Matthew 24:1-14
Vs. 1-3 Signs in the Temple
Vs. 4-5 Deceptive Claims
Vs. 6-8 External Conflicts
Vs. 9-14 World Wide Witness
Intro
As we last left off, Jesus finished His final public speech before the cross, and He did so with a heart that was breaking over Israel’s failure to come to Him. Remember what He said in verses 37-39? Look at these verses for a moment, and you will understand the context of chapters 24–25. Vs. 38-39 He says, “See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!‘”
As Jesus said those words, they were in the temple, and it was Passover, which means that it was full of people. So Jesus is saying that the center of Jewish life, both religious as well as social, was going to be a deserted wilderness; that’s what the word “desolate” here means. And He tells them that it is because of their rejection of Him that this was going to happen. Then He says that they won’t see Him any more until they say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!‘”
Well, we know that He is saying that to the nation, not to the disciples, because His disciples saw Him again after the resurrection. All of Israel was looking for the visible kingdom of God, and they wanted to know when the Messiah would come and rule over the gentile kingdoms. Yet all Jesus ever spoke of was the secret kingdom of God in men’s hearts. Hey, folks, the secret kingdom is that “born-again” relationship we believers have in Christ, and it will have an end, but this too will be invisible, “the rapture.” Yet, there is a visible kingdom of Christ’s reign upon the earth, and it will have a visible initiation, the 2nd coming of Jesus.
So these words, first of the disciples, then Jesus’ words, followed by the three full questions and Jesus’ answer, speak to the nation of Israel, the 2nd coming of Jesus, and not the rapture of the church. That’s the context, but it has personal applications for us as well. As we approach the year 2000, we can see more and more signs of millennial madness, and people want to know if Jesus is coming back soon. Well, I personally think He is long overdue, yet I know He will be right on time. So the signs listed here are concerned with the 2nd coming, not the snatching away (rapture) of the church described in 1 Thess 4:17.
Well then, how close are we? Well, it reminds me of this story I heard about a C.H.P. officer who observed a car load of old ladies driving down Highway 33, going exactly 33 miles per hour. Seeing they were endangering themselves and others by going so slowly, he pulled them over. The lady calmly said, “Officer, I don’t understand. I know I was not speeding, for I was going exactly what the speed limit sign posted was: “33 miles per hour.”
Trying to keep from laughing, the officer replied, “Mam, that was not the speed limit sign you saw; it was the highway number sign.” The lady, a bit embarrassed, thanked the officer, and yet he noticed that all the other ladies were still quite shaken up. So he asked the driver if they were going to be alright. “Oh, they will be OK in a few minutes. You see, we just got off of Highway 140.” You see it all depends on what signs you’re looking at as to how close we are, and as I see it, mine reads 140.
Vs. 1-3 Signs in the Temple
Vs. 1 These guys were still thinking of Jesus’ words in verse 38. How could this ancient wonder of the world become a deserted wilderness? So as they walked through the temple towards the Eastern Gate, the disciples came near Him and began to speak of the beauty of the temple buildings.
Now Herod’s temple took 40 years to build, and it was a marvel. Old Herod, even though he was not Jewish (he was an Edomite * descendent of Esau), was a builder, and this temple far exceeded the beauty of Solomon’s temple. Its construction was out of white marble with green specks hewn out of the Kidron Valley below. These stones were 40 feet by 20 feet, weighing 100 tons, and perfectly fitted together so that not even a knife blade could pass between them. Atop the temple was pure gold. The ancient historian Josephus said to look at the temple in the sun’s light was to be blinded by its glow.
May I just take a moment for an application point here? You see Israel had gotten so caught up in the beauty of their temple that they had forgotten who it was they were to worship, and they had been worshiping the building and its splendor instead of the splendor and glory of God. So much so that when the glory of God showed up in the person of Jesus Christ, they did not see Him. How about it, folks? What are you worshiping? I mean, here we are Calvary Chapel, ready to plow up some land and build a sanctuary, but let’s not ever forget that it’s just a building; you all are the temple! And we have come into this house to worship Him, not the walls, chairs, or color of the carpet.
Vs. 2 Man, can you imagine how shocking these words were to the disciples? Now a lot of people want to know how you know the Bible is true and that Jesus is who He claimed to be. Well, it’s simple: Peter said in 2 Peter 1, speaking of the reliability of the Bible, that they were eyewitnesses of His majesty (1:16). Yet he goes on to say that the prophetic word is more sure (1:19).
You see, as Jesus said these remarkable words, which were the last words He ever spoke in the temple prior to His arrest, it was totally inconceivable to think that this would ever happen. Yet in less than 40 years it happened. Caesar gave orders to demolish the city, but Titus the Roman General told the soldiers not to harm the temple, but one of the soldiers got plastered and in a rage threw a burning torch inside the temple, setting it on fire.
The blaze got so hot that it actually melted the gold on top, which trickled down between the massive marble stones. Well, the only way the soldiers could get to the gold was by literally making sure not one stone was left upon another.
Now think a minute of the lesson this tells us. A building, no matter how beautiful it is, can be destroyed, but the splendor of the Lord, who knew of its destruction, can never be dismantled for the treasure within its walls! Folks, let’s commit to this, shall we? We at Calvary Chapel want to maintain an attitude that says that Jesus and not a building are what we worship, Amen.
Vs. 3 Now as they left the Eastern Gate, they would cross over the Kidron Valley by way of a stone bridge, which came to an end upon the Mount of Olives. To the side of this was the Garden of Gethsemane. So as Jesus sat down on the hill, which overlooked the temple, His disciples came to Him wanting to know more concerning the deserted temple that He had just spoken of. And they ask Him a question that, though they did not intend it to, was really three questions:
A.) When will these things be? That is, they wanted to know when the temple was going to be destroyed. Now Matthew does not give us the reply to this, but Luke 21:20-24 does, and there He says, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know the desolation is near.” And as I’ve just told you, that happened 40 years later.
B.) What will be the sign of Your coming? They wanted to know what would be the sign of His return, when He would execute these judgments upon them and establish His reign. And He will answer that question in verses 27–34 of this chapter.
C.) And at the end of the age? Lastly, they asked Him when He was going to fulfill Israel’s hopes. How do you get that? Well, these words are used six times in the N.T., and five of them are here in Matt. And Matthew uses them in each case to refer to a transition from a present state to the consummation of God’s plan for His people, Israel.
So in this question they were asking as to when they might expect to see Israel’s messianic expectations of Jesus fulfilled. And this expectation was that He would put all the kingdoms of the earth under His feet. “When is Israel going to be the capital of the world, and you know it’s King Jesus? That is what they were asking here!
Now it’s interesting here that Jesus answers the last part of their question first, and that is what we are going to look at in verses 4–14. I wonder if the reason why He answered the last part of their question first is because it most pertained to where the hearts of the people were. I mean, they were all caught up in religion and buildings, when all of that is temporal. Jesus tells them that there is an eternal kingdom, one in which the spiritual secret kingdom will be physically manifested. So let’s not get all caught up on the temporal physical realm when there is yet to be an eternal physical realm!
Vs. 4-5 Deceptive Claims
Vs. 4-5 Here we are told the first sign of the second coming, religious deception.
A.) Vs. 4 First is just a general warning. Now Jesus tells them to watch out because it will be a time when religion will be at an all-time high. There will come false teachers who will seek to gather people after themselves rather than after Jesus. Now we are given a clue as to what some of their deception will be in verses 23-24. Simply put, they will try to deceive Israel concerning Christ’s second coming.
B.) vs. 5 Second, the deception would come in people pretending to be Him. Did you know that prior to Jesus’ coming to the earth, there was not one recorded person ever claiming to be the Messiah? Yet after His coming, look how many we have just in the last few years! Now verse 24 tells how they will accomplish this deception, “great signs and wonders.” Simply put, they will look first to outward signs rather than the truth of the word of God. And we are told of the effect of this in the tribulation period: that the whole world will follow the antichrist because it will appear that he had a fatal wound and yet lives (Rev. 13:11–15).
Vs. 6-8 External Conflicts
Vs. 6-8 Now He tells them another sign will be external conflicts. But be careful here, for He says that these are just the beginning of the birth pains. The Bible tells us in Rev. 16:16 that there will be a great war called Armageddon where the whole world will be gathered together to make war against Jesus and His saints; that will be the war that will precede his 2nd coming. Jesus is just saying that there will be continued evidence of man’s inhumanity to man, and He notes them here for us.
A.) Vs. 6 First, “Wars and rumors of wars.” Folks, the world is not getting better; it is getting worse. In a book called the “War Atlas,” it reports that since the II World War, which was to be the war that would end all wars, there has not been one single day of peace on this planet. Yet Jesus says that it was to be so. Why is that so startling? Well, because with all our civilization on this planet, we are on the verge of annihilation. If that does not point to the sin nature of man, nothing does.
B.) Vs. 7a Second, “Nation against Nation, Kingdom against Kingdom.” In other words, the world will be a continuing place of dissension.
C.) Vs. 7b Lastly, “famines, pestilence, and earthquakes.” The world itself will be grunting. That is what Paul says in Rom. 8:22, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” So next time you feel Mono Lake give off a little shake, remember that it’s God’s little labor pain! Yet as verse 8 tells us, it’s not the time; it’s just pointing to it.
Vs. 9-14 World Wide Witness
Vs. 9-14 Here Jesus gives the last sign before the second coming, that of Israel’s witness to the world. You say it does not look like much of a witness, as it sounds like they are going to be hated, but it is.
A.) Vs. 9 The first witness is that of martyrs. Folks, there is no other nation or people that have been more hated than the Jews. Titus alone killed over 1 million. In the 6th century, 60 thousand were killed. In 1492, Spain forced 800,000 people into the sea to drown. In 1881, Russia killed 1/3 of the 5 million people living there. And of course 6 million were killed by Hitler, and that’s just to name a few of the massacres. And why are they so hated? Because they are God’s chosen people, that’s the only reason.
B.) Vs. 10 The second witness will be that of truth, which will cause division. Can you imagine 144 thousand Jewish evangelists on the earth testifying to the truth that Jesus (Iesous) is the Messiah?
C.) Vs. 11 They will be a witness in that, because of the truth, many false teachers and prophets shall come forward. Hey, you know the truth is having an impact when a bunch of phonies arrive on the scene.
D.) Vs. 12: Lawlessness will abound; truth always brings about rebellion.
E.) Vs. 13-14 Lastly, Jesus says that if they endure to the end, they will see His coming. Now the gospel will be preached to all the world, first by the 144 thousand Jewish evangelists and also by angels above who will proclaim the truth.
So there it is, folks, the 2nd coming! Yet may I remind you all that we are not looking toward these events; instead, we are looking at Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith? May I just say that prophetically, nothing needs to take place before the church is snatched up in the air to meet Jesus? So if you think you have time, you may not!
Matthew 24:15-31
“When You See This”
Vs. 15-22 Watch and Run
Vs. 23-28 Suddenly The End
Vs. 29-31 The Obvious Return
Intro
Last week I went into the context of the passage before us. It is obvious to me that Jesus was speaking to His disciples about the beginnings of sorrows (Vs. 8), which started at the destruction of the temple and have gone on until this very day. Today we have wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation, famines, pestilence, and earthquakes. All of these things are just birth pains. Now we are in the time of the gentiles, the age of the church, and God’s grace through faith in His Son Jesus, but according to 1 Cor. 15:51–55, this will have an end. (N.L.T.)
“But let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us. Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed. It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die.
When this happens—when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die—then at last the Scriptures will come true:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” Furthermore, Paul tells us in 1 Thess. 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever.”
So I believe that this age will change at the rapture or snatching away of the church, which Jesus does not address here. Instead, he is dealing with the disciple’s question concerning Israel, and the verses we are going to look at today start at the midpoint of the tribulation and go on through to the moments before the 2nd coming.
Now as we go through this section, may I again remind you that Jesus is speaking to His disciples about when Jesus was going to rule over Israel and set all her enemies at her feet? Simply put, these verses deal with the second coming, but with that said, they have an encouragement to us as well. It seems lately everywhere you go today folks are talking about the end of the world, computer crashes, and the like.
And many people are wondering what part these will play in the 2nd coming of Jesus. Well, for me this is simple; I’m not looking towards some event to happen to get me fired up for Titus 2:11-13, which says that,
“The grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God, while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.”
Folks, the grace of God has been revealed in Jesus; therefore, we need to live with a heart that says that soon He is coming for me. I was reading through some actual signs in front of churches. One said, “Free trip to heaven, details inside.” Another said, “Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!” Then there was this one, “Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church.” My favorite was this one, “This is a ch__ch. What is missing?” ———— (UR) It is my prayer that those who don’t have a relationship with Jesus will consider the signs of the 2nd coming and get saved prior to it so they can miss it all together! And those of us who do know Him will do what Titus exhorts us to do.
“Turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. Live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God, while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,”
Vs. 15-22 Watch and Run
Vs. 15 You will remember that the disciples asked Jesus a three-fold question in verse 3.
A.) When will these things be? That is, they wanted to know when the temple was going to be destroyed. Now Matthew does not give us the reply to this, but Luke 21:20-24 does, and there He says, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know the desolation is near.” And as I’ve just told you, that happened 40 years later.
.B.) What will be the sign of Your coming? They wanted to know what would be the sign of His return, when He would execute these judgments upon them and establish His reign. And He will answer that question in verses 27–34 of this chapter.
C.) And at the end of the age? Lastly, they asked Him when He was going to fulfill Israel’s hopes. And we looked at that last week.
Now the “therefore” in this verse points back to what He had been saying about “the sign of the end of the age.” So what’s the sign of the end of the age? Verse 15 is the “abomination of desolation spoken by the prophet Daniel.” Everything prior to this event Jesus said was “birth pains or the beginning of sorrows.” Turn with me to Dan. 9: 24-27 as we look at this event.
1.) Vs. 24 Notice the words “for your people and your holy city.” Who is this prophecy for? It’s speaking to the Nation of Israel. To apply this to the church or anyone else is to take it out of context. The church does not have a “holy city,” but Israel does, and it is Jerusalem!
2.) Vs. 25-26 Next, you will note this prophecy involves 70 weeks, and in Hebrew, the word week means a week of years or 7 years. So 70 – 7’s would equal 490 years. And this is broken down for us by Daniel.
A.) “Seven sets of seven.” During the first 49 years, the city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt and worship re-established. Now as Daniel wrote this, he was still in Babylon, and the walls were torn down yet they would be rebuilt. In fact, we know that the time when the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem went forth in Artaxerxes was 445 BC, and it took 49 years to rebuild the city.
B.) “Plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One comes.” After that, Daniel goes on to tell us that another 434 years would pass until “the anointed one comes.” And we know that according to 2 Chron. 36:22-23 and Ezra 1 that exactly to the day 483 years or 173,880 days passed until Jesus came riding upon that colt into Jerusalem.
C.) Vs. 26 “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.”
So here Daniel says that Jesus will “appear to have accomplished nothing” and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the temple, then there will be a great dispersion and misery to the very end. Now, as I mentioned last week, 40 years from the time Jesus said these words, the temple with the city was destroyed.
Now if you add up the 62 sets of 7’s with that of the 7 sets of 7’s, you end up with 69 sets of 7’s, which of course takes us through the destruction of Israel, but wait a minute now Daniel’s said that there would be 70 sets of 7; where are the missing 7 years?
D.) vs. . 27 “He will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. Then, as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the end that has been decreed is poured out on this defiler.”
If you have followed me up to this point, you can see that Daniel is speaking of the Great Tribulation Period, and he says that the Antichrist will make a “treaty” with Israel for 7 years, but at 31/2 years he will break it by setting up a sacrilegious object and demanding people to worship it. Now, as you can read, the temple will be built by this time; in fact, sacrifices will have been made upon the altar, which has not happened in Israel since the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Now let me give you a few more verses that will shed light on this abomination:
1.) 2 Thess. 2:3-4 Here Paul was dealing with the false teaching that Jesus had already come back, and he says,
“Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.”
2.) Rev. 13 tells us that Antichrist will cause a living statue of himself to be put into the temple, and the false prophet will cause the whole world to worship it. It is this that here in Matt 24:15 Jesus calls the “abomination of desolation.”.
Notice that Matthew says, “Whoever reads, let him understand.” So clearly, it will be important for those living in the tribulation period to understand this section.
Well, if someone is reading this for the first time during the tribulation period and then they turn on CNN just in time to see this happen, what should they do?
Vs. 16 If you’re in Judea, get out of there quickly! Now we read in Zechariah 13:8-9 that following the abomination of desolation, the Jews will flee from Judah, but “two-thirds of the people in the land will be cut off and die, and a third will be left in the land. Yet He will bring that group through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.”
How many Bible scholars believe that the mountains that they will be fleeing to are none other than the rock city of Petra in Jordan? It was founded by Jacob’s twin brother Esau in a volcanic crater 1 mile in length. To get to this crater, you have to pass through a canyon that is only 12 feet wide at places with a rock face of 200 feet. The whole city can house over a million people and can be secured by 15 soldiers.
One believer is so convinced that this is the city where the Jews will flee to that he has provided 1000 copies of the N.T. in Hebrew with this passage underlined and put them in earthen jars throughout Petra so that when they get there the Bibles will be waiting for them.
Vs. 17 Now this is very Jewish, as the housetops in Jerusalem were flat roofed, and you can walk across the city from rooftop to rooftop without going down stairs. But the point is that this will all happen very quickly, so they had better not waste time.
Vs. 18 So if the worker in the field has left his coat at the end of a row, just leave the thing and get out. It is hard for us to imagine the swiftness of the massacre, but Jesus is warning them to get out quickly.
Vs. 19 Jesus clearly loves that generation and is expressing His heart towards their destruction.
Vs. 20 Again, you will notice how Jewish this all is. We don’t worship on Saturday, but Israel does. And if you go to Israel, then you will find out that on the Sabbath everything stops; transportation comes to a halt.
Vs.21-22 With that Jesus tells us why they will need to get out of Judea. A great tribulation greater than any the world has ever seen will start, and by the time it ends, 2/3 of the world’s population will be gone.
Now there are some who try and say that the tribulation has already taken place and right now we are in the 1000 year reign of Jesus will if that is the case someone forgot to tell the devil. Folks, make no mistake about it; this time will be obvious to all.
By the way, the word “elect” refers to Israel, not the church in the context!
Vs. 23-28 Suddenly The End
Vs. 23-26 Jesus tells them that it will be a time of great deception. Look carefully at what He is saying here: Jesus is saying that His second coming will not be a secret one. In fact, if someone is saying that Jesus comes back the second time secretly, it marks them as a false prophet, no matter how many signs and wonders they do. In 1917, Jehovah Witnesses said that Jesus came back into a secret chamber where He now rules the world. In the 1800s, Joseph Smith said that He revealed Himself to him and gave him some magic glasses. Folks, Jesus is saying that His second coming is not a secret or invisible one.
Vs. 27-28 Never have you seen silent lightning or lighting that you can’t see! Simply put, His coming will be visible to all! And furthermore, verse 28 tells us that it will be a time of judgment! His coming will coincide with the right time to judge the world.
Vs. 29-31 The Obvious Return
Vs. 29 Immediately on the heels of the great tribulation, He will return. Again, notice that it is visible.
- The sun darkened. No light!
- Powers of the heavens shaken.
I think we will all be able to notice that. If you look for a moment at Rev 19:11, you will see how this will all unfold.
In verse 30, we are not sure what that sign will be, but all of that time we will know it’s Jesus.
Vs. 31 It is interesting here that Jesus says that angels will be sent out to gather God’s elect, which would be all believers in Israel and gentiles that got saved during the tribulation period, because at the rapture, angels are not used for the Lord coming in person to gather us all up!
So what does all this 2nd coming stuff speak to us now? Well again, I believe it is an exhortation for us believers to live for Jesus because we don’t know the day or hour of His coming to take us with Him!
Matthew 24:32-51
“At the Very Doors”
Vs. 32-35 Figuring the Fig Tree
Vs. 36-39 The Days of Noah
Vs. 40-44 Watch For The Hour
Vs. 45-51 Study The Two Servants
Intro
It seems to me that nothing will get folks more riled than when Christians start talking about Jesus coming back for His church. Especially when we talk and act as if we really believe it to be true. You see, I think that what is wrong with me and why I struggle with sin at times is because I’ve lost sight of the soon return of Jesus. When the church loses the imminent return of Jesus, apathy sets in. As you read through the N.T., you can see that those guys believed that the rapture of the church was going to happen in their lifetime. And what was the result of this belief?
Holiness and the gospel were spread throughout the whole world in one generation.
With that said, I also think that all too often we Christians get all caught up in the speculation of the events of the last days and fail in appropriating the truth of His return in our lives. The author of Hebrews puts it this way: 10:22-25.
“Let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other.
another, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.”
Vs. 32-35 Figuring the Fig Tree
May I review a bit? Jesus was answering the disciple’s threefold question (vs. 3), and as He does, He focuses on the end of the age. He tells them that prior to that time there will be (vs. 5-7)
“false teachers, wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation, famines, pestilence and earthquakes, but the end is not yet as these are just the beginning of sorrows.”
They had asked what would be the sign of the end of the age. His answer was what we covered last week (vs. 15), “the abomination of desolation,” which we saw will take place at the 3 1/2 year mark of the tribulation when the antichrist, with the help of the false prophet, will enter the rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem, set up an image of himself, and demand that all people worship him. When that happens, Jesus goes on to say, Get out of Judah and flee to the mountains.
Vs. 32 Here then Jesus speaks concerning the timing of these events. And there is a lesson from the fig tree.
As a side note, I love the fact that Jesus teaches using natural things to illustrate spiritual truths. Life is one big classroom, and if we pay attention, we will see the Lord reaffirm the truths of the Word of God by what’s going on around us. So what about this fig tree? Well, first off, the fig tree is used as a picture of Israel. So the Lord is using this illustration for the nation to pay attention to.
Vs. 33 Just like the budding of the trees indicates the beginning of summer, so when the antichrist sets up his image in the temple, you will know that. Now as I went through this section, I looked at some commentaries as well, and some of these guys that wrote their interpretation of this section did so several hundred years ago. And the thought of Israel ever budding again was inconceivable. So because of it, they are a bit messed up, as they have the fact of the 1000-year reign of Christ already happening and so on.
Now we know that in AD. 70 the Romans marched into Jerusalem and destroyed it, and for hundreds of 2,000 years the name of the land was changed from Israel {governed by God} to Palestine {land of the Philistines}. Yet during that 2,000-year period, God did a neat thing for the Jewish people; they maintained their cultural identity, language, ethnicity, and religion. No other nation in the history of the world has been able to do that without a home land. Every other nation that has been swallowed up by another nation has lost its identity within two generations. But there’s more! In Deut. 28:64-66 we read,
“For the LORD will scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship foreign gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known—gods made of wood and stone! There, among those nations, you will find no place of security and rest. And the LORD will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight to fail, and your soul to despair. Your lives will hang in doubt. You will live night and day in fear, with no reason to believe that you will see the morning light.”
And that is what happened in 70 AD (by the way, it happened on Aug. 10, 70 AD, which happened to be the exact same day and month on which it had been burned by the King of Babylon).
Yet God said something else in Jerem. 23:8. “As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land.” Hey folks, on May 14th, 1948, the fig tree again budded. That old fig tree put forth its leaves!
Vs. 33-34 So Jesus has said that the timing of this will be the antiChrist coming into the temple, and as Jesus said, the temple had not been destroyed and the nation scattered. Neither had Israel been without her home land. Yet with that said, look at the certainty He says of the prediction.
A.) “This generation will not pass away till all these things are fulfilled.” So what generation is He speaking of? Well, let’s use the process of elimination.
1.) It cannot be the generation of the disciples because none of them lived that long.
2.) I don’t believe that it is speaking of the generation that came back into the land in 1948. Because a generation is usually thought of as 40 years, which would have put this all happening in 1988. By the way, many people put the rapture of the church in 1988. There was even some guy who wrote a best-selling book, “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Happen in 1988.” Then, when we did not get raptured, he wrote another book, “89 reasons why the rapture will happen in 1989.” Well, I can give you 1 reason why not to buy those books!
3.) It is my opinion that the simplest interpretation is the best here. The generation that sees these signs will not pass away until all these things come to pass. Now some will point out to you that the word “generation” can mean race as well, thus Jesus is saying that Jewish race will be preserved. At any rate, Jesus is saying that these things will happen and that there will be those around to witness it.
So what’s the point, Pastor? Well, I’m not looking for these signs; I’m doing what Paul said to the Church at Philippi (Phil. 3:20-21). “..eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer everything, everywhere.”
Hey, beloved, if these are signs of the second coming and the rapture happens before the tribulation period, then we know that time is closer than we think!
Vs. 34 Look carefully at this verse in light of what so many people say concerning the return of Jesus. You know what they say: “Many people have been saying that Jesus is coming back for thousands of years, and I still don’t see Him.” Peter said that they were saying the same thing in his day (1 Peter 3:4): “Jesus promised to come back, did he? Then where is he? Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly the same since the world was first created.”
So what does Jesus say? “As fixed as heaven and earth are, they have an end, but His word will never change; it will stand throughout eternity. Now in Rev. 21:1, we read, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.”
Vs. 36-39 The Days of Noah
Vs. 36 Now wait a minute here. How can Jesus tell them so many signs, then say it with absolute certainty, and then turn around and say that the day or hour no one knows, not even the angels, but only the Father?
Well, Jesus is referring to the sign of His coming, and He is saying that it will happen with certainty, but to those that remain, it will be unexpected. I believe that verses 37–39 explain how this can be true. The time of His coming will be when the world will be eating and drinking and marrying each other. Life will go on as usual, and wickedness will increase to the point that folks will be self-deceived.
Again, I find it interesting that it says that not even the angels in heaven know the day or hour. Yet we have folks telling us that some angel told them the day an hour. Folks, Morni does not know. Well, how do you know that? Because Jesus says so.
Vs. 37-38 Now here Jesus puts the emphasis on why they will not know the day or hour. It will be like in the days of Noah. Now I’m sure you are all somewhat familiar with the story of Noah, but did you know that Noah “warned the world of God’s righteous judgment.”? (2 Peter 2:5) So for 120, Noah warned of God’s coming wrath. Every board he put on that ark, everything he did, was a witness.
Yet we read in Luke 17:27 that “In those days before the flood, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came to destroy them all.” And they had more than Noah speaking to them. In Jude 1:14–15, we are told that Noah’s grandfather Enoch was a prophet and said,
“Look, the Lord is coming with thousands of his holy ones. He will bring the people of the world to judgment. He will convict the ungodly of all the evil things they have done in rebellion and of all the insults that godless sinners have spoken against him.”
As a matter of fact, Enoch had a son when he was 65 years old and named him Methuselah, which means “his death shall bring.” Now Methuselah lived 969 years and died the week before the flood. You talk about knowing the day and the hour these folks did, yet they were all too partied up to see it. “Hey, have you seen “his death shall come around?” “Nope, I heard he had gotten sick a while back.” So they did not know the day that judgment would strike, not because it was not told to them but rather because they were so caught up living for the moment. Hey folks, it is a dangerous thing to get caught up in the pursuits of this life.
Vs. 39a Now let’s look at this in context! Jesus has been talking about the people that lived in Noah’s day and that they were all caught up in living for the moment. Then he says that they “did not know until the flood came and took them all away.”
So who was it that did not know and was taken away? Well, it would seem that you can have only two choices:
1.) Righteous Noah and his family. But that can’t be because he was the one who had been telling them all for 120 years.
2.) The people of Noah’s time who were into living for the moment. Now follow me closely for a moment. Jesus says that the flood took them away.
Folks, they were not in the boat, were they? No, they were taken away by the waters of the flood, right? So being taken away here in the context was not a good thing; it was a sign of judgment, and being left was the good thing, for it meant that God preserved them miraculously in the ark.
Vs. 39b Now Jesus says that “so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” So here Jesus is linking the 2nd coming with the time of Noah. OK, you say I’ve got it. Now the time of Noah was the first judgment of God upon the earth; in fact, God said in Gen. 6:5-7, “That the thoughts of man’s heart were only evil continually, and He was grieved in His heart that He had created Him and would destroy man from the face of the earth.” And God did so by sending the flood. In 2 Peter 3:6,10, Peter says that the first world was destroyed by the flood, but the second “will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.”
Vs. 40-44 Watch For The Hour
Vs. 40-41 I hope you are all up with me because, as we look at this section here, I think I’m going to change some of your common thinking. Jesus says that at the coming of the Son of Man,
“two men will be in the field, and one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and the other left.”
Now I’ve always heard this interpreted saying that Jesus is speaking of the rapture of the church here. Yet remember the context? Being taken away here in the context was not a good thing; it was a sign of judgment, and being left was the good thing, for it meant that God preserved them miraculously in the ark. Jesus is linking the 2nd coming with its judgment with the first judgment by flood. And here He says that the one taken would be like the time of Noah. So what am I saying? Well, I think that the context of this passage is clear. Jesus is not talking about the rapture of the church; he is speaking of the sudden judgment of those on earth during the tribulation period and of how some will make it through.
Furthermore, the word “taken” here is used some 49 times in Matthew, and it means to be taken away in judgment. It is the same word used when they took Jesus away to scourge Him in Matt. 27:27. So Jesus is saying that some people will perish in the judgment while others will remain.
Vs. 42-44 So based upon that, He tells them to “watch therefore.” What was the problem in the time of Noah? Hey, they were not paying attention. This then is a warning to those who may find themselves alive during the tribulation period. Paul says this in 2 Thess 2:11–12.
“God will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
So they are to be expecting the time watching for the signs, not allowing the house to be broken into.
Vs. 45-51 Study The Two Servants
Vs. 45-47 Here Jesus gives a story of the first of two servants. This one is called wise. Why? Well, because he was diligent while the Lord was gone. He gave them “food in due season.” The diligence was in rightly dividing the word of truth. Man is ever going to be important during the tribulation period.
Vs. 48-51 The evil servant took Jesus’ delay as an opportunity to be wicked.
Now as I close, what is the lesson of this? Well, look at the examples and what Jesus says in each:
Vs. 33 The Fig tree: “Know that He is near.”
Vs. 42 Days of Noah: “Watch therefore.”
Vs. 44 Master and Thief: “You also be ready.”
For we are not on the earth at this time for 1 Thess. 5:9-10. “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” Hey, let’s live as if Jesus is coming to night, Amen!