Matthew 24:1-14 | Challenging Perspectives

This sermon was recorded at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Just take your Bible with me and open it to Matthew 24.

And as you do that, I will remind us that we are headed for participating in together and celebrating together the Lord's table.

Communion.

In a few moments, we will remember his death, burial, and resurrection.

So as we look at Matthew 24 and begin to consider what is ahead of us in that section of Scripture, we need to keep in mind that we are thinking and remembering Jesus.

Matthew 24 and 25 are often considered to be prophecy and prophetic portions of Scripture, and I'm not disagreeing with that.

But we must see Jesus.

So would you look at Matthew 24 with me and see Jesus?

We begin here with an act that mirrors the glory of God departing Solomon's temple.

Jesus left the second temple here for the last time.

And that's where we pick up in Matthew 24, verse 1.

Matthew 24:1

Jesus left the temple.

And he was going away when his disciples came to him to point out to him the buildings of the temple.

But he answered them, You see all these, do you not?

Truly I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?

Jesus answered them, See that no one leads you astray.

For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Messiah, and they will lead you astray.

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.

See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place.

But the end is not yet.

For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

All these are but the beginnings of the birth pains.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another, and many prop false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Amen.

We often refer to this section of Scripture as the Olivet Discourse.

It takes place on the Mount of Olives, thus Olivet, and it's an extended sermon all the way from chapter 24 to the end of chapter 25.

And because it's an extended sermon, we call it a discourse.

And it begins here in verses 1 and 2 with a pronouncement of judgment.

The word made flesh declares judgment on his house, on his temple, and the Jewish system of religion that failed to recognize and believe in him.

That pronouncement concerns his disciples, because they are still anticipating Christ the King, his glorious reign in the royal city of Jerusalem.

So they ask two questions.

When?

And what.

That means that everything we see in chapter 24, all the way to the end of chapter 25, is part of Jesus' answer to the when and the what of his judgment and his return.

Many Christians enter this section of Matthew with excitement and anticipation, and some with dread and discomfort.

Some folks face anxiety or fear about the future, or perhaps a sense of a lack of readiness for the Lord's plan to unfold.

On the other hand, those feeling excitement and anticipation can't wait for the Lord's return.

You get excited about diving deep into these truths.

They want to be knowledgeable and discerning in order to be ready.

Some may even attempt to gain clarity on the timeline of God's plan from current events, trying to match up the puzzle pieces of time and current events with God's purpose and plan.

I want to acknowledge those disparate feelings.

They are real.

On the other hand, I would challenge us with a third question.

Why?

The Lord answered two questions presented by the disciples in confusion, in concern.

But why did Matthew include all of this detail near the end of his book?

Why did God, through Matthew, deem this important for us to hear?

You see, if we become consumed solely with the when and the what, we will be in danger of missing the why.

And if we ignore the why, we will risk misinterpreting the Lord's answers to the first two questions.

We can demonstrate that a central answer to why Matthew would write about these details is to challenge our perspective on God's purpose and plan.

Matthew has laid out the events of our Lord's life quite clearly.

The first pages of his book show that Jesus is the promised one, Israel's Messiah and expected King.

He's God the Son who shed the glories of heaven to take on the trappings of earth.

He came, Matthew 1.21, tells us to save his people from their sins.

We've already read from Philippians 2 how, in some sense, he set aside, he emptied himself of the rights and the privileges and the prerogatives of the glories of the Godhead, to wrap himself with a body that gets thirsty and hungry and tired to save his people from their sins.

He entered the city of Jerusalem in Matthew 21 with the flourish of a celebrated ruler coming into his royal city as the anticipated king.

And then as the God man, he enters his house, his temple, the building that was to be the place where he was worshipped.

But instead of finding worship, he found business.

And filled with righteous anger.

Jesus drove out the sellers of goods and turned over the business tables.

And as the one to be worshipped, he had every right to judge false worship.

But the religious leaders challenged Jesus' authority to act as the God of the temple.

You see, just as Israel had once refused to hear the sound of God's voice at Mount Sinai, they now rejected the word made flesh.

So Jesus declared, look, your house is left to you desolate.

And in an act overflowing with biblical imagery, Jesus turns his back on his house and leaves it to judgment.

Makes sense then why the disciples needed some clarification, right?

What?

Jesus, what's up with this?

Luke 19, 11 tells us that they were expecting the kingdom to be ushered in, literally, immediately.

And this talk of judgment does not fit their expectations.

How could such a magnificent house of God be subject to such judgment?

Surely, surely God wouldn't destroy something so beautiful.

At the time, Herod's temple was one of the most magnificent buildings in the world.

It was said that you hadn't seen a beautiful building if you had never seen the temple.

The construction is astounding, even today.

The stones used to support the temple complex itself were massive, some weighing 40 tons or more.

Each one expertly quarried to perfectly fit against another.

The temple itself, the temple building that sat on top of the platform, was constructed of white marble covered with gold plates that reflected the sun.

It was said that you could see it from miles away.

The temple was the glory of the Jewish people.

They saw the temple as the sign of God's favor upon his people.

So it's only natural for the disciples to point out this glory of God's house to their king.

But he answered them.

You see all these, don't you?

There's not going to be one left upon another that will not be thrown down.

Approximately 40 years later, in 70 AD, the armies of the Roman general Titus entered Jerusalem.

Titus ordered a wooden scaffold to be built around the temple.

And that scaffold was then set on fire.

When the fire was out and everything had cooled enough, the Romans sifted through the rubble to gather the gold.

And many of the stones were thrown over the platform walls into the Kidron Valley where they can be seen today.

Gone was the glory of Israel.

Gone was their worship.

Their treasured genealogical records were consumed.

Jerusalem was left desolate.

Hearing Jesus speak prophetically, looking forward about this destruction would have stunned the disciples.

How do you comprehend that?

They still had visions of glory dancing in their heads.

This was like Christmas Eve in their minds.

Tomorrow the king is going to be crowned with glory and honor.

How?

How?

What?

Why?

When?

Now they kept their thoughts and questions to themselves until they left the temple.

Following Jesus out of the temple, they walked a short distance from the temple beyond the city wall and across the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives.

And there they you can just imagine them spilling out their confusion once they're alone with Jesus.

Jesus, tell us, when will these things be?

And then what will be the sign of your coming in the end of the age?

Notice that they don't question him.

They're not questioning Jesus.

They're not saying, oh no, you gotta be wrong, Jesus.

No, they're not questioning his truthfulness.

They believe what he says, but it doesn't make sense.

And so they want clarification.

Jesus, we we thought we believed that you're the king and you're going to reign soon, like tomorrow, right?

When will you reign as a king?

How will we know when the time is coming?

Because this just doesn't make sense.

So in his last significant teaching, Jesus answers their two questions.

When will these things be?

And what will be the sign of your coming in the end of the age?

When and what?

They want to know the timing of this judgment and then how to discern the Lord's coming.

Note that the disciples considered Jesus' coming and the end of the age to be the same event.

That's not two different events, it's the same event.

In the disciples' minds, the Lord's coming and glory would end an age and begin a new era.

But Jesus said that judgment, destruction, and inglorious ruin would come for Judaism first.

That should show us that Jesus challenged the disciples' perceptions on God's purpose and plan.

They thought they had things figured out.

And here, three years into following Jesus, they're still confused.

So, beloved, it's good and right to hold convictions about the Lord's purpose and plan for the future.

But hold those convictions lightly and gently.

For if these eleven disciples were uncertain, we too can err in our understanding.

Let's think then about the perspectives that Jesus challenged.

I think we can identify at least five areas where we ought to be challenged, just like the disciples.

First, as we've already seen, expect temporal or worldly symbols of identity to be judged.

Jesus made a destructive pronouncement.

The temple would be torn down so that no stone on another stone would remain, literally stone upon stone.

Now don't confuse that with the temple platform itself.

There's the temple platform, and on top of that platform sat the temple itself.

That platform was built up and extended by King Herod.

And the western wall of that platform still remains today.

But nothing of the temple remains.

Every country, and many people groups have certain elements that define who they are, define their identity.

So, for example, for the United States, we could point to the Declaration of Independence, we could point to the Constitution, we could point to the White House, the Capitol building.

But those elements are not even 250 years old.

At this point, the temple has been in existence, this temple, for over 400 years.

It is firmly entrenched in Jewish culture.

And it is the symbol of their identity.

And Jesus torches a nerve end by proclaiming the temple's destruction.

It's like he forcibly takes their finger and sticks it in the light bulb socket.

Don't do that.

That's what he does.

It's like sends a shockwave through the entire system.

And it's poetic as well as prophetic.

Not poetic as in, isn't that nice and flowery, but poetic in that it takes a biblical phrase that was initially positive and flips it over and makes it negative.

You see, in the book of Haggai, we find the rebuilding of the temple after the return to exile.

The returned exiles were chastised.

They were chastised because they spent time establishing their own homes and their own comfort instead of focusing on rebuilding the temple.

They wanted their own comfort rather than attending to the things of God.

And so in Haggai chapter 2, verse 15, the prophet rebukes the priests by asking them to think back before any stone upon stone was established in the rebuilding of the temple.

Haggai 2:15

He says, Now consider from this day onward, before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord.

That phrase, stone upon stone, symbolized God's grace and God's power to re-establish his people after coming back from exile in Babylon.

But now Jesus says that there will not be stone upon stone remaining.

God would undo stone upon stone.

He would undo, take away everything that he'd done to establish her because she rejected her Messiah.

Israel's identity was to be established in her God, not in a marble building.

In the flesh, in the person of Jesus the Messiah.

But she couldn't see it.

Even the disciples could see the glory of the gold and the marble.

But Jesus says, No, let's get this right.

It's not about the building.

In fact, it's become so much about the building that I'm going to take it away.

Israel's identity was to be established in her God, not in her temple.

Similarly, when the church's identity is wrapped up in the religious rite, in the moral majority, or even today's Christian nationalism, we might find our symbols of identity judged by God.

Did I just touch a nerve?

Friends, is your identity grounded in Jesus' Messiah?

Or is it grounded in some earthly or worldly edifice or program or morality that you think is going to make a better world?

If so, those worldly ideologies will become identities that Jesus judges, not reasons for hope.

Therefore, if your identity is symbolized in any earthly or worldly element, expect it to be judged by the Lord Jesus Himself, because He says to you, your trust is to be in me and in me alone.

I think that challenges perspectives.

The second perspective we see challenged in this text is the confidence and the timing of the Lord's plan.

He says, don't expect to know God's schedule.

And that's hard for disciples because disciples are learners.

That's what the word means.

Disciples want to know things.

We want to learn from the Lord, but on this day of Passion Week, those disciples learned that their concept of God's purpose and plan was off by a lot.

That's what led to the when question.

Notice how Jesus began his answer.

He didn't start out with, okay, listen up.

Here's when it's going to happen.

No, he starts out with, watch out.

Watch out.

Because deceivers will come.

There will be wars.

There will be rumors of wars.

But the end is not yet.

These are but the beginning of birth pains.

Now we should be careful not to stretch that metaphor too far, but we might be able to discern at least a few things from Jesus' use of that picture of giving birth.

One is that it's not the pain of childbirth.

That comes later and is different.

This is the beginning of the pains, not to be confused with the actual birth pains.

Second, we could say that like labor pains, the things of which Jesus speaks may come and go.

Perhaps even with increasing intensity and frequency.

But the critical thing to notice here is that Jesus says that when these things occur, it is not the end.

So don't be surprised by them.

Don't be caught off guard by them.

Don't be stirred up by them.

Jesus is teaching us in verse 4 to keep a vigilant watch, a continual, watchful approach to what is happening in your world.

But the vigilance is not out of curiosity or excitement, but out of preparedness.

Wonderful.

Thanks for the encouragement, Lord.

We live in an ever-increasingly evil world.

When are you coming back?

When exactly will this occur?

You haven't answered our question yet.

Look down at verse 32.

Jesus illustrates, based on what people do know.

From the fig tree, learn its lesson.

As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.

You know this.

We have spring cleaning in a little over a month, but did you notice that the trees are just beginning to bud?

Okay, so you know it's coming, right?

So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near at the very gates.

Jesus illustrates based on what you know.

But then in verse 36, he says, But concerning that day and hour, no one knows.

Verse 42, therefore stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Therefore, when a religious prognosticator claims to see the timing of the Lord's return, they are either ignorant fountains of deceptive teaching or demonic deceivers.

True disciples should give neither any attention.

You do not know.

Yes, you might see parallels in the biblical text.

You might see connections with what Jesus is saying and what the news proclaims, but do not let that lead you to conclude that you know anything about the timing of the Lord's return.

These disciples were believing the kingdom is now.

Jesus says, You don't know what you're talking about.

Because you don't know.

Don't expect to know.

The Lord challenges a third perspective that anticipates improving conditions.

He says, Do expect to face deceivers and deceptive situations.

See that no one leads you astray.

Why?

Because many will come in my name saying, I'm the Messiah, and they will lead many astray.

Jesus told his disciples to remain vigilant so they would not get caught up in false gospels and false messiahs, false claims of messiahship.

Jesus told his disciples to be watchful because many would come, claiming Jesus' position and his office, and so lead many astray.

This is an important topic, as the rest of the New Testament declares, makes very, very clear, warns us again and again: pay attention, watch out, do not be deceived.

For example, Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

See that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit.

That's stuff that comes from human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Jesus.

2 Thessalonians chapter 2, let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the departure comes first.

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

And the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.

Again, we're being reminded there are people that are going to come and they're going to say things, don't believe them.

Second Peter chapter 2, false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.

2 Peter 2 · chapter mention

Who do what?

Who will secretly bring in destructive heresies.

How destructive?

Even denying the master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

And what happens to those who buy into those secret things?

Swift destruction.

1 John chapter 2, children, it is the last hour.

1 John 2 · chapter mention

And as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, so now many Antichrists have come.

The Apostle Paul warned the elders from the church in Ephesus in Acts 20.

I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come, not sparing the flock.

Where are they going to come from?

From among you.

Ouch! You're gonna think they're sheep in the midst of your church.

From among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them.

Therefore be alert.

Jesus says, be watchful.

Be watchful because there are thieves of God's glory who want to draw people to themselves.

Don't be surprised when you see that.

Be ready for it.

Don't be surprised when you hear of it or you're impacted by it yourself.

It is not the end.

And that's the fourth perspective that's challenged here.

When the disciples are surprised, Jesus asserted, don't be surprised.

Don't be surprised.

What?

They're confused?

They're uncertain.

Everything's messed up in their heads.

And now Jesus says that things will worsen as evil rages worldwide and he doesn't want us surprised.

Exactly.

Because disciples should be unmoved.

Because they trust the ultimate mover.

In the New Testament, disciples are not pictured as a group of people that is outraged when the culture turns against them.

They're not presented as being up in arms when Rome's political policies are enacted that contradict God's word.

We don't see them throwing temper tantrums when people mistreat them for their faith.

Disciples do not rush to find the nearest person to say, can you believe what that politician did?

That's not what we see, my brothers and sisters.

Instead, in the New Testament, the disciples are pictured as being as stable as the mountains beaten by the winds.

They're presented as being as unmoved as the pyramids of Egypt by desert sandstorms.

And as trusting as Noah, resting in the sovereign hand of the mover of all things.

They weren't surprised.

The very first sermon in the book of Acts says this is what God planned.

Why are you surprised?

To our spirits, when they're uncertain and anxious and stirred up and surprised.

Jesus says, Yeah, don't be surprised.

I know what I'm doing.

You disciples, you may not know what you're doing.

You may not know what I'm doing.

That's okay.

I know what I'm doing, and that's all that matters.

So our final challenging perspective is be encouraged.

It's getting worse.

Be encouraged, it's getting worse.

Yes, things will become more evil and more painful to follow Jesus.

That's why many will fall away.

Progressively, evil will increase, along with the pain for those who follow Jesus.

As if the deceivers and deception and wars and rumors of wars and famines and earthquakes and all these other things that come with birth pains are not enough, Jesus says, then will come pressures, tribulation, things that squeeze you.

Things that squeeze you that lead to martyrs' deaths.

Disciples will have no friends among the world but will be hated.

People will ditch Christianity left and right.

Betrayals will occur.

Hatred will increase.

False prophets will become popular, and lawlessness will be prevalent as the rule of law fades away.

Now, we're not surprised, right?

If we're following along, we've learned, okay, it's gonna get worse.

Don't be surprised.

Take a deep breath.

Don't be surprised.

Don't be anxious.

Because we trust the mover.

He knows what he's doing.

We're not caught off guard.

We expect these evils to increase because Jesus said they would.

It's not my purpose and plan.

But it's the Lord's.

The king himself says, No, it's not my time yet.

It's not the time for what you're expecting.

He doesn't deny that it's coming.

He just says there are other things that are going to take place first.

It's going to get worse and worse, and it's going to get worse and worse for you.

But don't worry.

Don't be surprised.

Be encouraged that things are getting worse.

What?

How can we be encouraged knowing that evil will increase and that as evil increase, it will mean more pain for us?

We can be encouraged because Jesus has overcome the world.

No amen?

Thank you.

Some audience participation here.

Yes.

Does Jesus Himself not tell the disciples, take heart?

I have overcome the world.

Do you believe him or not?

Those with genuine faith will persevere.

Their love will not grow cold, it will be tested.

Their faith will be sustained, it will be tested, but it will be sustained because Jesus keeps them.

And in the process, as pain gets worse and evil increases, the opposition between what is righteous and holy, and between what is holy and unrighteous will become more and more stark.

And so the gospel will be proclaimed amid an evil world to testify to the world that its deeds are evil and people must repent and believe in Jesus.

Be encouraged.

This plan is coming to fruition.

Jesus begins this long speech with backward hope.

You see, he obliterates human perspectives.

He undermines any hope we might have in this world.

He says, Take whatever you're looking at for hope and encouragement and joy in this world, and know it's going to be taken away, so that your hope will be demonstrated and proven to be in me and me alone.

And so by doing that, he turns our eyes only to him, only to his purpose and his plan, for it is there that we find hope and salvation from everything that opposes God.

Would you pray with me?

Lord Jesus, we confess to you.

Oh, that we take things into our own hands far too often.

We confess to you that we struggle when things are feeling out of our control in the world in which we live.

We confess our anxiety and our concern and our worry about what may come, how things are being done throughout the world and how it opposes you.

Lord, help our unbelief.

Enable us to be like Noah, who likely never saw a raindrop, but trusted that you said it would come.

Lord, help us to rest in your purpose and your plan.

Even if it means painfully having our things of trust in this world ripped away from us.

For you are the only enduring person in whom we can hope.

May none of us leave here this morning without first having seen you with eyes of faith and placed our trust in you for the forgiveness of our sins.

To be made righteous, right in the eyes of God, not by what we've done, but because of what you've done and who you are.

Give us eyes of faith to trust you.

When things don't turn out as we think they should.

Give us hearts that trust even when our faith is tested.

Above all, we ask that the world may see you in all of your glory and repent and believe.

We ask this for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

That concludes this sermon from Faith Evangelical Free Church.

Our mission is to declare the Word of God and disciple believers into mature, devoted followers of Jesus.

You can learn more by visiting our website at faithfree.com.