The disciples ask Jesus “When will these things take place.” that He lists in Matthew 24:2. The burden of Jesus’ reply in the first instance is that there will be a delay before the end. The delay is characterized by a period of opposition and persecution. This whole period is called “the birth pains of the Messiah.: It’s one of the expressions commonly used in Judaism and picked up in Matthew 24.

The Beginning of the Birth Pains

It was common in intertestamental Judaism that just as a period before the birth itself is characterized by anguish, so also the joy that would be brought about by the Messiah’s return would be characterized first by anguish. These characteristics of the birth pains have to do with the world at large.

Jesus presupposed some substantial delay in His return. All the nations, rising and falling, many earthquakes, many wars, and famines taking place in various parts of the world, which doe not take place in the space of 30 seconds or six months. They are to be understood as the beginning of the birth pains.

Expect Continuous International Rivalry

Matthew 24:6 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.

Jesus said these things are characteristic of the period just before the end. Therefore, surely the Lord must be on His way, but the end is nt yet. Nations will fall. There will be wars, and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet. The entire period of distress is characterized by internal pain.

Natural Disasters Will Be Numerous

Matthew 24:7 There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All theses are the beginning of birth pains

The delay of the Lord’s return is considerable. The disciples should not in the first century, nor us even now, should think that this promised return is immediate. These things must take place because the kingdom was only inaugurated when Jesus came. It is not yet here in its fullness.

There will he hatred, there will be opposition, and the devil will do plenty of damage. The kingdom of Christ will be contested by the Evil One. The point is not to curb enthusiasm that Jesus is returning, but to warn against false expectation of an early return.

Spiritual Characteristics During This Waiting Period

We know there will be conflict, and it will extend to families. This bitterness in the wake of the cross, in the wake of the inaugurated kingdom will extend to families. Matthew 10:34  It will extend to nations and over nature itself: Romans 8:20 and elsewhere. But in particular, there are certain characteristic features of this age in the spiritual arena.

There Will Be Persecution and Opposition

Matthew 24:9 Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. In the entire history of the church, there were more martyrs for the cause of Christ in the 20th century than in the previous 19 combined. Unfortunately, that trend has continued throughout the world in the launch of the 21 century. The message of the New Testament is that it is normal of the church to be opposed, insulted, ridiculed, and mocked. We should not be surprised, or discouraged.

There Will Be Apostasy

Matthew 24:10 Many will turn away from the faith , and turn against each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people Hebrews 3:14 and John 2:19

The New Testament describes apostasy as turning away from a profession you have adopted:from a profession of faith, from an orientation of life, from a public commitment, from a self-identification that you once made. Where wickedness abounds and our tolerance levels of it are changed, we can become philosophical about evil instead of indignant.

Worldwide Preaching

Matthew 24:14 This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as testimony to all nations..

This whole waiting period time is an entire age that is characterized by false Christs. It is filled with self-anointed people, who see themselves as specially anointed by God.

In this period of birth pains, if those days(the entire inter-advental period) had not been cut short, no one would survive.

These two themes, preaching the gospel worldwide, and facing a certain amount of opposition kills the idea triumphalism. Triumphalism is one of the endemic sins of our generation in the West. It includes the constant effort of one-upmanship, a constant  attempt to parade a Christian superior life that somehow floats above all the difficulties of life. Some invest more time on their Facebook appearance than their actual lives. The modern view of the victorious Christian life of being a more-than-conqueror-type Christian somehow puts them above it all. In Paul’s day, it is rather living victoriously when you are “like sheep persecuted all day long and counted as worthy of the slaughter.”

The point is not to curb enthusiasm that Jesus is returning! But we’re to warn against false expectations of an early return, and be committed to Jesus regardless of the challenges.