Matthew 24:10

Saturday, 14 November 2026

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Matthew 24:10

“And then, they will be ensnared, many, and one another, they will surrender, and they will hate one another.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus told His disciples that everything He had been speaking about was only the beginning of the birth pangs. He next says, “And then, they will be ensnared, many.”

The word skandalizó, to ensnare or entrap, has been seen several times. Jesus is referring to those who have heard the word and been caused to stumble, as if caught in a trap. This is certainly referring to those who have heard the word, whether they believed or not. They do not stand strong in the faith and fall away.

When bad times come, it is very easy for people to do this. The worst times of all time lie ahead. Therefore, it is to be expected that this will occur. While the whole world is racing toward its termination during the tribulation, people will be forced to make choices that will set them at odds with what is right. Because of this, Jesus says, “and one another, they will surrender.”

The meaning is that those who are ensnared will be asked to betray those they once fellowshipped with or who were evangelizing them. Think of Paul during the early church. He actively pursued believers, doing everything possible to stamp them out. In Acts 26, he says –

“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” Acts 26:9-11

One can be sure that while arresting believers, he would ask them to give up those they worshiped with. This will be the case in the end times. These things will occur both willingly and by force. Because of this, Jesus continues, “and they will hate one another.”

A new word is seen here, allélón, one another. It is a reduplication of allos, another. This will be the increasing attitude of anyone in the end times. People are naturally selfish. That has to be trained out of them at a young age, or it will continue throughout the person’s lifetime. However, even people who are giving will naturally give less when things get tough. As they continue to get worse, even the most affectionate bonds can be severed –

“The sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind, 55 so that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates. 56 The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, and to her son and her daughter, 57 her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.” Deuteronomy 28:54-57

This was spoken by the Lord in the punishments and curses of Deuteronomy 28. It was realized in Scripture and in extra-biblical writings. Imagine this state coming upon the whole world.

Life application: As noted above, one has to be trained not to be selfish. Anyone who has children has seen them being this way. Only through discipline and careful attention will it cease in a person.

Today, much of the world rejects such instruction. Because of this, people are becoming increasingly selfish. Because of this, thefts increase, harming others becomes acceptable, and consequences for such actions are not enforced.

Go to any liberal run city, and this is perfectly evident. Repeat offenders of major crimes are let out without any bail, just to go out and harm others within a few hours. Liberal judges are allowed to stay in their positions, even after severe harm has come to the public through their failed decisions.

The rest of the population learns from this and decides they too will ignore the laws of the land. This will inevitably lead to chaos in a society. Include mass immigration from societies that have no moral compass at all, and these nations are beginning to descend into total anarchy.

The world is being primed for the end times. It will not be a happy place. Get right with Jesus now. The infection is set in society. The only way to escape the inevitable, whenever it comes, is to be in Christ now.

Lord God, things have gotten out of control in the minds of many. Liberal politicians and judges are no longer interested in following the laws set forth in our nations. Their goal, whatever it is, will only lead to cataclysm. Help us to tell people about Jesus now, before it is too late. Amen.