And the brother shall betray his brother unto death, and the father his son; and children shall rise up against their parents and shall work their death.
παραδωσει δε αδελφος αδελφον εις θανατον και πατηρ τεκνον και επαναστησονται τεκνα επι γονεις και θανατωσουσιν αυτους
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
He also predicts the most troubling outcome, specifically that they will face persecution even from within their own families. He shares this information so that they can be equipped for challenges ahead, having been forewarned, and thus be able to endure such trials with greater ease.
Rather than idly anticipating the close of this age, it is essential that you direct your focus inward and towards your own endeavors. You face significant peril (Luke 21:12), as you will encounter numerous trials even before widespread tribulations arise. Despite your righteousness, you will be the target of intense animosity from all nations, and both Jews and Gentiles will unleash their malice upon you. You will suffer persecution, imprisonment, disgrace, torture, and will even face death. In a wild surge of bias, those closest to you—your family, siblings, and friends—may turn into your accusers, traitors, and even murderers. Several among you will sacrifice your lives for my sake. Yet, take heart!
Amid all these disasters, your heavenly Father’s loving guidance will be with you; not a single hair from your head shall fall without His divine will. During this period, you will find numerous opportunities to defend your faith in both local synagogues and foreign courts, testifying about my name before powerful leaders. On such occasions, remember not to be anxious about what you will say or how you will express it, as it is the Holy Spirit who will speak through you. I will provide you with wisdom and eloquence that your adversaries will be unable to counter. More alarming than any persecution will be the weakening of love and morality among your own community; divisions and strife may emerge, with traitors arising even among your fellow believers. False prophets and instructors will come forth from your midst. Trust will wane, and both friendship and love will grow cold, posing a threat to your very faith. While difficult times are ahead, those chosen by Me must persevere with patience to save their souls. He that endureth to the end shall be saved (Luke 21:19; Matthew 24:13).
The needs of the disciples and their current situation did not necessitate a complete unveiling of the entire plan relating to the revelation of His kingdom. Consequently, the Lord disclosed the future only to the extent required to correct their misconceptions and to caution them against the challenges that lie ahead, thereby providing guidance for other believers as well. "He shall return to His Father, and in His absence, others will act in His name. Do not be deceived; this is not how He will manifest Himself on earth now. There will be conflict, and this is not yet the final hour. Battles will erupt everywhere; diseases will emerge, famines will spread, earthquakes will occur—these are merely the beginnings of tribulations. Exercise patience.
The experiences of the Lord's disciples, regardless of who they are, will be particularly severe, facing persecution, animosity, infidelity, and temptation—all will threaten them. Even among themselves, truth and love will become increasingly rare. Such circumstances will signal the approach of the end, which will arrive when the Gospel is proclaimed to all creation."
The severity of the tribulation will be particularly evident in how even those closest to believers in Christ will turn against them, leading to a widespread animosity towards Christians. In addition to this scenario, Matthew includes the prophecy that many will be led astray, meaning they will abandon their faith, and that numerous false prophets will emerge within the body of believers, deceiving many. Due to an increase in wickedness, the love of many will grow cold. Yet, the Savior foretold one hopeful sign during the end times for both Jerusalem and the world: the proclamation of the Gospel to every corner of creation. For anyone acquainted with the history of the Church, the extent to which these events were realized during the apostolic era is evident.
In the face of persecution directed at you and my followers, who will be drawn to your message, many will repudiate me out of fear of pain and death. Some will foster animosity towards each other on account of me and will betray one another. Within a single household, there will be both disciples and non-believers; sibling will turn against sibling, parent against child, and children will rise against their parents, leading to fatal betrayals. Moreover, false prophets will emerge, misleading many; divisions, hatred, and wickedness among men will escalate to the point where their hearts will be devoid of love. When the Christian faith was deemed a threat and believers targeted for annihilation, a profound enmity arose even within religiously diverse families.
Authorities pressured Christians to be identified and surrendered for execution, resulting in siblings betraying one another, parents turning in their children, and children denouncing their parents. Hatred and deceit flourished, love was cast aside, and the term Christian became loathed by the Gentiles. Thus, the words of Jesus Christ were realized, who foretold: ‘Then many will be tempted, and will betray one another, and will hate one another’ (Matthew 24:10); ‘brother will betray brother to death, and father will betray children; and children will rise up against parents and kill them’ (Mark 13:12); ‘and because of the multiplication of iniquity, love will grow cold in many’ (Matthew 24:12); and ‘you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake’ (Mark 13:13). Yet, you are called to endure all that is imposed upon you without complaint; through patience you shall find deliverance from all trials. Remember, only he who steadfastly bears his cross until the end and fully accepts the cup of suffering bestowed upon him by God will achieve salvation. Amidst these adversities, the Apostles and many Christians remained resolute: honoring Christ's covenant by enduring to the end, they faced torture and death with courage. They proclaimed the truth without fear before the powers of this world and spread Christ’s teachings across the known world at that time, with nearly all meeting martyrdom but earning the status of worthy children of the Father in Heaven.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 17 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS