The Function of Signs
Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, "I am the Christ," and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs. Matt. 24:5-8, RSV.
We would all like to have an indisputable sign that the Lord will be here in three years, three months, or even three days. Such an indication would stimulate us to get out of our chairs and begin earnest preparations for the event.
Significantly, that is exactly the kind of sign that Jesus never gave. And for good reasons.
In the Gospels we find the Jewish leadership repeatedly asking Jesus for various signs. But it is not until late in His ministry that the disciples do the same. They are especially interested in ones related to their confused conflation of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Advent. As a result, Jesus gives them a long list of markers beginning in Matthew 24:5. That list includes the emergence of false christs, wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, famines, and earthquakes.
Unfortunately, those signs don't give us much specific information about the end of the age. After all, there have always been false messiahs, earthquakes, famines, and wars. What are we to make of such events, especially in light of the often overlooked statements in verses 6 and 8? Verse 6 tells us that such signs should not alarm us. They belong to the course of nature, "but the end is not yet" (RSV). In other words, they are indications that the end is coming, but they are not the real signs of the end. Verse 8 reinforces that thought with its teaching that "all these [signs] are the beginning of birth pains" (NIV).
It appears that such things are similar to the sign of the rainbow that God gave to Noah as a token of remembrance. Every time God's people saw the rainbow they remembered His covenant promise. So it is with wars, famines, and earthquakes. Each one is a reminder of earth's sickness and evidence that the faithful, covenant-keeping God has not yet finished the plan of salvation. Each of those signs is a promise that Christ will come again to complete the saving of "his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Every falling star, every betrayal of trust, every tsunami and earthquake tell us that while Jesus' work is not yet finished, He will come again to rescue His people.
Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, "I am the Christ," and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs. Matt. 24:5-8, RSV.
We would all like to have an indisputable sign that the Lord will be here in three years, three months, or even three days. Such an indication would stimulate us to get out of our chairs and begin earnest preparations for the event.
Significantly, that is exactly the kind of sign that Jesus never gave. And for good reasons.
In the Gospels we find the Jewish leadership repeatedly asking Jesus for various signs. But it is not until late in His ministry that the disciples do the same. They are especially interested in ones related to their confused conflation of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Advent. As a result, Jesus gives them a long list of markers beginning in Matthew 24:5. That list includes the emergence of false christs, wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, famines, and earthquakes.
Unfortunately, those signs don't give us much specific information about the end of the age. After all, there have always been false messiahs, earthquakes, famines, and wars. What are we to make of such events, especially in light of the often overlooked statements in verses 6 and 8? Verse 6 tells us that such signs should not alarm us. They belong to the course of nature, "but the end is not yet" (RSV). In other words, they are indications that the end is coming, but they are not the real signs of the end. Verse 8 reinforces that thought with its teaching that "all these [signs] are the beginning of birth pains" (NIV).
It appears that such things are similar to the sign of the rainbow that God gave to Noah as a token of remembrance. Every time God's people saw the rainbow they remembered His covenant promise. So it is with wars, famines, and earthquakes. Each one is a reminder of earth's sickness and evidence that the faithful, covenant-keeping God has not yet finished the plan of salvation. Each of those signs is a promise that Christ will come again to complete the saving of "his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Every falling star, every betrayal of trust, every tsunami and earthquake tell us that while Jesus' work is not yet finished, He will come again to rescue His people.
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