What did Jesus mean? #
Matthew 24:7 (AMP)
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place.”
Mark 13:8 (ESV)
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.”
Luke 21:10 (ESV)
“Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.'”
When Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, He was not offering unclear predictions for a distant future. He was speaking prophetically about events that would soon unfold within their generation, leading to the cataclysmic destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
The Greek word used for nation here is ethnos (ἔθνος), meaning a people group, tribe, or nation based often on ethnicity.
The word for kingdom is basileia (βασιλεία), meaning a realm ruled by a king, authority, or dominion. These terms pointed not merely to political states but to intense factional strife among groups, regions, and rulers.
Jesus was not predicting global modern wars; rather, He was alerting His disciples to the deep internal and external upheavals that would tear apart Judaea, Jerusalem, and even the larger Roman world around them.
Rising Tensions Before A.D. 70 #
The Jewish people lived under the heavy hand of Roman occupation. Constant unrest, anger over oppressive taxation, and nationalistic fervour brewed just beneath the surface. Internal divisions among Jewish groups—Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Essenes, Sicarii—created continual tension and instability.
Josephus, the Jewish historian, captures the horror vividly:
“…the war which the Jews made with the Romans hath been the greatest of all those, not only that have been in our times, but, in a manner, of those that ever were heard of; both of those wherein cities have fought against cities, or nations against nations…” (Josephus, Wars, Preface. Section 1)
In other words, the “nation against nation” prophecy was already being fulfilled before the Romans besieged Jerusalem.
The Bloody Factions Within Jerusalem #
From A.D. 66 to A.D. 70, Jerusalem descended into a bloody nightmare of civil war. Various factions, hungry for power and survival, fought mercilessly:
- Ananus, son of Ananus: Former high priest, tried to lead with moderation but was killed.
- Sicarii (“dagger-men”): Zealot extremists who used assassination and terror, led by Menahem ben Yehuda.
- Eleazar ben Simon and Zacharias son of Phalek: Zealot leaders who fiercely opposed Roman rule.
- John of Gischala: Seized control of part of Jerusalem and led one faction of Zealots (Josephus, Wars, 4.2.1).
- Simon ben Giora: Another rebel leader who rallied countryside Jews and later fought for control of the city (Josephus, Wars, 4.9.3).
- The Idumaeans: Soldiers from Idumaea who were drawn into the chaos and manipulated by different sides.
Josephus paints a grim portrait of the Idumaeans:
“The Idumaeans are military-minded, and with little motivation make haste to a battle as if it were to a feast.” (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 4.4.1)
The violence reached such depths that Vespasian, Rome’s general, chose to wait and allow the Jews to kill each other before launching a full assault.
Michael Goodwin summarises the chaos:
“Factional fighting caused Vespasian to delay the attack as the Jews were killing each other faster than the Romans could.” (McGoodwin, Summary of Josephus, 2002)
Ananus was murdered, bodies were left to rot in the streets, burials were forbidden, and every semblance of order collapsed. Jerusalem became a slaughterhouse before the Romans even breached its walls.
World-Wide Turmoil: Roman Empire in Chaos #
Beyond Judaea, the entire Roman world was shaking. The historian Tacitus describes the broader scene:
“I enter upon a work fertile in vicissitudes, stained with the blood of battles, embroiled with dissensions, horrible even in the interval of peace…” (Tacitus, The Histories, trans. Clifford H. Moore, Harvard, 1962, 16.13, p. 5-7)
He catalogues:
- Civil wars in Rome
- Rebellions in Gaul and Africa
- Wars in Britain and Armenia
- Disasters in Italy and widespread unrest
- Wars, famines, and earthquakes raged across the empire, exactly matching Jesus’ description of the beginning of birth pains.
Gary DeMar, echoing these insights, comments:
“Wars were fought from one end of the empire to the other.” (Gary D., Last Days Madness, p. 62-63)
The empire itself was writhing in agony—earthquakes, plagues, and political chaos were the daily news.
Today’s Common Error: “Newspaper Exegesis” #
Modern interpreters often lift Matthew 24:7 from its context and slap it onto current global events. This method is called newspaper exegesis—interpreting Scripture through the lens of today’s headlines rather than through its original historical setting.
Gary DeMar rightly observes:
“Our nation, and every nation, could go through the most tumultuous upheaval that history has ever experienced, and this still would not mean that Jesus was returning soon.” (Gary D., Last Days Madness, p. 3-4)
Wars and chaos in the 21st century are tragic, but they do not fulfil the signs Jesus gave for that generation. Christ’s prophecy targeted the crisis of the first century, not our modern era.
A Key Revelation: Birth Pains, Not the End #
When Jesus said, “These are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Mark 13:8), He used the Greek word ōdin (ὠδίν), which refers to labour pains—a necessary process that precedes birth. The destruction of Jerusalem was not the end of the world but the painful end of the Old Covenant age and the birthing of the New Covenant kingdom.
Paul also uses this imagery:
Romans 8:22 (AMP)
“For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together as in the pains of childbirth until now.”
The Old Creation—rooted in Adam and the Mosaic Law—was groaning towards its transformation into the New Creation in Christ.
Summary #
Nation against nation = Internal Jewish civil war, Roman world turmoil.
Kingdom against kingdom = Fragmentation within Judaea and across Rome.
Birth pains = Not the end of the cosmos but the beginning of the New Covenant order.
Modern wars and disasters are not a sign that Christ’s return is imminent.
Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled exactly as He said—within that generation. Jerusalem was crushed, the Temple destroyed, and the Old Covenant age ended. The New Covenant kingdom, ruled by Christ, was fully inaugurated.
Today, rather than living in fear over every headline, believers are called to rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ, who has already established His kingdom that shall never be shaken.
Hebrews 12:28 (NET)
“So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks, and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe.”
In Christ,
Godwin.
