Matthew 24:7
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places.”
What does Matthew 24:7 mean?
Jesus is describing the kinds of upheaval and suffering that will mark the times before his return, painting a picture of a world in turmoil. These aren't unique disasters (nations have always clashed, and natural disasters have always happened), but Jesus is pointing to their persistence and spread as a pattern that characterizes an age waiting for redemption. This matters because it normalizes struggle for believers rather than promising earthly peace. If you're living through conflict, disease, or loss, Jesus isn't surprised or caught off guard, and neither should we be. His point is that these painful realities are part of history's trajectory, not evidence that God has abandoned the world. At the same time, he's preparing his followers to keep their eyes on something larger than the crises around them, to hold onto hope that extends beyond what we can see in any given moment.