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. (Matthew 24:6)
In this discourse our Lord foresees both the end of the Jewish nation as a nation and the end of the world. The rabbis would declare the signs of vs. 6-8 to be “the token of the advent of the Messiah” and “of their release [as a nation] from bondage,” but Jesus pointed to these as “signs of their destruction [as a nation]” (DA 628, 629; cf. MB 120). And as the wars and rumors of wars of apostolic times foreshadowed the end of the Jewish nation, so the international turmoil and strife of our day presage the end of the world (see PK 536; 5T 753).
Rumours.
Gr. akoai, “reports.” The disciples were not to be surprised or alarmed when, prior to A.D. 70 wars broke out. There would be wars before the fall of Jerusalem, but these would not portend the soon return of Jesus (see DA 628, 629).