Matthew 24:1-14

Matthew 24:1-14 NIV

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

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It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine! ~ R.E.M.

Jesus leaves the temple after His confrontation with the Pharisees and teachers of the law. On their way out, the disciples wonder at the magnificent structure and buildings of the temple complex. What Herod the Great had built was a marvel to them. Indeed some wrote of the temple as a wonder of the first century world. The temple could be seen for miles as pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem. Herod built the temple with Romanesque architecture. He spared no expense. By doing so he hoped to win favor with the people, especially the religious leadership of the nation.

Fine as the temple mount and complex was, Jesus was quick to dismiss it. Soon it will be destroyed, because of the unfruitful ministry there. Remember the cursed fig tree? Jesus cursed a fig tree because it bore no fruit. The fig tree shriveled up and died. This foreshadowed what was going to happen to Jerusalem and its temple. In 35-40 years the Romans will invade and destroy the temple, tearing it down to its foundations. Today you can view some of the rubble of that temple which archaeologists have unearthed. Not one stone is left upon another.

Intrigued the disciples wish to know when it's all going down. When will be the end of this age and the signs to know the end is coming?

Jesus gives them a very long answer. The next two chapters deal with the end, or as popular culture wrongly labels it, The Apocalypse. The word apocalypse merely means to uncover what is hidden, to reveal mysteries. The disciples want Jesus to share with them secret knowledge that only God knows. That clues us in on how they think of Jesus. They understand He has insight to the mind of God.

Jesus warns them of false messiahs and wars to come, of famine and earthquakes. None of this should cause alarm for these are merely labor pains leading to the birth of the new creation! During this time of turmoil there will be persecution for the church. While this means suffering for Christians, it is still a sign of the coming kingdom! The new creation is near when you see the persecution of Christians.

“...you will be hated by all nations because of me."
Matthew 24:9b NIV

Sadly, because of the persecution of the church, many Christians will denounce their faith in Christ in order to avoid suffering, imprisonment and death. Believers will turn on each other in desperate acts of self preservation. It will be a terrible time.

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold..."
Matthew 24:12 NIV

Now before I get too far, let's remind ourselves that this prophecy of things to come speaks more to the immediate future of 1st century Palestine, than it does to our distant future. Historically many of these things had happened to Israel and the church when Rome crushed the Judean rebellion and destroyed the temple. For a Jew, it was like their whole world had come to an end! Without the temple and the religious leadership in tact, the Jews struggled to maintain an identity distinct from others. Rabbinical teachers made all the difference. The church moved in a different direction embracing converted pagans as part of the new community in Christ. It is a rift in Judaism yet to be healed.

In a sense some of Jesus' prophecy had already occurred within Israel, but the community still waited for the coming kingdom. This passage served to placate their desire. There will be more tragedy and more suffering until the whole world hears the gospel.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 NIV

This current age will end after the whole world has heard the good news of the reign of God's perfect love through Jesus Christ. Until then the church labors to witness to every people in every corner of the globe. Our witness is in words, deeds and the manner of our congregational life.

The world is weird right now. Many think the end is near because of the increasing violence, natural disasters, the creation of ISIS, and the instability of the Middle East. Be careful of prophets and preachers claiming they know when the end is coming. Over the last 2000 years, everyone who has suggested a date has been flat wrong. Jesus said that even He didn't know the actual date for the end.

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
Acts 1:7 NIV

Rather than concern ourselves with forecasting the end times, we ought to busy ourselves faithfully witnessing to the good news of God's love and His kingdom come upon the earth through the church of Jesus Christ.

The Newsboys wrote about being overly infatuated with endtimes predictions and preparations. I leave you with a bit of their lyrics.

Lights Out
From Going Public (1994)

Last one turns the lights out, and climbs up to the top of the roof
He's sitting there 'til the Second Coming
Says he's got the mathematical proof
Who do you think you are?
Did you figure out the date?
What do you hope to do
While you sit around and wait, wait, wait...

DON'T GO SHUTTIN' DOWN
'TIL THE TRUMPET SOUNDS
AND THE BATTLE IS WON
DON'T GO PUNCHIN' OUT
'TIL THE FINAL SHOUT
AND THE FATHER SAYS, "WELL DONE"