The Return of Jesus Christ

This morning we continue looking at the Olivet Discourse:

Jesus is speaking privately to His disciples just before His crucifixion.

They ask Him two questions in verse 3:

When will the Temple be destroyed?

What is the sign of Your return to earth?

Sunday night we explored Jesus’ prophecy concerning the destruction of the Temple. This morning we will explore His Second Coming.

There are two major things Jesus wants to get across in Matthew chapter 24. They are simple things:

1) The Temple will be destroyed.

2) Jesus will return to earth.

One of those things has already happened. The Temple was destroyed just as Jesus said it would be. Within 40 years it was laid waste.

No one can deny that Jesus got that one right. It’s in the history books.

We are waiting on the second prediction to come to pass. Just as sure as the Temple was destroyed, Jesus will return.

There are three subjects I don’t hear much preaching on anymore:

Heaven

Hell

The return of Jesus

Preaching has changed a lot in the twenty years I have been in the pulpit. When I was first saved it seemed like every sermon was on one of those three subjects. I don’t want to be guilty of ignoring these important Biblical truths. I’m going to preach on them.

I’m going to preach on heaven so you will long for it! When you watch a loved one slowly slip away or when the last few grains of sand in your hourglass are falling to the bottom.

I’m going to preach on hell so you will fear it. I’ve heard sermons on hell that have scared me to death. I thank God for them.

I’m going to preach on the Second Coming so you will look for it.

Illustration: In Bible college. One evening the clouds were an odd shade of pink. The appearance of the sky was eerie. I began to think about sermons I had heard on the return of Christ. A holy fear enveloped me as I looked at the sky. I thought to myself “Christ could return any moment!”

1. The Great Tribulation (21-29).

A. It is a time of trouble (21-22).

The worst it will ever be.

The Great Tribulation is found in Revelation chapters 6-18. It’s referenced in other places, but those chapters give it the most exhaustive treatment.

Hear me folks- There is coming a time of trouble to this world like no other generation has ever or will ever experience.

Disease

Natural disasters

World War

Economic collapse

Famine

Polluted water supplies

Chaos

I don’t know when that will be but until recent history what the Bible describes will happen during the Great Tribulation would be near impossible.

Steven Lawson gives great insight into this. He says for the Biblical events to occur we need:

An economy that can be controlled by one person or group (Rev. 13).

The requirement for some type of identification for people to buy or sell (Rev. 13).

A product that comes from the Middle East that will crash the world’s economy if it’s unavailable (Rev. 18).

The world is smaller than it has ever been. All of these things are possible now. The stage is set for the time of trouble Jesus spoke of to happen. All the pieces are in place.

Some of us have seen the damage of hurricanes like Katrina that killed almost 2,000 people.

The damage of earthquakes like the 2010 one in Haiti that killed 250,000 people.

The terror attacks of 9-11 that killed 2,996 people.

The Corona virus that has killed over 4.6 million people so far.

But listen. We haven’t seen anything yet. None of that compares to what Jesus says will happen.

It will be so bad that if the Lord did not shorten the days of every person on earth would be killed. It is only God’s love for His people that brings this time of suffering to an end.

B. It is a time of deception.

When the world is falling apart people will be looking for answers. Some will look for religion. There will be false Christ’s and false prophets. Some will be convincing performing signs and wonders. So convincing will some of them be if it were possible to deceive the elect they would.

Some will say “We have the Savior with us in the desert!” or “We are keeping Him safe in this secret room.”

Jesus has forewarned us about false prophets. He says in verse 27 that we will know when He returns. He will be like the lightning in the heavens. Everyone can see the lightning.

I know that people be deceived in the Great tribulation because they are already being deceived now. Times aren’t tough and people are already falling away.

We see people leave the church for the false Christ of the Jehovah Witnesses.

Charles Taze Russell was a false prophet that founded the group

He denied the Deity of Christ

He denied the existence of hell.

He predicted the end of the world to be 1914.

Yet people still follow him today.

Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism said he was given a revelation from God for North America. It’s called the Book of Mormon.

He taught that Jesus is the spirit brother of Satan.

God was once a man.

Man can become a god and rule over his own planet.

People still follow him today.

People are inventing a new Jesus all the time. Our culture is guilty of it. They say:

My Jesus wouldn’t judge anyone.

My Jesus doesn’t care who I marry.

My Jesus isn’t concerned about sin.

My Jesus believes the New Testament.

Then your Jesus is a false Jesus. I’m not looking for a new Jesus. I’m fine with the old One!

Give me the Jesus born of a virgin!

Give me the Jesus that said marriage is between a man and a woman.

Give me the Jesus that said, “Let the little children come unto Me!”

Give me the Jesus that said not a single Word of God would pass away!

Give me the Jesus crucified, killed, buried and risen for sinners!

I’m not looking for a new Jesus I’m looking for the old One to return! Don’t be deceived folks!

C. It’s a time of death (28).

The word the KJV translates as eagles can also be translated as vultures. In South Georgia vernacular we would call them buzzards. Jesus says when you look up and see the buzzards gathering get ready. The buzzards know when things are dying.

I have shot deer in my time and not been able to find them. One of the ways to find them is to go back a few days later and look for the buzzards. The buzzards will find the deer for you. They will let you know if the animal is near by and dead.

By the time you get to the end of the Tribulation the sky will be filled with buzzards. There will be so much death they will be circling virtually everywhere.

I’ve seen more death than I want to see in the last two years. A local funeral home asked for prayer. They have more work than they can handle. Get a paper and notice how full the obituaries are.

The death we are seeing now cannot be compared to the death during the Great tribulation.

D. It’s a time of cosmic chaos (29).

The sun will be darkened.

The moon will not give her light

Stars will fall.

The heavens will be in chaos.

Go out in those days and look at the night sky. It will horrify you. The universe will be out of order. Luke says men will be so afraid from seeing this they will have heart attacks (Luke 21:26).

God says one of these days He is going to shake the heavens (Hag. 2:6-7). Who can shake the heavens but God? This universe is nothing but a snow globe to Him. He can grab it with His hands, shake it and throw it into chaos. One of these days He will.

2. The Great Revelation (30-31).

A. It will be a time of sorrow.

Some from every nation will mourn. When they see Christ return, they will know who it is. They will weep, not in repentance but in regret.

Could you imagine being alive at the time of Christ as a lost person?

You know who He is.

You know what was required of you.

You know you rejected Him.

You know what is about to happen to you.

This should be the greatest day of your life, but it’s the worst.

B. It will be a time of gathering (31).

The trumpet sounds. The angels gather God’s people together. Believers are gathered from the North, the South, the East and the West. We are gathered to Christ. Like a mother hen gathers her chicks Christ gathers us unto Himself.

The sky will be filled with the glory of God. We will see Christ and in a moment we are with Him. We are carried to Christ.

Just as the lost person knows what will happen to them when they see Christ, the believer knows as well. I remember when my kids were small. I was a bivocational pastor. When I came home at night, especially when I worked 12-hour days, the kids would come running to the door to meet me. They’d grab hold of my leg. They’d talk incessantly. Those days are gone. But they were happy I came home.

When Christ returns, we will be as giddy as little children. We will be filled with such joy we cannot contain ourselves.

The Bible calls the return of Jesus The Glorious Appearing (Titus 2:13).

It says we are “Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”

Are you looking for Christ or does the though of His return scare you? Will you mourn or rejoice when He returns?

3. Comfort from the Words of Christ (32-35).

A. The parable of the fig tree.

Everyone in that part of the world knew something about fig trees. They were everywhere. If a fig tree was blooming, you knew summer was near. You didn’t have to have a degree in botany to know that. Children could understand it.

B. The meaning of the parable.

There are some that have made this parable a little too confusing. They say the fig tree represents the nation of Israel. They say it bloomed in 1948 when Israel once again became a nation. Therefore, the generation that saw Israel “bloom” will not pass away until Christ returns. That’s not the case at all. The fig tree does not represent Israel. It represents the generation of people that are living when the signs that Jesus mentions in the preceding verses begin to come to pass.

The generation that sees these things should expect Christ to return. It’s a simple sign.

C. The words of Christ.

Jesus says the heavens and earth will pass away. There is no saving this earth. We can’t stop the fact that this world and those in it will be judged. But the words of Jesus will not pass away. We can trust them eternally.

Most of us are simple people. Most of us would find it difficult to figure out all of the things the Bible says about the end times. That’s why I appreciate the words of Jesus so much. He says, if you can figure out when it’s summer, you can figure out when the end is drawing near.

Jesus words are simple, but they are solid. We can trust them. This world is in trouble. This world is going to pass away. But we don’t have to. God has given us a simple way to be saved.

You say, “I can’t understand all this stuff Pastor!”

Ok.

Can you repent?

Can you believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins and rose again?

Can you call on His name in repentance and faith?

I bet you can!

Maybe you are having trouble understanding Matthew 24, but can you understand John 3:16? Jesus has made it simple. What a comfort that is!