Signs of the End of the Age

Matthew 24:1-35

Key Verse: 24:14

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Intro: In this passage Jesus teaches us the signs of the end of the age.  Jesus says that these things will happen so that the Gospel would be preached to the whole world.

Read verses 1-3.  How was Jesus’ view of the temple different from that of the disciples? (23:37-39)  To what future event was Jesus referring?  Later, what did they ask Jesus? (3)  Why did the disciples equate the destruction of the temple with Jesus coming and the end of the age?

Mat. 24:1-3 reads, “¹Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ²"Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."  ³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?"

Mat. 23:37-39, “³⁷O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. ³⁸Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

To Jesus when he saw the temple it had become a ‘den of robbers’ and the priests and teachers of the law had become hypocrites who laid heavy burdens on people and did not lift a finger to help them.  There was no justice, mercy or faithfulness to be found.  The temple was to be a ‘house of prayer for all nations.’  But that was no longer the case, it was the place where men had usurped the temple for their own glory and position and used God’s Name for their own purposes and not to follow God or to live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

For Jesus the outward of the temple did not match the real heart of God any longer, because the people had rejected their God.  They were like chicks who have lost their mother; they had no one to look after and care for them any longer.  Outwardly they looked ‘beautiful’, but inwardly they were desolate and spiritually poverty stricken.

Jesus was not ‘fooled’ by the outward ‘beauty’ of the temple.  Jesus did not equate the ‘beauty’ of the temple with true worship.  To Him it was the same as a cup clean on the outside but inwardly full of filth.

Jesus was talking about the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, when the Romans under Titus conquered Jerusalem using three legions.  The temple was destroyed when a fire during the siege spread throughout the city and the temple was engulfed and destroyed by the flames as well.

Mat. 24:3 reads, “‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?’”

For the disciples (and all the Israelites) the temple represented the heart and soul of the nation of Israel.  It was the pride and joy of the people.  It was the center of their spiritual, social, and civic life.  The disciples could not imagine that the temple, God’s dwelling place among His people, could be destroyed unless it was the end of the age.

They must have thought that Jesus was coming to remove all “God’s enemies” and make all things ‘right’.  Jesus was going to usher in a ‘new age’; a ‘golden age’ like the golden age of king David.

Read verses 4-8.  What is the first danger that disciples must watch out for at the end of the age? (4, 5)  Why?  What other catastrophes will frighten people? (6, 7)  What warnings and promises does Jesus give?  How does Jesus see these things? (8)

Mat. 24:4-8 reads, “⁴Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in My Name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.’”

The disciples must watch out that no one deceives them, because many will come in Jesus’ Name, claiming they are “the Christ”.

These deceivers are able to do this because of the fear and overwhelming circumstances that the people find themselves in.  The people will become alarmed and fearful.  They will dread those days.  They will be frightened by these things.  It will be terrifying for those who go through these things.  It will be like nothing ever before.

There will be wars and rumors of possible wars.  Nations will rise up against one another.  Today we have the United Nations that is designed to keep peace between the nations.  We designed this because twice in the last century we had two world wars in which millions upon millions were killed and many others left destitute and amid ruins.  We are afraid that if the nations ever have another world war it will be the ‘war to end all wars’, because of the destructive capability of the arms and armies today.

But that is not all. There will also be famines and earthquakes in various places.  Some may be able to escape the destruction of the wars that the nations experience but they will not escape these terrible times, because of the famines and earthquakes in various places.  Some nations, such as Switzerland, have been fortunate in that they have not been at war for over a hundred years (1847 was the last year that they had armed violence and it was less than a 100 people who died).

But there will be no nation or people that will not suffer in these last days.  Many hope that it will be somewhere else, but that will not be the case.  No one will escape these last days.

The warning is not to be deceived and the promise is that all these things that will happen will be like birth pains.

But even though this is the case that there will be worldwide calamity, Jesus says that these things are like ‘birth pains.’

Birth pains are an unavoidable part of giving birth to children.  Women understand this much better than men, because they are the very ones who have to bear this suffering and pain.  Men see their wives in pain, but they do not have to experience it themselves.  They get the benefit of seeing their newborn child, but they did not have to participate in the actual pain that the wife had to.  Every mother when she is pregnant with their first child is full of anxious thoughts about the pain of giving birth.  She often thinks about it the whole time she is pregnant and it becomes more pronounced the closer the day of delivery comes.  But interestingly, after her child is born and the pain is long, long gone, she no longer thinks about the pain she had to endure.  It’s a vague memory at best.  But what replaces that pain is the joy of her son or daughter and seeing her child grow before their very eyes. (Obviously, each mother is different, so this can not apply to ALL mothers).

After that first pregnancy, a mother now knows what to expect and is not nearly as fearful or anxious about giving birth again.  She knows that it is ‘worth’ it.  Birth pains are not mere dreadful events, but meaningful sufferings that result in new life.

These are all the beginning of birth pains.  These things are unavoidable and necessary for the new heaven and new earth and the renewing of all things.  It is the time when we will soon be brought before our God and King forever and ever.

On December 26, 2004, a tsunami struck southeast Asia.  Hardest hit was Banda Aceh, Indonesia.  Muslims had been trying to make this a Muslim state for five years, cutting it off from the outside world.  According to some reports, they burned Christian churches and martyred pastors right after their Christmas service.  Then the tsunami struck–thousands died; villages disappeared.  Many Christian relief agencies came to help.  After a year, local people began to say, “Muslim leaders told us we were being punished, and did nothing.  But Christians have shown us God’s love.” Many opened their hearts to the Gospel.  In God, catastrophic events are opportunities to reveal God’s love.  They are also reminders that our real hope is in Heaven (Is. 66:22; II Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1).

Read verses 9-13.  How will God’s people be targeted in the last days?  How will many react under such pressure?  What should Jesus’ people do?  What did Jesus promise?

Mat. 24:9-13 reads, “⁹Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Christians are going to be targeted in the last days.  They will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death and ALL nations will hate us because of Jesus.  This is hard to fathom living here in America where we are not physically persecuted.  Non-physical persecution is effective, and has been so in America, but it is still very, very different than physical persecution.  There are still nations today that physically persecute Christians, including Indonesia and Saudi Arabia and other nations.  But for the ‘Western Nations’, we do not really experience such things.  But this will not be the case in the last days.

Many Christians in America are so fearful of such things happening that they are highly sensitive and watchful in America that such things will not happen, but they are fighting the wrong battle.

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.  Many false prophets will arise, just like they did in the times of trouble that the Israelites faced in the Old Testament.  (Ex. Jer. 6:13-14 which reads, “¹³ From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. ¹⁴ They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.  ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.”

Mat. 7:15 says, “¹⁵Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”  False prophets look like they are like sheep, but in reality they are coming to take advantage of the circumstances of the frightened flock of God, by giving them false hope and false Words of God.

How can you recognize a false prophet?  Mat. 7:16-20 says, ^“16By their fruit you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  ¹⁷Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  ²⁰Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

One saint said that the devil can show any form of virtue except one -meekness.  Pride and selfishness are at the heart of false prophets.

Jesus promises that those who stand firm to the end will be saved.  This reveals that it is not how good you have done at the beginning or how well you have done for most of your life, we must END the race we have begun.  We cannot quit somewhere in the middle and expect that we will win the victors crown.  The end days are going to be frightful, but we must FINISH our race.  We must STAND FIRM TO THE END; then we can be saved.  Even though it will appear that the end will never come, these days will not last forever and even though some may be put to death, we are not to renounce or fall away from our faith in our Lord and Savior who is able to save us on the last day.

II Kings 19:3 says, “They told him, ‘This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.’ ”  What good is it to carry a child for nine months and not deliver the child?  The whole point of carrying the child for this long is so that the child would be delivered.  If a woman carries the child for nine months and does not deliver the child it is a great disgrace.  The same is true when we run the race and do not FINISH it.

Look at verse 14.  How does God see the world and his redemptive history?  What does it mean that “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world”?  What does “as a testimony to all nations” mean?  What does this show about God?

Mat. 24:14 reads, “¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

To Jesus these things are all allowed so that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.  For those who listen and repent and believe the testimony given, they will be saved, but for those who reject the testimony given, they will in turn be rejected on that terrible and dreadful day and they will have nothing to say.  This is the great mercy and grace of God to those who are still in rebellion against Him.  He sends His saints to suffer at their hands as a testimony to His immeasurable love to them and to give them the chance to hear the testimony and repent and turn to Him.  Even though His saints will suffer at their hands, He is willing to do this for them, because of His immeasurable love for all people.

This does not mean our suffering and persecution is meaningless.  Our suffering is meaningful, just as a pregnant mother’s suffering is not meaningless, but brings new life.  We the saints of God should not be fearful or afraid what happens to our lives on this earth, because God is good and our lives are secure in His hand.  Our salvation is secure if we stand firm to the end.

When we suffer in this way our testimony becomes the most powerful message for people to listen to and repent and believe.  Strangely, the Roman Empire was not conquered with the Gospel because of good Sunday messages each week.  The Gospel was accepted because the saints testimony even in the face of severe persecution was so powerful that others could see the Truth of God’s Word living.  Many repented and the church actually grew through persecution.  This is the reality of how the Rome and the Roman Empire was conquered with the Gospel.

Read verses 15-22.  What does this "abomination" refer to? (cf. Dan. 9:27; 11:31)  When this happens what must Gods people do?  How great will the distress be at that time? (21)  How does God continue to exercise his sovereignty and show his love for his people?

Mat. 24:15-22 reads, “¹⁵So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  ¹⁷Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.  ¹⁸Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.  ¹⁹How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!  ²⁰Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.  ²¹For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. ^{2 2}If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”

Dan. 9:27 reads, “²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’  In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.  And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”

Dan. 11:31 reads, “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice.  Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.”

In 167 B.C. a Greek ruler (Seleucid Empire) by the name of Antiochus IV Epiphanes set up an altar to Zeus over the altar of burnt offerings in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. He also sacrificed a pig on the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem. This event is known as the abomination of desolation.

Obviously, when Jesus spoke this event had already taken place so the ‘Abomination that causes desolation” is not only talking about this actual event that had already taken place, but something that will happen in the future.

II Thes. 2:1-4 reads, “¹Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, ²not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. ³Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁴He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”

“The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god there is, even blaspheming the God of gods.” Daniel 11:36 ( HYPERLINK "http://brittgillette.com/WordPress/?p=1" \o "New Living Translation" NLT)

The ‘Abomination that causes desolation” will be when the man of lawlessness (antichrist) sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

The antichrist will not just be an enemy of God Almighty, but of anything which distracts the human race from the worship of himself as the one true God.  Unfortunately, much of the world will answer the call to worship him: Rev. 13:8 reads, “⁸All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.”

The antichrist will wage war against the saints because they do not worship him.  So when he sets himself up in the place of God, we must flee to the mountains.  It is important to note that Gen. 22:14 says, “¹⁴ So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’”  Even though we may think we are in need of something, in truth on the mountain of the Lord we will be provided.

Mat. 24:21 reads, “²¹For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.”  Jesus clearly reveals that these will be the worst days in all mankind.  When we think about the Nazi Holocaust and the ‘Killing Fields’ of Cambodia and Stalin’s purges or Mao’s ‘Cultural Revolution” and how many died because of these horrendous events, and none of these will compare to these last days.  The worst since the beginning of time.  It will be so terrible that if God did not cut these days short no one would be left alive!

Even though the antichrist will try his hardest to defeat all his enemies and many will be killed in the end God is Sovereign and will chose when all these things will end, not the antichrist.  God will do this for the sake of the elect.

Read verses 23-25.  Why are people vulnerable to deception in times of tragedy, distress, danger and persecution?  How will false christs try to deceive people?  What is Jesus’ warning?  Why do you think he tells us ahead of time about these things?

Mat. 24:23-25 reads, “²³At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. ²⁴For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. ²⁵See, I have told you ahead of time.”

The persecution will become more and more severe during the end of times.  As it becomes more and more desperate it will become harder and harder for believers to endure.  Many will be deceived, even the elect (if that were possible).  They will be hoping that the Christ will come quickly and when false christs and false prophets appear and perform great signs (not small signs, but GREAT signs), and miracles they will be deceived and think that this MUST be Christ.

False christs will have the ability to perform GREAT signs and miracles.

DO NOT BELIEVE IT.  When Jesus comes again it will be unmistakable, everyone will be able to tell.

We are told these things so that we will be able to finish our race and receive eternal life.  He does not want us to get this far only to fall short of the Kingdom of God.  We have an enemy who is doing everything in his power to destroy us and tear us away from God.  Our enemy uses deception and persecution to defeat us.  By Jesus telling us these things we can be comforted and know why these things place and what to expect so we will not be overwhelmed and follow a false christ.

Read verses 26-28.  Why should we not believe people’s cries of, “There he is or “Here he is?”  How obvious will it be when Jesus comes again?

Mat. 24:26-28 reads, “²⁶So if anyone tells you, ‘There He is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.  ²⁷For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  ²⁸Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”

Jesus’ second coming will be as visible as lightning in the sky.  Jesus is not going to be coming like a normal man, like He did the first time.  No one is going to mistake Him for an ordinary child.  Jesus will come in all His glory, power and majesty.  There will be no mistaking it.  It will be abundantly obvious.

II Sam. 22:12-14 read, “¹² He made darkness his canopy around him-the dark rain clouds of the sky.  ¹³ Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth.  ¹⁴ The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.”

Job 37:2-4 read, “² Listen!  Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.   ³ He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.  ⁴ After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice.  When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back.”

Read verses 29-31.  What will happen to the sun, moon and stars?  Why will the nations of the earth mourn?  In the midst of dark times what is our great hope?  Why will his people rejoice at his coming? (Compare Rev 21:1-4)

Mat. 24:29-31 reads, “²⁹Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’  ³⁰At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.  They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.  ³¹And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Dt. 4:19 reads, “¹⁹ And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”  Men worship those things created for man, instead of the Creator.  But all these things, even things that look as though they are permanent will one day fade and even the stars will fall from the sky.  This is amazing considering that the stars have never done such a thing.  We count on them to be there every evening and for the sun to be there every morning.

Ecc. 9:9 reads, “Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.”  When the sun becomes darkened we can know that our meaningless and toilsome days on this earth are nearing their end.

The nations will mourn that day because they had rejected that Jesus was the Christ and they will be shocked to find out that He truly is the Messiah Promised by God.

Rev. 1:5b-8 reads, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!  Amen.  ⁷Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be!  Amen.  ⁸ ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

John 16:20 reads, “²⁰I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”  We will mourn at first, but in the end we will rejoice.

Our great hope is that Jesus will return just as He promised and will gather us up to Him from all four corners of the earth to be with Him forever and ever.  The elect will be brought home at last.

Rev 21:1-4 reads, “¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  ²I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”

Read verses 32-35. What lesson must we learn from the fig tree?  How far off is Jesus’ coming when we see all these things?  What does it mean that his words will never pass away?

Mat. 24:32-35 reads, “³²"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.  ³³Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.  ³⁴I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.  ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away.”

This reveals that Jesus’ return is not far off at all. 

Jesus’ Words are trustworthy and true.  What Jesus says will come to pass.  We can only stand firm to the end by holding onto God’s Words, more than our own determination.  The end times will pass, but His Words will not.