I. Intro to the Series.
A. This Christmas season the Spirit has led us to focus on the Lord’s Second Coming.
1. Just as the OT saints were called to live by faith in Messiah’s first coming, we NT saints are required to live by faith in the Lord’s Second Coming so that all are purified by faith in His appearing.
2. The Lord has determined that His righteous ones will live by faith, and that is a standard for the saints in every age.
a. Hab 2:4 “…the just shall live by faith.” (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38)
3. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus will test the faith of every believer:
a. To keep ourselves free from the love of the world.
b. To keep believing in the face of increasing lawlessness.
c. To keep believing even though the Lord tarries.
4. Our faith is not merely in a belief system, a moral philosophy, but in the personal, visible and bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. The bible teaches a personal, visible and bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Just as every prophecy of the Lord’s First Coming was fulfilled in Christ, every prophecy of His Second Coming will be literally fulfilled as well.
2. This is important because false teachers claim that the Second Coming has already happened or that it is figurative and metaphorical. But there is no pattern in the scriptures to support this.
3. Examples of false teachings concerning the Second Coming:
a. Takes place at conversion.
b. Took place at Pentecost.
c. At a believer’s death.
d. In revivals and awakenings.
e. Only to a certain spiritual elite, chosen ones, etc.
f. Secret coming as a thief.
4. These false doctrines are failed attempts to explain away the requirement of faith in the Lord’s personal, visible and bodily return.
C. Key Scriptures.
1. Jude 1:14&15 Enoch prophesied the Lord’s Second Coming.
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
2. Job 19:25-27 Job prophesied it.
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; 26 and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
3. Hosea 6:1&2 Hosea prophesied the resurrection of the saints, the rapture and the Millennial reign.
1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.
4. Many more OT saints prophesied the Second Coming of Jesus. (Zechariah, Isaiah, in the Psalms, etc.)
5. Acts 1:9-11
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
6. Revelation 1:7
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
C. What will be accomplished at the Lord’s return?
1. Jesus will receive us to Himself (John 14:1-3) and deliver us from the wrath to come (1 Thess 1:10).
2. Jesus will judge the world (Matt 25:31; Acts 17:31) giving to each according to their works (Rev 22:12) and He will destroy the antichrist with the breath of His mouth (2 Thess 2:8).
II. Matthew 24: The Signs of His Coming and Signs of the End.
A. Matthew 24 background. (With sections from Luke 21.)
1. Vs 1-3
1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up 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?”
2. Luke 21:5-7
5 Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, 6 “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.” 7 So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?”
3. It will help us understand these chapters if we realize that they asked Jesus two questions.
a. When will these things be? Referring to the destruction of the temple.
b. What will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?
4. As we read these chapters, we understand that Jesus is answering these questions.
B. Signs: Deception, Persecution and War. (Answer to the 2nd Question.)
1. Vs 4&5
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
a. Sign of the end: deception & false messiahs
b. False teachers, false prophets, false messiahs and great deceptions are mentioned three times in Matt 24.
c. this will happen immediately (after His ascension), continually (throughout the last days) and increasingly (as we near His return).
d. The book of Acts mentions 4: Simon Magus (Acts 8); Theudas (Acts 5:6); Judas of Galilee (Acts 5:37) and an unnamed Egyptian (Acts 21:38)
e. Continued throughout the ages. (Moses of Crete 5th Cent; Sabbatai Zevi (17th); Sun Myung Moon (“lord of the 2nd Advent”) & David Koresh.
f. Jesus is warning believers about this danger.
g. The Times:“Paganism is Top Choice for Christians Who Convert to New Faith.”
h. Luke 21:8 “And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them.”
2. Vs 6 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
a. Luke 21:9 “But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”
3. Vs 7&8 The beginning of birth pains.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
a. nation against nation: ethnos vs ethnos (people groups)
b. kingdom against kingdom: regional and world war
c. famines: 30 major famines in the 20th century alone, approx 70-120 million lost
d. pestilences: plagues
e. earthquakes in diverse places, meaning, earthquakes throughout the globe, a pattern of global shaking
f. ‘beginning of sorrows’ means travail, birth pangs, ie., something’s gotta give, the pressure becomes overwhelming, the burden can’t be carried any longer, etc.
4. Vs 9-12 More birth pains, getting closer to delivery.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
a. Persecution of Christians: Armenian genocide (1-1.5 million), Soviet Russia (from 30k churches to less than 500 by 1940), Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, Myanmar, etc.
b. Increase of the spirit of offense among Christians resulting in hatred and betrayal.
c. False prophets (cults) and a great apostasy, falling away of believers (2 Thess 2:3)
d. Increase of lawlessness, every person doing what is right in their own eyes, anarchy, live and let live, moral relativism, etc.
e. Result: love of many grows cold, meaning Christians stop loving, give up, etc.
5. Vs 13 “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
a. Implies that Christians will not be rescued out of suffering by the rapture. Jesus paints a pretty bleak picture and then says “You have other endure it.”
b. Luke 21:19 “By your patience possess your souls.”
6. So there will be deception of believers, false prophets & teachers, great persecution, wars, famines and earthquakes. Through all these, we must patiently endure. The Lord will grant us divinely inspired speech to defend the gospel which no one will be able to contradict or refuse.
C. Sign: The Gospel Preached to Every People Group. (Answer to the Second Question.)
1. Vs 14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
a. SIGN: the gospel being preached to every ethnicity is the sign of the end.
b. An ethnolinguistic group with a common self-identity.
2. This is one of the Lord’s three main purposes in this age.
a. The gospel being preached in all the world to every people group.
b. The Restoration of Israel to its land and its Lord.
c. The preparation of the bride.
3. Revelation 7:9&10
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
4. About 42% of the world’s population is considered unreached with the gospel.
a. 17,269 unique people groups, 7,188 considered unreached.
b. Considered reached when 2% have heard the good news.
D. Change of focus: The Destruction of the Temple & Jerusalem. (Answer to the First Question.)
1. This passage requires an extensive study in order to fully understand it. For our purposes today, we just need to understand that Jesus was answering the disciples first question when they asked for the signs of the destruction of the Temple.
2. Matthew 24:15-28
15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be
shortened.
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
3. Luke 21:20-24
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
4. Jesus is referring here to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem that was fulfilled in AD 70 by the Romans under Titus. Many scholars believe that this also speaks of a future fulfillment by the antichrist.
“The “abomination of desolation” in Matthew 24:15 is interpreted as either (1) the Roman desecration of
the Temple in AD 70, (2) a future antichrist desecrating a holy place in the end times, or (3) both — a historical event that foreshadows a final climactic rebellion before Christ returns.”
5. NOTE: Many early church writers believed the Roman armies & their worship of idols in the Temple was the abomination mentioned here. These are:
a. Eusebius: (4th Century)
b. Athanasius
c. St. John Chrysostom
d. Jerome
All believed that the Roams were the abomination and that Matthew 24:15 was fulfilled in AD 70.
6. History shows that in AD 70:
a. Roman armies surrounded the city
b. Idolatrous Roman standards were set up in the Temple
c. Sacrifices were stopped
d. The Temple was burned
e. Jerusalem was left desolate and uninhabited.
f. Later, Jerusalem was controlled by Muslims for about 1200 years.
g. Trampled by Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles was fulfilled in 1948.
7. The Temple was a center of commerce, and gold and silver were stored inside it. When the Romans burned it, the gold and silver melted and flowed into the cracks between the stones. The Romans took the stones apart to receive the gold and silver, thus fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy that no stone would be left on one another.
8. TAKEAWAY #1: Jesus warned His people before this happened and gave them signs to watch for. Josephus states that Christians in Israel heeded these words and fled to safety before the destruction of Jerusalem. In the same way, He has warned us and given us signs to escape the coning tribulation.
9. TAKEAWAY #2: The time of the Gentiles being fulfilled gives us an indication that we are close to the Lord’s return. Remember the Lord’s three purposes in this age… the preaching of the gospel, the restoration of Israel to their land and their Lord and the preparation of the bride. We see one of those fulfilled here.
E. The Final Signs.
1. Vs 29-31
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.
2. Luke 21:25
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
3. Signs in the heavens.
a. A sign in the heaven preceded the Lord’s 1st Advent. (Matt 2:2) The Lord’s 2nd Advent will also be preceded by signs in the heavens.
b. sign is semeion, a distinguishing mark or signal, a miracle & wonder, an unusual occurrence that is different from the common course of nature.
c. Sun and moon darkened, stars falling from heaven
d. Distress in the nations with perplexity- no one knows what to do, causing people to have anxiety induced heart failure
e. The sea and the waves roaring- some sort of gravitational disturbance w/the moon
f. Several OT prophets saw these signs in the heavens at the return of the Lord (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Zephaniah)
4. The Sign of the Son of Man.
a Matt 24:30
“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.”
5. The sound of a Trumpet.
a. 1 Thess 4:16-18
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
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III. How do we respond to this? Look up and look for Jesus.
A. These are the signs of the world’s destruction but our redemption.
1. Remember, for the Christian, this world is the closest we will ever get to hell. But for the lost, this world is the closest they will ever get to heaven.
2. The Lord’s first advent divided history, His second advent will divide eternity.
3. These passages should not cause us to fear or be discouraged. On the contrary, we should be grateful to know what’s coming so that we can watch and be ready.
4. Matt 24:31
“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.”
a. We should remember that the Lord sent angels to gather Lot and his family our of Sodom before it was destroyed.
b. In the same way, the Lord will send angels to gather us and take us to safety.
B. The tests of the Last Days.
1. Remain faithful even as the world systems fall.
2. Trust the Lord for an eternal home even as the earth groans.
3. Keep love alive,
4. Endure for the sake of eternity.