Matthew 24, Part 1
Notes
Transcript
We are now seeing the conclusion of Tuesday of the Holy Week for Jesus and His disciples. If we go back into Chapter 21, as they are on the road headed to Jerusalem the disciples see the withered fig tree that Jesus had cursed, and the next two chapters deal with the controversies in Jerusalem at the temple with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, the scribes, and the elders. In each case they tried to discredit Jesus and what He was teaching, but it didn’t work. It ends in the seven woes being proclaimed over the Scribes and Pharisees, speaking of the hypocrisy between their outward actions, and their inward desires. He closes with a sense of despair over Jerusalem, and their direct and implicit refusal to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus and the disciples are now leaving Jerusalem, heading back to Bethany, when the disciples look over at the temple and start admiring all that it is and point out its beauty to Jesus.
Destruction of the Temple
Destruction of the Temple
1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
2 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.”
Now, if we look at where the temple was located - we see it on the north east corner of Jerusalem. No doubt as they traveled east to Bethany, they would have looked back over the temple and been in awe of the construction.
Let’s take a look at a 3-D video rendering of what the temple would have looked like in the time of Jesus.
The temple was magnificent. It sat upon the towering summit of Mount Sion. It was built of white marble plated with gold. The temple was a massive structure that could hold thousands of people (Acts 4:4 states there were five thousand men were saved among a crowd which probably numbered many thousands more). The temple had several porches such as Solomon’s Porch and the Royal Porch. Each porch was supported with huge towering pillars, each one so large that it took three to four men reaching arm to arm to reach around it. The temple was a striking sight, one of the building wonders of the world. The disciples apparently stood some place where the temple in all its magnificent beauty struck them with awe, and they wanted Christ to see the beautiful sight.
But Jesus uses this as a teaching moment, teaching them that all that is worldly is temporal in the will of God. We have to be very careful not to read into the passage more than Christ was saying, nor to miss what He was saying. The disciples did think that all three events (Jerusalem’s destruction, the Lord’s return, and the world’s end) would happen at about the same time. When Christ said that the temple would be destroyed, they assumed it would happen at the same time that He returned and ended the world, thereby restoring the kingdom to Israel. Christ, however, gave no timetable. He did not say when the three events would occur. What He did was give signs that will occur before the events, signs that point toward His return, toward the end of Jerusalem, and the end of the world.
We know, from history, that the temple was destroyed. Both in the form of Jesus, who was raised from the dead in three days, but also the physical Temple in around 70 A.D. by Rome. Now, we see a picture of what replaced the sacred ground in Jerusalem.
Things to Come
Things to Come
The disciples ask Jesus when these things will happen, and to give them signs of His second coming and the end of the world.
3 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?”
4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.
5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
6 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.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “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.
10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.
11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 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.
Christ gives at least nine signs of the last days in these verses. But He divides them into three sections.
1. The beginning signs: the beginning of sorrows (vv.5–8). Verse 8 makes this division. “All these (the signs just given in vv.5–7) are the beginning of sorrows.”
2. The succeeding signs: personal threats and sorrows (vv.9–12). Note the word “then” in verse 9. After the beginning of sorrows, “then” these sorrows will happen. At this point, Luke says, “But before all these (the above signs) they shall … persecute you …” (Lu. 21:12). The word “before” (pro) should probably be taken in the sense of “more important” than of time. That is, Luke is saying, “But before (more important than) all these.…” (see note—Lu. 21:12).
3. The promising signs: the result of faithfulness (vv.13–14). The word “but” in verse thirteen points toward two signs that offer all the promise and hope a believer could ever desire. In fact, his salvation and witness are what he lives for. And the fulfillment of both is promised in the last days.
Note the words of Christ in verse 2: “Truly, I say to you”. What Christ said happens. So we can stand firm that all nine signs are bound to take place. But, note a critical point. The signs happen not because God destines them but because man sins. They come to pass because of the passion and evil within man.
Jesus gives a strong warning about being fooled by false prophets, saying there will be plenty in the end times that want to take Christian focus away from the Bible and towards the things of the world. “Many shall come.” There will not be a few but many false messiahs. The false messiahs actually claim, “I am Christ,” the Messiah. They will not be the false prophets and teachers mentioned later. They will be persons who claim to be the Messiah, the Messenger of God to the world. They will be pseudo-christs or anti-christs. The false messiahs shall deceive many. Not a few, but many will believe and follow the false messiahs, believing they are the way, the truth, and the life of God.
Right after Jesus’ death, several men arose who claimed to be the Messiah. Josephus, the Jewish historian, said many were led astray by them. Scripture also mentions two who apparently claimed to be the Messiah or at least the deliverer of the Jews: Theudas and Judas of Galilee.
36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
Simon Magus claimed to “the great power of God” (Ac. 8:9–10).
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.
10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.”
Every generation has its false messiahs, each one claiming to be the special messenger of God, the deliverer of the human race. Every false religion and sect of every generation has its false messiahs, but there shall be many as the last days approach.
The second sign of the end time is world violence. Believers shall hear of so much violence it will sound as though the world is coming apart. Believers can be troubled, extremely troubled over the news. Christ said, Be not troubled, disturbed, frightened, confused. Don’t be confused over this commotion. World violence can disturb and frighten. It can lead us into confusion and commotion. World violence must come to pass. Violence does not happen because God wills or destines it to be but because of the passions and evil of men’s hearts. World violence must come to pass. Violence does not happen because God wills or destines it to be but because of the passions and evil of men’s hearts. A descriptive picture of the violence that gripped the world during the days immediately following our Lord is given by Tacitus, the Roman historian. In the opening statements of his Histories of the Roman empire, he says:
I enter upon a work fertile in vicissitudes, stained with the blood of battles, embroiled with dissensions, horrible even in the intervals of peace. Four princes slain by the sword; three civil wars, more with foreign enemies, and sometimes both at once; prosperity in the East; disasters in the West; Illyricum disturbed; the Gauls ready to revolt; Britain conquered, and again lost; Sarmatians and Suevians conspiring against us; the Dacians renowned for defeats given and sustained; the Parthians almost aroused to arms by a counterfeit Nero. Italy afflicted with calamities unheard of, or recurring only after a long interval; cities overwhelmed or swallowed up in the fertile region of Campania; Rome itself laid waste by fire, the most ancient temples destroyed, the very capital burned by its own citizens: etc. (‘Hist.,’ 1.2).
Wars and rumors of wars across the globe are not just the product of today, and we must remember that God does not cause violence - the hardness of man’s heart, and a passion for evil does.
The third sign of the last days is natural disasters. Three disasters of nature are mentioned in particular.
Famines. Scripture speaks of a “great famine” throughout all the world “which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar” (Ac. 11:28–30). Josephus described the famine as being so terrible that when flour “was brought into the temple … not one of the priests was so hardy as to eat one crumb of it … while so great a distress was upon the land” (Josephus, Ant. 3. 15:3). In the very last days before Jerusalem’s fall, Josephus spoke of another terrible famine:
It was now a miserable case, and a sight that would justly bring tears into our eyes, how men stood to their food, while the more powerful had more than enough, and the weaker were lamenting (for want of it) (Josephus, Wars. 5. 10:3).
Then did the famine widen its progress, and devoured the people by whole houses and families; the upper rooms were full of women and children that were dying by famine; and the lanes of the city were full of the dead bodies of the aged; the children also and the young men wandered about the marketplaces like shadows, all swelled with famine, and fell down dead wheresoever their misery seized them (Ibid. 5. 12:3).
There is evidently to be terrible famine in the last days. The black horse of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse indicates terrible famine (see note—Re. 6:5–6). The unbearable pain and terrible evil that hunger can cause is graphically described by Scripture.
Pestilence. Whereas the rich can sometimes escape famine by purchasing food at any price, they are helpless against pestilences or plagues. Death by disease and other natural causes shows no partiality.
Josephus’ record of a great pestilence that struck during the days of Herod is evidence of the fact.
When he [Herod] was in the way, there arose a pestilential disease, and carried off the greatest part of the multitude, and of his best and most esteemed friends [the wealthy] (Josephus, Ant. 15. 7:7).
Pestilence will also be one of the terrible sufferings at the end time. Part of the suffering caused by the pale horse of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse includes pestilences.
Earthquakes. Unbelievable destruction and death are sometimes caused by earthquakes. Again, Josephus recorded the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy. He even hinted that the natural disasters which happened were a sign of coming destruction.
… there broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with the utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest showers of rain, and continual lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake. These things were a manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men, when the system of the world was put into this disorder; and any one would guess that these wonders fore-showed some grand calamities that were coming (Josephus, Wars. 4. 4:5).
Earthquakes will occur in many places during the last days of the earth.
The fourth sign of the end time is that of severe religious persecution. Believers will be afflicted, killed, and hated by all nations. Believers will be persecuted for Jesus sake.
22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
You see, the evil world wants to suppress and oppose a believer’s standard of true godliness. The believer will stand for purity and justice, and believes in repentance and self-denial. Anyone who does the work of the Lord stands against evil and evil will try to prevail. Note the words “hated of all nations.” This definitely points to persecution all around the world. Christ is again looking well beyond the last days before Jerusalem’s fall. He is looking to the persecution that shall be launched against His followers across the centuries and be intensified in the end time.
The fifth sign is terrible apostasy—betrayal and division. “Many shall be offended (fall away).” Persecution shall cause droves to turn from professing Christ. They do not know Him: not really, not personally, not inwardly. They have only professed Him with their lips. They have neither trusted Him with their hearts nor denied self, nor lived sacrificially, nor given, nor served to meet the needs of a needy and dying world. They know only the comfort and benefits that rub off from being in the church and associating with genuine believers. They know nothing about the call of God to share in the sufferings of Christ. Consequently, when the fiery trial comes, they have no idea what denying self and dying daily for Christ is all about. They have no inward desire or strength, actually no real reason, to stand firm. Additionally, “(Many) shall betray one another.” Again, informing on others, betraying them is to intensify in the end time. Neighbor will turn against neighbor, friend against friend, family against family. Both survival and selfishness are seen in the last days of Jerusalem when Titus besieged the city: the wealthy saw to their needs and neglected the poor, and the powerful took what they wanted. As the siege wore on, famine and pestilence struck. The strong took from the weak and the weak informed on his neighbor’s hidden supplies, no matter how little, in order to receive a morsel from the strong. Within the city walls, betrayal and murder ran rampant in order to survive. Others just outrightly betrayed their nation and went over to the side of the Romans in order to save their lives.
The sixth sign is the rise of false leaders offering false hope. “Many false prophets shall rise.” They will be prophets; that is, they will claim to preach and teach the message of God. Jerusalem, facing the crises of its last days, experienced a great number of false prophets arising; and each had his own message about how the people could be saved. A false teacher is one who develops his own way, truth, and life for people to follow rather than follow Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. The problem with this is “many shall be deceived”. Maybe they are grasping for any hope they can be given, maybe they are at awe in what this person can do, maybe they look for an earthly leader thinking they are heavenly sent. Whatever happens in their minds, one thing is known for sure, the deception will increase in the last days.
The seventh sign is a great falling away - apostasy. Sin shall increase and love shall grow cold. Lawlessness [sin and wickedness] is always present, but there are times when it seems to multiply and overflow. It ran rampant in the last days of Jerusalem as the quotations from Josephus clearly show. It shall also run wild in the last days of world history. “The love of many shall grow cold.” People will be more concerned with themselves that with others, they will back away from truth and will try to avoid persecution. Living in this time of immorality will cause some to lose their love for Christ and simply turn away and grow cold.
The eighth sign is that of some enduring and being saved. It must be remembered Christ is talking to His disciples. His promise, “Being saved,” is bound to mean the soul’s salvation in the last days. It could not mean the safety of human life. He had already said some shall be killed (v.9). Thus, the believer who stands firm through persecution and hatred, betrayal and division, false teaching and deception, lawlessness and immorality, and keeps fervent love shall be saved.
The ninth sign is world evangelism. Even though the world will be literally going to hell in a hand basket, the preaching and teaching of Christ will still continue. Regardless of what goes on in the world, the gospel cannot be stopped and it will prevail. However, something needs to be noted that is sometimes overlooked. Christ does not say the gospel shall convert the world, but rather the gospel shall be preached to the world before the end comes. All the world will not respond to the gospel, but all the world shall hear the gospel.
One thing we know for certain, for the believer that maintains the faith - we win through Jesus Christ. You see, He has already overcome death, hell, and the grave and we can too by simply serving Him.