Matthew 24:15 – 28 Signposts Of The End Of The Age # 3 - “The Great Tribulation“

 

Last time we saw that one of the great signs before the coming of the Lord would be the world wide preaching of the gospel (Matt: 24:14).  We are certainly living in these days, when the gospel is being proclaimed around the whole world.  

Not all of it is sound proclamation.   Keep in mind the fact   that the enemy sows weeds   into the field of God (Matt. 13:24-30). But these things must be, says Jesus: ‘Watch out for false Christ’s (24: 5,23,24). Watch out for false prophets” (24:11). Don’t be deceived! (24:4) don’t be alarmed!  (24:6). Despite these setbacks we must continue to sow the seed of God’s Word into the world, remembering  that the final harvest is in God’s hands (Matt. 13:30; 36- 43).  

Following this we now turn to the next significant  signpost of His coming.

 OUTLINE OF   Matthew 24:15- 28  -  THE GREAT TRIBULATION [1]

(i)                 A  prophetic word: When the holy place is desecrated  (v.15)

(ii)               A word of  advice:  What to do  in such a situation  (v.16)

(iii)             A word of perspective:  A time of unequalled  tribulation  (v. 21)

(iv)              A word of comfort  – those days will be cut short for the sake of the elect  (v.22)

(v)                A second  word of warning:  Don’t be deceived!  (vv. 23-26)

(vi)              A word of clarity: Christ’s coming will be clear, it will be visible (vv. 27-28)

 

1. A   Prophetic Word (24:15)

“When you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel…”. Jesus refers to Daniel 9:27. These were prophetic words spoken some 500 years earlier by the angel Gabriel to Daniel. He was speaking about pagan armies invading Jerusalem. Each of them tried to desecrate temple worship, setting up this abomination that causes desolation. There were   multiple fulfillments of this in Jewish history, for example:

(i)                 In 168 BC Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed pigs on the altar of burnt offering in the temple to the pagan god Zeus.   

(ii)                In AD 40   the Roman emperor Caligula tried to erect a great statue of himself in the temple. It did not succeed.

(iii)             In AD 70, the Jewish  historian  Josephus tells us, "The Romans, upon the burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings round about it, brought their ensigns to the temple, and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them".[2]  The temple and the city itself were utterly ruined a few days later and Jesus’ words in Matt 23:48 came true, “… your house is left to you desolate” by “the abomination that causes desolation“. It was deserted! [3]. There can be no doubt that this is the primary fulfilment of Jesus’ words and Daniel’s prophecy. The temple was utterly destroyed, and has never been rebuilt since that time. In fact, Israel seized to exist as a nation from then on until it was reconstituted as a state only in 1948.  It was indeed a great tribulation.

But don’t get stuck on the AD 70 event. Jesus is saying much more here than that.   He points us to a pattern of tribulations in history.  He says, “In this world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). HOWEVER, all these tribulations will be superseded by a final great tribulation  before the coming  of Christ.  This is what our text points towards, and this is what the apostle Paul was writing to the Thessalonians in AD 51/ 52:

 "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thess. 2:1-4). 

He is talking about a time just before the coming of Christ, and it is connected with the man of lawlessness, the antichrist. The apostle John also speaks of him: “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come” (1 Jn. 2:18). In one sense this spirit of the antichrist has always been around, but in another sense   there will be a manifestation of the antichrist in person before the day of Christ’s appearing.  Keep in mind that “anti“ in the original Greek  does not mean ‘against’, but  ‘… in the place of “.  The antichrist ceaselessly works to substitute himself in the place of Christ and today he does that mostly in the Christian temple - the church[4], and all the more as the time for the appearing of Jesus Christ draws near. 

The Pre- Reformation Catholic church had replaced the authority of Christ with popes and traditions. The 16^th century Reformation called in the church back to Christ and His Word ALONE.  The main struggle of the 21^st century church is the same. Many churches in our day are personality driven, purpose driven, program driven, entertainment driven and success driven. Jesus is talked about but He is not necessarily the life and love of the church. He is not necessary the focus of her worship.  This was the problem with the church at Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7). She lost her light because she had lost her first love for the Lord Jesus Christ and His word. 

Many struggle to read and meditate on the Word of Christ privately.  Many make little effort to hear the Word preached and explained publicly. In fact, relatively few preachers will open the Word up to their people faithfully. For this reason many do not understand the life of faith adequately.  As a result  Christ  is loved insufficiently and His  word  is not taken  to a lost world diligently.  Whilst there are still many churches filled to capacity, the Lord says, “you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.”  (Sardis – Rev. 3:1).  Jesus says so in v. 12 “… because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold …”. 

This is the prophetic word concerning the church. She is desecrated again and again- until the end by the abomination that causes desolation. There is an important   and powerful picture in Revelation 11:1-14. This describes the condition of the world shortly before Christ’s return! Here we find a picture of desolation. The Holy city (the church) is trampled for a symbolic period of 42 months.

2. A Word Of Advice:  What To Do In Such A Situation  (24:16 - 20)

(i) At that time flee (24:16). When the city was besieged in AD 70  the Jews rushed into Jerusalem. But what happened to the Christians? The fourth-century church fathers Eusebius and Epiphanius of Salamis[5] tell us that before this catastrophic event the Christians had been miraculously warned to flee to Pella in the region of the Decapolis across the Jordan River.

When Mt St Helen’s in the USA erupted in 1980   with a force 500 times that of the atom bomb on Hiroshima, scientists had been monitoring it very carefully for some time.  They advised that everybody in that vicinity should evacuate  and flee for their lives.    One man, Harry Truman refused to move. He said, "Nobody knows more about this mountain than Harry, and it won't dare blow up on him." On 18th May 1980 at 8:31 am the mountain exploded, destroying Harry and everything for 240 square kilometers around Mt. Helens.  Don't be like Harry and think you know better than the scientists who carefully monitored the ever increasing rumblings with their seismological tools.  But more important, don’t think that you know better than Jesus.  This is a reminder that there is no physically safe place to flee to in the great tribulation. But make sure that you have fled to Jesus. He can ultimately  be your only hiding place from the wrath of God.

(ii) At that time don’t hold on to material goods (24:17-18):  The Lord Jesus encourages us here to think practically.  Don’t hang on to   your things. Lot’s wife tried to do that, when at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, she cast one longing eye back – and was destroyed. Make no mistake. This great tribulation will be hard. But know that hanging on to stuff, and pension funds won’t help you then. Flee to a safe place if you can. When Herod was trying to kill Jesus, God told Joseph to flee to Egypt.  The English Reformers fled from the Queen called “Bloody Mary” to the Netherlands. John Knox of Scotland fled to Geneva. So flee if you can by all means.   

(iii) At that time pray for mercy (24:19 - 20):  Fleeing when you are highly pregnant or when you have small children is dreadful. Fleeing when weather circumstances are extreme is dreadful.  What then must you do? Pray!  Speak to your heavenly Father who cares for you more than birds and plants (Matt 6:25-34).  The apostle Peter reminds us that “the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials” (2 Peter 2:9).  The testimony  of many of God’s people in such situations  has been  the refrain found in Psalm  107, “… then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved  them from their distress.” 

 3. A Word Of Perspective:  A Time Of Unequalled  Tribulation  (24: 21)

We have made this point before, and  therefore we will be brief on this point. The church since the ascension of the Lord Jesus has experienced tribulation, and she will continue to experience that, but what Jesus is saying  here is that before His coming there will be a great, superlative tribulation – there will be great tribulation, such as not has been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.”

 4. A Word Of Comfort: Those Days Will Be Cut Short For The Sake Of The Elect (24:22).

This time   of tribulation will thankfully be very brief (Rev. 11:9), but for what reason will this time be cut short? “For the sake of the elect …”  (24:22, 24, 31). Bishop John Charles Ryle comments:  “Those, whom God has chosen to be saved through His Son… are those whom God specially loves in this world. They are His jewels.  He cares more for them than for kings on their thrones… He hears their prayers. He orders all the events of nations… for their good, and their sanctification. He keeps them by His Spirit. He allows neither man nor devil to pluck them out of His hand. Whatever tribulation comes on the world, God's elect are safe. Here is the love of God in its supremacy. Those whom He loves, He loves with an everlasting love! [6]

5. A Second Word Of Warning:  Don’t Be Deceived!  (24: 23-26)

Again Jesus warns us  that as the days assigned for this earth come to an end, there will be no shortage of false Christ’s and false prophets.  They will like Egypt’s magicians   performing great signs and miracles by Satan’s power. Make sure that you are not deceived. Remember Jesus’ words  to an unbelieving generation:  “No  sign  will be given   except that of the  sign of the prophet Jonah“  (Matt 12:38-40; 16:1-4). The cross is the sign for our times. And if you have understood and embraced Christ’s death on a cross for you, you need no other signs. There is only one more sign that you will have to watch out for, and I draw your attention to the next  and final words…

 6. A Word Of Clarity: Christ’s Coming Will Be Obvious! (24:27-28).

You won’t have to speculate about Christ’s coming!  “For as the lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.“  What Jesus is saying is this: Just as the lightning lights up the whole sky from one end to the other (and its obvious), so will be His coming. We won’t have to speculate whether he has appeared somewhere in North Africa, Siberia or in New Zealand. We will know!  Where there is a corpse the vulture will gather.  The sign of vultures circling in the sky is the sign of something dead below. It is clear. It is unmistakable.

CONCLUSION:

Why is this important?  It is important, because it affects us all.  We all have to know what to do with false Christ’s and false prophets, and what to do with alarming signs. Don’t allow these to mess with your head. If you don’t know how to handle this by keeping a firm focus on Jesus and His Word, you will be a person not prepared (25:1-13). Look only for actual coming of the Lord Jesus, and trust Him for your life until then. Stand firm to the end, looking to Jesus who will bring you safe home.  Amen

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[1] Taken  from v. 21. W. Hendriksen  (Matthew , p 857)  uses this   phrase

[2] Antiquities of the Jews, by Flavius Josephus, Book 10, Chapter 11.

[3]  Gk “ Eremos “ -  the word  also used for  a  desert  i.e. a barren, hence desolate  place

[4] 1 Peter 2:4,5 not a building made of stones, but  of  people professing Christ

[5] Flight to Pella – Wikipedia

[6] J.C. Ryle : Matthew , p.

Matthew 24:14 "Signposts of the End of the Age #2" - "The gospel will be preached in the whole world“

 

I invite you to stand with me once again on the mountain peak of Scripture as we survey the prophetic landscape provided for us in the words of our Lord Jesus Himself. In Matthew 24:1-13 Jesus informs us that the signposts of the end of the age must be seen for what they are. They are signposts.  They are advance warnings, just like a traffic sign that says, “Stop ahead - 1 km“. It points us to and prepares us for the stop. It is not the actual stop.  

In this regard Jesus urges His disciples not to be deceived by any announcements that claim to be His second coming (24:4). Any such claims about His appearing anywhere in the earth, and any setting of dates of His return must be firmly rejected.  There have been many such in our history[1].  

Of this you may be sure. When Jesus comes, everyone will know it!  It will be a visible return with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30). Every eye will see Him, even those who pierced him! (Rev. 1:7). It will be the most stunning, shocking and unexpected event in the entire history of this world.  All who have not made peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ - will mourn (24:30). But God’s people, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and here called the elect will be gathered from the “four winds- the corners of the world” (24:31).  Isaiah prophesies: “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return… everlasting joy  shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing  shall flee away.”  (Isaiah 51:11)

And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed.  These things must be. They are part and consequence of living in a fallen world, in which men constantly betray one another and hate each other.   One author has counted three hundred wars in the last 300 years of Europe’s history[2]  alone!  Africa’s wars have been countless.[3]

Similarly, earthquakes and natural disasters have been with us in this entire end time period. Volcano Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD destroying Pompeii.  

On November  1^st, 1755   60 000 people   died in Lisbon, Portugal  when a gigantic earthquake,  with its epicenter   200  kilometers  off the coast  of Portugal, caused structural damage to buildings, followed by a  devastating Tsunami.  

Over 100 000 people perished in an earthquake in China in 2008!  

2020 has been the year of a word wide pestilence called Covid.  The World-o-meter[4] monitoring Covid related deaths, tells us that there are now over 94 million reported worldwide Covid cases, with as of yesterday,  over  2 million deaths.

 Now with respect to these events Jesus says emphatically, “see to it that you are not alarmed… such things must happen…, but the end is still to come… these are the beginning of birth-pains.”  These signs speak of the end, but they are not the end.  They are signposts, they are the beginning.  

Why does He say that? 

The danger is for us to become obsessed   with the signposts, when we need  to  keep our eyes focused on the great Sign – the Lord  Jesus Christ (Matt. 12:38-42; 24:30). Obsession with signposts lower our spiritual temperatures and make us careless in maintaining our love for and the expectation of our coming King. Mere religion and love of pomp and ceremony has the same effect. It dulls the spirit. The parables in Chapter 25 will teach us this.  Spiritual carelessness increases. Our love will grow cold.  Jesus’ warning in 24:12 is much more serious and profound than we would imagine. He says, “because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold .” 

Let me put it to you like this: When does the love of a marriage grow cold?  It is when partners focus on the things that are not central to their marriage. This includes focusing excessively on children, work, friends, sport etc. When does one’s love for Christ grow cold?  When one focuses on secondary, religious issues, and not Christ Himself. Many people look for signs, wonders, miracles, worship experiences.  When you do that   you can easily lose your focus on Jesus and His work (the Sign of Jonah).

So also Jesus calls His disciples to persevere in the light of inevitable persecutions and hardships and distractions. His disciples must endure to the end (24:13). We endure by constantly looking to the Lord Jesus.  “Many will fall away…” (24:10). To fall away means to fall away from Christ.

Against this background Jesus now makes His next important declaration in verse 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.” 

 World  Evangelism/ Missions As A Substantial Signpost  Of Christ’s Coming.

The concluding events of the world’s history are going to be preceded by the preaching of the gospel to all the nations of the world. This is an important signpost. This is what we must consider now.

We need to begin with  the Big Picture.  From God’s perspective, the world in its present state will ultimately be destroyed and recreated.[5] But what is God waiting for? God is waiting for the day in which all His elect people (past, present and future generations from our perspective) have been born and born again. When the last of God’s elect people, the living stones, that  make up  God’s  spiritual temple (1 Peter 2:4,5) is  brought in, the end  will come. The spiritual temple, consisting of true worshippers from all times,  will be complete.  Christ will return.

Presently, He governs  and maintains this world for the sake of His elect people, chosen from every nation throughout the entire span of human history. The word ‘elect’ (Gr.  eklektous -  literally those who are called out, from which we also derive the word ekklesia – church)  is used three times in Chapter 24.[6]

 But where does this all begin? How does it progress? And where does it end?

1. It all begins  with the Abrahamic covenant (Gen.12:1-3; 17: 1-27). God calls out Abraham and promises him that he will become the father of many nations.  Rom. 4:11  showsthat Abraham will be the father of all that believe among the nations. The children of Abraham are men and women of true faith.

2. Israel is called out  to become  God's people. Israel enjoys a special status before God as a people called for His own glory. But note that Israel is chosen to bless the peoples of the earth through making her God known to the nations (Gen.28:14). Israel was God’s chosen evangelistic tool to make His glory known among the nations.

3.  A Messiah is called to make this possible.  The promise of a Messiah given to  Israel (and specifically the house of David) runs through the entire OT. He will be the Redeemer of believing Jews and also gentiles.  

4.  Christ’s death on the cross is effective for all His elect Sheep (Jn. 10).  In this  respect you will note that Jesus came firstly to seek the lost sheep of Israel (Jn. 10:15). But then He says in Jn. 10:16, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen (i.e. not from the Jews, but from the gentiles). I must bring them also “.  

5.  THE GOSPEL SPREADS TO THE NATIONS:  Pentecost (Acts 2) – the outpouring of the Spirit upon all God’s chosen peoples as predicted by Joel 2:28-32.   As  Jewish  men and women  gather in Jerusalem  at the feast of Pentecost  from  many countries in which they were dispersed  (Acts 2:9 -11),  many of them are converted (3000 in one day – Acts 2:41). They take  the gospel back to the countries (the nations)  where they live.

6. The spread of the gospel after Pentecost is in accordance with Jesus word in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8:  Jerusalem – Judea- Samaria – to the ends of the earth. The apostle to the gentiles, Paul accomplishes a major work in this regard (Acts 13-28)

7. The spread of the apostolic gospel from AD 100 to the furthest corners of the world in our day! 

Ø  From  AD 100 – 313 [7] (the death of  the apostle John to  the emperor Constantine) the gospel continues to penetrate  the  world, mainly around the Mediterranean basin, and North Africa), despite severe persecutions (24:9). This is remarkable especially in the light of the fact that no less than 174 000 martyrs were buried in the catacombs of St. Sebastian in Rome.

Ø  From AD  313- 800 (Constantine to Charlemagne) the gospel continued to spread into Europe  by  missionaries such as Ulfilas (missionary to the Goths-  translated the Bible into Gothic in ca. 350 AD); Patrick (b. 400 AD in  Britain, the missionary  to the Irish); Columba (b. 543 AD) from Ireland  planted churches in Scotland; Augustine  of Canterbury (b. +/- 530 AD)  from Rome  –  founder of the  church in England); Willibrord (b. 658 AD) in Britain, missionary to the Frisians and Franks); Boniface (b. 672 AD  in Britain,  missionary  to the Germans)

Ø  From AD 800 - 1517 (Charlemagne to Luther). In this time Norway, Iceland and Greenland are evangelized. The eastern Slavs turn to Christ. The Crusades originally intended to curb the spread of Islam prove to be both, a hindrance and a help to the gospel.  Sadly many countries in the East and in North Africa are lost to the gospel   at this time under the advance of Islam.

Ø  From AD 1517 – 1792 (Reformation - French Revolution)  the heart of the gospel is rediscovered by Luther, Calvin, Zwingli etc. igniting Europe and sending   many Protestant missionaries into the world.  (e.g  the Moravians) 

Ø  From AD 1792 to the present -  The golden age of  Protestant missions. Many unreached people groups are   reached with the gospel e.g.  William Carey (1761 -1834) – India; Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) – Burma;  Robert Moffat (1795-1883) – South Africa; Johan Heinrich Schmelen (1777), Namibia. 

    

Adoniram Judson

William Carey

Robert Moffat

Johan Heinrich Schmelen  

The work is not yet done. Every people group has not yet been reached.  The 10/40 window remains a  major challenge, as Islam  holds many people groups captive. Now, it is clear that all this  gospel work would not be done in a matter of a few weeks, months or even years. This work would range over many centuries and even millenia. But surely we may  say this:  If this  goal  of global witness  is   a signpost  for the second  coming,  then  we may conclude  that  the days  in which we are now living are significant.  That finds  us not far from the other signs that must follow.  We will consider that next time.

8. Revelation 7: The assembled multitudes in heaven from every nation:  The result of  the preaching  of the gospel  is that  we find this great picture  of the assembled multitudes gathered  before the throne and in front of the Lamb  in heaven  - the fulfillment of the Abrahamic  promise: Rev 7 :9-10.  This is the final picture in our biblical photo album. This is what we look forward to!

 Conclusion

As we  try to understand  what  Jesus says here and as we try to understand the prophetic time table of the world,  it would be  reasonable to say  that  we live  in the time of  Matthew  24:4- 14.  More specifically we can say that we are not very far from the fulfillment of v.14. The conclusion of world missions will usher in the end of the age. … “And then the end will come“. 

It is wonderful to note that there is a great note of divine authority and certainty in these words spoken by Jesus: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world. “  

But the cost  will be  real. Jesus says in Matthew 24:9: "You will be hated by all the nations because of my name."  We have seen this in church history. We  see some of that today, and it seems  to increase.

Take note of the prophetic time table, and take heart. 

These things must be. Do not be alarmed. Keep your focus on Jesus.  Persevere in Him. And all shall be well! Very well! Heaven is waiting. 

Amen.

 

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_messiah_claimants

[2] William Hendriksen : Matthew , p.  852 . This commentary was written in  1973.  Since then  a further number of  wars  have been fought in Europe  e.g. Yugoslavia

[3] See:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conflicts_in_Africa

[4] https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ As of today (16/01/2021 ) 280  people  have died of Covid in Namibia. 30 are in a critical  state.

[5]  E.g. 2 Peter  3:8-13 ; Revelation 21

[6] Matthew 24:22,24,31)

[7]  For this research: see William Hendriksen,  Gospel of Matthew  p.  858 ;   AH Newman: A Manual of Church History , p.

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.” 

 

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[1] Rev 19:20 ; 20:10,14,15;  21: 8