"The Last Days According To Jesus pt. 2"

Intro:

The Gospel of the Kingdom advancing in the context of tribulation is what Jesus has been describing for His disciples and their ministry.

Jesus wanted His disciples to be aware of tribulation upon the earth and to not think it strange.

Tribulation on the earth is, to one degree or another, directly tied to the curse of sin in the world. There is a hostility against the Kingdom of God that is built in to the fallen world system.

This goes all the way back to the animosity that God placed on the serpent in the garden when He cursed the serpent in Genesis 3:15 saying , 15  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The seed of the woman is Christ and ever since the curse on the serpent this hostility has been foretold and in all of redemptive history we see this dramatic tension being lived out in how the serpent and the seed of the woman are warring against one another.

The Kingdom of God in Christ is being advanced through gospel proclamation in the power of the Holy Spirit and is clashing with the kingdoms of the world and manifesting tribulation on the earth.

We see this morning in our text that our Lord teaches about the coming tribulation and we learn that it not only sets the context for the disciples encounter with the events of 70 AD but it also sets the context of the future encounter with the second coming of Christ.

First Jesus refers to the prophetic sign of tribulation as a point of reference for His disciples. Look back at your text at verse 15.

I. The Tribulation Sign (15).

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

So here He is referencing Daniel the prophet and his prophecy on the abomination of desolation in Daniel 11:31.

Now many theologians point to the fulfillment as being a historical reference to Antiochus (IV) Epiphanes who in 168 BC desecrated the Temple by setting up worship to Zeus and sacrificed pigs on the altar of the Temple.

Certainly it fulfills the prophecy of Daniel but Jesus is giving this prophecy around 200 years later and He is projecting the fulfillment into the future.

To fulfill Jesus prophecy it would appear at first we would have to look to around 70 AD because of our context in Matthew 24. We certainly have a clear example in the seige of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.

Luke’s gospel account of the Olivet discourse in 21:20 is where we are told that when you see armies gather around Jerusalem it’s desolation is near.

The problem arises when we see Antiochus and Titus as examples but then Matthew 24 projects tribulation into the future in relationship to the return of Christ. This is why there are so many disagreements on how Matthew 24 is to be understood.

This is why the full blown preterist believes that Christ has already returned because of what they believe jesus to be teaching in the Olivet discourse.

Here are a few things that may help us in how we should understand Matthew 24

First there appears to be typology examples in ancient history and the biblical record of the man of lawlessness. Just like Moses and David were types of Christ and His fulfillment. Antiochus Epiphanes being one and Titus being another. The Devil is emulating God’s design as he gets ready for the time for the real man of lawlessness to come forward.

Sequence in relation to time versus sequence in relation to events. It appears that our Lord sees the tribulation of 70 AD, which He refers to as the beginning of birth pains, and the Tribulation at the end prior to the second coming as all part of the same delivery.

This understanding seems to me to be critical as we move forward in the coming weeks. We will see that tribulation is set in tension between 70 AD and the Second coming of Christ in all that Jesus teaches in the Olivet discourse. And it doesn’t seem to me that that tension is resolved in the gospel accounts of Mark and Luke.

I think it is also very interesting that an Islamic Mosque is currently setting on the temple mound. Talk about an abomination the causes desolation. The idea that the Abrahamic covenant is fulfilled in Ishmael and not Isaac would certainly be an issue for the Jewish religion.

And that tension may indeed stir hostility between Muslims and Jews and eventually we all know that God will make it crystal clear to the world that the covenant fulfillment is in Christ and not in Isaac nor Ishmael. Interesting to watch but the hope for Jew and Gentile is Christ and being grafted into one tree the Church.

The abomination of desolation is a desecrating action done in defiance of God that triggers tribulation in the direction of a climax. Look at verses 16-21:

II. The Tribulation Climax (16-21).

16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

First we see that Jesus instructs people to flee the coming tribulation (16-18).

His instruction denotes extreme urgency to flee the city once the abomination of desolation takes place. This is probably due to the certain danger associated with what is coming.

He also calls them to pray for pregnant mothers and mothers who are nursing their kids. This will be a difficult time and the reference to winter is the concern that mothers and their children will be in the cold of the elements without shelter (19-20).

Josephus tells us that when the seige of Jerusalem took place over a million people died in the city. The accounts were horrible when the seige lifted. To the point that even the hardened Roman soldiers were horrified of what had taken place among the people of the city

The people did not flee to the mountains as Jesus had warned. They instead had taken fortification in the city and eventually most of them had been starved to death because of the seige.

Christian what is happening here is that God is making it emphatically clear that the birth pains of tribulation may have started in 70 AD but they will come to a head in the tribulation in the last days.

The events of 70 AD were significant to the Jewish people because it destroyed the temple and it was the indication that Judaism in connection to Jewish nationalism was no longer the focal point of God working His covenant fulfillment in order to work salvation for His people.

The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom where both believing Jews and believing Gentiles are brought together as one. They are both grafted into one tree through faith in Christ as Romans 11 explains.

Why is this so critical for us to understand? Because it is not uncommon in our day to see theological views that connect the Kingdom of God to Nationalism. You could go back to the early days of America when the Pilgrims were still on the Mayflower and they drafted the Mayflower Compact.

It was the beginnings of a Nationalistic agreement with God that was largely driven by their Post-millennial view of the Kingdom. For them, it was through government and gospel that in the end brought the Kingdom of God to earth. Much of what they argued for in the Mayflower compact was very reflective of the Old Covenant moral guidelines that God had made with Moses prior to entering the promise land.

They emphasized the physical nature of the Kingdom being progressively brought by the spiritual means of gospel proclamation and moral government. History has taught us that this has turned out much the same way it did for Israel in the Old Testament.

In more recent times there has been the push of those who embrace dispensational theology who connect the Kingdom of God to the re-establishment of Jewish Nationalism. Again there is the emphasis on the physical and material Kingdom being re-established in the land of Israel.

Many even argue for the re-institution of the sacrifice of animals in a rebuilt temple in Israel. Christian even if there is a Temple rebuilt in Israel and the sacrifices are again re-instituted, not one Jewish person could ever have their sins washed away by those sacrifices. I don’t deny political implications of Israel as a physical nation being used by God to bring the gospel to Jewish people and to save the remnant of Jews that God will graft back into the one olive tree (Romans 11:23).

But the focus of their salvation is found in Christ and in His gospel of His spiritual Kingdom. The nations of this world all clash to one degree or another with the Kingdom of God in Christ. It is the elect of God who are in His Kingdom who are secure in Him. And they are recipients of His mercy even in the face of Tribulation. Look at verse 22:

III. The Tribulation Mercy (22).

22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

God is merciful in limiting tribulation for the salvation and security of the elect. Those who He has chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world. They are the ones who are kept by Him even in the face of tribulation on the earth.

He cuts tribulation short for them in order to provide for their security in Christ. If it wasn’t for that, no human being would be saved out of tribulation on the earth.

People say to me from time to time, “Pastor I hope I can endure the tribulation on the earth when it comes.” Christian, the elect make it by the shear mercy of God.

God will never forfeit the salvation of His elect. He works through the secondary causes of men and their affairs to secure His elect to Himself. And that is one of the greatest encouragements that you could ever have when you are going through tribulation of any kind on the earth.

Even if you face death in this world you are not forsaken but held secure by Him. But that is a hard truth to embrace if your emphasis is on this physical world and not on the spiritual.

And I know tribulation can give us great concern but there is no reason for us to fear that the elect of God will be in danger of loosing their covenant standing in the Kingdom because of the tribulation that we face on the earth.

Tribulation has a way of focusing us on the Spiritual reality that we have in Christ and upon the awesome nature and covenant faithfulness of our God.

IV. Conclusion

We learn from the Prophet Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar at one time was the most powerful man on earth. In his prideful arrogance he made many vain assertions about his rule and power on the earth. He boasted in the work of his hands and the splendor of Babylon.

There was a prophecy that came to pass over Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4. Where Nebuchadnezzer walked on all fours and grazed with the cattle in the fields and ate grass for his food. He grew long feathers on his body and became as a beast of the field.

He was like this for seven periods of time. And once the 7 periods passed he says, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Daniel 4: 34-35)

Pride is a hard thing to see in the heart of One’s self. Pride is really good at self exaltation at the expense of being critical of God. God in His mercy brought Nebuchadnezzar to the end of Himself and to the realization of the nature of the eternal God. What about you? Maybe you are an unbeliever here today and God is bringing you to the same realization.

Pride in the self is a hard thing to see. He commands you to look away from yourself to His provision in Christ in faith in trusting in Him. Believe the gospel!

Christian your view of the Kingdom, whether it is primarily spiritual or physical will shape your view of gospel ministry, how it is done and what it is. And it will shape your view of the end times and reveal where you anchor your hope when tribulation actually arises in life.

Matthew roots our hope in the gospel of the Kingdom expressed in God’ covenant faithfulness in Jesus Christ.

That is the same basis that I appeal to you in Sunday after Sunday. Confess you sin and know that He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all our unrighteousness.

Rest in Him. Let’s Pray!