The Second Coming Of Christ - Part 4: God Talks About The Timing Series

The Second Coming of Christ

Part 4: God Talks about the Timing

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 24:29-44

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared March 10, 2023)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 24, and we will study two more of the Lord's parables. You may remember that a parable is simply an earthly story with a heavenly meaning, and Jesus told about 40 parables during His earthly ministry.

*But before we read our Scripture, you should know that in Matthew 21 Jesus had reached the last week before His crucifixion and resurrection. Now here in Matthew 24, Jesus began to talk about His second coming. Verses 1-3 tell us why:

1. Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple.

2. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.''

3. Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?''

*Today's parables are part of the Lord's answer to their questions. And these parables help us get ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Let's begin by reading Matthew 24:29-44.

MESSAGE:

*By this time, it was only 2 or 3 days before the cross. Jesus had just finished condemning the Jewish leaders for stubbornly rejecting Him as the Messiah. The Lord also condemned them for their arrogance, their lack of mercy, their hypocrisy, and more.

*Then, here in Matthew 24, Jesus told His disciples that every stone of the Temple they admired would be thrown down. That's why in Matthew 24:3, "As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'"

*When will these things be? Today we will talk about the timing. But there are some questions about the timing, so I want to start by focusing on some sure things in today's Scripture.

1. FIRST: THE RETURN OF OUR REDEEMER IS SURE.

*The return of our Redeemer Jesus Christ is very sure. Verses 29-31 make this truth clear, because Jesus said:

29. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

*In these few verses, the Lord tells us 9 things that will surely happen. We can look forward with a sure hope that it will be just as He said. Our Redeemer will surely return!

*Dr. George Sweeting once estimated that more than a fourth of the whole Bible is future prophecy. Over 1,800 references to Christ's return appear in the Old Testament. And in the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are more than 300 references to the Lord's return. Twenty-three of the 27 books in the New Testament refer to this great event!

*Dr. Sweeting reported that for every single prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are 8 prophecies for the Lord's second coming. What a comfort this is for us as Christians. Jesus is coming again! The return of our redeemer is sure! (1)

2. ANOTHER SURE THING IS THE BIBLE, BECAUSE IT IS THE WORD OF GOD, AND THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD IS TIMELESS.

*Down in vs. 35, Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." The Bible has been ridiculed, and rejected, but it never has, and it will never pass away!

*Author Chuck Colson gave this testimony about the Word of God, "The Bible: Banned, burned, beloved. More widely read; more frequently attacked than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals have attempted to discredit it; dictators of every age have outlawed it, and executed those who read it. Yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it more powerful than their weapons. And fragments of it smuggled into solitary prison cells have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints." (2)