Matthew
24:1-31
Sermon Notes
Olivet Discourse
Gathered Elect
April 23, 2017
Lynchburg, Virginia
EXHORDIUM
We now come to the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus had
ongoing conflict with the leading Jews, the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes,
chief priests and elders. This list of leading Jews included nearly all the
leadership of Judaism. Their refusal to believe in Him comes to a head.
They will not believe. He now warns
them about what is going to come upon them. His own disciples did not clearly
understand His words. However, they do so in after days. The Lord uses these
sayings of Jesus to protect His elect
from the coming slaughter.
from the coming slaughter.
Make no bones about it. The destruction
comes from within Judaism and also from the Romans but it is clearly the will
of our Father in Heaven. That is a hard truth. The coming of the Lord in
judgment upon unbelief and disobedience is real. The destruction of Jerusalem
was finally accomplished but it was the Lord’s doing. It was His final judgment
upon unbelieving Israel for the rejection and murder of the Messiah.
EXEGESIS
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his
disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them,
See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left
here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Calvin mentions that the Temple was
obviously splendid by the mere fact that Herod kept 10,000 workmen busy on it
for eight successive years.
Jesus had already said, destroy this
Temple and in three days, I will rebuild it. He was talking about His own body.
Jesus is where we now worship.
In this passage, Jesus is talking about
the literal temple. It will be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon
the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us,
when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming,
and of the end of the world?
At this point, the disciples understand
that Jesus is talking about the Temple and that destruction awaits. They
recognize Him as a prophet who is telling them about future events. They want
to know when it will happen.
Matt.
24:4
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man
deceive you. 5 For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars
and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things
must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew
Henry says that “Josephus speaks of several such impostors between this and the
destruction of Jerusalem; one Theudas, that was defeated by Cospius Fadus;
another by Felix, another by Festus. Dosetheus said he was the Christ foretold
by Moses. Origen adversus Celsum. See Acts v. 36, 37. Simon Magus
pretended to be the great power of God, Acts viii. 10. In after-ages
there have been such pretenders; one about a hundred years after Christ, that
called himself Bar-cochobas—The son of a star.”
7 For nation shall rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
There were factions among the Jews themselves
who were fighting. They joined forces to fight against the Romans but were
continually fighting among themselves, even during the final stages of the
siege in 70 A.D.
There was a great famine in the land prior to 70
A.D. and during the war and siege there were earthquakes and various signs
appearing in the sky.
9 Then shall they
deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of
all nations for my name’s sake.
These apostles were martyred. This happened
before the destruction of Jerusalem. They were hated by all nations for Jesus’s
sake. Why? Because Jesus is the Lord of the nations and the kings of earth do
not tolerate this well. It is still true in our day.
10 And then shall many
be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
This section is not talking about things are the
very end of time. Jesus is talking about a calamity that will occur in Israel
not many years after His death. Even among the saints, there was betrayal. Paul
mentions this in Acts 20 that wolves from among the elders of the Ephesian
church will harm the church.
We also see that the seven churches of
Asia have various sins rampant in them in the book of Revelation. This was also
before the destruction of Jerusalem. It did not take long for corruption to
reveal itself in the Church.
11 And many false
prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of
many shall wax cold.
There were false prophets both within and
without the Church. In the days leading up to the Roman conquest of Jerusalem,
there were many false messiah claims. Some men claimed to be the Messiah or
claimed to usher Him in through their sect. There were three main sects vying
for control of Jerusalem during the siege. They devoured one another in civil
war. They did so while promising that the Messiah would show up and save them
from their enemies. Of course, these same men, or their fathers and their
fathers in the faith, had already denied and murdered the Messiah, Jesus.
Their promises of a the biblically promised messiah
were false. They were false prophets and they did deceive many. The factions
took up arms and wiped each other out, while at the same time believing that
the messiah would arise and deliver them from the Romans. This never happened.
13 But he that shall
endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Those who remained in Jerusalem were not saved.
Those who withstood persecution and opposition were saved. They were saved
souls. Also, many fled Jerusalem and survived the Roman occupation.
14 And this gospel of
the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;
and then shall the end come.
The gospel spread through the entire Roman
empire in the 30 or so years following the life of Jesus. Paul preached from
Israel all the way to Rome. It was His desire to even go to Spain and some
believe that he did so.
15 When ye therefore
shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand
in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the
mountains:
This must be when the Zealots take over the
temple and elect their own high priest.
17 Let him which is on
the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is
in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the
winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as
was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
There are many accounts of the siege of
Jerusalem as a horrifying event. Josephus says that the siege occurred while
many were attending Jerusalem during Pentecost. This means that the population
swelled to a million people.
The defenders themselves caused a tremendous
amount of suffering and misery. There were several factions in Israel. John of
Gascala, The Sicarii, The Zealots, Simon of Gioras.
When the final assault occurs in the city, the
destruction was rampant. The Roman soldiers were enraged and the defiance and
violence of the defenders of the city and when then breached the walls, men,
women and children were slaughtered as the Temple burned.
22 And except those days
should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake
those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here
is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false
prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were
possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall
say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is
in the secret chambers; believe it not.
The numbers of dead in Jerusalem are simply
staggering. Nearly everyone in the city perished. There are reports of 100,000
prisoners taken at the end of the siege. But Josephus puts the number in
Jerusalem at the time at 1.1 million. This means a million people died in the
siege.
Cestius Callus first siege but when he leaves
all the Christians leave.
There were several false messiahs at this time,
some within Jerusalem and some hailed as saviors from outside the city.
If it were possible to mislead the elect, these
false prophets would do so. However, Jesus makes it clear here that the elect
cannot be led astray. God’s choice of them keeps them safe.
The Savior has already come. Do not go after
other false messiahs in the dessert or in the Temple. Do not be mislead like the Zealots and others
contending for the sacred city and saying that the Messiah will come and save
them. It is the Messiah who is now rising up against them.
27 For as the lightning
cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew Henry discusses this passage as having
to do with the spread of the gospel and the Son of man coming in great power
and glory rapidly in the world. So, do not heed earthly saviors.
This seems constrained to me and rather out of
place. I take it as continuing rather the destruction theme. Do not look for
the saviors because the Son of man in coming in the destruction of lightning
and fire. The end will be swift and powerful and no earthly power can stop it.
The final destruction will be swift.
28 For wheresoever the
carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
People will flock to the false messiahs like
eagles to a carcass. But do not be deceived. There is not life and salvation
there, only destruction.
The nation herself has become a dead carcass.
The eagles fly to her to devour her. The roman ensign was an eagle.
Eusebius, writing in the fourth century, says
all the Christians fled the city to another city called Pella. He says not a
single Christian perished in the siege.
EXHORTATION
29 Immediately after the
tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not
give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken:
Immediately
after the tribulation- Matthew Henry explains this as meaning certainty. I think that is a
stretch.
Better to keep the general context. The very
next sections says that we should know these things from the season.
The sun and moon are darkened and the stars give
no light is a clear indication of the shaking of the powers. They were shaken
on the cross and again here at the close of the Jewish aeon.
30 And then shall appear
the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory.
Luke 2:34 And
Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child
is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which
shall be spoken against;
Tacitus (A.D.
115) - Roman historian "13. Prodigies had occurred, but their expiation by the
offering of victims or solemn vows is held to be unlawful by a nation which is
the slave of superstition and the enemy of true beliefs. In the sky appeared a
vision of armies in conflict, of glittering armour. A sudden lightning flash
from the clouds lit up the Temple. The doors of the holy place abruptly opened,
a superhuman voice was heard to declare that the gods were leaving it, and in
the same instant came the rushing tumult of their departure. Few people placed
a sinister interpretation upon this. The majority were convinced that the
ancient scriptures of their priests alluded to the present as the very time
when the Orient would triumph and from Judaea would go forth men destined to
rule the world." (Histories, Book 5, v. 13)
A star in the shape of a sword.. “So
it was when a star resembling a sword, stood over the city [Jerusalem] and a comet which
continued for a year.” Josephus: Jewish Wars 6:289
31 And he shall send his
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This gathering of the elect began at Pentecost.
Here, the indication is that nothing will stop the gospel. This destruction
occurred to put an eartly end to the Old order but it had no effect on the
advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He will collect His elect from the four
corners of the earth.
These words are meant to comfort the saints in
Judea and Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’s death. We are to look back at that
event and know in His Resurrection that Jesus wins. Furthermore, we win in
Jesus.
Throughout the ages, Christians have faced
uncertain times. There have been wars and rumors of wars since the destruction
of Jerusalem. Christians must rest in the hope that is Jesus Christ. He is the
Savior. We should look for no other. At the end of time, the final Resurrection
will put all things right.
The Lord will have lost none of His. He will gather
all His own. They will abide because He abides. Of course, we should also learn
the lesson of the destruction. All those who will not embrace Jesus as the
Savior, or turn from Him as the Savior, face as certain destruction as the
burning of the Temple. So, remain faithful to Jesus.
The elect face certain glorification. It is
certain as the Lord’s watchcare over those saints in Jerusalem when she was
burned. The gates were flung open and they were all saved. That is what happens
to us when we give our lives to Christ. We are besieged by the enemy, by the
world, the flesh and devil. Sin and death have us in their grip. But the grace
of God through Jesus Christ, throws upon the gates and we run to our stronghold
in Jesus. In Him, we are safe. So, let us flee to Him and be saved.
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