"The End"
Matthew 24:1-51
Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Introduction: What comes to mind when you think of the phrase that I have used this morning for the title of this message? For me there are a number of things like what you find when you read the final chapter of a book. It says “the end.” I think of the credits after the last scenes in a movie and “the end.” I think of the image of a “hippie” looking character who holds a cardboard sign that reads, “The end is near!” I’m also reminded of two preachers down in Louisiana who were on the side of the holding up a sign that said, “the end is near,” and a car passed them and as it did the occupants hurled insults at them. The car disappeared around a curve and in the background there is the squealing of brakes and the sound of a crash. The first preacher looks at the other and says, “Boudreaux, do you think we ought to change our sign to say, “The Bridge is out?”
The setting for the Lord’s teaching about “the end” is Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem. In chapter 23 Jesus has spoken extensively about the scribes and the Pharisees and their long history of unbelief and hypocrisy and even persecution of the righteous. Eight times Jesus declares, “Woe unto you,” as He speaks of the coming judgment upon them. At the end of the chapter we can read of the broken heartedness of the Lord and read a prophetic pronouncement in verse 39…
Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
As we start chapter 24 Jesus has just left the Temple and the disciples call His attention to the magnificent buildings and it is obvious that they are proud of these structures which to them represent what they hope will ultimately be the restoration of the Davidic kingdom with all of its glory. What Jesus says in verse 2 must have really taken them aback and set them to thinking about the future. For them the destruction of the Temple would be inconceivable, incredible and beyond their comprehension so they inquire about the end of the world. Four things stand out about what the Lord tells them.
First, there is:
I. The Teaching about the End
There is nothing new about teaching concerning the end of the world. The church world today is filled with preachers and teachers who seem to think that they have the market cornered on end time teaching! Let me give you a few recent examples. John Hagee has written a book entitled “Four Blood Moons” Dr. David Jerimiah has written a book called “The Prophecy Answer Book” and many of you remember Hal Lindsay’s book “The Late Great Planet Earth.” The point I want to make about the teachings concerning the end of the world is the same one that Jesus makes in verse 4 when He says, “…take heed that no man deceive you…” Every NT writer warns about the potential for deception. The Jim Jones and the David Korechs of this world will have a field day at the end of time. Paul writes:
Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
ILL – The problem we face is a problem people have faced down through the ages. During World War II, during the Battle of the Bulge, there was a group of German soldiers who dressed themselves in the uniforms of the Allies. These German soldiers used American military vehicles and went through the German countryside changing the road signs. When the American troops came to the various crossroads, they were often fooled and lead off in the wrong direction. This deception by the Germans almost gave them the victory in this very decisive battle from the Second World War.
Just like those German soldiers caused confusion and death by changing a few signs, so many in our day are leading millions off into Hell because they are teaching and preaching false doctrines about the end of the world.
(From a sermon by Ajai Prakash, Returning to our Landmarks, 8/2/2012)
The second thing is:
II. The Trouble before the End
The Lord mentions several things that will happen before the end. We’ve already alerted you to the fact that there will be false teachers. But Jesus also speaks of a time of “…wars and rumors of wars…”
If you go to Ask.com you will find the following information:
As of September 2014, there are 10 official wars and 8 active military conflicts recognized by the United States. There are also other violent conflicts involving 64 countries and 576 militias and separatist groups.
He speaks of “…famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places…” I checked one source that said there are (68) famines in the world today effecting millions of people all across the globe. There have been 9038 earthquakes of 4.0 magnitudes or above so far this year. We are well on pace to eclipse last year’s total of 16, 678. There has been a 20% increase in seismic activity in the last two years.
This is just “…the beginning of sorrows…” ( v.8)
Persecution (vs. 9-10) is next on the list of signs of the times mentioned by Jesus. The stories of persecution fill the internet and major media outlets. Christians are being persecuted in places like Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Iraq, China, North Korea, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and Russia. I am predicting that unless something changes drastically we are going to see the persecution of believers here in the US. We are already seeing the criminalization of Christianity on many fronts by our government and courts.
This will be accompanied by a falling away on the part of many who profess to know Jesus. The “…many…” of v. 12 speaks of a majority who will “…wax cold…” The verb means originally to breathe or blow; and the picture is that of spiritual energy blighted or chilled by a poisonous wind.
Finally, Jesus declares in vs. 14 that “…this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations…” Here it the Lord indicates that the gospel would be “…heralded…” beyond Judea and Samaria and that when the gospel was preached to all the nations as a witness against them that then “…shall the end come…”
Let me illustrate what I mean:
ILL -
Next, there is:
III. The Timing of the End
Notice that the disciples want to know “…when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” They seem to be preoccupied with the “timing” of these events. That is certainly the case today also. In vs. 36-39 Jesus tells them the following:
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
ILL - Dr. George Sweeting once estimated that "more than a fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy...Both the Old and New Testaments are full of promises about the return of Jesus Christ. Over 1800 references appear in the O.T., and seventeen O.T. books give prominence to this theme. Of the 260 chapters in the N.T., there are more than 300 references to the Lord’s return--one out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 N.T. books refer to this great event...For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s second coming."
SOURCE: Today in the Word, MBI, December, 1989, p. 40. Submitted by
Guy Caley
But of all the verses in the Bible there is not a single one that tells us the day or the hour of His coming and the end of the world yet in every generation there are those who announce that they know the date of the Lord’s return and the end of all things.
For instance: Harold Egbert Camping (July 19, 1921 – December 16, 2013) was a former civil engineer turned false prophet, radio evangelist and crackpot who famously predicted that the return of Jesus would be September 6, 1994[1]. When Jesus didn't return, he modified his "prophecy" to claim that September 6 was the day that God removed his Holy Spirit from the earth and that nobody could be saved after this date and that God was calling all those already saved to exit the organized churches. He then changed his predicted date for Jesus to return to May 21, 2011,[2] and October 21, 2011 after that prediction failed.
Consider Pat Robertson who prophesied that 1980 would "be a year of sorrow and bloodshed that will have no end soon, for the world is being torn apart, and my [God's, not Pat's — at least we hope!] kingdom shall rise from the ruins of it."
The Great Tribulation would begin in October or November 1982, following an invasion of Israel by Russia.
There would be a worldwide economic collapse in 1985
After his prophecy of 1982 failed to pass, he changed it to 2007, because 2007 is 40 years since the Six-Day War[wp] and 400 years since the founding of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. Israel and the Six Day War often figure in date-setting attempts by End Times preachers, but what Jamestown has to do with it is anyone's guess (unless Pat thinks modern Virginia has a central role in the End Times due to his own inflated view of Virginia Beach-based CBN's importance in the overall scheme of things.)
Friends, there is just one problem with all those who predict or prophesy a specific date or time for the end….Jesus said no way!
Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
IV. The Triumph at the End
Jesus prophesy about the Temple was fulfilled in AD 66-70 when the Roman general Titus, the son of Vespasian sieged, sacked and set fire to the city. It is estimated that 1,000,000 Jews were slain or enslaved in this four year campaign. But this was only the end of the Temple and Jesus was looking far beyond this magnificent structure to the time of His return which would signal the end of the world. Beginning in vs. 42-51 we have a strong warning:
Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
And with this warning is a statement of both reward and retribution (vs. 45-51). Reward for those who are ready (v. 44, faithful, wise and obedient (v.45-46)
Matthew 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Retribution for those procrastinate and live an ungodly and immoral life.
Matthew 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
WARNING SIGNS
ILL - At an intersection, the green light changes to yellow;
At the theater the house lights flash;
In the Battalion Tactical Operations Center a Warning Order comes down from Brigade;
At the airport terminal the boarding call comes over the intercom;
At a railroad crossing the lights begin to flash;
In a small Midwestern town the tornado siren screams;
On the football field the two minute warning sounds;
In the cargo bay of a C-140 a red-light comes on;
In the Desert of Judea, a voice of one calling in the wilderness is heard declaring, "Prepare the way of the Lord."
What do each of these have in common? They are signs or warnings that we need to prepare ourselves for what is about to happen.
