What events are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:8)?

Now that the true Christ had been rejected, the people would fall a prey to these impostors, and many would be deceived. There would also be wars, and rumours of wars; the disciples were to be quiet; the end, that is, the end of the age, would not be yet. Nation would rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there would be famines and earthquakes in divers places. It was the beginning of sorrows that would end in the accomplishment of the ways of God.

It has been generally recognised that these first four judgments correspond to those which the Lord speaks of as "the beginning of sorrows." When telling His disciples of the future judgments coming upon the prophetic earth, He speaks first of "wars and rumours of wars," then of internecine warfare — "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;" thirdly, the Lord foretells famines, and finally pestilence (Matt. 24:6-8).

Hence we read of “the beginning of sorrows,” presaged, as they shall be, by nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, with attendant famines, pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places; and, although these are not peculiar to that special moment, yet they are precursory to it, and are, so far, a distinct premonition of worse to follow.

(3) Next the Lord warns of wars and rumors of war, things which have been common enough certainly; as have "famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places." He gives them, however, a very significant character, as the beginning of travail-pains: as if nature were pressing on to the birth of a new and better time, and could not rest content or quiet with the present evil. Nor is there anything strained in this, however unintelligent may be the thing which manifests thus its sympathy with the purpose of God: "for we know," says the apostle, "that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Rom. 8:22). The mind of God cannot but manifest itself through nature, as well as in the movements and convulsions among the nations of the world; and though the specific lessons may have their difficulty, the general one is not hard to read. It is an unrest everywhere which cries for Him who alone has said ― who alone could venture to say ― "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest." And the cry sounds in His ears, and will find answer.

What precedes the coming of Christ is divided into two parts, general and particular, at verses 14, 15; verses 5 and 6 stand by themselves as a warning - let no man deceive you - be not troubled - the end is not yet - there would be false Christs - and wars and rumours of wars; then the instruction. We must remember Jews are the subjects of it, but Jews owning Christ as a prophet, listening to Christ as a prophet, after He has given up Jerusalem, as Messiah, as the Lord had ceased to present Himself as the present object of faith. Nation should rise up against nation (v. 7). These were the beginning of sorrows, by which name we may describe this period, the beginning not the end. They were to be afflicted and delivered up to the Gentiles for His name sake, and be killed. This in the beginning of sorrows, evil amongst many associated with them apparently, treachery, coldness, false prophets, and many deceived, not yet false Christs; Antichrist being not yet distinctly revealed as a Jewish oppressor, and they (not he) should deliver up and kill them; the hatred was to be from the nations - Gentiles.

But we have the testimony of our blessed Master Himself on the state of the world at the end. He speaks of the existence of wars and commotions as the beginnings of sorrows, specially to be observed by His disciples, when His coming in power and glory is in question. He says to them, "And ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars; see that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet; for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Matt. 24:6-8.) These beginnings of sorrows are to continue till the time of tribulation ends them, such tribulation "as was not since the beginning of the world to this time — no, nor ever shall be." (Ver. 21.) And the tribulation is in its turn ended by His own personal appearing, but by naught else, and not, therefore, by the wide over-spreading of christian principles among the nations of Europe, or in any other part of the globe. For He goes on to say, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and all the powers of the heaven shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." (Vers. 29, 30.) Reference to the Old Testament is in entire harmony; for it shows that it is His presence who is "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6) which will end the horrors of war, not the efforts of men, however well directed and carried out these peace societies may be, that will bring no "peace," while its Prince is rejected by, and absent from, the world. No, "He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire." (Ps. 46:9) An examination of the context in this psalm will show who "He" is. It is the Lord of Hosts, Israel's defence when the heathen rage in that day, their long-rejected Messiah. Again, "They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isa. 11:4; Micah 4:3.) In both these passages the context clearly shows when this will be the state of things among the nations. It is "in the last days," when the house of the God of Jacob is built, and He reigns in Jerusalem. (Isa. 24) But judgment precedes the blessing of those days; and in the meantime the night of darkness and horrors thickens, wars increase, as but "the beginning of sorrows," while the world drifts on towards that "morning without clouds," of which David spoke in the Spirit (2 Sam. 23:4), when He, "whose right it is," shall usher in that bright millennial day, His thousand years' reign in peace over the earth. "He shall come down like rain upon the new-mown grass, as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of grace, as long as the moon endureth." (Ps. 62) Well may we who love Him close such a blessed description of that coming day by echoing the words of the psalmist, "And blessed be his glorious name for ever, and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen."

These are the opening words of the Lord, which describe the age ending. In a secondary and general way they likewise describe, no doubt, the characteristics of the times during which the Lord is not on the earth. Looked upon in this light what an argument they form against the modern optimistic dreams of the professing church! Neither the Lord, nor the Spirit in giving the Epistles of the New Testament have a single word to say that this present age and the world is to be getting better and that the end will be righteousness and peace. The testimony of the Scriptures is wholly on the other side. Wars there have been all along as well as rumors of wars. Famines, pestilences and earthquakes have again and again swept over this globe, as well as the persecution of such who are the Lord's. All this is true in a general way. But the Lord describes not the age as such, but shows what will be in the end. The words we have before us refer us to the beginning of that end, while in the last verse quoted, the fourteenth, the Lord saith "then shall come the end." What follows the fourteenth verse then refers directly to the end. The last week of Daniel, the seventieth, is marked off in two halves, each having three and a half years. The words here before us up to the fourteenth verse refer to the first half of the last week, while the fifteenth verse and the verses which follow bring us to the middle of that week.

Verses 4-14 then contain the prophecy of our Lord relating to the beginning of the end of the Jewish age, while with the 15th verse the end itself in its fearful great tribulation and "the abomination of desolation" is described. The whole period is the last week of Daniel's great prophecy, a prophetic week, consisting of seven years, which cannot begin as long as the church is on the earth. The first part of it is now before us. The Lord saith in His answer to the question concerning the sign of His coming and the end of the age, that these things He mentions first are "the beginning of throes" (verse 8).

The first thing that the Lord points out is, that the ruin in which His departure was to leave Jerusalem would give place to many false Christs, which would come in His name. The disciples must not suffer themselves to be deceived by them. There would be also wars and rumours of wars, but they must not be disturbed by them; these things must take place, but the end would not be yet. For nation would rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there would be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places, and all these things would only be the beginning of sorrows. Such is the outside, the providential events of which they would have knowledge.

(Vv. 5, 6). The Lord opens His discourse with five warnings. First, the disciples are warned against false Christs. Many will come in the Name of Christ; some even daring to say "I am Christ," and the Lord adds, that such will "deceive many." This warning proves how distinctly the Lord has in view the godly remnant in the midst of the Jewish nation. Christians, instructed in Christian truth, would not be deceived by a man professing to be the Christ; for they know the next time they will see Christ it will be in the clouds. The godly remnant will rightly be looking for Christ to appear on the earth, and therefore might easily be deceived by the report that He had come.

(Vv. 7, 8). Secondly, the disciples are warned against concluding that the end is near on account of "wars and rumours of wars." "Such things must needs be" in a world that has rejected Christ. Wars, earthquakes, famines and troubles, are the beginning of sorrows, not the end.

Here, then, are the first judgments. There is, so far, no obvious intervention of divine power. Man's evil passions, which have stirred up wars and calamities in all ages, are the only instruments seen. But it is the first breath of that whirlwind of judgment which will soon sweep over the earth. Compare this with our Lord's own words about the signs of His "coming and of the end of the age." Addressing the disciples as representing those who will then be looking for Him, He says, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Matt. 24:6-8.) Wars, famines, and pestilences, the contents of the first four seals are, therefore, the earlier judgments predicted by our Lord Himself, as among the signs of his coming in judgment at the end of the age. A further analogy will be found as we come to the next scene.