The Olivat Discourse: Be Ready

Tell Them What You are Going to Tell Them

Introduction

Today we are going to begin our examination of the final discourse in Matthew, the Olivet discourse. Remember that a discourse is a communication of an idea or a teaching. There are 5 discourses found in the Gospel according to Matthew , the sermon on the mount chapters 5 through 7, The mission discourse chapter 10, The parabolic or parable discourse chapter 13, The discourse on the Church chapter 18, and finally the Olivet discourse or the discourse on the end times. This discourse encompasses chapters 24 and 25. This discourse addresses end time events, and it is called the Olivet discourse because it was given on the Mt. of Olives. In our first sermon on the Olivet discourse we are going to examine a text that addresses when Jesus will return. The central message that we are going to focus on from this text today is

Central Message: Only the Father knows when Christ will return , so as Christians our responsibility is to always be ready for his return.

Main Point: Jesus is coming be ready

Tell Them

Now as I stated earlier the Olivet discourse focuses on end time events, This is a branch of theology known as eschatology. Eschatology is best defined as:

: a branch of theology concerned with the End Times, final events in the human history, in this world.

Now I will be honest with you I don't spend an awful lot of time addressing eschatology , but it cannot be totally ignored because it is in our Bible and Jesus spoke to it, So we are going to look at what the Bible , and what jesus in this discourse had to say about end times.

One of the reasons that I don't talk about eschatology a lot it's because it has become such a source of division within Christian circles. This should not be, The issues of eschatology are not essential issues to the faith. We can have a different view on eschatology.

To truly discuss this issue we have to come to an understanding of where different Christians are when it comes to end times. There are different views about how Jesus will return. But for the majority of Christianity hold one of three basic views about end times , and in order to move forward we need to have a basic understanding of these 3 views. Now I need you to understand that there are college level courses that are taught about these views of eschatology and we don't have time and I don't have the inclination to spend that much time on these views, so I am going to give you a basic understanding of the three main views of eschatology that exist within the church today. Now to understand these 3 views we have to look at a specific passage of scripture coming to us from the Book of Revelation

Revelation 20:1-6 NIV

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan,r and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

Five times in this text 1000 years is mentioned and 1000 years is central to the three views of end times that we're going to briefly discuss, Because it is the view of the 1000 years that determines how one sees the end times.

The three main views of end times that exist within the Christian faith today are post millennial, pre millennial, and amillennial. Now remember the 1000 years is key to how you see end times thus the word millennial 1000.

Let's start with postmillennial. Postmillennialism holds to the view Christ will return after the millennium. postmillennialism states that there will be a gradual end to much of the Church’s suffering before Christ returns. They expect a golden age of righteousness on earth, where the church experiences increasing prosperity and great influence on the culture. This golden age is what the postmillennialist understands as the millennium. So for post millennials the Millennium or the 1000 year reign addressed in revelation it's a time of peace, and prosperity. It is a golden age on earth for the church and at the conclusion of this time Jesus returns. As you can see, post millennialism is very optimistic.

Premillennialism follows a chronological and more literal reading of Revelation 20:1-6, The doctrine stating that after the Second Coming Christ, will reign for a thousand years over the earth before the final judgment there will be a time tribulation, after which “Christ will return to earth to establish a millennial (1000 year) kingdom. At the second coming there will be a resurrection of believers and a public rapture. These resurrected believers reign with Christ, who will, “be physically present on the earth in his resurrected body and will reign as King over the entire earth.”

Although amillennialists expect no millennial kingdom, this does not mean amillennialists deny a millennium entirely. Amillennialists interpret the millennium … as describing the present reign of Christ in heaven. They believe we are presently living in the millennial kingdom, which is characterized by the simultaneous experiences of gospel victory and suffering for the gospel. Amillennialists interpret “one thousand” figuratively. Important to the amillennialist understanding is the tension of “already/not yet.” Christians presently live in the inaugurated kingdom, as Christ reigns from heaven; yet, they await the kingdom’s full realization, when Christ will reign on Earth

So that's the brief Cliff notes version of the three views of end times that are prominent in the church today. Post millennials believe that Christ will return after a golden age for the church here on earth that golden age represents the Millennium. Pre millennials believe that there will be the rapture of the church a time of tribulation and then Jesus will come and he will reign on earth for 1000 years before the final judgment. Amillennialists believe that the Millennium is figurative and that we are actually in the time of the Millennium now and at the end of this time Jesus will return.

Now that we have a general understanding of how the church views end times let's get into what the text says. Before we do this I have got to point out that sitting in this congregation we may have people that have all three of these views of end times. This is not a reason to separate . This is not a reason to divide the body of christ . We can see things differently on this issue and still be brothers and sisters in christ, because you know the one thing that all three of these major views agree on , jesus is coming back, And that's what's most important for us to understand that Jesus is coming back . It's also important for us to understand how Jesus is coming back because that helps us to see Jesus in the fullness of who he is . The first time Jesus came he came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The first time that Jesus came he came to die . The first time that he came he came and he offered himself on the cross . He bled, he suffered, and he died . He was the lamb of god who took away the sins of the world. But we know that he didn't stay there , praise god for that , no he did not stay dead we know on the third day that he arose and now he sits at the right hand of the father, and he's coming again . But when he comes again he is not coming as a lamb come and know he is coming as the lion of Judah . He is coming as the king of kings , he is coming as the lord of lord , he is coming bearing the sword And when he comes for the second time every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord . Yes Jesus came as the lamb, but he's coming back as the lion . So what does that text have to say about end times?

36: No one knows

The New International Version (Chapter 24)

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

37-39: The world will not be ready.

The New International Version Chapter 24

37 As it was in the days of Noah,q so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,r up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man

40-42: Be ready

The New International Version Chapter 24

40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.t 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.u

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come

43-44: The thief is coming, be ready

The New International Version Chapter 24

43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,w he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready,x because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45-51: Be ready. Give what you have been given. Give mercy, grace, and love. Do God's work , honor God, serve rather than rule.

The New International Version Chapter 24

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,y whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.z 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.a 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.b 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Question: Why didn't Jesus just tell us when he was going to return?

Answer

Jesus wants genuine repentance . He wants your genuine acceptance of him as Lord and savior , he doesn't want people who are doing the right thing simply because they know that the time of his return is near .

Tell Them What You Told Them

We should strive to live each and every day as if that is the day that Jesus will return So what have we learned? There are different views about the end times out there but regardless of what your view is this is not a reason for us to divide the body of Christ. These differences in belief of how Jesus is coming back are not in essential to our faith because all of them state that which is most important which is that Jesus is coming back. We know that Jesus is coming back and we don't know when. We know that when Jesus comes back the world is not going to be ready for his return. So the next question is knowing all of this what should we do. We should be ready. Only the Father knows when Christ will return , so as Christians our responsibility is to always be ready for his return., We should strive to live each and every day as if it is the day that Jesus will return because it could be. We should strive to give to others what God has given to us. We should strive to show mercy , to give grace, and to love. We should strive to do God's work and honor him by serving rather than ruling over people. In everything we do we should ask ourselves how does God feel about what I am doing.

We do not know when Jesus is coming back It could be tomorrow , a week from now, a year from now, or a millennia from now , we do not know. Only the father has that information what we do know is that Jesus will return. And when he returns we want to make sure that we are ready.