The Two Questions, Pt.2
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Last week as we begin to look at what is called “The Olivet Discourse” we heard two questions from Jesus’ disciples concerning His Second Coming.
When will these things happen?
What will be the sign of Your Coming?
The discussion centered around Jesus saying the magnificent temple of God would be completely destroyed. And in AD 70, the Roman Emperor Titus did just that.
But the conversation continues with Jesus giving some signs that are like labor pains of a woman [gradual increase till birth] for men to know when these things will take place and to be prepared for His Second Coming.
Text: Mt. 24:4-14
Matthew 24:4–14 (NKJV)
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
There are six critical signs that Jesus mentions here in these verses for man to be aware of and looking for His Second Coming.
Deception of false Christs [v. 4-5]
Wars and rumors of war among the nations [v.6-7a]
Famines, pestilences and earthquakes worldwide [v. 7b-8]
Persecution, tribulation and the killing of believers [v.9]
Falling away of false believers [v.10-13]
Proclaiming of the Gospel to the world [v. 14]
Jesus has just described the first 3 1/2 years of the 7 year Tribulation Period preceding His Second Coming. These signs correspond to the seven seals found in [Rev. 6].
That period will be characterized by (a) false Christs (Matt. 24:4–5; cf. Rev. 6:1–2; the first seal is Antichrist), (b) wars and rumors of wars (Matt. 24:6; cf. Rev. 6:3–4; the second seal is warfare) in which nations will rise up against each other on a global scale (Matt. 24:7a), and (c) unusual disturbances in nature including famines (v. 7b; cf. Rev. 6:5–6; the third seal is famine; the fourth and fifth seals are death and martyrdom [Rev. 6:7–11]) and earthquakes (Matt. 24:7b; cf. Rev. 6:12–14; the sixth seal is an earthquake).
Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 76). Victor Books.
Before we get deep into these signs, I want us to notice what Jesus says before them.
1. Take heed that no one deceives you; 4b
1. Take heed that no one deceives you; 4b
The first birth pain to signal Christs return will be widespread deception about His return;
Take heed- [blepo] see to it, keep your eyes open, beware
The deception of of the coming of Christ will reach its height during the Tribulation time. But it has already begun centuries ago with false prophets and false rumors of His return.
Jesus is telling his disciples to pay attention and don’t be mislead by false teachings or sayings.
Knowing the truth helps one to live righteously by making godly decisions in life.
Being deceived is the fall of many men, living foolishly and ignorantly of what is to come.
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Many people fall prey to the empty words of what a deceiver says or what the crowd is doing. It’s easy to fall in with the in crowd where everything is “hunky dory” and no problems seem to persist.
Who wouldn’t want to be apart of a church or religion like that? But a church that’s not suffering for the sake of Christ, isn’t much of a church!
17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Its easy to want to be apart of a growing, thriving church. I want that too. But not at the expense of Biblical teaching. Too many churches are growing through man’s wisdom and programs instead of through established faith in Jesus Christ. Most churches actually grow the same way secular organizations do, “empty promises” or “denominational traditions”
Empty Promises;
A life with no problems
Everything will turn out like you want
Say a prayer and RSVP to heaven
God will not let you fall into temptation, he will always rescue you
You don’t have to go to church to be a christian
Denominational Traditions
John Wesley of the Methodist awaking said, “Would to God that all party names, and unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided the christian world, were forgot… I should rejoice… if the very name Methodist might never be mentioned more, but be buried in eternal oblivion.”
Charles Spurgeon, the prince of Baptist preachers said from the pulpit, “I say of the Baptist name, let it perish, but let Christ’s name last forever. I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living.”
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Notice that the scriptures we looked at here are letters that Paul wrote to churches! Giving them a warning, even a Jesus did to the disciples, not to be deceived!
The church will fall farther and farther away from truth. This is something that we should expect, but not want. That falling away from truth is one of the signs that the false church is growing but the true church is sure!
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Close;
As the days pass and the times change, its easy to see that the number of deceivers will grow and so will the number of vulnerable people who are looking for answers to the times.
Matthew 16:1–4 (NKJV)
1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’;
3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
If we paid as much attention to the Word as we do to the weather, we would not be deceived or caught off guard at the Lord’s Return!