Imminent

Intro

Matthew 24:1-31

A quick note about the sermon title… Immanent refers to something inherent or existing within something else (this can have spiritual connotations as well as philosophical ones) whereas imminent means that something is about to happen… it is impending. It is to the latter that I title my message this morning because something is about to happen and we need to be prepared!

There is a deceptive familiarity with the regular rhythms of life. That’s not to say that it’s bad, but that in getting too comfortable, we might forget about something very important. Christ is coming back again! And His return is imminent and it will come at an unexpected time! Therefore, we need to live our lives in a way that we are eagerly anticipating His return at any moment.

The question that arises then is this, how do we live like that? How do we live such that the end of the world could come at any time?

Recent events all across the globe start to make people wonder. This year seems to be one for wildfires for our province and for our country, but it seems that California, Japan and Childe are experiencing the same. While fires burn, floods rise in China, Algeria, the Congo. A major earthquake struck Myanmar that has impacted surrounding areas like Thailand, China and Vietnam. And ironically I started to write this message before all the funnel cloud and tornado warnings came in on Wednesday… and we did have a tornado touch down, thankfully with minimal damage. Tsunami warnings, volcanic eruptions and any number of other “natural” disasters can happen at almost any time anywhere on this planet.

Some are inclined to see these seemingly ever increasing phenomenon as signs that the end is coming and they are not entirely wrong. However, we do need to be cautious about what and who we listen to. Certainly we have access to a global news network that the ancient Bible writers could never even have dreamed about, and yet the things that Christ Himself told His disciples seem to hint that Christ knew such a thing was coming.

Today, I want us to refamiliarize ourselves with some important passages that talk about signs to watch for the coming of the end. There are two extremes that we want to avoid. The first extreme is to completely ignore everything and pretend that the end will never come… that Christ will never return. To do so is to grow complacent in our responsibilities to spread the gospel. People need to know about Jesus and they need to know, because the end is coming. The other extreme to avoid is to be overly sensitive to such signs and to take things too far and thus damage the reputation of Christ and the church in the process. This is not a message about crafting a tinfoil hat and tuning into conspiracy theories. I want this message to be a down-to-earth examination of what Christ Himself has said to watch for. And there are signs to look for, but there are also signs to ignore. Today’s message is all about increasing our ability to discern the signs of the time and to increase our ability to understand the imminent return of Christ.

The Signs

Matthew 24:1–7 “Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.”

Matthew 24:8–14 ““But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Jesus is always preparing His disciples for what is to come. After visiting the temple and then finding a spot to look at it, he reveals to them that it will be torn down. By the year 70, the Romans would destroy the temple just as Jesus predicted. As they went along, the disciples must have been discussing things with one another and wanting to know about the end of the age, ask Jesus about it. Jesus’ warnings are as much for us today as they were for the disciples then.

The first thing Jesus warns about are the false Christ’s… those claiming to be Jesus. Their intent is to mislead as many as they can. Indeed as we look at history, we see that time and time again, religious leaders come claiming to either be messianic or to have a special revelation that only they know about and lead many astray. Be on your guard against such false teachers.

Jesus warns His disciples not to be misled or to be frightened by what they observe. Wars are a sign, famines and earthquakes are signs. Jesus says that these “are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” (see verse 8).

The way Jesus describes this seems to be escalating. After listing the natural and man-made disasters as but the beginning of the birth pangs, He then goes on to say that believers will be persecuted, even unto death because of the name of Jesus Christ. People will fall away… some will even betray one another, and hatred will take root in the hearts of many.

With all of this going on, false prophets arise and lead even more astray and the rampant hatred will make the hearts of the people grow cold.

And in the midst of all of this alarming news about what to expect at the end, Jesus states in verses 13-14 - “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Perilous Times

Matthew 24:15–22 ““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), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

Matthew 24:23–28 ““Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. “Behold, I have told you in advance. “So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

Jesus describes the “abomination of desolation” standing in the Holy Place, and it would seem that Matthew adds “let the reader understand,” almost as though Jesus was predicting something in the future, but it had already happened by the time Matthew wrote his gospel. This phrase is a prophesy out of Daniel 9:27, 11:31 & 12:11. It was considered at least partially fulfilled in 165 B.C. when Antiochus IV desecrated the Temple by sacrificing a pig, but the more complete fulfilment, and probably what Matthew was referring to was the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD.

Jesus describes how the people ought to flee to the mountains, as would seem perfectly reasonable if the city were ever to come under attack. Jesus cautions people against turning back for items… kind of like if you have a fire escape plan for your house. You don’t go back for things that aren’t ready to grab on your way out the door!

Jesus implores his hearers to pray that this terrible day won’t happen while mothers are pregnant and/or nursing, or that it wouldn’t happen on the Sabbath, or in the winter. Adverse and/or challenging circumstances would only make their escape harder. Jesus then describes a “great tribulation...” greater than any that had ever occurred. The tribulation will be cut short “for the sake of the elect,” which means that because of believers living at that time, things won’t get worse… which would otherwise be fatal to everybody.

Jesus then gives His purpose for letting His disciples know all these things… namely that they are ready so that they won’t be misled by those who would lead people astray.

Jesus wants his listeners to understand that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, like a lightning bolt (see verse 27).

Glorious Return

Matthew 24:29–31 ““But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, 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 He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

This is the event that the church has been waiting for since the day Jesus ascended in front of His disciples. These are the ultimate signs of His coming. I encourage you to dig deeper to discover what other writers have said about the day of the Lord’s return, but what we see here in Matthew is a stunning display of the power of God that all people all across the world will be able to see. For the curious, here are a few passages you can jot down the references to: Isaiah 13:10-16, Isaiah 34:4, Ezekiel 32:7, Joel 2:30-32, Revelation 6:12-17 and many others.

The ultimate signs of the return of Christ are sudden and global. I think most of us have been through an eclipse and so we can begin to understand the darkness that will come after the tribulation (v. 29), but what we might not be so quick to understand is the extent of it all. When the sun is blocked out, there is still light to be seen. Even at night we see the stars. But what Jesus describes here is a deeper darkness… the moon won’t shine, nor will the stars. What we know to be “normal” will be shaken to its core just as Jesus declares the heavens will be shaken.

Verse 30 is the long awaited return of Christ. “The sign of the Son of Man” is something that appears in the sky and it seems as though everyone will see it. And it won’t be some exciting thing. Jesus declares “all the tribes of the earth will mourn.” If we try to factor in when the rapture occurs (when all believers will be caught up with Jesus at His triumphant return), it would seem that Christians are already gone. The day of the Lord will be terrifying indeed because everyone will see the truth of what we have believed all along! Jesus returns visibly on the clouds and His glory and power are on display!

It is a frightening global event that all people will be affected by. Christ’s return is the event that we will be taken from this earth to enter into eternity in heaven with God.

When Will It Happen?

Matthew 24:32–36 ““Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

It is important for us to understand this final point. We don’t know when Jesus will return. All we can do is be ready for it. That is where the title of this message comes in… Christ’s return is an imminent thing. It will come at any time and we need to be ready for it. Jesus gives a short parable of a fig tree whereby those who deal with those types of trees can make some assumptions of the times based on what the fig tree is doing. If it puts out leaves, summer is coming. Jesus makes the connection that if you can see that summer is coming because the trees are putting out their leaves, then you should be able to recognize that Jesus’ coming is imminent… “He is near, right at the door.”

But we also need to acknowledge that no one knows the day or the hour of His return. Many leaders have put their reputations on the line to declare that they figured it out, that Christ would come back at a certain point… only for God to prove them wrong. Listen to what Jesus says here… and remember that Jesus is God. Verse 36 - “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” This is one of the greatest mysteries of the Trinity in my opinion because while we acknowledge Father, Son and Spirit as one God, it would seem that this one piece of information is not shared knowledge. If Jesus doesn’t know when He is coming back, then we can’t figure it out either, so stop trying. Just be prepared!

Jesus Himself says in Matthew 24:42 ““Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

He then gives another parable of sorts where He describes how if we knew when the thief would break into our homes, would we not be ready for his arrival?

Conclusion

In wrapping things up for today’s message, we really need to understand that Christ’s imminent return should have a dramatic effect on how we live our day to day lives. We cannot grow complacent in our preparations for His return any more than we should be lax in our security at home for the thief. Gone are the days when most people feel comfortable leaving their front doors unlocked. So, if we are locking our doors at night to prevent robbery, what are we doing so that we are ready for the Lord’s return?

“What does that have to do with my day to day life?” You might ask yourself. I want to encourage us to consider a mental exercise. Imagine what you would do if you did know when Christ was coming back. Imagine that He is coming back tomorrow. What would you do different? If we want our friends and family to be with us in heaven, get serious about sharing the gospel with them so that we know they will join us there. I imagine that if we knew Christ was coming back tomorrow, we wouldn’t care so much about the pursuit of things, but would care much more about the pursuit of souls. Tell your children and family members about Jesus because the reality is that He could come back tomorrow. We just don’t know when His return will be, we just know that we need to be prepared for when it happens.

There are two extremes that we want to avoid. The first extreme is to completely ignore everything and pretend that the end will never come… that Christ will never return. There is no motivation to share the gospel because we don’t take seriously His imminent return. The other extreme to avoid is to be overly sensitive to such signs and to take things too far and thus damage the reputation of Christ and the church in the process. Be faithful to the Lord and be living examples of His word in action. Let the imminence of Christ’ return motivate us to spread the word about Jesus Christ and to do what good we can while we still have time.