Matthew (Written)

Wednesday, 11 November 2026

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Matthew 24:7

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“It will rouse, indeed, ethnicity upon ethnicity, and kingdom upon kingdom, and there will be famines, and plagues, and earthquakes in places.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus told His disciples they would hear of wars and rumors of wars, but they were not to be troubled because these things must come to pass. But even then, that is not the end. To support this, He next says, “It will rouse, indeed, ethnicity upon ethnicity.”

This has happened since the beginning. Nations have risen against nations, ethnicities against ethnicities, and families against families. People divide up into distinct groups and then battle those who aren’t in their groups. Jesus’ words confirm this will continue to be the case.

Looking at the way the world is structured and the thinking of man, this is probably less a warning about this normal cycle of events, but rather an indication that these things will not come to a halt. In other words, the purpose of the UN is to bring harmony among the nations. Globalism and ecumenism are intended to get everyone to “just get along.”

Jesus says that such things will continue unabated. What is likely, based on the ridiculous nature of the thinking of those who hold to global governance, is that these things will increase, not decrease. Along with this, Jesus says, “and kingdom upon kingdom.”

Again, nothing will change about the way things have gone. There have been kingdoms since the earliest times of man on earth. After the flood, kingdoms are mentioned in Genesis 10. There have been wars among them since early times as well. Genesis 14 refers to kings warring against one another. If there is a king, there is a kingdom.

As this is the normal state of humanity, this is again a note that these things will not end. The global agenda will fail at its intended goal. Peace accords will be broken. Kingdoms will continue to seek gain at the expense of other kingdoms. Jesus next says, “and there will be famines.”

This is a new word in Scripture, limos, a scarcity of food. It is from leipó, to be in want or to lack. Again, there have been famines throughout the world. Recorded history is filled with them. There have been famines reported most days during any of our lifetimes. A quick search pulled up 22 major famines since 1964, which span almost every year during that period.

The point is probably like the others. There is a constant barrage of world leaders claiming they can fix things like this. Scientists claim they have found the key to feeding the whole world. Green and leftie groups think they can solve all the hunger problems in the world through nutty agendas.

Jesus’ words are probably directed more to this type of thinking than to a claim that there will suddenly be famines. It is an acknowledgment by the Lord that man will not fix those things, and they will continue, maybe even increase, right to the end. Jesus next says, “and plagues.”

It is another new word, but it is only found in some texts. For others, it will be new in Luke 21:11. It is the word loimos, a plague. It is the disease of the plague. Thus, many translations say pestilence. Again, there have been pestilences throughout history. It is always a worry when some person or animal is dug up in permafrost from a few thousand years ago. Will they carry whatever killed them forward to be the next plague in the modern world?

The reasoning here is probably the same as above. There are always claims that the cure to every disease is right around the corner. Super Intelligence has brought those claims to a new level. Man will have the final say over the bug. But Jesus says otherwise. And His words should be obvious to us.

As long as there are Wu Han labs, Mengele’s and Fauci’s, and secret government experiments in the world, there will be the desire to harm others in innovative medical ways. This will not change, and Utopia is not the next push of a button away. Jesus finishes this verse with “and earthquakes in places.”

Once again, earthquakes have been recorded throughout human history. Every day, dozens or hundreds of them are recorded. Many are small, but there is hardly a year that major earthquakes don’t occur. Assuming a major earthquake is 8.0 (which is really huge), the USGS has recorded over 50 major earthquakes since 1964. Reduce that to 7.5, and the number jumps dramatically.

Man will not get this fixed, as earthquakes will continue, and they will certainly include some real doozies, as prophesied in both testaments of the Bible. Utopia does not lie ahead. A fallen world filled with calamity and disaster does.

Life application: It is tempting to take Jesus’ words and say, “See, we must be in the end times because…” But this has been done since Jesus ascended. People read about some calamity, one occurs in their lifetime and affects them personally (like the Black Plague), and everyone affected claims that the end of days has arrived.

Many Bible scholars try to shove Jesus’ words into the period from His ascension to the time of the temple’s destruction in AD70, finding their “proofs” in the book of Acts and other recorded history. Jesus words extend beyond that period.

What He says may indicate an increase in these things, but the point is more poignantly received when we realize that these things will not cease, despite the claims of people who think they can fix everything from earthquakes to hurricanes to plagues and pestilence.

This will not happen. Nor will global governance bring world harmony without civil or religious strife. Rather, there will continue to be innumerable deaths, quite often at the hands of those who claim they are there to bring peace.

If the left won the 2024 elections, by now people would probably have been rounded up and sent to camps for reeducation or extermination. The entire world is at a breaking point. When the last bastions of freedom lovers are voted out of office, catastrophe lies ahead for those who love freedom.

Lord God, the world will not see peace until the Prince of Peace returns. Jesus alone will bring a sense of harmony, joy, and freedom from calamity. Man without Jesus is a global disaster waiting to happen. Help us to be faithful followers of our Lord through the times of trouble that are sure to come. Amen.

Tuesday, 10 November 2026

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Matthew 24:6

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“You will begin, also, to hear – wars and ‘reports, wars’. You behold! Not you will be panicked. It necessitates, indeed, all to occur, but not yet, it is, the conclusion.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus told His disciples that many will come in His name, saying, “I am the Christ.” These will deceive many. He next says, “You will begin, also, to hear – wars and ‘reports, wars’.”

A new word is seen, polemos, warfare. It can be taken literally or figuratively. Half of its uses appear in the Book of Revelation. It is derived from pelomi, to bustle. When referring to a war, it can signify a single encounter or a series of engagements. Remember that Jesus is speaking specifically to Jewish believers. These events would befall them; this was true both before the destruction of the temple in AD70 and for the nation today.

Saying “You will begin to hear” is a way of saying that such reports will start, but there will not be an end to them. Their history is one that will be fraught with hearing about these things. Yes, they heard of wars and rumors of wars before the temple’s destruction. Jesus, however, focuses on the end of the age, something that lies yet ahead.

His words are certain and proven true since Israel’s reestablishment as a nation. It has been besieged by wars and reports of wars constantly since then. Even without Jesus’ words, it seems highly unlikely that will change. With Jesus’ words stated, it is guaranteed that it will be the case.

Despite many agreements and treaties, Israel’s future is set to be one fraught with the prospect of war at any given moment. Despite this, Jesus says, “You behold! Not you will be panicked.”

Another new word is seen, throeó, to clamor. HELPS Word Studies says, “properly, unsettled (thrown into confusion, WS, 953); (figuratively) troubled (disturbed), wanting to ‘cry aloud, to scream (passive) because terrified’ WP, 1, 189); thrown into an ‘emotional uproar,’ i.e. very upset (alarmed, startled).”

A word that accurately describes such a state is panic. As all three uses in the New Testament are passive, “be panicked” fits the bill nicely. This is a state that will exist, and so there is nothing that can be done about it. As this is true, there is no reason to go into a panic over what lies ahead. Such an attitude will not solve anything, and it will only lead to a loss of one’s testimony when panic rules over acceptance. The inevitability of this is stated next by Jesus, saying, “It necessitates, indeed, all to occur, but not yet, it is, the conclusion.”

Israel as a nation will face such troubles, but Jesus’ words will continue, showing that it is just a part of the greater unfolding of calm and normalcy all around the world.

Life application: It is true that there have been wars and reports of wars throughout human history. There have been times of calm, but war is something that is ever-lurking in the back of the mind. As soon as someone makes something good through hard work and productivity, there is always someone there to take that from him by force.

This extends to nations. When a nation is calm and prosperous, there will be other nations that want to take what they have not earned. Jesus’ words center on Israel and the Jewish people. They also focus on believers. This must include believers anywhere, but His words focus on the time when Israel is a nation.

As such, He is telling these disciples in advance that there will not be peace when Israel becomes a nation. They should not expect it will be the case. And yet, this is what Israel has constantly looked for. Agreements are signed, peace and prosperity are proclaimed, and then some other force comes in to ruin any such thought.

This is true for various reasons. One is that Israel has taken land that was completely rejected and lying waste, and they have made it thrive again. The surrounding nations sat on their hands for eons, not doing a thing with it. But as soon as the land is productive, they have made claims on it, demanding it be “returned” to them.

Another reason is that the Bible said these things would come about. If a Muslim nation hears that these things fulfill Bible prophecy, then it means that the God of the Bible exists. As there can be only one God, it means that what they believe must be wrong. Well, unless they can wipe Israel out of existence.

A third reason is the idiocy of the doctrine of replacement theology that has been taught for two thousand years. This is why many churches have increasingly come against Israel. Their doctrine is challenged by the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, just as God foretold through His prophets. The Roman Catholic Church, for example, has a history of denying that there is any plan for the Jewish people in God’s future redemptive purposes.

How do you explain supposedly infallible utterances by the church that have proven to be completely wrong? Everything we believe must come back to what is true if we are to be honest about our interactions with God. If what we have believed was untrue, then we should adjust our thinking and our doctrine accordingly.

But people do not want to do this. And so, they come against the very source of the faith. This is why women are in leadership positions in the church. Homosexuals and degenerates fill pulpits. Israel is hated. God is mocked. This all stems from a failure to accept and adhere to God’s word. Let us properly evaluate the situation around us, comparing it with what God’s word says. In doing so, we can then apply its truths to our lives.

God has a plan for Israel. To deny that at this point is dull and ridiculous. He will bring them into the New Covenant. When He does, they will once again be His people.

Lord God, help us not to fight against You by fighting against Your word. Help us to obediently comply with what it says so that we will be walking in a manner pleasing to You. We pray this to Your glory. Amen.

Monday, 9 November 2026

For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. Matthew 24:5

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Many, indeed, they will come upon the ‘name, Mine’, saying, ‘I, I am the Christ.’ And many, they will ‘roam’.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus warned His disciples to take heed so that they would not be deceived (they would not roam). He continues that thought next, saying, “Many, indeed, they will come upon the ‘name, Mine’.”

The meaning of “upon” is as if possessing the authority of. This does not necessarily mean they are claiming to be Jesus, but that is not ruled out as well. This specifically deals with His words of the next clause, “saying, ‘I, I am the Christ.’”

Jesus’ words are emphatic. People will come and adamantly avow that they are the Christ, meaning the anointed one or Messiah. The word Christ is the Greek translation of Messiah. Both mean “anointed one.” Throughout Israel’s history, this has been true. In the first century, a Jew arose, Simon bar Kokhba. He claimed to be the “son of the Star,” meaning the star prophesied in Numbers 24:17. He was hailed as the Messiah by the Jewish sage Rabbi Akiva.

Since his time, there has been a seemingly endless string of people who either claimed to be the Messiah or who were proclaimed the Messiah. For example, many leaders of Jewish cults have been proclaimed the Messiah, even after their deaths. They are followed to this day in those cults, being revered years and years later.

There are various sects in Israel today that are led by men claiming to be the Messiah. Billboards line streets and highways proclaiming one person or another is the Messiah. Of this proclamation of Jesus, He continues, saying, “And many, they will ‘roam’.”

In other words, through the proclamation, many will be misled and pulled away from the truth. The pages of Scripture allow for only one true Messiah who will fulfill the many messianic prophecies detailed in its pages. To follow anyone else as the supposed Messiah is to cut oneself off from any hope of following the truth of Scripture.

Unfortunately, people don’t bother with Scripture, or their understanding of it is so twisted that they cannot rightly determine the truth concerning Jesus Christ.

Life application: Though Jesus’ words are directed to Israel and those who make false claims within the Jewish society, such claims are not limited to them.

The idiocy of people claiming to be not only the Messiah, but Jesus Himself has been seen throughout church history. Many people over the years have claimed they are Him. Just in recent years, there are people in Russia, Australia, Brazil, the United States, South Korea, the Philippines, Zambia, Kenya, and elsewhere who have claimed to be Jesus. Wikipedia has its own page dedicated to these nutjobs entitled List of people claimed to be Jesus.

Twice in my years as a pastor, I have met people who claimed to be Jesus. One of them was obviously delusional. He first claimed to be John the Baptist. After a bit of counseling, he decided he was Jesus. A second person came from Israel a couple of times to visit his friend who attends our church.

He eventually claimed, “I Am.” When asked to be specific, he said he is Jesus who is God. He disappeared from our radar for a couple of years, but in September 2026, he came forward claiming to be Jesus, Son of David, the leader of the Gan Eden (Garden of Eden) party in Israel. He has joined the race to become the Prime Minister of Israel.

What would prompt someone who has heard the gospel to decide that he is the one who made the gospel possible? Such thinking is either nuts or it is calculated to gain some benefit, such as power, control, fame, etc. What is more disturbing is that there are people who willingly follow these lunatics.

And why does this happen? It is because people fail to read the manual for mankind, meaning the Bible. They put their trust in what someone says without any proof. Many have wound up dead because of such misguided thinking. It is a sad place to be, but this is a part of the human condition that we need to beware of.

People are willing to follow charismatic leaders right off the edge of a cliff or to the destruction of the land in which they live. Hitler brought Germany to its knees, and Pol Pot of Cambodia brought about the death of millions. Barack Obama, through his twisted worldview, has brought about a state of moral degradation that the United States may never recover from.

The list of such people is extensive. We must always be on guard against being duped by political or spiritual leaders who promote perverse agendas. Hold fast to the Bible, fix your eyes on Jesus, and be content to live your life in hopes of a world far better than this one. This is what Jesus promises. Anything else will end badly for those who get misdirected from the truth of God in Christ.

Lord God, Your word tells us who we should follow. It is sufficiently detailed so that we can know, with total certainty, that Jesus of Nazareth, who is carefully detailed in Your word, is the One true Messiah. May we not be pulled astray from a right relationship with You through Him all our days. Amen.

Sunday, 8 November 2026

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. Matthew 24:4

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And answering, the ‘Jesus’, He said to them, ‘You must look, lest anyone, you, he should ‘roam’.’” (CG)

In the previous verse, while Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him privately, asking when the things He referred to would be, and what the sign of His advent and the consummation of the age would be. Matthew next records, “And answering, the ‘Jesus’, He said to them, ‘You must look, lest anyone, you, he should ‘roam’.’”

In other words, Jesus warns them that they should be on guard to keep from being deceived. He uses the word planaó, to roam. In this case, He uses it in the sense of causing another to roam.

As seen a few times already, this word is the etymological root of our word planet. Just as a planet appears to roam in the sky, Jesus says that, as a star appears to remain fixed in the sky, His disciples should be grounded in their thinking and fixed in their thoughts concerning what He says. The way someone would fail at this would be for him to be led astray.

The specific means by which someone might deceive others in this manner will be explained in the coming verses. The words Jesus uses tell us that what He says is intended for those who will come later, not specifically the apostles themselves.

Life application: The disciples came to Jesus because they were curious about the events of the consummation of the age. That certainly means something different to the church than it does to Israel. The church has a set age in which it operates. Israel had an age in which it operated.

However, almost like a cosmic clock that stopped, Israel’s age ceased running. Jesus will refer to the words of Daniel the prophet in verse 15. Daniel gives a specific timeline of events for the nation of Israel. However, no matter which way you interpret those verses, there will be a gap of time in them.

Some think the gap was a very short time, maybe a few years. Some think it was approximately forty years, referring to the destruction of the temple in AD70. Others who hold to the dispensational model (not hyperdispensationalism) say the gap began at the time following Christ’s crucifixion, and the age will only pick up again after the church age. That is a period that has lasted, so far, for two thousand years.

Those who hold to the shorter view of time claim that the Bible never speaks of such a long gap. That is actually incorrect, but setting that aside, it doesn’t matter if the gap is a week or two thousand years. From God’s perspective, both are just a blip –

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3:8

The consummation of the church age is not the same as the consummation of the age the disciples have asked about. First, the church age didn’t exist at the time they asked their question.

As such, the disciples had as much understanding of the coming church age as they had concerning how to make a pineapple pizza, something that didn’t exist until 1962 when Sam Panopoulos stepped outside the bounds of traditional cuisine, taking a monumental risk on an untested blend of sweet and savory. His culinary audacity defied the rules of pizza purists, carving out an enduring legacy built on sheer creative bravery. He called his new delight Hawaiian Pizza.

Second, Jesus speaks about those in Judea. Although there are believers in Judea, that is not the focus of the church age. Rather, the entire world is. Judea is the land of the Jews. Jesus also speaks about observing the Sabbath, something set for the nation of Israel.

In the church, some sects observe the Sabbath, thinking they must do so in order to be saved and to remain in God’s favor, but the Sabbath is a requirement for neither. Standard, proper Christian theology understands that the Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ. Those who believe in the finished work of Christ enter into what the Sabbath only pictured. That is explicitly stated several times in the epistles.

These and other clues in Chapter 24 make it clear that what Jesus speaks of in this chapter is directed to Israel, the nation which is comprised of Jews. The church is a separate entity that has its own age, an age that will end before the time when the age of Israel under the law recommences. That period will last for seven years.

For now, despite Israel being back in the land and being prepared for what lies ahead, they remain Lo Ammi, Not My People, in God’s redemptive plan. Be sure not to mix the dispensations that the Bible presents. In doing so, you will do well. And if you have never tried pineapple pizza, give it a shot. You might like it.

Lord God, thank You that in the church, we are saved by grace through faith and that through this faith, we will be brought into Your presence at the rapture. We long for that day and pray for its coming. May it be soon. Amen.

Saturday, 7 November 2026

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Sitting, also He, upon the ‘Mount, the Olives’, they came to Him, the disciples, in private, saying, ‘You tell us when these, it will be? And what the sign, the ‘Your advent’, and the ‘consummation, the age’?’” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus told the disciples that not one stone of the temple and its associated structures would be left upon another. They would all be thrown down. Matthew next says, “Sitting, also He, upon the ‘Mount, the Olives’.”

As noted in a previous commentary, this movement from the temple to the Mount of Olives matches the pattern of the Lord, Yehovah, departing from the temple in Ezekiel before its destruction. From there, it said –

“And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.” Ezekiel 11:23

Jesus reveals His divinity through following this same pattern. He is the Lord, Yehovah, incarnate, repeating that which has been done. Having moved to the Mount of Olives in this manner, it next says, “they came to Him, the disciples, in private.”

In Mark 13, it says, “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately…” Thus, this may be only those four whom Jesus is speaking to. It may also be that other disciples were already there, these four were talking about Jesus’ words, and they then joined the other disciples and asked the question.

Either way, Matthew is aware of the words of Jesus. So either he was there, or he later was told about the conversation. As for the reason for coming to Jesus privately, Matthew next records that they were “saying, ‘You tell us when these, it will be?’”

The meaning of “these” is based on the previous verse. First, in Matthew 23, Jesus said to Jerusalem that its house was left to it desolate. Then, in verse 24:2, Jesus noted that every stone would be thrown down. This is the “these” they are referring to. But they question further, asking a question that is still waiting for its fulfillment two thousand years later: “And what the sign, the ‘Your advent’, and the ‘consummation, the age’?”

A new word is seen: parousia, advent. It is usually translated as “coming” and most often applied to the Lord’s coming. But there are instances where it is applied to the coming of another, such as Stephanas in 1 Corinthians 16:17 or Titus in 2 Corinthians 7:6. HELPS Word Studies says –

“parousía (from parōn, ‘be present, arrive to enter into a situation’) – properly, coming, especially the arrival of the owner who alone can deal with a situation (cf. LS). 3952 (parousía) is a ‘technical term with reference to the visit of a king or some other official, “a royal visit”’ (Souter) – ‘hence, in the NT, specifically of the Advent or Parousia of Christ’ (A-S).”

So, the disciples want to know about the sign of Jesus’ advent, His coming. To come, one must first be gone. Therefore, it is probable that they are specifically talking about Jesus’ words of Matthew 23:39, “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

At this time, the disciples must have thought Jesus wouldn’t return to Jerusalem until they acknowledged Him in this way, not that He would be gone from them. There is no indication that they knew He would be gone from them, be it days, months, years, or millennia. However, because of Jesus’ words, they were aware that the temple would be destroyed and that He would only return to Jerusalem at some point in the future.

The confusion in the minds of these men, even after being told everything, having seen Him crucified and raised, and having spent forty days with Him, is evident from the words of Acts 1, where it says –

“Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ ⁷ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. ⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” Acts 1:6-8

Even after all of His instruction, they were still thinking Christ’s kingdom and rule over Israel would come about right then. Now, two thousand years later, we are still waiting for the end-times events to come about.

Life application: The Bible is written. We have all the information that God intends to give us until all things are complete. We are not going to be told when the rapture will be. Jesus will not pop into someone’s head and say, “You need to call on Me to be saved.”

The Bible is given to tell us all we need to know about future events, the doctrine of salvation, what to do so that others can be saved, etc. We should not assume that God is going to make an exception to this. Nor should we be looking for such a thing.

Let us pick up the Bible, read it, contemplate it, and accept that it is exactly what we need for our life conduct, walk before the Lord, and information about what is coming. What else do we need? Nothing! Read the Bible and be informed!

Lord God, even the apostles had no idea of the scope of Your plan. Here we are two thousand years later, still waiting for the words of Scripture to come to pass. Help us be patient and also diligent in conducting our affairs, not idly sitting around speculating on things You have not told us about. May we be productive Christians, doing the business You have given us. Amen.