Tuesday, January 12, 2021

MATTHEW 24:1-13 #1 "Signposts of the End of the Age"

 

In Matthew 23 Jesus had been teaching in the temple. In fact, He had just   spoken His last words in the temple. He would never return there after His final warning (the “7 woes”) to the religious leaders of Israel, who would be instrumental in crucifying Him.  

It was Tuesday, a few days before Jesus was to offer Himself as the ultimate Passover lamb.  At the closing of that chapter Jesus says in 23:38, “See your house (i.e. your dynasty and your temple) is left to you desolate“.

And now we read these opening words of Matthew 24: “Jesus left the temple and was walking away…” (24:1) and as He was doing so, the disciples drew His attention to the magnificent temple building.  In response He repeated   what He had said in 23:38: “Truly I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another  that will not be thrown down” (24:2).

When Jesus walked out of the temple on that day, the glory of God in Christ, had literally departed from it.  There is a remarkable and similar description of the glory of the Lord departing from the temple under Ezekiel’s ministry. “The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it(Ezek.  11:23). That mountain, east of the temple, was the Mount of Olives, where Jesus now sat. Utterly remarkable and not coincidental at all!

That desolation began to manifest, three days after He had said this, and after Jesus had died on the cross. Here was the first visible sign of the abandonment of that temple. The great curtain, separating the holy of holies from the rest of the temple was   torn apart. By Christ’s ultimate sacrifice God showed that the old temple order, focussed on animal sacrifices and the work of the priests was done. The true High priest had come. He was both, the offeror and the offering.  The temple had become spiritually obsolete through the cross.

But more would happen.37 years later, in   AD 70, in the reign of the Roman emperor Vespasian, and at the hand of his general Titus, he  destroyed   Jerusalem and the temple. 

At that time a million Jews were killed.  Never again has there been a temple built since then. All that Jerusalem has left of the temple is what is now called the “Wailing wall”.   God really did make an end of this rebellious city.   

God had spoken many times to Jerusalem through His servants the prophets, calling the Jews to abandon their false worship.  In  Isaiah 65:2,3  God had spoken through His servant Isaiah, “All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations—  a people who continually provoke me to my very face….  The last words  in 23:37, before  Jesus left the temple  testify to this fact, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” 

So, when Jesus pronounces the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, He is not having a temper tantrum. He is the Saviour, whose  long suffering patience with Jerusalem  has now come to an end, and it  would be a terrible end for  the temple  and Jerusalem in AD 70. But remember  that  this judgement in AD 70  is  only  a signpost of the  far greater end to which  Jesus’  Sermon on the Mount of Olives  points in Chapter  25:31-46, where Jesus speaks of that  final Judgement, when  God will make that great distinction among  mankind, and when He  will   destroy all His enemies in  the eternal fire[1] .

 JESUS  ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

V. 3 Having left the temple, we now find Jesus we now find Jesus sitting on the Mount of Olives.  The Mount of Olives would have provided a spectacular view over the Kidron valley towards Jerusalem and the temple. The words of Jesus are still ringing in the disciples ears. In the distance they see the magnificent temple with its magnificent columns and terraced   courts. It is hard for them to accept that all this earthly glory is going to perish! But, remember, the real glory of the temple had already departed! Please note however that, whilst Jesus had left the temple, He did not leave His disciples, nor His people!  His disciples were going to become the seed of the church.   

And now they are asking Him these  2 questions: 

(i)           When will these things be?

(ii)          What will be  the sign of your coming and the end of the  ages?

Jesus reply  in  24: 4-13

(i)             Jesus does not answer the question of ‘when’ directly. He will give them an answer only in v.36, after He has laid the crucial foundations for His teaching on the end times, and even then He does not give them a direct answer to their question. He will tell them in 24:36-51 that it is not for them to know the time or hour of His return. We will cover that ground more thoroughly when we get there.

In the meantime we can say this:  Live in the constant expectation of His sudden appearing. The parables that follow in Matthew 25 will all illustrate that His return will be sudden and unannounced. Therefore, in the light of such facts the question we should be asking is this, “How can I remain faithful?“  The answer is, “Keep looking to Jesus. Expect Him  to come soon”. Do you see the wisdom in this?  No one would be helped by knowing the exact time of His return. If the Lord Jesus  had said, “I will be back in 2500 years”, the disciples and those that followed  (and we)  might  become  discouraged, slack and careless. 

(ii)               He answers the second question (what will be the sign?)   in  24:4-35.   Again, He does not give a direct answer. He starts with a warning to watch out against deceit.

There are  four aspects    to this  question. Today we will only be able to  deal with the first aspect:

a. The beginning of birth pains   4: 1-13

b. The gospel preached to all nations 4:14

c. The great tribulation 4:15-28

d. The second coming 4: 29-35

A.           The beginning of birth pains

Key phrases:  “See that no one  leads you astray”  - “do not be alarmed.”

Jesus gives a whole  range  of ‘signs’, but His main concern in v.4 is  that we must avoid being deceived into  thinking that   the  appearance of new Christs  or  new Messiahs would be THE SIGN of His  coming. He also warned His disciples  that  rumours of  wars, famines  and  earthquakes, persecutions,  apostasy from the faith,  the presence of many false prophets   would not be THE   definitive signs of His coming. Jesus   warned them explicitly. He says, “do not be alarmed”,when these things happen (v.6). He says that all these things are only the beginning of birth- pains. These mark the beginning of the end times, and not the end  itself.

Why must we take careful note of this?  Because many people are  tempted to be more preoccupied with the signs, than about the life of faith which they are called  to live NOW.  People  hang  with admiration on the lips  of the preacher  who speaks authoritatively  about the   signs of the times, showing his audience  that this terrible battle or that missile falling on Jewish soil, or that  earthquake,  or this famine,  or the relentless  persecution of Christians  is the infallible sign of Christ’s  imminent return. Jesus says, “That is a wrong focus.  Don’t be deceived ! Don’t be alarmed.”

All this does not mean that these events  mentioned here  in vv.  4-12  have  no significance. They do! But they are not THE sign. They are only signposts along the way. We must not overreact. These are only the beginning of birth pains.  The baby is on its way, but it is not yet born.   A  pregnancy is a signpost. The birth is THE sign. When I travel and see a sign post saying,  1 kilometre to rest stop”, this means that the  reality lies 1 kilometer ahead.  In the same way  these signposts  are an indication that the world is  heading towards an end, but they are not THE sign.  Don’t get lost in the sign posts. Focus  on living godly lives whilst waiting for His unexpected coming.

As you pursue Jesus’ teaching  you will  note   that there are  greater  signposts yet to follow, such as the  great tribulation  of  vv. 15-28. Of this  great tribulation  which precedes  the coming of Christ, AD 70 was another signpost. The church  since AD 70 has  experienced many  great tribulations.  

But there is more to follow.  After that (following Christ’s teaching here)  there is the sign  of the skies  (v. 29) when “the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light ; when the stars  will fall from heaven and  the powers of the heavens will be shaken.“

 Following that  there will be THE SIGN: “At that time  “the SIGN” of the Son of man will appear in the sky.  Jesus is  THE SIGN ! v.30 

John,  in the Revelation says concerning that day,  “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.“ (Revelation 1:7).The second coming  is a visible  SIGN when Christ shall be seen by all - even those who have died.  It will be a momentous event!

But remember  (and we shall  see this later  when we get to v.36)  that  His appearing will be sudden. If this is so,  we must ask, "how then shall we live  in the light of this knowledge?"

1. We must take note of the signposts  but we must not  be unduly alarmed by the signposts. An unnecessary  pre-occupation with end time speculation   easily leads  to a coldness  in our love for Christ Himself. Don’t be preoccupied  by signposts. Take note of them. Let them   remind you concerning  that  which is ahead.  But don’t grow overawed and panicky  by  wars and earthquakes  and rumours of Christ’s appearing. Make sure that you persevere by  looking to Christ. Be always waiting  for  THE SIGN – Jesus  who will gather His elect  from the four winds  , from one end to the heavens  to the other (v.31.). 

2.  Our duty is to endure  or persevere. Therefore He advises us  “ the one  who endures to the end  will be saved.”  What is it that you need to do now? You need perseverance!  Perseverance in what?  Perseverance in godliness in  this life, while  you live NOW.  A reading of  2 Peter  1: 3-15 provides  us with essential focus on living now. You will do well to read this portion of Scripture  now. 

3. Give up on end time speculation. Focus on your life in Christ  now.  Have your lamps filled with oil and your wicks trimmed now  (cf. 25:1-13). Don’t think that you are spiritual when you read all the latest books on prophecy   while your life remains a sinful mess. Your duty is to look  to Christ and persevere in His strength NOW. Stay faithful to Jesus NOW.

That is why v. 13 is important : “He  who stands firm  to the end will be saved.” 

 



[1] Rev 19:20 ; 20:10,14,15;  21: 8

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