The Messiah and Forrest Gump
Text: Matt. 24:15-22
Introduction
1. Illustration: Movie clip "Run Forrest, Run!"
2. Today I get to talk about two things; one I like to talk about and the other I would rather not talk about but need to talk about.
a. The thing I like to talk about is one of my all-time favorite movies "Forrest Gump."
b. The thing I would rather not talk about, but need to talk about is the Great Tribulation.
3. When it comes to the Great Tribulation, Jesus tells us about...
a. The Need to Pay Attention
b. The Need For Speed
c. The Need For Good News
4. Let's stand together as we read Matt. 24:15-22.
Proposition: Jesus tells us that the Great Tribulation will be a time of great sorrow, but He also gives us hope.
Transition: The first thing that Jesus tells us about the Great Tribulation is...
I. The Need to Pay Attention (15).
A. Reader Pay Attention
1. There has been more volumes of books than I care to count about the End Times and the Great Tribulation. However, in my mind, the place to start is what did Jesus say about these things?
2. Jesus said, “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about..."
a. Moving from general characteristics of this age until his return, Jesus now points to an event prophesied in Daniel 9:27.”
b. Some contend that at this point Jesus focuses exclusively on the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, while a wide spectrum of scholars hold that these events also foretell a future time of eschatological defilement and destruction.
c. That is the interpretation, in my mind, that fits best here because when it is compared with Paul’s prediction of the eschatological man of lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:1 – 12) and with John’s vision of the beast in Revelation 13:11 – 18, which are remarkably similar to Jesus’ prophecy.
d. Together they indicate some “evil, deified figure such as the Antichrist.”
3. What best warrants this interpretation is that Jesus referrs to Daniel talking about "the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.”
a. Daniel 9:27 (NLT)
The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”
b. So what is Daniel talking about? More importantly, what does Jesus mean when He mentions Daniel's prophecy?
c. When Daniel first spoke of the sacrilegious object that causes desecration, he was referring to the initial fulfillment of that prophecy, which happened around 168 BC.
d. At that time the Governor Antiochus Epiphanies set up a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the temple and sacrificed a pig on the altar (and remember, to the Jews pigs where considered unclean).
e. However, both Daniel and Jesus saw something beyond that event. Most likely, they were referring to the time of the Antichrist.
f. There will come a time when the Antichrist will set himself up as god and demand that people worship him (Horton, 521).
g. This reference shifts the focus to activities at the end of the age. Jesus is thus giving a mixture of prophetic elements that speak both to his generation and to the future (Wilkins, 769-796).
4. What appears at the end of this verse is an editorial comment my Matthew which says, "(Reader, pay attention!)"
a. The event that Daniel was talking about is long in the past and what Jesus is referring to is something yet to come.
b. That is the reason that Matthew adds the note "reader pay attention."
c. The reader is to recognize something that is in keeping with what Antiochus did.
d. In other words do something so appalling and blasphemous that it defies comprehension (France, 911-912).
B. Attention to Detail
1. Illustration: When Forrest and Bubba first arrive in Viet Nam they meet their new commander, Lt. Dan. His advice to them is two fold: always have clean socks and don't get yourself blown up. What Lt. Dan is telling Forrest and Bubba is the same thing that Jesus is telling us; pay attention to the details.
2. We need to pay attention because the things will happen when we least expect it.
a. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 (NLT)
2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
b. We don't expect and cannot plan for someone to rob our house.
c. However, we can make contingencies to make it difficult for anyone that tries.
d. The same is true in our spiritual lives.
e. We do not know when Jesus will return or when the end of the age will come, but we can be ready for it.
f. We can be ready by being right with God.
g. We can be ready by being diligent in prayer.
h. We can be ready by being diligent in the Word.
i. We can be ready by being faithful to church.
3. One of the way we pay attention is by studying the what Scripture says about this time.
a. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NLT)
3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.
4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
b. If we know what the Word says we will not be caught of guard.
c. If we know what the Word says we will not be misled.
d. If we know what the Word says we will be prepared whenever it may happen.
4. If we pay attention to the details we will stand strong in the end.
a. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NLT)
15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.
b. If we pay attention nothing will shake us.
c. If we pay attention nothing will deceive us.
d. If we pay attention we will be with the Lord forever.
Transition: The next thing that Jesus wants us to be aware of is...
II. The Need For Speed (16-21).
A. Flee to the Hills
1. In the following verses Jesus is basically saying, "Run Forrest, Run!"
2. He says, “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills."
a. In a series of five warnings taken from everyday life in Israel, Jesus accentuates the immediacy of danger that will accompany the fulfillment of the arrival of the sacrilegious object that causes desolation.
b. When the abomination occurs, those who have heeded the prophecies of Jesus will know that immediate and utter destruction is coming on Jerusalem and many will die, so they are to flee with great haste.
c. The Christian historian Eusebius reported that Jesus' warning to flee to the mountains was fulfilled during the Jewish revolt when Christians fled to Pella.
d. But Jesus' warning is more general, since the mountains have always been a place of refuge for those beleaguered by invading armies, so Christians must find refuge there at this future time of great danger (Wilkins).
e. Jerusalem is not specifically mentioned here but must be included. The flight will be into the mountains, probably the mountains of Edom (Horton, 521).
3. Jesus further illustrates the need for speed when He says, "A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat."
a. The impending destruction means that there will be no time to gather provisions in the home.
b. The flat rooftops on many homes in Israel were a place to find a cool breeze in the evening and were considered part of the living quarters (Wilkins).
c. The roof...was used for prayer, drying vegetables and other functions. The staircase from this roof was on the outside of the house; one could thus descend without entering the house (Keener, IVP Bible Background Commentary – New Testament).
d. The sign of the sacrilegious object that causes desecration will bring an urgency so great that the people on the flat roofs of the Judean houses must go down the outside stairway and not stop to go inside to take even their most treasured possessions.
e. Those out in the field, wearing only a minimal amount of clothes as they work in the heat of the day, must not go back to the house to get their outer garments.
f. The outer coat was an essential garment for traveling, often used as a blanket when sleeping outdoors, and only those in the greatest hurry would think of leaving it behind (Wilkins).
g. Wherever people are and whatever they are doing, they must flee immediately (Horton, 521).
4. Jesus also indicates that this time will be especially difficult on pregnant women. He says, "How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days."
a. The danger of travel in this perilous time is greatest for those most at risk, especially pregnant mothers and their infants. Jesus describes their fate with a cry of "woe," emphasizing that those who are most vulnerable and who normally rely on the help of others will suffer the most (Wilkins).
b. This will be a sad and difficult time for pregnant women and mothers with new babies. It will be hard for them to drop everything and run (Horton, 521).
5. Furthermore, Jesus tells people to "pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath."
a. Flight in winter, when roads are washed out and rivers are swollen, presents even more difficulty for those fleeing the horrors of approaching ruin.
b. In prayer the disciples must cling to God's presence and ever-ready help, even though they may have to disrupt even the most devoutly held religious traditions, such as the Jewish Sabbath (Wilkins).
c. Jesus' call to prayer that this not happen in winter had to do with bad weather, that in Jerusalem may even included ice and snow which would slow them down. This again reiterates the need for speed in their flight (Horton, 521).
6. The reason for the hasty retreat is "there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again."
a. While the time of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem were horrible, Matthew's description here indicates a time of tribulation that did not occur during the fall of Jerusalem.
b. The horrors that fell on the Jewish people and on the entire world with the two world wars of the twentieth century are a somber warning that the devastation that comes from humanity's unleashed depravity will yet be unequaled.
c. The vision Jesus paints must yet be ahead.
d. The apostle John's vision reveals such a future time of incredible horror Rev. 7-19).
e. The unusual piling up of negatives in Matthew 24:21 ("never to be equaled again" (oud" ou me genetai) makes for an emphatic negation, which points both to the unequaled climax of horror and God's promise that it will not be repeated (Wilkins).
f. Daniel 12:1-2 (NLT)
1 “At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued.
2 Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace.
B. Run Forrest, Run
1. Illustration: Whenever Forrest was in trouble Jenny would tell him "Run Forrest, run!" When they were little she said "Run Forrest, run." When they were in high school and the bullies were after him she said, "Run Forrest, run!" When he left for Viet Nam she said, "Don't try and be a hero, just run!"
2. The Great Tribulation will be a time of incredible hardship.
a. Jeremiah 30:7 (NLT)
7 In all history there has never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end they will be saved!
b. It will be a time of unspeakable horrors.
c. It will be a time of despair and death.
d. It will be a time of increased sin and wickedness.
3. The Great Tribulation will be a time of hardship because of the Antichrist.
a. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NLT)
9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.
10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.
11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.
12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
b. The word "Anti" of course mean "instead of," or "in place of."
c. He will be the complete opposite of everything for which Jesus stands.
d. Jesus is righteous; the Antichrist will be evil.
e. Jesus is love; the Antichrist will be full of hate.
f. Jesus is the truth; the Antichrist will be filled with lies.
g. Jesus brings life; the Antichrist will bring death.
Transition: All of this leaves us with...
III. The Need For Good News (22).
A. Time of Calamity Is Shortened
1. Well after all that we could certainly use some Good News, right?
2. Jesus reminds us that even with all of this, God is still in control when He says, "In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive..."
a. Jesus again reiterates the terrible suffering of those future days.
b. This is a proverbial way of indicating that God is in control even of these days of horror.
c. If the wickedness of humanity and the wrath of God were allowed to run unchecked, there would be no end to the terror and no one would survive.
d. This is a promise that the time of tribulation will not last indefinitely, because God is in control.
3. Jesus says the reason it will be shortened is "it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones."
a. "God's chosen ones," literally "The Elect," in the NT usually refers to those who have accepted God's invitation and placed their faith in Jesus (Horton, 523).
b. The people of Israel are often referred to as "the chosen ones," but this is a reference to believing Christians.
c. In the time of future great tribulation, when Israel will once again be used of God for witness to bring in a multitude of believers from all the nations who worship God and the Lamb, the expression "the chosen ones" includes all who believe on Christ during this period (Wilkins).
B. Our Blessed Hope
1. Illustration: The 13th of the 16 fundamental truths of the Assemblies of God states, "The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church."
2. The Good News is that those who are followers of Christ won't be here!
a. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NLT)
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.
17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
18 So encourage each other with these words.
b. The Good News for us is that before the Great Tribulation begins Christ will come and take us home to be with Him forever.
c. We will be spared the sorrow, grief, and pain of the Tribulation.
d. We will be spared the deception, lies, and evil.
e. Jesus will already have called us home.
3. The Good News is that followers of Jesus have already won!
a. 1 John 5:4-5 (NLT)
4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
b. We have overcome the world.
c. We have overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.
d. We have overcome hell, death, and the grave.
e. As long as we hold on to Jesus we have nothing to fear.
4. The Good News is that if you are not a follower of Jesus you can be!
a. 1 John 5:13 (NLT)
I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.
b. We can know that we are follower of Jesus. Not just hope, guess or wonder, but we can know it.
c. John 1:12 (NLT)
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
d. If all of this Tribulation/End Times stuff scares the hell out of you...it should!
e. But if you simply ask Jesus into your heart, and begin to live for him, it doesn't have to.
Transition: The Great Tribulation is scary stuff, unless you are a follower of Jesus!
Conclusion
1. When it comes to the Great Tribulation, Jesus tells us about...
a. The Need to Pay Attention
b. The Need For Speed
c. The Need For Good News
2. Are you paying attention to the details?
3. Do you have Good News?
4. Are you looking forward to the coming of Jesus?
5. But there will be a day... (show the Jeremy Camp video "There Will Be A Day."
