9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Christ now mentioned signs that will fall in the second half of the Tribulation. There will be widespread persecution and death (v.9). Many will be turned away from Christ to worship the political dictator whom John called the “beast” (Revelation 13:1-10). Paul called this person “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4). Many false prophets will appear and deceive many. John wrote about a particular false prophet (Revelation 13:11-18) who, by Satan’s power, will perform miracles to persuade the world to worship the first beast, the political dictator described in verses 1-10. This false prophet will begin his ministry in the middle of the Tribulation. The beast will extend political power over the world and assume the prerogatives of Deity in the religious world, and these activities will be signs which fall in the second half of the Tribulation to forewarn Israel of the approaching advent of Christ. The beast will become a persecutor (Revelation 13:7), and many will lose their lives. This no doubt will tempt many to renounce Christ and give allegiance to the beast. But Christ promised, “He who stands firm to the end will be saved” (v.13).
During the time that the politico-religious system of the beast is in absolute control, the gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world (v.14). The gospel of the kingdom was preached by both John and Jesus (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). This was the announcement of the good news that the kingdom was near. This message had both a soteriological and an eschatological emphasis. When John and Jesus called on the nation to repent, they were asking them to acknowledge their sinful state and their need of salvation. They were inviting the people to turn in faith to God, who had promised to send a Savior.
This gospel will be preached by 144,000 set apart from the tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:1-8). These will be descendants of Abraham. — Pentecost, pages 400-401.
