required of His followers when trials and tribulations are encountered, and the preaching of this crucial message has reached saturation-stage throughout the world, then this ending of the current age shall come.
Naturally, this raises the issue of “eternal security” of believers and Christ-followers, and whether a Christian can lose his salvation. It is not the intention of this post to go down that road at this time. I simply wish to point out what Christ says, as opposed to what men have said. I know of where it says in John 10:28:
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
I’d only point out that this does not discount a believer’s own will to do whatever he wishes to do. God does not turn us into robots once we receive His grace and forgiveness of our sins through Christ’s blood. We can turn ourselves away from God’s will for our lives, should that seem expedient to us. A number of examples in scripture show that the faithful can become enemies of the faith, and who received a measure of God’s wrath as a result of their disobedience. Let me just say that I believe that God has given all men a will to follow whatever path we wish to roam, and if someone who accepted Christ as his Savior later on blasphemes the Holy Spirit, as his own will prescribes, then that person is lost forever. That person has chosen his own destiny in spite of what Christ did for him.
We are told as was told to the twelve disciples that we are to “endure,” and thus we shall be saved. Christ has called us to be his servants and ambassadors for Him on this earth. He wills that we continue through this duty for him, regardless of the personal circumstances that we may face as a result of Christ’s commandments to us. We are not to vary from the path that is narrow, and we are not to tarry in any sin that we commit. Repentance is vital to this service, and we are called daily to bury our old nature, and to put on righteousness.
Being a true believer is an active, persistent matter, and we are not given latitude should it become a matter of life and death. When that time comes, we are told to lose our lives in order to find it for all eternity (Matthew 16:25). We are told to “endure unto the end.”
I will continue on with this message with “What did Christ say about it, Part 3.”
posted by yohannbiimu at 3:08 PM
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