Many
Christians believe that earthquakes, wars and famines are a sign
that the second coming is close. The belief is incorrectly based
on Matthew 24:4-7. In this passage, Jesus was warning his
disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem. The disciples had
asked for a sign that would indicate that the fall of Jerusalem
was near. Before giving that specific sign, Jesus spoke of
misleading signs. He warned that some people would be deceived.
Watch out that no one deceives you
(Matt 24:4).
Jesus then listed some false signs. These
are events that take place before the destruction of Jerusalem,
but are not actual signs of that destruction. They are the
"birth pangs" and not the death throes. They mark the
beginning of a new age, not the end of the old one. They are more
connected with the birth of the kingdom of God, than with the end
of the Jewish kingdom. They would take place prior to the end of
Jerusalem but they are not immediate signs of it. Events of this
kind will also take place throughout history. (This is especially
true of the persecution.)
The false signs given by Jesus are listed
below:
1. False Messiahs
For many will come in my name, claiming,
"I am the Christ" (Matt 24:5).
There would be many false messiahs, and
many Jews would be deceived. The Jews were looking for a political
leader who would overthrow the Romans. This made them vulnerable
to false messiahs, who were numerous and often successful. The
centurion who arrested Paul in Jerusalem spoke of an Egyptian who
started a revolt and led 4000 terrorists out into the desert (Acts
21:38; see also Acts 5:36,37; 8:9,10).
False Messiahs became more common, as the
destruction of Jerusalem got closer. Jesus had warned that false
messiahs would come giving a false hope to the people. They would
even do signs and wonders that would deceive some people. Jesus'
warning was proved correct when a great number of false messiahs
arose in Jerusalem. Some were in the pay of Rome. One told the
people that if they got into the temple they would be saved. Those
who listened were killed when the temple was destroyed. There were
a number of strange signs. For half an hour, a bright light covered the
temple. For a while, a star resembling a sword hung over the city.
These signs were probably performed by false prophets using
satanic power. If the Jews had listened to Jesus' warning they
would not have been deceived.
2. Wars.
You will hear of wars and rumours of
wars.... nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom (Matt 24:6, 7).
Rome had enjoyed a long period of peace,
but not long after the ascension of Jesus, war and strife became
widespread in the empire. In Rome four emperors died violently in
a space of eighteen months. A war between the Syrians and the Jews
led to the death of 20,000 Jews.
3. Famines
There will be famines and earthquakes in
various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains (Matt
24:7,8).
Acts 11:28 records a famine that occurred
during the reign of the Emperor Claudius. This famine spread to
many parts of the empire, and was followed by a pestilence in
which thousands of people died.
4. Earthquakes
Earthquakes are recorded in a variety of
places prior to AD 70. The city of Pompeii was severely damaged by
an earthquake in AD 63. Others took place in Crete, Smyrna
Miletus, Laodicea, Colossae, Rome and Judea.
5. Persecution and betrayal
Then you will be handed over to be
persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all
nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the
faith and will betray and hate each other (Matt 24:9,10)
This persecution began when the gospel was
first preached in Jerusalem at Pentecost. Peter and John were put
into prison. Later James was put to death. Paul was beaten and
imprisoned many times for his faith. Persecution was a normal
experience for the early Christians (Acts 9:1). During these
times of persecutions, many denied their faith and betrayed their
brethren. Many of the Epistles were written to encourage believers
who were in danger of losing their faith.
All these false signs took place as Jesus
said they would. They were events that could have easily misled
the Christians into thinking the destruction of Jerusalem was at
hand. Jesus was advising that it would be quite safe to stay in Jerusalem
and preach the gospel while they were taking place. The Christians
were not to be alarmed by them.
Many Christians believe that these are
signs of the second coming of Christ. They spend a lot of time
looking for earthquakes, wars and famines. This is foolish. Even
if Jesus were talking about the second coming (he was not), he
warned that these were false signs. He specifically told
Christians not to be deceived when they hear about them (Matt
24:5). Today, despite Jesus’ warning, many Christians are being
deceived by these very things. |