Theme Of Matthew 24

Introduction

This has been the shortest week of preparation for preaching I can ever remember having. And so, silly me, I choose as my Sunday night topic, Matthew 24. This may not be wise on a number of levels. I got this idea as I was flying to Brownsburg a couple of weeks ago, so at 30,000 feet I’m reading when they made us turn all electronic devices off. And I’m reading about Matthew 24, and I said, I want to preach on that. Because it is my goal to preach the whole council of God. And I don’t know that I’ve addressed this text other than in passing in my preaching and teaching here. And while I would like to spend more time in preparation for a lesson on this particular subject, I want to provide some building blocks for further study on your own because it involves so much material in the New Testament, even a reflection on the Old Testament.

And so perhaps if this might spark some further study of your own. Because I want to tell you that some of the things I will present tonight are not necessarily majority opinion. I’m not sure they’re minority opinion among my brethren who preach, but there are a lot of different ideas about this text of Matthew 24 that we’ll be talking about. What do we know about the future of planet Earth from a study of Jesus’ words in Matthew 24? Some would suggest absolutely nothing. That it is not talking about anything yet still to occur in the future, but it only describes events that took place in the past. And that all of Matthew 24 deals only with the destruction of Jerusalem. There is absolutely no question in my mind that a majority of what Jesus is saying in Matthew 24 applies only to the destruction of Jerusalem.

But the question is, does the entire text only deal with that event that happened in AD 70 that really shapes a lot of instruction in the New Testament? Or is it possible that Matthew 24 addresses both? And of course, some still turn to Matthew 24 as it discusses wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes to suggest that it is still speaking of future events, and we hear about signs of the times all the time, that God is ready to come and in their minds establish a millennial kingdom. And that’s associated with the doctrine of premillennialism that the Lord’s return is imminent and he’s going to reign upon the earth for a thousand years. And of course, they go a lot of other places besides Matthew 24 to teach that doctrine that is erroneous.

And they’ll go to the book of Daniel and to Revelation chapter 20, and sometimes they will launch and start here in Matthew chapter 24. Without question, though, history is moving rapidly toward a goal or a conclusion. And even if Matthew 24 doesn’t address this directly, the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3 clearly speaks to a coming in to our globe, but sets the time frame in a very wide arena at a secret time of God’s determination. What exactly is going on in Matthew 24? Or in its parallel passage in the Gospel of Mark 13, or in similar texts in the Gospel of Luke, in Luke chapter 12 and in Luke 17. Teaching about preparedness for judgment was not a one-time subject only in the ministry of Jesus.

1. The First Difficulty: The Question Itself

Now, let’s start reading Matthew 24. Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when his disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to him, marveling at such structures. Herod’s redesign of Solomon’s temple, of course, as glorious as it was nothing to be compared with the original, that had been built by Solomon with all of its golden splendor, and when the Queen of Sheba saw it all, she said, the hat has not been told me. But he answers to the disciples and says, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another which will not be torn down.

What is he talking about? You mean, oh, this is going to be destroyed? This brings up a very bad memory of their history. The Babylonian destruction. In 586 BC, when everything was destroyed and burnt with fire, and the people went off into captivity, and now he’s saying that’s going to happen again, that awful atrocity? And so then they ask the question in verse 3, which really affects the rest of the text. And as he was sitting on the Mount of Olive, 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. Now, the King James Version says, the end of the world. Or really the idea is the consummation of everything.

The first difficulty that we confront in Matthew 24 is the question itself. What did the disciples have in mind? Did they have in mind the end of the world as we often discuss it and talk about it? I would think not. I don’t think they’re thinking about the end of the planet as we would. When they say the end of the world or the end of the age or the consummation of all things. To them, in the Jewish eyes, the destruction of the temple is the end. That’s the dismantling of their world. It’s the focal point of their lives. And so the temple being destroyed to them represented the end of the world. Now, the language that they use could certainly be used if we were talking about the end of the world.

2. This Generation Will Not Pass Away

More on that a little bit later. So if they’re asking Jesus about the temple being destroyed and one stone not being left upon another, and in their minds, this is a catastrophic event. Jesus then goes on to provide some signs. Some immediate signs that are going to take place. And because we’re not the initial audience here, we can skip on down and read verse 34 first. And that’s what I want to do because it is extremely critical in understanding what Jesus says in this lengthy context. Look at verse 34. And I want you to circle it. I want you to note it mentally. I want you to get this. When he says in verse 34, truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

3. Immediate Signs That Are Going to Take Place

That’s an important verse. Whatever he’s talking about from verses 4 to 33, he said, everything, all of it, is going to happen in the days of this generation. And so if what is being described as the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, that would indeed be in this generation, and it would be the signs that Jesus is talking about. And the judgment that he describes. Whatever he talks about in these verses, it’s going to happen in the days of this generation, so it is past. Now, so we go, we go back to verse 4. See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ. There will be false Christs. There have been people claiming to be somebody great even before this, according to Gamaliel in Acts 5.

And they will mislead many. Of course, none of them doing the signs that Jesus did. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. There’s that famous phrase. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. I mean, I want you to think about that phrase, wars and rumors of wars in our time. There’s wars and rumors of wars all the time. Number one, we live in an age where we know what’s going on in the whole world. Every nation, every people, every government, we turn on the news at 6 o’clock, and we have all that information. So wars and rumors of wars we will have with us always. But in the first century, news didn’t travel by television.

And wars of and rumors of wars were not necessarily something that were heard all the time, but this would be an indicator of these things that are going to take place. And nation will rise against nation and kingdom against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

And so we think, well, there was an earthquake. Every now and then there’s one on the scale of some magnitude, five or six or seven. See, there’s earthquakes. And so that means these things are about to take place. You know how many earthquakes there are every year in the world? Thousands. According to the United States Geological Survey, they estimate that several million earthquakes happen every year. Now, a lot of them are not strong enough on the scale that we would detect them, or they’re in very remote areas, even over the ocean, and so therefore people don’t recognize them. But if you’re looking as earthquakes for a sign in the 21st century, they happen every year. And a great number of them. And we’ll hear about one of a greater magnitude about every year, every other year, for sure.

But again, in biblical times, an earthquake, and there is old testament references to the earthquake in the year of Isaiah. It was particularly notable to the people of Israel, the one that happened during his reign. And so there’s going to be tremors that the people in Judea are going to experience and feel. And so there’s going to be visible, literal signs for these people. But all these are merely the beginning of birth pains. And he says in verse 9, there will be tribulation on account of my name. Many will fall away because of this distress in verse 10. There will be false prophets who mislead many, and then this. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, there’s the principle, the one who endures to the end shall be saved.

And then this. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations. And then the end shall come. When will these things be? When will be the end of the world or the end of the age of the consummation? He says, then the end will come. But the gospel must first be preached to the whole world. In Colossians 1 and verse 23, Paul says that the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven. Which is really remarkable. That within a couple of decades, the message of the gospel, through Christians being scattered abroad, and people like Paul going throughout all the world, that the message of the gospel had reached the uttermost edges of the populace of the world.

That had to happen before these things occurred. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand. That’s an interesting expression, too.

The original abomination of desolation had to do with Antiochus Epiphanes in the 160s BC, where you have a Gentile entering into the temple and offering a profane sacrifice on the altar. But now we’re going to have Gentiles in the nature of the Roman armies coming in and defiling the temple and destroying it, or at least entering the temple as the judgment of God is brought upon the Jewish nation. And then he says, then let those who are in Judea, it’s going to be too late for Jerusalem at that time, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things that are in his house. When this happens, it’s get out of there and get out of there quickly.

Do not return to get your clothes. Nursing mothers beware in verse 19 and then verse 20. But pray that your flight may not be in the winter. A more difficult time to travel, of course. Or on a Sabbath. Huzzly, that is. Mark’s account does not mention the Sabbath. I read a few commentaries, some observed the Passover in regard to the Sabbath. The only thing that I can understand that to mean, and perhaps your study will reveal more, is journey was limited on the Sabbath. As to the amount that you could do and still not violate the Sabbath. And they’re going to need to get away.

Interesting. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. Oh, that sounds catastrophic. But again, this hyperbole is to show the extent of this destruction. And then he talks about false Christs and false prophets. And then he says in verse 25, I told you in advance. Don’t go out following them, is the idea, for just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. So all that he’s talking about here is the coming of the Son of Man. And wherever the corpse is, the vultures will gather.

4. The Son of Man Coming on the Clouds

And the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky. A reference to Isaiah. And the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And somebody says, Well, that sounds like other passages that are talking about Jesus’ final coming. It’s interesting.

And he will send forth his angels with a great trumpet. Again, this is language from the prophets. And they will gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of the sky to the other. And again, that sounds like to us what we read about in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Hold those thoughts. Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and put forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near. Right at the door. When you see these things happening, the Son of Man coming on the clouds, the angels gathering the elect. And I would take you to 1 Peter 4 where it says, it’s time for judgment to begin at the household of God.

And if it first begins with us, what will be the outcome for the godless man and sinner? I think that’s the same concept here. This is the Son of Man coming on the clouds, and he says, When this happens, recognize. Well, he said, You’ll see him coming on the clouds, but now he said, recognize that he is here. Right at the door. This is God’s doing. This is God’s judgment on the nation of Israel. Understand it for what it is. If you’re anywhere near, flee. There will be no escape from this judgment, if you stay in the city. Truly I say unto you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Just a couple of textual observations before we move on.

The great trumpet of Matthew 24 is sounded in relation to this destruction. Obviously, this is not a literal trumpet, but figurative. I would go even further to suggest that Jesus coming on the clouds is not literally visibly the Lord, but these are figures of God’s judgment, of a catastrophic judgment of men. And that’s what the destruction of Jerusalem would represent. But that all of these figures have a basis in reality, in a literal fulfillment of them. That ultimately every eye will see Jesus. Spoken of also in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 7. And that as we read in 1 Thessalonians 4, he himself will descend from heaven with a shout. And the dead in Christ will rise first, and those who are alive and remain, wouldn’t that be great to be in that number, will rise to meet him in the air.

Literally, in Hebrews chapter 9, in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27, that illustration, it is appointed a man once to die, but after this the judgment. In verse 28, this is a significant passage, Hebrews 9 28, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, that would, of course, be Emmanuel, God with us, taking on human flesh, dying upon the cross for our sins, he shall appear a second time. For salvation without reference to sin. He’s not going to fix the problem of sin. He did that in his first visit. What’s the second appearance for? Without reference to sin, for salvation to those who eagerly await him. And it’s interesting that Peter will say in 2 Peter 3, when he talks about all these things being destroyed and burnt up, he says, we eagerly wait for him.

Hastening the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter 3. What manner of persons ought you to be? The question is raised. The great trumpet, might I suggest, should not be confused with 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 52, with the last trumpet. In some of the discussions that I’ve had on these texts, people would read Matthew 24 that talks about the great trumpet and says, see, that’s in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem, and so therefore the trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15. That’s a danger in Bible study, by the way, when you see trumpet in one text and then you go to trumpet in another text and think it’s all in relation to the same thing. There’s a difference between a great trumpet signaling the judgment of God and the last trumpet signaling the end of time.

And the resurrection that will occur, that 1 Corinthians 15 is describing. And then also in Acts chapter 1 and verse 11, I need to address this. Remember when Jesus ascended after his 40 days with the disciples after his resurrection? The angel says to the disciples standing there, men of Galilee, Acts 1 and verse 11, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you watched him go into heaven. The Hebrew writer talks about a second appearance of Jesus. The angel on that occasion says, just as you saw him go visibly disappear, just in that same way, he is going to return. The angel doesn’t describe the when there.

5. Of That Day and Hour No One Knows

Okay, so all of that, go back to verse 34. Everything that he’s described in relation to this judgment, this terrifying judgment, Jesus riding on the clouds, recognize that he is near this generation. This generation shall not pass until all these things take place. Now, then there is a transition. And this is where it gets sticky, and this is where some brethren divert in their beliefs. Matthew 24, 35 and 36. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Well, is he talking about a literal heaven and earth passing away? Is he speaking figuratively of the old Jewish system, which is described in Isaiah as a passing away or a dismantling of the world and a new world taking its place? Behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth in Isaiah 65 and 66.

I believe some of those passages are referring to the Messianic era. It’s the end of an old world. And that’s why they said this is the consummation of the ages. These are things they had read about in Isaiah. He may be talking about that when he says, heaven and earth shall pass away. But listen to this. Jesus’ words endure forever. 1 Peter chapter 1 teaches that. But whether he’s talking about just the Jewish system being destroyed and disappearing, according to Hebrews 10, what is growing old is obsolete and ready to disappear, the Hebrew writer says. That’s very close to the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. That old heaven and earth passing away. But even if it’s a reference to that, ultimately it’s a reference to the end of time.

The literal of that. When ultimately heaven and earth do pass away, at 2 Peter chapter 3 describes. So it’s figurative basis, has a basis in the literal fulfillment. And then this in verse 36. But of that day and hour, no one knows. Not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father alone. Now, here’s the question. Is he really transitioning to something else here? Or is he talking about what he’s been talking about, the destruction of Jerusalem? A lot of my preaching colleagues think he’s still talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in 37 onward. But the article I was reading, written by Mark White, who’s now the preacher at Side Fair, agrees with me. And that doesn’t make me right. But I believe what happens in verse 36 is that Jesus transitions from the question that they’ve asked because of the wording that they use, it allows him a launching off point to speak of the ultimate judgment.

So many times in scriptures there is hyperbole, there is figurative language that describes God’s acts of judgment that ultimately anticipate the ultimate and final judgment of God. And I think that’s what he is transitioning to in verse 36 when he says, But of that day and that hour, the question that I have always raised to my brethren who want to see all of this in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem is, how does that day and hour have any relevance to the destruction of Jerusalem? What does it matter what day it is? When you hear that when there have been rumors of war and earthquakes and false prophets and the gospel have been proclaimed to the whole world, we’ve seen all of these signs come to pass, and then we hear the Romans are coming.

Don’t you think they were hearing that in Judea? The Romans are coming. Titus is coming. We’ve got to get out of here. Does it matter whether destruction happens on a given day or at a given hour? What relevance is that?

6. The Total Absence of Signs

But when he talks about a day of judgment coming when no one knows the hour. What does that suggest? I believe from verse 36 onward, he is taking us beyond the immediate destruction of Jerusalem that he’s talking about to a discussion of the end of the world. And what I want you to notice in the verses that following is the total absence of signs. He’s been talking about there’s signs that are preceding the destruction of Jerusalem. Here are all these signs, and he enumerates them specifically. There’s not any signs now. He says, for the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days, which were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage.

There was no sign that all was about to be destroyed until the day that Noah entered the ark. That was it. And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away. So shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there shall be two men in the field, one will be taken, the one will be left, two women will be grinding at the mill, one taken, another left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. And all the way through the end of this chapter, and then extending into Matthew 25, warnings about preparation for judgment. But that’s the key. There’s not any science in relation to this. And that’s the thing we know, right?

About the end of the world. Do you know what it’s going to be? I know. I know we’re closer than we’ve ever been. And that’s what Paul was saying in Romans 13. Our salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The day is at hand, it always is. The time of preparation is always here. And I think that’s the theme of this. I think what Jesus does as a result of this, whether we’re talking about the destruction of Jerusalem or the true end of the world, as he goes on into chapter 25, he’s saying we’ve got to be ready every day. And then the other passages like 1 Thessalonians 5 on the heels of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 2 Peter chapter 3 warn that coming is going to be like a what?

You know it. Like a thief. But appears in the middle of the night. The thief doesn’t generally come up and knock on your door and say, by the way, I want to come in and steal everything. That doesn’t work in Texas. You’ll get shot. The thief is going to sneak in. You’re not going to be ready or know that he’s coming. And that’s the illustration of the thief. Like in the days of the Son of Man. You know, when the final day comes, whenever it is. Let’s say it’s even tonight. So isn’t it going to happen in the daytime? Well, it’s going to be daytime somewhere. Who’s to say it’s going to be daytime here? It’s going to be nighttime somewhere on the globe. It’s going to be daytime somewhere on the globe.

And you know if it happens during the Renaissance festival? That’s going to reduce that event to absolute insignificance. It’s pretty insignificant to me already. But it’s going to reduce it to the people that are there to absolute insignificance. Oh, I’m trying to meet this deadline on my job. Absolute insignificance. I’m really tired. I think I’ll go to bed. Absolute insignificance. I need to deposit this check in the bank. I need to get gas. I need to get groceries. Kroger’s not going to be relevant. When the Lord returns, that is going to be it. And we need to stay ready. The only tip off for that event is the gospel. Warning us to prepare because we know not the day nor the hour. And you don’t have to worry about it.

In fact, you can eagerly anticipate it, that great day when the Lord is going to be glorified in his saints, 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, because of your submission and obedience to the gospel. We can anticipate and hasten the coming of that day. Well, here are the questions that some will inevitably ask. What about the parallel text? Well, Mark 13 is very similar to Matthew 24, but it’s shorter. It’s more brief. It’s the same occasion that we read about in Matthew 24. The end is different. The end is shorter. After Jesus says, but of that day and that hour. He doesn’t go into all the 15 verses of Matthew 24, and he certainly doesn’t go into the parable of the foolish virgins in chapter 25, which is all a part of that context.

The parable of the talents, and then about everlasting punishment, the devil and his angels, and being a servant of the Lord and his people. Mark doesn’t go into all of that. His account’s more fast-paced anyway, but it’s a briefer telling of Matthew 24. The real concerns that people have is Luke 12 and Luke 17, because some of the same language is used to describe the judgment of God that’s used in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem and seemingly little indication of the judgment at the end of time. All I’m going to say about that now is that the figures of judgment that are used in Matthew 24 in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem are figures that can apply to any judgment of God.

All of those things can be spoken in relation to any judgment of God, whether we’re talking about 8070 or we’re talking about an ultimate destruction. And really the themes of Luke 12 and Luke 17 are the same. You’ve got to be ready. You’ve got to be ready. Read those texts. Measure them in relation to Matthew 24. But I can’t come to conclusions about those texts that make me do something different with the context of Matthew 24 and the signs that are predicted in the first part in relation to that generation and the absence of signs following verse 36. That’s all I have.

Conclusion

But there is one passage that’s unique to Luke 17 that I want to conclude with tonight. There’s a short little verse in Luke 17. It’s not quite as short as Jesus left. But it’s pretty short. Have you found it? Verse 32. I like this. Jesus said, remember Lot’s wife. That sign is beneath the clock, or was beneath the clock in the La Porte church building. That’s in the back like ours. So if anybody is tempted to look back and see how long this breach you’re going, he sees, remember Lot’s wife. Don’t look back. But I like this statement for a number of reasons. It’s a story that the first century readers would have been familiar with. I’ll tell you what this does. And there was a sermon I was going to preach today, but actually I postponed it until December 1st, the one I did at Bel Air.

Where I’m going to talk about appreciation of the history of the Bible and our confidence in it. Jesus regarded the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the people in that story as real. It’s not fantasy. It’s not fiction. These were real people. Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt. That happened. That was God’s judgment upon her because she did not prepare her heart sufficiently. And she looked back. And so he says, You stay the course of the disciple. You stay ready. You dress yourself in readiness and don’t look back. Remember what we were talking about this morning? Why people fall away? That’s Lot’s wife revisited. That’s looking back to a life that I forsook to become a Christian and going back. Do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance.

I’ve always liked that way that Peter says in 1 Peter chapter 1. There wasn’t anything smart and wise about that course of sin. Don’t long for that anymore. Be holy in all your behavior as God is fully. We have become sanctified in Christ. Therefore, what benefit did you derive from those things of which you are now ashamed? He says, Don’t go back to the life of sin. Paul does in Romans 6 and verse 21. He says, Don’t go back to that. There was no benefit in that. But remember to what you’ve been called. Your sanctification and the outcome of that eternal life. Don’t put your hand to the plow and look back, Jesus said. Remember Lot’s wife. History is headed somewhere. Keep looking forward and in anticipation of that when he will transform our humble state into conformity with the body of his glory.

And we eagerly await for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3 20 and 21. And so the final thought of this lesson is are you prepared if that day and that hour were to be this hour. The end of the world. Just as sure as time exists to this moment, that day is coming. Place your hopes on things above and not on things of this earth. And if you’re subject to his invitation, make preparation while there’s time and opportunity. Let’s stand see.