Turn with me to Matthew chapter 24. I’m not going to spend as much time on this as I did last week, but the Lord has been pressing something on my heart again. The reminder is simple, but it’s powerful: the King is coming. Christ is returning, just like He said He would.
When the disciples asked Jesus about the end times and His second coming, He began by giving them a warning. He said, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” That warning alone tells us something important. In the last days there will be many opportunities to be confused, misled, or troubled. But Jesus gave us a different assignment.
“Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled.” — Matthew 24:4–6 (NKJV)
Notice what Jesus tells us to do when we see chaos in the world. He doesn’t say panic. He doesn’t say argue with everyone online. He says, “See that you are not troubled.” In other words, you’re going to have plenty of opportunities to be troubled, but you get to decide ahead of time that you won’t be.
Jesus goes on to describe a series of events that would happen between the time He ascended into heaven and the time He returns. He calls them the “beginning of sorrows,” which literally means birth pains.
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” — Matthew 24:7–8 (NKJV)
These things have been happening for two thousand years. That’s why some people read these passages and think, “Well, this has been going on forever. Is Jesus really coming back?” But Jesus told us this would happen. Birth pains don’t start right before the baby arrives. They begin earlier and increase over time.
In other words, humanity has been in a long labor, waiting for the return of Christ. Aren’t you glad human labor doesn’t last two thousand years?
The reason it has taken this long is actually a sign of God’s goodness. Scripture tells us that God is patient because He desires that all would come to repentance. He is giving as many people as possible the opportunity to come into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus says “the end will come,” He is referring to the seven-year tribulation period that the prophet Daniel spoke about. Daniel described that period in two halves of three and a half years each.
Right in the middle of that tribulation, the Antichrist will commit what Daniel called the “abomination of desolation,” setting himself up in the temple and declaring himself to be God. Jesus references that exact event in Matthew 24, connecting His teaching directly to Daniel’s prophecy.
So when Jesus speaks about “the end,” He’s referring to this specific period of tribulation that will take place before His earthly reign.
Jesus repeats one warning several times throughout this passage: do not be deceived.
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.” — Matthew 24:23 (NKJV)
Why does Jesus repeat this? Because when He repeats something, He’s making sure we don’t miss it.
People often get confused when reading prophetic passages because we tend to think in strict timelines. God does not operate inside our timeline the way we do. Even in the Old Testament, prophets would speak about events separated by hundreds of years in the same sentence.
That’s why we need the Holy Spirit to help us understand Scripture. We have to ask Him to teach us and show us what God is saying.
Jesus also makes it very clear that when He returns, it will not be subtle.
“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” — Matthew 24:27 (NKJV)
Nobody will have to wonder if it happened. Nobody will be asking, “Did we miss it?” The return of Christ will be visible and unmistakable. Jesus says we will see Him coming in the clouds with power and great glory.
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven… and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” — Matthew 24:30 (NKJV)
This is the moment when Jesus gathers His people to Himself. The same Jesus who told His disciples in John 14 that He was going to prepare a place for them promised that He would come again and receive them to Himself.
That’s the hope of the believer. We will be with Him where He is.
Jesus gives another important insight when He talks about the fig tree.
“When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.” — Matthew 24:32 (NKJV)
We may not know the exact day or hour of Christ’s return, but we can recognize the season. When we see the signs Jesus described—lawlessness increasing, deception multiplying, global unrest—we know that His coming is near.
Jesus said it plainly.
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” — Matthew 24:35 (NKJV)
Everything else in this world will fade, but the words of Christ will stand forever.
Jesus then gives us the practical takeaway from all of this: be ready.
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” — Matthew 24:42 (NKJV)
He compares this to the days of Noah. People were living normal life—eating, drinking, getting married, making plans—right up until the flood came.
The return of Christ will catch the world by surprise. But it should not catch believers by surprise. We are meant to live with expectation.
Jesus illustrates this with the parable of the ten virgins. Five were wise and brought extra oil for their lamps. Five were foolish and only brought enough for a short time.
The wise virgins expected the bridegroom to arrive eventually, no matter how long it took. The foolish ones assumed he would arrive quickly, and when he didn’t, they weren’t prepared.
The lesson is simple. Live your life ready.
One thing that can derail believers in these times is adopting the spirit of the Pharisees. The Pharisees knew Scripture better than almost anyone, but they completely missed Jesus when He stood right in front of them.
They were constantly criticizing, complaining, and looking for faults.
That same spirit still shows up today. You see it when believers spend more time tearing others down than building people up. You see it when people use truth as a weapon instead of a tool for restoration.
A Pharisee points fingers and exposes people publicly. A believer approaches someone humbly, knowing that apart from God’s grace, they could have fallen into the same trap.
A believer offers hope and reminds people that Jesus has already broken the power of sin.
Jesus didn’t just warn us about the end times. He also gave us authority to live victoriously right now.
Scripture tells us that believers have authority over all the power of the enemy. That means the devil has no rightful claim over our lives. His only strategy is deception.
Once a believer understands their authority in Christ, everything changes. Fear loses its grip. Sin loses its power. The lies of the enemy fall apart.
Deliverance often begins with a simple revelation: Jesus has already won, and He has given us authority to walk in that victory.
The return of Christ should not produce fear in believers. It should produce expectation.
Every morning we should be able to say, “Today could be the day.”
Living with that expectation changes how we live. It keeps us from foolishness. It keeps our hearts focused on eternity. It reminds us that our hope is not in this world.
Jesus is coming again. And when He does, He will gather His people to Himself.
The King is coming. Are you ready?
