WHAT'S YOUR SIGN MATTHEW 24:3-8

Introduction

Back in the day, you would often hear this catchphrase: “What’s your sign?” This phrase was used to inquire of your astrological sign. It was also used by many (especially men) as a “pickup line.” I am not going to ask if any of you have ever used it.

This morning Jesus is going to be asked some questions about signs. We delve more deeply into the precarious waters of the two most difficult chapters in the gospel of Matthew-chapters 24 and 25. Our focus this morning will be verses three through eight.

The text before us this morning is part of what is known as “The Olivet Discourse” because that is where Jesus is going to sit down and teach His disciples some difficult truths. There are at least three reasons why these chapters are so difficult:

Jesus is using rather difficult language. He is going to use prophetic language mixed with apocalyptic utterances.

There are very few chronological sign posts to observe. What time in history is Jesus talking about?

Do not try to go to the commentaries and other theological works to gain clarification. The more you look at such reference works the more questions you will walk away with.

Before getting to the text there is a maze that I must lead us through as your pastor this morning. Beware of anyone arrogant to state that he/she has it all figured out. To do this we must concentrate on what Jesus said. We must concentrate on why Jesus said it. We should concentrate on the difference it should make in our own lives. As we go through the text today and subsequent verses from chapters 24-25, we must pay particular attention to the imperatives (the commands) that Jesus is making. At the heart of it all, Christ’s concern is for His people not a theological system, although correct theology is extremely important. However, it is possible that we get all the “stuff” right and still miss the heart of Jesus for His people.

From the outset this morning concerning Matthew 24-25 I want you to understand that I come to bring this message with much trepidation and admit that I could be wrong. I have prayed intensely concerning this message this week and I am totally dependent on His leadership as we open up to the text this morning.

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There are two extreme positions that expositors usually take on the passage at hand. First, there are those who come to this passage the preterist position. These folks believe that Matthew 24 has nothing to do with the return of Christ or the events surrounding the last days of history. These believe that Jesus merely predicts what will happen from the time of his resurrection to the time of the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.

The other extreme position is the futurist perspective. Those who advocate this position see an end-time prophecy in every verse. Every verse is about the Great Tribulation. Here is how it plays out for them: The nation of Israel will be back in the Promised Land of Israel with a completely rebuilt temple, only to suffer great persecution from the antichrist after the secret rapture and the removal of the Gentile believers. This is pretty much the Left Behind position.

However, I want us to consider a mediating position this morning. This position brings a balance to the two extreme position I have just described. It is not either-or but both-and. The text, in my estimation, describes the events before and during the destruction of the temple and 70 A.D. Yet, it also has the not yet fulfilled component of the last days before and during Christ’s return. Thus, Jesus is speaking of those things that are about to happen shortly and those events that are further out in the future as being very close together. The reason is due to the fact that they both possess common characteristics.

With all of that as an introduction, we begin the sermon: “What’s Your Sign?”

The Question That Doesn’t Deserve an Answer (24:3)

The disciples and Jesus are on the Mount of Olives on the slope that overlooks the temple below. Jerusalem and the temple in Jerusalem were venues of public ministry. The Mount of Olives was a private teaching moment. The disciples ask Jesus their question in private. The disciples wanted to know the timing of what Jesus told previously told them (24:2).

The question in verse three that must be considered are the “these things.” These things include the destruction of the temple. Yet, in the overall context of Jesus actions as well as His teachings include Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. These things concern not just the judgment upon Jerusalem but also the things involved in the age. to come. The disciples seem to know that there will be a going and a coming of Jesus. However, they want to know the signs associated with the going and coming. This was a very natural response of the disciples because inquiring minds want to know. The assumption the disciples are making is that the destruction of the temple will be such a cataclysmic event that it had to be the end of the world. This is because the temple was a permanent fixture to their spiritual lives. They could not envision anything but complete disaster if God allowed Jerusalem and the temple to be destroyed.

The Deception That Must Be Avoided (24:4-8)

There a few things we need to understand from these verses:

Imposters Will Arise (4-5)

Jesus does not answer their question in terms of what they were expecting. It is interesting as He does answer them that He gives a warning concerning counterfeit Christ. He says, “Do not let anyone deceive you.” There is going to be a tendency here to misunderstand. Jesus now gives the reason for the misunderstanding (5).

The coming destruction of Jerusalem’s sacred temple and religious site is not the end of the world, although the disciples could think of nothing worse that could happen. The disciples assumed that the destruction of the temple and the end of the age were one and the same event. What Jesus is teaching is the reality of two separate events. There will be two judgments at two different times in history. There will be the local judgment of A.D. 70 in Jerusalem and then sometime in the unspecified future there will be another judgment that will be worldwide in scope. Thus, we have the near and the not so near being taught here.

Before the temple is destroyed, there will be false Christs. Therefore, do not be deceived. When will Jesus return? Before Jesus returns, there will be many false Christs. Therefore church do not become deceived.

I said at the beginning of the messages that we need to pay careful attention to the imperatives. Notice the first such imperative.

“Watch out that no one deceives you.”

In the years preceding the Jewish revolt in A.D. 66, there were several counterfeit Christs that appeared on the scene. Many of those were part of the Gnostic heresy that used that name of Jesus of Nazareth and proclaimed views that were against biblical Christianity and led many who claimed Christ astray.

Inaccurate Information Will Alarm (6-7)

“You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”

In verse seven, the word rumors is a Greek word that means “an unconfirmed report.” Before the temple is destroyed there will be wars and political uprisings. See that you are not alarmed (to become suddenly disturbed or unsettle). The end is not yet here. Before Jesus returns there will be many wars and rumors of wars. Do not become unsettled. That is the second imperative of the text.

See that you are not alarmed”

I used to subject myself to late night religious programming. Does anyone remember Jack Van Impe? Lord help us all. It is usually when I had had a late night of planning or preparing for something and could not get to sleep. You how it is. You are tired but you have to wind down. These people are very interesting. It is amazing just how much knowledge these guys have about the second coming in the middle of the night.

What is the connection between sleeplessness and apocalyptic preaching? They are apparently not on at any other time of the day. They have charts, graphs, maps, and even video clips. I am not so sure that they have any read Matthew 24, much less studied and ached over its content. Yes, there will be wars when the appointed time comes. Jesus will later tell us that it is the war against His people that is the most substantial. Yes, there will be nation rising against nation. There are examples of nation against nation all throughout the Scripture, especially in the Old Testament. [2 Chronicles 15:5-6]

One of the evidences of God’s judgment against sin is the fact that there is war. Historians inform us that there is virtually no period of human history when some nation has not been at war with another nation. The word nation used here is “ethnos” meaning “ethnicity” or “people group.” On study revealed that there were at least sixty armed conflicts going on in nations or among nations. There is war because there is war in the heart of humanity. Ever since Genesis chapter three war, as well as murder in violence has been within us. Before World War One and World War Two, no one had the capacity to imagine war on such a universal scale. One government official writing of the twentieth century states that it was “the century of megadeath.” The war to end all wars came and went and war is still with us. Nation will rise against nation.

What should we observe as we see that nation will rise against nation? As Christians what we should see is that this is what humanity under the weight of sin looks like. We should see the evil that is within the human heart. What we should perceive is that without the peace of God there is no way to maintain the presence of peace.

Additionally there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. That was the situation before A.D. 70 and that will be the case until out there on the horizon Jesus one day in the future returns.

Events Will Intensify (24:8)

“All these events are the beginning of labor pains.”

Jesus is saying that history is reaching a culminating point and the last things will come. The events already mentioned will continue and intensify. There are going to be a lot of labor pains along the way. As many women will be able to attest to, labor pains sometimes begin early, much earlier than a birth is about to happen. Labor pains can be agonizingly long. They can also be deceptively misleading.

That is what Jesus is saying here. We must have eyes to understand that these things are merely the labor pains of the beginning of the birth of judgment that will one day come. History is unfolding everyday. The rule and reign of God over all things, all peoples, and all nations is culminating but it is a long process.

What is interesting about Jesus’ words is that Jesus did not give the disciples specifics such as date, time, or hour. The disciples wanted to know how close they were to the end. Jesus said, “You will not know. Just understand and be warned that you must now allow yourselves to become deceived.”

[read Romans 8:22 “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.”

To understand Matthew 24 we must look to understand Genesis 3. After Eve’s part in allowing herself to become deceived by Satan and consequently sin against God, judgment came upon her and all women following her that she would conceive and bear children. However, the bearing of those children would come with great pains of labor. The pain of childbirth would remember Eve of the pain of the weight of sin upon the earth. Consequently, the man would find that the ground would no longer freely give its produce from the ground. He would have to work it with the sweat of his brow and would have to fight the weeds to make sure they did not overtake what produce did come forth.

Conclusion