Gtcotr/ws062420
The
Time:
A mid-week evening in the spring of AD30.
The
Place:
On the Mount of Olives, across the valley from the Temple.
The
Setting:
In just 2 or 3 days, Jesus will be arrested and crucified.
The
Listeners:
Jesus sits to enjoy a private moment with His disciples.
The
Subject of Discussion:
The end of the age.
The
Passage:
…
Matthew 24
1
¶ Then Jesus went out and departed from
the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all
these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here
upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
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.
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.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation
and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
10 “And then many will be offended, will betray
one another, and will hate one another.
11 “Then many false prophets will rise up and
deceive many.
12 “And because lawlessness
will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
13 “But he who endures to the
end shall be saved.
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.
35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My
words will by no means pass away.
36 “But of that day and hour
no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
37 “But as the days of Noah were,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
38 “For as in the days before the flood, they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that
Noah entered the ark,
39 “and did not know until the flood came and
took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
As
in the days of Noah … this is a very significant sign that points the student
of the Bible in several directions. Jesus gives us a clear picture of two
important truths about the end times.
1.
What will be happening in the world.
a. Business as usual with
added calamity and chaos
b. Deception
c. Lawlessness
d. Lack of love
e. Wars and threats of
war
f. Divided nations and
kingdoms
g. Famines
h. Pestilences
i. Earthquakes in various
places
j. Offense
k. Betrayal
l. Hatred
m. Persecution of the
Church
Note: And it is not going
to stop … but thank God … Jesus also gives us a picture of what the Believing
Church will be doing in that time – speaking of the Church Age (Revelation
2&3).
2.
What will be happening in the Church.
a.
As it was in the days of Noah …
b.
While the world was lying in wickedness and
calamity and chaos during Noah’s day, what was Noah, doing?
i. Noah trusted God in a very uncertain and evil day.
ii. Noah did not follow the world or adopt worldly ways
iii. Noah worked on God’s plan for the salvation of mankind
1.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah prepared …
2.
1 Peter 3:20 God waited patiently while Noah
built an ark to save his household
3.
Saved his household
iv. Noah believed God was serious about judging the wickedness of the world.
v. Noah busied himself with God’s work while being a witness to those
around him.
2 Peter 2:5 And did not spare
the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a
preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
Noah had only one message … He was a preacher
of righteousness. His message: “Get right with God!” before it is too late. God
loves you and has a plan for your life, but He is not going to put up with all
this chaos and lawlessness and worshipping false Gods and not loving others and
hatred and betrayal and persecution forever … the world has a shelf-life.
Good news … Those who have Believed, and
Received Jesus as Lord and Savior have already entered in the ark. We are safe from
the judgement and the great tribulation which is to come upon all the world. We
are already in Christ. We are already seated in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. Our duty to others and to God is to get others onboard. This goes back
to what Jesus said in His explanation of the end times in:
Matthew 24
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.
45 “Who then is a faithful
and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them
food in due season?
46 “Blessed is that
servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
The
Conclusion:
What should we do in these days of calamity and chaos?
·
Stay focused on God’s plan, not the chaos, hardships and hurt.
·
Keep preaching the Gospel as a witness to all nations until the end.
