The End and its Signs
Notes
Transcript
Tribulation and End Times
Tribulation and End Times
Good morning my friends, i hope you all are great today.
Yeah, I said it, I hope you are great.
Why?
Because God is good!
Yes my friends, God is good and He has blessed us in so many, many ways. We have life today both physical and Spiritual, and that life is eternal.
And we know as time moves forward, no matter what happens, He’s got us! We are His and He is ours..
What a joy my friends to be counted as members of the Body of Christ.
Today as we continue to walk through these last few chapters of this book, we are looking at events toward the end of this world.
Those events include His second advent and of course the tribulation that the world must face after his advent.
Today we come back to Matthew chapter 24. Lets look at verses 15 to 20 to begin with… and by the end of the message we will have looked at the Scriptures through verse 28.
So lets look at verses 15 - 20
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 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.
Remember, Jesus as just alluded to the destruction of the Temple, as He and the disciples were leaving the city and going to sit down on the mount of Olives as we looked at last week in those first 14 verses.
So three thoughts this today...
1. Coming Destruction...
Now remember, The disciples and Jesus have just been talking about the coming destruction of the Temple.
The disciples wanted desperately to know 2 things. 1. When would the Temple be destroyed (since Jesus has just foretold its destruction) and 2. When would the Lord’s return and ultimately Kingdom come.
And it is here Jesus continues to foretell about the coming destruction and persecution of God’s people.
Look at what Jesus says here… verse 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 Jesus tells of the Old Testament prophet Daniel, .... about a time then the temple of God would be desecrated.
Just a little side note here; many people thought this prophecy had already been fulfilled.
Let’s look at that prophecy…Daniel chapter 9, verse 27...
27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
There have been several times when things happened that were so vile, one might it as the abomination of desolation. Something that would mark another tick of the clock as we move toward the final days of this world.
There was a time when Balthazar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar desecrated the items of the Temple (when God’s children were in Babylonian captivity) and God judged him.
And in the time before the birth of Jesus in the days of the Maccabees, that a evil ruler called Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Antiochus the insane came into the Temple of God and ordered a altar to Zeus be constructed and placed there. Then he slaughtered a hog there and profaned the Sabbath day of God.
That was a very harsh day...
Yet these things have already taken place....
But there is one event that has not taken place yet… the destruction of the Temple.
So the complete fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, Jesus says is the destruction of the Temple in the near future. In the neighborhood of 30 years, the Temple will be destroyed, and nothing will be left. So broken, that it could not be rebuilt with those stones.
For a little history, Nero was Emperor at the start of the conflict and Vespasian was the general leading the battle around Jerusalem when the war starts in AD 66 and 67. Nero dies by his own hand and Vespasian was declared Emperor. Vespasian sent his son Titus, who was now general to finish the war and destroy the temple.
And the Jesus goes on and says the destruction, the persecution would come upon them so quickly they would have to flee. And there wouldn’t be any time to waste, whether they were working, relaxing or even with child, they would have to go, it would be a hard and dangerous time… but they would face such persecution.... they would have to flee to the other nations.
There would be great trouble in the future days.... But be assured that no matter what day or time we live in, God has us.
He has promised to never leave or abandon his people....
And now we come to a second thought.....
2. His Return Foretold
I want to jump ahead to verses 29 to 31 for a few moments of time. As Jesus has been talking about the coming destruction He moves to speak about the next topic the disciples asked, what would be the sign of His return.
People have wondered about this question for hundreds of years...
Lets look at what Jesus says in verses 29-31
29 “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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now when we hear the word tribulation, we get nervous. But the rapture of the church is not mentioned here… Why?
Jesus is talking about the nation of Israel here. In verse 21-28 he is speaking about his elect (the children of Israel) in verse 22. This happens during the Tribulation. But please note, the church is not talked about here, so please do not worry. The rapture will occur before the Great Tribulation.
Now back to verses 29-31
Remember here, Jesus is addressing their question about the time and nature of His return.
He says that He will return immediately after the Tribulation, so at the end of the worlds suffering during the tribulation, He will return and with His return several things will happen.
A. The tribes of the Earth will mourn… The word Jesus uses here, “Tribes” points back to the 12 tribes of Israel. The mourning here alludes to the Old Testament passage of Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7......let’s look
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
And also Revelation 1:7
7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
It is a beautiful picture here my friends, the holy Scriptures tell us at this time Jesus will arrive with all power and authority. And the nations, the very tribes of Israel whose fathers crucified will see him and they know they stand judged for their actions, for their continued failure to believe.
The sign, he says in verse 27 will be like lightening in the sky… something we will witness and know, I think His glory will be revealed in such a way that it would be unmistakable for any to miss....
Listen to the Prophet Daniel in Daniel 7:13
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And go back to Matthew 24:31
31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
He will gather his people, the tribes, the elect that have been scattered over the face of the world. Together these who have believed now and the church will share in His Kingdom.
Now lets think about us, the church, born again believers. We know that before the Great Tribulation, Jesus will come in the air and will call us to himself.
The Bibel says that the born again who are dead will rise from the earth, their soul spirit will be reunited to their now glorified bodies and those who remain and are alive will be caught up in the air to meet them and forever will be will with the Lord.
The greatest concern for us today, it is to know Jesus. To know that we have invited him into our heart, asking Him to save us, forgive us and give to us eternal life.
Do you know, young or old today do you know Jesus is your Savior. If not do so today.
Now just one last thought this morning..
The final call Jesus speaks to in this text is a simple one, I have already mentioned it.
3. Be Ready....
Jesus calls for people, for every nation, tongue and tribe to be ready.
Being ready is the preparation having been made complete so that you can respond at any moment.
I would compare it to like getting ready for a child’s birth . As we get close to the due date, mom’s get some things prepared, ready so that when its time it takes little effort to get to the hospital quickly.
In the same way, as the days are drawing close to the time of his return. remember with each passing day we are closer). Jesus calls for people to be ready to stand in front of Him and enter His kingdom.
It is here that Jesus talks about gathering His church, His elect....
Lets go back to our text… there is a long passage here I am going to pull out the key verses for us to look at....
This first thought point is “It’s Guaranteed...
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Jesus says that just as soon as we see the tender green sprouts come about, as the branches begin to put out its leaves we know that summer is near…
Over this chapter we have seen the events Jesus has talked about, all these events will take pace leading up to the truth that Jesus return is not far away.
Jesus says His words are so certain, heaven and earth will pass away but not on point of what He has told them.
So we know that Jesus return is certain, and people will be living life as usual when He does return, that is why its crucial that we remain ready.
Lets look at verses Matthew 24:36-44
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Now look at what Jesus says..
B. The Father knows the time of His return. Concerning the day and time, no one knows when His return will be, except the Father.
Please know my friends that God the Father has a point, a date, a moment in time when He will tell his Son to return to this world. He alone knows!
And what will life be like on that day?
C. Life will be as Usual.... Just like it was in the days of Noah, so it will be here, Jesus says 2 points - 1. Eating and drinking,and 2. Marrying and being given in marriage.
It will be like everyday life, His return will be like any other day and if you are not ready before hand, you will miss His coming.
Consider this, how many times have we missed something because we were not ready? If it could happen in this earthly existence, friends know it could and will happen on the day of His return if we are not ready.
D. People will be leaving this World.... look at verses Matthew 24:40-41 again...
40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
Life will be as usual but when the Lord returns, and when He does two men will be working in the field, or with ladies grinding their grain … so no matter the occupation, when Jesus returns His disciples will be gone.. the world will suddenly noticed that people were gone..
People in cars, trains and airplanes, people at work or at rest will suddenly find a whole population of people are gone from all over this world.
And here is the truth, if we know and if you believe Jesus words are true, then be ready.
42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
E. Keep looking....
Jesus saying knowing my words are true, your job is simple, Keep watching, keep looking and live ready… why? You do not know the day or the hour.
Friends, do you know that Jesus is your Savior? Are you ready for His return, knowing it could be at any time?
Listen, we might leave here today and suddenly be in is presence, and when He comes if you miss it, you have missed everything.
So what can you do...
If you are saved, keep praying and watching…Keep working and witnessing
If you are here today and you are either uncertain of your salvation or realize today that you have not asked him into your heart yet. Then now is the time.
Today pray and ask the Lord to forgive your sins, to come into your heart and save you and give to you eternal life. And then confess it to others.
Transition
Sample prayer
[Dear Lord I know I am a sinner, and I need you.
forgive me of my sin, cleanse me, save me and give me eternal life with you.
Thank you Lord for Saving me.]
If you prayed that today, would you just look at me. Today you are certain, you asked him into your heart. Would you slip out and meet me here and let me welcome you into God’s family and pray for you.