Matthew 25:1-13 English Standard Version (ESV) LISTEN: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.25.1-Matt.25.13 The Parable of the Ten Virgins 25:1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Remember that we are still in the Olivet Discourse all throughout chapters 24 and 25, so the context here is still Jesus answering the question from His disciples about how they will know that the end has come. They wanted to know the signs so they could recognize them.
The "then" at the beginning of verse 1 seems to indicate that this is connected to everything that has been said in chapter 24 and is chronologically after it or at least should be taken as "in that time that you are asking about" (the last days). Remember that we've compared our relationship with Jesus as if we are in the betrothal period--we are technically married, but we are waiting for Him to return from His Father's house where He is preparing a place for us that is worthy of us upon His Father's inspection and He will come without much warning with the blast of trumpet and the harbinger proclaiming, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh," and the bride and her attendants and the guests need to be ready, even if this happens in the dead of night, because He will wait no longer to have His bride and to consummate the marriage. This is the context of this parable--a Galilean wedding just like I described above. This story is going to tie directly into the last teaching of Jesus from Matthew 24 asking how the master will find His servants at the time of His return. Unlike today's culture where everything is about the bride at the wedding, in that culture and at that time, everything was about the groom, and it was the job of the bridesmaids (these 10 virgins) to assist the bride in always being ready for her groom to show and to remind her that His return was imminent and not to lose hope or to lose heart. She was to be ready for Him the moment that He returned. Five of these virgins were foolish because they acted as if the coming of the bridegroom was a long ways off and that they had lots of time to get ready and they lived in such a way where they would have failed to do their duty to encourage the bride of Christ to always be ready for His return, but five of the virgins were wise and prepared and trimmed the wicks of their lamps and made sure they had plenty of oil--oil in the Bible is usually a symbol of the Holy Spirit--so this is sign that they did not put off repentance and conversion and were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were dressed and ready for the groom to come at any moment, even if He came in the middle of the night and they needed their lamps to be ready. The foolish virgins not only did not prepare their lamps (their hearts) and did not fill them with enough oil to last through the long night. Their belief system (their religion they had) was insufficient to last the test of time--they are probably like the seeds that sprouted up in rocky soil or among the weeds from the Parable of the Sower. Not only did they not fill their lamps (their hearts) with over-abundant supply of oil that comes from the Holy Spirit, but they became complacent, even to the point of becoming drowsy and falling asleep and forgetting to tend to their lamps or be ready for the bridegroom's coming. In the dead of night, the harbinger or herald came proclaiming the coming of the bridegroom and those who had been asleep asked if they could borrow some of the oil from the wise virgins, but true faith is not something you can just borrow from someone else in the moment of crisis or in this case at the second coming of Christ. No one will be able to say, "Quick, take me with you" and no one will get to say "I should get in because I was really good friends with that guy." Remember the last parable that Jesus told about a wedding? Those without an invitation and without the right wedding clothes (dressed in His righteousness alone) will be kept outside and if they somehow try to sneak in, they will be cast out. The wise virgins answered that there was not enough oil to share--they only had enough for themselves (their decision they made was only for them). They told the foolish virgins they needed to go buy for themselves (make their own decision). While the foolish virgins were away in the marketplace of philosophies, ideas, and worldviews trying to find a suitable substitute to fill their hearts with instead of the Holy Spirit, they ran out of time, the bridegroom came and the door was closed behind Him and no one else was allowed to enter. At some point there is going to be a point of no return and those who have chosen not to wisely repent and believe will lose that opportunity. It seems consistent with the entire Biblical narrative to say this will happen at the time that Jesus comes which is referred to as "the rapture" when believers will be "caught up" (the Greek word for this is related to the word "harpoon" but the Latin word for this is where we get the word "rapture" from) together with Him in the air. When exactly this event takes place is a question lots of people want an answer to, but if we are asking that question, we are like the foolish virgins who are trying to not always be ready for the imminent return of the bridegroom. It is not for us to know the time of the return of Christ--even Jesus said that only the Father knows. We should be faithful and obedient to the revelation we do have instead of asking for new and additional revelation. We probably know from evangelism that most people who say "If you could only answer this one objection for me, then I'd believe." really don't mean that. They have some underlying condition that makes them not want to believe (usually some underlying sin issue that they love more than they love God). They understand that repentance means a change of heart and a change of life and they are not willing for Jesus to be both Savior and Lord. In the same way some who say they are Christians don't want Jesus to return because they want to "play" for a little bit longer (or in the case of this parable, sleep for a little bit longer). The actions of these five foolish virgins showed their true nature and what was (or wasn't) inside their lamps and that they did not belong inside the wedding banquet hall (heaven). No matter how much they bang on the doors and cry and plead, the doors will not be opened for them--they have made their choice. Just like the verses from Matthew 7 the impostors who rely on their self-righteousness and the works they have done (even the ones they have done in the name of Christ) who had no relationship with Him are case out and not allowed into God's eternal Sabbath rest for His people. Let us be wise like the five wise virgins and prepare now, even if it is a long wait, because we do not know the time He is returning and it could be any second now that He appears and the time for preparation will be finished in the twinkling of an eye and no one that has foolishly delayed will get a second chance--they have made their choice to love the world more than they loved Christ.
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Matthew 24:32-51 English Standard Version (ESV) LISTEN: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.24.32-Matt.24.51 The Lesson of the Fig Tree 32 “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. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. No One Knows That Day and Hour 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Once again Jesus uses a fig tree as an object-lesson for His disciples I do believe once again that the fig tree here is a symbol of the nation of Israel. Jesus points tot he fig tree and says that just like when we see the fig tree coming back to life in the Spring, we know that Summer is approaching, so we know that when we see the nation of Israel "coming back to life" and all these things coming to pass that Jesus has been talking about that the end is very near--only a "season" away in prophetic time. We have seen this happen in recent history as the nation of Israel was restored in a day and life was brought back to the desert where there was no life. Jesus is coming again.
With that said, let's be careful to not try and say that we know an exact date. We are told that no one knows that it impossible to know the day or hour (to great specificity) when Christ will return--again, only the Father knows that, but it does seem to indicate that we can have some idea that He is coming "soon," and that His return is imminent, otherwise, why give us the teaching of the fig tree to watch out and be alert so that we don't miss the signs? Just like with the days of Noah, no one understood what rain was and when the Lord God would open up the heavens and pour out His judgment on the earth. Men were eating, drinking, making merry and thumbing their noses at God and defying His commandments. Read what the Lord had to say in Genesis 6:5-8, "5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." Does that not sound close to the time we live in today where man continually does only evil all the time and culture continually tries to find new ways to thumb their nose at God be more rebellious and more sinful than their neighbor, yet make it out that their sin is somehow virtuous? The harvest of the grapes of wrath is ripening and we can be sure that God will not tolerate man's rebellion forever, but His grace and mercy lasts for a season in order that He may bring many sons and daughters to glory. We then see another teaching about a harvest. People will be about their daily lives and men and women will be suddenly swept away in the harvest. Because this paragraph is talking about the comparison of the flood and those caught up in the judgement, it is most reasonable to assume this is not talking about the rapture but instead about the coming plagues talked about in the book of the Revelation where God will pour out His wrath and there will be multitudes of people that die from famine and pestilence and war, but these deaths may appear random and indiscriminate in that one neighbor will be taken (killed) and another will be left alive and it will all happen suddenly in the middle of them living their daily lives. Jesus then makes an interesting statement. He is like a thief coming to steal from the kingdom of the devil. He comes quickly and quietly--without warning. Remember that Lucifer, the devil, is a created being and while he is very old and has a lot of knowledge about the world and how things work, he is not omniscient and does not know the future. Jesus seems to ask, "Why would I hand the enemy my playbook so that he can be ready for me?" Jesus said that would be as dumb as telling the owner of the house when you are coming to break into it if you were a thief. Then Jesus says that means that we must always be ready for His return because He's going to come at an unexpected time that will take us and the enemy by surprise. Jesus then shifts gears and talks about who He will find faithful when He returns. Who will continue to take care of His people and diligently be about His work? Who will be a faithful steward of the gifts and talents that have been entrusted to him? But Jesus gives a warning to those that would act like He is slack in keeping His promise of returning and would mistreat fellow servants of God and live like the world imagining that they will escape punishment. Jesus says that the actions of these people betray them and their fruit shows what kind of root they have and that when He comes these "weeds" will be separated from the good grain and will be swept up in the coming judgement as well. Just because we call ourselves Christians is not enough to save us, "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23). When He returns, how will He find you? Make your choice now on how you want to live now and where you want to spend the rest of eternity. There are only two choices: (look back at the teachings of The Sermon on the Mount--specifically Matthew 7:13-27). Do not wait if you hear the Savior calling because you are not guaranteed tomorrow (or the next breath for that matter). Matthew 24:15-31 English Standard Version (ESV) LISTEN: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.24.15-Matt.24.31 The Abomination of Desolation 15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. The Coming of the Son of Man 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Both of these teaching of Christ are deeply rooted in passages from the book of the prophet Daniel I would actually like to stop and include those passages with today's reading so that may have a better understanding that this is not a new teaching coming from Jesus, but yet Jesus saying "These are things that are still going to happen at the end of days,'" as the picture was kind of distorted for the prophets at times like seeing two mountains far off in the distance and them looking like they are part of the same mountain because you didn't have the correct depth perception to understand what was near and what was far because everything was far away. In that sense Jesus was explaining to the disciples that some of the prophecies about Messiah had come true already and some were about to come true in His first coming, but other things were still yet to be fulfilled in His second coming. We also see the idea here of prophecy having a way of being fulfilled sometimes incompletely by me past but it has its ultimate fulfillment at some point in the future. For instance the people at the time of Daniel probably would have thought that "The Abomination that Causes Desolation" already happened with Antiochus Epiphanes, a Greek general, who set up turned the temple in Jerusalem into a temple to Zeus and slayed a pig on the altar of God in order to defile the altar and spread the blood of the pig on everything that was holy in the temple to defile it. This was a way for the Greeks to say "Our gods are superior to your God," and was a common practice when they conquered another nation. We see that the Babylonians robbed the treasury of the temple when they took Israel into exile and used the sacred chalices to drink toasts to their gods (God used this event to tell the Babylonians that their kingdom would fall to the Medes and the Persians that very night), and we know that the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant at one point and put it in the temple of their god Dagon--thought that didn't turn out so well for them. This was something that was normal behavior for the pagans and it seems like this will be par for the course for Antichrist when he appears. Daniel 9:24-27 English Standard Version (ESV) The Seventy Weeks 24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Daniel 7:9-14 English Standard Version (ESV) The Ancient of Days Reigns 9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. 11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. The Son of Man Is Given Dominion 13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. There is much more in the book of Daniel revealing what will happen to the nation of Israel in the end times, but let's go back to what Jesus had to say about in the book of Matthew. Jesus adds that when they see the true fulfillment of this prophecy that they should literally run for the hills, probably to the mountain fortress of Petra, because it will be a place of safety--just like God did not pour out the plagues on His people that lived in the land of Goshen when He poured out His wrath on Egypt, so God will make a place of protection for His covenant people--just like He did when He put Noah and His family inside the ark. Remember, history and prophecy are cyclical, but the ultimate fulfillment of this teaching is that all who are in Christ will be given safety and deliverance from the eternal wrath that is to come for those who are outside of Christ.
Jesus gives the same kind of warning that was given to Lot and his family when they were told to flee Sodom and Gommorah--do not turn back and do not look back. Interesting that we miss that God told Lot and his family, "because I cannot do anything until you are safe." (see Genesis 19:22). Since someone asked me this directly the other day, i will answer here. I can't say for certain that God's people will escape from the tribulation by way of "the Rapture," but I am certain that because God is the same yesterday, today and forever that God will provide a place of safety and deliverance for His people to come through the tribulation and to come out like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who came out from the fiery furnace and did not even smell of smoke and it was clear to all those around them that this was because God was with them. Back to the warning of Christ--Jesus specifically tells the Jews to pray that this event doesn't happen in winter or at a time when they are pregnant which would make it hard to flee or make them desire to stay behind and that they are to take no provisions with them that would slow them down...they are to run for their lives (literally) because the peace treaty that Antichrist made with Israel is now broken and he's about to commit genocide against any of the people of God that he can get his hands on. Sound familiar? It should since Satan has been at war with God and the people of God from the very beginning. Jesus warns that this time of tribulation will be like nothing ever experienced before, even the Holocaust will pale in comparison to what is about to happen, and He says that unless God was in control to make the days be short that no one would escape. Even in this time of wrath, God shows mercy in that this time is for a season and for a purpose--to warn people that the end is upon them and to give a taste of the coming wrath that they need to be delivered from. Jesus then admonishes the Jews to not believe anyone who comes and says "I am the Christ" at this time because many false Christs will arise but one in particular whom we call the Antichrist. Jesus says, "I have warned you ahead of time," because anyone giving their allegiance to the Antichrist is giving their allegiance to the devil and is an enemy of God and is marking themselves for destruction--God's remnant will not be tricked though Satan is sure going to try to do so as we are told that if possible he would deceive even the elect. Then Jesus says that just like you don't know that lightning is coming and in a flash it's gone, that is how it is going to be with the return of the Son of Man. If this is literal speech even though in a poetic form, Jesus could be talking about the even that we've called The Rapture where "in the twinkling of an eye" those who are dead in Christ will be raised and those who are alive and in Christ will be transformed and we will meet Him in the air and be with the Lord forever. If this is simply figurative it could just mean that like lightning you can see the thunderclouds form but the lightning itself comes without warning and when you hear the thunder, it is too late--the destruction will have already occurred. There will will be no last-second conversions because the even will be so quick they will miss it. While it is unclear if the previous verses were talking about the Rapture or the coming of Jesus at the end when He descends on the Mount of Olives as the rider on the white horse to wage war with all of His enemies, it is very clear that this passage is talking about the very end of days just before what is known as the Great White Throne judgement. The sun will go dark and the stars will fall from heaven and the heavens will be shaken. It is as if God changes the cosmological constant and everything starts to fall apart and shake itself apart. Remember Colossians 1:16-17? "15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. " What would happen if Christ stopped holding everything together? I think we find out at this point. It is what Peter describes in 2 Peter 3:10, "10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed." We see again Jesus talking about the angels being sent out to "harvest" all men...specifically the harvest of the righteous here, which we've already talked about in other parables and referenced in the book Revelation. We see that the righteous will not be swept away in the judgement that is coming for the unrighteous. As the time approaches let us not forget this truth and let us live and minister as if the day of Lord is imminent. No matter your viewpoint on eschatology, we have a limited amount of time to be laborers in the Lord's vineyard and to bring in the entire harvest before the end of the age (the day of the Lord). At that point there will be no more harvest. Let us be about the mission that we have been commissioned for and live as if today could be our last day and that it could be the last day for any and all of those around us. We do not know how much time we have left, but the Resurrection is the glorious hope of both the living and the dead who are in Christ. Matthew 24:1-14 English Standard Version (ESV) LISTEN: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.24 Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple 24:1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 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.” Signs of the End of the Age 3 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?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. I am going to split Matthew 24 and 25 (The Olivet Discourse) up into several parts like I did The Sermon on the Mount. This is one of the most direct passages talking about the end times and is the beginning of what is called the Olivet Discourse as this teaching occurs on the Mount of Olives. Note that this is prophecy given to the nation of Israel that those of us who are Gentiles can glean some truth from, but some of it is going to refer back to the Old Testament book of Daniel which also has a lot to say about the "last days" for Israel, including when Messiah would appear and be "cut off." That specific prophecy from Daniel is about to be fulfilled to the very day that was promised. They are living in the "last days" of Daniel, but they seem to understand that the prophetic clock for Israel stops when Messiah is cut off (Daniel's 69th week) and that Daniel's 70th week (what we would call the Tribulation) is some time far in the future and that they should warn people to be ready for that to happen soon. What are those warning signs? Let's follow along with Jesus and see where we might be in the prophetic timeline that Jesus lays out here and what Jesus says our response should be when we see these things taking place (or at least what the response of Israel should be when they see these things taking place). The first sign that Jesus gives is the the temple would be destroyed. This has clearly already happened in 70 AD when the Romans came into Jerusalem to put down the last revolt from the Jews that they were willing to tolerate and to disperse the Jews out of their land in what will be known as the Diaspora. The Romans heard that the Jews had used gold as mortar for the bricks in the temple (probably not true) but they tore every brick down looking for this hidden gold which fulfilled the worlds of Jesus here that not one stone would be left on top of another. The Western Wall which is now referred to as the Wailing Wall was later rebuilt, and we now see that the Dome of the Rock sits on the temple mount. The temple plays a vital role in Jewish prophecy and we will see later that the Jewish temple is restored and that the Antichrist will defile it. This is still something that has to happen but it is not clear that its reconstruction happens before the 7 years of tribulation, so we should not wait for its constructions as a "sign." The disciples are worried about this statement that the temple is going to be destroyed and that this has something to do with the end of the age, and they wonder how they will know this is coming. Jesus has told them before that He can't give them an exact timeline for His return because only the Father knows (remember the parable of the wedding and how the Bride must always be ready for the bridegroom's father to say "Go get your bride."). However, Jesus can lay out some broad strokes of things that must happen first that will be "signs of the times." First, Jesus warns that there will be many false Christs (people that claim to be the Messiah) that appear during this time to try to trick Israel into following them. They are to watch out and not believe any of them because their Messiah has already come--His name is Jesus of Nazareth, and when He returns again to this earth to establish His kingdom, it will be too late for those who have chosen not to believe in the salvation that He brought to both the Jews and the Gentiles. There will be wars and rumors of wars--great wars (probably talking about world wars) where nations rise against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms. I'd say that pretty much describes a lot of the modern wars, but it seems like in recent history someone has always been at war with someone else, even if the war was what we called a "cold war" where we were ready to "go hot" at a moment's notice. We don't make peace or sign treaties very often but instead just make "cease-fire agreements" that are easily made and easily broken. In addition to wars the Lord says there will be natural disasters such as earthquakes and famines but that this is only the beginning, like the first contractions that a woman feels to let her know that the delivery of the baby is eminent and to start to take action. It's not necessarily an indicator of how long you have though. The next sign that Jesus says to watch out for is that "they" (not really specified, but clearly the enemies of God) will put the nation of Israel and/or the Church (it's not exactly clear) through a time of tribulation, put them to death, and make them hated by all nations. Many will fall away from the faith and will betray one another and even learn to hate one another. I'd say this definitely happened to the Jewish people during the time of the Holocaust and that very much could be the time that Jesus is referring to--even the Church was persecuted, but the Church did not come out of the ordeal with clean hands and some Christians today claim to love God and yet hate the covenant people of God--the Jews. They believe that somehow God broke His covenant with Israel because they put Jesus to death, but that's not exactly what the Bible says--we're going to pay careful attention as we go through the gospels and the epistles on who exactly (if anyone) put Jesus to death--spoiler alert, it probably isn't who you think it is. There is also no question that many ethnic Jews have become Atheists since the Holocaust because they don't understand how their God could allow them them to go through that. There were also some of the Jews (and Christians) who were out to save their own skin or out for profit and collaborated with the Nazis and turned in their "friends." They were no better than Judas Iscariot that we'll see soon but God was still faithful and saved a remnant as He always does. He does not promise to save everyone, but He dos promise to keep a remnant of His covenant people that He can keep His eternal covenant with. Then, just like Jesus, He sticks a word of encouragement into the middle of this doom and gloom prophecy, "Those who endure to the end (the faithful) will be saved." We also hear that, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." This is our job as the Church right now. Every generation has the ability (especially with today's technology) to take the gospel to every tribe, tongue and nation. We also know that God is going to give this job to some angels in the end times, but that "gospel" that is preached to the world at that time is not a message of salvation, but a message that Revelation 14:6-13 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Messages of the Three Angels 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” Matthew 23 English Standard Version (ESV) LISTEN: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.23 The Indictment Is Read 23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. The Evidence Is Presented (The Seven Woes) 13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? The Verdict Is Read 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Lament over Jerusalem 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” First, let me say that this passage is going to be much longer than those we've looked at recently simply because almost the entire chapter is given to one one theme--presenting God's case against the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. I took some liberties and added my own headings and split each "Woe" up so you could clearly see all seven of them. I wanted you to be able to see that Jesus is the charging officer, the prosecutor and the judge here. One other note is that I'm probably not going to break down all the "big words" this time, however I will provide you with links to www.biblegateway.com and www.blueletterbible.org which both have excellent FREE Bible dictionaries and study tools. I feel better putting the resources in your hands to be independent learners than to make you dependent on me to tell you what something means (and these are usually the same resources I use as well).
Okay, with all that said, let's take a look at that charges. It basically comes down to this. The Pharisees have not learned the principle of servant leadership and lord their authority over the people and put heavy burdens on them all while not taking those same burdens on themselves and finding ways to exempt themselves all while wearing flashy clothes and making sure everyone knows how great and important they are and forgetting to live their lives in a way that brings glory and honor and praise to God. Jesus summarizes this by going back to that same teaching He's trying to get into His disciples' heads before He goes to the cross--"The last will be first and the first will be last" and "The one who wants to be the greatest among you must be a servant to all" and "Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be exalted." All different ways of saying the same thing that God's kingdom does not work like the world's kingdom--in fact, it's very much the opposite. You want to become important in God's kingdom? Humble yourself and make His name great. Want to become rich in the kingdom and have lots of treasure in heaven? Sell everything you have and give it to the poor. Want to experience blessings? Suffer persecution and take up your cross daily. This is not just a hard pill to swallow, but many people (including Jesus' own family) thought He was crazy for saying these things. Jesus then lays out seven ways in which the Pharisees had been hypocrites. Read them for yourselves and see if they don't describe some of the people that you know. Do they describe you? If so, this is God's warning to you that you need to turn away from these things quickly before judgement comes upon you for it will come. Again, I'll let you read the evidence Jesus brought against them as I don't think it needs much explanation. Even after all this and Jesus giving them the chance to repent, Jesus sees their hard hearts and pronounces judgement on them to say that they will not escape condemnation not only for their actions, but for the actions of all Israel past because they would have done exactly the same things if they were there. Of course they would have tortured and persecuted and killed the prophets of God, because that's exactly what they are about to do to the Son of God Himself. Finally, Jesus weeps as he pronounces judgement over all of Jerusalem--the capital city of the Jewish people and in a way representing all of the Jews. Jesus weeps over the fact that they have killed the messengers of God over and over again and that He has tried time and time again to bring them to repentance and draw them close to Him like a mother hen that wants to keep her chicks safe and warm under her wings, but they were not willing. Their kingdom they had built for themselves would be destroyed by the Romans and the temple itself would be destroyed in the process. Then Jesus says that His plan for Jerusalem is done until the time of His second coming when the people will once again shout "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." At that time, it will be too late and Jesus will be coming to set up the kingdom of our God here on this earth and will reign from the throne of David in Jerusalem. If only they would repent and believe before that day of judgment comes, and it saddens Him that He knows so many will not. Matthew 22:41-46 English Standard Version (ESV) LISTEN: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.22.41-Matt.22.46 Whose Son Is the Christ? 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? 45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. Jesus decided to turn the tables on the Pharisees and ask them a question. Remember we're still in the temple courtyard the week of Passover and practically the whole nation of Israel and all of the Jews who had dispersed among the nations have made the pilgrimage back to Jerusalem for this high holy day (where we get the word holiday from). The Pharisees have conspired with the Sadducees and the Herodians so far (both political rivals) to try and trick Jesus by asking Him a serious of questions that would get Him in trouble with Rome, show Him to be a law-breaker, or show Him to be the kind of leader that the people wouldn't want--they have just seen the procession from the Mount of Olives to the Temple on Palm Sunday and know this means Jesus is claiming to be the rightful King of the Jews and the Son of David. They are afraid they will lose their power and influence and position if Rome finds out that the people have coronated a king and given allegiance to one other than Caesar or Rome's puppet-government of Herods.
Knowing this is what was on their mind Jesus just cuts to the chase and asks the Pharisees point-blank, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" Notice that Jesus didn't say, "What do you think about me? Whose son am I?" because He already knew what they would say about that.....they thought He was an illegitimate child born out of sin, which is why they assumed He could not be Messiah. They answered Jesus and said, "The Son of David," which is going back to a promise in the Old Testament where David it told by God that he would have a descendant that would reign from his throne (the throne of the united kingdom) forever and ever. This is the Messiah, the Christ, that the people were looking for but that the leaders didn't want because it would mean a new government would be established that they would not be a part of. Jesus then uses the Scriptures to ask how it was that David would call his "son" (someone in his lineage yet to be born), "My Lord" in Psalm 110 where David said, "The LORD (the covenant name for God, "I AM,") said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I place all your enemies under your feet.'" How then is it that David called this person "My Lord" if this person was only a physical descendant of David? Wouldn't that make David greater? They realized once again they had missed something obvious in Scripture that the Messiah would not just be the Son of David, but the Son of God, but these would be the very two claims that they would bring Him up on charges for at the end of the week. First in front of the Jewish rulers, the Sanhedrin and the chief priest, saying He claimed to be the Son of God, and then later to the Romans claiming that He said He was a king. In fact this is how His charges would read from Pilate, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." This question and answer from Jesus put a stop to the Pharisee's games of trying to trick Him into answering a question in a bad way--they figured they couldn't outsmart Him and that He knew the Scriptures as well or better than they did (No joke, because He was the Living Word of God), and their tactics once again changed. We'll see exactly what those tactics are in the upcoming chapters and verses. Matthew 22:34-40 English Standard Version (ESV) LISTEN: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.22.34-Matt.22.40 The Great Commandment 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” We see the conspiracy that has formed as different players who didn't really get along are all suddenly working together to bring down Jesus--a "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" situation if you've ever seen on. The word "lawyer" here may not necessarily mean someone who is an expert in the law of society that argues his case in front of a judge and/or jury, but an expert in the Law of God and probably taught it or explained it to others. This is a young man unlike many in the Sanhedrin (the ruling council made of of mostly Pharisees and Sadducees), so it seems like they didn't want to tip their hand immediately that this man was one of them because he didn't look like them and he was "wise beyond his years."
I don't really know what answer the man expected Jesus to reply with that would have tripped Jesus up, but he asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. Instead of quoting form the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments), Jesus quotes from the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus to give both of these commandments (Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18). We know from parallel passages that this man tries to justify himself by asking, "And who is my neighbor?" and Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Since that parable isn't included here in Matthew, we will get to it later when it is covered--just know this is the context of that parable. Jesus said that if we could follow these two commandments perfects, we would keep the whole law of God and and that all of the Law and the Prophets (the entire covenant that God had with His people until then) hung on only these two verses.. We don't see it here but the lawyer left smarting from this and it made the Pharisees just want to come back with yet another volley of attacks. We'll look at that salvo next time. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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