In Matthew 24, Jesus says about the signs of the end of the world: nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. At that time, many false prophets will arise and deceive many people. Flee to the mountains. This is a sign of the Lord’s second coming, and it is sometimes interpreted to mean that there will be many wars and the earth will be destroyed. So, did Jesus tell us to flee to the mountains because there will be war in the end times?
Jesus did say about war, but it was not a physical war, but a spiritual war. There will be a war between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan, and people belonging to God and people belonging to Satan will fight. God wants to create the kingdom of God in the spiritual world and come down to this earth, but Satan is interfering with this, and that is why there is war. Just like the scribes and Pharisees who were members of Satan interfered and opposed Jesus, who was with God 2,000 years ago.
Then what does it mean when it says there will be famine and earthquake? Since Jesus’ flesh and blood are the spiritual food, the Word, not hearing Jesus’ words is a famine, and in Luke 8:15, it says that a person’s heart is the earth, so a person’s heart shaking is an earthquake. In other words, an earthquake is when you realize that you do not belong to God.
Also, it says to be careful of people’s deception. This means that when there is war, there will be deceptions, and because of deception, people will fall into temptation and hate each other. You can tell if you have fallen into deception by looking at whether you act in a way that is not forgiving, blessing, and loving. If you listen to the words of Satan, you will fight, hate, and fight, but if you listen to the words of the true shepherd who belongs to God, you will love and forgive.
It is prophesied that when the Lord comes again, lawlessness will increase while causing people to hate each other. Today, when shepherds say that the place we should go is heaven, and since the Bible tells us about the afterlife, it is lawless to say that if we believe in Jesus, we will be unconditionally saved and go to heaven after death. This is not found anywhere in the Bible.
Lastly, let’s look at the words that said to flee to the mountain. In Isaiah 2, the mountain is where God’s temple is and where God’s throne is. In John 2, Jesus’ body is said to be the temple, and those who are with God are called the tree of life. Therefore, a place where trees gather is a mountain, so a place where many people who are with God gather is a mountain where God is with them. That’s why Jesus said to flee to the mountain when God’s kingdom comes to this earth.
Matthew 24 is a very important chapter because it prophesies the signs of the Lord’s second coming and where to go to be saved at that time. This is because we need to know the reality that was fulfilled according to the prophecy in order to come to God, and we need to know where God’s kingdom is on this earth according to the Bible in order to be saved. I hope that you will accurately understand the prophecy and the reality, distinguish between where God belongs and where Satan belongs, and come to belong to God.
