We're in Matthew 23, 37 to 24, 35.
We've come to what's known as the Olivet Discourse
It's gonna be a ride.
You're gonna have to pay close attention,
but we'll get through it together.
Matthew 23, 37 to 24, 35.
Let me pray.
Heavenly Father,
I come to this difficult and contested text
with fear and trembling
for I don't want to teach anything that is wrong.
It's not of you.
So Lord, guide my lips.
Guide the ears and hearts of everyone here.
Close them to anything that is not true,
anything that is not of you.
But may your truth seep in deeply
and pierce all of our hearts.
So that we live this day
in light of Christ's death and resurrection
and in light of Christ's return
to make all things new.
Fill us with that hope.
Breathe fresh hope by your spirit
into the lungs or the spiritual lungs
and the hearts of all your sons and daughters now,
this morning, this moment.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Please stand if you're able
so that we can honor God
as we read from his word.
Matthew 23, 37 to 24, 35.
Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
the city that kills the prophets
and stones those who are sent to it.
How often would I have gathered your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings
and you were not willing.
See, your house is left to you desolate.
For I tell you, you will not see me again
until you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Jesus left the temple and was going away
when his disciples came 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 end of the age?
And Jesus answered them,
See that no one leads you astray.
For many will come in my name saying,
I am the Christ.
And they will lead many 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 beginning 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 false prophets will arise
and lead many astray.
And because lawlessness will be increased,
the love of many will grow cold.
But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
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.
So when you see the abomination of desolation
spoken of by the prophet Daniel,
standing in the holy place,
let the reader understand.
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Let the one who is on the housetop
not go down to take what is in his house.
And let the one who is in the field
not turn back to take his cloak.
And alas for women who are pregnant
and for those who are nursing infants in those days,
pray that your flight may not be in winter
or on a Sabbath.
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.
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.
Then if anyone says to you,
look, here is the Christ,
or there he is,
do not believe it.
For false Christs and false prophets
will arise and perform great signs and wonders
so as to lead astray, if possible,
even the elect.
See, I have told you beforehand.
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.
For as the lightning comes from the east
and shines as far as the west,
so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Wherever the corpse is,
there the vultures will gather.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days,
the sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light
and the stars will fall from heaven
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Then will appear in heaven
the sign of the Son of Man
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn
and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory.
And he will send out his angels
with a loud trumpet call
and they will gather his elect
from the four winds
from one end of heaven to the other.
From the fig tree, learn this lesson.
As soon as its branch becomes tender
and puts out its leaves,
you know that summer is near.
So also when you see all these things,
you know that he is near at the very gates.
Truly I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things take place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.
This is the word of the Lord.
The many runners we have in our midst
can attest to the widely shared experience
that when they're in the middle of a race
and they can see the finish line
near the close of a race,
they start to run faster.
Scientific studies have also confirmed this.
It's called end spurt phenomenon.
But aren't runners the most exhausted
by the end of the race?
So why do they run faster
as they near the end of the race
when they see the finish line?
There are several reasons.
One, when you can see the finish line,
the goal and the reward of the race is imminent.
The gratification of finishing the race,
the medal that you're going to win
and the personal record you're going to break,
it drives people harder to run faster.
When the reward is nearer,
it motivates.
The psychologists call this the goal gradient effect.
Effort increases the nearer you get to the goal.
Second, two, when you can see the finish line,
you know that you don't need to conserve any more energy.
You can expend all your remaining energy
because you know that you're going to be done
and you can be flat out exhausted,
but you're going to get rest after that finish line.
Three, pain becomes more tolerable as you near the end.
Pain that would seem to you unbearable for the next five miles
is bearable for the next 200 meters.
So people can endure more pain
when they can see the finish line.
This is why we motivate one another with expressions like this.
You can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Keep your eyes on the prize.
The finish line is in sight.
We say these kinds of things
because a pilgrim who can see his fatherland in the distance
walks with renewed vigor.
This is why it is essential
that we understand what Matthew 24 teaches us
about the end of the age and the return of Christ.
The main point of this passage is this.
Endure through tribulation
and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom.
First, we're going to talk about Christ's departure
and the desolation of Jerusalem.
And then we're going to talk about Christ's return
and the consolation of the new Jerusalem.
First, let's talk about his departure.
In the preceding passage I talked about last week,
Jesus denounced the Jewish leaders,
the Pharisees and the scribes
for shedding the righteous blood
of all of God's people and prophets
from Abel in Genesis to Zechariah.
That's the A to Z,
the first and the last martyrs of God in the Old Testament.
And then Jesus said in verse 36,
truly I say to you,
all these things will come upon this generation.
Jesus prophesies of judgment
that will befall this generation,
the generation that is there at the time of Jesus' life.
Because of their rejection of God's messengers
and ultimately of their rejection of Christ,
Jesus himself,
all these things are going to come upon them.
What is all these things?
Jesus tells us in verse 37,
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
the city that kills the prophets and stones,
those who are sent to it.
Jerusalem, the chosen city of the temple of the Lord God's dwelling place
that was once called in Psalm 48, 1-2,
his holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
the joy of all the earth,
is now called the city that kills the prophets and stones,
those who are sent to it.
And Jesus continues,
how often would I have gathered your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings
and you were not willing.
This avian imagery of a mother bird caring for her young under her wings
is a rich imagery that's used throughout the Old Testament.
At the end of the Pentateuch,
at the end of Deuteronomy,
describing how God led Israel out of the wilderness,
out of Egypt and then through the wilderness
and brought them to Canaan,
Deuteronomy 32, 10-12 says that God found Israel in a desert land,
in the howling waste of the wilderness,
and then encircled him and cared for him
and kept him as the apple of his eye.
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings,
catching them,
bearing them on its pinions,
the Lord alone guided him.
No foreign God was with him.
And again in Psalm 91 verse 4,
it says,
The Lord God will cover you with his pinions
and under his wings you will find refuge.
It was God's heart
and therefore his son's heart,
Jesus' heart,
to gather us,
to gather all his people together
under his wings like a mother bird
to protect us and to keep us.
But we,
or Jerusalem in that age,
was foolish.
They were not willing.
How many of us have spurned Jesus
in his desire to gather us under his wings?
So Jesus pronounces his judgment
in verses 38 to 39.
These things that he said
will come upon this generation.
He says,
See, your house is left to you desolate.
For I tell you,
you will not see me again
until you say,
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Remember,
Jesus is still at the temple courtyard.
He hasn't gone to the Mount of Olives yet.
And so when he talks about your house,
he's talking about the temple.
And he's saying,
he's prophesying
that the temple of God
will be deserted by God,
abandoned by God.
It will become a desolate house.
And this echoes the language
of prophet Daniel
in Daniel 9.17,
who after the destruction
of Jerusalem and the temple
by the Babylonians,
prayed,
O Lord,
make your face
to shine upon your sanctuary,
which is desolate.
God had warned
in Jeremiah 22.5,
If you do not obey these words,
I swear by myself,
declares the Lord,
that this house
shall become a desolation.
And that's exactly what happened.
Later,
when Israel and Judah
ran after idols,
abandoned their God,
God himself deserted
his temple.
And prophet Ezekiel
actually saw
in his prophetic vision
in Ezekiel 10-11,
he saw the glory
of the Lord
depart from the temple.
Imagine the tragic
and devastating scene.
The glory of the Lord
coming up out of the temple,
mounted up on the wings
of the cherubim,
and then leaving it.
And there's nothing
you can do to stop it.
It was the presence of God
that made the promised land
the promised land.
It was the presence of God
that made the temple
what it is.
It was the presence of God
that set Israel apart
from all the other nations.
It was the presence of God
in the temple
that guaranteed
their future
and gave them hope
in life.
And now,
Ezekiel,
in his prophetic vision,
beholds
the glory of the Lord
leave.
The desertion
of the temple
by the Lord
naturally
and inevitably
leads to the destruction
of the temple
by the Babylonians.
And once the glory
of the Lord
departs from Jerusalem,
do you know
where it goes next?
It says in Ezekiel 11-23,
the glory of the Lord
went up from the midst
of the city
and stood
on the mountain
that is on
the east side
of the city.
Do you guys know
what mountain that is?
East side of Jerusalem.
It's the Mount of Olives.
It's no coincidence
that Jesus,
after leaving Jerusalem here
for the last time,
he's not going to come back
until he's arrested.
He's not coming back
on his own.
So,
Jesus goes to the
Mount of Olives next
in chapter 24
and then prophesies
his judgment
over Jerusalem.
So,
in Ezekiel,
the glory of Yahweh
left the temple
and stopped
at Mount of Olives.
In Matthew,
Jesus Christ
leaves the temple
and stops
on the Mount of Olives.
Matthew is drawing
a bold parallel
and connection
to tell us
that Jesus
is the glory
of the Lord.
He is the Son of God.
When Jesus leaves
Jerusalem
and its temple,
God himself
is leaving
and if these people
knew what was happening
when Jesus left Jerusalem,
they would have
broken down
and wept.
To emphasize this,
Matthew 24,
1 says,
Jesus left the temple
and was going away
twice
to emphasize
that he left
for good.
And then,
quoting the Messianic Psalm,
Psalm 118, 26,
Blessed is he
who comes in the name
of the Lord.
We bless you
from the house
of the Lord.
That's what the inhabitants
of Jerusalem
should have said
to Jesus,
the Son of God,
the Messiah.
But instead,
they cursed him,
rejected him,
and will soon
kill him.
And so,
the glory of the Lord God,
Jesus,
the Son of God,
leaves the temple
in Jerusalem.
And just as Yahweh's
departure from the temple,
the first temple,
led to this destruction
of Jerusalem
and the temple
by the Babylonian Empire,
Jesus' departure
from Jerusalem
will then lead
to the destruction
of the second temple
by the Romans
in 70 AD.
And that's exactly
what Jesus prophesies
of in chapter 24.
As they are leaving
Jerusalem,
Jesus' disciples
point out to Jesus
the buildings
of the temple
in chapter 24,
verse 1.
The parallel account
in Mark 13,
verse 1,
is a little more vivid.
There,
the disciples say
to Jesus,
look, teacher,
what wonderful stones
and what wonderful buildings.
They're pointing out
the architectural marvel
that the second temple,
Herodian temple,
was.
The first temple
built by Solomon
was already magnificent,
and then it was destroyed
by the Babylonians
and then Ezra,
Nehemiah,
with help from
prophet,
I mean,
priest Joshua,
Haggai,
and Zerubbabel
rebuilt the second temple,
but it was not that glorious,
not as glorious
as the first.
And so Herod,
King Herod,
trying to curry favor
with the Jews
and styling himself
as the king of the Jews,
even though he wasn't
quite king,
rebuilt and revamped
and expanded
that second temple
so that he was
even bigger
than the first temple.
The stones used
for the temple
mount walls
were known
as the Herodian ashlars,
and they're famous
for their immaculately
chiseled borders
and their immense size,
and they have found
one of those underground,
and the largest one
that they found
weighs 570 tons
and is longer
than a school bus.
That's about the weight
of 95 full-grown
African elephants,
or three to four
fully loaded
Boeing 737s.
So imagine
a temple complex,
a building
built with such
massive
monolithic stones.
It's impressive,
to say the least.
The whole complex
was the size
of 26 to 27
football fields,
American football fields.
Three times,
almost three times
as tall
as the Temple of Artemis
in Ephesus,
which was counted
as one of the
ancient wonders,
seven wonders
of the ancient world.
A Jewish rabbi,
therefore,
with reason,
commented one time
that he who has not
seen the Temple of Herod
has never seen
a beautiful building
in his life.
First century historians
remark that when they see
the gold-plated temple,
the light was dazzling
and blinding,
and when they see
the pure white,
the top,
it looked like
a snow-capped mountain
soaring over the horizon
and dominating the skyline.
The disciples
marveled at that,
saying,
look how beautiful,
look what wonderful stones,
what wonderful buildings,
and then Jesus
bursts their bubble.
There will not be left here
one stone upon another
that will not be thrown down.
It's a remarkable prophecy
fulfilled with striking accuracy
less than 40 years later.
Literally every stone
of the temple
was toppled
in 70 AD.
All that remains today
is the western wall,
which was a part
of the outer temple complex
and not of the temple buildings
themselves.
Jesus goes into greater detail
about the destruction
of Jerusalem and his temple
in verses 15 to 28.
So let's skip forward there
for a little bit.
It says in verse 15,
So when you see
the abomination of desolation
spoken of by the prophet Daniel
standing in the holy place,
let the reader understand.
Then let those
who are in Judea
flee to the mountains.
The abomination of desolation
spoken of by the prophet Daniel
is a reference,
surprise,
to the book of Daniel.
Daniel 9,
verse 27,
Daniel 11, 31,
and 12, 11,
all of which prophesy
that someone who will,
that someone will come
who will desecrate
and defile the temple of God,
an abomination
that makes desolate.
Most pastors and theologians
agree that the first referent
of Daniel's original prophecy
was fulfilled
in the second century BC
by the Seleucid king
Antiochus IV.
He arrogantly called himself
Epiphanous,
meaning God made manifest,
claiming to be God.
He plundered the temple of God
and then he halted
the Jewish daily sacrifices
and then he set up
a pagan altar,
most likely to Zeus,
inside the temple of God
and then sacrificed
an unclean animal,
a pig on it,
that the Jews
deemed ceremonially unclean.
But why then
is Jesus referring
to Daniel's prophecy
which pointed to,
which a figure
that predated him
by 200 years?
Biblical,
prophetic,
and apocalyptic literature
employs multiple types
and patterns
of figures
that repeat
throughout history.
For example,
in Revelation 2.14,
it says that
some people
in the New Testament church
of Pergamum
follow the teaching
of Balaam,
even though Balaam
is a pagan seer
from Israel's days
in the wilderness
in Numbers.
Similarly,
Revelation 2.20
says that the church
in Thyatira tolerated
that woman Jezebel,
even though Jezebel
is the idolatrous queen
from the days of Elijah,
the king Ahab.
So in a similar way,
Jesus is employing
this prophetic type,
the prophetic pattern
of Antiochus IV
to speak of another
defiling
of the temple
that is coming.
But this time,
the abomination
of desolation
will not merely
desecrate.
It will completely
destroy the temple.
So I take this
to be a reference
to the Roman general
Titus
who destroys Jerusalem
and the temple
in 70 AD.
The parallel account
in Luke 21.20
confirms this interpretation.
I think I have
a parallel verses
to show for that.
Luke 21.20
explicitly states
that the desolation
that Jesus
is speaking of
is caused by armies
that surround Jerusalem.
That's exactly
what happened
in 70 AD.
That's when Jerusalem
was destroyed
and the temple
was destroyed
and it was never
built again.
This is a terrible
time for God's people.
Jesus says in verse 21,
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.
This sounds like
a singular,
unprecedented,
great tribulation,
right,
that will never
be repeated again
and because of that
many people assume
that Jesus is here
speaking of an end time,
never before seen,
great tribulation
that will immediately
precede the second
coming of Christ.
But I don't think
that's actually the case
for several reasons.
First,
we talked already
about how this
is a reference
to the destruction
of the temple
in 70 AD.
If this were a prophecy
about the end
of the world,
then the phrase
that nothing like this
will happen
in the world
again doesn't
really make sense.
The prophecy assumes
that history will
continue after this event.
Second,
the expression,
as has not been
from the beginning
of the world
until now,
no,
and never will be,
it's a Hebrew idiom.
It's a rhetorical
superlative,
hyperbole,
you might say,
that's common
in the Old Testament.
Exodus 10,
13 to 14,
Joel 2,
2,
and Daniel 12,
1,
all use similar
language.
Third,
Jesus is echoing
the language
of Ezekiel 5,
9,
where God
decrees the
destruction of
Jerusalem
by the Babylonian
empire.
And he says this,
and because of
all your abominations,
I will do with you
what I have
never yet done
and the likes
of which I will
never do again.
Exact same language
that he used
with the destruction
of the Babylon,
with the first
Jerusalem temple,
and now Jesus
is repeating that,
echoing the language
with the second temple.
So all that to say,
I don't think
this great tribulation
is this unique
never before,
never after event.
It's already happened
at least twice
according to the Bible.
In fact,
decades later,
Revelation 2,
22,
and 7,
14 speak of
another great
tribulation.
I think this too
is a pattern
that repeats
throughout history.
But for the people
of God
living at the time
of the destruction
of the temple
in 70 AD,
the tribulation
would have felt
truly singular
and unprecedented.
And 3rd century
church historian
Eusebius notes
that the church
in Jerusalem
knew to flee
when trouble
started brewing
in Jerusalem
because of this prophecy.
And they were able
to survive
the destruction
of Jerusalem
by fleeing
to the mountains,
heeding Jesus' words.
This remarkable prophecy
prompts the disciples
to ask Jesus
privately in verse 3
tell us,
when will these things be
and what will be
the sign of your coming
and of the end
of the age?
Note that there are
two different questions
here.
And conflating
these two different
questions has led
to a lot of
interpretive confusion.
So we need to
distinguish these
two questions carefully.
The first question is,
when will these things be?
What do they mean
by these things?
It's the destruction
of the temple
that Jesus just spoke of.
Second question is,
what will be the sign
of your coming
and of the end
of the age?
The disciples do not
yet fully understand
the import
and the implications
of this question,
but if the destruction
of the temple
portends the beginning
of the end,
the beginning
of the birth pains,
as Jesus says
in Matthew 24, 8,
the sign of Christ's coming
and the end of the age
is speaking of
the end of the end.
Jesus answers that first
part of their question first.
When will these things be?
When will the temple
be destroyed?
When will this age
of the temple
come to an end
and give way
to a new age?
All three of the
Synoptic Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, and Luke,
mention the same
four signs.
First, the deception
of the false Christs.
Second, wars and rumors
of wars.
Third, earthquakes and famines.
Fourth, tribulation
and gospel witness
to all nations.
But notice,
this is important,
that Jesus doesn't say
that these signs
will mark the end.
Jesus says repeatedly
that they do not
mark the end.
Matthew 24, verse 6.
Look at it with me.
For this must take place,
but the end is not yet.
Did you see that?
Matthew 24, verse 8.
All these are but
the beginning
of the birth pains.
These are not signs
of the end.
This is why I like
to call these
the non-signs of the end
or the false alarms
of the end.
All pregnant women
go through
what is called
Braxton Hicks contractions.
All the pregnant women
know.
Congrats, by the way.
Justin and Janine
just gave birth
to their son, James.
I don't know if you guys
saw that.
Yeah.
And the Braxton Hicks
contractions
are known
sometimes as
false labor
or practice labor.
It's like
warm-up exercises
to prepare the uterus
for true labor.
And these four
non-signs
are like
the Braxton Hicks
contractions.
They are not
the signs
of the end
of the end.
Rather,
they mark
the beginning
of the end.
Sometimes,
Christians
who are troubled
by world events
that they see
in the news,
wars,
natural disasters,
pandemics,
they've asked me
over the years,
Sean,
do you think
this means
we are living
in the end times?
And I always
tell them,
yes,
we are.
And we've been
living in it
since the first
coming of Christ.
Remember Peter's
sermon in Acts 2.
He says that the
last days prophesied
of in Joel 2
have come upon them.
The last days
are already here.
Began with the
ascent of Christ
and the descent
of the Holy Spirit.
And so these are,
don't panic,
so when you read
in the newspapers
of all these wars
and rumors of wars
and famines
and earthquakes
happening,
these are false alarms.
And then skip ahead
briefly with me
to verses 32 to 35.
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.
So also,
when you see
all these things,
you know that he is near
at the very gates.
Truly I say to you,
this generation
will not pass away
until all these things
take place.
Heaven and earth
will pass away
but my words
will not pass away.
Some people think
that Jesus was wrong
in his prediction
of his return
since he says here
that this generation
will not pass away
until all these things
take place.
And that hasn't happened.
Jesus hasn't come back yet.
But pay attention
to what exactly
Jesus said
would take place
during the lifetime
of that generation.
all these things.
What are all these things?
Look at verse 33.
When you see
all these things,
you know that he is near.
All these things
that take place
within the generation
of Jesus' lifetime
are the things
that mark,
the signs that mark
Jesus' nearness.
Like the fig tree
putting out its leaves
and indicating
that the summer is near.
These are signs
that tell us
that Jesus is near,
not signs
that tell us
that Jesus is here.
These are signs
of nearness,
not hereness.
The phrase
all these things
is not inclusive
of the second coming
of Christ.
In fact,
the phrase
all these things
is used very carefully
by Matthew
throughout chapters 23 and 24.
Remember earlier
he said in chapter 23
verse 36,
all these things
will come upon
this generation.
And then again
in chapter 24 verse 8,
all these are but
the beginning
of the birth pains.
The all these things
that will take place
before that generation
of Jesus passes away
are the destruction
of the temple
and these four
non-signs of the end.
So let's take
these four false alarms
in order.
History records
all four of these things
happening
throughout the days
of Jesus.
Earthquakes in Asia Minor,
Palestine, Jerusalem,
widespread famine
that Acts 1128 records
and Jewish Roman historian
Josephus records
widespread persecution
as Christians bear witness.
These Braxton Hicks
contractions
have been going on
ever since.
There are many
false Christs
in Jesus' day
and there are many
false Christs today.
Think of Sergei Torop,
the former Russian
traffic cop
who founded
the Church of the Last Testament
in Siberia
in 1991
and claimed to be
the reincarnation
of Christ.
Gathered thousands
of followers
until he got arrested
for abusing them.
Think of Lee Man-hee,
the South Korean leader
of the Shincheonji
Church of Jesus
or the Temple
of the Tabernacle
of the Testimony.
He claims to be
Jesus' successor
and the only person
who can rightly interpret
the book of Revelation.
His cult is active
here in Boston.
They've tried
and failed to recruit
two of our own
church members.
Have you guys heard
of any of these people
before?
You guys have some of them.
I mean,
many of you
probably have never
heard of them before.
And if you haven't
heard of them,
that's one reason
to know that
they are certainly
not the second coming
of Christ.
Why?
Because Jesus says
in verse 23,
if anyone says to you,
look,
here is the Christ
or there he is,
do not believe it.
Why?
He says in verses
27 to 20,
for as the lightning
comes from the east
and shines as far
as the west,
so will be the coming
of the Son of Man.
Wherever the corpse is,
there the vultures
will gather.
If you've ever seen
the lightning light up
the sky when you're
outside,
you know that no one
can miss that
if you're outside
and you're not blind.
Jesus' coming
will be the same way.
When he comes back,
it's not going to be
some secret thing
that happens somewhere
that only a select
few people see
and then spread the word
to everybody else.
No,
when he comes back,
everyone will know.
He will be unmissable.
The fourth
and final non-sign
is witness
in the midst
of persecution.
Jesus says
in verse 9
that his followers
will be delivered
up to tribulation
and put to death,
be hated
by all nations
for his namesake.
And notwithstanding
this hatred
of all the nations,
Jesus says
in verse 14
that this gospel
of the kingdom
will be proclaimed
throughout the whole world
as a testimony
to all nations.
Notice that parallel.
Persecution
by all nations.
Hatred by all nations.
Testimony
to all nations.
They go hand in hand.
They always coexist
side by side.
Similarly,
note the contrast
between verses
10 to 12
and verse 13.
Many will fall away.
Many will be led astray.
Love of many
will grow cold.
But the one
who endures
to the end
will be saved.
The repetition
of the word many
stands in stark contrast
to the singular one.
The one who endures
to the end
will be saved.
So don't be
among the many
who are led astray.
Among the many
whose love
will grow cold.
Many who will go
after false criats.
Don't be among the many.
Be the one
who endures
to the end.
Enter by the narrow gate
for the gate is wide
and the way is easy
that leads to destruction
and those who enter
through it are many
for the gate is narrow
and the way
is hard
that leads to life
and those who find it
are few.
Verse 14
where Jesus says
the gospel of the kingdom
will be proclaimed
throughout the whole world
as a testimony
to all nations
and then
the end will come.
this has been
misinterpreted
by many
causing confusion
speculation
surrounding foreign missions
and its connection
to Christ's second coming.
This verse
is often understood
in mission circles
as a mandate
to reach all
sociolinguistic
ethnic people groups
with the gospel
because until
that happens
they claim
Christ will not return.
For example
there are missions
organizations
that tell us
that there are
presently
189
unengaged
unreached people groups
left in the world
and that once
they reach
the remaining
ethnic groups
with the gospel
that Christ will return.
But this
popular definition
of ethnic
people groups
wasn't formalized
until
1974
Lausanne
Congress
on World Evangelization.
are we to believe
that Christians
for 1900 years
did not fully
understand
the exact nature
of the Great Commission
until the rise
of the modern
sociological understanding
of people groups?
They define
unreached
peoples
as meaning
less than 2%
of their populations
being Christians.
I want to ask
who came up
with that arbitrary
number?
I think this is
too mechanical
of a way
to think about
the Great Commission.
In fact
I think we have
reasons to think
from the Bible
itself
that the gospel
of the kingdom
has already
been proclaimed
throughout the whole
world
as a testimony
to all nations.
Why do I think
that?
Acts 1.8
says
you will be
my witnesses
!
in Jerusalem
and in all Judea
and Samaria
and to the ends
of the earth.
that verse
functions as
a thesis statement
of the entire
book of Acts.
I think I have
the outline
the structure
of the book
of Acts
to show.
In chapters
1-7 of Acts
they're in Jerusalem.
In chapters
8-9
they're in Judea
and Samaria.
In chapters
10-28
they're in
the end
of the earth.
In chapter
2
in that first
part
in Jerusalem
the Holy Spirit
falls on the
Jewish believers.
In chapter
8
the Holy Spirit
falls upon
the Samaritan
believers.
In chapter
10
the Holy Spirit
falls upon
the Gentile
believers.
What is Luke
trying to tell us
with this outline?
The gospel
is going
from Jerusalem
to all Judea
and Samaritans
to the ends
of the earth.
It's going
from Jews
to Samaritans
to the Gentiles.
That's why
Paul writes
in Colossians 1
that the gospel
is bearing fruit
and increasing
in the whole world
he says.
He says
that the gospel
has already
been proclaimed
in all creation
under heaven
in Romans
16-26.
So then
while the sign
of the gospel
going forward
to all the nations
does indeed
precede Jesus'
second coming
it does not
precipitate
Jesus'
second coming.
Hastening
the return
of Christ
is not
the biblical
motivation
for missions.
2 Peter 3
11-12
is the only
verse in scripture
that speaks of
hastening
the coming
of the Lord
and it mentions
nothing of evangelization
of ethnic people groups.
It says
wait for that day
by living in holiness
and godliness
and thereby
hasten the coming
of the Lord.
Now I say all that
but let me quickly add
that this does not
at all mean
that we should
not be zealous
for evangelism
and foreign missions.
We should be.
I think
we have a brother
visiting
from Minneapolis
as Lucas
is training
to be a missionary.
Matea
and David
have hearts
to go into missions.
The great commission
is still binding
on us.
The desire
to see God
worship
among all nations
still impels us
to go into missions.
I was talking
to Jordan
earlier this week
when he lived
in Thailand
for two years
he could not
go to church
because there
wasn't a church.
That's tragic.
Our God
deserves
to be worshipped
by every tribe.
His praise
should be on
every tongue.
He deserves
to be worshipped
by every tribe.
It's a tragedy
that there are
places where
Christ is not
named.
People are
perishing apart
from Christ
and they need
to hear the good
news of Jesus Christ
and so we should
share Apostle Paul's
ambition
to preach
the gospel
not where Christ
has already
been named
but especially
where Christ
is not named
so that those
who have never
been told of him
will see
and those
who have never
heard
will understand.
Romans 15
20 to 21.
According to
2 Peter 3
9
our Lord Jesus
tarries
in his return
because he's
being patient
not wishing
that any should
perish
but that all
should reach
repentance.
The fact
that Jesus
hasn't returned
yet means
that there
are still
more people
left
that God
intends to
gather
and save
for himself.
It is our
God-given
commission
to go to
those people
so yes
go
go to the
unreached
people groups.
I pray to God
that he will
raise up
missionaries
from our
church
to go to
all 12
of the
nations
that we
pray for
throughout
the year
but don't
think
but don't
think
that your
missions
work
don't
think
about
missions
in a
presumptuous
and mechanistic
way
as if
by reaching
the unreached
we can
force
Christ's
hand
and make
him
return.
If the
timing of
Christ's
return were
really up
to our
efforts
then we
could very
well near
know the
day and
hour of
his
return
can't
we?
Think
about it
if there
are around
200 people
groups
left
then we
know for
sure Christ
is not
coming back
today
we know
for sure
Christ is
not coming
back
tomorrow
in fact
I think
we can
be fairly
certain
he's not
coming back
the rest
of 2026
and then
if you
keep track
I mean
there are
groups that
keep track
of these
things
you can
check off
the people
groups
one by
one
ten left
nine left
eight
seven
six
five
four
can't
you know
the day
and hour
of Christ's
return
but that
contradicts
explicitly
what Jesus
says in
chapters 24
to 25
he says
no one
knows
that day
and hour
and that
Christ
will come
back like
a thief
in the
night
at an
hour
we do
not
expect
he's
coming
back
when we
do not
expect
him
so why
are we
trying so
hard
to expect
and figure
out
and predict
the exact
time
of his
coming
the final
sign that
precedes the
second coming
of Christ
is the
shaking
of the
powers
of heaven
Matthew
24
29
says
immediately
after the
tribulation
of those
days
the sun
will be
darkened
and the
moon
will not
give its
light
and the
stars
will fall
from heaven
and the
powers
of the
heavens
will be
shaken
and the
clause
immediately
after the
tribulation
of those
days
connects
this sign
with the
preceding
passage
about the
desolation
of the
temple
and the
great
tribulation
and because
I believe
that those
days of the
tribulation
refer to the
period leading
up to and
following the
destruction of
Jerusalem and
the temple
in 70
AD
I also
believe that
these heavenly
signs have
also been
fulfilled
now you're
like now
you're a
little crazy
what do you
mean
haven't you
been outside
today the
sun is still
there
the moon
is still
giving its
light
how can you
possibly say
that these
things have
been fulfilled
I used to
think that way
also so
give me a
chance here
but as I've
studied the
Bible more
I've learned
that the
language of
the darkening
of the sun
and the
moon and
the falling
of the
stars of
heaven are
the classic
apocalyptic
language describing
the fall of
great empires and
institutions in
the Bible
for example
Isaiah 13
verse 10
describes the
downfall of
the Babylonian
empire in
these words
for the stars
of the heavens
and their
constellations
will not
give their
light
the sun
will be
dark at
its rising
and the
moon will
not shed
its light
sounds
similar
prophesying
of the fall
of Pharaoh
in Egypt
Ezekiel 32
7-8
says
when I blot
you out
I will
cover the
heavens
and make
their stars
dark
I will
cover the
sun
with a
cloud
and the
moon
shall not
give its
light
all the
bright lights
of heaven
will I
make dark
over you
and put
darkness
on your
land
declares
the Lord
God
Jesus
is using
figurative
language
of
eschatological
judgment
to speak
of the
judgment
of Israel
and the
destruction
of the
temple
I think
Peter's
sermon
at
Pentecost
confirms
this
interpretation
because he
cites
Joel 2
28-31
Joel 2
28-31
that Peter
cites
says
explicitly
that the
sun
is being
turned
to darkness
and the
moon
will be
turned
to blood
and then
when Peter
cites that
in his
sermon
he says
in Acts
2-16
that that
prophecy
is fulfilled
at
Pentecost
so then
by the
time
that the
gospels
are written
most of
these signs
have already
been fulfilled
and that
the destruction
of the
temple
is about
to be
fulfilled
when the
gospels
are written
shortly
after the
gospels
are written
the destruction
of the
temple
happens
in 70
AD
then all
the birth
pains
that necessarily
precede the
return of
Christ
are fulfilled
which means
Jesus
really can
return
any day
and that
fits really
well
with the
passage that
Ed's going to
preach on
next week
in chapter
24
because it's
the parables
say repeatedly
be alert
be ready
for the
surprise
return
because you
do not
know the
day or
the hour
he can
come back
any day
new
testament
consistently
teaches us
that the
coming of
Christ
is imminent
he uses
language like
this
coming of
the
Lord
is at
hand
behold
the
judge
is
standing
at
the
door
for
the
time
is
near
yet
a
little
while
and
the
coming
one
will
come
and
will
not
delay
the
imminence
of the
Lord's
return
is
what
gives
us
hope
in
the
midst
of
suffering
and
enables
us
to
endure
through
pain
and
to
stay
spiritually
alert
and
not
become
complacent
we must
live in
light of
the first
coming of
Christ
and the
second
coming of
Christ
in order
for us
to be able
to endure
the
tribulations
and proclaim
the gospel
of the
kingdom
as a
hen
gathers
her
brood
under
her
wings
Jesus
wanted
to
gather
us
up
as
the
people
of
God
he
offered
to
cover
us
up
to
offer
refuge
with
his
wings
to
be
our
shield
to
hover
over
us
and
guide
us
but
we
were
not
willing
we
spurned
him
in
all
our
sins
we
have
spurned
him
we
have
sped
in
his
face
in
all
our
rebellion
and desire
to live
for
ourselves
and not
for
God
we
have
rejected
him
it's
our
sins
that
put
Jesus
on
the
cross
and
because
of
that
we
rightly
deserve
desolation
Jesus'
backside
as he
walks away
from
Jerusalem
that's
all we
deserve
to see
can
you
imagine
that
our
savior
walking
away
the
glory
of
Yahweh
departing
from
Jerusalem
but
because
God
wanted
to make
his
face
to shine
upon
us
again
to be
gracious
to us
again
to lift
up his
countenance
toward us
and give
us
peace
again
to save
us
Jesus
climbs up
Mount
Calvary
and dies
on the
cross
for our
sins
the one
who should
have gotten
a royal
welcome
with the
red carpet
rolled out
for him
hailed as
king
blessed is he
who comes
in the name
of the
Lord
instead
goes up
the
Mount
Calvary
and dies
the gruesome
death
of a
slave
and hung
like a
strange
fruit
on that
cursed
tree
bearing
our
sins
and
all
those
who
trust
in
Jesus
Christ
and
believe
in
his
death
and
resurrection
are
cleansed
by
his
blood
cleansed
of
all
our
sins
and
set
apart
as
a
people
of
God
as
a
precious
bride
of
Christ
and
that's
what
we
read
about
earlier
in
our
assurance
of
pardon
from
Isaiah
62
Jerusalem
that
was
forsaken
that
was
called
forsaken
that
was
called
desolate
God
says
I
will
make
you
the
forsaken
one
the
desolate
one
my
delight
my
bride
that's
what
God
has
done
for
us
in
Jesus
Christ
Jesus
Christ
gave
himself
up
for
his
bride
his
people
for
the
new
Jerusalem
and
redeemed
them
for
himself
and
that's
why
Revelation
3
12
says
I
will
write
on
him
who
endures
to
the
end
in
following
Christ
the
name
of
my
God
and
the
name
of
the
city
of
my
God
the
new
Jerusalem
which
comes
down
from
my
God
out
of
heaven
Revelation
21
2
I
saw
the
holy
city
new
Jerusalem
coming
down
out
of
heaven
from
God
prepared
as
a
bride
adorned
for
her
husband
because
of
Christ's
atoning
work
and
redemptive
work
we
are
the
new
Jerusalem
the
once
desolate
forsaken
city
that
has
become
the
delight
of
God
himself
and
this
love
that
God
has
for
us
is
so
intimate
and
so
passionate
that
the
only
way
he
can
describe
it
is
by
comparing
it
to
marital
love
a
husband's
exclusive
faithful
affection
for his
wife
we are
chosen
and
cherished
we
have
to
keep
this
hope
of
Christ's
return
alive
and
fresh
in
our
hearts
that's
the
only
way
we
can
endure
the
tribulations
of
this
life
so
that
we
don't
suffer
as
those
who
do
not
have
hope
so
let's
turn
briefly
to
Christ's
return
in
the
consolation
of
New
Jerusalem
look at
verse
30
and
31
then
will
appear
in
heaven
the
sign
of
the
son
of
man
and
then
all
the
tribes
of
the
earth
will
mourn
and
they
will
see
the
son
of
man
coming
on
the
clouds
of
heaven
with
power
and
great
glory
and
he
will
send
out
his
angels
with
a
loud
trumpet
call
and
they
will
gather
his
elect
from
the
four
winds
from
one
end
of
heaven
to
the
other
this
echoes
the
language
of
Zechariah
12
which
in
turn
is
repeated
in
revelation
1
7
it's
using
that
language
to
speak
of
the
second
coming
of
Christ
Matthew
has
already
spoken
once
of
angels
gathering
up
the
elect
in
the
parable
of
the
weeds
in
Matthew
13
this
is
speaking
of
the
second
coming
of
Christ
and
the
final
judgment
that
will
take
place
then
at
his
first
coming
Christ
came
in
humiliation
and
obscurity
he
had
no
form
or
majesty
that
we
should
look
upon
him
no
beauty
that
we
should
desire
him
he
was
despised
and
rejected
by
men
a
man
of
sorrows
and
acquainted
with
grief
he
was
one
from
whom
men
hide
their
faces
he
was
despised
and
we
esteemed
him
not
in
his
first
coming
Jesus
emptied
himself
by
taking
the
form
of
a
!
servant
His
eternal
divine
glory
was
veiled
from
the
eyes
of
man
so
sinful
men
who
should
have
cowered
before
him
in fear
instead
strutted
around
boastfully
before
him
and
people
who
should
have
fallen
prostrate
in
worship
and
awe
before
him
instead
turned
against
him
and
flogged
him
and
crucified
him
that
was
his
first
coming
but
not
so
in
his
second
coming
in
his
second
coming
on
that
day
we
shall
see
him
as
he
is
this
is
Matthew
24
30
he
will
come
on
the
clouds
of
heaven
with
power
and
great
glory
it's
on
that
day
we
will
finally
be
vindicated
and
we
can
tell
all
our
naysayers
I
told
you
I
told
you
my
lord
is
the
king
I
told
you
he
is
the
son
of
God
I
told
you
he
is
a
sovereign
lord
who
reigns
behold
him
worship
him
what a
long
for
and
welcome
sight
the
return
of
Christ
will
be
to
the
suffering
and
persecuted
church
and
when
he
returns
it
says
Christ
will
send
out
his
angels
with
a
loud
trumpet
call
and
they
will
gather
his
elect
from
the
four
winds
from
one
end
of
heaven
to
the
other
there
will
be
a
loud
trumpet
call
don't
imagine
the
trumpet
call
like
in
a
marching
band
that's
not
the
kind
of
trumpet
call
it's
like
a
closer
referring
would
be
like
!
the
Roman
Salpinx
or
the
Jewish
shofar
have
you
seen
any
of
those?
If you
haven't
seen
it
imagine
the
horn
of
Gondor
from
Lord
of
the
Rings
it's
used
only
on
special
occasions
like
the
appearance
of
God
on
Mount
Sinai
or
when
they
are
declaring
the
year
of
jubilee
the
year
of
redemption
and
emancipation
the
50th
year
or
it's
used
in
the
Old
Testament
chiefly
as
a
rallying
battle
horn
and
that
blast
from
that
ram's
horn
gathers
all
of
God's
people
together
and
when
that
trumpet
is
blown
the
enemies
of
God
on
earth
will
scatter
and
all
those
who
were
weary
from
the
battle
fighting
against
the
world
the
flesh
and
the
devil
wondering
can I
make
it
another
day
can
I
make
it
another
year
can
I
make
it
another
ten
years
will
hear
the
call
of
the
captain
and
will
know
my
redemption
is
here
my
deliverance
is
here
my
captain
my
king
has
come
and
it
says
that
when
he
comes
he
will
gather
us
gather
his
elect
from
the
four
winds
from
one
end
of
the
heaven
to
the
other
this
specific
word
the
Greek
word
behind
this
word
gather
only
occurs
here
in
this
passage
in
all
of
the
gospel
of
Matthew
twice
in
Matthew
23
37
when
Jesus
lamented
how
often
would
I
have
gathered
your
children
together
as
a
hen
gathers
her
brood
under
her
wings
and
you
were
not
willing
and
then
once
more
here
in
chapter
24
verse
31
he
will
send
out
his
angels
with
a
loud
trumpet
call
and
they
will
gather
his
elect
from
the
four
winds
will
on
that
day
when
Christ
returns
they
will
all
be
gathered
to
him
today
we
are
like
motherless
chicks
in
some
ways
harassed
by
wolves
coyotes
hyenas
in the
world
bruised
and battered
and scattered
all over
the world
but one
day
as it
says
in
1
Thessalonians
4
16
the
Lord
Jesus
himself
will
descend
from
heaven
with
the
cry
of
command
with
the
voice
of
an
archangel
with
the
sound
of
the
trumpet
of
God
and
he
will
grant
relief
to
those
who
are
afflicted
inflicting
vengeance
on those
who do
not
know
God
and
on
those
who
do
not
obey
the
gospel
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
I'll
close
with
this
final
illustration
you
probably
heard
the
loud
raspy
piercing
scream
of a
red
tail
!
If you
haven't
heard it
in real
life
you've
at least
heard it
in movies
because
whenever
there's a
bird of
prey
soaring
like an
eagle
in a
Hollywood
film
they always
substitute
the cry
of the
red
tail
hawk
because
it's
the most
majestic
and
powerful
scream
of all
birds
of
prey
it's a
piercing
high
pitched
scream
there's
nothing
quite
like
it
imagine
that
bird of
prey
that
piercing
scream
and cry
and then
swooping
down
in high
velocity
dive
upon
all
the
predators
bothering
its
chicks
with the
cry
of
command
our
Christ
our
Lord
will
return
and when
he returns
he will
scatter
all
our
enemies
and he
will gather
us under
his wings
and there
we will
finally find
the rest
the security
the comfort
that we
long for
yet never
fully found
in this
broken
sinful
world
so hold
on to
that hope
brothers and
sisters
let's
pray
oh
father
fill us
with hope
oh
help us
to cling
to this
hope
of
the
return
of
our
king
sustain
us by
it
Lord
will you
please
comfort
my brothers
and sisters
who are
weary
this
morning
who is
crestfallen
this
morning
lift up
their heads
lift up
their gaze
onto you
to Christ
who is
coming
who is
surely
coming
who is
coming
soon
oh
Lord
come
soon
we wait
for you
in
Jesus name
we pray
amen