The Truth that Keeps us Going - Matthew 24:29-51

It might seem strange to use the end of Matthew 24 as a Thanksgiving text. However, the truth of the Second Coming of Jesus, I believe, is one of the greatest blessings we have. It reminds us that this world, and our lives, are not aimless . . . they are headed toward a specific and wonderful goal. It is one of the greatest blessings for which we should be thankful.

We began our study of Matthew 24 last week. It is a deep and often confusing passage. Jesus was asked two questions. In these verses He answers the questions. The depth and message of His answers, however, call us to think very deeply.

I pointed out last week that prophetic texts in the Bible often have a contemporary and a future fulfillment. In the first 28 verses it seems that Jesus is clearly pointing to the time when the Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed. According to the Bible this event ushers in what are called “the Last Days.” From the time of the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem on to the Second Coming of Jesus. What that means, I believe, is this: there is nothing more that has to happen before the Lord can return in Judgment and victory.

Verses 29-34 seems like it could only refer to the Second coming of Jesus,

29“Immediately after the anguish of those days,

the sun will be darkened,

the moon will give no light,

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

30And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

32“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.

This sounds like a “once in a lifetime occurrence” but these words may also be a way of describing what happened in 70 AD. When horrible things happen (like 9/11) people use phrases like this:

The sun stopped shining

The world came crashing down

Life as we know it was derailed

It was like the end of the world

Biblical prophets used phrases like this to describe things happening in their day. The phrase “coming of the Son of Man” was also a phrase used for the Lord coming in Judgment on His people. The point being: these words could refer to 70 A.D. they could refer to the Second Coming or they could refer to both.

In verse 34 Jesus says “this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.” This raises some questions.

The acclaimed English philosopher and social critic Bertrand Russell said Jesus’ teaching about his return was one reason why he could not be a Christian. “He certainly thought that his second coming would occur in clouds of glory before the death of all the people who were living at that time,” wrote Russell. But he added, “In that respect, clearly he was not so wise as some other people have been, and he was certainly not superlatively wise.”[1]

Russell’s criticism is invalidated if these words were referring to the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (and I think they were). Less than 40 years after Jesus spoke the temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was in shambles. Within one generation all of these things happened!

You will read all kinds of theories as to how to understand these texts and especially verse 34. Jesus cannot be speaking about the second coming because he said “no one knows the day or the hour of His coming”! Why would He also say it was going to happen within 40 years? Jesus was not mistaken! Bertrand Russell’s understanding was mistaken!

A Look to the Future

We do learn some definite things about the return of Christ from these verses. First, it is sure. The teaching of the Second Coming is a prominent (rather than fringe) doctrine of Scripture. It is mentioned over 300 times in the New Testament. That would average out to once every 13 verses. This is not a fringe doctrine of the church!

Do you remember the words of Peter,

8But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

Some may say this is a cop out but it is not. The message is beautiful! The Lord could come at any time. However, He delays because when He returns we will be all out of options. On that day many will be cast into Hell. The compassion of the Lord restrains Him . . . for now. The Day is coming and it could be soon.

Second, we learn that it will be Sudden

36“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

37“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

40“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

Jesus tells us His coming will catch us by surprise. As we look at the world around us we see that the world is crumbling. God will not let this go forever. We observe the terrors of nature and can feel the restlessness building. That should keep us sharp. However, we will not know when He is coming.

Imagine driving along in a car and seemingly out of nowhere a car crashes into the side of your vehicle and life changes in an instant. That’s what His coming will be like. Whether this is Christ’s coming for the church or the final advent . . . we will not be expecting it.

It is possible that the coming referred to here is what is known as “The Rapture”. In verse 31 we read “And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world*—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.” There is coming a day when the Lord will call His genuine followers out of the world. It would seem that this is what may be referred to when it says “two people are working in the field, one is taken, the other is left standing.”

Some people feel the Rapture will signal a time of extreme suffering before the Lord returns. Some believe it is in the middle of that suffering. Still others believe this gather of God’s people will happen moments before the Lord Himself descends to earth. Here is the general rule of thumb. Whatever viewpoint you may have been taught or read about the Second Coming of Jesus, know this: there are at least three other views held by well-meaning believers.

I have decided not to get too worked up over these theories. What I know for sure is this: Jesus is coming back. Until He does, difficult times will continue.

Whether He comes back for me before a great time of Tribulation or comes and gets me just before He comes to earth doesn’t matter . . . what matters is He is coming back and I will be with Him when He does! That is all that matters to me.

We assume Noah spent years preaching as he built the Ark. The people had heard but it had been many years. They assumed Noah was simply crazy. No one paid attention. The louder he preached, the more they ignored him. There are people like that today: they have heard the gospel message but have shut it out for so long that they are no longer able to hear. There is bad news for such people. In verse 30 we read,

And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth.

The coming of Christ will be unmistakable. I do not know what “the sign of the Son of Man is coming” is. Perhaps it is the trumpet blast, maybe it is a view of Christ in the Heavens. I don’t know, and I don’t know that it matters. My thought is that we will know it when we see it. The message is this: you are not going to miss this!

Not everyone will be happy about the turn of events. We are told that there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. This should not surprise us. This is the way it is all the time. If your sports team wins the championship you celebrate but there is another group of people who mourns. The same will be true when Jesus returns. Those who have refused to embrace and follow Christ

Will see in an instant they have wasted their life running after false gods

They will know time has run out

And they will immediately understand their destiny

There will be no second chances, no more patient endurance. The show will be over! The decision will be made. God will not ask you to argue your case before Him. You are either a follower of Christ or you are not . . . end of the story!

We must remain ready. Jesus doesn’t leave the disciples wondering. He spelled it out for them:

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

45“A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Even though we can’t know the day or the hour we must remain vigilant. Jesus seems to say we should give as much attention to defending our soul as we do our home and children. Hopefully, you have spent some time planning and saving for your retirement. That retirement period at best may be around 30 years. The question is: how are you preparing for your eternity?

If you were, let’s say 80 years old, and in fairly good health, you would not want to spend your life focused on the fact that you might die soon! However, by the same token you must not discount this fact. The reality should get you to do certain things now (get a will written, take care of the medical power of attorney, write down your advanced directives for what is coming the future, sort through some of your stuff so your kids don’t have to).

It is a waste of time spending countless hours debating the End Times. We don’t need to fixate on this, but we must not ignore it either. Jesus tells us to spend our time making sure we are ready for His coming. Just as firemen have their clothes all laid out so they can be dressed quickly when the alarm goes off, so we should be prepared.

Jesus warns us not to assume we have lots of time. He uses the illustration of a person who believes he has lots of time so he begins “beating the servants, partying, and getting drunk.” This person probably thinks, when I get older I will get my life together so I am ready to meet the Lord. For now, I want to “’live a little.’” The question Jesus poses is this one: What if He comes back today?

Jesus is challenging his disciples (and by extension, us) to live with expectancy. We are to live anticipating the IMMINENT Return of Christ. Imminence is the theological term. What it means is: Jesus could return at any time.

What does it mean to live with that expectancy? Jesus seems to say the expectant person lives every day in such a way that if Jesus were to appear they would have no regrets. So once again I ask the question: If you knew Jesus was going to return this week, would you make some changes in your life and schedule? Would you talk to people differently? Would you urgently share the gospel with family and friends? And one more question: How do you know He is NOT coming this week? Do you say you believe in the Second Coming of Jesus but live as if it is not going to happen any time soon? Will the Lord find you serving Him when He comes?

As you look around you may feel this year that you don’t have much for which to be thankful. Jesus reminds of several important things:

Conclusion/Application

First, God has a plan. Do you like novels? In the good novels there are twists and turns and you don’t see what is coming. There are often what seem to be insignificant details in the story that turn out to be key. I believe the story of life is the same way. We don’t see how all the details fit together. We may conclude God isn’t paying attention. However, we are still in the first chapter of the great story that will go on forever and ever for those who embrace Him. Don’t draw your conclusion about the story until the story is over!

Second, wrong will be made right, the innocent will be vindicated, the abused will be avenged. No one likes reading about the destruction of Jerusalem or the Great Tribulation. We don’t like to think that our God would do such things. However, what it means is this: God will right wrongs. He will establish justice. He will vindicate us for the wrongs we endured. That fact makes it possible to keep going and to continue to endure.

Third, there is a glorious future to look towards. At the Holidays there will more than a couple of families that will celebrate plans to go to Disneyland. Everyone will look forward to that day when they check into a Disney hotel or take their first wonder-filled steps onto Main Street inside the gates of the Magic Kingdom. In preparation for the trip you might buy new clothes, plan your itinerary, purchase tickets, plan side trips, and maybe even buy some Disney gear to “fit in.” Planning for the trip is part of the fun. Commentator Richard Pratt in his commentary on Revelation writes,

Not only should we be excited about Christ’s coming, but we should be preparing ourselves for the One who comes. Sports fans who are excited about the beginning of the football season immerse themselves in facts about their team. If we are excited about the coming of Christ, we will make it our daily passion to know him better, primarily through the prayerful study of his Word.

A bride prepares for her long-awaited wedding day by making herself as beautiful as possible. We, too, anticipating the soon return of Christ, should be making ourselves daily more spiritually beautiful by laboring to remove sin and prayerfully seeking the spiritual graces—faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13); righteousness, peace, and joy (Rom. 14:17)—that make our hearts lovely before the Lord.

Finally, those who know that an important political election is coming will seek to persuade others of the important issues of our day. The Christian, realizing that Christ will soon come to save his people and judge those who persist in unbelief, will busy himself by bearing testimony to the grace of God in Jesus Christ, who offers salvation to all who hear and believe.

We should be excited, motivated, and filled with gratitude for the promise of an eternity with Christ in the New Heaven and New Earth? Think about it as if Jesus is saying to His disciples, “Hey Guys, I’m going to be taking you to a New Heaven and New Earth!” It is a wonderful truth. It is the greatest of blessing. Is should provoke the deepest of gratitude. The story of God’s redemption is starting to get good! The climax is nearing. Hold on to your seat. It’s going to be the ride of a lifetime!

[1] 1 Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian: And Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects, ed. Paul Edwards (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1957), 16–17.

James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 508.