The Return of the King - Matthew 24:15-35
If you let your mind run wild, it’s easy to think about worst case scenarios. It doesn’t matter how probable it is, we’re thinking about it and we’re thinking about what we’ll do.
There are companies that build doomsday shelters. I looked them up and if you have anywhere from $60,000-$400,000 laying around, you can get yourself one. People prepare for worst case scenarios. Nuclear fallouts. A destructive meteor. A natural disaster.
We also prepare for worst case scenarios at work or school. If I got fired… I would do x,y,z. Or if I failed this class, then I would do this or that.
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The truth is, we prepare for horrible things but we don’t know what will happen! But in our passage Jesus tells us horrible things will happen.
It’s not a question of whether or not it will happen. The only question we have is when will it happen. Are you prepared?
We take the threat of nuclear war seriously, which we probably should, but it seems to me that we don’t take the second coming seriously.
We’re nonchalant about the second coming, but we think we need to work out the details of our lives in case we get fired. Why is that? Do we take the words of Christ seriously?
Don’t be a deserter (vv. 15-28)
Jesus begins by speaking about a abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel. The first half of the book of Daniel is about his life, and the second half is highly symbolic and prophetic. But the abomination of desolation is a reference to various passages in Daniel 9 and 11 where Daniel prophesied of the desecration of the temple by the Syrian ruler Antiochus Ephiphanes.
Antiochus erected a pagan altar and according to the Jewish historian Josephus, he even sacrificed swine in the temple. It’s clear from history that Antiochus went way out of his way to desecrate the temple.
Just so you understand the timeline, the desecration of the temple by Antiochus Ephiphanes took place hundreds of years before the destruction of the temple by the Roman Empire.
And Jesus again, prophesied the destruction of the temple by the Romans which took place several decades after his death.
I know this is a lot of background and historical information but here’s the relevance: Jesus is saying the desecration was a foreshadowing of what was to take place (and did take place) in AD 70. Remember, the Romans not only destroyed the temple but Jerusalem as well.
And no one was safe.
That’s why he speaks about various groups of people running for their lives. Some will flee to the mountains, or stay hidden on their rooftops, and flee their field.
You can still see the tender care and mercy of Jesus in verse 19. He considers pregnant women and little children in the midst of war. And he prays the climate is suitable and they can still observe the sabbath during this time of great distress.
Then Jesus switches gears in verses 21 and 22. He says, For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
He goes from prophesying about a real historical event, the destruction of the temple in AD 70, to discussing the end times.
He uses the language of the “great tribulation” to describe what will take place right before his second coming. This great tribulation will be like nothing that’s ever taken place on earth. And in order for all not to die a violent death, the final days will be cut short.
Then Jesus shifts gears again and begins to discuss false signs again as he did earlier in chapter 24. He says, Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
Notice a few things about verses 24-25: Twice he says “do not believe it.” And once he says, “do not go out.”
Christ is warning us against paying attention to false signs that would point to the end of time. Don’t pay attention to false Christs. Don’t pay attention to false prophets. If someone says Christ is out here in the woods or in this room, don’t pay attention to it!
The whole point of the false teachers, prophets, and signs is to lead people astray. If it was possible, they would try to lead away the elect. In other words, if it was possible to take someone’s salvation from them these wolves in sheep’s clothing would try.
There will even be great signs and wonders according to Jesus. We must not be deceived.
Difficult trials will come. Tough times are ahead. Jesus warns his disciples and us as well of this. That’s why he said, I have told you beforehand. The truth is that the second coming of Jesus Christ will sneak up on you. There will be no warning. There will be no giveaway. It will happen like a flash of lightning. You’re not anticipating it and then boom. And it will be at the point where things are the most severe.
It’ll resemble a corpse laying on the ground with vultures pecking at it.
It will look like Christianity will be wiped off the face of the earth and then Christ will return. This is an interesting and confusing passage. There’s a lot wrapped up in verses 15-28.
It’s interesting because he takes a lot of time to describe the abomination of desolation to help the disciples better understand what would take place when the Romans would destroy Jerusalem and the temple along with it.
And then he discusses the end times. Why did Jesus mingle those two things together? What does the destruction of the temple have to do with the end times?
Here’s the point that I think Jesus wants us all to get. The temple being destroyed and the people of God being mocked and killed by the Romans was a small foretaste for what the end times will be like.
Because what will occur right before Jesus returns will be much worse.
The Romans ransacked Jerusalem and killed countless people. And for how bad and severe it was for those people - it’ll be much worse for believers right before the second coming of Christ. How committed are you to Jesus Christ?
Jesus makes two things very clear: Expect false signs and expect persecution.
The false signs will be attempts to lead people astray. If you know the Word of God, you can sniff out false teachers and false signs. But persecution… there’s not a lot you can do to prepare for it. In many ways persecution distinguishes the true followers of Christ from the casual.
Are you willing to suffer for Christ?
As many of you know, we started the Journey curriculum in our Life Groups and the sample lesson we did dealt with suffering.
And in that lesson they make the great point that there is a direct correlation between suffering and glory. There’s a sense in which suffering prepares you for your future glory.
Romans 8:17 says, ...”and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Christ suffered and died on the cross. Why do we assume we’ll be exempted from suffering?
Suffering will either bring you closer to Christ or will make you desert him. Which will it be? You know, persecution will bring you to the doorstep of glory. We should pray thy kingdom come because we should long to see Christ. The next two verses deal directly with the second coming of Jesus.
Don’t be unprepared (vv. 29-31)
Jesus tells us that what he explains next will occur immediately after the tribulation. So right after the persecution has peaked, that’s when Jesus will return.
It’s really interesting because Jesus’s favorite title for himself isn’t the Son of God. People often assume it’s Son of God, but his favorite title for himself is Son of Man.
And the “Son of Man” title is a reference to Daniel chapter 7. Listen to Daniel’s description of Christ.
“and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
The Son of Man title is a reference to his kingly role within the Godhead.
When Jesus returns the creation will come undone. The sun will be darkened. The moon will not produce light and the stars will fall. The heavens will be shaken. Jesus describes things in very vivid terms.
After a great cosmic upheaval Jesus will return. We understand from the other gospels “the sign” that Jesus mentions in verse 30 will be his appearance.
But notice how he’ll return to earth, with power and great glory. And he’ll send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and he’ll gather the elect.
I have a friend and every time we hang out I feel like I learn an interesting little fact about him. Like I found out that he played division one soccer. Then we hung out again and I learned he was a wedding singer.
It became a running joke. The bottom line is he’s a complex guy.
He couldn’t be defined easily.
The person and work of Jesus Christ is much more complex than we often realize. We tend to think of him meek and mild mannered fellow that’s easy to take advantage of.
Or a really needy friend that’s constantly begging for attention. But those are total mischaracterizations of him. What’s your conception of Jesus Christ?
When Jesus came to earth the first time he came in a very humble manner. He was born in a manger. Essentially lived as a homeless man. Died by crucifixion between two criminals. It was humble.
You see, it’s going to be totally different the second time.
People will mourn as he says in verse 30, because sin will be punished. People will be held accountable.
The language Jesus uses to describe himself in the second coming sounds like the return of a great king. He’s going to set everything straight. He’s going to fix everything. He’s going to right wrongs.
The second time he comes it won’t be meek and humble; it will be characterized by strength and power. Are prepared for that moment?
For many, the thought of that moment strikes fear in their heart. For others, it’ll be a moment of great celebration.
Living your life in total submission to Christ is the only way you’ll be prepared. Either way, if you die before his return or if he returns now, it’ll be the only thing that matters.
Most of you that know me, know that I joke around a lot. Sometimes it gets me into trouble. But there’s one thing I’ll never joke about and it’s the status of someone’s eternal soul.
We’ll often think we have plenty of time! We have our whole lives to prepare. I’ll have 80 solid years to prepare for Christ’s return… but will you? Do you know that? Christ could return at any moment. You could die at any moment.
You don’t need to wait to prepare for Christ. You need to prepare for him right now by trusting in him.
Don’t be indifferent (vv. 32-35)
We should never be indifferent toward things of eternal consequence. Look at verses 32-35 with me. He says it’s just like a fig tree stretching out it’s branches to indicate that summer is approaching. We should recognize increasing persecution and false signs as indicating the approaching second coming.
Jesus then mentions, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates in verse 33.
Earlier in chapter 24 he mentions “birth pains.” In other words, signs that will indicate the approach of the second coming.
That’s what Jesus is referring to when he mentions “all these things.” Remember, in verses 15-35 Jesus is still answering the disciples questions about when these things will be and what will be the sign?
So Jesus is still answering that question. “These things” is a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, false signs, and persecution that’s going to be the build up to the second coming.
Needless to say, many from that generation saw important signs like the destruction of the temple for example. But Jesus never states how much time will pass between the destruction of the temple and the second coming. It’s really interesting that he uses a fig tree as an illustration to describe the anticipation for the second coming.
For many years, Israel was indifferent toward God. They didn’t really listen. They didn’t really care.
Earlier in Matthew, Jesus compares Israel’s unfaithfulness to God to a fig tree that doesn’t bear fruit. What does Jesus do to it? He cursed it and it withered up and died.
Receive the lesson of the fig tree. Anticipating the second coming of Jesus Christ should motivate you and I to live for him right now.
If Jesus is your Lord and you want to live for him, that should impact how you live. Have you risked anything for Jesus Christ? Have you stuck your neck out there for him?
I don’t want to spoil Stacey’s sermon next week, but in many ways I think that’s what the parable of the talents teaches us. You have to take a certain amount of risk in order to reap a greater reward.
Any business owner will tell you that. Jesus will look at those who took risks and say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Living your life in light of the second coming means you might risk friendships. You might risk your career. Living your life in light of the second coming means you care. You care about the people around you. You care about the state of their eternal soul. A true believer cannot feel indifferent about the work of Jesus Christ.
People have always been prepared for worst case scenarios. Many create plans for every “what if” scenario.
Is meeting Jesus your worst case scenario or your best case scenario? You will either face death, or face Jesus in His second coming.
What will be on the other side of that day? Will it be your best case scenario (eternity with Christ) or worst case scenario (experiencing God’s wrath for eternity)?
For the believer, it’s really easy to identify with the Apostle Paul when he wrestles with whether it’s better to remain on earth or to join Christ in heaven in Philippians 1.
He says to be with Jesus is better but he knows the church needs him. Do you remember how he begins that discussion? He says, For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
But for many the day of Christ’s return will be terrible. It’ll be their worst case scenario because he will by no means clear the guilty. There’s hope for the believer that recognizes their sin, repents and trusts in Christ.
But by God’s grace, he gave us a warning in the Scriptures. He told us he’s judging the world and he will return.
The Old Testament pointed to a Redeemer and it came to pass. Even more than that, Jesus prophesied that the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and it came to pass. That’s two fulfilled prophecies among many. Why would we not take him seriously when he says he’s going to come again?
Notice what he says in verse 35. Heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will never pass away.
There will be a day when everything will be destroyed.
Jesus is warning us here that the day is coming. The only thing that will stand the test of time are his words. They will never pass away.
The King will return. Will you take him at his word? Will you be prepared? Will you rejoice to see your mighty Savior coming in glory? Or will you flee?
The day is sure. Don’t be a deserter. Don’t be unprepared. Don’t be indifferent. Rather, live for the king.