The End is Coming
(A Week Like No Other – Part 8)
#134 in Series: “The Life of Christ – in a Harmony of The Gospels”
(Summary statement: Jesus proclaims judgement upon the temple, and tells His disciples, then and now, what to expect before His return. We are to trust in His sovereignty, persevere in His grace, and long for His coming.)
We come to an all-important section of Scripture in what Jesus taught His disciples during the week leading up to the cross… Matthew chapters 24 and 25 constitute some of the most studied portions of God’s Word throughout the centuries. These are Matthew’s notes on the section known as “The Olivet Discourse”... We find parallel passages in Mark 13, and Luke 21… Again, Matthew gives us more detail, so we will look to his report for our text over these next two weeks…
There has been a lot of debate among scholars, and no small amount of ink used in interpreting what Jesus said in this text… Because this section is so full, we may feel like we’re “drinking from a firehose” in our simple perusal of the passage over the next couple of weeks – so I would like to encourage you to go to gty.org, and listen to MacArthur’s messages on our text. He goes into far greater detail, that I believe you will find … robust and helpful in your deeper study of this passage… (He covers these two chapters in … 15 messages.)
Today, we will consider Matthew 24:1-31, under the title; The End is Coming… Next week, we will focus on verse :32through chapter 25 under the title; The End is Near…
Again, the section is rather long, so we will seek to … think about it together, as we read it through…
This is a doctrinal section in God’s Word… A major theme, or doctrine, that is referred to, under the theological term; eschatology… Eschatology simply means “the study of last things”… It is the study of what God has revealed in His Word about … the end. That’s also why this study is sometimes referred to as; the study of end times…
We don’t have time in this setting to overview the various … schools of thought that people have settled into, about the … when and how these events will unfold… It will challenge you and help you to gain at least a working knowledge of these different views. If you would like a simple, crash course, or overview – go to gotquestions.org and search for terms like; Dispensational, Historical Premillennial, Postmillennial, Amillennial, and even … Preterist… In fact, there is a whole library of helpful articles that will expose you to the varying schools-of-thought concerning eschatology… For those who are interested, I’m somewhere between a Dispensationalist, and a Historical Premillennialist, or as MacArthur says – “a leaky dispensationalist”
This sermon is nowhere near exhaustive in studying these matters. The last thing I want is for you to leave here… dazed and confused about these matters… We are simply going to limit ourselves, as best we can, to what Jesus says in our text, and trust the Holy Spirit to convey His Word to your mind and heart…
With that, let’s take a moment and pray, before we begin…
It’s Passion Week. Jesus has confronted the false religious leaders over their hypocrisy, corruption, and even heresy… He has condemned them for it, and now we will read what Jesus says next. He speaks …
1. A Word of Judgement
In the first two verses of this chapter, we see Jesus prophesy of the coming destruction of the very temple, in which they were standing…
This section actually precedes Jesus’ answer to the question the disciples raise in verse :3. So, it is to be considered separately from Jesus’ answer to their question about last things…
Let’s read of Jesus’ pronounced judgement upon the temple –
Matthew 24:1-2
1 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”
Why does Jesus … judge this place?... The answer is, because God has abandoned the Temple!... The religious leaders has so corrupted the temple, and the entire system around the temple, that the Messiah sees it as a place that is more contemptuous, than compromised…
Oh - it’s been compromised alright… The temple was compromised away from its God-given intent! It was to be a “house of prayer”, but Jesus already exposed how the religious leaders had turned it into a “den of thieves” (Matt. 21:13).
The temple was no longer … God’s Temple! God has “written Ichabod” over the door, and has left!... (Ichabod is a Hebrew name, meaning; “The glory has departed from Israel!” You find that name in 1 Sam. 4:21...
How do we know that God had abandoned the temple when Jesus spoke these words?... It is because of what we have already read. Let’s be reminded of what He said –
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
Look again at verse: 38 “Behold, your house (not God’s house … it is no longer God’s house!), your house - this temple - is … desolate / empty!... Empty, because God has … abandoned it!
Upon this statement, we read what comes next in our text… It is –
2. A Word of Inquiry
This begins with what we could call “The question for the ages.”
Matthew 24:3
As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
Jesus and His disciples have left the temple, gone down through the Kidron Valley, and back up the other side to the Mount of Olives… Jesus took His seat (Mark 13:3), as teachers did… and His disciples came with … a three-part question: The first is – when… When will these things happen? The second and third are both what –... What will be the sign of your coming – and what will be the sign of the end of the age?
It is interesting that the disciples didn’t make an inquiry about the destruction of the temple, they focus on the timing and signs of His coming… The disciples’ question has occupied the minds of many … through the ages…
They raise the question… the answer is coming…
Let’s move on to hear the response of our Lord… He begins with –
3. A Word of Enlightenment
We are being enlightened by the Lord about details… Details to pay attention to – details that precede Jesus’ return… (Enlightenment is a positive word – something that is beneficial to us — we are learning what we need to know… But, what follows, will be a series of statements that are certainly … not positive… So, let’s buckle up, and get ready for a bumpy ride.)
The first thing Jesus gives in His response, is –
Matthew 24:4-5
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.
Jesus cautions His disciples then, and us now, to be careful… It is possible to be misled!
H.A. Ironside – “Satan works by imitation. He seeks to ensnare by counterfeiting everything that is of God. Hence the necessity to be on guard constantly against his deceptions. We need to test everything by the Holy Scripture.”
The Lord issues a couple of more cautions in our text:
Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him.
So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.
Let’s stay with verse :5 and see exactly why we need to be … cautious –
In verse :4, Jesus gave us a caution about being misled… In verse :5, we seek exactly what He is warning us about… There will be many … counterfeits who will be coming after Him…
Matthew 24:5
For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.
I found it interesting that Wikipedia has one article that in just the last 400 years, there have been no less than 53 different individuals – of both men and women – who have claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus.
One thing you can count on … there will always be counterfeits…
Jesus next gives –
Matthew 24:6-8
6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
National instability will rule the day… “wars and rumor of wars”... sounds like most any “newscast” today… “famines and earthquakes” will also intensify, the closer it is to Christ’s return…
There wasn’t room in your notes without creating extra pages, but here is a quick glimpse of parallels between the events Jesus describes as “beginning of birth pangs” here in Matthew 24 and the first 6 seal judgments in Revelation 6:1-14… This would explain why some interpret Matthew 24:4-9 as occurring in the time of the last 7 year tribulation… There will be –
1. False Messiahs (Mt. 24:5, 11; Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8; Rev. 6:2).
2. Wars (Mt. 24:6-7; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9; Rev. 6:4).
3. Famines (Mt. 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:10; Rev. 6:5-6,8).
4. Pestilences (Luke 21:11; Rev. 6:8).
5. Persecution (Mt. 24:9; Mark 13:9-13; Luke 21:12-17; Rev. 6:9-11).
6. Earthquakes (Mt. 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11; Rev. 6:12).
7. Cosmic Phenomena (Mt. 24:29; Mark 13:24-25; Luke 21:11; Rev. 6:12-14).
Paul would later use similar language when the Holy Spirit has him writer the church in Thessalonica –
1 Thessalonians 5:1-4
1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
These chaotic times will indeed be like … birth pains… There will be intensifying “contractions”, followed by times of “rest”, and then here comes … chaos again…
The next thing Jesus says to the disciples is –
Matthew 24:9
“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
Christians will always be hated by the kingdom of darkness, because they hate Jesus, and Jesus lives in those He has redeemed… The more we are truly like Jesus, the more Satan, his demons, and the unbelieving world will hate Christians and all you stand for… The more bold you are about the gospel, the more opposition you will face from the world…
In the “birth pain” stage of history – there will be even more … persecution of the saints…
A profound quote I read from the “prince of preachers” from the 19th century – Spurgeon said –
C.H. Spurgeon – “Persecution would reveal the traitors within the Church as well as the enemies without.”
So, persecution will be characteric of these times… But there is more. Jesus goes on to give –
Matthew 24:10-12
10 At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
Apostasy happens when an unbeliever walks away from Christianity and the church … in a final way… In other words, a true born-again believer will not have to fear becoming an apostate. But there are many who identify as Christians – but in reality are not Christians – who will one day decide that … because of social pressure from the world, or even persecution itself, will make the choice to … just walk away…
These are not Christians who lose their salvation. These are “religious” people, the “tares among wheat” that will simply … walk away.
Apostasy has been happening in the western culture for some time now… There have been many people … enticed, if not … manipu;ated into … “making a decision for Christ” – got wet in baptismal waters – joined a church – numbered among the saints … but who know deep down that they do not love Christ, they do not love His Word, they have no prayer life, they are not gospel-centered … these people will sooner or later … walk away … in a final way.
Write this passage down –
1 John 2:18-24
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
What comes next, is actually one of the most positive statements Jesus gives… It is –
Matthew 24:13
But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
God’s people have the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. Write this passage down as well –
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
And the Holy Spirit … enables the child of God to persevere!...
What Jesus says next is … bedrock for those who call themselves postmillennialist… I’m still premillennial in my understanding of these events, but it does cause me to ponder these matters more carefully…
Jesus gives –
Matthew 24:14
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
This passage has motivated missions… The postmillennialists have believed that the “great commission” is the key to … hastening the coming of Christ… I don’t believe that man can do anything to … set the time on God’s calendar.
There are two basic interpretations of this passage that help us. The first is – Jesus is simply saying that the “gospel … shall be preached in the whole world” – and guess what? The gospel has been preached all over this world! You and I are setting in a place on the opposite side of the world from this setting! The gospel has reached us too!
The second understanding is, that in the time of the tribulation, “God will choose and seal 144,000 Jewish evangelists who will carry the kingdom message to the ends of the earth” (Wiersbe) (Rev. 7:1-9, 14).
“This verse does not teach that the Gospel of God's grace must be spread to every nation today before Jesus can return for His church. It is the Lord's return at the end of the age that is in view here…”(Wiersbe)
This last phrase; “and then the end will come” is transitional in our text. What follows is Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question about what would be the sign for the … end of the age…
In his sermon on this passage … –
Ray Stedman said – “[Jesus] describes, in Matthew 24:15-22, the sign of the close of the age....The Lord's language here is the most somber He could employ. He is speaking of a time of trouble that is coming, the like of which has never been seen before in all human history. It will be a time of superlative distress, of unprecedented peril to human life, a time of shattering, staggering suffering, such as has never been seen before. There have been many black moments in history, but never one like this (Mt. 24:21). For those who will be living in Judea (in and around Jerusalem), it will be a time to act promptly and quickly to get out of the city. It will be a time for emergency action. There will be no time left for the usual occupations of life.”
Let’s read what Jesus says about this… He gives –
Matthew 24:15-28
15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
Frankly there are volumes written about the “abomination of desolation”... Jesus is quoting Scripture here of course – He is quoting Daniel… In short, there is coming a time when such an “abomination” will take place, that the result will be God’s “desolation” of the temple…
The temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 by Rome, and some believe that that event was the fulfillment of this prophecy. However, there is yet coming an “abomination” demonstrated by the Antichrist, that will bring God’s decimating judgement like the world has not seen…
We are obviously not having an in-depth study of these events in this message… (This is just a 30,000 ft fly over.)
Jesus gives another word that is … encouraging to the Christian. It is –
Matthew 24:22-26
22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.
There is much in this context we’ve already covered, but I want us to hone in on the promise from our Lord concerning … the preservation of the saints.
It’s found in the later part of :22
Matthew 24:22b
… but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Satan’s false christ will be … powerful and effective… But for the “sake of the elect”, those days will be “cut short”...
We want to treat the balance of our text as a major point, because it is THE point in Jesus’ answer to His disciples… Let’s call it –
4. The Word about His Coming
Now, this is Jesus’ word – He is explaining some important details about His Second Coming!...
Notice a few details as we quickly peruse in this profound passage:
Jesus’ return will be sudden and visible…
Matthew 24:27
For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Sudden, strong, and bright, and even as loud as lightning…
Notice next –
Matthew 24:28-31
28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
That seems to be the most understood point in Jesus’ words… Vultures circle in the air to … descend and devour…
It’s unfortunate that translators begin a new paragraph with verse :29, and the first word is a conjunction translated “but”... That word – the Greek word – is often translated “and”. I think that would have been the better word here… so as to read –
Matthew 24:28-31
28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 29 “AND immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn…
Why will they “mourn”?... Because of the judgment they will be facing!
I am grateful that is not the final word Jesus gives… He has something else to say to us that we should find … most encouraging… His Second Coming –
Matthew 24:30b-31
… and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather togetherHis elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
There is much to think about in what Jesus reveals here about His second coming… Four now, just focus on the gathering of the elect… In fact, there is a lot that could be said about the elect, but we will briefly touch on it…
For some reason, there are a lot of … Christians who struggle with this term in the Bible, but it’s a beautiful term. It is a term that … frees you from the notion that salvation has anything to do with the work of man… The very word itself is packed with meaning!
The term “elect” is in the middle voice… Now listen carefully… The active voice in grammar speaks to an action committed BY the subject… The passive voice speaks to an action that is being committed UPON the subject… But the middle voice is something offended missed… It speaks of an action committed by the subject … FOR the subject!... In election – God does the choosing and He chooses FOR Himself those who He saves!...
The elect are all of those whom the Lord has chosen to redeem! These are all of the saints, those whom He chose, called, and converted. It is those whom He selected, saved, and sanctified!
The point of our text is that all of the elect will be gathered together upon the Lord’s second coming… You are going to meet every saint, those you know, and those you don’t! The reunion will be more joyous than we can imagine!... And we will celebrate in the Lord like never before!...
If you are concerned at all for your salvation, then perhaps the Lord is opening your eyes to see your need for the Savior. Do you understand the truth of God is just, and He will rightly judge your sin? It is either judged in you – or it is judged in Christ … in your behalf.
If you are concerned about whether you are one of the elect, then perhaps it’s time to talk about it. Stay around after the service and let’s talk, or let’s set an appointment and let’s explore God’s Word and listen to His Spirit and … get this matter settled…
Let’s pray.
Questions to Consider in Community Group:
