The Great Signs of The End Part VII Matthew 24:1-51

The Olivet Discourse and the Great Signs of the End

Last week we continued our journey through Matthew 24. Matthew 24 is called the Olivet Discourse Because Jesus gives instruction to his disciples from the Mount of Olives. Another title that can be given to Matthew 24 is the end times according to Jesus.

I Have titled this long sermon through this chapter the great signs of the end and this morning is part 7. In our journey through Matthew 24 our big idea is to anticipate the soon return of Christ. Everything Jesus has said in this chapter is calling you to anticipate his return as We see the signs that have occurred Historically the signs that are happening now and the signs that will occur in the future.

These signs are telling us that Jesus return is coming. As we have gone through this chapter thus far. We have seen 11 practices. How you are to anticipate the soon return of Christ. We have 15 total.

This morning we will see numbers 12 and 13. But before we look at these two points, let me give you a recap of the 11 practices. How you are to anticipate the soon return of Christ that we have seen thus far?

You are to anticipate the return of Christ through looking at prophetic certainty. Through what has already been fulfilled. Taking seriously why Jesus provides end times details. Watching out for the appearance of many false prophets.

Observing an increasing number of global wars. Experiencing a rise in natural disasters. Witnessing the rise of global persecution. Noticing widespread disregard for God's law. Seeing the gospel advance to all corners of the earth.

Following the rise of the final one world ruler going through worldwide cataclysmic events and the 11th practice. How You are to anticipate the soon return of Christ is through viewing The glorious return of Jesus Christ and the ones who are going to experience this are the ones who are alive at the end of the final seven-year tribulation.

Now if you haven't already I encourage you to turn in a Bible with me to Matthew 24 as we continue our sermon series through Matthew. If you are using a red Bible in the pews, it's on page.

986 and.

We will begin by reading the verses that we will cover today verses 32 through 36. These are the words of the Lord Jesus 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.

But concerning that day and hour.

No one knows.

Not even the angels of heaven nor the Son but the Father. Only here's the 12th practice how you are to anticipate the soon return of Christ. Through understanding that every sign tells of his return. Understanding that every sign tells of his return and we'll see this in verses 32 through 35.

What we already saw as I read this passage just now is that Jesus once again uses an illustration to describe his return. Last week we saw Jesus compare his return to a display of lightning in the sky or the gathering of vultures.

Looking down over dead animals those illustrations describe events in the world where Someone can see something from far away. With lightning people can see lightning miles and miles away 10 miles 20 miles 30 miles.

A Bird of prey can see its prey From far away and the vultures gather around that prey in the same way. The return of Christ will be known by everyone. The return of Christ is not some private event. The whole world will know it when he comes to this earth.

Here in these verses Jesus connects the closeness of his return with the signs. To this point we have seen many signs presented and what I have explained is that each of these signs Points to the reality that Jesus is coming back to this earth.

To understand how the signs relate to the coming of Christ verse 8 is the key once again in Verse 8 in the context of Jesus describing these signs Jesus says these are but the beginning of birth pains.

What we know about birth and what some women in this room know firsthand about birth about pregnancy is That as the birth nears The contractions increase in frequency and intensity. So it is with the signs of Christ's return as history rolls on the signs increase in frequency and intensity.

What Jesus does in verses 32 and 33 is tie the signs of his coming to how a fig tree works? During a specific season of the year. What Jesus says is that every year in the region of Israel in the spring the branches become Tender and on these tender branches the leaves start to grow.

When this happens all the people know that summer is coming that it is near. This sounds familiar to us Who live in the north country? Most people around here look forward to spring because the arrival of spring tells us that summer is coming and Who doesn't love summer in?

The month of March if you look at the tips of the branches one can see at a tiny level That the leaves are starting to grow. And it will take four to six weeks for these leaves to fully blossom. Once we get to May as long as we don't have one of those super long winters the leaves are Grown the leaves are fully blossomed.

There's an old saying April showers bring May flowers. When this time of year is upon us. It's an exciting time the summer is coming and for most people Summer is their favorite time of year. Summer is the time of year where you can go outside without bundling up.

You can walk run bike and swim you can go fishing and play with your kids in the yard. You can get vitamin D. Not from supplements, but from the blazing Sun in the sky. It is the time of year where it doesn't get dark till after 9, which is amazing.

It's the time of year where the population in this area grows from snowbirds returning both humans and the winged.

Creatures.

We know that this enjoyable time of year is coming when we start to see the leaves grow on the trees. What Jesus is explaining in verse 32 is that it was this way in Israel with fig trees. Fig trees are not something that we are familiar with but in Israel This is a common tree that everyone in the population would have been familiar with.

When the branches on the fig trees became tender and the leaves started to grow the people knew that summer was just around the corner. So it is with the signs Signaling that the return of Christ is near.

Think of the signs that we have seen thus far. The increase in frequency and intensity as Christ's return nears. Before Christ's return there is an increase in false prophets global wars natural disasters the rise of global persecution Disregard for God's law the spread of the gospel, which is a good sign the rise of the final one world ruler and witnessing cataclysmic events which reached their climax during the final seven-year tribulation as.

All of these signs appear Christ's return is close.

And.

The last sign that signals his return as we saw last week are cosmic disturbances. There will be unprecedented events taking place in the atmosphere. Unprecedented events taking place in outer space and then he will come right after these events as verses 29 and 30 tell us.

All of these signs signal that his return is near as he says in verse 33. When you see all these things, you know that he is near at the very gates. More on him being near at the very gates in the next point.

Will unfold that more? To this point what I have explained is that our world has experienced these signs Over the last 2 ,000 years and there has been an increase in these signs. Showing that the end is inching closer.

All of the signs that Jesus has explained people over the last 2 ,000 years have experienced and We have experienced in some measure the only sign we haven't experienced at all our major Cosmic disturbances, which I have explained will happen right before Jesus returns.

Now, what does Jesus want us to see? Through the words that he has shared with us to this point in this chapter Jesus wants you to understand the signs. He predicted to have happens are happening and will happen in increasing measure in the future.

We should be anticipating his return as. If it could happen not far down the road we should anticipate that it very well may happen in our lifetimes as You anticipate Christ's return. God uses this anticipation and longing to bring growth in your relationship with him as.

The parallel passage in Luke 21 28 says when these things begin to take place. Straighten up and raise your heads. Because your redemption is drawing near. Seeing the signs the signal Christ's return is near is intended to encourage you in your walk with the Lord.

When one lives with the knowledge that this world is on borrowed time that its days are numbered that your fight with sin Satan and the world is coming to an end and Christ is going to take his throne this should encourage you.

This biblical understanding is Intended to motivate the believer every day so that when he comes back he will find you faithful. He will find you doing What you are supposed to do. It's interesting in Luke chapter 18 verse 8 Jesus is talking to his disciples, and he says to them When the Son of Man comes Will he find faith on earth?

It's a sobering thought. It's a sobering question. When he comes back he wants to find faithful people who are following him closely and Those who long for his return as they see the signs of his coming happening.

These are the ones whom the Lord is pleased with. These are people that we want to be. Now in verse 34 Jesus says something that has caused many To be confused with as they try to understand what he's saying.

There's lots of different views on verse 34. Let's read verse 34. These are the words of Christ. He says Truly I say to you this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. What Jesus is saying is that a specific generation will be around to see all of these signs.

It will not pass away it will experience all of this. At first when you look at this, you might think that Jesus has his disciples in mind as he says this. But when you realize that the signs he has described throughout this chapter are global events.

That this world has not yet seen in their full form. We come to realize that this generation cannot be referring to his disciples when you read Matthew 24 or Mark 13 or Luke 21, which is which is all the Olivet Discourse when you read these sections.

You must read it in connection with Revelation. Revelation explains these global cataclysmic events that are coming upon the earth. With that knowledge we know That it can't just be the disciples that Jesus is talking to that.

This is not just some historic events that are described. When we look at the meaning of this generation, there are two legitimate options to consider. The first is that this generation is the nation of Israel last week Trevor Rubinstein the Jewish missionary from the Twin Cities Presented on the miraculous event that took place in 1948.

In.

1948 Israel became a nation in their own land. Once again, what happened in that year is that Jews from all over the world returned to their homeland the land Where the ancient Israelites lived. The land that was promised to them when God Promised Abraham that he would have offspring and that they would have this land.

Some believe that the generation of Israelites started in 1948 is the Generation that Jesus is describing the generation that will experience all the signs in their fullest form before the return of Christ.

The Israelites returning to Israel in 1948. I believe is a fulfillment of Ezekiel 36. That chapter describes a prophecy of a mass number of Israelites returning to their homeland. And if you look at 1948, it's truly incredible.

There's prophecy in the Old Testament that says how could a nation become a nation in one day? But that's exactly what happened in 1948 the United Nations declares Israel is a nation. Most countries become nations by fighting wars to gain independence.

That's how the United States became a nation in 1776. What Trevor was explaining a week ago is that? Israel did not have to fight to become a nation. But they had to fight to remain a nation because once they were put in the land Their enemies wanted to wipe them out, but by the grace of God They were preserved.

So as we look at this generation. The question is as we look at the as we look at this view of this generation. The question is how long is the lifespan of a generation in the Old Testament in our day?

We have lots of different generations. You have the greatest generation the baby boomer generation generation X the Millennials and most recent Gen Z and it's neat to think that all of these generations are present at Eureka Baptist Church.

But to understand this view of the meaning of this generation. We need to keep the year 1948 in our minds. How long is the lifespan of an Israelite born in? 1948 in Genesis 6 3. The Lord limited the lifespan of humans to 120 years because God did not want to see sinners.

Living a super long time like they did before this in The early pages of Genesis people live to be over 900 years old, but it was limited to 120 around the time of the flood. So does God have 120 years in mind when he thinks of an Israelite born in 1948?

But there's another place in Scripture that describes the average lifespan of a human and this comes from Psalm 90 verse 10 which says. The years of our life are 70 or even by reason of strength 80. So the average person lives to be about 70 to 80 years old and that fits the modern-day expectation for how long people live.

Even though some people live a decade or two longer than that. But most do not. So let's look at this if you do the math 120 years from 1948 would be the year 2068 but if the length of a generation is measured at 70 to 80 years.

Then we would be right at the end of this generation of Israelites that started in 1948. Someone born in 1948 turns 80 years old in 2028. This view believes That those Israelites born in 1948 are the ones described who will see the signs in their fullest form right before the return of Christ.

This view is held by some because the focus of Scripture at the end of the world is Primarily on the people of Israel and that is true as John MacArthur once said. You get biblical interpretation, right?

You get Israel, right? You get Israel, right? You get the end times, right? During the final seven-year tribulation. There is some focus on the Gentiles, but the primary focus is on the Jews as Jeremiah 30 verse 7 calls the final seven years a time of distress for Jacob.

Now this view I just presented is fascinating. But it is not the view that I hold to. My view is much simpler and I'm a simple man. So it fits well with that. Far less complex than the one I just presented you is this view?

Here is the view. This generation is the generation alive during the final seven-year tribulation. In other words This view does not distinguish between Jews and Gentiles. It is whoever is alive at the very end.

That is the people who live through the final seven-year tribulation will see all the signs in their fullest form. They will see Unprecedented false Christ and false prophets. They will see mega natural disasters the biggest wars in human history unprecedented lawlessness the spread of the gospel unlike anything this world has seen and they will see the Antichrist rule the world through the power of Satan.

This final generation will see all the signs in their fullest form. They will see them at their most intense stage. Just like the contractions and pregnancy are most severe at the very end right before the birth of a child there will be people who will survive the tribulation who will see all of it and the last thing they will see are the cosmic disturbances before the return of Christ and They will be the ones who witness the return of Christ.

I think people Make the meaning of this generation more complicated than it needs to be. This generation is the final generation and specifically those who are alive. To see all the signs in their fullest form that take place during the final seven-year tribulation.

These people more than any other over the last 2 ,000 years will understand that the signs Jesus mentioned indeed do points to the firm reality that his return is near and that he is standing at the very gates at this point.

In this teaching Jesus has laid out the signs of his return and the actual events of His return. With this in mind Jesus stops to say something very important in verse 35. Let's read this here. Jesus says heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Why does he say this? He says this because what Jesus communicates in this chapter about his return is certain. All of these signs have happened are happening and will increase before his return and when the signs are at their most severe level and this final generation sees all of these signs.

Then he will return. It's going to play out exactly how he said it would and this is the amazing statement he makes. The amazing statement he makes is His words are more certain than heaven and earth being sustained.

Think about that. This world we live in is less sturdy less secure less firm than the Word of God That has been declared. His words are more certain than the earth and the universe. Existing as they do right now.

How is this so? This is so because the words of Jesus endure forever. What the Bible says is that the universe will not endure forever. Do you understand? That the Bible teaches that this present universe will be burned up.

I preached a sermon on this on June 7th 2020 from 2nd Peter chapter 3 verses 1 through 13. That passage describes That the universe will be burned by fire. This event will happen after the 1 ,000 year reign of Christ.

God is going to make everything new. The entire universe will blow up and God is going to recreate an entire universe That will never be polluted by sin. The moment that sin came into this universe in the Garden of Eden this universe became disposable.

Its days became numbered. When God recreates the new universe in the new heavens and the new earth. There will never be sin again, and this universe will go on forever and ever. This present universe will pass away.

But Jesus words are eternal. On some Sundays We sing that Keith and Kristen Getty song speak. That song is about the Bible and there's a line in that song that says speak Oh Lord and renew our minds. Help us grasp the heights of your plans for us truths unchanged from the dawn of time that will echo down through.

Eternity.

All the words of the Word of God in the pages of Scripture are eternal. The words of God are spoken and the words endure forever. Jesus wants his disciples whom he is speaking with and all of us to know this.

Everything he has said here is firm and it is forever firm. His words are more firm more lasting than something that seems so permanent to us the very universe that we live in. Never let anyone fool you.

The signs of his return are all around us and they will increase as we inch closer to Christ's return. As the days roll on the leaves are coming out and this tells us that summer is near. So anticipate the soon return of Christ and the 12th practice.

How is through understanding that every sign tells of his return? Here's the 13th practice how you were to anticipate the soon return of Christ and that is through knowing That no human knows the exact day of his return and we'll see this in verse 36.

We just talked about the last generation who will be alive at Jesus return. But no one knows the exact time this last generation will experience this. Jesus explains this in verse 36 where he says. But concerning that day and hour.

No one knows.

Not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father. Only Jesus makes it clear. No one knows the day and the hour. Now last week we looked at the Jehovah Witness religion the founder Charles Russell Predicted the exact day that Jesus was to return.

His first prediction was that he would return in 1874 and that of course was wrong. Then he predicted his return on a specific day again in 1914 this prediction was once again wrong and Instead of admitting that he was wrong. He said that Jesus did in fact return.

But it was a spiritual return. What we see here is that Charles Russell was a false prophet and there are many false prophets who do this very thing. Anyone who predicts the exact day of Jesus return is making a false prophecy.

Most recently this was done by Harold Campion who predicted that Christ would return on May 21st 2011. Some of you may remember this I Don't know where you were on May 21st 2011 but one thing we all know is that Jesus did not return on that day.

In Fairness to campaign he did acknowledge his error, but the fact that he made this prediction shows what an untrusty untrustworthy teacher he was. Any teacher who makes a prediction about the day that Jesus returns is going against the clear words of Jesus?

Jesus tells us here in verse 36 that no one knows the day of his return. It is interesting what he says the angels don't know and not even he himself knows as. You see this you might wonder. How could it be that Jesus doesn't know the day of his return?

Isn't he God and doesn't God know everything?

Yes.

God knows everything and Yes, Jesus is God. The Bible makes that very clear. He is all-powerful all-present all-knowing and he has every attribute in its fulness that his father and the Holy Spirit have.

So, how is it that if Jesus is God? He does not know the day of his return to the earth? This is so because Jesus has two natures. In his divine nature. He knows the day of his return, but in his human nature He does not.

Once the second person of the Trinity the Son took on flesh in his human nature He would be under the will of his father. He would only do what the father allowed him to do in any given situation. For example, John 5 30 tells us this where Jesus says I can do nothing on my own as I hear I judge and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

In Jesus humanity, he did have supernatural knowledge. He had knowledge far beyond what we have. However in his humanity he did not know everything as He submitted to his father. He was only able to access his divine nature when his father allowed him to.

He was only able to do miracles when his father allowed him to do so and he was only able to know certain things. When his father allowed him to Jesus was not allowed to know the day of his return in the father's wisdom only he knows now once again.

The Trinity knows about the day of Christ's return because each member of the Godhead father son and spirit are Fully God and as those who are fully God, there's not one piece of knowledge. They don't have if you were to ask.

God.

How many molecules are in the st. Croix River. Molecules of water. God would be able to tell you immediately how many molecules kills there are. We on the other hand would not get anywhere close because our knowledge is incredibly limited in Jesus human nature.

He knows far more than we do because he is able to access his divine nature as his father permits. But in his human nature, he still has limitations. And one of those limitations is that he does not know the day he's going to return.

What Jesus explains in verse 36 is that there is not only an exact day is also an exact hour As he says but concerning that day and hour no one knows. God knows the exact day and hour that Christ is going to come back and He is sovereign over world history.

Ephesians 111 says that all things happen according to the counsel of his will. God is writing world history. It is a story that he has already written and at some point We are going to reach the end of the story.

He knows when that is.

We do not.

But while we do not know the exact day and hour that Jesus is going to return We can know the general time. It's hard to imagine this world being here a century from now, I'm not setting any dates. But what I am saying is that while scripture teaches us that we cannot know the exact day and hour of Christ's return.

We can know the general time of his return. Jesus has explained this to us thus far in this chapter Jesus gives us signs and as we see these signs increase in frequency and intensity. Just like birth pains do as The birth nears it tells us that his return is not too far off.

Jesus told us This with the illustration of the fig tree in the previous point. Once again in verse 32 and 33 He said 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. So as we see the signs of the end happening before our very eyes We know that he is at the gates. Waiting to descend to this earth to gather his people.

Defeat his enemies and to establish his throne. And here's one of my frustrations with modern-day Christians. It is far too common for Christians and a lot of pastors a Lot of seminary professors to look at verse 36 on an island without looking at the broader context of this chapter.

The broader context tells us that we can know that his return is getting closer as We see the signs happening all around us. The tailors sent out a Christmas card and and we got one that came in on Saturday and In the card they explained this.

Well, we can't know the exact day. Jesus is going to return. We can know the general time and it was a wonderful card. They did a great job. What verse 36 is telling us is that we can't know the exact time but we can know the general time.

Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders for missing the work of God happening all around them in the first century in Matthew 16 3 he said, you know how to interpret the appearance of the sky. But you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

What he's saying is. You know how to interpret the weather. Red sky at night sailors delight delight red sky in the morning sailors take warning. They knew how to reason. Wasn't a reason issue is a hard issue.

When Jesus came on the scene and a great work of God was happening. They wanted nothing to do with it. They suppress the truth as Romans 1 says. Unbelievers do but even believers can do this and I think believers do this when we talk about the end times.

They say okay. Well, we can't know the day or the hour. So let's not even study the end times. That's not what the Bible teaches.

One-fourth of.

Scripture in some way is pointing to the end of the story. You have to be pretty selective to ignore that. It will not take much for the Lord to bring this world to an end for him to tell his son Jesus.

It is time go. We don't know when that will be but it is irrational to think that this world will continue to go on as It is for hundreds and hundreds of more years. Some wonder why his return hasn't come yet.

A number of years ago There were atheists in California who made a billboard that says, where is he? Why hasn't he come yet? Mocking the Bible. Mocking Christians. What's ironic is that they're actually fulfilling prophecy as they do that as.

As we'll see here in a little bit but but first let me look at the patience of God. Why doesn't he return? God is patient. 2nd Peter chapter 3 verses 8 through 10 says do not overlook this one fact beloved that with the Lord one day is as a thousand Years and a thousand years is one day.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness. But as patient towards you not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.

So he's patient. But it's gonna come and it's gonna come suddenly in the future at some unknown time. And when the Bible says the day of the Lord what it means is judgment and the judgment comes in phases.

The Lord will bring this world under judgment at a time. Only he knows. It will be at that time that he will also gather his people to be with him forever. Some people wonder when is his return going to be.

God is patient, but when is it gonna be. It keeps delaying and what fools do is they say he's not coming back. This is I mentioned the atheists in California who made that billboard. Fool say okay. They keep saying he's coming back.

He hasn't come back. He's not coming back. But 2nd Peter 3 predicted this would happen in verses 3 and 4. Scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing. Following their own sinful desires. They will say where is the promise of his coming for ever since the father's fell asleep all things are Continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.

What the Apostle Peter is saying is secular people think the world has always been as it is now. It will keep going for billions of years. Until the Sun uses up all of its juice and then all life dies.

That's what secular people believe. I remember watching a program about that eventually the Sun is going to use all but it's juiced up and then Life is impossible. Everything will be done at that point.

But these people don't understand history. They deny history. Peter continues in verses 5 through 7 of 2nd Peter 3. They deliberately overlooked this fact that the heavens existed long ago. And the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Word of God and that by means of these.

The world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly historically.

There was a flood. Do you understand that every civilization in the history of? the world has a flood story. A reasonable person looks at that and says There was a flood. And not only does history say there was a flood science says there was a flood.

The fossil account is a story. There's a story in there. It's it's a story of a global flood. So every Christian needs to be ready and every unbeliever needs to be ready by finding refuge in Christ before it's too late the flood happened his return is going to happen and if you are here today and You have never taken refuge in Christ.

My call is for you to believe in the Lord Jesus. Understand this the only way you're gonna get to heaven is by trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. God created everything good at the beginning, but Adam and Eve fell into sin and When they sinned sin came into the world and every person is a sinner by nature and by choice.