The Second coming (or “2006- the end of the world? “)
Matt 24:1-44 WBC 7/12/03pm
BBC Two, Thursday 20 November 2003, 9pm- Horizon
In November of 2003, the BBC carried this report on it’s science show called Horizons: “Michael Drosnin is an American journalist and best selling author. He has written two books claiming that he can see into the future using a 3000 year old code, hidden in the Bible.
It sounds preposterous yet Drosnin claims to have serious scientific backing. Behind his findings lies the work of one of the world’s most brilliant theoretical mathematicians, an Israeli professor called Eliyahu Rips….
Quote Drosnin : "We may have less than three years to save our world"
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2003/biblecode.shtml)
- fascinating… seeing as he ‘predicts’ it will be destroyed
So- will the world end in 2006? This Advent- can we know when it will end?
- what did Jesus say- seeing as He said 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
SIGNS AND SEASONS
Firstly- to not be confused by passages like this, there are a few things you need to know
1) Jesus answers 2 questions, here – v3
a) “when will the temple be destroyed”
b) “what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?”
2) He answers with language that WE find hard to understand, and we might apply to the ‘end of the world’ whereas Jesus is in fact applying it to the fall of Jerusalem (& temple destruction of 70AD by Titus)
Pretty much all up to verse 34 describes the build-up to and fall of Jerusalem (after a few years of zealot rebellion AD67 onwards)
- these things Jesus DOES know about, time-wise
o “this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened”
o i.e. if Jesus said this round-about 33 AD (give or take)… and a generation was ’40 years’…. He’s kind of saying:
“your first question will be answered before 73AD!”
o But he wouldn’t be talking about ‘the BIG end’, as He says nobody knows the time of that
(he’s hardly gonna say that and then in the same sentence put a time on the end of the world!)
- the ‘end bracket’ of the answer to this first question is “these things” of v 34
He THEN goes on to answer their second question- about ‘the end of the world’, and He introduces the answer in v36 with ‘about THAT day’
- There is a tiny bit about His second coming in the first bit- but I’ll go on to that in a moment.
So- mainly, about ‘signs’: earthquakes, wars, rumours of wars, famines etc… Jesus is saying
- V6 ‘do not be alarmed’
- these things aren’t signs of the end of the world!
o They are normal!
They aren’t even birth-pangs (showing impending end)
They are (v8) the BEGINNING of birth pangs
• As such- they remind us that
• ‘there’s something wrong’
• a baby is due
• might even increase in frequency, intensity
But it’s playing down the whole hype and immanency of global catastrophe… even the fall of Jerusalem
And this IS true. It is true that all these global signs have been fulfilled since Jesus’ day. In the region around Israel alone
He’s saying:
When you actually SEE the abomination that causes desolation in the temple:
- maybe the Roman banners/standards actually placed in the Holy Place (as Titus did)
o then ‘leg it!’- get out. Run to the hills
o and many Christians did- and were saved
“Keep your head screwed on. When people say “:
- ‘here’s the end. Buy this book. There’s the Messiah’
o don’t believe them!
And here’s one of the bits in this first chunk that DOES refer to Jesus’ second coming
- (it uses the word ‘parousia’… ‘appearance’ (of a dignitary’)… in v27)
- because it’s saying (v26 onwards) ‘when Jesus shows up it’ll be none of this unclear, hidden stuff (’He’s in this room, here!’)
o … it’ll be OBVIOUS. Visible. Clear. Universal.
o As obvious as lightning
o As obvious as (to you guys) when there’s a flock of vultures, there’s a dead body around
Visible a long way off
I find this a relief, you know!
- ‘in my non-hype, I might miss Him’
- no you won’t! You can’t miss this!
- and even if you do- he won’t miss YOU. He’s coming back for you!
SPECTACULAR
I wonder what it might be like?
- really don’t know! Of course- the lightning bit is only a metaphor!
- so don’t start trying to nail it down to be like that.
- a meteorite? Maybe, maybe not?
Interestingly enough- we don’t THINK the seemingly dramatic bits of v 29-31 actually refer to Jesus’ second coming!
o may be wrong. Could. But probably don’t
- the sun being darkened, starts falling is quoting Daniel
o there refers to the fall of Babylon- so may well refer to fall of town, here
o = hard for US to understand it like this
o but that’s what ‘apocalyptic language’ meant to Jews
o it could also refer to the darkness at Jesus’ death
- the ‘sign of the Son of man’ could well be the raised cross
- and the ‘whole earth mourning’ is NOT actually that – it’s better translated ‘the families of the land will mourn’ and could refer to the Jews being cut to the core when they realise what they’ve done
- and the ‘coming on the clouds of heaven’ is not talking about His ‘parousia’, but about the status he receives when Jesus is raised from the dead- as to the high priest in Mt 26:64
Don’t get distressed if you can’t see it like this. That’s a hard ‘linguistic’ change for us westerners to make
- but if you DO see it as referring to His 2nd coming you then have the problem with this not happening within 40 years!
o (and Jesus didn’t make a mistake)
All I’m saying is the main basis for Jesus’ return being spectacular and heavenly visible is this lightning bolt and the way he ascended (Acts 1:11)
- not the apocalyptic language bit
So- what do we know about His second coming
- if the signs aren’t specific markers of it (only general)
SUDDEN
Well- Jesus says about THAT day:
- it’s unknown! A Surprise!
- Nobody knows exactly when it will be!
o Not the angels. Not even the Son. Only the Father
Oi! He’s not equal with God!
• Oh no! Some things the Son does, some things the Father does
• The Father doesn’t save. Judge
o The Son does
• The Son doesn’t set the end. The father does
So- those who give you dates and days are really setting themselves up for a role even Jesus doesn’t have!
The only thing we do know… because this passage tells us… is that it will be sudden. A sudden second coming. When we least expect it.
- that’s the whole point of v 36 onwards
o keep watch! Be prepared!
It’s like Noah’s day
It’s like the taking to Babylon – suddenly some taken and some left
It’s like a thief in the night. He deliberately gives no warning!
So- what do we do. Wait sensibly and patiently- and (v45ff) be good masters!
Is there anything on which it depends?
- Dan 9:20- which speaks about the ‘abomination’
o Puts end time into to 70 X7s ( a 7 being a week of years)
Says 69x ‘7s’ from issue to rebuild Jerusalem until the messiah enters Jerusalem
• Can date that exactly!
o And THEN the clock stops!
The last ‘7’ is ‘asynchronous’. Unknown, time-wise, to us
IF anything- what might make the time progress, here
SPEED THE DAY
Well- 24:14 might be a hint, and 2peter 3;12 tells us that his 2nd coming WILL be spectacular, and can be ‘sped up’:
2PE 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
How might we speed the day? V14 says
4 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The word must go to all people groups, everywhere.
- those were His last words before ascension (Mt 28:19)
o when every territory, people group has heard…
- THEN we’re nearer the time.
YOU… WE hold A key to the end of the world in our hands
- we must tell people about Jesus… and then we’re one step nearer the end of suffering and evil
o certainly the person we’ve told is! (in one sense)
So- how are we doing on ‘speeding the day? Some statistics?
World Evangelization
How Are We Doing?
Are We Making Progress?
"Evangelical Christians are the fastest growing major religious group in the world today and it is the only one growing rapidly by conversion."
Patrick Johnstone
Approximate 2000 Global Mission Statistics (from ‘Mission frontiers’ http://www.missionfrontiers.org/newslinks/statewe.htm
One third of earth’s people call themselves Christians.
One third are
non-Christians living in already reached people groups.
One third are
non-Christians living in unreached people groups.
Amazing Progress
In 1974 approximately one half of the world’s population was beyond the reach of the Church, living in unreached peoples.
Today, just one third of the world’s population live in unreached peoples beyond the reach of the Church.
Annual Growth Rates:
Overall World Population is growing by 1.6% each year
Pentecostals and Charismatics 7.3%
Evangelicals 5.7%,
Protestants 2.9%,
Roman Catholics ~1.2%,
All Christians 2.6%
Muslims 2.7%
Evangelical believers are growing at a rate of
three and one half times that of world population.
It took 1430 years for Bible-believing Christians to
become just one percent of world population
By AD 1430, (1%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 99 after 1430 years)
By AD 1790, (2%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 49 after 360 years)
By AD 1940, (3%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 32 after 150 years)
By AD 1960, (4%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 24 after 20 years)
By AD 1970, (5%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 19 after 10 years)
By AD 1980, (6%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 16 after 10 years)
By AD 1983, (7%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 13 after 3 years)
By AD 1986, (8%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 11 after 3 years)
By AD 1989, (9%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 10 after 3 years)
By AD 1993, (10%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 9 after 4 years)
By AD 1997, (11%) were Bible believing Christians. (One to 8 after 4 years)
And now the shock:
Missionaries:
410,000 Missionaries from all branches of Christendom
(Only between 2 and 3% of those missionaries work among unreached peoples.)
Distribution of Protestant Missionaries Among Cultural Blocks
74% Among Nominal Christians 3% Among Buddhists
8% Among Tribal Peoples 2% Among Hindus
6% Among Muslims 2% Among Chinese Folk Religions
4% Among Non-Religious/Atheists 1% Among Jewish Peoples
Global Church Member Finance in US Dollars:
12,300 Billion (12.3 Trillion) - Total Annual Income
11.4 Billion - Given to Foreign Missions (5.4% of Giving to Christian causes)
Of Foreign Mission Giving:
87% goes for work among those already Christian,
12% goes for work among already evangelized non-Christians, and
1% or $114 million goes for work among people groups in the Unevangelized or Unreached category.
