Matthew
Matthew 24 and other verses warn us of horrible things
That will take place in the end times
Jesus also tells us to preach the Good News to all nations
And then the end will come
It is our duty to share this glorious hope to all nations
It has never been easier to share the Message with the internet
And modes of transportation available to us today
The ability to translate the Bible and print it
Has become easier with new technology
We can now share the Message of the Kingdom around the world
In voice and print and never leave our home
You and I should never forget the power of one on one sharing the Good News
But we should not neglect the resources now available to us
To get this Message to the multitudes
Ask yourself how can you get the Good News of the Kingdom to the world
So the end can come
Can you give your time and resources to Mission Works
Who are getting the Message out?
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.
As a person reads Matthew 24,
that person will have questions.
I am sure you have questions about this chapter.
Well, you are not alone…
Jesus’ disciples had questions.
There are three questions the disciples asked Jesus.
Matthew 24 is Jesus’ answer to these three questions.
First lets set the scene…
Matthew 24:1-3…
Jesus left the temple and was walking away
when his disciples came up to Him
to call his attention to its buildings.
The attention is on the magnificent temple
and the surrounding buildings.
Titus, who destroyed the temple in 70 AD, declared it…
“The glory of human creation”!
“Whoever has not seen Herod’s building
has never seen a beautiful building in their life.”
(Baba Bathra 4a)
Tens of thousands of Jews and non-Jews
came from around the world to see
the biggest compound ever built.
This is what Jesus’ disciples were calling His attention to…
2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked.
"I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another;
everyone will be thrown down."
Jesus’ response had to be shocking
to the disciples as they made their way
to the Mount of Olive that overlooked the temple.
3 As 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?"
It is at this point, the disciples asked three questions…
"When will this happen,
and what will be the sign of your coming
and of the end of the age?"
Reading Matthew 24…
We see Jesus is speaking of the destruction
of the temple by Rome in 70AD.
We also see Jesus speaking of signs coming
and the end of the age.
As we ask questions
and wonder at the meaning of these
and other verses concerning the end times…
We need to make sure we do not miss
Jesus’ words in verse 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.
The Gospel (or Good News) of the Kingdom
Our role in the end times and all times is…
To preach the Kingdom Message.
The temple was to be a place of prayer for all nations.
God has always loved ALL nations.
He has always called ALL nations.
God is not just the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
God’s purpose for the Jewish people was to
reveal to the world a God not made with hands.
A God who created the heavens and the earth.
Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity,
an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God.
This one God is described in the Bible and we read…
1 Corinthians 8:4-6…
We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
1 Timothy 2:3-6…
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men —
This one God is described as three in one,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Paul describes clearly the Gospel
we preach to the nations.
1 Corinthians 15:1-8…
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
This Message of the Kingdom is a message
to all kingdoms.
Philippians 2:9-11…
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
The end time Message of the Kingdom is found
in the last two chapters of the Bible.
Revelation 21:24-27…
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Every nation, every kingdom on Earth
has failed to bring lasting peace.
Our best attempts have failed and brought affliction.
But in the end…
God’s Kingdom will stand in all its glory and purity
and in that Kingdom there will be a Tree of Life.
The first two chapters of the Bible
tell us of God’s creation of a beautiful paradise
and God created Man and Woman to live there.
The last two chapters of the Bible
tell us of a beautiful paradise God created
for Man and Woman to live forever.
Both paradises have a tree called the Tree of Life.
In Revelation 22:1-2 we see…
The leaves of the Tree of Life are
for the healing of the nations.
that warn us of horrible things
that will take place in the end times…
Tells us to preach the Good News to all nations.
It is our duty to share this glorious hope to all nations.
It has never been easier to share the Message
with the internet and modes of transportation
available to us today.
The ability to translate the Bible
and print it has become easier with new technology.
You and I should never forget the power
of one on one sharing the Good News but…
We should not neglect the resources now available
to us to get this Message to the nations.
Ask yourself how can you get
the Good News of the Kingdom
to the world so the end can come.
Can you give your time and resources to Mission Works
who are getting the Kingdom Message out to the nations?
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.
Matthew 24:14
Scripture Reading
Matthew 24:1-14 NIV
24 Jesus 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."
3 As 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?"
4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You 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. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 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.
