Sermon - Matthew 24 - Signs - Littleby Baptist Church - September 22, 2019
As we take a look at what Jesus has to say in Matthew 24 and
25, we need to remember that our job is not to save a sinking ship, our job is
to point as many people to Jesus as we can.
One of the most important things we need to do is to know God’s Word. Read our Bibles, study them, and learn all we can to give us the knowledge to resist the false teachers and so we can share what we know with those the Holy Spirit puts in our path.
God’s Word will equip us for both of these tasks.
As we continue to dig into God’s Word my prayer is that our eyes will be opened and each of us will learn what we need to watch for as we draw closer to the Lord’s return. Some will say that we are wasting our time as Jesus will never come and others will tell us that we only a few days away. Some will point to a single sign or event, like some of the Jewish leaders have predicted the election turmoil going on in Israel this week ties to some of Zechariah’s prophecies. What we will find as we look at what Scripture says, there is not one event that points the way, but many signs that fall in place together that point to the return of our Lord.
Before we jump into Matthew 24, let’s start with the last couple of verses in chapter 23.
Matthew 23:37-39
“37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but 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’!””
In these verses Jesus is prophesizing judgement on Jerusalem. He is saying that desolation is going to come to those who have killed and stoned those sent by God. Jerusalem was going to be attacked. Thirty-Seven years after Jesus said these words, the Romans fulfilled them.
Matthew 24:1-2
“24 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. 2 He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.””
Jesus prophesies that the temple will be destroyed, which happened when the Romans attacked 37 years later. Both the temple and the city were destroyed as Jesus foretold. Jesus did not say when it was going to happen, just that it was going to happen. History has shown us that His words were true.
Matthew 24:3
“3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?””
The disciples ask Jesus when all of this is going to happen? What are the signs be of His second coming, and how will we be able to tell that we have reached the end of the age?
To answer the first question, jump down to:
Matthew 24:36-39
“36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son —except the Father alone. 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. 39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be.””
Jesus answered the first question by saying He did not know. We will look at these verses in more detail in a couple of weeks, but I do want to point out that the people as a whole did not know the flood was coming. They were completely unaware because their focus was on the world not on God. I pray that as we focus on God’s Word and walk with Him daily that others will become aware of the gravity of the situation and will declare Jesus is Lord before it is to late.
Matthew 24:4-6
“4 Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. 6 You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet.””
Do not be deceived, people are going to lie about who they are and what is going on. This happens all the time and they are NOT signs of our Lord’s return. There have been false teachers from even before Jesus walked this earth. In Acts we find a man by the name of Simon who was trying to buy the power the Holy Spirit. Many big tent healers were not on the up and up, some of the televangelist have been called out for what they teach. People have claimed to be prophets and named the day and hour of a rapture. All have been exposed to be fake, you may even call some of them false messiahs. They are not a sign of the end of the age.
How about wars? Mankind has fought each other since Cain slew Able. War is part of our history, it has always been present, and war in itself is not a sign of the return of our Lord.
Matthew 24:7
“7 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
“nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” – This is not some territorial dispute or people fighting for their freedom. This could be seen as World Wars, which as we know we have already had two and you might question if we are heading towards the third one. Some theologians will tell you that this statement was fulfilled with World War I, some will say we are still waiting for it to happen and when it does it will make the last 2 seem like nothing.
“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places” – There are people all over this planet who do not have enough to eat. There are earthquakes or other natural disasters that take place daily all around the world. While the famines today are bad, things will only get worse. It is believed that this is referring to a worldwide famine, most likely caused by nation rising up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. The famine may also be caused by the natural disasters or some combination of wars and natural disasters.
A little speculation there about what could happen, but we will not know how it unfolds until it happens.
Matthew 24:8
“All these events are the beginning of labor pains.”
This is one of the areas that get ‘real’ interesting and can be challenging to decipher.
In these verses we see that world wars, famines, and natural disasters are signs or labor pains that point us to the second coming of our Lord. They also mirror the opening of the first couple of seals found in Revelation 6.
Revelation 6:1-2
“6 Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there was a white horse. Its rider held a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a conqueror in order to conquer.”
Seal One is the releasing of the antichrist.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
“2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”
If the first seal has been opened, the antichrist may be living among us. We will not know for sure until the antichrist has been revealed.
Revelation 6:3-4
“3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its rider was allowed to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him.”
“nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” Are the world wars proof that this seal has been opened or is it for one that is yet to come?
Revelations 6:5-6
“5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse. Its rider held a set of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not harm the oil and the wine.””
The third seal is famine, which I think we can confidently say it has not been opened yet.
It is hard to say today if any of the seals have been opened. When you compare Jesus teaching on the signs and labor pains, the verses in 2 Thessalonians, and Revelations 6, I would say that it is possible the first has been opened but I personally think the second seal represents a war more devastating that anything we have seen.
The important point for us as followers of Jesus is to watch for the real signs. World Wars, massive famines, significant natural disasters, and the revelation of the antichrist. They will help us to be prepared, to make sure we are walking with God, so that we can be found in His Favor. If we are reading our Bibles and walking with God, people will see Jesus in how we live our lives. Which allows us to carry out our mission of being witnesses and making disciples with whatever time we have left.
Remember, you are a missionary to everyone you meet.
May the Lord Bless You!
Robert
One of the most important things we need to do is to know God’s Word. Read our Bibles, study them, and learn all we can to give us the knowledge to resist the false teachers and so we can share what we know with those the Holy Spirit puts in our path.
God’s Word will equip us for both of these tasks.
As we continue to dig into God’s Word my prayer is that our eyes will be opened and each of us will learn what we need to watch for as we draw closer to the Lord’s return. Some will say that we are wasting our time as Jesus will never come and others will tell us that we only a few days away. Some will point to a single sign or event, like some of the Jewish leaders have predicted the election turmoil going on in Israel this week ties to some of Zechariah’s prophecies. What we will find as we look at what Scripture says, there is not one event that points the way, but many signs that fall in place together that point to the return of our Lord.
Before we jump into Matthew 24, let’s start with the last couple of verses in chapter 23.
Matthew 23:37-39
“37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but 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’!””
In these verses Jesus is prophesizing judgement on Jerusalem. He is saying that desolation is going to come to those who have killed and stoned those sent by God. Jerusalem was going to be attacked. Thirty-Seven years after Jesus said these words, the Romans fulfilled them.
Matthew 24:1-2
“24 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. 2 He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.””
Jesus prophesies that the temple will be destroyed, which happened when the Romans attacked 37 years later. Both the temple and the city were destroyed as Jesus foretold. Jesus did not say when it was going to happen, just that it was going to happen. History has shown us that His words were true.
Matthew 24:3
“3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?””
The disciples ask Jesus when all of this is going to happen? What are the signs be of His second coming, and how will we be able to tell that we have reached the end of the age?
To answer the first question, jump down to:
Matthew 24:36-39
“36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son —except the Father alone. 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. 39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be.””
Jesus answered the first question by saying He did not know. We will look at these verses in more detail in a couple of weeks, but I do want to point out that the people as a whole did not know the flood was coming. They were completely unaware because their focus was on the world not on God. I pray that as we focus on God’s Word and walk with Him daily that others will become aware of the gravity of the situation and will declare Jesus is Lord before it is to late.
Matthew 24:4-6
“4 Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. 6 You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet.””
Do not be deceived, people are going to lie about who they are and what is going on. This happens all the time and they are NOT signs of our Lord’s return. There have been false teachers from even before Jesus walked this earth. In Acts we find a man by the name of Simon who was trying to buy the power the Holy Spirit. Many big tent healers were not on the up and up, some of the televangelist have been called out for what they teach. People have claimed to be prophets and named the day and hour of a rapture. All have been exposed to be fake, you may even call some of them false messiahs. They are not a sign of the end of the age.
How about wars? Mankind has fought each other since Cain slew Able. War is part of our history, it has always been present, and war in itself is not a sign of the return of our Lord.
Matthew 24:7
“7 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
“nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” – This is not some territorial dispute or people fighting for their freedom. This could be seen as World Wars, which as we know we have already had two and you might question if we are heading towards the third one. Some theologians will tell you that this statement was fulfilled with World War I, some will say we are still waiting for it to happen and when it does it will make the last 2 seem like nothing.
“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places” – There are people all over this planet who do not have enough to eat. There are earthquakes or other natural disasters that take place daily all around the world. While the famines today are bad, things will only get worse. It is believed that this is referring to a worldwide famine, most likely caused by nation rising up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. The famine may also be caused by the natural disasters or some combination of wars and natural disasters.
A little speculation there about what could happen, but we will not know how it unfolds until it happens.
Matthew 24:8
“All these events are the beginning of labor pains.”
This is one of the areas that get ‘real’ interesting and can be challenging to decipher.
In these verses we see that world wars, famines, and natural disasters are signs or labor pains that point us to the second coming of our Lord. They also mirror the opening of the first couple of seals found in Revelation 6.
Revelation 6:1-2
“6 Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there was a white horse. Its rider held a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a conqueror in order to conquer.”
Seal One is the releasing of the antichrist.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
“2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”
If the first seal has been opened, the antichrist may be living among us. We will not know for sure until the antichrist has been revealed.
Revelation 6:3-4
“3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its rider was allowed to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him.”
“nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” Are the world wars proof that this seal has been opened or is it for one that is yet to come?
Revelations 6:5-6
“5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse. Its rider held a set of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not harm the oil and the wine.””
The third seal is famine, which I think we can confidently say it has not been opened yet.
It is hard to say today if any of the seals have been opened. When you compare Jesus teaching on the signs and labor pains, the verses in 2 Thessalonians, and Revelations 6, I would say that it is possible the first has been opened but I personally think the second seal represents a war more devastating that anything we have seen.
The important point for us as followers of Jesus is to watch for the real signs. World Wars, massive famines, significant natural disasters, and the revelation of the antichrist. They will help us to be prepared, to make sure we are walking with God, so that we can be found in His Favor. If we are reading our Bibles and walking with God, people will see Jesus in how we live our lives. Which allows us to carry out our mission of being witnesses and making disciples with whatever time we have left.
Remember, you are a missionary to everyone you meet.
May the Lord Bless You!
Robert
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