Gtcotr/ss032722
It was during this time of the year, in the early spring, arguably in the year AD30. Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem along with thousands of people from all over the known world. They were counting down the days until Passover. It is reasonable to assume it was a Tuesday evening, which would have been April 4th of that year, and it was probably along about sundown. In just 2 more days the Passover would begin. How could anyone know the importance of this particular Passover? Yet there must have been a sense in the air, this was THE PASSOVER! … The real Passover … and Jesus was the true and promised Lamb of God Who was about to take away the sins of the world. (Text for today: Matthew 24)
That evening Jesus left the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and walked through the gate and outside of the city walls. He headed for the village of Bethany where He and His disciples were lodging. One of His disciples made a comments about how fascinated he was with the Temple’s magnificent architecture. Jesus told him that it was only temporary. Not one stone will be left on another, but all would end up being torn down.
It had been a long day and as they climbed up and over the Mount of Olives Jesus stopped to talk privately with His disciples who gathered around Him. Jesus had a habit of saying some profound things and maybe the disciples had been pondering on or wondering among themselves what Jesus meant about the Temple being destroyed. (3 years earlier at the same feast Jesus talked about rebuilding the destroyed Temple - John 2:19-22; Then at His trial Jesus was accused by those words - Matthew 26:61 & Mark 14:58) Let’s read some of the things Jesus said as they stopped on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple.
Matthew 24 NKJV
3 Now 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?”
4 ¶ And Jesus answered and
said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 “For many will come in My
name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6 “And you will hear of wars
and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things
must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 “For nation will rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,
and earthquakes in various places.
8 “All these are the
beginning of sorrows.”
The question was very direct: v.3 “What will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the world?”
All the things Jesus tells them to expect: wars, threats of war; famines, earthquakes, pestilence, and nations and kingdoms divided, do not point to the end of world. People may reference these to imagine Jesus is giving some inside information on the last days, but it’s not like they imagine. In fact, Mark repeats the conversation to confirm what Jesus clearly said …
Mark 13 NKJV
7 “But when you hear of wars
and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but
the end is not yet.
8 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.”
These things do not point to the end of the world, but rather to the beginning of sorrows. Yet, Jesus does not leave the disciples, nor does He leave us, without a clear and definite, unmistakable answer to the question: “What will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the world?”
Look back at Matthew 24 and let’s allow Jesus to finish His answer.
Matthew 24 NKJV
4 ¶ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
· That’s the first admonition … “Do not be deceived … you’re going to see a lot of injustices and trouble and wars and natural disasters and atrocities … don’t let anyone tell you, based on these things, that it is the end … it’s not! – That’s a false/worldly prophet’s narrative.”
11 “Then many false prophets
will rise up and deceive many.
13 “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
· Jesus said, (paraphrase), “Endure a little here and let Me inform you as to what will bring about the end of the age, and establish God’s New World Order, (His Kingdom), so you won’t accept any other narrative.” Don’t be fooled; accept no substitute; here is the truth!
14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
·
“Get
your focus off of the sensational news cycle and close your ears to the
prophets who follow it to forecast My coming.”
·
Every
generation faces evil and injustice, and it can get worse …
·
It’s
not the wars, rumors of wars … don’t let these trouble you …
·
Matthew 24:6 “The end is not yet!”
· Get your eyes off of the world news and get your focus on the Good News
We confidently know when Jesus is coming and when the end of this age will be. How do we know? Jesus answered the direct question asked by His disciples with a very direct answer. God is looking for a generation who will, in the midst of all of the chaos, evil, and injustice, will reach the whole world with the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a witness to all nations. Then the end will come!
This is why Jesus admonished His disciples one last time just before He ascended into heaven, 40 days after His resurrection, from perhaps that very same place on the Mount of Olives. The had the same question:
Acts 1 NKJV
6 ¶ Therefore, when they had
come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the
kingdom to Israel?”
7 And He said to them, “It is
not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own
authority.
8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The aim of Jesus is clearly on the preaching of the Gospel to all the world. This is why we have been commissioned to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do everything Jesus commanded us to do.
Today, if you hear the voice of God, accept His will and plan for your life. Find a way to involve yourself in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the whole world, especially in the most difficult and perilous times. You can do this by participating in our Church’s local and worldwide outreaches. I have never before in my life seen such troubling times for our nation and the world. This is why we have turned up our witness.
We are doing everything we possibly can to fulfill the Great Commission in this generation so that we might see the return of Jesus Christ and an end to the demon inspired atrocities of this world.
Jesus wants to come back. I have no doubt He is ready. However, God the Father has put that day under His own authority and not even the angels know when we will finally make the return of Jesus possible.
How do we stop these horrible injustices and natural disasters occurring all around us?
Only the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will bring about the end of this age.
What are you doing to bring Jesus back and bring about an end to all this chaos and confusion?
God and everybody else needs you the generation that gets so fed up with the devil and all his destruction and division and deception, that you stand up and speak up about the real answer to all this mess. It’s Jesus Christ and His love, His sacrifice, His forgiveness, His salvation, and His coming again. That’s the answer the world needs to hear and we need to tell.
“Dare to Share” the love of Jesus with someone this week. Someone at work; someone at school; your friends on social media; share your testimony; text someone you feel might need some encouragement and tell them you are praying for them; invite someone to Church with you.
The Gospel is the power of God (Romans 1:16). Don’t be ashamed to tell it. I know the answer is simple but it’s the only answer Jesus gave us. Every time you hear the World News, tell someone about the Good News.
This
will help God to bring about His New World Order.
