Matthew 24:21-22

“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”

Jesus continues to describe “the end of days” for His disciples, who are confused, thinking that His Kingdom would be established in the near future right there in Jerusalem with the overthrow of their Roman oppressors. As bad as it was back then…and as bad as it seems to be today…Jesus is speaking of a world of wickedness that we have yet to experience.

Instead of obsessing over the carnage that has yet to come to our society, I’d like to point out the beautiful fact that “those days” will be “cut short” for the “sake of the elect.” In the midst of that hell on earth God is going to say, in effect, “That’s enough.” He is going to show His mercy and loving kindness towards us once again. For the follower of Christ, God’s love will always trump His wrath.

Rest assured, God will not allow any of us to go through troubled waters that can ultimately sink us. He will either give you the power to overcome, like Peter walking on the water, or He will simply make them go away, like the storm on the Sea of Galilee. That happens with temptation…it happens with sin…it happens with trials…and it will happen at “the end of days.”

It’s so tempting to slow down and look at the carnage, but there is no fruit on that tree. Rather, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2) and the rescuer of our souls! His mercy is never ending (Psalm 136) and His faithful love endures forever (Psalm 138:8). Yes, the world is going to get a lot worse…but God is going to cut that short for OUR sake and in that, we should rejoice greatly!