Daily Devotional For Saturday, February 14, 2026
Good day Southside. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew and today we come to Matthew 24. Because of the length of this passage, we are breaking it into parts. Today, we come to part 3 of Matthew 24:1-14:
“Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. (2) And He 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.’ (3) As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ (4) And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you. (5) For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. (6) You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. (7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (8) But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (9) ‘Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. (10) At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. (11) Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. (12) Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. (13) But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (14) 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” (NASB).
In this passage, Jesus is on the Mount of Olives with His disciples and as His disciples are looking across the Kidron Valley marveling at the beauty of the Temple on the other side of the Kidron Valley, Jesus informs His disciples of the future destruction of the temple. This would take place in 70 AD by Rome. Some of them would be alive to see it or to learn about it. Jesus warned His disciples that many would come claiming to be the Messiah and not to believe them. He warned them that there would be “rumors or war.” Literally, the text says, “unconfirmed reports,” which may be true or not.
Some see in Jesus' words here a reference to the final battle of Armageddon recorded in Revelation 16:16 and in Revelation 19:17-19. If so, this all would happen just before Jesus returns as recorded in Revelation 19:20-20:3.This war will not be like any ever in history. This war will involve the whole world, but against Israel and God’s people. There will be famines and earthquakes that usually make people wonder if the end is near. All of these appear in the seven seals in Revelation 6, which depict these events happening before the Tribulation. Just like a mother in contractions before the birth of her baby. But sometimes a woman experiences false labor and this is why Jesus warns His disciples not to jump to conclusions.
Ever since Jesus ascended to heaven, there have been individuals who claimed to be Christ in the return or who claimed they knew when Jesus was going to return. Do you remember Jim Jones, Sun Myung Moon, David Koresh? Obviously, none of these were Christ and none of them were right about Christ’s return. With Jesus, there will be one unmistakable sign for all believers to know He has returned – His Presence in the clouds (see Matthew 24:30 and Revelation 1:7).
Just like there are false contractions, there are false signs of His coming. Even when the world seems to be in chaos, God is still in control. Such things are part of God’s divine plan. The disciples assumed that the destruction to the Temple would be a sign that the end was near. Even wars and rumors of wars does not mean the end is near for us. Jesus said that famines, wars, earthquakes, the world in chaos was only the beginning – not the end. Much more suffering and pain will come before Jesus returns.
Birth pangs is a common metaphor used in Scripture to describe God’s judgment on the world (see Isaiah 13:6-8, Isaiah 26:16-18, Jeremiah 4:31, Jeremiah 22:20-23, and Hosea 13:9-13). Never should we make light of anyone’s suffering but these should not alarm us. In verse 9, Jesus told His disciples that they would be handed over and killed for being His disciples. Being handed over refers to Jewish religious leaders doing this in their local synagogues before their supreme court, the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. Two of the disciples hearing this, Peter and John, would face the Sanhedrin soon after Jesus’ resurrection (see Acts 4:1-12). I imagine Peter and John remember these words of Jesus.
Any Jew in the first century that converted to the Christian faith faced expulsion from the local Jewish synagogue, and their own family, which would be to lose their whole world. Jesus and His Gospel is divisive. This reminds of the words of Jesus in Luke 12:52-53 and Matthew 10:34-36. In verse 10, Jesus warned that as persecution increased, many will far away. There will be people betraying others simply to protect themselves from the fear of persecution.
Jesus says there is coming a day when it will not be popular nor safe to be a Christian. Some believe Jesus was referring to the great first 400 years of Roman persecution against Christians. We can’t totally exclude this but the context seems to be talking about the Great Tribulation at the end of the world just prior to Jesus’ Second Coming. If this is the case, then all of us need to be ready since we do not know when Jesus will return. I close with this story that reminds us all to be ready for Jesus’ imminent return by pastor and author Chuck Swindoll:
“It happened in a small country store in a little black community in southern Mississippi. A dear old black lady came to do her shopping. The kind of lady you wished could have been your own momma. She was a fine, stout, Christian woman, nourished through the years by the Good Book, fried chicken, and sensible living. She not only loved Jesus, but she lived every day in light of Jesus’ soon coming. So happened at the same store there were a couple-three fellows hanging around sipping a cola outside just up to no good. Just sort of like trouble getting ready to happen and they knew her faith. They knew she loved her Lord and they decided they would taunt her. ‘Hey, Bessie! We hear you ‘pecting Jesus to come back?’ She hardly looked at them as she took the shopping cart and began to push her way down the aisle saying, ‘I sho do.’ ‘You really believe he’s a’coming?’ With greater intensity she paused and looked back over her shoulder through her bifocals and said, ‘Sho as you were born.’ Now they pressed her to the limit saying, ‘Well now, you better hurry home and get ready ‘cause Jesus might already be on the way from glory right now.’ She stopped, turned around and stared her tormentors in the face. She said, ‘Now y’all listen to me. I don’t has to git ready. I keeps ready’” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Contagious Christianity: A Study of 1 Thessalonians, “On That Great Gettin’-Up Morning—1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,” p. 62).
Reflection Assignment: Do you “keeps ready” for the Lord’s return? If Jesus were to return in the next minute, are you ready? When you are around your lost friends, is there any compromise with your Christian faith or withholding sharing your faith for fear of harsh words from them? When you are around your family who are lost, do you live out your faith, or do you just hope they make it into heaven? The date, day and time of Jesus' return has been set – are you ready? If you say, Yes, what is the proof?
Scripture To Meditate On: Romans 1:6, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile” (NLT).
Prayer To Prayer: “Dear Lord, I do not want to be ashamed of You. I want to “keeps ready” for Your assured return. No matter what is going on in this world, I want to be found faithful, obedient, persevering and sharing You with others. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside and Happy Valentine’s Day! – Pastor Kelly