The Gospel of Matthew Quotes
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Source: The Gospel of Matthew
Speaker: Jesus of Nazareth
"See that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."
Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:4-8, KJV)
Context
Jesus has just finished preaching all about how the world will end while he was in the Temple in Jerusalem. Now, his disciples have some very important questions for J.C. when they're alone back at the Mount of Olives. What's up with all this end of time stuff, anyway?
Okay, the situation is pretty grim. Jesus basically tells his inner circle that all heck is going to break loose before he comes back to end the world and save everyone who was faithful to him. We're talking wars, fighting, starvation, disease, and natural disasters all over the place. And this is just the beginning. Yikes.
Jesus lets everyone know that these tragedies are just an appetizer for what's to come. When the disciples start seeing the first signs of "rumors of war," they shouldn't worry their pretty little heads. If they stay faithful, they will be fine. They've just got to endure the hardships and get out safe on the other side. Jesus will be waiting.
Where you've heard it
You may have heard this verse trotted out either by Christians who think it's pointing to the coming of Judgment Day, or other folks who think that constant war and destruction has to take its toll on humanity and the planet somehow.
Additional Notable References:
- Rumors of War is the title of a Christian movie about the end times.
- And it's also the title of Philip Caputo's memoir of his time in Vietnam.
- The End Is Not Yet is also a work by science-fiction author and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
If you're predicting the end of days, then, yes, you're gonna look a little pompous and all-knowing. However, you'll be the one laughing if your dinner party ends in famine and pestilence.