Sermon - Matthew 24:27-44 - The Second Coming - Littleby Baptist Church - November 3, 2019
When we last looked at Matthew 24, we read that when our
Lord returns it will not be in secret, in will not be known to only a select
group of people, and He will not be in a disguise.
Matthew 24:27
“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far
as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
When our Lord and Savior returns to this earth it will be a
surprise, it will be sudden, it will be scary to many, and will be visible to
everyone. There will be no missing His return.
Matthew 24:29
“Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will
be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the
sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
Jesus’ words mirror what was documented in Isaiah.
Isaiah 13:10
“Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations will
not give their light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not
shine.”
Isaiah 34:4
“All the stars in the sky will dissolve. The sky will roll
up like a scroll, and it stars will all wither as leaves wither on the vine,
and foliage on the fig tree.”
The sun will go dark, the moon will no longer reflect light,
and the multitude of stars in the sky will no longer be visible. This also mirrors
the wording found in Revelation 6 about the 6th seal being opened
and could be the wrath of God being poured on the earth, but right now let’s
focus on Jesus words in Matthew.
Matthew 24:30-31
“30 Then the sign of the Son of Man
will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples 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 He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet,
and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to
the other.”
The lights go out and then the sign of the Lord is visible
to all. Kind of reminds me of a king of old returning home triumphantly from
battle. His banner waving before him and trumpets being played to call everyone
to celebrate his success.
This is the One True King’s second triumphant entry. The
sign lets everyone know that He has returned, and the trumpets are calling all
believers to His side to celebrate His return.
Daniel 7:13-14
“13 I continued watching in the night
visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of
heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 He
was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people,
nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one”
When our Lord returns He is returning to setup His kingdom.
Revelation 19:11-16
“11 Then I saw heaven opened, and
there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and he judges
and makes war with justice. 12 His eyes were like a
fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no
one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in
blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The
armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white
linen. 15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he
might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will
also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And
he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of
Lords.”
Matthew, Isaiah, Daniel, and Revelation are all telling us
that when Jesus returns there is no doubt, everyone will know that the triumphant
King has come to setup His new kingdom. Everyone will know that Jesus Christ is
King.
Matthew 24:32-33
“32 “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As
soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is
near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things,
recognize that he is near—at the door.”
Remember this is Jesus talking, and He is tying things up
here in order to help us realize that when we start seeing the different events,
we have been talking about that His return is near. The signs point to His
coming, the Tribulation as rough as it may be, it is a necessary step leading
up to His Return as King.
Matthew 24:34
“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass
away until all these things take place.”
Those who witness the breaking of the seals, those that
witness the desecration of the Jewish Temple, the generation that witnesses
these events will be the generation that will see His return.
Matthew 24:35
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never
pass away.”
If you think about what Jesus has been saying in Matthew 24
up to this point, His Words will never pass away. His Words will come true, all
of this will come to pass, and what we know as the heavens and the earth will
pass away.
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”
Every now and again you hear someone say they have figured
out when Jesus is coming back. Some of the supposed events have been more
science fiction involving comets or some other crazy thing. Jesus is telling us
that He does not know the day or the hour. If Jesus does not know, no mere
mortal will ever figure it out. The day and hour will come, and all will be
surprised by it.
Like the days of Noah, those that are so caught up in living
life in sin, those who are ignoring the signs of Jesus’ coming return, those
who would rather live for the moment than preparing for an eternity, those that
would rather live by what they can see and touch in place of living by faith,
they will be unprepared for what is to come.
Matthew 24:40-41
“40 Then two men will be in the
field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will
be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left.”
Like many of the verses we have looked at about the end
times, there are differing opinions on what these verses are talking about. First
thing to remember this is in regard to the second coming of Jesus, not the
rapture or anything else. Some will tell you that those left behind are the
faithful and some say they are the ones being judged.
I think if we look back a few verses we get the needed
clarification.
Matthew 24:31
“31 He will send out his angels with
a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one
end of the sky to the other.”
Those being taken are those that have been true to Jesus and
are being gathered from the four winds at the sound of the trumpet blaring.
Those that are left behind will be caught unaware and will be afraid of the
coming judgment.
Matthew 24:42-44
“42 Therefore be alert, since you
don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know
this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have
stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. 44 This
is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect.”
Again, Jesus is reminding those that are going to live
through the tribulation to be alert. Pay attention to the signs they have been
given. Don’t listen to false teachers. Don’t let people tell them that Jesus
has returned in secret. Don’t get distracted by the things of the world. Don’t
let the trials they are facing keep them from remaining true to Jesus.
Stay alert and keep watching. Be prepared for Jesus’s Second
Coming. The signs will let them know that the time is near.
If these verses are for those who will live through the
Tribulation, what are they teaching us? I would say the message is the same.
We to need to stay alert. We need to pay attention to the
signs we have been given, because we do not know how many days we have left. We
may draw our last breath, Jesus could take us away to avoid the testing, we
simply do not know when we will see our Savior face to face.
We have to be careful so that we are not led astray by false
teachers. We have to make sure we are not dragged away by the things of the
world. We have to make sure that we do not let the trials and tribulations of
this sinful world keep us from pursuing the truth that is only found in Jesus.
How do we do this? By spending time in the Word of God.
Coming to church is a great first step. Joining us for Sunday School allows us
to dig a little deeper and the Second Saturday Studies, also known as the men’s
and ladies’ studies are other ways to grow in your knowledge of God’s Word.
None of these replace reading and studying your Bible on your own. I cannot
emphasize it enough, each of us need to spend quality time with God’s Word. The
more time we spend the deeper our knowledge and hopefully are faith grows.
Read it and pray over it. It will help you to be prepared
for what is coming.
The Word of God will not pass away, it is worth your time.
God Bless,
Robert
Robert
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