Matthew 23  ³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!   ³⁸ See, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

24  ¹ Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

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?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. ⁵ For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

• • •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •

⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵ “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹ And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand. ²⁶ So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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 out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

• • •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •

³² “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁴ Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. ³⁷ For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴² Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

pray for what you want

• open our hearts

where it fits

• chs 20-25 à last major block of teaching in the book of Matthew
• Jesus talking about the end of the old covenant era of Judaism and the coming judgment of God against Jerusalem
• confrontation after a parable after sermons after accusation against the religious leaders in Jerusalem
• just finished chapter 23 , a blistering condemnation against the Pharisees and all of Jerusalem
• Jesus and his disciples leaving the temple and Jerusalem when the disciples ask questions about
• when Jerusalem will be destroyed and
• what will be the sign that Jesus is coming to do it
• everything in chapter 24 is an answer to those questions

what they need to listen for

6 tough to miss, hard to handle truths about the last days of the old covenant as Jesus revealed them

the first truth

This prophecy is about the end of the Old Covenant age, not the end of the world

• many of us, maybe most of us have heard that the olivet discourse is about the end of the world
• it’s not… let me show you why

¹ Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”  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?” 

• as much as I love the King James Bible and wish everybody could get comfortable using it, I have to say that at several key points hit made some significant mistakes in translation
• Mat 24:3 is one of the worst
• the disciples did not ask Jesus about his coming and the end of the world; they asked about his coming in the end of the age
• kosmoj or oikumene
• αἰῶν: a period of time of significant character; a life; an era; an age (Tyndale House, Cambridge)
• the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age … I really don’t know if they knew what age they were asking about
• but what I do know is that Jesus talked to them about the end of the OC age (Sunday nights)
• it’s really essential to understand that the end of the age is not the same thing as the end of the world
• there had been lots of ages by the time of the NT

Colossians 1:26  ²⁶ the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints

1 Corinthians 10:11  ¹¹ Now these things happened to [the ancient Israelites] as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

Warren: Did you catch that? … Paul was saying that his generation was at the end of the ages! He said that it had come upon that 1st century of believers. The end of the age is not a future event that hasn’t happened yet. It occurred in the 1st century with the coming of the new covenant, confirmed in the destruction of the [old covenant] Temple.

Hebrews 9   ²⁶ … But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 

• there have been lots of ages, and Jesus put an end to the OC age
• in fact, a close reading of Hebrews 9 will reveal a clear teaching that the old covenant literally could not come to an end while the earthly Temple in Jerusalem was still standing
• the age that was ended in AD 70 was the Old Covenant age
• born at Mount Sinai in 1400 BC, died in Jerusalem in AD 70
• this prophecy is about the end of the Old Covenant age, not the end of the world

the second truth

This prophecy is about Christ’s coming to judge Jerusalem in the first century, not his coming to judge the world in our future

• most of this chapter clearly dealing with the fall of Jerusalem and the burning of the Temple in AD 70
• again, Sunday nights URLs

• the sign of the Son of Man
• the English Standard Version also sometimes translates a verse in a weird and unfortunate way

Matthew 24:30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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.

καὶ τότε φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ,

• it’s not the sign that’s in the sky, it’s the Son of man who’s in heaven
• the sign simply points to the fact that the son of man is exalted to the right hand of the father and has begun his reign as King

à Daniel 7

à the Ascension

• the sign of the son of man in heaven is the sacking of Jerusalem in the burning of its Temple by an army of pagan, idol-worshiping invaders, just as had happened to Samaria in 722 BC and to Jerusalem in 586 BC
• I know this because of all the extreme language describing the undoing of creation itself
• cosmic collapse language clearly based on “sky is falling” language used repeatedly in OT to describe widespread devastation caused by an invading army
• Isaiah 13 Baylon falls to Medes
• Isaiah 24 Israel, Tyre, and Sidon fall to Babylon
• Isaiah 34 Edom falls to Babylon
• Ezek 32 Egypt falls to Babylon

Warren: In the Bible, cosmic catastrophe or collapsing universe imagery, including the sun moon and stars losing their light, is a poetic device for figuratively describing the fall of earthly rulers and the spiritual powers behind them, not literal astronomical phenomena and not a literal end to the space time universe

³² “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁴ Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

• genea generation
• Jesus makes it very clear that whatever he is describing in verses one through 31 of this chapter, it will all take place within a generation of the time that he speaks the words
• in point of fact, it did …almost exactly 40 years…right on schedule

• this prophecy is about Christ’s coming to judge Jerusalem in the first century, not his coming to judge the world in our future

the third truth

This example is about people taken away in judgment, not taken away in rescue

• so many times I have heard this passage used as a warning to stay ready for the any second rapture of the church
• but I have serious doubts that that’s what this is about
• the Lord speaks of Noah’s flood as the model of his coming…
• so he’s talking about either

1. Secret Coming (Rapture) 7 years prior to Second Coming, almost 2000 years in the future from when he said it
2. judgment coming on Jerusalem in AD 70, within one generation from when he spoke it

• decide for yourself which makes more sense

³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. ³⁷ For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.   

• he didn’t know the precise day or hour … No one did … But he did know the generation and those who were listening to him were able to read the signs of the times
• you can be sure that he IS coming to judge the world, and sadly you can be sure that there will be some people who aren’t bothering to pay attention…But that’s not what this passage is about
• first and foremost Jesus said it to warn his followers in the 1st century not to get sucked into the daily life of Jerusalem and judea, and find themselves taken by surprise when the whole situation went suddenly South
• but then of course it was secondarily intended for every Christian of every age :be ready for your Lord to come back

• of course somebody might wonder why we would even bother to make this distinction, if it all comes out the same in the end either way … two reasons

1. it’s always worthwhile to know what the Lord means by what he says in his word
2. there are plenty of enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ who have taken this prediction of the same-generation fulfillment of Jesus prophecies and used it as a reason not to believe in Jesus … if Jesus said that his second coming would happen within one generation of the day he spoke these words, then clearly he was wrong … it’s been a couple of 1000 years , and Jesus has not returned yet … but Jesus never intended for us to think that he was talking about his second coming in this passage

• he was talking about his coming in judgment on Jerusalem to put an end to the old covenant age and fully establish the new covenant age

the fourth truth

This parable is about staying awake to face the enemy, not escaping the enemy by flying away

• famous little parable in verses 43 and 44 about what these days we would call a burglary or a home invasion

⁴² Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 

⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

• the lesson is clear enough, stay ready …that basic demand applies to all Christians of every age, no matter whose end times opinions are correct or incorrect …stay ready
• but way too many of us seem to think that we should stay alert so that we can run away or fly away or retreat … Jesus parable suggests that we should stay alert so that we can face the thief and fight
• what is your attitude toward dealing with the devil? Is your strategy to run and hide? Or are you in the habit of standing and fighting?
• or better yet, do you stay in your knees to fight?

Ephesians 6  ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

• this parable is about staying awake to face the enemy, not escaping the enemy by flying away

the fifth truth

This warning is about working for the Lord faithfully, not waiting for the Lord faithfully

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

• far too many Christians in America today have a hunker down and hide mentality
• I wonder how our Lord feels when he hears us simply sitting around and fretting over how people aren’t nice to us any more
• when did we ever think that this is anything other than a calling and a charge and a glorious cause?
• why should we ever imagine that life is supposed to be easy serving our Lord?
• of course there are challenges and threats and difficulties and dangers: how could it possibly be otherwise?
• our Master still has and Enemy, and that means we do, too
• please don’t buy into the nonsensical notion that Christians are simply supposed to lie low and keep our noses clean …
• these words make clear that the greatest danger we face is Christ himself
• Jesus tells more than one parable that makes it clear that lazy, careless, fruitless servants are no servants at all
• they’re just pretenders, and one day it will become terrifyingly clear
• this warning is about working for the Lord faithfully, not waiting for the Lord faithfully

the sixth truth

This talk is to get us ready to win the world for Jesus, not escape the world with Jesus

• way too many of us have let Rapture talk lull us into thinking that we’re just going to leave the world someday … All we have to do is just sort of hang on until that day gets here
• this passage gives us no reason to think that we don’t have to engage the world with the gospel … that is precisely what Jesus has left us here to do
• when Jesus spoke these words so many centuries ago, his followers were a minuscule, barely noticeable little band of ragtag nobody’s in a problematic province upper great Roman Empire
• the truth is, in spite of all of the persecution, opposition, frustration, and disappointment …regardless of our many failures foibles and downright atrocities, Christians have become the largest faith group in the world
• our Lord has promised that the gates of hell bold out be able to resist us, and so far it’s been true

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war

With the cross of Jesus going on before

Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe

Forward into battle see His banners go

At the sign of triumph Satan?s host doth flee

On then, Christian soldiers, on to victory

Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise

Brothers lift your voices, loud your anthems raise

Like a mighty army moves the church of God

Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod

We are not divided, all one body we

One in hope and doctrine, one in charity

What the saints established that I hold for true

What the saints believed, that I believe too

Long as earth endureth, men the faith will hold

Kingdoms, nations, empires, in destruction rolled

Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane

But the church of Jesus constant will remain

Gates of hell can never against that church prevail

We have Christ’s own promise, and that cannot fail

Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng

Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song

Glory, laud and honor unto Christ the King

This through countless ages men and angels sing

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war

With the cross of Jesus going on before

• Rod told me yesterday … so far, witnessed to five people

conclusion

Luke 19  ¹¹ As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. ¹² He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. ¹³ Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ ¹⁴ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ ¹⁵ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. ¹⁶ The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ ¹⁷ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ ¹⁸ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ ¹⁹ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ ²⁰ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; ²¹ for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ ²² He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? ²³ Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ ²⁴ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ ²⁵ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ²⁶ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷ But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

²⁸ And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

• did you hear the challenge to Jerusalem? Good… you were supposed to
• but did you also hear the challenge to us?

Eternal Father, in this very moment,

I turn again from my sin and myself to you and your glory,

Trusting only in your Son’s sacrifice for my sins to make me right with you.

I want to shelter myself in the shadow of his cross

I want to bathe myself in the blood that he shed there for me

I want to robe myself in his righteousness

I want to renew myself in his resurrection

I want to lose myself in his Lordship

I want to find myself in his friendship

I want him to become for me, for today and forever, wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and salvation.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18

This prophecy is about the end of the Old Covenant age, not the end of the world

This prophecy is about Christ’s coming to judge Jerusalem in the first century, not his coming to judge the world in our future

This example is about people taken away in judgment, not taken away in rescue

This parable is about staying awake to face the enemy, not escaping the enemy by flying away

This warning is about working for the Lord faithfully, not waiting for the Lord faithfully

This talk is to get us ready to win the world for Jesus, not escape the world with Jesus