What is the meaning of Matthew 24:7? Nation will rise against nation Jesus begins with a plain-spoken warning: “Nation will rise against nation” (Matthew 24:7). He is describing literal conflicts among ethnic groups and sovereign states—strife that would intensify after His ascension and continue until His return. • Already in the book of Acts we see uprisings (Acts 5:36-37) that preview greater wars. • James pinpoints the heart issue behind such clashes—“battles among you” rooted in human passions (James 4:1-2). • Revelation’s red horse removes peace from the earth so that people “slay one another” (Revelation 6:4), echoing Jesus’ words. Christ’s statement is not meant to alarm His followers into despair but to remind them that these conflicts fit within God’s prophetic timetable (Isaiah 46:9-10). and kingdom against kingdom The phrase widens the scope: entire realms, not just individual nations, will collide. Scripture repeatedly portrays this escalation. • Isaiah foresees Egyptians set “against kingdom” within their land (Isaiah 19:2). • Daniel’s visions highlight successive empires locked in struggle (Daniel 11:40-45). • 2 Chronicles 15:6 notes that “nation was crushed by nation and city by city” when Judah drifted from the Lord—showing that spiritual rebellion fuels political upheaval. Jesus frames these kingdom-level convulsions as a sign that history is marching toward His promised reign (Daniel 2:44; Revelation 11:15). There will be famines and earthquakes Beyond human conflict, creation itself groans. Jesus lists two headline calamities: • Famines—Acts 11:28 records a “great famine…over all the world” in the apostolic era, previewing future shortages (Revelation 6:5-6). Such scarcity exposes mankind’s dependence on God for daily bread (Psalm 104:27-28). • Earthquakes—From the cross-shaking quake at Jerusalem (Matthew 27:51) to the prison-shaking quake at Philippi (Acts 16:26), these tremors remind us that the earth is not ultimately stable (Hebrews 12:26-27). Final judgments will feature even greater seismic events (Revelation 16:18). These upheavals are literal, measurable phenomena, yet they also function as moral megaphones—calling sinners to repentance and saints to endurance (Luke 13:1-5). in various places The troubles Jesus lists are not confined to one corner of the globe. “Various places” assures us they will surface unpredictably across regions and generations. Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11 repeat the same phrase, reinforcing its breadth. • Romans 8:22 explains that “the whole creation has been groaning together,” so we should not be surprised when disasters appear in diverse settings. • This scattered pattern underscores that no earthly refuge is foolproof; our only safe shelter is in Christ Himself (Psalm 46:1-3). Because these signs unfold worldwide, believers everywhere share a common calling—to stay watchful, love one another, and keep proclaiming the gospel (Matthew 24:14). summary Matthew 24:7 sketches a multi-layered preview of the age between Jesus’ first and second advents: escalating wars, clashing kingdoms, mounting famines, and frequent earthquakes scattered across the planet. Each element is literal, each under God’s sovereign oversight, and each intended to remind us that the present order is passing away. Rather than yielding to fear, disciples are to read these signs as incentives to faithfulness, confident that the same Lord who foretold them will soon return to bring perfect peace and unshakable stability to His redeemed creation. |
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