DAY #41: February 10, 2009 - Matthew 24:4-31

Click on the play button on the bottom left of the image. I hope it works for you. As you watch, think about building bridges to Jesus for the people in your world.

Now to the passage today - it's a little long today. As I mentioned yesterday, this is a passage of scripture that deals with future times. Jesus knew that if the disciples looked for signs, they would be susceptible to deception. There would be many false prophets with counterfeit signs of spiritual power and authority. Jesus predicted that before his return, many believers would be misled by false teachers coming in his name—that is, claiming to be the Messiah.

As political situations worsen, as wars ravage the world, Jesus’ followers should not be afraid that God has lost control or that his promises will not come true. Just as false messiahs and religious frauds come and go, so do political and natural crises. Even when the world seems to be in chaos, God is in control. These things must come as part of God’s divine plan. However, the wars and rumors of wars do not signal the end. The disciples probably assumed that the Temple would only be destroyed at the end of the age as part of God establishing his new Kingdom. Jesus taught that horrible events would happen, but the end won’t follow immediately. Instead, this will be but the beginning of the horrors to come. Jesus’ words indicated to the eager disciples that there would be a span of time before the end of the age and the coming Kingdom—it would not come that week, or immediately upon Jesus’ resurrection, or even right after the destruction of Jerusalem. First, much suffering would occur as a part of life on earth, while history would move toward a single, final, God-planned goal—the creation of a new earth and a new Kingdom

Jesus personalized his prophecy by explaining that the disciples themselves would face severe persecution; thus, they must be on their guard in order to stay true to the faith. As the early church began to grow, the disciples’ allegiance to Jesus caused them to be hated all over the world. To believe in Jesus and stay strong to the end will take perseverance because our faith will be challenged and opposed. Severe trials will sift true Christians from phony believers.

Jesus warned that such severe persecution may lead to the defection of some members. The fear and persecution will be so intense that people will betray and hate each other in order to keep themselves safe. It will be dangerous to be a Christian. Not only will believers face defection and betrayal from within the body, but also false prophets will appear and their teachings will lead many people astray. The Old Testament frequently mentions false prophets (2 Kings 3:13; Isaiah 44:25; Jeremiah 23:16; Ezekiel 13:2-3; Micah 3:5; Zechariah 13:2).

False prophets claimed to receive messages from God, but they said what the people wanted to hear, even when the nation was not following God. We have false prophets today, popular leaders who tell people what they want to hear—such as “God wants you to be rich,” “Do whatever your desires tell you,” or “There is no such thing as sin or hell.” Jesus said false teachers would come, and he warned his disciples, as he warns us, not to listen to their dangerous words.False teaching and loose morals bring a particularly destructive disease—the loss of true love for God and others. Love grows cold when sin turns our focus on ourselves and our desires.

Only Jesus’ faithful followers will enter God’s Kingdom. This became a precious promise to believers who were struggling during intense persecution throughout the history of the church. Enduring to the end does not earn salvation for us; it marks us as already saved. The assurance of our salvation will keep us going through times of persecution. While some will suffer and some will die, none of Jesus’ followers will suffer spiritual or eternal loss. Jesus said that before his return, the Good News about the Kingdom (the message of salvation) would be preached throughout the whole world. Some have misconstrued Jesus’ predictive prophecy; it does not necessarily mean that every last tribe must hear the gospel before Christ returns. But this was the disciples’ mission—and it is ours. Jesus talked about the end times and final judgment to emphasize to his followers the urgency of spreading the Good News of salvation to everyone.

Jesus warned against seeking signs, but as a final part of his answer to the disciples’ second question, he gave them the ultimate event that would signal coming destruction. The sacrilegious object that causes desecration refers to the desecration of the Temple by God’s enemies. Matthew urged his readers to understand Jesus’ words in light of the prophecy from the Old Testament prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). The first fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy occurred in 168 b.c. by Antiochus Epiphanes when he sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the sacred Temple altar and made Judaism an outlaw religion, punishable by death. This incited the Maccabean wars.

The second fulfillment occurred when Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the Temple came true. In just a few years (a.d. 70), the Roman army would destroy Jerusalem and desecrate the Temple. Based on Matthew 24:21, the third fulfillment is yet to come. Jesus’ words look forward to the end times and to the Antichrist. In the end times, the Antichrist will commit the ultimate sacrilege by setting up an image of himself in the Temple and ordering everyone to worship it (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14-15).

Many of Jesus’ followers would live during the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in a.d. 70. Jesus warned his followers to get out of Jerusalem and Judea and to flee to the hills across the Jordan River when they saw the Temple being profaned. This proved to be their protection, for when the Roman army swept in, the nation and its capital city were destroyed.

Jesus gave this warning to get out quickly for that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again. Great suffering is in store for God’s people throughout the years ahead. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded that when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and devastated Judea, one hundred thousand Jews were taken prisoner and another 1 million died by slaughter and starvation. Jesus’ words also point ultimately to the final period of tribulation at the end of the age because nothing like it had ever been seen or would ever be seen again. Yet the great suffering is tempered by a great promise of hope for true believers.

Who are the “chosen ones”? In the Old Testament, this refers to Israel, particularly those who are faithful to God (1 Chronicles 16:13; Psalm 105:43; Isaiah 65:9, 15; Daniel 12:1). In the New Testament, this refers to the church—all believers (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12; 2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 1:1-2). Some believe that God chose certain people to receive his gift of salvation. Others believe that God foreknew those who would respond to him and therefore he predestined them. What is clear is that God’s purpose for people was not an afterthought; it was settled before the foundation of the world.

Pretribulationists believe that the "chosen ones" are the Jews who will have returned to the Lord and will join the believers and be taken to heaven before the Tribulation. Midtribulationists believe that the chosen ones are the church (all true Christians, both Jews and Gentiles). Jesus will return in the middle of the Tribulation and take them with him. Posttribulationists believe that the chosen ones are the church (all true Christians, both Jews and Gentiles) who will persevere throughout the Tribulation period, which will be ended by God for their sakes.

When the time of suffering comes, the important point for the disciples and all believers to remember is that God is in control. Persecution will occur, but God knows about it and controls how long it will take place. The main thrust of Jesus’ teaching is to show God’s mercy toward the faithful and to show that God is loving and sovereign. He will not forget his people. These false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and be able to perform great miraculous signs and wonders designed to convince people that their claims are true. But their “power” will be by trickery or from Satan, not from God. Yet they will be so convincing that they might even deceive God’s chosen ones. If we are prepared, Jesus says, we can remain faithful. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we will not give in and we will be able to discern that what the deceivers say is false.

In these times of persecution even strong believers will find it difficult to be loyal. They will so much want the Messiah to come that they will grasp any rumor that he has arrived. But if believers have to be told that the Messiah has come, then he hasn’t. Christ’s coming will be obvious to everyone. Jesus was telling his audience that, just as you know a carcass must be nearby if you see vultures circling overhead, so his coming will be unmistakenly marked by various signs. After the time of tribulation, nature itself would experience changes intended to contrast with the pseudo signs of the false messiahs. There will be a variety of changes—the sun going dark, the moon not being seen, stars falling, heavenly bodies being shaken (Revelation 6:12-14).

Coming persecutions and natural disasters will cause great sorrow in the world. But when believers see these events happening, they should realize that the return of their Messiah is near and that they can look forward to his reign of justice and peace. Rather than being terrified by what is happening in our world, we should confidently await Christ’s return to bring justice and to restore his people. The Son of Man will appear in the heavens just as he left in Acts chapter one. His second coming will have universal impact. There will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth because unbelievers will suddenly realize that they have chosen the wrong side.

Everything they have scoffed about will be happening, and it will be too late for them. After the cosmic events recorded in Matthew 24:29 occur, all the people on earth will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Jesus’ return will be unmistakable; no one will wonder about his identity. The “clouds” are pictured as the Son of Man’s royal chariot, bringing him from heaven to earth as the powerful, glorious, and divine Son of Man.

Upon his return to earth, Jesus will send forth his angels to gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. This gathering of the chosen ones signifies the triumphant enthronement of the Son of Man, who will be revealed in all his power and glory. Jesus’ second coming marks the core of the Christian hope. The sound of a mighty trumpet blast will signal the gathering of God’s people. When he comes, the whole world will know that Jesus is Lord.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

As usual, there is so much to digest. While I am sure it would be easy to focus on the future events that await us, for me, the issue is being faithful to the end. No matter what storms of life come crashing down in my life, Lord, I want to stay remain faithful. One of the great heartaches for pastors is to see people who once walked with Jesus and now are not.

The death of a loved one, some great hurt or disappointment, some repulsive act by another believer - whatever - something happened to stop a once passionate pursuit of our Lord. Oh God, may that never be with me. May that never be with Sharon or Matt or Kelsey or Drew or Katie or Emily. May that never be with the people of COV. Build our faith and make it solid. No matter the trials and storms that come our way, build our foundation in you so strong that we persevere. Lord, help us not grow weary. Help us stay faithful to the end.

"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined." Matthew 7:24-27 (NAB)

"Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 (NAB)

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 (NIV)

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

PRAYER

Lord, I know the only way to build the kind of faithfulness and perseverance I desire in my life and in the lives of my family and in the lives of the people of COV is have our faith tested. We ask you to test our faith and refine our faith. We ask you to build our character and integrity. Lord, pour out your mercy and grace in abundance. Help COV be a church that stands tall in our valley. Help us be a church that perseveres.