The End Times

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the limestone steps of the Temple Mount as Jesus and his disciples emerged from the magnificent House of God. The disciples, still in awe of the grand structure despite their frequent visits, marveled at the massive stones and intricate architectural details that made Herod’s Temple one of the wonders of the ancient world.

“Master,” called out James, gesturing broadly at the gleaming walls, “look at these magnificent stones! What remarkable craftsmanship these buildings show!”

Jesus paused, his expression grave as he gazed upon the Temple complex. The weight of prophetic knowledge seemed to burden his shoulders as he turned to address his followers. “Do you see all these great buildings?” he asked, his voice carrying a note of solemnity that immediately commanded their attention. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left upon another; everyone will be thrown down.”

A heavy silence fell over the group. The disciples exchanged troubled glances, their earlier admiration replaced by confusion and concern. This temple, the heart of their faith and nation, was destroyed? The very thought seemed impossible, even blasphemous to some.

As they made their way across the Kidron Valley and began ascending the Mount of Olives, the Temple’s golden facade gleamed in the setting sun behind them. Peter, James, John, and Andrew couldn’t contain their questions any longer. When they found a secluded spot overlooking the city, they approached Jesus privately.

“Tell us, Master,” Peter began, his voice barely above a whisper, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus settled himself on a large rock, his gaze sweeping across Jerusalem spread out before them. The city lay peaceful in the gathering dusk, unaware of the profound prophecies about to be unveiled. His disciples gathered close, their faces eager yet apprehensive.

“Watch out that no one deceives you,” Jesus began, his voice carrying both warning and compassion. “Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

Andrew leaned forward, his weathered fisherman’s hands clasped tightly. “But surely, Lord, when we see such things, we’ll know the time is near?”

Jesus shook his head slowly. “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

The disciples sat in rapt attention as Jesus continued, his words painting a vivid picture of the tumultuous times to come. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.”

John’s young face showed concern as he asked, “Master, how will we stand firm in such times?”

Jesus’s eyes softened as he looked at his beloved disciple. “Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

As the evening shadows lengthened, Jesus spoke of the abomination that causes desolation, of unprecedented distress, and of the need for urgent flight when these signs appeared. His words grew more intense as he described the cosmic disruptions that would herald his return.

“Immediately after the distress of those days,” he continued, his voice taking on an almost prophetic resonance, “’the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’”

The disciples huddled closer, both frightened and fascinated by these revelations. The cooling evening air carried the scent of olive blossoms, but none noticed, so captivated were they by Jesus’s words.

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Peter’s hand reached out to touch Jesus’s arm. “How will we know when all this is about to happen?”

Jesus smiled gently and gestured to a nearby fig tree, its branches beginning to show the first signs of spring growth. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.”

The disciples exchanged glances, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what they were hearing. Jesus continued, his voice growing more urgent. “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

James cleared his throat nervously. “But when exactly, Lord? Surely you can tell us the day or hour?”

Jesus shook his head firmly. “About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

His voice took on a storyteller’s cadence as he painted a picture of life continuing as normal until the very moment of his return. “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

The disciples listened intently as Jesus described how people would be going about their daily tasks – two men working in a field, two women grinding grain – when suddenly one would be taken and the other left. The randomness of it all seemed to disturb them.

“Therefore keep watch,” Jesus advised, his voice gentle but firm, “because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

As the last rays of sunlight faded from the sky, Jesus began sharing parables to illustrate his points. He spoke of faithful and unfaithful servants, of wise and foolish virgins waiting for the bridegroom, of talents given and how they were used. Each story added another layer of understanding to his earlier prophecies.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant,” he asked rhetorically, “whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”

John, always the most contemplative of the disciples, asked, “Lord, how should we live in light of these truths?”

Jesus’s response was both practical and profound. “Be like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, ready to open the door immediately when he knocks. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.”

As night settled over Jerusalem, Jesus shared the parable of the ten virgins, his voice carrying clearly in the still evening air. “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.”

The disciples listened intently as he described how the wise virgins brought extra oil for their lamps, while the foolish ones did not. When the bridegroom was delayed and their lamps began to go out, the foolish virgins found themselves unprepared.

“The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’”

Jesus’s voice grew solemn as he concluded the parable. “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’”

The meaning was clear – they must be prepared, for the moment of his return would come suddenly and without warning.

Moving on, Jesus shared the parable of the talents, illustrating the importance of using well what has been entrusted to them while waiting for his return. His voice took on an almost theatrical quality as he described the master distributing talents to his servants according to their abilities.

“To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.” The disciples listened intently as Jesus described how the servants with five and two talents doubled their master’s money, while the one with a single talent buried it in the ground.

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.” Jesus’s voice carried both approval and warning as he described the master’s response – praise and greater responsibility for those who had been faithful with what they were given, but harsh judgment for the one who had hidden his talent out of fear.

As the night grew deeper, Jesus’s teachings took on an even more urgent tone. He described the final judgment, painting a vivid picture of the Son of Man coming in his glory, with all the angels with him, sitting on his glorious throne.

“All the nations will be gathered before him,” Jesus declared, his voice resonating with authority, “and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”

The disciples listened in awe as Jesus described how the King would welcome those on his right, saying, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

His voice softened with approval as he listed the actions that marked his true followers: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

The confusion of the righteous brought a gentle smile to Jesus’s face as he explained, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

But his voice grew stern as he described the fate of those on his left, who had failed to show such compassion. “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

The night had grown cold, and the disciples huddled closer together, both for warmth and comfort in the face of these sobering prophecies. Jesus’s words made it clear that the end times would be both a time of judgment and of vindication, of separation and reunion, of darkness and ultimate light.

As the moon rose over Jerusalem, casting its silver light over the sleeping city, Jesus turned to a final, crucial point. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Peter spoke up, his voice thoughtful. “Lord, you speak of watching and being ready. What exactly should we be doing while we wait?”

Jesus’s response was both practical and profound. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”

He continued, emphasizing the importance of active faith and service. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

As the night grew later, Jesus’s teachings became more personal, addressing the heart attitudes that would sustain them through the trials to come. “Let not your hearts be troubled,” he counseled, his voice gentle yet firm. “You believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”

The disciples sat in contemplative silence, absorbing the weight and wonder of all they had heard. The prophecies of tribulation and judgment were balanced by promises of redemption and reunion. The warnings of deception and persecution were coupled with assurances of divine protection and guidance.

As the first hints of dawn began to lighten the eastern sky, Jesus concluded his teaching with words of hope and encouragement. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The disciples rose slowly, their minds still processing the profound revelations they had received. The sleeping city below them would soon awaken to another ordinary day, but they had been given a glimpse into extraordinary times to come. They had been entrusted with knowledge of both warning and promise, of judgment and hope.

As they made their way back down the Mount of Olives, the rising sun began to gild the Temple’s walls with morning light. The magnificent structure that had prompted their initial questions now seemed somehow less permanent, more temporal, in light of Jesus’s prophecies. They understood that they were living in the overlap of ages – the present age drawing to its close, and the age to come breaking in through Jesus’s ministry.

The disciples carried with them not just prophecies of future events, but practical wisdom for living in light of these truths. They had been called to be watchful but not anxious, prepared but not paralyzed, faithful in the present while looking toward the future. Most importantly, they had been reminded that the end times were not just about events and signs, but about the return of their beloved Master.

As they reached the bottom of the mount, Peter turned for one last look at the spot where they had received such remarkable teachings. The morning sun now fully illuminated the hillside, but the words they had heard there would continue to illuminate their understanding of the future and their role in it.

Their conversation with Jesus about the end times had been more than just a prediction of future events – it had been a call to faithful living, a reminder of divine sovereignty, and an assurance of ultimate victory. As they walked on toward Jerusalem, they carried with them not just knowledge of what was to come, but wisdom for how to live in light of it.

The days ahead would bring challenges and persecution, just as Jesus had foretold. But they had been prepared with both warning and encouragement, both prophecy and promise. They had been given a glimpse of the end of the age, but more importantly, they had been shown how to live faithfully until that day arrived.