Matthew 24:7 Meaning: When the World Shakes

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places.

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Meaning in one sentence

Matthew 24:7 lists wars, famines, plagues, earthquakes. Are they signs of the end or history for Jerusalem? A devotional that keeps hope alive.

Matthew New Testament Greek

Context

Jesus is sitting on the Mount of Olives, looking at the temple. His disciples have just asked about the end of the age and the sign of His coming. Instead of giving a date, Jesus describes what will happen first. This verse sits inside a list of hardships that will come before the end. But He wants them to know these things are not the end themselves. They are the opening pains, like a mother's first contractions before a birth. The disciples needed to hear this because they lived in a time of political tension and false messiahs. Jesus prepares them to stay steady through it all.

Key Words

The Greek verb for will rise up is egerthēsetai. It means to be stirred up, roused from sleep or from the ground. Jesus uses it for nations rising against each other, not just quietly disagreeing, but actively mobilizing for conflict. It is a word that suggests energy, even violence. But He also uses it elsewhere for resurrection. The same power that stirs up trouble is not greater than the power that raises the dead.

Two words for trouble appear side by side: limoi (famines) and loimoi (pestilences). They sound similar in Greek, almost like one disaster echoes the other. Hunger and disease often come together, and both feel like the world is coming apart. The word for earthquakes, seismoi, is wider than just ground shaking; it can mean any violent commotion. Jesus uses it for things that rattle our sense of safety. But He calls these only the beginning of birth pains. The shaking is not the whole story. Something new is being born.

How Christians Read This Verse

Many Protestant commentators from the last few centuries read this verse as a direct description of the events leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Matthew Henry, John Gill, and Adam Clarke all point to specific wars between Jews and Syrians, famines recorded by Josephus, and earthquakes mentioned by Roman historians. For them, this was Jesus warning His first disciples about what they would soon face.

Other Christian readers see these words as a pattern that repeats throughout history. Wars, plagues, and earthquakes happen again and again. In this view, Jesus is describing the normal turbulence of a fallen world until He returns. These two readings are not in conflict. The verse can speak both to the immediate crisis of the first century and to every generation that wonders if the end is near. Both offer the same comfort: these are not the final word.

A common misunderstanding

A common mistake is to read this verse and think, 'All these bad things are happening, so Jesus must be coming any day now.' Jesus Himself corrects this in the previous verse: 'See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet.' He calls these events the beginning of birth pains, not the birth itself. Many Christians in history thought they were living in the final days, but the world kept going. The point is not to calculate the timing but to stay faithful in the waiting.

Living This Out

This week you might open your phone and see headlines about war, hunger, disease, or natural disaster. Your first reaction may be fear or despair. Jesus invites you to a different response. He does not say the suffering is fake or that you should ignore it. He says these are birth pains, real pain with a purpose. Something is being born. The world is groaning toward restoration, not falling apart forever.

Here is what this looks like: when bad news comes, pause before you panic. Remind yourself that this is not the end. Let the trouble make you more compassionate, not more anxious. Pray for those who suffer. Give what you can. And trust that the one who told you these things in advance is the same one who will finish what He started.

Main takeaway: Wars, famines, and earthquakes are birth pains, not the final catastrophe. The end is not yet, and hope still holds.

For Families

For ages 5, 8

Jesus said that sometimes countries fight and the ground shakes. But He said these things are just the beginning, like when a mom feels the first little pains before a baby is born. Something good is coming, so we don't have to be scared.

For ages 9, 12

Have you ever been in the middle of something scary and wondered if it would ever get better? Jesus warned His friends that wars, famines, and earthquakes would happen. But He called them birth pains, not the end, just the start of something new. That changes how we look at bad news. Instead of panicking, we can pray and help others. The story isn't over. God is still working, and one day He will make everything right.

Questions People Ask

Does Matthew 24:7 mean the end of the world is near when we see wars and earthquakes?

Not necessarily. Jesus says these are only the beginning of birth pains. He says in verse 6, 'the end is not yet.' Wars, famines, and earthquakes have happened in many centuries. They are signs that this age is broken, but they do not tell us the exact date of Jesus' return.

Did Matthew 24:7 already happen in the first century?

Many Bible commentators think so. They point to the wars between Jews and Romans around AD 70, famines recorded by the historian Josephus, and earthquakes mentioned by Roman historians. Jesus was warning His disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem that would happen within their generation.

What does 'pestilences' mean in Matthew 24:7?

Pestilences are widespread diseases or plagues that kill many people at once. In the original Greek, the word is 'loimoi.' Famine and pestilence often come together because hungry bodies are more vulnerable to sickness.

Are the earthquakes in Matthew 24:7 literal or symbolic?

The Greek word 'seismoi' can mean a literal earthquake, but it can also refer to any violent shaking or commotion, including political upheaval. Many Christians take it literally, based on earthquakes recorded near the time of Jerusalem's fall. Others see it as a symbol of how everything stable can suddenly collapse.

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