Matthew part 40

The Beginning of the End

This past week we witnessed an amazing phenomenon. The US was witness to a total eclipse. How often these eclipses occur depends on how far you are willing to travel to see one. Any one area typically won’t see consecutive total eclipses for several decades, if not centuries. But on the whole, the globe is hit by a full shadow of the moon every couple of years. They just tend to be near the poles.

The truly remarkable phenomenon to witness was the absolute hysteria American Christians had. Many believed this was a sign of the return of Christ, some going so far as to say Christ would return on that very day. It is unsurprising so many would be convinced. Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high, and the number of supposed preachers who fueled the fans of fear with their incredibly horrible interpretations of Scripture was sinfully large. Compounded these two factors is the wonderfully egotistic attitude Americans have about themselves. For some reason, we have this belief Scripture is all about the United States. Spoiler alert—it’s not.

Whether we want to call it Providence or God’s sense of humor, the Sunday before the eclipse we read 7 woes against religious leaders in the first century that succumbed to greed and foolishness, and now we will follow with Jesus’ teachings on His Second Coming. And so, with the hysteria is out of your system (hopefully), we can begin reading in Matthew 24 and see what Jesus had to say about the End of the Age.

One last note before we do. How one approaches this particular text is built on a presupposition that we need to address. There are three main views to studying prophecy in Scripture.

The preterist view states all of (or at least most of) the statements made concern the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Advocates would argue the statements Jesus makes have pretty well all been fulfilled.

The futurist view states all of (or at least most of) the statements concern the future time in which Jesus will return. These things have not happened yet, or for some they are happening right now. Hence, why many Christians find themselves in hysterics at eclipses, wars, earthquakes, and the other signs mentioned in this chapter.

The last view takes a balanced approach. It is known by a few names, preterist-futurist, generic, double, or near-and-far fulfillment. Advocates, like myself, point to Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus’ first coming and note how the individual prophecies tended to have some fulfillment in the Old Testament days, but a greater fulfillment in Christ. Some even have a fuller fulfillment at Christ’s Second Coming. Rather than looking at prophecy as “this is that” or a 1-to-1 verse and historic event, it is more helpful to see patterns in history. One such example we will see in chapter 24—the abomination that causes desolation. Daniel saw this abomination during his days in Babylon. Antiochus IV Epiphanes fit the bill of this abominable ruler in the second century BC as we saw when we walked through Daniel together. And yet, Jesus states another will arise. Does this mean Antiochus wasn’t the fulfillment? No, it simply means he was a type of fulfillment, or a partial fulfillment. He did exactly as Daniel was told which led to Jesus’ First Coming, but someone else will arise prior to Jesus’ Second Coming that will follow the pattern.

So, as we go through this passage, be careful to not fall into a trap of extremes. We should not approach this passage as long ago history that has been settled, but neither should we approach it as though it had no meaning for the disciples then and there in history.

Signs of the End of the Age | Matthew 24:1-2

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Matthew 24:1-2

In Deuteronomy 18, the Lord gives the Israelites a simple test to determine whether someone is a true prophet who speaks for Him. It consisted of two criteria. First, did the thing they predict actually happen? Did they predict something that came about in their lifetime? Second, did they hold people accountable to worshiping the Lord alone, or did they entice people to follow false gods? A true prophet always tells people to worship the Lord alone and stay away from false gods and magical practices.

The first verse in Matthew 24 establishes Jesus’ credibility as a true prophet. Granted, Matthew has already demonstrated his ability to speak for God, and Jesus is the true Messiah. But for that first century generation, if they never believed Jesus was who he said he was, the destruction of the temple in 70 AD certainly should have sealed their faith. In 33 AD, there would be very little reason to believe the temple would be utterly destroyed. The possibility was there, sure, and with the Romans always on the Jewish doorstop, it wouldn’t be that far-fetched. And yet, Jesus says all of the temple would be left in ruins.

The destruction of the temple in 70 AD proved even more Jesus’ prophecies can be trusted.

Do Not Be Deceived | Matthew 24:3-8

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Matthew 24:3-8

The disciples then ask, “When?” The question on everyone’s minds even today—when will these things take place? And why didn’t Jesus just give us the timing? Why didn’t the Father reveal the exact dates to Jesus who could then tell us?

The answer goes back to the test for a prophet. The role of prophecy is not about proving God’s power or proving the prophet’s ability to prognosticate.

The role of prophecy is to call the people to obedience and to call them to fulfill their God-given mission.

What is more important: that we know when Jesus will return, or that we are ready when he does? Jesus says, “See that no one leads you astray.” He gives a series of signs which commentators have noted characterize most all of the time between Jesus’ two appearances. Wars and rumors of wars have persisted since the first century, and continue today. Nations rise against nations, kingdom against kingdom, and famines and earthquakes continue to occur.

Again, the statements here are not so we can look at history, the news, and a calendar and start divining the chronology of Jesus’ Second Coming. This “conspiracy theorist type” of Bible study is unhelpful foolishness in the least and deceptive to well-meaning believers at its worst. Instead look again at verse 8. These things are the “beginning of the birth pains.”

Jesus is describing a prolonged period of trials in the world as the culmination of God’s work continues to unfold.

Consider the illustration he uses. When does pregnant woman first feel her pregnancy? Is it right at the end of the 9 months? No, of course not. In the beginning of the pregnancy, her body starts to change, hormones kick in. And once the baby is large enough, she can feel it moving around and kicking. The feelings and birth pains compound throughout the gestation period. What is small simple movements at first become stronger and stronger. And then, when the end approaches, the pains become even more pronounced.

But we shouldn’t get worked up into hysterics at the drop of every baby kick. A new war or war rumor doesn’t mean it is the last. The next earthquake is not necessarily the last earthquake. And how can we avoid falling into the hysteria trap? Look again at verse 4, “Many will come in my name and say ‘I am the Christ.’” Jesus warned us there will be many that emerge claiming to be Christ or claiming to speak for Christ. But just like Deuteronomy 18 told the Israelites, we can use the same test. A true prophet will not contradict Jesus, and a true prophet will point us to the One True God.

We are told in Acts 1:11,

This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.

Acts 1:11b

If the man isn’t coming from the clouds gathering up the people of God, he isn’t Jesus!

The most infamous false Messiah of the early centuries was Bar Kokhba who led a Jewish revolt against Rome that ended in 135 AD. This last grasp for Jewish independence brought about the end of the Israeli nation. The Romans, after putting down 3 different revolts, laid waste to the land, sent out the Jewish people to surrounding areas, and established a new province in its place named Syria Palestine.

Which, by the way, is one of the reasons why there are so many interpretations for eschatology and End Times prophecies. Between 135 AD and 1945 AD, there was no Jewish State. Israel did not exist as a country. When prophecies are geographically centered in Israel and specifically mention Israel, it can be difficult to discern Israel’s role in the signs of the end of this age. Now that Israel once again exists, it has brought about a new wave of eschatological interpretations Christians must work through.

In this confusion, we can be sure of this: We need not be alarmed. Jesus said he would return, and he will. He told us this world will writhe in pain as the end of this age approaches, and so we should not be surprised when these signs occur…and when they occur in greater intensity.

Christians should never be alarmed nor worry about the fulfillment of prophecy.

It Gets Better…After It Gets Worse | Matthew 24:9-14

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:9-14

The last bit that we will read today reminds us the most important lesson we have in eschatology:

The response we should have to the horrifying circumstances in the world is fidelity to Christ.

The mark of a true disciple is the ability to persevere in obedience despite the persecution, wars, earthquakes, and everything thing else that happens in this fallen world. Let’s look at this passage again in light of enduring to the end.

First, true disciples will be delivered up to tribulation and put to death. Now, we certainly should not court persecution, but we shouldn’t be too surprised when it happens. American Christians are notorious for reeling at the first sign of persecution, and understandably so. The first 200 years of the United States provided a large measure of religious freedom and social acceptability to Christians. The last twenty years has been an increased hostility to the Gospel and Christianity in general. This hostility to Christ is not new. The truly odd part is how long Christians enjoyed such freedoms. Even in Medieval Christendom, a person had to be the ‘right kind’ of Christian or face persecution. Are you familiar with the Spanish Inquisition? The Roman Catholic Church is known for many things—religious toleration has traditionally not been one of them.

The True Gospel will continue to be a reason for persecution until the end of the age.

Second, the true disciples will remain faithful to one another even as others fall away. Today’s social media is inundated with former professing Christians who are ‘deconstructing’ or have turned to paganism or some other faith. These are not souls that we should vilify, but rather extend mercy and love. They have been led away by false prophets.

Remember Jude 22, “And have mercy on those who doubt”. No one doubts their faith in a vacuum. No one decides to denounce Christ on a whim. False teachers have saturated the culture with false ideas about Christ.

True Disciples must remain vigilant to teach true doctrine and defend against false prophets and false teachers.

Last, notice the love of many will grow cold. It is so easy to lose love for fellow humans. As lawlessness continues, as peoples hearts grow colder and colder to one another, as selfishness is celebrated, it can be so very difficult to demonstrate love and mercy to others. When was the last time you didn’t lock your doors at night? When was the last time you trusted a stranger? As Christians, we absolutely should remain vigilant against those that would do us harm, but we also have to vigilant that demonstrate love to others. This stance will look different for different contexts, but the underlying principle is this:

True Disciples continue to show love even when others refuse to do so.

Loving the unlovable is central to the Gospel, because God loved us when we were unlovable.

In fact, God’s love extends to all humanity, even those who have not heard the gospel. Jesus says the end will not come until the whole world hears the testimony of Christ. Now, whether that means every geographic area or every people group or every individual, time will tell. But regardless, the Lord wants to extend the invitation of salvation to every person.

The end of this age will not happen until the whole world has heard the story of Christ.

Christians, I have some really good news for you. This particular prophecy is close to fulfillment. There is a group called the Joshua Project that puts together data for unreached people groups, and this is what they have to say.

How many Frontier People Groups are there?

Joshua Project data shows 4,888 Frontier People Groups with total population 2,019,992,000. One fourth of the world lives in these FPGs and have almost no chance of hearing about Jesus from someone in their own people group. About HALF the population of all FPGs live in just 37 groups, each over ten million in population.

The IMB data is a little more exciting. They identify 3,072 people groups with no gospel witness. Regardless the actual number, the point is simply this: There are still many more people in this world that need to hear the story of Jesus Christ. There is work to be done.

As we close, let’s consider the true task of the disciple of Christ. We are not to study our charts, study the news, and lament over finding the date of Jesus’ return. That is a fruitless endeavor and foolishness. We are called to 1) remain vigilant of the truth and defend against false doctrine, 2) continue to love with action our fellow humans demonstrating the gospel’s power, and 3) engage with the lost people around us telling the them the story of Jesus so they too can have eternal life.

As we close, consider your part in the time that we have between now and when Jesus returns. Are you studying the truth so that you can avoid being deceived by false prophets and call them out when they speak? Are you demonstrating love in a world filled with those whose hearts are growing colder? And are you supporting missions as you yourself go out into all the world making disciples?