The Promise of a Hopeful and Victorious End

By Samantha Rodriguez

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”—Matthew 24:6–8 (NIV)

In this chapter of the Book of Matthew, Jesus is meeting privately with His disciples to answer their questions about the end of the age. In the verses immediately before today’s passage, He warns them to look out for people who will come in His name and claim to be the Messiah. These are imposters who are only stirring up confusion and trouble.

The list He mentions today includes things we’ve seen for years since Jesus ascended to take His throne in heaven after resurrecting! There have been wars and rumors of wars, nations and kingdoms rising against each other, famines, and earthquakes! We can see this throughout history, so when we read this Scripture, the point isn’t to try and figure out the exact timing of when Jesus will return.

When Jesus lists these things, He ends it by saying, “All these are the beginning of birth pains.” He continues to describe what will happen in the rest of the chapter, but I want us to notice that these signs have been present in the world for 2,000 years. They’re not going away, the end has been coming for a long while. Jesus was being honest and transparent here, but He also was trying to urge His disciples, and us, to recognize they must live with bold and courageous faith in the face of these things.

Something easy to overlook in this Scripture is the line, “But see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come” (emphasis added). Jesus wants us to know that although these horrible things must happen, the hopeful and victorious end is still promised! Therefore, we need not be alarmed or afraid!

Now certainly, this is easier said than done. I have not lived through a war that was physically near or affecting me personally, but I think we can all say we see the horrors of war through the media, our history textbooks, or family stories. I have also not lived through a famine or an earthquake specifically, but I have seen other natural disasters destroy communities near me. Perhaps you have personally experienced some or all of these things Jesus lists, and if you have, then you probably understand the fear and darkness more than anyone. Hopefully, you have also experienced the depth of God’s love and hope more deeply, too. It’s in our darkest experiences that the truth of the gospel shines brightest. It becomes the anchor of hope for our souls (Hebrews 6:19).

If you walk away with anything today, I pray you walk away with this truth: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:17–18 NIV).

Pause: How have you seen these “birth pains” in the world around you so far?

Practice: Take time to think about the hope we have in Christ through these difficulties we will continue to face. Speak to yourself or with a friend about the promised, hopeful, and victorious end we have because of the gospel.

Pray: Heavenly Father, You are a promise keeper God! Thank You for reminding us of that through Your Scripture. Although these birth pains have been coming for a long time, You have also continued to reveal Yourself as good and faithful. In every season and circumstance, Your hope and glory carry us through the pain and affliction. I pray You will continue to strengthen us, hold us close, help us stay rooted, and breathe life into our spirits every day. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.