And Then the End Will Come: The Promise of Matthew 24:14Sample

Day 6: What Kind of People?

Let’s suppose that Jesus’ return is imminent, likely to occur in the next few years. In light of that, how should we be living? What kind of people ought we to be as this incredible event draws near?

The apostle Peter asks and answers that very question in chapter 3 of his second epistle. He looks ahead to the coming judgment and asks, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?” He answers like this: “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:11–12). 

The Bible offers other encouragements about how we should live as we look for the coming of Jesus. In 1 Peter 4:7 (ESV), the apostle tells us, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”

In Matthew 24, Jesus warns that things will get tougher for believers and the church in the remaining days before he returns. Persecution will increase, and the wickedness of culture will increasingly infect the church, leading many to fall away from the faith. But, Jesus says, “The one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13). 

Last, Hebrews 10:24–25 urges us to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”