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Matthew 24:23-44

In the Last Days - 2

  • Rich Jones
  • Weekend Messages
  • July 31, 2011

Jesus is telling us the events of the last days so that we will understand the signs of the times and make our lives ready. Since Jesus is telling us in advance, then we need to make sure we understand the events of the last days to come.

  • Sermon Notes
  • Scripture

In the Last Days – 2

Matthew 24:23-44

In Matthew chapter 24 we find Jesus sitting on the Mount of Olives answering two questions from His disciples. His answers to these questions make up what
we call the Olivet Discourse, this message that Jesus gave while sitting on the Mount of Olives. As we’ll see as we study through this chapter, the
very fact that Jesus is giving this message there, on the Mount of Olives is significant because the scriptures tell us that is the very location where
Jesus Himself will return.

Let’s go back and get the context. Jesus had just finished confronting the Jewish leaders for their religious hypocrisy and then he prophesied over the
city of Jerusalem. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem how I’ve longed to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but
you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!”

Jesus prophesied that the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed and the magnificent Jewish Temple in Jerusalem made of marble and gold would be destroyed,
literally no stone would be left upon another.

After Jesus gave us that amazing declaration against Jerusalem, the disciples came to Him privately and asked, “Tell us, when will these things be, and
what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

The answer Jesus gives to these questions give us great insight into the events of the last days and since we are living closer to the last days than the
disciples themselves lived, these verses are actually more relevant to us than it was to them.

One of the reasons Jesus gives such prophetic insight into the events of the last days is so that we will not be misled. “Behold, I have told you in advance.”
If someone says that the Messiah is in the wilderness or in a secret place, do not believe them. But also, if someone says he knows the day or the
hour, did not believe him either. There have been many books written pro-claiming that they know the day and the hour and many so-called prophets have
become famous, or maybe infamous for the same reason.

Jesus is telling us the events of the last days so that we will understand the signs of the times and make our lives ready. Since Jesus is telling us in
advance, then we need to make sure we understand the events of the last days to come.

I. Watch for the Signs of the Times

  • Jesus gives warnings of the condition of things leading up to the last days events. These are given so that we know when “the time is near.”
  • Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders because they would not discern the signs of the times. In other words, God expects us to have discernment.
  • Notice the similarity. In God’s Word the Jewish people had been told in advance how to recognize the coming of God’s Messiah. They were even given
    the number of years from a point in history to the coming of the Messiah.
  • But here’s the point, all of these signs of the times were before their eyes, yet they refused to see. They refused, they would not; they chose to
    make their eyes blind to what was right before their very eyes.
  • In a similar way, we have been given God’s Word in advance so that we might discern the signs of the times.
  • And God expects us to make ready our lives, to be prepared. To quote the famous American philosopher, Bob Dylan, “The times, they are a chang’in.”
  • God is not giving us these things to make us afraid or fill our lives with stress and worry; we have enough of that already. No, He’s giving us these
    things in advance to prepare our lives and to strengthen our faith.

Illus – the couple who husband was overcome with stress.

A. Prophecy strengthens faith

  • When Jesus says, “Behold, I told you in advance,” He wants us to prepare our lives, but also He wants to strengthen our faith.
  • When God tells us the end of things, before they occur, our faith is strengthened because we see the greatness of His power and sovereignty over all
    things.

Isaiah 46:9-10 He declares the end from the beginning.

Illus – I took a philosophy class at OSU and was asked to write a paper on the question, “Are we not just a set of chemical reactions?” My answer; the prophecy of scripture declares the greatness of God.

B. There will be birth pangs

  • Jesus listed several conditions of the last days that are to be considered as birth pangs. In other words, the closer that we are to the events of
    the last days, the greater in intensity and the closer together these things will occur.
  • There will be wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened.
  • There will be famines and earthquakes with greater intensity and closer together. If you looked at the charts and graphs from the last 35 years, even
    the last 150 years; it’s amazing.
  • If we just looked at the number of earthquakes magnitude 7.0 and higher there is an amazing trend. From 1863-1900 – 12 earthquakes; 1901-1938 – 53
    earthquakes; 1939-1976 – 71 earthquakes; 1977-2014 – 164 (190 est.)

C. Unrighteousness will increase

  • Lawlessness and unrighteousness will increase and most people’s love will grow cold in the last days.

2 Timothy 3:1-4 The condition of people in the last days…

  • There will be many false messiah’s and the false prophets who will deceive many people. In fact, deception will be growing in intensity as we get nearer
    to the last days.
  • Yet the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness against the nations. What’s interesting is that when the world enters
    into the time of the great Tribulation, the gospel will continue to be given.

Revelation 14:6, And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;

II. Be Ready for His Coming

  • We are given the signs of His return so that we might make ready our lives. That is the point that Jesus makes in this very chapter.
  • But there are several aspects of the last days that we need to understand so that we are not misled or confused.
  • In the verses we’re studying today, Jesus speaks of his glorious return to the world of which he will rule and reign for 1000 years. And the scriptures
    say that we will actually return with Him. We need a deeper understanding of the events of the last days that we are entering into.

A. The church will be raptured

  • Jesus describes the terrible conditions on the earth when the wrath of God is poured out upon it as we’ll see in a few moments, but the church
    will be taken up to meet the Lord in the air, for God has made it clear that we are not destined for wrath.

1 Thessalonians 5:9, For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

  • How will we be saved from the wrath of God in those days? Answer: by the rapture of the church. The rapture is when the church is “taken up” or
    “caught up” with the Lord in the air.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

B. The antichrist will arise first

  • Before Jesus returns, Satan will first deceive many by causing the antichrist to arise.
  • The antichrist will be a world leader who will be seen as an extraordinary diplomatic genius and will finally be able to bring peace to the Middle
    East, or at least it will seem that way.

2 Corinthians 11:14-15, No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

  • The antichrist will arise in times of great economic turmoil and the enemies of Israel will be arising in power.
  • Consider the changes that are happening on the world scene today. Russia is rising out of the ashes of communism to the amazement of many. Many
    Arab nations are being transformed before our very eyes. Israel itself is gravely concerned.
  • But the antichrist will bring a covenant of peace, or a treaty with the nations of the world to have peace with Israel.

Illus – Islamic teaching suggests that a great Muslim leader will arise and will lead the world from Jerusalem for seven years.

  • Verse 15 – But the antichrist will betray this covenant of peace and will set himself up in the newly rebuilt Temple to create a new religion with
    him at the center.

2 Thessalonians 2:3, The apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the Temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

C. There will be a great tribulation

  • Verse 21 – there shall be a great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world nor shall ever occur again.
  • There will be two major things happening during this terrible day of Tribulation:

1. The wrath of God will be poured out upon the earth which will be seen as terrible cataclysmic events.

2. The antichrist will betray his covenant of peace 3 ½ years later, at that point, all hell will break loose against Israel as all of Israel’s enemies
attack. This will lead to the great battle of Armageddon.

  • The battle of Armageddon will culminate in the return of the Lord Himself.

D. Jesus will return in great glory

  • The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn…
  • He will enter into Jerusalem through the Eastern gate. Though today it has been shut up and a cemetery placed in front of it to prevent the Messiah
    from entering in.
  • When He returns the Mount of Olives will be split in two and the people of Israel will mourn as one mourns for an only son.

Zechariah 14:3-11 The day when there will be true peace in Israel

  • From Jerusalem He will reign for 1000 years.

Zechariah 12:8-11 Israel will at first mourn when they see Him

Revelation 20:1-5 Jesus will rule and reign over all the earth.

Matthew 24:23-44        NASB

23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and
will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you,
‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from
the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

 
29 “But 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
the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of
the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His
angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
 
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33
so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 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 of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man will
be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the
day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man
be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be
taken and one will be left.
 
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at
what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this
reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
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