Jesus is coming soon?

Maud church of ChristBy Jim BradshawSunday Evening, August 24, 2014

Matthew 24:1-22

Jesus is coming soon?

When is soon?

Will there be signs?

How many times will he return?

Revelation 22:20 ESV He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Jesus is coming soon!

• His own disciples asked similar questions.• Matthew 24:1-2 sets the context.• The disciples will ask three separate questions.

Matthew 24:3 NKJV 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?”

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When Will These Things Be?

1. Exactly what are these things?Matthew 24:1-2 NKJV 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.”

When Will These Things Be?

1. Exactly what are these things?– We are talking about the destruction of the

temple.– By implication we are also talking about the

destruction of Jerusalem.– It does not matter what may have been on the

disciples minds.– The Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed in AD

70 by the Romans under the command of Titus.

That’s 20 tons of rock!!!

Some stones were 70’ long x 12’ high x 18’ deep

Was the prophecy accurate?

Jesus is Coming Soon

Matthew 24:4-22 NKJV 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.

Jesus is Coming Soon

Matthew 24:4-22 continued (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.

Jesus is Coming Soon

Matthew 24:4-22 continued (15) "Therefore when you see the 'ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), (16) "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (17) Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. (18) And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. (19) But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

Jesus is Coming Soon

Matthew 24:4-22 continued (20) And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. (21) For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (22) And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

The Destruction of Jerusalem2. Remember we are talking about the

prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Matthew 24:34 NKJV Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Joseph Henry Thayer defines the Greek word for “generation” as the whole multitude of men living at the same time: Mt. xxiv. 34; Mk. xiii. 30; Lk. i. 48 xxi. 32 OR an age (i.e. the time ordinarily occupied by each successive generation), the space of from 30 to 33 years" (Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament).

What is a generation?

W. E. Vine says the word is "connected with ginomai, to become, primarily signifies a begetting, or birth; or the whole multitude of men living at the same time, Matt. 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 1:48; 21:32 Transferred from people to the time in which they lived, the word came to mean an age, i.e., a period ordinarily occupied by each successive generations, say, of thirty or forty years" (Vine's Expository Dictionary Of Biblical Words).

What is a generation?

Jesus is Coming Soon

Matthew 23:36-38 NKJV Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. (37) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! (38) See! Your house is left to you desolate;

The Destruction of Jerusalem2. Remember we are talking about the

prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

a) Matthew 24:34b) A generation means that the event would

happen within the disciples normal lifetime expectancy.

Was the Prophecy True?3. Were there false Christ's, wars, famines &

pestilences, earthquakes, and was the Gospel preached to all nations?

a) False Christ’s and false prophets1) Josephus claimed that, "there was an Egyptian false prophet

that did the Jews more mischief than the former; for he was a cheat, and pretended to be a prophet also, and got together thirty thousand men that were deluded by him; these he led round from the wilderness to the mount which was called the Mount of Olives, and was ready to break into Jerusalem by force from that place." (The Wars Of The Jews, 2:3:5).

Was the Prophecy True?3. Were there false Christ's, wars, famines &

pestilences, earthquakes, and was the Gospel preached to all nations?

a) False Christ’s and false prophets 2) Josephus also wrote: "Now it came to pass, while Fadus

was procurator of Judea, that a certain magician, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their efforts with them, and follow him to the river Jordan; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it; and many were deluded by his words." (The Antiquities Of The Jews, 20:5:1).

Was the Prophecy True?3. Were there false Christ's, wars, famines &

pestilences, earthquakes, and was the Gospel preached to all nations?

b) Wars and Rumor of Wars 1) Tacitus, a Roman historian, said of this period: "The history

on which I am entering is that of a period rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civil struggles, horrible even in peace. Four emperors fell by the sword; there were three civil wars, more foreign wars, and often both at the same time." (The Histories, 1:2).

Was the Prophecy True?3. Were there false Christ's, wars, famines &

pestilences, earthquakes, and was the Gospel preached to all nations?

c) Famines & Pestilences – Acts 11:28 NKJV Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.

Was the Prophecy True?3. Were there false Christ's, wars, famines &

pestilences, earthquakes, and was the Gospel preached to all nations?

d) Earthquakes1) J. Marcellus Kik said, "And as to earthquakes, many are

mentioned by writers during a period just previous to 70 A.D. There were earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse, Campania, Rome, and Judea. It is interesting to note that the city of Pompeii was much damaged by an earthquake occurring on February 5, 63 A.D." (An Eschatology Of Victory, p. 93).

Was the Prophecy True?3. Were there false Christ's, wars, famines &

pestilences, earthquakes, and was the Gospel preached to all nations?

e) Was the Gospel of the kingdom preached throughout the whole world?

1) Colossians 1:23 NKJV if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

God’s Word is True4. An Unlikely Prophecy

a) The prophecy of Christ reinforces a previous prophecy of Daniel (Abomination of Desolation); Daniel 9:27, 12:11

b) No Roman ever gave the order to destroy Jerusalem or the temple

c) Why overturn all the stones?d) Was it really the greatest tribulations ever faced?

Matthew 24:21

Gates to city were closed on the Sabbath; Neh. 13:19

Although 1.1 million Jews died in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, NOT A SINGLE CHRISTIAN PERISHED DURING THAT HORRIBLE SEIGE.

What does this mean to us?5. We can rely on God’s Word

a) 2 Timothy 3:16b) Jesus will return one day

1) Matthew 24:36 NKJV "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

c) What kind of life should we live?

Jesus is Coming Soon

2 Peter 3:10-12 NKJV (10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (11) Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, (12) looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

Jesus is Coming Soon

2 Peter 3:14 NKJV Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;