The End of the Age

Let me ask you to open your Bibles to Matthew, Matthew chapter 24. For the next few weeks, we're going to be thinking of Matthew 24 and 25, which are some of the most difficult chapters in Matthew, and we're going to see Jesus in action and listen to His words. Matthew 24 then, verses 1 through 3, first of all. Jesus left the temple and was going away.

Now, that's very important. Jesus is in the temple. He has pronounced these woes on the scribes and the Pharisees, as we saw last week. And in verse 37 of Matthew 23, He says to their leaders, in fact to Jerusalem, to the nation, you were not willing to come to Me. And then He said, verse 39 of Matthew 23, for I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. And as He left, in verse 38, we read, see, your house, that is the temple, is left to you desolate.

What a statement. Our Lord Jesus has come, and the nation, as symbolized by the religious leaders, have rejected Him. He's in the temple.

He said, I've pled with you to come to Me, but you are unwilling. And now judgment is going to come. As He leaves the temple, in a few days, He's going to be crucified. He's leaving it for the very last time, and as He leaves it, He pronounces judgment on it. Your temple, your house, is going to be left to you desolate.

That's the context. Chapter 24, verse 1, Jesus left the temple and was going away when His disciples came to point out to Him the buildings of the temple. But He answered them, you see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. Verse 3, and as He sat on the Mount of Olives. Have you been to Jerusalem?

You know there's the temple mount, and there's the Mount of Olives, the hills. And here is the Lord sitting with His disciples, and they're looking down on the temple. And they came to Him privately saying, here's the question.

They're asking Him a very interesting question, in a sense it's two questions. What will these signs be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Jesus is answering these questions.

These chapters are sometimes called the Olivet Discourse because Jesus is giving this very interesting teaching, which is not the easiest teaching for us to understand, but He's doing so sitting on the Mount of Olives, giving this fascinating teaching. The Lord Jesus has much to say on prophecy. The Bible has much to say on prophecy. We can't ignore it. And as Jesus makes these predictions and as the disciples ask questions, He does not say what we sometimes hear today, well that's all in the future, don't you worry about it.

I'll just take care of it all. Some people say they have no interest in the future, they just leave it to the Lord. Well it's good to leave it to the Lord, but we must pay attention to these prophetic passages. The Bible surveys the whole of human history from man's creation to the eternal state. The Bible deals with origins and destinies.

It deals with the past and the future. It deals with history and prophecy. And in Matthew chapter 24, our Lord Jesus makes three predictions. First, He predicts the destruction of the temple. They're sitting there looking at the temple, and Jesus has said that house is going to be left desolate in fact.

When judgment comes, not one stone of it will be left on another. So He makes a prophecy regarding the destruction of Herod's temple. Secondly, He deals with a time of unprecedented tribulation.

We'll think of that next week, and as we think of the Antichrist. And third, He makes a prediction that the Son of Man, namely Himself, will return. Now as Jesus prophesies of the destruction of the temple, the very temple that they're looking at, the very temple that they had been in, this prompts these questions from the disciples. Now Herod's temple was a magnificent structure. It was one of the greatest buildings of the ancient world. The temple dominated the city of Jerusalem, a magnificent structure covered with plates of gold, which at the rising of the sun reflected a brilliant and fiery splendor. Now these disciples coming from the north, coming from rural Galilee, fishermen, tax collectors, and so on, ordinary men living in the rural country, now they've come to the big city, and they must have been absolutely spellbound as they saw for the first time in the magnificent temple. And now they must be awestruck that this magnificent temple is going to be left desolate, that Jesus is saying all of it is going to be swept away to such an extent that not one stone will be left on another. Judgment is coming.

Let me pause. Do you think of Jesus that way? What's your view of God?

What's your view of the Son of God? Gentle Jesus, meek and mild? Here Jesus is prophesying that judgment is coming and is coming to the nation of Israel, and the temple, the very center of their social and religious life, is going to be left desolate. We don't like to think of judgment, do we?

Do you really think that you can live your life as if God didn't exist? So you can pale of service, you can come to church, you can sing a hymn or two, but the Lord Jesus is not central in your life, and if the truth were told, much of His teaching you ignore. You can't think that judgment has come. Judgment is coming. If you reject the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Pharisees and the scribes did, as the majority of the nation of Israel did, judgment is coming. And what Jesus prophesied became true. One of the reasons we believe in the reliability of the Bible is that the prophecies come true.

And all of the prophecies of Matthew 24 and 25 have not yet been fulfilled, but this prophecy that Jesus made around 33 or 36 AD came true because in just a few years, in AD 70, the Romans, the superpower of the day, with ruthlessness, came, besieged Jerusalem, besieged the temple. And because it was so difficult to attack, eventually it set on fire. And it's totally destroyed. And the nation of Israel is scattered. Their very center of their social, cultural, and religious life has now gone. The rejection of the Messiah meant that God is judging the nation and God is judging the leaders.

Remember last week, the seven woes. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. He described them as children of hell. Therefore, disciples anticipating that the kingdom of heaven was going to come and would be immediately established. After all, John the Baptist has said the kingdom of heaven is near. And the Lord Jesus, when He began His ministry, says, repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. And they thought, well, the very temple is going to be the center of the kingdom of God. And to hear that it's going to be left desolate must have been shocking. The magnificent temple destroyed. No wonder they ask these questions.

When's this going to happen? And what's going to be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Now, as we look at Matthew 24 and 25, we want to do what I trust we always do and to focus on the text of Scripture. When it comes to prophecy, there's a lot of speculation. Can I say there's a lot of sensationalism where people try to find the fulfillment of prophecy in every current event. You've heard it regarding Russia going into Ukraine. People say, well, this is the fulfillment of Ezekiel 37 to 39.

Not really. We need to be very, very careful and make sure that we don't go beyond what the Scripture has said. Now, as we look at this passage, there are people who say, well, this isn't true at all. This was written after the destruction of the temple.

No, it wasn't. Matthew, one of the followers of Jesus, heard Jesus. He puts it into writing. He's writing about 80, 50, or 60 years before this happened. No, the prediction that Jesus gave came true. There are other people who say that Matthew 24 was fully fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. They have a strange view of prophecy, but that cannot be right, as we will see. No, the better view is to understand that in these verses, there is a near fulfillment and a far fulfillment. The near, the local fulfillment is God's judgment on Israel with the destruction of the temple in AD 70. But as well as a near local fulfillment, we will learn that there is a future universal fulfillment when God acts at the end of the age in judgment, what we call His second advent, when He returns with power and glory.

A wonderful day for the believer, but a day of judgment for the unbeliever. That is the destruction of the temple in AD 70, pictures and prefigures, a time of devastating destruction at the end times yet future. I mean, if you look at your Bible, for example, in Matthew 24, verses 29 through 31, how can you say that these verses were fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem?

It just doesn't make sense. Furthermore, verse 14 says, this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. That did not happen at AD 70. And furthermore, in verse 36, verse 36 rather, of Matthew 24, Jesus says concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. Yes, Jesus is predicting the destruction of the temple, but He's predicting more than that. He's thinking of that great glorious day when He comes as the Son of Man. Now as we look at verses 4 or verses 1 through 14 this morning, I'm going to say that these verses characterize the last days generally, and they will increase in intensity, even as we see today, as the end times rapidly approach, culminating, as we'll see next week, in the great tribulation. So when the disciples ask, verse 3, what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age, Jesus does not rebuke them.

Far from it, He answers their question. Now there are people who are absolutely fascinated by prophecy, and that's all they study. And there are others who dismiss it and say, well, it's too difficult for us. There's too much controversy.

I'm just going to leave it. Let's keep to the teaching of Jesus. Let's not speculate. Let's not be sensational that sells books and people think you're very wise if you come up with these things.

Let's not do that. Let's keep to Scripture and Scripture alone. I've called this message the end of the age. We find it, didn't we, in verse 3, the end of the age. Can any of you think of another time Matthew uses that expression? Great commission, Matthew 28, as he tells us to go and make disciples of all the nations, and he says, I'm with you to the end of the age.

Isn't that good to know? That whatever happens, Jesus is with us to the end of the age. Rob prayed for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine who are being bombarded with the ruthlessness of Putin, but we rejoice, and they know this, that Jesus is with them. He's promised never to desert us, never to forsake us, but always to be with us. Now, first of all, in verses 4 through 8, we see that prior to the end of the age, there will be religious, political, and natural upheavals. Verse 4, are you with me? Matthew 24, verse 4.

And Jesus answered them, see that no one leads you astray, for many will come in my name, saying I'm the Christ, and they will lead many astray, and you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you're not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Worse is coming.

Then they will deliver you up, and so on. Let's just pause there and think of, first of all, prior to the end of the age, there will be religious upheavals. Verse 5, many will come in my name, saying I'm the Christ, and they will lead many astray. Verse 11, and many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And if we look down to verse 23, then if anyone says to you, look, here is the Christ, or there he is, do not believe it, for false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

Even the elect. There's going to be messianic pretenders, I'm the Christ. There's going to be false prophets. There's going to be false messiahs.

At the end times, there's going to be religious upheavals. Can I remind you that our only Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ? Occasionally at an election, you hear someone say, well, if so-and-so is elected, he really will save the country.

Well, I don't think so. We put our trust as followers of Christ, not in a president, not in a politician, not in an ideology, certainly not in ourselves. Our trust is in Christ and Christ alone. He's the only Savior, and He's the one that we trust. Yes, we have political ideas, and yes, we may prefer one politician to be president or a senator or whatever, or the mayor or the governor, but let's put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

No politician, as we will see, will bring peace to the world. Today, cults, false religions, pseudo-spirituality abound. Think of the rise of Islam. Think of the rise of Eastern mysticism, which comes in all kinds of ways into leadership and companies, into yoga and all kinds of things, this mystical idea. Or the prevalent philosophy is invent your own spirituality. People say, well, I'm a spiritual person. Of course, I don't go into the church. I don't believe in the Bible, but I have my own spirituality, a very common deception, isn't it? Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4, verse 1, that in the last days there will be doctrines of demons. Nick read from Ephesians 6 that our battle is against, not flesh and blood, but against spiritual darkness in high places impacting people. So can I say, don't believe the predictions, the dreams, the visions of self-professed prophets and apostles.

They seem to be coming more and more, don't you? Some guy claims to be a prophet. Some woman claims to be an apostle.

Don't believe it. There are those who say, well, I've discovered, I read recently, someone has discovered the secret of how to interpret Scripture. They've discovered the secret of prophecy.

People say, oh, how wonderful. I've got to buy their book. And I said to one man, you're buying the book.

Have you read the book? What about Revelation if you want to know about prophecy? Listen, there is no secret. The secret, the key to interpreting the Bible, is not some mystical secret that some guy dreamt up and wrote a bestseller about.

The secret is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the key to prophecy. So when you read this book, look for Christ. And so Jesus says here in Matthew chapter 24, don't be led astray. Did you see that in verse five?

Many will come in my name saying, I'm the Christ. They will lead many astray. Spiritual deception is on the increase. We're turning from the truth of the Bible.

In surveys, we read that many Americans, including many who go to church, believe that the Bible, the Koran, and the Book of Mormon really are all the same. They're just different expressions of spiritual truth. What deception?

What deception? This is the only inspired divine revelation, the Word of God. We're also told, and I've been told by people who come to Calvary, that we don't need doctrine. Just tell us about Jesus. It's all about Jesus.

Well, in a sense, they're right. The Bible is all about Jesus, but the Bible is full of doctrine. Who is Jesus? Our Muslim friends believe he's a prophet.

We believe he's a prophet, but we believe he's a prophet, but we believe he's God. That's doctrine. And people say, well, doctrine divides. And let's just talk about Jesus, how naive and how sad that more and more churches are not preaching doctrine, but preaching inspiring little sermonettes. You know, some churches are awash in sentimental hype, where people confuse having an emotional experience with true worship rooted in biblical truth. I praise God that at Calvary Church, led by our dear brother, Tim Hathaway, that in our worship, expressed in different ways, whether it's a hymn written 500 years ago or whether it's a song written five minutes ago, that they are rooted in biblical truth.

Yes, we experience joy. Yes, there is emotion, but our minds are also being informed that we as the people of God are not singing just some little ditty that makes us feel good, but we're singing about our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, we're singing doctrine, and we're being forced, as it were, to look up to the greatness of our magnificent God. So, we who are followers of Jesus Christ, see that no one leads you astray.

That's what Jesus is saying. See that no one leads you astray. You say, well, how could I know if I'm being led astray? If it's not in here, you're being led astray.

This is all that you need for your salvation, for your sanctification is the Word of God, religious upheaval. Secondly, prior to the end of the age, there will be political upheavals. Verse 6, and you'll hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you're not alarmed, for these must take place, but the end is not yet, for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Do you doubt the inspiration of the Bible?

This could have been written yesterday, couldn't it? Prior to the end of the age, Jesus is saying there will be wars, international confusion, and unrest. Think of all of the wars over the last hundred years. We think of World War I, 1914 to 1918. Think of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Rwanda, Iran, Libya, the Middle East, Syria, Ethiopia, just to name a few, and of course, going on right now, the war between two nations, two kingdoms, Russia and Ukraine. Wars and rumors of war. We live in a very dangerous world of constant political upheaval, including the threat of nuclear war.