Matthew 24:26-35

Matthew 24:26-35 NIV

“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he (The Messiah) is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
“Immediately after the distress of those days

“ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

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For those who have difficulty reading this material as anything other than predictions about the end of the world, this section from Matthew 24 ought to give you pause. The apocalyptic imagery of the Son of Man riding on the clouds, and the angels gathering the elect from the four winds, is certainly compelling to lead one to think that Jesus is not talking about a first century fall of Jerusalem, but the ultimate end of the world. I read it that way for years. But let's look at the prophet Daniel, where much of this imagery finds its source.

Daniel had a vision which involved great beasts rising from a churning sea. These beasts represented kings, which in Daniel represent the four Greek kings who arose after the death of Alexander the Great. Alexander had conquered much of the known world. His generals took over and split his vast kingdom into four parts. From these eventually came Antiochus IV who brutally oppressed the Jews.

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this. “So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
Daniel 7:13-14, 16-18 NIV

So you see in all this wild imagery there is a simple interpretation. Four kings will rise, but in time they will fall away and the holy people of God will inherit the kingdom! All shall be well.

Here's a selection from Isaiah 11 which speaks of gathering the people of God (the elect as Jesus calls them) from the four directions (from everywhere they are scattered) and bringing them under the government of the messiah. In Daniel the messiah is the Son of Man, but in Isaiah the messiah is the Root of Jesse (a way of pointing to God's promise to keep a descendant of King David shepherding Israel).

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
Isaiah 11:10-12 NIV

Matthew 24 draws upon this imagery with the same intent. God will end this time of tyranny and give a peaceful and righteous kingdom to His faithful under the administration of the messiah. It's all going to be ok.

Jesus draws upon well known prophetic imagery to teach the disciples. But it's imagery, not to be taken literally, pointing to the redemption of God's people. Through tribulation, God will bring them into a safe and secure future under godly leadership.

Jesus helps us to see that the appearance of the messiah will be fully apparent for anyone looking. Just as vultures circle above a dead carcass, marking the spot, so will be the clear evidence pointing to the messiah. In fact, Matthew has gone to great lengths proving that Jesus is the Son of Man, the promised messiah. For Jesus has healed the lame, blind, deaf, mute, leprous, and raised the dead. He fed a multitude with miraculous food that seemed to suddenly appear, like manna from heaven. The signs and wonders performed by Jesus point to His messiahship.

After the tribulation under oppressive rulers, like the Romans, there will be signs in the heavens also pointing to the coming new era of godly rule. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 13 how the sun and moon will be darkened. Some have interpreted solar and lunar eclipses as signs that the end of the world is near. I think rather that the only light men need is Jesus, the messiah who saves. The heavenly bodies give way for the awesome glory of the savior. Again, this is poetic imagery lauding the glory and majesty of God's messiah, the hope of the nations.

Having said this imagery is not meant to be taken literally, Jesus says that when you see all these signs taking place, then you know the time is near for the messiah to take possession of the kingdom, gather the faithful, and usher in a new era of peace, prosperity and righteousness under the blessings of God. That would lead me to think perhaps this imagery should be interpreted literally. Remember that the imagery points to something actual. What actual signs should we watch for to know the messiah's righteous rule is near? First there will be a time of suffering and great evil. People will be cruel to one another. The state will be oppressive under idolatrous leaders, meaning they will serve something other than the living God. It could be money or their own fame and glory. They may give lip service to faith in God, but their actions will point to where their heart truly lies. But the love of God will remain and the messiah and His church will endure. The wicked will lose their power as the world awakens to what is truly needed.

Now if you're still convinced that reading this passage literally as a prophecy about the ultimate end of the world, then what do you do with this verse? Jesus said,

Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Matthew 24:34 NIV

Either Jesus meant something else other than the end of the world or he was deluded and wrong. Clearly the world did not end in the time of the disciples, although the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple likely felt like the end of the world for them. Some have said "this generation" means the church through all time, but I don't think that's accurate.

Matthew's community suffered the the invasion of Roman forces, the destruction of Jerusalem, the scattering of the people, the persecution of the church from their own kind, and idolatrous leaders both in Rome and within Israel's religious elite. Jesus' words comfort by saying, "It won't always be this way. This time of suffering won't last. Better days are ahead with God's help."

There are a lot of sad and worried people in America right now. Perhaps we all might take a moment to hear Jesus' consoling words. This time of trouble won't last. Good days with God's help are ahead. In fact God is using these days to usher in better days. History has proven that Americans pull together under national crisis. While right now we seem to be pulling each other apart, keep hope in the knowledge that God is working all things together for good. Love wins.