24;32-35 ³² “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! ³⁴ Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

The word eisegesis $(/\ˌaɪsɪˈdʒiːsɪs/)$ means you take a Bible text and interpret it in such a way as to introduce one’s own presuppositions, ideas, prejudice, or biases. Very sadly, many people have done that with Matthew 24. Instead of seeing what the text says, they come with their own preconceived ideas about the Lord’s coming and try to impose that here. Specifically, the dispensational pre-tribulation secret rapture teachers do that. They have made this chapter very, very confusing.

We should never do eisegesis, but always do only exegesis with Scripture, meaning the process of discovering the original and intended meaning of a passage of Scripture. We shouldn’t seek what we want the verse to say, but come like a child with an open mind and learn what the verse says.

It’s amazing how many Christians have believed in the pre-tribulation secret rapture simply because that is the only thing we have heard. The reason we all believed that blindly is that we never really took time to do an exegesis of the Scripture and see if the Scripture really teaches that. The Secret Rapture is solely based on eisegesis, because nowhere does the Bible explicitly teach a secret rapture. All the passages in the Bible that explicitly teach the Second Coming teach just one final coming of Christ. If you examine the Gospels, Epistles, and 1 Thessalonians—reading the full passage with context, not picking verses here and there—you will see one coming, and that coming will bring glory to believers and judgment for the wicked.

We saw in this passage where the Lord Himself teaches His coming, and this is the basis of all New Testament teaching. He said He is coming publicly (where everyone will see Him), bodily, gloriously, awesome, noisy, and final. In the next section, the Lord will teach that His coming is going to be unexpected and sudden; we do not know when He is coming. Scripture says He will come like a thief.

These people have taken all that aspect of unexpectancy out of context to teach this secret rapture: He is coming like a thief, so it’s secret. The thief image is used for unexpectancy (suddenness), not secrecy. Phrases like “one left and another taken” (which we will see next) and “caught up in the clouds” are just a few phrases taken out of context. This teaching was made more popular by the Brethren man John Nelson Darby in his Bible, only in the 19th century.

The Church did not believe in a secret coming before that. The Church Fathers, some of whom learned from the Apostles, none of them believed it. If it were a secret coming, 19 centuries of all the great saints, Church Fathers, Reformers, and Puritans, did not know there was a secret rapture. From the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Canons of Dort, Westminster, and London Baptist, in all other great church confessions of faith, you see one Second Coming. Aren’t you amazed how today a whole generation can believe a doctrine that is not clearly taught in Scripture? It shows the modern generation how scripturally illiterate and ignorant we are, and how we can all be easily misled and believe anything. Even some of the most famous preachers we admire are caught in this.

Those people really made a mess of this chapter and say everything this chapter talks about is not the Destruction of Jerusalem (DOJ), but future events before the Lord’s final coming. You should see how they twist, turn, and tear up this whole chapter 24 of Matthew to fit their chart of a secret coming because nowhere does our Lord teach that in this entire chapter.

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The Clear Structure of Matthew 24: Application Phase

In our journey to understand this most difficult chapter, we have come to verses 32–35. I should tell you this is one of the most misunderstood and twisted sections. So, we have to gird the loins of your mind, think, and bear with me when I take time to explain some words, context, and connections to clearly understand this. Because some of you hearing me, or hearing an audio, or may hear in the future, would have heard a completely wrong explanation of these verses. Clearly understand these verses so you know what every section clearly says, so you can teach others.

We should thank the Lord because He has helped us clearly understand this chapter so far. Scripture always becomes clearer to us when we understand the context. The whole context is the two questions of the disciples in verse 3: “Tell us, when will these things be?” (DOJ) and “And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” They asked, thinking all would happen at the same time.

The Lord addressed their questions step-by-step:

1. Verses 4–14: Inter-Advent Period
   • The Lord corrects their misunderstanding that there is a lengthy inter-advent period and shows the five signs of that period: spiritual deception (v. 5), international conflict (vv. 6–7), natural disasters (v. 7), fierce persecution/tribulation (v. 9), and widespread Apostasy (vv. 10–12).
   • But in the midst of all this, the gospel will spread. People preach this so fervently as signs of the end times, but Christ said these are not signs of the end: “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (v. 8). These are signs of this inter-advent period and not the sign of My coming.
2. Verses 15–28: Answering Question 1 (The DOJ)
   • After correcting their misunderstanding that the DOJ and the end will come at the same time, He answers their first question: when Jerusalem will be destroyed.
   • The key is: “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place,” you are to flee. He details when to flee, the difficulties, how to flee urgently, why (“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” – v. 21), and the deception that will try to stop them from fleeing.
3. Verses 29–31: Answering Question 2 (The Second Coming)
   • After answering their first question, He addresses their final question: when He will come, the sign of His coming, and the end of the world.
   • When He will come: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days” (v. 29).
   • Forerunners of His Coming: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
   • Characteristics of His Coming: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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” (v. 30). It will be a personal, bodily, visible, majestic, awesome, and final coming.
   • Central Activity of His Coming: “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (v. 31).

I hope you can see all this clearly flowing through the chapter, step by step.

Now, the Lord has answered all their questions. He has told them when the DOJ will happen, and when His coming and the end of the world will occur. He has told them all they need to know. And now, as a wise preacher and Shepherd of His people, our Lord now begins to apply the teaching that He has given.

From now, starting in verse 32 all the way to the end of chapter 25, He gives specific applications and lessons with respect to both these events (DOJ and His end of the age), and how they should live in the inter-advent period. It is so important to grasp the structure; otherwise, much confusion and mixing up happens.

After describing these two great events, He prepares them and all of us by teaching lessons about these two events.

• Lesson 1 (Verses 32–35): He gives an application/lesson about the first event, the event that will happen in a few years and impact all those disciples: the DOJ. He is here teaching His disciples that the destruction will happen shortly, in fact, within the very lifetime of some of them. If that seems impossible, seeing all those big, impregnable temple stones as a symbol of stability, He assures them, “No, My own authority is behind these words,” and His own infallible word secures it.
• Lesson 2 (Verses 36–44): After the DOJ application, He talks about lessons and applications about His Second Coming, starting with the warning: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (v. 36).

See how clear the context is: The DOJ of Jerusalem will happen soon, in fact, within your generation, but of that day, the coming of the Son of Man, no one knows. Rather than speculate (seeing signs: “Oh, the mark of the beast is coming, Jerusalem is rebuilt, the antichrist is coming”), do not speculate on the time and date. Rather than speculate, concentrate on readiness. That is the lesson: no one knows it; even the Son does not know it. Don’t speculate; be ready, watchful, and live in a state of readiness. That is the clear structure of the remaining chapter.

Today, let us look at verses 32–35, which apply to the nearness of the destruction of Jerusalem.

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The Nearness of Destruction (vv. 32–35)

We will understand this section with three headings: A. An Ordinary Parable (v. 32), B. A Prophecy About the Generation (v. 34), and C. The Infallibility of Christ’s Words (v. 35).

A. An Ordinary Parable (v. 32–33)

32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!”

We have a simple parable which anyone, even a child, will understand in that land of Palestine. The Lord uses the fig tree—common in that land, unlike the olive tree (which is always an evergreen tree; its leaves don’t wither)—to illustrate a common fact of nature.

• The Observation: During the winter, the fig tree loses all its leaves, the sap stops, and the branches look dry, brittle, and stiff—as if all looks like a dead branch, easy to break. But slowly, just before summer, suddenly, as it renews its life, the sap passes from the roots to the branches; the branches become supple, green, tender shoots and budding foliage. The branches become tender and sprout their leaves, then flowers, and then fruit. The branches will be very tender when it is putting forth its leaves.
• The Prediction: The Lord says: “When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.” Today, our children know it is summer when exams are over; we know by the calendar. But in those days, they predicted many things by nature and the position of the sun. They predicted seasons by trees. When the fig tree branches were tender and sprouting leaves, they knew summer was very near. You judge that spring and summer are near. The change in the tree indicates the new season arriving. They can predict the season by this change. By observation, anyone would be able to tell, “that summer is near” by such a sight.
• Application to the DOJ: So, you have one reality you can see (sprouting branches) and you can predict the reality that you cannot see (summer is near). So also, when you see all these things, know it is near—at the doors!
  • The “Things” Referred to: He is specifically referring to the things described in verses 15–26 about the DOJ (e.g., the armies surrounding Jerusalem, the abomination of desolation). This cannot be the Second Coming, for the reasons already stated.
  • The Imminence: You have every reason to anticipate that Jerusalem will be destroyed. The signal event is the abomination of desolation, which will tell you to flee to the mountain. Just as in the late spring you see those leaves come out, you know summer is near. You cannot tell it will happen in three or four days, but summer has come very close; summer is not four or five months away, but very close. “Know that it is near at the doors.” This was a common figure of speech denoting nearness, with the plural “doors” referring to the folding doors on the outside of the house.

So, learn this from the parable: My disciples, this whole place will be destroyed. God’s judgment is coming to this nation which has rejected God’s Messiah. The Old Covenant (OCov) Judaism will be dismantled. I am warning you beforehand: there will be a terrible destruction never seen before. So the Lord is warning His disciples and giving them confidence about His prophecy. So He is clearly talking about the Destruction of Jerusalem (DOJ) here.

Those who say this is pointing to the secret rapture have an argument that some of you would have heard: The fig tree is not just an example here; it refers to the nation of Israel. We saw in Matthew 21:18–22, the cursing of the fig tree. I preached it is a symbol for unfruitful Israel, which God cursed. The Old Testament does call Israel the fig tree in some places. They try to use that here. So, the sign of the fig tree is Israel, and now, with Israel returning to its land and being instituted as a nation again a few years ago (in 1948), they say it is the fig tree now sprouting, and so it is a sign Jesus is coming soon. They claim we have to learn that lesson from the fig tree. It seems so correct.

But let us see if that is what the Lord means. The simple answer is found in Luke 21:29: “Then He spoke to them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.’”

There is nothing special about the fig tree; it is just an example. He also says “all the trees.” The fig tree is used as an example because it sheds its leaves in the winter and loses its sap, unlike evergreen trees. When you say the fig tree represents Israel, that is eisegesis, not exegesis—it is importing your notion into the text, not extracting the meaning from the text.

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B. Prophecy About the Generation (v. 34)

34 “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”

The most debated verse of Christ’s sermon is found in this verse 34. He starts this prophecy with the word “Assuredly,” (or “Truly” / “Verily”). Whenever this comes, we are about to hear a solemn, peculiar statement of Christ—some say the magisterial statements of Christ. Whenever we come across this, we have to give peculiar heed to those words, not play with those words. He is emphasizing something very important.

In this setting, the Lord may have decided to use this, thinking, “My people, I have told you something it may be hard for you to grasp. You have pointed out to Me the magnificent temple structure, unshakable and massive stones. I told you not one stone will be left upon another. I have described the circumstances of how this will happen—how Jerusalem will be surrounded by an army, the abomination of desolation will happen. When you see it, you must flee. There will be unprecedented tribulation. I know at this time when you are seeing all this big temple, the festival, the surroundings, you find this hard to believe. Even now, I have given a simple parable about how you can predict summer. So when you see these things, know it is very close.”

To strengthen your faith, I add to My parable this solemn prophecy about the generation. “Verily, I say unto you.” Here comes a word with unusual solemnity and certainty: “Verily, I say unto you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”

The Meaning of “This Generation”

What is this prophecy? Oh, again, there is so much of gymnastics to twist this meaning because this is where dispensationalists get stuck. This is a crucial point. If a dispensationalist says everything that will happen in this chapter is all future, before Christ’s final coming, then what is “this generation”? Christ says “this generation will not pass away before all these things take place.”

Many scholars escape the natural meaning. They go to Old Testament passages, take some Hebrew words for “generation,” translate them to Greek, and explain the word genea as “race,” which means the whole nation of Israel will not pass away until all these things take place. They argue, “See, that is why the nation of Israel is still alive.” Even great preachers like MacArthur know that is not right, so he gives some five reasons, and one gives another meaning which he claims is his own interpretation: “this generation” means an ungodly, Christ-rejecting generation like this will not pass away. His view is that the future generation, meaning the generation not taken up in the secret rapture that sees all these signs that will happen in the seven years of tribulation, will not end. He says the church is not mentioned in this entire Matthew 24; it is all for the Jews after the rapture. You kind of smile when great giants and preachers struggle and go wrong, and you, a little babe, know the right answer. You end up asking, “What is the point? Why are you twisting the natural meaning of words so much to fit your pre-tribulational, pre-millennial graphs and maps?”

See what Christ says. Some liberals at least honestly say that “generation” means the people living at that time, but Jesus was mistaken or the disciples wrongly heard and wrote it down. So, there is another error in the Bible.

The simple meaning of the word generation is used to describe the sum total of certain people who are living at a certain time. Jesus said, “O faithless generation,” and “this evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign.” This is the normal and ordinary usage of the word. All of the other uses of “generation” (genea) by Christ in Matthew’s Gospel refer clearly to the first-century generation of contemporaries (cf. 11:16; 12:39, 41, 45; 17:17; 23:36). Why should that mean “race” now, just to fit a scheme? If that is not enough, note the Lord says “this generation.” So, the natural understanding of those who heard Christ would be, “He is talking about us.” For Jews, a generation generally meant 40 years. The Lord said to Moses, “This generation will not enter the promised land but die in the wilderness,” and they roamed the wilderness for 40 years. As Don Carson stated, “This generation… can only with greatest difficulty be made to mean anything other than the generation living when Jesus spoke.”

The Prophecy’s Fulfillment

How are we to understand this? See with our understanding of the context, how beautifully this fits. The Lord is talking about the DOJ here. Our Lord has told them, from the simple parable, that there are certain things they will be able to see—inter-advent signs, the abomination of desolation, armies surrounding Jerusalem—these are things that will occur over weeks and months. When you see that, then flee. Just as you see fig tree leaves, summer is near. So when you see these things, the DOJ is near. “My people, I want you to escape that judgment coming on the nation. So I told you, flee to the mountains, [I described] difficulties while fleeing, how urgently you have to flee, [and the] reason: ‘For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be’ (v. 21). Flee! Believe Me. I want to give another clarification: this will happen within your own lifetime, within your generation.”

34 “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”

The sum total of men living at this time will not die until all these things connected with the DOJ shall be accomplished. So He makes this prophecy of the generation: within the lifetime of those crowds who are in the temple and the disciples sitting there on the mount, the DOJ would occur, within 40 years. They would live to see these general characteristics of the inter-advent period (religious deception, international tension, natural disasters) but also the abomination of desolation and the DOJ. All of this will happen in their own lifetime. All who know history know that is exactly what happened: within 40 years, in 70 AD, the DOJ did occur, and this solemn prophecy of Jesus Christ was literally fulfilled.

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C. The Infallibility of Christ’s Words (v. 35)

So, we have seen the ordinary parable and the prophecy of the generation, and finally, the infallibility of Christ’s words.

35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

What is our Lord doing? You see, again He is strengthening and buttressing the faith and confidence of the disciples. He has told them things that would so unhinge them that they could not conceive of the DOJ without the end of the world and the coming of the Messianic kingdom. He says the temple will be destroyed, not one stone upon another, and now that this will happen within their own lifetime. This was unbearable for them.

It is as though the Lord draws near and puts His arms around them and says, “I know this is hard for you to swallow.” You see this big building, the sun striking the golden parts of that temple, the crest of the temple, the nation so strong, Roman peace, circumstances, world situation, growth—all a picture of unchangeable, impregnable, and seemingly unshakable stability. “I want you to know what will happen soon. Believe My words as your life. Hang on it with full weight. Only then will you be able to escape the coming wrath. Learn from the parable of the fig tree: when you see these signs, it is near. And further, it will happen within your lifetime. If you still cannot trust My words, let Me pronounce My majestic statement on the utter infallibility of My words.”

This statement has a positive and a negative aspect, all of which focuses on the reliability and infallibility of the word of Jesus.

C. The Infallibility of Christ’s Words (v. 35)

35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

1. Positive: Stability is Temporary

“Heaven and earth will pass away.” Think what appears more stable to us than heaven and earth. To us mortals, they seem more enduring, more lasting. This earth, right? From the day we are born, it is there, never passed away. Places keep changing; we have seen some places like forest, all developed, but the earth is there. It is so stable. From our childhood to this day, we have never seen anything unshakable pass away. You see big mountains, peaks, ranges, Himalayas, Grand Canyons, oceans, this big globe—they seem to be the very symbol of eternal, unmovable things. The Lord says the entire earth as we know it will pass away.

What seems more enduring than the heaven, with billions of galaxies, the sun, and the stars? Think of what is more reliable and unshakable to us than the sun that has given light for thousands of years. They are fixed in their appointed places and are more reliable—sunrise and sunset. What is more enduring than that? Yet our Lord says heaven and earth shall pass away.

Interestingly, 2 Peter 3:10 uses this very exact phrase, “pass away,” to describe the dissolution of the universe: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

John also uses the same words in Revelation 21:1: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And there was no more sea.”

So the Lord says the symbol of greatest stability and permanence will pass away. Not only will every stone in the temple be cast down, but a time is coming when the earth and heaven will pass away.

2. Negative: The Eternal Word

“But My words will by no means pass away”—a double negative, meaning no, not ever, ever shall they pass away. My words shall not pass away. My words may seem like a dream, unbelievable, but believe Me, they are not empty and vain. They have so much weight and reliability than the entire universe. Every word I say will be accomplished. He shows the certainty, unalterableness, and sure accomplishment of these things.

My dear disciples, you can put all the weight of your full trust in My words; don’t trust anything else. Don’t trust your religion, your temple, your circumstances, the world around you. Trust My words, the infallible, unchangeable, eternal word of God which endures forever.

Interestingly, just like we say, “The son talks like the Father,” the Lord uses words very much like Jehovah, like the Father. Isaiah 40:6, 8 says: “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

Imagine what else Christ can say to make us believe His words. How else strongly can He say it? Nothing can be more firm and strong, being fixed and supported by God Himself. This tremendous affirmation of authority is attached to His words that nowhere else is found attached to the words of God Himself.

He assures them with the infallibility of His words, why? In order to strengthen the faith of those disciples, to live by faith, not by sight, to hang as it were all their hopes and expectations in His words. When they are in that crisis, no matter what people claim (“Lo, now Christ is coming! See, they are coming! He is in the temple! He is doing miracles!”), Jesus says, “Don’t believe them. It is only My words that shall never pass away.”

The DOJ is the formal dismantling of everything connected with the Old Covenant Judaism, that system. “I encourage you with this prophecy of the generation. If you still struggle to believe this, let Me give you this utter infallibility of My words. My words which described the circumstances of Jerusalem: ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.'”

So we have the ordinary parable, the prophecy about the generation, and the infallibility of Christ’s words.

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Lessons for Us Today

You and I live after the DOJ. That is over, but we already saw history tells us believers who trusted Christ’s words as their life escaped that terrible destruction because of Christ’s words. This same Jesus said Jerusalem would be destroyed, and it was destroyed exactly as He said: not one stone left upon another. Likewise, He prophesied about this Second Coming. It will happen exactly as He said.

How do these words apply to us today? The DOJ of Jerusalem was a foretaste of the end and destruction of this world. Christ has prophesied what will happen in these days we live, the inter-advent period, and He has prophesied about His coming.

He has told us the time we are living is the inter-advent period, a period of:

• Spiritual deception (v. 5)
• International conflict (vv. 6–7)
• Natural disasters (v. 7)
• Fierce persecution/tribulation (v. 9)
• Widespread Apostasy (vv. 10–12)

Then He told us:

• When He will come: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days” (v. 29).
• Forerunners of His Coming: The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
• Characteristics of His Coming: It will be personal, bodily, visible, majestic, awesome, and final (v. 30).
• Central Activity of His Coming: Gathering His elect (v. 31).

Do you believe these words? I think the principle of Christ’s utter infallibility is an important application to us: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

See the monumental nature of this verse; it should burst our brains. Nations and empires have passed away—Babylon, Persian, Greek, even those who ruled Israel, the Roman Empire—all passed away. Christ’s words still survive, and in every generation, they walk triumphantly, fulfilling their words with uninterrupted speed, advancing and triumphant. His words are eternal truth based on the fixed, immutable counsels and decrees of our God. Our Lord’s predictions will certainly be fulfilled.

How much do we believe the words of Christ? What value, respect, importance do you give to His words? How much do you fear and obey His words? How much is our life based on Christ’s words? See, all our life is based on what we believe, what we give importance to. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

All our life is based on something we believe. What do we believe? We believe in our family, the company that gives us a job for 10 or 20 years, a house for 20 years. This world, some of us hold onto with a death grip. “Oh, what will happen to my life, my health, my children? Who will take care of them after I die?” All our thinking and efforts are focused on that. Life is shaped and run by these fears and principles. We think all this will go on forever. Christ says not only these things, this whole earth and heaven will pass away. How pathetic to base our life and trust on these passing away things!

As you go out today, may these words keep ringing in your ears. Everything that you see and think, everything you face today, see it through the light of these words: this life of mine will pass away, this family of mine, this house, this circumstance, this society, this government, even this entire generation, why, all of creation will pass away.

What is your life based on? Christ says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

If we truly believe this, shouldn’t we hang our entire life—body, soul, past, present, future—on His words? If His words have such weight and reliability than the entire universe, what importance do you give for His words in your life? Is that your daily meditation? Is that your food? Is that what you want to shape your thinking and behavior with? How you behave at home as a husband, wife, or child is by His words. If His words will never pass away, should we fear His words more than anything in life? If you see how little you believe the magnitude and weight of Christ’s words, no wonder He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He see faith on earth?” Whether you believe it or not, His infinite words have eternal power, His words of eternal life.

It may seem so foolish or dream-like to believe today that one day we will hear a trumpet sound, the sun will be darkened, the moon stop giving its light, stars falling, and the powers of heaven shaken, the sign of the Son of Man appearing in glory and power. Now it may seem unimaginable to us, impossible. Christ says, “My words will by no means pass away.”

What is one thing on which our souls should hang during this time of the inter-advent period? He said this is a period of abounding transgression: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (vv. 12–13). What is it that is going to save us from this lawless age? Who is the man who, in spite of all this spiritual deception, international conflict, natural disasters, fierce persecution, apostasy, and abounding transgression, will endure? What will deliver us from the coming wrath? What will help us to be ready? It is our utter trust in the words of Christ, believing that whatever may happen, I hang on the words of Christ. We have to put all the weight of our hope and faith on His words.

35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

See how much our Lord wants to strengthen our faith. Our Lord knew well the natural unbelief of human nature. He knew that scoffers would arise in the last days, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:4). He knew that when He came, faith would be rare on the earth. He foresaw how many would contemptuously reject the solemn predictions He had just been delivering as improbable, unlikely, and absurd. He warns us all against such skeptical thoughts with a caution of peculiar solemnity. He tells us that, whatever man may say or think, His words shall be fulfilled in their season, and shall not “pass away,” unaccomplished.

May we all lay to heart His warning. We live in an unbelieving age. Few believed the report of our Lord’s first coming, and few believe the report of His second (Isaiah 53:1). Let us beware of this infection, and believe to the saving of our souls. We are not reading cunningly devised fables, but deep and momentous truths. May God give us a heart to believe them. The accomplishment of these prophecies might seem to be delayed, and intervening events might seem to disagree with them, but do not think that therefore the word of Christ is fallen to the ground, for that shall never pass away.

If we truly believe His words, we will live with the expectation that Christ may soon return. In all Church history, how did the Church live pure, holy, and ready for her Bridegroom? One generation after another has lived in the hope of His return, lived in expectation of His return, and lived with the prayer, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” One generation after another has laid their loved ones in the grave and have taken comfort from 1 Thessalonians 4: “we should not sorrow as others who have no hope. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

The generation that fed their hope with those words is under the ground. Subsequent generations had hope; they are gone. Other generations came and lived in that hope. Maybe we also will go under the earth. In the midst of this, what can we take hold of? What will keep us from being swept away in this lawless age? What will make us endure to the end? This very verse, people! Oh, this is what we should take hold of as our life.

35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

We are prepared, as it were, to let millennia be struck by this verse. Nations may rise and fall. Governments may come and go. Politicians, Pharaohs, Hitlers may come and go. “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

If you and I have to endure to the end, we must hold these words as our life, whatever the world may say. We have to say, “Here we stand,” because in the eyes of faith, we can see a day will come when all the dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man and will come out from the grave. He will come with a great trumpet sound, innumerable angels, in clouds, in all glory and power. Every man who ever lived will wake up with a resurrected, deathless body and stand before Him. He, as Judge of the universe, will decide the eternal destiny of every man who lived. That is the true reality. All that we see before and now will be a passing dream. If this heaven and earth will pass away like a dream, what is your life, what is your family, job, what is this generation? All passing dreams.

Oh people, don’t live in a dream; wake up to reality. This is reality. If the trumpet calls in five minutes, where are you?

35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

This is where you rest, hang your souls, your entire hope, faith, and confidence. This is a place of confidence. We are prepared to hang our souls upon the word and trustworthy infallibility of Jesus’ words. His words which infallibly happened in the first event will happen infallibly in the second event. That certainty calls for readiness and preparation on our part. Let Him find you faithful when He comes!

Our Lord’s will is that we live with expectation and readiness for His coming; that we prepare for His coming. And so a logical question to enter into our minds is, “How does one go about watching for His coming? How is one prepared for His coming? What must a person do to be ready for the coming?” Much of what Jesus teaches in the remaining Matthew 24 and 25 is in answer just to those kinds of practical questions.

But unless you unshakably believe His words that He is coming—that even if heaven and earth pass away, His words will not pass away—you will never take any serious steps to prepare for His coming. So this passage teaches that in order to be prepared and watchful, we must long for His coming. We must truly anticipate His coming. It must be an event which is significant on our horizon/view. It must be something that is part of our daily consciousness, a longing for the coming of our Lord. But also, we see that we must trust completely in the truth of His word in regard to His coming. Our thinking about His coming must be ruled by the authority of His word.

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A Warning for the Unconverted

Those who are outside of Christ, you have not trusted what He has done for you. The Second Advent of Christ will be a glorious day for all true believers in Christ. But the Second Advent will be a day of gloom for those who do not know Christ as personal Lord and Savior. How sad that day will be for willful rejecters of Christ (II Thessalonians 1:7–8). How many times have you heard the gospel, but you continue to reject or delay to believe and repent? Oh, will you not tremble to see what has happened in history to a whole nation that rejected Him? If God didn’t spare His own Old Covenant people who rejected Christ and His words, what will He do to you?

May these words keep ringing in your ears until you tremble and they don’t allow you to sleep until you find rest and peace in Christ.

35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

In your present state, this should fill you with terror, because Jesus’ words to you are very clear. Jesus says when He returns, He will summon all men to stand before Him. Those who are not savingly united to Him…

I dreamed that the great judgment morning Had dawned, and the trumpet had blown; I dreamed that the nations had gathered To judgment before the white throne. From the throne came a bright shining angel And stood on the land and the sea, And swore with his hand raised to heaven, That time was no longer to be. Chorus: And O, what a weeping and wailing, As the lost were told of their fate; They cried for the rocks and the mountains, They prayed, but their prayer was too late. The souls that had put off salvation— “Not tonight; I’ll get saved by and by; No time now to think of religion!” At last, they had found time to die.

Oh, what a weeping and wailing as the regardless of what you claim… “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” They shall go into everlasting punishment. You will go to a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. How terrible! These shall go into everlasting punishment—unquenchable fire, unbearable torment, day and night, without interval, without end, for all eternity. He said this. These words will be fulfilled.

You may think that will never happen to you because you cannot understand how these words will be fulfilled. Oh, remember this:

35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

Oh dear friend, do you want to be an eternal monument to those words? This same Jesus says, “He who comes unto I will no wise cast you.” He says today, “Come unto me, I will give you rest.” Sin will send you to eternal hell. He pleads with you. He has delayed His return so He is not willing you should perish. But once He comes, there is no way He will change His words. When He comes, you can scream, shout, plead, and shudder at that time. Nothing will touch His heart. Even the heart of the infinitely compassionate Son of God—God will magnify His justice in your damnation and prove the validity of His Son.

Today I plead with you. God calls you. He has done everything He can do. It is a wonder. Now my heart weeps when people, after hearing so much, still don’t get saved—my own children, I plead with them. But at that time, Scripture says, we will be so God-focused that we will praise God to see even our children, husbands, wives, and relatives go to hell, because God’s justice will be glorified by them. He will so transform us at that time.

If He banishes you, it will be because you chose to remain an impenitent sinner, loving your sin and hating the God who extends mercy to you in Christ.

24;29-31  ²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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 His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Will Jesus Christ return? This seems like a very simple question, yet one that has an impact not only on each of us, but on everyone who lives today, everyone who ever lived, and everyone who will live on this earth. When He came first, He didn’t appear publicly. After thirty years of living a virtually hidden life, and three years of public ministry, Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples, arrested by the Jewish religious authorities, crucified by Roman soldiers, buried in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, raised from the dead, appeared to His disciples and over 500 brethren, and finally, ascended to the Father where He continues to intercede for us at the Father’s right hand. For nearly two thousand years, books have been written about Jesus Christ, His name proclaimed among the nations, multitudes have followed Him, while many more scorned both Christ and His followers. It has been more than 2,000 years; many things have happened since He first came.

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Will He come again to consummate the work of redemption, judge the sinful world, and put all in order for eternity? His First Coming, though private, is celebrated by the world as a festival because the spreading gospel ensures that the world, though rejecting Him, knows something about Bethlehem, with the manger, with shepherds and wise men, a star, and Herod. But the world is far less familiar with the story of His Second Coming. When we tell them, they make fun of it. Peter prophesied that in the last days scoffers will come and mock, saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? Everything is as in the beginning.” Today, people don’t believe it, and even so-called Christians, though not outwardly, inwardly they don’t believe and think it is a myth. If they believed it, they would live differently. Many churches don’t preach the Second Coming.

Will He come again? Can we believe in this age of space travel, computers, technology advancement, and science that He will rend the sky and come? Yes, He will come again. We have the promise of the One who said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” He has said, “I will come.” The main event in God’s prophetic program is the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The most dramatic, monumental event in all history will be the visible appearing of Christ in His return to complete His redemption of His people and judge sinners. Someone said that one out of every 25 verses in the New Testament is related to the Second Coming of Christ. In His First Advent, Christ fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies, but there are over 500 prophecies relating to His Second Advent that are not yet fulfilled.

For the believer, this is his blessed joyful hope. Think of it: you and I believe in someone as God who was crucified and shamed by the world. During His First Coming, He came in His humiliation, shamefully died, and disappeared; His glory was veiled. The world mocked Him and mocks us today for believing in Him. A day will come where He will come with such glory—apocalypsis—the unveiling of who He is. Hero introduction scenes in stories and movies create goosebumps, but not just goosebumps; every nerve, artery, and bone of every human being will tremble when they see how big and glorious He is. He will come with such pomp, show, and glory, that He will shatter the entire universe with His revelation. “Behold, He comes with clouds, and every eye will see.” He comes in glory, and He comes to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. This is Parousia, the visible, dramatic, bodily return of Christ in His Second Advent, the unveiling of His presence or the outshining of His glory. It is the climax of the whole history of mankind, the climax scene of the greatest redemption story. The climax always has to be monumental, so monumental here that it is impossible to grasp.

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Last time, when He went out of this world in Acts chapter 1, He ascended up into heaven, physically, bodily, taken away in a cloud. And two angels came and said: “This same Jesus who is taken up from you shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.” And since that time, the church lives in that hope through all of history, looking for her bridegroom coming. That is our hope. That is our glory. Our redemption comes to fullness only at His Second Coming, the final chain of our salvation, starting with election, calling, regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, persevering in this sinful world till the end, and we reach glorification at His coming. When He appears, we will be like Him and be glorified with Him with a deathless body, a perfect, holy soul, and receive our eternal inheritance. It should be the most eager event of all events for us. All of human history is moving toward the return of Jesus Christ. Though most don’t believe Christ will return, His return is certain, and Christ wants us to live in readiness for our great King’s return. If we have to live in readiness, we need to know details about His return. That is what our Lord is revealing in today’s passage.

It is amazing He just uses three verses to describe His return. Our whole lifetime, we will not be able to grasp the magnitude or measure of those three verses. In the short three verses, very precisely and very concisely, our Lord says what He wants to say but has a way of opening up a universe of truth in the marvelous ability that He has to choose words. And so while we can read what we can read and understand it, it is beyond our ability to grasp the implications and the monumental nature of those events. We feel like little children trying to understand a big complex thing and blabbering which is beyond us. That is what my preaching will be like. May the Holy Spirit (HS) open the eyes of our mind and transport us to the future and see with the eyes of faith as if it is happening before our eyes today, as we look at these three incredible verses.

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We remember the context: the Lord is responding to the disciples’ question in verse 3, about the destruction of Jerusalem and His coming, which they thought were the same. Firstly, to correct their misunderstanding, in verses 5–14, He showed there will be a lengthy inter-advent period and He pointed out signs during that period which will escalate at the end like birth pangs. Then, verses 15–28 answer their first question: when Jerusalem ends. We saw He answered with a command to flee to the mountains, when to flee, difficulties while fleeing, how to flee, why we should flee so urgently, and subtle deception to stop them from fleeing. Now, He comes to their central and final question: “what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Now we come to the center main event of the whole passage, which is the Second Coming of the Lord. Because after this, the whole remaining chapter 24 and the next chapter 25 are all practical lessons flowing from this event: the Son of Man coming in great power and glory.

Let us understand this passage in four headings:

1. Time of His Coming.
2. Forerunners of His Coming.
3. Characteristics of His Coming.
4. Central Work of His Coming.

When, what comes before His coming, how He is coming, and what is the central work of His coming.

1. Time of His Coming: When

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…”

When will the Lord come? How many want to know when the Lord will come? All will raise hands, right? Oh, this is the question people have asked all through history, and false prophets have tried to answer this by setting dates. But verse 36 says: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” So Christ has said no one knows the time. Since the Incarnate Son in His human mind—which was always receptive to the Father’s will—was ignorant of the day or hour of His return, it is nothing but a blasphemy to set dates and times. No one can set dates and tell when He is coming.

But Pastor, you named the heading as Time of His Coming. Yes, what I meant was Sequential Timing. The verse tells us sequential timing. There is a sequence of events, and He says He will come after that. The verse says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days.” Certain things will occur, and only after that, He will come.

He returns in an atmosphere of tribulation. Like I said earlier, American theology, living in the comfort of a Christian nation and knowing nothing of persecution for Christ’s sake, framed a theology about Pre-millennialism where they say Christians will escape tribulation in a secret rapture, and after that, there is a great tribulation of seven years which Jews will go through. But our passage says nothing about a seven-year tribulation and only for Jews.

In Revelation, John talks about people who entered heaven. Revelation 7:9 says, “a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues (not just Jews), standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and palm branches were in their hands,” crying out, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” In verse 14, when John asks who they are, the elder says, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Clearly, this says that all the elect in every nation, tribe, and tongue lived in the time of that tribulation.

So what is this time of tribulation? “The tribulation of those days,” points to the inter-advent period before His First and Second Coming. In that period, Jesus had given His disciples a warning of what His followers would face in succeeding generations until the end. “Then they will deliver you to tribulation (the same word), and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” (24:9). Jesus describes an atmosphere of tribulation that follows the ebb and flow of human history. There is big apostasy: “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” Some cannot handle the persecution and tribulation, so they “fall away.” So, tribulation refers to the inter-advent period.

Now, some argue why Christ uses “immediately.” One aspect of that time is that “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (v. 8). There will be a final, intense tribulation of these things which not just Jews, but everyone will face. This will be the climax of the inter-advent period. When that time of tribulation reaches its apex, then Christ will return. So He says after that period.

The term immediately is prophetic foreshadowing language. In predictive prophecy, when looking at the future, mountain peaks are mentioned. It seems like they are immediately one after the another. Sometimes, peaks will look one upon another, but they are miles apart, and when we get closer, we know there is a big distance between them. Predictive prophecy simply announces peak 1, peak 2, peak 3, but it is in history we realize that they are events at different times. That is what the Lord is doing here. The Lord, looking at the future, is not giving a time length reference as to when, but sequential timing. When will His coming be? What will the sequence be? After when? It will be immediately after the God-appointed time of tribulation of those days. He is giving a sequence of events but in an indefinite time reference. So the coming of the Son of Man will happen immediately after the inter-advent period of tribulation.

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2. Forerunners of His Coming: The Entourage

Secondly, the forerunners of His Coming: “the entourage of the advent” or forerunners.

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

When there is a grand, sovereign emperor coming, especially achieving a great victory in war, there is so much celebration. Before he comes, there will be a big victory procession, the first announcement: rajathi raja, raja marthadhana, raja gambeera, teja kuja. Then they will burn crackers, rockets, trumpets, band, music, dancing, singing, announcing the Sovereign’s coming, a big entourage, nations he captured, people, spoil. They are forerunners or accompaniments. The Lord describes the forerunners announcing His coming.

The first is celestial darkness: action, all lights off. “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.” Think of it: you can look out of the window and see the sun. We can see each other because of it. It will become pitch dark. In the original creation, the sun was given as a light in the day, the moon by night. The moon reflects the sun. Both dark. They announce a total celestial darkness. The earth cannot but be turned into a dungeon.

The second thing He describes is cosmic disruption. “The stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” What does that mean? Only God knows, and the Second Coming will reveal. See, something indescribable is being described in these verses. Never happened ever. Never can imagine.

I turned to Luke to see if I could understand anything. He scares me more. Luke 21:25, the parallel passage, says:

Luke 21:25–27: “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

A pretty dramatic scene: the sun darkened, the moon not giving its light, the stars falling, the powers of the heaven being shaken. Can you imagine what will happen on earth? The sea and the waves roaring; stars falling, mountains melting.

“The powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” The heavens, which encompass the whole universe, where everything is held by the Word of His power. All that was functioning orderly, in their orbits, with uniformity for thousands of years (which is why we can predict those things), now all of a sudden, the Lord lets go. At His coming, all the planets, billions of stars, billions of galaxies, and comets will be let loose. You will have helter-skelter chaos, with all of the stars, comets, planets, and heavenly bodies at random careening (dangerously moving swiftly and in an uncontrolled way) through space and hitting the earth. And the earth becomes a victim of this incredible breakdown of the whole universe. What will happen?

Can you imagine the effect of all this on earth? Just wind blowing on earth—we have days of hurricanes. For just an idea, one scientist, Velikovsky, says that if, for example, a heavenly body was loose in space and it happened to pass close to the earth and just cause the earth to tilt a fraction (0.2, 0.3) on its axis, here’s what would happen, and I quote: “At that very moment, an earthquake would make the earth shudder. Air and water would continue to move through inertia; hurricanes would sweep the earth and the seas would rush over the continents, carrying gravel and sand and marine animals, and casting them on the land. Heat would be so increased, rocks would melt, volcanoes would erupt, and lava would flow from fissures in the ruptured ground and cover vast areas. Mountains would spring up from the plains, dash other mountains, shake lands and oceans, and roll to other places and fall into oceans, causing faults and rifts. Lakes would be tilted and emptied, rivers would change their beds. Large land areas with all their inhabitants would slip under the sea. With the shake, most forests would be destroyed, as the shake would wrest most big forest trees from the ground on which they grew and pile them, branch and root, in huge heaps. Seas would turn into deserts, their waters flowing away.” It’s inconceivable, just a tilt of a fraction.

When the sun goes black, the implications are staggering. With no sunlight, man cannot survive; the temperature change is cataclysmic. When the moon doesn’t give its light, the tides of the seas, which depend on the moon, are instantly chaos, resulting in thousands of Tsunamis. The stars begin to tumble out of their places. In Revelation, it says the heavens are rolled up like a scroll and the stars begin to fall like shaking overripe figs off of a fig tree. The whole universe begins to fall apart, to disintegrate. The chaos is going to be indescribable.

The event is so dramatic and so cataclysmic that it says men’s hearts will fail them for fear. The Greek actually says: “Men will expire.” Their hearts will stop—apopsuch—which means to breathe out, in sheer terror, so that their bodily functions just shut down. Many men will just die of fear and heart attack, dropping dead everywhere out of total terror. The fear will be totally gripping. So, these are the forerunners of the Second Coming.

This language of the sun darkening, the moon failing, and stars falling is used in many places in Old Testament books (Isaiah 30:34, Joel 2:10, Ezekiel 32:7, Haggai, Amos) when they talk about God’s judgment on nations. All indicate Jehovah will come with an unusual activity of judgment. While they all spoke about judgment on a few nations during their time, they had prophetic foreshadowing; they were predicting the final judgment. Some say this is symbolic language, and we shouldn’t take it literally. All we have to do to answer them is show them 2 Peter 3, where notice his language:

10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

This is clearly literal. So, these cosmic disturbances and terrifying celestial phenomena will be seen by all men. The Creator returns to set right the whole of creation. Paul tells us that “the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now,” as it waits for the final redemption by Christ’s return (Romans 8:22-23).

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We have seen the time of His coming and the forerunners of His coming. Now, let’s look at the dominant characteristics of the coming of the Son of Man. How will He come?

3. Characteristics of His Coming

A. Personal Coming

30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven.”

What is the sign? Some of the old church fathers, Chrysostom, Cyril, and Origen, thought a blazing cross would fill the black heavens, but the text doesn’t say. If you see other passages and language, the sign is the Son of Man Himself. They asked, “What is the sign of your coming?” He says the sign is He Himself will personally appear in the heavens. This is the unveiling (apocalypse), the full revelation of the glory of Jesus Christ. Christ’s miracles were called signs by which He disclosed Himself as the Son of God. Here, “sign” is used much like a victory “ensign” or “standard” common in ancient battles. It is a declaration of triumph, an announcement for all to hear that the King has returned to consummate His kingdom.

B. Visible and Universal Coming

30 “…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.”

Nobody has seen the glory of God in full. Adam had a glimpse; the people of Israel saw a glimpse when His glory came to the temple; Moses saw His back side. When Jesus Christ came first, He came in a humble form, His glory veiled in flesh, in a corner of the world. He “sneaked” in, accomplished salvation, and went. Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of His glory during the transfiguration, but the world has never seen the unveiled glory, and the world will see the full Shekinah glory then. The sign then is going to be the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in majesty. He will be distinguishable and recognizable, and yet He will be in full glory.

It will be a universally visible coming. Revelation 1:7 confirms: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

C. Majestic and Awesome Coming

30 “…they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

He will come in clouds. Disciples saw Him taken up in clouds, and an angel announced He will come back in the same manner, in clouds. Daniel says He will come “with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:13). John says He’ll come “with the clouds” (Revelation 1:7). Mark says He’ll come “in clouds” (Mark 13:26). Luke says in 21:27 He’ll come “in a cloud.” Why all this emphasis on clouds? The cloud was God’s special glorious Shekinah presence. A pillar of cloud led them; a cloud came on Sinai; it rested in the Holy of Holies in the temple. It is a symbol of the special majestic presence of God, and God would come in a theophany; God would come in clouds. They are called the chariots of Jehovah: “The Lord rides on a swift cloud.” Not a normal cloud, but a radiant, bright cloud, a cloud of glory. That bright cloud was always a sign to the Jews that it was God’s presence. Remember the cloud came when Jesus was baptized and announced, and on the Transfiguration mountain.

Now He comes in clouds. It will be utterly indescribably majestic. The world is in panic. People everywhere are dying of sheer terror. They’re in total blackness. He will come in bright clouds, a visible, striking, unmistakable manifestation of God. Thinking of it: if the sun is darkened, veiling the moon, can you imagine how majestic it will be against the dark contrast of the universe? Darkness as midnight in Egypt. Suddenly, the brilliance of Shekinah glory breaks the sky. In the midst of that black chaos appears the glory of the Son of God in heaven, in utter majesty, an unveiled, holy Shekinah presence, and riding on the chariot of God—the clouds—He appears in the sky in a way every eye will see Him. How could any eye do anything else but look at this striking manifestation of the majesty of the returning Son of Man? It will be a majestic coming.

It will be an awesome coming. He will come with power. He was crucified with self-imposed weakness; He was crucified through weakness. What a contrast! He will come with all power—power unleased, let loose, to bring judgment to this world, the eternal, sovereign might of Jesus Christ visibly displayed. Can you imagine the power to just set the whole universe reeling, to set the whole earth rocking on its axis? He has power over the whole created universe. This is power without equal. Great power, great power. No power like it.

He says He will come not only with power, but great glory. Not just glory, great glory! Glory is the outshining of the perfections of God. We really don’t know and haven’t seen how glorious He is. All the inherent glory of God Man will be revealed, the glorified humanity of the Incarnate God, and all the billions of God’s glory will shine forth. This is the unveiling (apocalypse), the revelation of the Son of Man. There will be a removal of the veil that kept men’s eyes from seeing who Jesus is—as to who He really was. That veil will be taken away. God was wanting to reveal His Son’s glory from eternity. Now, the entire universe will see His great glory. Every eye will see Him in His majestic glory and be struck and captivated by the majesty of the outshining of His glory. None will doubt that this is ‘very God of very God.’ None will deny that He is Lord and Christ. None will feel strong and defiant in such a sight!

Titus 2:13 calls this event “the blessed hope”—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. The blessed hope is not that we will be snatched away in secret before things get too hot; the blessed hope is that He who came in weakness, every eye will see Him in full majesty and glory and be struck and captivated by the outshining of His glory.

Do you know it is because of this truth the Sanhedrin decided to crucify Him? They didn’t find anything to accuse Him, then the High Priest asked, “Are you the Son of God?” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!” He claimed to possess that which deity alone has; coming on the clouds with power and glory was the prerogative of God. Daniel used the same language.

D. The World’s Response: Mourning

The final trait of His coming is the response of the world:

30 “…and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn.”

However remote a tribe may be, Christ’s appearance will be unmistakable and visible to all. When He comes, there will be indescribable sorrow for most of the world. Imagine millions of people sitting in stadiums, movie theaters, parks, houses. Suddenly, He will come. With sheer shock and suddenness, they’re just going to be in sheer terror. All laughter, music, and dance will come to a sudden stop all over the world.

When everyone can physically see His glory and holiness, realizing their sinful state—even holy saints fell like dead men—what will sinful men do when they see His full glory? “Mourn” is a weak word; this means intense sorrow and lamentation. They mourn because they have rejected Him who alone is Eternal God and King. Though they heard about Him, they didn’t believe Him. They loved their sin. The tribes of the earth wail because all is lost for eternity.

All of the big, important people of the world who had no time for God and who thought that the gospel was silly or mere superstition will no longer hold such opinions. The tyranny of those who have persecuted Christians by political power and by the sword will suddenly melt at the sight of “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” The stubbornness of those who have listened to the gospel but obstinately refused to repent and believe in Christ will be broken in a moment. Those who have procrastinated at turning to Christ, who may have even had good intentions yet who loved their sin more than Christ, will realize with infinite bitterness their folly. Those filled with pride, who thought they had no need for God through His Son, will be quickly groveling in the dust. Though rejected by multitudes, there will be no doubt that Jesus Christ is Lord when He rends the heavens and comes down!

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We have seen the time of His coming, the forerunners of His coming, and the characteristics of His coming.

4. Central Activity of His Coming

What is the central activity/work of the coming of the Son of Man?

31 “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

What is the central activity He Himself announces here? Yes, He will judge the world, but look at what He Himself emphasizes as the main work. Then, at that time, when the entire created universe is shaken and the universe sees the Son of Man coming in glory, at that time, He shall send forth angels to gather His elect from the four corners of the earth. The language of the Old Testament speaks of all the extremities of God’s created order. The central activity of the returning Son of Man will be what? It will be the universal gathering together of His elect.

How does He do it? Through His angels with a great sound of a trumpet. A loud trumpet blast was sometimes associated in the Old Testament with the appearance of the Lord. When the Lord appeared on Mount Sinai, as the people of Israel stood below, they heard “a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.” How much more will it be so on the great day! The trumpet is the familiar Jewish means of calling a convocation, calling an assembly. The trumpet is blown, and the angels, the messengers of God, go and gather together His elect. Very fittingly, therefore, shall there be the sound of a trumpet at the Last Day, when the general assembly shall be called.

Angels will gather the elect. Not just assembling, but gathering them unto Himself. Paul uses the same word in 2 Thessalonians 2:1: “our gathering together unto Him.” That is the emphasis of every passage on the Second Coming. Paul said, “we shall ever be with the Lord.” We will be with the Lord. All the saving mercies that He purchased in His life of humiliation, suffering, and death will come to fullness. It is then we will be given deathless bodies, we will be glorified with Him, we will be like Him. It is then even the saints who are dead, and their souls returning with Him, will join resurrected bodies to enter the new heaven and new earth.

Our Lord’s central work in His coming, in this passage and many other passages which speak of His return, does not prominently mention the state of the unconverted, the godless who died without Christ. Why? Because the focal point of God’s prophecy is the salvation of God’s elect. That very terminology is used here. Of all the terms that He could have used, He uses the word elect, which most Christians dislike—the doctrine of election. He wants us to know that what they receive in the culminating act of redemption, they receive as unworthy sinners sovereignly chosen to receive salvation.

Several important truths are set forth for us:

1. The Identity of the Elect: The angels will gather God’s elect—those chosen by Him before the foundation of the world, justified fully through the death of Jesus Christ at the cross, called and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and through grace brought to faith and repentance in Christ. They were justified, adopted, sanctified, and persevered, and will now be glorified. There will be no squabbles about the doctrine of election on that day! All of the elect will rejoice that God chose to graciously redeem a people for His own possession. Our littleness before Him, our unworthiness of His love, will sweep over us, only to be relieved by the knowledge that we are chosen by Him, and therefore, eternally secured for Him.
2. None Will Be Overlooked: The angels will “gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” Let’s face it: some struggle over their salvation, lacking assurance. For some, it is due to their coldness and undisciplined lives. For others, it it is the way their personality and temperament are wired—they naturally struggle with assurance. Some will consider their great sin and doubt that God could love such a one. Some have weak faith, just a slim confidence in Christ while buffeted on every side by doubt. What a grand sight to know that the angels will not overlook anyone! They will cover “the four winds,” descriptive of the entire world. And just in case someone in a remote Amazonian jungle or in a submarine crossing the Atlantic or displaced in a giant metropolis fears being overlooked, Jesus assures us that the angels will do their work “from one end of the sky to the other.”

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This is not the exclusive activity. Matthew 13 points to another mission of the angels who are sent forth, from the parable of the tares and the wheat:

41 “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Would the Bible were silent about the unconverted, but it is not, so I cannot be silent. He would take the very proud, doubting, self-satisfying saved who keep saying, “I will one day be saved; I have that to do and this to do,” along with sinners of every stripe. Angels shall gather them as tares; they will be bundled and cast into the lake of fire. Should I explain the language? It is already horrible just quoting it. Verse 42: “and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Revelation 6:15 says: “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'” Powerful politicians, when they see Him coming, knowing He is coming to judge, cry to rocks and mountains to fall upon them, to hide them from the face of Him that sits on the throne. How terrible for unbelievers will the Second Coming be!

That’s the Lord’s own description of His Second Coming. What a tremendous event.

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Applications

First Lesson: Focus on the Clear Vindication of Christ’s Mission

Do not be confused with so many views about His Second Coming, running after all the news about what is happening in Israel, what the United Nations is doing, and whether this is the mark of the beast, and that is the Antichrist. Many people running after these views miss the main lesson of the Second Coming. With reference to the Second Coming, what is important is clear in the word of God. What is clear must dominate our thinking.

• What is clear: He will surely come; the Son of Man shall come. When He comes, His coming will be known, seen by every eye. His coming will be the public vindication of Jesus Christ. Men have 101 different opinions of Jesus Christ; there will be only one opinion of Jesus Christ when He comes. He comes with power and great glory. Men will know He is what He claims to be in His word.
• Success of His Mission: It will be the visible manifestation of the success of His mission. People assume their own Jesus and think that He has failed in His work. People think Christ came to bring worldly political peace as the Prince of Peace, but why so much war? People think Christ should solve world hunger and suffering, but why so many famines and earthquakes? They think He failed in His mission. How foolish! There is not a word in the Bible that He will save the world order. Not a word that He came to better the world, bring social improvement, or political correctness to this cursed sinful world, or solve hunger and suffering in the world. He Himself said there will be wars and famines; He said these things will come. “I didn’t come to end all the wars.” That is not My mission. We shouldn’t be confused with all that.

Why did He come? What was His mission? When the angel announced His First Coming, what did he say He was coming to do? He said: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). That was His mission. He came to completely save His people from their sins. That is the mission. “I didn’t come to end all the wars, end world hunger, or suffering.” In fact, He said these things will happen. “I came to save My sheep.” He came to save His elect fully from sins. Will He succeed in that? Yes, that is what He will accomplish successfully. When He comes in glory, the first thing He does is gather all His elect. Why? To glorify them. What a glorious manifestation of the success of the mission of Jesus!

Think of what He will do to the likes of you and me: we whom He elected, called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and now He will glorify us. How we will have a deathless body and a sinless soul, and will be as spotless as fallen snow. When He comes, we will be like Him. Forget about sinning for all eternity. Christ will save you and me to the utmost, to an extent that we will not even have any slight inclination to sin. God will not be able to find one atom of sin in you and me. All stains of depravity will be eternally removed from me. We will have a body in which we can serve Him without tiredness and sleep, day and night, forever. That is our blessed hope.

I don’t have to feel tired. I don’t need a vacation so I don’t burn out. I push the body early morning. Oh, so soon morning! What will it be to have a glorified body, always fresh and energetic? Never any dullness in its love to Christ, never any indwelling sin hindering holiness, never making idols of its gifts, not even the slightest inclination to sin, but loving Him with all heart, soul, and strength. A perfected spirit dwelling in a glorified body. What a hope! When it comes, it will be a vindication that He didn’t fail. You and I will be part of that Jesus success story.

Second Lesson: Make Your Calling and Election Sure

The second application, with reference to His Second Coming, is that there has to be one great personal concern for you and me: will He gather me with His own or banish me with the tares? What else can be a greater concern?

Make it a personal thing. There is no use listening to it as a general story: “Oh, Jesus is coming and going.” You are sitting there, the Lord predicts and teaches you all this before it happens. This morning, were the sun to be darkened five minutes from now, suddenly darkness covers this place. The trumpet blast of God to sound, He were to come, would He gather you or banish you? It will be one or the other.

Have you come under His salvation and put your faith fully in Christ and His work? Do you have the faith of the elect? Do you believe in the authority of the Scriptures, know how holy God is, the depravity of your condition, and what Christ has accomplished as the Mediator? Do you trust those things? Have you had the experience of regeneration, where He has changed your heart, justified, adopted, and is sanctifying you? Those are not just topics of the COF; it should be your experience. Is your faith seen in the works of faith that glorify God? Only those elect will be gathered, not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord.”

Shouldn’t this be your greatest concern in life? Everything else will melt and perish, even the sun darkened. This world, which you are holding onto with a death grip, will melt. All that matters is: Do I have the signs of the elect? Peter says, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.” Because this is the most important thing.

Someone may say, “You keep referring to the elect. How do I know if I am one of the elect?” Yes, election implies God’s choosing us in eternity. The immediate evidences of election are “repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). The elect respond to the gospel. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” declared our Lord (John 10:27). Do you hear His voice today?

Look for the evidences that your faith in Christ has truly taken root and that there are fruits. What fruits? Making your calling sure is growing in assurance of grace and salvation. What hinders our assurance?

COF Chapter 18 on assurance says: True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit; God’s withdrawing the light of His countenance. It is sin in our life that destroys our assurance. So, how do I make my election and calling sure? The faith of the elect will grow in assurance, how? By putting to death the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit (Romans 8:12-13). By killing sin.

Assurance grows in the right use of ordinary means to attain thereunto. And therefore, it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance—so far is it from inclining men to looseness.

Look for the evidence of “sonship,” that you belong to the Lord so that you can rightly cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15). Look for the witness of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with your spirit that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16).

The passage teaches that in order to be prepared and watchful, we must do at least two things: We must long for His coming. We must truly anticipate His coming. It must be an event that is significant on our horizon/view. It must be something that is part of our daily consciousness, a longing for the coming of our Lord. But also we see that we must trust completely in the truth of His word in regard to His coming. Our thinking about His coming must be ruled by the authority of His word. As He has explained His coming, so we must think about His coming and be prepared for His coming.

2 Peter 3:10 says:

10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?”

The Second Advent of Christ will be a glorious day for all true believers in Christ. But the Second Advent will be a day of gloom for those who do not know Christ as personal Lord and Savior. How sad that day will be for willful rejecters of Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).

If He banishes you, it will be because you chose to remain an impenitent sinner, loving your sin and hating the God who extends mercy to you in Christ. This applies to any among us who have put off trusting in Jesus Christ and following Him because of a long list of reasons. None of those reasons will make sense when Christ returns “with power and great glory.” The sight of Christ “with power and great glory” will dispel your folly when you gaze at His glory, but too late. Name your reason or excuse for not trusting Jesus Christ, and then put it next to the sight of Jesus Christ coming on the clouds with omnipotent power and full of all the glory of God. How does it stack up?

Today, I plead with you. God calls you. He has done everything He can do. It is a wonder. Now my heart weeps when people, after hearing so much, still don’t get saved. But that time, Scripture says, we will be so God-focused that we will praise God to see even our children, husbands, wives, and relatives go to hell, because God’s justice will be glorified by them. He will so transform us at that time.

But today, it makes us so sad. While the door is open, while the Son has still not torn the sky and come out, while He still intercedes, while the sun still shines bright—today morning I got up and didn’t see the sun darkened—we should praise Him for that, because He is still giving you another chance. He is calling sinners. Run to Christ! Run to this Son of Man who is coming on the clouds. Throw yourself upon His mercy. Go out today. Look out at the sky and remember that when that sun darkens and the moon darkens, these eyes will see Him coming. The Son of Man shall come.

Today, you may hear about Him, His suffering, death, and resurrection, and what He did, and go your way without even twitching—business as usual. But an hour is coming: He will stop the entire universe. The sun—look through the windows, so bright, don’t need lights—that will become dark. The moon will not give its light. When that darkness comes, oh, what will illuminate the universe? It is His presence, His coming in clouds with great power and great glory, and you have to deal with Him.

Will you be gathered unto Him and be with Him forever in the new heaven and earth, or banished from Him forever in the lake of fire forever?

This is the foundation of the saints’ eternal happiness, that they are God’s elect. These verses teach us, in the second place, that when Christ returns to this world, He will first take care of His believing people. He shall “send his angels,” and “gather together his elect.” In the Day of Judgment, true Christians shall be perfectly safe. Not a hair of their heads shall fall to the ground. There was an ark for Noah in the day of the flood. There shall be a hiding-place for all believers in Jesus when the wrath of God at last bursts on this wicked world. That day no doubt will be an awful day, but believers may look forward to it without fear.

In the Day of Judgment, true Christians shall at length be gathered together. The saints of every age and every tongue shall be assembled out of every land. All shall be there, from righteous Abel down to the last soul that is converted to God, from the oldest patriarch. Let us think what a happy gathering that will be, when all the family of God are at length together. If it has been pleasant to meet one or two saints occasionally on earth, how much more pleasant will it be to meet a “multitude that no man can number”!

It should teach us patience. The Second Personal Coming of Christ shall be as different as possible from the first. He came the first time as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was born in the manger of Bethlehem, in lowliness and humiliation. He took on Him the form of a servant and was despised and rejected of men. He was betrayed into the hands of wicked men, condemned by an unjust judgment, mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, and at last crucified between two thieves. He shall come the second time as the King of all the earth, with all royal majesty. The princes and great men of this world shall themselves stand before His throne to receive an eternal sentence. Before Him, every mouth shall be stopped, and every knee bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. May we all remember this. Whatever ungodly men may do now, there will be no scoffing, no jesting at Christ, no infidelity at the Last Day. The servants of Jesus may well wait patiently. Their master shall one day be acknowledged King of kings by all the world.

When the Son of God came as man, to accomplish that glorious salvation with a glorious being of fully Man and God, there was not even a twitch in the whole world system. Apart from the angels and a few shepherds, the world didn’t even twitch. A big crowd was in Jerusalem; people were going to be enrolled in the census. People ate, drank, and lived; nothing changed when the Son of God Man was born in the manger. God Man expelled, the world goes on without a twitch. But at His Second Advent, not only will the world twitch, the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give light, the powers shall be shaken. God is announcing to the entire universe the appearing of the Son of Man in glory and power.

He came as the Son of Man; He “sneaked in.” Business as usual. Even through His suffering and resurrection, the world went on its way. And it goes on its way even today. You are also going on as business as usual. An hour is coming. The sun—look through the windows, so bright, don’t need lights—that will become dark. The moon will not give its light. When that darkness comes, oh, what will illuminate the universe? It is His presence, His coming in clouds with great power and great glory, and you have to deal with Him.

Will you be gathered unto Him and be with Him forever in the new heaven and earth, or banished from Him forever in the lake of fire forever?

Man’s idea about the future has always been bright, optimistic. Many politicians and false preachers have always deceived people, promising ache din, amrit kaal, and a golden age. But the world has never seen that. In Matthew 24, the true final great prophet tells us what is going to come in the future. He said it 2,000 years ago, and every generation is a witness to how true his words are. This very chapter proves God alone could have spoken these things.

For the disciples who asked these questions, it was not merely intellectual curiosity. It was a very personal, emotional, and interesting subject. Suppose I were to tell you the whole of Bangalore will soon face a war and many earthquakes; it will be so severe that not only will all tall buildings fall, but not one brick will be upon another in any house—all will become desolate. None of you would hear that news carelessly, but with great personal emotional concern. But here, the Lord does not talk about just Bangalore, but the entire world. How much more we ought to listen to the Lord’s forecast of the future not with curiosity but with attention.

This chapter, which Christ speaks just before His death, was intended to prepare them and all of His disciples for future things. It has very practical lessons. Sadly, it has become a chapter of so much debate and argument among Christians. We need the special help of the Holy Spirit (HS) to understand it in a way that leads to our edification and the strengthening of our faith and life change.

We need to remember the context after His three-year ministry and final rejection. He leaves the temple, pronouncing judgment on that guilty generation: “Your house will be desolate.” When Christ leaves, that house is indeed left desolate, which is the New Testament Ichabod: “The glory is departed; their defense is departed.” Three days after this, the veil of the temple was torn; it would no longer be a sacred place.

When He left the temple, His disciples left it too and followed Him. That is a true disciple of Christ. He will be where Christ is and where His words of eternal life are preached. Christ is not there where His word is not preached. There are people who call themselves Christ’s disciples but are just religious Pharisees who will stick to the building with a death grip; the building is all for them—grandfather, father, I, my son. Even when Christ is not there, and His word is not preached, and Christ leaves, they will not leave that building and become desolate with it.

The disciples leave, but we still see their weakness and attachment to that great, fine building. They point out the magnificence of the building and the massive stones with which the temple is built in exclamation and wonder, hoping the Lord will reverse the sentence. Our Lord, in response to their exclamation, makes a shocking prophecy.

Christ, instead of reversing the decree, ratifies it: “Verily, I say unto you, there shall not be left one stone upon another.” He speaks of it as a certain ruin: “I say unto you. I, that know what I say, and know how to make good what I say; take my word for it, it shall be so; I, the Amen, the true Witness, say it to you.” All judgment being committed to the Son, He speaks of it as an utter ruin. The temple shall not only be stripped, plundered, and defaced, but utterly demolished and laid waste; not one stone upon another.

As they move further, the Lord climbs the Mount of Olives and sits there as the sun is setting, with the beauty of the temple shining, facing a beautiful scene. The disciples are in deep thought, following Him. The four disciples, not disputing either the truth or the equity of this sentence, nor doubting of the accomplishment of it, come to Him, asking the questions about the time when it should come to pass and the signs of its approach. We should explain this chapter in the context of these questions.

1. First question: “Tell us, when will these things be?” What things? One stone upon another—the destruction of Jerusalem.
2. Second question: “And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

How can anyone say this doesn’t talk about the destruction of Jerusalem? This is the problem with the dispensationalist; to fit their scheme of charts, they completely take this chapter out of context. So, there the Lord is sitting on the Mount of Olives, directly facing the temple, and from thence, He might have a full prospect of it at some distance. There He sat as a Judge upon the bench, the temple and city being before Him as at the bar, and thus He passed sentence on them.

In the disciples’ thinking, and so their question, the end of Jerusalem and the end of the world were the same. They thought the destruction of the temple must needs be the end of the world. If that house be laid waste, the world cannot stand; for the Rabbis used to say that the house of the sanctuary was one of the seven things for the sake of which the world was made; and they think, if so, the world will not survive the temple. The Lord corrects that in His response.

Though it seems like He speaks of diverse events, it is prophetic language talking about two important future events in the history of redemption:

1. The destruction of Jerusalem and the utter ruin of the Old Covenant (OCov) Jewish church and nation.
2. Then looking further, to Christ’s coming at the end of time and the consummation of all things, of which the destruction of Jerusalem is a type, foretaste, and figure.

Why should the Holy Spirit write about the destruction of Jerusalem to us, which is over? This prophecy is of standing, lasting use to the church, and will be so to the end of time; for “the thing that hath been, is that which shall be” (Ecclesiastes 1:5; 1:6; 1:7; 1:9), and the series, connection, and presages of events, it keeps happening even now. So that upon the prophecy of this chapter, with the Holy Spirit’s help and wisdom, looking at the old destruction of the nation, we can have spiritual lessons—”an unprecedented deep amount of soul-searching, determination, foresight… with settled calm, knowing these things happened and will happen and prognostication” may be made, and such constructions of the signs of the times as the wise spiritual man’s heart will know how to improve in various changing society, political, and world situations.

So these events happen around the destruction of Jerusalem, but the text also goes beyond the destruction of Jerusalem and describes conditions that will happen between the First Coming and the Second Coming. The First Coming was in His humiliation to suffer, die, and rise, and the Second Coming will be in all glory. That period is often called the inter-advent period. Whether you realize it or not, you and I are in that time, and it is written for us to handle whatever comes in our lives in this time.

The Lord’s aim was not to give detailed, pre-written history to satisfy our knowledge or curiosity, but He had very practical guidance for them and for us. His burning concern was to prepare His people practically for the coming days, not to fill their heads with details. So, He gives warnings, prophecies, and encouragements for the people of God living between the First and Second Coming.

In the first section, He talks about five signs in verses 4–14, and then He doesn’t leave it but gives us a practical command on what we should do, in terms of warning and encouragement. So, if you ask me what will mark the time between the First and Second Coming, the first thing is…

First, Spiritual Deception (v. 4-5)

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

The very first sign is spiritual deception. Many will come in My name by claiming they represent Christ or even have the arrogance to claim they are apostles or even say that they are Christ themselves. The deceivers would pretend to divine revelation, an immediate calling from God, and a spirit of prophecy, when it was all a lie. The very first sign He highlights is that this inter-advent period will proliferate itself with false teachers and false Christs and will be an atmosphere of religious deception. How true this is for the last 2,000 years! Every generation had them. In the last 100 years, the very famous Rev. Sun Myung Moon, David Koresh, and Jim Jones called themselves the Messiah. Messiah-figures have sprung up in every generation to offer new revelations or new religious twists—all moving people away from the sufficiency that is found in Jesus Christ and the gospel. How many rise up in our day telling stories that God revealed to them when committing suicide, in jail, or in disease about to die? How many rise up in His name? So foolish are some of their claims.

But you know what is tragic? The prophecy says: “and will deceive many.” Mark says, “they shall lead many astray.” Many will be duped. That is the tragedy of the warning. Our Lord saw with accurate prophetic insight the horrible gullibility (tendency to be easily persuaded that something is real or true) of men in things pertaining to religion. Man’s capacity for gullibility in religion seems almost infinite. Messages/Claims that would cause people to look foolish and lunatic in worldly matters, but in Christianity elevate them to prophets and prophetesses, apostles, and even Christ in great spiritual things.

As we approach the end of the age, spiritual deception will increase because spiritual gullibility will increase. Having turned away from the truth, people will follow anyone who speaks with authority and promises to help solve their problems and give meaning to daily life. Note carefully what I Timothy 4:1 says: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” Those “deceiving spirits” are in the world today, and their evident success rate seems to be very high.

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He amplifies this, speaking with reference to the destruction of Jerusalem. Even before the destruction of Jerusalem, many will claim to be Christ.

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

This is true even before Jerusalem was destroyed. Now, Israel, rejecting the true Messiah, will believe many false Messiahs after this. Josephus speaks of several such impostors between this and the destruction of Jerusalem: one Theudas, who was defeated by Cospius Fadus; another by Felix; Dositheus said he was the Christ foretold by Moses (Origen adversus Celsum). See Acts 5:36; Acts 5:37. Simon Magus pretended to be “the great power of God,” Acts 8:10.

“They shall show great signs and wonders” (Matthew 24:24). Not true miracles, as those are a divine seal, and with those the doctrine of Christ stands confirmed. But these were lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9), wrought by Satan. It is not said, They shall work miracles, but, They shall show great signs; they are but a show; either they impose upon men’s credulity by false narratives, or deceive their senses by tricks of legerdemain, or arts of divination, as the magicians of Egypt by their enchantments.

The success they should have in these attempts:

1. They shall deceive many. Their deceptive influence will be so pervasive and persuasive. One would think even the elect of God are going to be drawn aside by the magnetism of their religious influence and by their miraculous powers.
2. It talks about the strength of the delusion: it is such as many shall be carried away by (so strong shall the stream be), even those who were thought to stand fast. Men’s knowledge, gifts, learning, eminent station, and long experience will not secure them; but, notwithstanding these, many will be deceived.
3. So strong… If possible… Implied in that verse is that it is not possible, for they are “kept by the power of God,” that “the purpose of God, according to the election, may stand.” They were given to Christ; and of all that were given to Him, He will lose none, John 10:28.

If this is going to be the atmosphere of the inter-advent time, what are we supposed to do? What is the application? Notice the strong warning:

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.”

Jesus uses the word in Mark: “lead you astray.” Lead you astray from what? Astray from the attachment to the only true Christ, from the attachment to the one and true narrow way which leads unto life. Take heed, see to it, constantly be on the lookout that no one leads you astray. New deceptions will come; it will be a big temptation for you. You need to constantly take heed; you will be living in an atmosphere of deception between the First and Second Coming, so much deception that even if possible, the elect could be deceived. If you don’t take heed seriously, you are already living in that deception. Be constantly watchful that no man leads you astray; many will be deceived.

The practical lesson the Lord wants us to learn, so we are not deceived, is this: You and I must be passionately concerned to know and be deeply rooted in biblical theology and the deep truths of Scripture, and to stand fast in that; otherwise, you will be easily deceived. You need to put time and effort into knowing the identity of God’s only Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. We must be especially well-grounded and deeply understand the foundational truths of the authority of God’s word, who God is, His providence, the fall of man, and the identity of Christ as the only mediator; the glory of His salvation; what salvation does to you; how you are saved by effectual calling, justifying, adopting, sanctifying, saving faith, and repentance—all truths taught in our confession of faith (COF).

In other words, if you do not have a passionate concern for a doctrinally intelligent faith in Christ, you will be led astray easily. Some of you are so ignorant that you do not even know the basics of faith, yet you are careless about putting in the time and effort to learn and grow in the truth. We spend evenings trying to give you that theological foundation; how few make it a point to attend and learn! The Lord is speaking to you. Take heed; be on your guard that no one leads you astray. You will be led astray unless you commit yourself to be thoroughly rooted and grounded in truth. That is why it is so important that in the membership classes, we take all the time in our busy schedules to help teach you the foundations. You shouldn’t stop with that, but you must do your own study afterward. For others who are already members, how strongly are you growing in the truth—reading and developing? Take heed! If you are not constantly growing in truth, you may be on the path of deception. You will be led astray; your difficulties and temptations in life will lead you astray if you don’t read, hear messages, and “upgrade yourself” with the sermons. That is why we encourage you to re-listen to sermons, read books, and read your Bibles. We live in deceptive times.

Deceivers will be present not only prior to the destruction of Jerusalem but throughout the entire inter-advent period. They will come with greater concentration in the unfolding of human history, but you and I must be on our guard. He says this deception will mark the inter-advent period.

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Second Sign: International Conflict (vv. 6-7a)

6 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”

“You will be hearing,” meaning that we live in an age of unending commotion and upheaval. This is so true. For 2,000 years, every generation has seen wars. This is what has happened. Just in the last 200 years, the most terrible wars of WWI and WWII occurred, and we do not realize that in the last 50 years, there have been wars in Rwanda, Cambodia, Chechnya, Serbia, Kosovo, Lebanon, Iraq, Kashmir, Northern Ireland, Somalia, Kuwait, Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and dozens of lesser-known bloody conflicts around the world. Now we can add Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Korea, Vietnam. Now, in front of our eyes, this prophecy is fulfilled in Russia. One man sitting with a nuclear button, his mind spoiled, could press the nuclear button and most of the world would be gone. He is threatening the world with that.

“Nation will rise against Nation.” Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea against all the Western and European countries. The history of humanity is the history of wars. Even the quiet in the land, and the least inquisitive after new things, cannot but hear the rumors of war. Nation shall rise up against nation, and there will be civil wars within our country. We are going toward civil war, one community against another, one province against another, one party or faction shall rise up against another. We feel so helpless when these things are happening. The big Prime Ministers and Presidents in their rooms make decisions that will affect the whole nation; masses will die. So frightening.

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The Third Sign (v. 7b)

And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

When men, in their pride and arrogance, plan war and destruction, there is a limit and some control. But who can control natural disasters? Famines—clouds that carry a certain amount of rainfall to a certain region, turning the land that was full of lush green crop suddenly barren, with cracks. A country suffering from basic food needs; rates going up for basic needs, even for water; many dying in famines with no food, no water.

Natural disasters, over which we have no power, are so frightening. Who can control earthquakes that cause such destruction of cities and places, killing lakhs? Or earthquakes in the ocean that send huge Tsunamis over all the nations on the borders, dragging millions into the ocean helplessly? Then, should I explain pestilence? We have seen with our own eyes this prophecy fulfilled just a few months ago—an outbreak of disease from one place, spreading to all nations, locking up and putting the entire globe to a stop, such as never seen in our lifetime. Thousands died, and bodies were floating in rivers, burning, and being buried in heaps.

Famines, earthquakes, and outbreaks of disease. These were the three judgments which David was to choose one out of, and he was in a great strait, for he knew not which was the worst. But what dreadful desolations will they make when they all pour in together upon a people! But our Lord says these will mark the entire inter-advent time: there will be famines, wars, more wars, international tensions and conflicts, natural disasters, and pestilences.

The Command: Do Not Be Troubled

Now, what should we do when these happen? What is His command, His guidance? See verse 6: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled.”

Wow, when these things happen, I should not be troubled. How can anyone not be troubled? A small thunder is enough to trouble me! But He says when these things happen, not to be troubled! The very strong word used here and in Mark means to be inwardly disturbed or frightened—for example, like little children in a thunderstorm, trembling, confused, inwardly agitated, frightened, feeling very insecure, keeping a hand on the head, or throwing hands in the air, asking what else will happen, in despair.

Lord, how can we not be troubled? Wars, nation rising against nation, war aircrafts flying over my home—who will throw a bomb and wipe out our whole city? Putin presses one button, and it’s gone. Famine, earthquakes, and Corona. War brings brutal bloodshed, millions die. Famine brings disruption of supply, not knowing what to eat, no water. An earthquake destroys a beautiful, hard-built house. Pestilence means everyone dying. How can I not be troubled? Are we to be stoic when these are happening? On what basis are we not to be frightened?

If you, as My people and My disciple, guard yourself so much from false teaching influence and these political influences, from the love of this world, and know the reality of the future, and live for My kingdom, you can obey this. He gives two reasons why we should not be troubled.

How can anyone not be frightened when these appear?

1. The Divine Necessity: They Must Come to Pass

Notice two things He says. Firstly: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

It must be in the plan and purpose of God; there is a fixed purpose, there is a fixed decree. There is a divine “must.” These must happen. Ruin must be brought upon this sinful, God-rejecting world. By this, the justice of God and the honor of the Redeemer must be asserted; and therefore, all those things must come to pass; the word is gone out of God’s mouth, and it shall be accomplished in its season.

Note: The consideration of the unchangeableness of the divine counsels, which govern all events, should compose and quiet our spirits, whatever happens. God is but performing the thing that is appointed for us, and our inordinate trouble is an interpretative quarrel with that appointment. Let us therefore acquiesce because these things must come to pass; not only necessitate decreti (as the product of the divine counsel) but necessitate medii (as a means in order to a further end). The old house must be taken down (though it cannot be done without noise, and dust, and danger) before the new fabric can be erected. The things that are shaken (and ill shaken they were) must be removed, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain (Hebrews 12:27).

This is so that no one will ever mistake that this age is for the age to come. This age will continue. These events should tell you all this is heading to the destruction and demolition of this house, and a new heaven and new earth is coming, and you should be ready for that.

Is it possible to hear such sad news and not be troubled? Yes, where the heart is fixed, trusting in God, it is kept in peace, and is not afraid, not even of the evil tidings of wars. Our Lord says behind these, there is a divine “must be.” These must needs come to pass, but the end is not yet. In the language of Romans 8:22-25, the whole creation groans and travails until now. This present order will continue to be in a state of travail, waiting for the manifestation at the return of Jesus Christ. The period between the two comings will be marked with these.

2. They Are the Beginning of Sorrows

The second thing the Lord says so we are encouraged and not troubled is that they do not signify the end, but the beginning.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

These are the beginnings of birth pangs; more is coming on this world. More bowls of wrath will be poured. This is just the beginning. Therefore, be not troubled; do not give way to fear and trouble; sink not under the present burden, but rather gather in all the strength and spirit you have to encounter what is yet before you. Be not troubled to hear of wars and rumors of wars, for then what will become of you when the famines and pestilences come? These things do not signify the end, but are the beginning of the end. They will continue until the end, until the Lord returns.

Practical Application

We should be so grounded in truth and Christ and abide in Him and trust in His decrees; these things should not cause us trouble. Christ does not want our blood pressure or heart rate to increase with every rumbling outbreak of war or famine. A believer is not to be nervous or lose sleep when he hears about international tensions, hears of war breaking forth, or of more wars, earthquakes, famine, or plague. He is not to be disturbed. Why? Because to be disturbed is to be disobedient to his Lord who lovingly told him these will happen. To be filled with inward agitation and fear is sin, because international tensions and natural calamities are part of God’s decree and purpose. The Christian, knowing that there is a divine “must” behind all this, does not meet these things with stoic indifference or be heartless in the face of famine or the horrible tragedies that war brings which melt hearts and tear families apart. We do not look upon these things with indifference.

When Jesus, with prophetic vision, saw the destruction of Jerusalem, He wept: “O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem.” We also weep and pity and have compassion, but our Lord’s word is do not be inwardly unstrung; do not be as one who has lost his bearing. Be not put into confusion or commotion; not put into throes, as a woman with child by a fright; see that you are not distraught. Note: There is need of constant care and watchfulness to keep trouble from the heart when there are wars abroad, and it is against the mind of Christ that His people should have troubled hearts even in troublous times.

This passage should be a preventative against ever pursuing a dream of a utopia ushered in by the combined action of world governments. I am amazed how naïve people are. People actually think there will be peace among nations; diplomacy and peace talks will solve all problems. There will be ache din or amrit kaal. I hope we are not caught up with all these things, with politicians promising good days.

Our Lord says there shall be wars; nation will rise up against nation. No amount of development, education, or scientific research concerning when earthquakes or Tsunamis may come, or how we can stop them, none of those things will stop them from coming. There shall be famines, and wars.

We, as people of God with this insight, should not be drawn into every cause that comes in our way, claiming our time, energy, and money, to promote a utopian world—a world aiming for a state in which everything is perfect, idealistic, or based on social development. The idea that they can turn this world into heaven, solve world hunger, stop famine, solve the war problem and bring peace to nations, or solve world diseases and stop pestilence—no, that is not the biblical view.

The Lord has said there must be these things, and He encourages us not to be troubled. Embedded in that encouragement is the certainty of their presence.

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Fourth Sign: Fierce Persecution (v. 9)

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”

This is a verse no one likes to read or memorize. I’ve never known anyone who chose it as a “life verse.” It’s too negative to be very popular, yet there it is, clear and easy to understand, right from the lips of our Lord. Jesus told his disciples to expect the worst. A time will come when the followers of Christ will be hated by all nations because of our relationship to Him.

Mark expands this, saying they will receive all unjust and abusive treatment at the hands of the religious as well as civil authorities.

9 But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.

They shall deliver you to councils and synagogues, the Jewish religious places; you will be flogged by religious authorities. Not only religious, but even civil, before rulers and kings you will stand for My sake—the Roman authorities.

Verse 12 focuses on the unnatural hatred of family members. Think of it.

12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

Think of it: our children fight with each other, hit one another, pull, and fight, but here, a brother not only plans but actually delivers his brother to death, and even a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

Unjust and abusive treatment will come not only from religious authorities, but from civil authorities, and even from unnatural hatred and betrayal by family members. Jesus predicts universal hatred for us. That is not encouraging. Matthew verse 9 says: “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.”

He says this is what will happen during the inter-advent time. We see that happening. But in many places, persecution and hatred of Christians is on the rise. That trend will continue in the days to come and will come to a fearful climax in the final days preceding the return of our Lord.

More and more countries continue to tighten the rope on open displays of Christianity. We see that happening in our own country: attacks on churches and anti-conversion laws passed, licenses canceled, and plans to take away our voting rights. Our Lord told us ahead of time not to be surprised by this. Christians, for 2,000 years, have been handed over to tribulation or trials or pressure situations. Some are killed; all will be hated. The antipathy of the world toward the gospel and toward Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord has not abated.

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Fifth Sign: Widespread Apostasy (vv. 10-12)

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10-12).

He says many will turn against the truth. When sticking to the truth begins to cost men dearly, then many shall be offended, shall first fall out, and then they will begin to pick quarrels with their religion, and eventually revolt from it, hate one another, and become false prophets. When times are good, everyone will want to follow Christ, but when persecution comes, true believers will be revealed. Suffering and persecution times will show who are true preachers and believers. He says many will turn away from faith because of the suffering. Paul often complains of deserters who began well, but something hindered them. “They were with us, but went out from us, because they were not truly of us” (1 John 2:19). They shall betray one another; that is, those who have treacherously deserted their religion shall hate and betray those who adhere to it, for whom they have pretended friendship. Apostates have commonly been the most bitter and violent persecutors.

Even some who professed to be Christian will turn against believers, betraying them to authorities out of hatred. Apostasy will mark the waves of church history.

These verses paint a picture of unprecedented religious apostasy in the last days. They especially apply to so-called Christian leaders who depart from the Christian faith. These are the leaders who (in the name of ecumenism) deny the inerrancy of the Bible, deny the necessity for the blood atonement, deny the virgin birth, deny the lostness of all people, deny the reality of eternal hell, and deny that those who die without Jesus Christ are lost forever. They turn away after fads and popular social causes and pander to the powers that be. They support the killing of unborn babies, support gay rights, and support the right of pornographers to practice their evil trade. They do not preach the gospel because they do not even believe the gospel. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

II Timothy 3:1-9 tells us that in the last days “terrible times” will come as men become lovers of pleasure instead of lovers of God. They will turn away from the truth because their minds are depraved. False teachers who cleverly counterfeit the truth will lead many others astray. Truly those “terrible days” are upon us. So-called ministers of the gospel deny every tenet of the Christian faith and still remain in the pulpit. They can even justify gross immorality because they have rejected God’s Word. The worst is yet to come.

These terrible times of apostasy are seducing times; many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Thirdly, there will be the general declining and cooling of most (Matthew 24:12). In seducing times, when false prophets arise, and in persecuting times, when the saints are hated, expect these two things:

1. The Abounding of Iniquity: Though the world always lies in wickedness, there are some times in which it may be said that iniquity does in a special manner abound. This happens when it is more extensive than ordinary (as in the old world, when “all flesh had corrupted their way”) and when it is more excessive than ordinary, so that hell seems to break loose in blasphemies against God and enmities toward the saints. The presence of God’s people living in faithfulness to Him offers restraints upon a society—salt and light affecting the community. But when people fail to pay attention to their doctrine and begin to follow the teaching of false prophets, then sin and unconcern for the law of God increase, love for God and man declines, and true believers face greater persecution.
2. The Abating of Love: This is the consequence of the former: “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Understand it in general of true serious godliness, which is all summed up in love; it is too common for professors of religion to grow cool in their profession when the wicked are hot in their wickedness, as the church of Ephesus in bad times “left her first love” (Revelation 2:2-4). Or, it may be understood more particularly of brotherly love. When iniquity abounds—seducing iniquity, persecuting iniquity—this grace commonly waxes cold. Christians begin to be shy and suspicious of one another, affections are alienated, distances are created, parties are made, and so love comes to nothing.

This gives a melancholy prospect of the times, that there shall be such a great decay of love. But, first, it is of the love of many, not of all.

So, rather than a rosy picture, Jesus painted a realistic picture for believers in every century. If you complain because you continue to meet with the world’s animosity due to your faith in Christ, pay attention. Jesus has foretold us that it will happen until He comes.

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Encouragements in the Face of Reality

This is reality; this will happen. But now, notice the encouragements He gives in the face of these realities. He says the gospel will triumph over all this and spread to the entire world.

1. Persecution Becomes a Testimony

First, He says such treatment will be an occasion for a testimony for the sake of Christ.

Mark 13:9 You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.

They think they are in control and are going to restrain the progress of the gospel by arresting believers, but in the very effort, “I create a marvelous sounding board even to the great ones of the earth through you.”

See how that was literally fulfilled in Acts: you find Paul standing before King Agrippa, standing before Herod, standing before the very center of the Roman government at Rome, making his defense on more than one occasion. When all the great ones of the earth gathered at Rome, he, in a sense, preached the gospel to the whole world through this.

So, our Lord encourages us that in this unjust and abusive treatment, unnatural hatred, and universal hatred, such treatment will be a testimony for the sake of Jesus.

2. The Gospel Will Not Be Stopped

Secondly, such treatment will not stop the spread of the gospel.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Oh, I hope we can sense the unshaken certainty of the words of Jesus. Later on, while concluding, He will say in this chapter that heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. This is one of them that will not pass away: this gospel must be preached. Why? Because Almighty God has set His love upon a vast multitude whom no man can number out of every tribe and language. He will call them through the gospel. So, God will order the events so that in the midst of the motion of wars, famine, earthquakes, nation against nation, hatred and opposition to the gospel, and false Christs and false prophets deceiving the majority of people, He encourages His people that the gospel will be preached unto all the nations.

“In the whole inhabited world as a witness to all of the peoples. ‘This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.'” What a triumphant statement this was to the disciples, especially as they considered the gospel going into the Gentile world! Yes, they would face many difficulties, but they were to persist in proclaiming the gospel. We are not to grow slack because of persecution and opposition. We are not to withdraw into some safe cocoon or retreat. We are to push forward with the gospel of Christ. “Proclaim the good news to every people group,” Christ tells us. That is the divine agenda as we wait for the end. Comfort, ease, and self-security are not our rights as Christians. We have a King to proclaim—let us be about that work to His glory!

3. Special Help from the Holy Spirit (HS)

Thirdly, He encourages us with special help given by the Holy Spirit in the midst of opposition.

Mark 13:11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

People abuse this, saying preachers don’t have to study and prepare systematically, but can just stand up and let the Holy Spirit speak. Listen to their preaching; their blabbering is a clear indication the Holy Spirit is not speaking to them.

This is a peculiar promise given to a peculiar situation: when hatred against us is so tense that we are seized upon and brought before the great ones of the earth, led to judgment, and delivered up. Our Lord, knowing we might sit in our cell wondering what to say—not even knowing what questions they will ask or how to lay out our testimony—says that when you are sitting in that jail, remember He will give you what needs to be said. In His plan, you are in jail; He is attached to you. When people come and drag you before men, it is mine to believe that in that hour, He will give me what to speak by the powerful enablement of the Holy Spirit.

Oh, do you see these encouragements that the Lord gives in the face of terrible opposition against the gospel? Jesus encourages us: such treatment will be an occasion for testimony, such treatment will not stop the spread of the gospel, and special help will be given by the Holy Spirit in special times of need.

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The Command: Unshakable Perseverance

What then is demanded of the true disciples in the midst of all this opposition, persecution, and apostasy?

13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

We are to pay attention to what is going on about us—to notice the changing religious climate so that we are not caught unaware. We are to face the facts of the world’s hatred, and even the reality of what it might cost us to live as Christians in an unchristian world. But Christ’s direction is not for us to hide or move to a commune, knowing all this will happen and that the gospel will triumph. The demand is unshakable perseverance. There is to be a tenacious, unflinching attachment to Christ and the gospel.

Jesus Christ calls for endurance, perseverance, and continuing on as a Christian in spite of the circumstances. Perseverance gives evidence of genuine faith. To endure means that we bear up even in difficulties and times of suffering. The word literally means, “to abide under.” You continue to abide in Christ even when under the intensity of persecution. He calls us to be disciples, to be His followers through thick and thin. We can persevere because He preserves us and provides for us to continue on as Christians.

To the end of their lives, to the end of their present state of probation, or to the end of these suffering, trying times, to the last encounter, though they should be called to resist unto blood. Secondly, it is comfortable to those who do thus endure to the end and suffer for their constancy, that they shall be saved. Perseverance wins the crown, through free grace, and shall wear it. The crown of glory will make amends for all.

All promises in Revelation made to the seven churches are made to the overcomers. They are promises of salvation. True salvation shows in our perseverance; he who is truly saved will endure to the end. Our High Priest secures our perseverance.

“End” doesn’t mean the end of time; it means he who endures to the end of the trial—the trial that has come in connection with confessing the gospel. We may be killed—for some, hanged, tied to stakes, or burned. The end for some is dying of starvation. Our Lord says what is required in the face of these warnings and encouragements is a tenacious, unflinching attachment to Christ and to the gospel.

Remember what He said: whoever saves his life will lose it, and whoever is ashamed of the gospel in this adulterous generation, He will be ashamed of.

In the light of these warnings and encouragements, what is demanded is a calm, resolute trust in the faithfulness of God and a tenacious, unflinching attachment to Christ and to the gospel, even unto the end. That is our salvation.

Whatever your preconceived notions may be concerning the end-times, I hope that you will see that the greater priority must be on keeping first things first. Discern the times that we have been living in since Jesus ascended. We are in a world that continues to be eaten up by its sin. But Christ tells us, “See that you are not frightened.” We are in a world that views Christians with contempt and hatred. Christ tells us to endure to the end. And in that endurance, keep up the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom.

How foolish for the dispensationalists, or even those disciples sitting there, to take this chapter and say to them, “Don’t worry, all this will not affect you, because before things get too bad, we’re out of here via a rapture.” But that is not what our Lord is teaching. He prepares believers in every century to understand that being a Christian goes against the thinking of the world. That teaching came from the American false teachers who never knew what persecution means for Christ’s sake and can never think of Christians going through this.

24;29-31  ²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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 His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Will Jesus Christ return? Seems like a very simple question, yet one that has an impact not only on each of us, but on everyone who lives today, everyone who ever lived, and everyone who will live on this earth. When He came first, He didn’t appear publicly, living a virtually hidden life for thirty years and having three years of public ministry. Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples, arrested by the Jewish religious authorities, crucified by Roman soldiers, buried in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, raised from the dead, appeared to His disciples and over 500 brethren, and finally, ascended to the Father where He continues to intercede for us at the Father’s right hand. For nearly 2,000 years, books have been written about Jesus Christ, His name proclaimed among the nations, multitudes have followed Him, while many more have scorned both Christ and His followers. It has been more than 2,000 years; many things have happened since He came first.

Will He come again to consummate the work of redemption, judge the sinful world, and put all in order for eternity? His first coming was relatively secret, but because the gospel has spread, the world, though it rejects Him, still celebrates Christ’s first coming as a festival and knows something about Bethlehem, with the manger, with shepherds and wise men, and a star, and Herod. But the world is far less familiar with the story of His second coming. When we tell them, they make fun of it. Peter prophesied that in the last days scoffers will come and mock, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? Everything is as it was in the beginning.” Today people don’t believe it, and even so-called Christians, though not outwardly, inwardly they don’t believe and think it is a myth. If they believed it, they would live differently. Many churches don’t preach the second coming.

Will He come again? Can we believe in this age of space travel, computers, technology advancement, and science that He will rend the sky and come? Yes, He will come again. We have the promise of the One who said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). He has said, “I will come.” The main event in God’s prophetic program is the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The most dramatic, monumental event in all history will be the visible appearing of Christ in His return to complete the redemption of His people and judge sinners. Someone said that one out of every 25 verses in the New Testament is related to the second coming of Christ. In His first advent, Christ fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies, but there are over 500 prophecies relating to His second advent that are not yet fulfilled.

For the believer, this is his blessed, joyful hope. Think of it: you and I believe someone as God who was crucified and shamed by the world. During His first coming, He came in His humiliation, shamefully died, and disappeared; His glory was veiled. The world mocked Him and mocks us today for believing in Him. A day will come when He will come with such glory—Apocalypse, the unveiling of who He is. Hero introduction scenes in stories and movies will create goosebumps, but not just goosebumps; every nerve, artery, and bone of every human being will tremble when they see how big and glorious He is. He will come with such pomp, show, and glory, that He will shatter the entire universe with His revelation. “Behold, He comes with clouds, and every eye will see Him.” He comes in glory and He comes to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. This is Parousia, the visible, dramatic, bodily return of Christ in His second advent, the unveiling of His presence, or the outshining of His glory. It is the climax of the whole history of mankind, the climax scene of the greatest redemption story. A climax always has to be monumental, and this is so monumental that it is impossible to grasp.

Last time when He went out of this world in Acts chapter 1, He ascended up into heaven, physically, bodily, taken away in a cloud. And two angels came and said, “This same Jesus who is taken up from you shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.” Since that time, the church lives in that hope through all of history, looking for her Bridegroom coming. That is our hope. That is our glory. Our redemption comes to fullness only at His second coming, the final chain of our salvation starting with election, calling, regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, persevering in this sinful world till the end, and we reach glorification at His coming. When He appears, we will be like Him and be glorified with Him, with deathless bodies, perfectly holy souls, and receive our eternal inheritance. It should be the most eager event of all events for us. All of human history is moving toward the return of Jesus Christ. Though most don’t believe Christ will return, His return is certain, and Christ wants us to live in readiness for our great King’s return. If we have to live in readiness, we need to know details about His return. That is what our Lord is revealing in today’s passage.

It is amazing He just uses three verses to describe His return. Our whole lifetime we will not be able to grasp the magnitude of those three verses. In the short three verses, very precisely and very concisely, our Lord says what He wants to say, but He has a way of opening up a universe of truth in the marvelous ability that He has to choose words. And so while we can read what we can read and understand it, it is beyond our ability to grasp the implications and the monumental nature of those events. We feel like little children trying to understand a big complex thing and speaking in a way that is beyond us. That is what my preaching will be like. May the Holy Spirit open the eyes of our minds and transport us to the future and see in the eyes of faith as if it is happening before us today as we look at these three incredible verses.

We remember the context: the Lord is responding to the disciples’ question in verse 3, about the destruction of Jerusalem and His coming, which they thought were the same. Firstly, to correct their misunderstanding, in verses 5–14 He showed there will be a lengthy inter-advent period, and He pointed out signs during that period which will escalate at the end like birth pangs. Then, verses 15–28 answer their first question: when Jerusalem will end. We saw He answered with a command to flee to the mountains, when to flee, the difficulties while fleeing, how to flee, why we should flee so urgently, and the subtle deception to stop them from fleeing. Now, He comes to their central and final question: “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Now we come to the center main event of the whole passage, which is the second coming of the Lord. Because after this, the whole remaining chapter 24 and the next chapter 25 are all practical lessons flowing from this event: the Son of Man coming in great power and glory.

Let us understand this passage in four headings: Time of His coming; Forerunners of His coming; Characteristics of His coming; Central work of His coming. In short: When? What comes before His coming? How is He coming? What is the central work of His coming?

1. Time of His Coming: Sequential Timing

Verse 29 says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…”

When will the Lord come? How many want to know when the Lord will come? All will raise hands, right? Oh, this is the question people have asked all through history, and false prophets have tried to answer this by setting a date, but verse 36 says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” So Christ has said no one knows the time. See, if the incarnate Son, in His human mind which was always receptive to the Father’s will, if the Son in His human mind was ignorant of the day or hour of His return, it is nothing but a blasphemy to set dates and times. No one can set dates and tell when He is coming.

But Pastor, you named the heading as “Time of His Coming.” Yes, what I meant was Sequential timing. The verse tells us sequential timing. There is a sequence of events, and He says He will come after that. Verse 29 says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…” Certain things will occur only after that, and then He will come.

He returns in an atmosphere of tribulation. Like I said earlier, American theology, living in the comfort of a Christian nation and knowing nothing of persecution for Christ’s sake, framed a theology about Premillennialism where they say Christians will escape tribulation in a secret rapture, and after that, there is a great tribulation of seven years that Jews will go through. But our passage says nothing about a seven-year tribulation and only for Jews.

In Revelation, John, talking about people who entered heaven, says in 7:9, “a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues (not just Jews), standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and palm branches were in their hands,” crying out, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” In verse 14, when John asks who they are, the elder says, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” It clearly says that all the elect in every nation, tribe, and tongue lived in the time of that tribulation.

So what is the time of tribulation? “The tribulation of those days” points to the inter-advent period between His first and second coming. In that period, Jesus had given His disciples what His followers would face in succeeding generations until the end. “Then they will deliver you to tribulation (the same word) and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” (Matthew 24:9). Jesus describes an atmosphere of tribulation that follows the ebb and flow of human history. Big apostasy: “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” Some cannot handle the persecution and tribulation, so they “fall away.” So tribulation refers to the inter-advent period.

Now, some argue why Christ uses “immediately.” One aspect of that time is that “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). There will be a final, intense tribulation of these things, which not just Jews, but everyone will face. This will be the climax of the inter-advent period. When that time of tribulation reaches its apex, then Christ will return. So He says after that period.

The term “immediately” is prophetic foreshadowing language. In predictive prophecy, when looking at the future, mountain peaks are mentioned; it seems like they are immediately one after another, sometimes peaks will look one upon another. But from far away, they are miles apart, but when we get closer, we know there is a big distance between them. Predictive prophecy simply announces peak 1, peak 2, 3, but it is in history we realize that they are events at different times. That is what the Lord is doing here. The Lord, looking at the future, is not giving a time length reference as to when, but sequential timing. When will His coming be? What will be the sequence? After when? It will be immediately after the God-appointed time of tribulation of those days. He is giving a sequence of events but in an indefinite time reference. So the coming of the Son of Man will happen immediately after the inter-advent period of tribulation.

2. Forerunners of His Coming: The Entourage of the Advent

Verse 29 says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

When a grand, sovereign emperor comes, especially achieving a great victory in war, there is so much celebration. Before he comes, there will be a big procession—first announcement, a royal fanfare. Then they will burn crackers, rockets, trumpets, band, music, dancing, singing, announcing the Sovereign coming, a big entourage, nations he captured, people, spoil. These are forerunners or accompaniments. The Lord describes the forerunners announcing His coming.

The first is celestial darkness—action, all lights off. “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.” Think of it: you can look out of the window and see the sun, and we can see each other because of it. It will become pitch dark. In the original creation, the sun was given as a light in the day, the moon by night. The moon reflects the sun. Both dark. They announce a total celestial darkness. Earth cannot but be turned into a dungeon.

The second thing He describes is cosmic disruption. “The stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” What does that mean? Only God knows, and the second coming will reveal. See, something indescribable is being described in these verses, something that has never happened ever, never can be imagined.

I turned to Luke to see if I could understand anything; He more scares me. Luke 21:25, a parallel passage, says, “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

A pretty dramatic scene: the sun darkened, the moon not giving its light, the stars falling, the powers of the heavens being shaken. Can you imagine what will happen on Earth? The sea and the waves roaring, stars falling, mountains melting.

“The powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” The heavens, which encompass the whole universe, everything is held by the Word of His power. All that was functioning orderly, in their orbits, with uniformity for thousands of years—which is why we can predict those movements—now all of a sudden, the Lord lets go. At His coming, all the planets, billions of stars, billions of galaxies, and comets will be let loose. You will have a helter-skelter, chaotic scene, with all of the stars, comets, planets, and heavenly bodies at random, careening, or dangerously moving swiftly and in an uncontrolled way, through space and hitting the Earth. And the Earth becomes a victim of this incredible breakdown of the whole universe. What will happen?

Can you imagine the effect of all this on Earth? Just wind blowing on Earth—we have days of gales, hurricanes. Just for an idea, one scientist, Velikovsky, says that if, for example, a heavenly body was loose in space and it happened to pass close to the Earth and just cause the Earth to tilt a fraction—$0.2$ or $0.3$ on its axis—here’s what would happen, and I quote: “At that very moment, an earthquake would make the Earth shudder. Air and water would continue to move through inertia; hurricanes would sweep the Earth, and the seas would rush over the continents, carrying gravel and sand and marine animals, and casting them on the land. Heat would be so increased, rocks would melt, volcanoes would erupt, and lava would flow from fissures in the ruptured ground and cover vast areas. Mountains would spring up from the plains, dash other mountains, and shake lands and oceans, and roll to other places and fall into oceans, causing faults and rifts. Lakes would be tilted and emptied, rivers would change their beds; large land areas with all their inhabitants would slip under the sea. With the shaking, most forests would be destroyed, as the shake would wrest most big forest trees from the ground on which they grew and pile them, branch and root, in huge heaps. Seas would turn into deserts, their waters flowing away.” It’s inconceivable—just a tilt of a fraction.

When the sun is darkened, the moon is veiled, and stars fall, when billions of heavenly bodies are shaken, can you imagine what will happen to Earth? The sun goes black. The implications of that are just staggering. No sunlight. And man, of course, cannot survive without that. The temperature change is cataclysmic. And then the moon doesn’t give its light; the tides of the seas depend on the moon, and the waves are instantly chaos, leading to thousands of tsunamis. The stars begin to tumble out of their places. In Revelation, it says the heavens are rolled up like a scroll, and the stars begin to fall like shaking overripe figs off of a fig tree. The whole universe begins to fall apart, to disintegrate. The chaos is going to be indescribable.

The thing is so dramatic and so cataclysmic that it says men’s hearts will fail them for fear. The Greek actually says: “Men will expire.” Their hearts will stop—apopsuch—which is to say to breathe out, in sheer terror, so that their functions just shut down. Many men will just die of fear and heart attack, dropping dead everywhere out of total terror. The fear will be totally gripping. So these are forerunners of the Second Coming.

This language of the sun and moon being dark and the stars falling is used in many places in Old Testament books: Isaiah $13:10$; $34:4$, Joel $2:10$, Ezekiel $32:7$, Haggai, and Amos, when they are talking about God’s judgment on nations. All indicate Jehovah will come with unusual activity of judgment. While they all spoke about judgment on a few nations during their time, they had prophetic foreshadowing; they were predicting the final judgment. Some say this is symbolic language, that we shouldn’t take it literally. All we have to do to answer them is show them 2 Peter 3; notice his language:

10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

You know this is literal. So these cosmic disturbances—terrifying celestial phenomena—will be seen by all men. The Creator returns to set right the whole of creation. Paul tells us, “that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now,” as it waits for the final redemption by Christ’s return (Rom. 8:22-23).

So we have seen the time of His coming and the forerunners of His coming. Now, for the dominant characteristics of the coming of the Son of Man. How will He come?

1. It Will Be a Personal Coming

30. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven.

What is the sign? Some of the old church fathers—Chrysostom, Cyril, and Origen—thought a blazing cross would fill the black heavens, but the text doesn’t say that. If you see other passages and language, the sign is the Son of Man Himself. They asked, “What is the sign of Your coming?” He says the sign is that He Himself will personally appear in the heaven. This is the unveiling or apokalupsis—the full revelation of the glory of Jesus Christ. Christ’s miracles were called signs by which He discloses Himself as the Son of God. Here, “sign” is used much like an “ensign” or victory standard common in ancient battles. It is a declaration of triumph, an announcement for all to hear that the King has returned to consummate His kingdom.

2. It Will Be a Visible Coming

Verse 30: 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.

Nobody has seen the full glory of God yet. Adam had a glimpse; the people of Israel saw a glimpse when His glory came to the temple; Moses saw His back side. When Jesus Christ came the first time, He came in a humiliation form, His glory veiled in flesh, in a corner of the world, as He secretly accomplished salvation and left. Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of His glory during the Transfiguration, but the world has never seen the unveiled glory, and the world will see the full Shekinah glory then. The sign then is going to be the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in majesty. He will be distinguishable; He will be recognizable, and yet He will be in full glory.

It will be a universally visible coming:

Revelation 1:7: Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

3. It Will Be a Majestic and Awesome Coming

Verse 30: they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

He will come in clouds. Disciples saw Him taken up in clouds, and an angel announced He will come back in the same manner, in clouds. Daniel says He will come with the clouds of heaven (Daniel $7:13$). John says He’ll come with the clouds (Revelation $1:7$). Mark says He’ll come in clouds (Mark $13:26$). Luke says in $21:27$ He’ll come in a cloud. Why all this emphasis on clouds?

The cloud was God’s special, glorious Shekinah presence. A pillar of cloud led them; a cloud came on Sinai; it rested in the Holy of Holies in the temple; it was a symbol of the special majestic presence of God. God would come in a theophany; God would come in clouds. They are called the chariots of Jehovah. The Lord rides on a swift cloud. Not a normal cloud, but a radiant, bright cloud, a cloud of glory. That bright cloud was always a sign to the Jews that it was God’s presence; remember the cloud came when Jesus was baptized and announced and on the Transfiguration mountain.

Now He comes in clouds. It will be utterly indescribably majestic. The world will be in a panic. People everywhere are dying of sheer terror. They are in total blackness, but He will come in bright clouds—a visible, striking, unmistakable manifestation of God. Thinking of it, if the sun is darkened, with the moon veiled, can you imagine how majestic it will be against the dark contrast of the universe—darkness as midnight in Egypt? Suddenly, the brilliance of the Shekinah glory breaks the sky. In the midst of that black chaos appears the glory of the Son of God in heaven, in utter majesty, an unveiled holy Shekinah presence, and riding on the chariot of God—the clouds—He appears in the sky in a way every eye will see Him. He will appear in the sky, radiant before the darkened sun and moon. How could any eye do anything else at this striking manifestation of the majesty of the returning Son of Man? It will be a majestic coming.

It will be an awesome coming. He will come with power. He was crucified with self-imposed weakness; He was crucified through weakness. What a contrast! He will come with all power—power unleashed, let loose, to bring judgment to this world. The eternal, sovereign might of Jesus Christ will be visibly displayed. Can you imagine the power to just set the whole universe reeling, to set the whole Earth rocking on its axis? He has power over the whole created universe. This is power without equal. Great power, great power. No power like it.

It says He will come not only with power, but with great glory. Not just glory, great glory. Glory is the outshining of the perfections of God. We really don’t know and have not seen how glorious He is. All the inherent glory of God will be revealed to man—the glorified humanity of the incarnate God—and all the billions of expressions of God’s glory will shine forth. This is the unveiling, apokalupsis, the revelation of the Son of Man. There will be the removal of the veil that kept men’s eyes from seeing who Jesus is—as to who He really was. That veil will be taken away. God was wanting to reveal His Son’s glory from all eternity. Now the entire universe will see His great glory. Every eye will see Him in His majestic glory and be struck and be captivated by the majesty of the outshining of His glory. None will doubt that this is ‘very God of very God.’ None will deny that He is Lord and Christ. None will feel strong and defiant in such a sight!

Titus 2:13: looking for the blessed hope—what is it? The glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

The blessed hope is not that we will be snatched away in secret before things get too hot. The blessed hope is that He who came in weakness, every eye will see Him in full majesty and glory, and be struck and be captivated by the outshining of His glory.

Do you know it is because of this truth that the Sanhedrin decided to crucify Him? They didn’t find anything to accuse Him of, then the High Priest asked, “Are You the Son of God?”

26:64: Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65. Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!”

He claims to possess that which deity alone has. Coming on clouds with power and glory was the prerogative of God. Daniel used the same language.

4. The Response of the World

The final trait of His coming is the response of the world:

Verse 30: and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn.

However remote a tribe may be, Christ’s appearance will be unmistakable and visible to all. When He comes, there will be indescribable sorrow for most of the world. Imagine: there will be millions of people sitting in stadiums, movie theaters, parks, and houses. Suddenly, He will come. The sheer shock and suddenness will cause them to be in utter terror. All laughter, music, and dance will come to a sudden stop all over the world.

When everyone can physically see His glory and holiness, realizing their sinful state—even holy saints fell like dead men—what will sinful men do when they see His full glory? “Mourn” is a weak word. It signifies intense sorrow and lamentation. They mourn because they have rejected Him who alone is Eternal God and King. Though they heard about Him, they didn’t believe Him. They loved their sin. The tribes of the earth wail because all is lost for eternity.

All of the big, important people of the world who had no time for God, and who thought that the gospel was silly or mere superstition, will no longer hold such opinions. The tyranny of those who have persecuted Christians by political power and by the sword will suddenly melt at the sight of “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” The stubbornness of those who have listened to the gospel but obstinately refused to repent and believe in Christ will be broken in a moment. Those who have procrastinated at turning to Christ, who may have even had good intentions yet who loved their sin more than the Christ, will realize with infinite bitterness their folly. Those filled with pride, who thought they had no need for God through His Son, will be quickly groveling in the dust. Though rejected by multitudes, there will be no doubt that Jesus Christ is Lord when He rends the heavens and comes down!

We have seen the time of His coming, the forerunners of His coming, and the characteristics of His coming.

5. The Central Activity/Work of the Coming of the Son of Man

What is the central work?

And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

What is the central activity he himself announces here? Yes, he will judge the world, but look at what he himself emphasizes as his main work. Then, at that time when the entire created universe is shaken, the universe sees the Son of Man coming in glory. At that time, he shall send forth angels to gather his elect from the four corners of the earth… This is the language of the Old Testament… It speaks of all extremities of God’s created order. The central activity of the returning Son of Man will be what? It will be the universal gathering together of his elect.

How does he do it? Through his angels, with a great sound of a trumpet. A loud trumpet blast was sometimes associated in the Old Testament with the appearance of the Lord. When the Lord appeared on Mount Sinai, as the people of Israel stood below, they heard “a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.” How much more will this be so on the great day? The trumpet is the familiar Jewish means of calling a convocation, calling an assembly. The trumpet is blown, and the angels, the messengers of God, go and gather together His elect. Very fittingly, therefore, shall there be the sound of a trumpet on the Last Day, when the general assembly shall be called.

Angels will gather the elect. Not just assembling them, but gathering them unto himself. The same word is used in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 when Paul speaks of “our gathering together unto Him.” That is the emphasis of every passage about the Second Coming. Paul said we shall ever be with the Lord. We will be with the Lord, and all the saving mercies that he purchased in his life of humiliation, suffering, and death will come to fullness. It is then we will be given deathless bodies; we will be glorified with him; we will be like him. It is then that even the saints who are dead and whose souls are returning with him will join resurrected bodies to enter the new heaven and new earth.

Our Lord’s central work in his coming, in this passage and many other passages which speak of his return, is salvation. Some passages do not mention the state of the unconverted, the godless who died without Christ. Why? Because the focal point of God’s prophecy is the salvation of God’s elect. That very terminology is used here—of all the terms that he could have used, he uses the word elect, which most Christians dislike due to the doctrine of election. He wants us to know that what they receive in the culminating act of redemption, they receive as unworthy sinners sovereignly chosen to receive salvation.

Several important truths are set forth for us:

(1) The angels will gather God’s elect—those chosen by Him before the foundation of the world, fully justified through the death of Jesus Christ at the cross, called and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and through grace brought to faith and repentance in Christ. Those who were justified, adopted, sanctified, and persevered will now be glorified. There will be no squabbles about the doctrine of election on that day! All of the elect will rejoice that God graciously chose to redeem a people for His own possession. Our littleness before Him and our unworthiness of His love will sweep over us, only to be relieved by the knowledge that we are chosen by Him and, therefore, eternally secured for Him.

(2) None of the elect will be overlooked. The angels will “gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” Let’s face it: some struggle over their salvation, lacking assurance. For some, it is due to their coldness and undisciplined lives. For others, it is the way their personality and temperament are wired—they naturally struggle with assurance. Some will consider their great sin and doubt that God could love such a one. Some have weak faith, just a slim confidence in Christ while buffeted on every side by doubt. What a grand sight to know that the angels will not overlook anyone! They will cover “the four winds,” descriptive of the entire world. And just in case someone in a remote Amazonian jungle or in a submarine crossing the Atlantic or displaced in a giant metropolis fears being overlooked, Jesus assures us that the angels will do their work “from one end of the sky to the other.”

This is not the exclusive activity. Matthew 13 points to another mission of the angels who are sent forth, in the parable of the tares and the wheat. “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Would that the Bible were silent about the unconverted, but it is not, so I cannot be silent. He would take the very proud, doubting, self-satisfied sinner who keeps saying, “I will be saved one day; I have that to do and this to do…” Sinners of every stripe—angels shall gather them as tares. They will be bundled and cast into the Lake of Fire. Should I explain the language? It is already horrible just quoting it. “…and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Revelation 6:15 says, “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'” Powerful politicians, when they see him coming, knowing he is coming to judge, cry to the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, to hide them from the face of him that sits on the throne. How terrible for unbelievers will the Second Coming be.

That’s the Lord’s own description of His Second Coming. What a tremendous event.

Applications

First Lesson: Don’t be confused by so many views about his Second Coming. Don’t run after all the news about what is happening in Israel, what the United Nations is doing, this “mark of the beast,” and that “Antichrist.” Many people running after these views miss the main lesson of the Second Coming. With reference to the Second Coming, what is important is clear in the Word of God, and what is clear must dominate our thinking. What is clear? He will surely come; the Son of Man shall come. When he comes, his coming will be known; every eye will see him; his coming will be a public vindication of Jesus Christ. Men have 101 different opinions of Jesus Christ, but there will be only one opinion of Jesus Christ when he comes. He comes with power and great glory, and men will know he is what he claims to be in his word.

It will be a visible manifestation of the success of his mission. People assume their own Jesus and think that he has failed in his work. People think Christ came to bring worldly political peace as the Prince of Peace, that his goal was to bring peace to the entire world, but why so much war? People think Christ should solve world hunger and suffering, so why so many famines and earthquakes? They think he failed in his mission. How stupid. Not a word in the Bible suggests that he will save the world order. Not a word says that he came to better the world, to bring social improvement and political correction to this cursed, sinful world, or to solve the world’s hunger and suffering. He himself said there will be wars and famines; he said these things will come. “I didn’t come to end all the wars; that is not my mission.” We shouldn’t be confused with all that.

Why did he come? What was his mission? When the angel announced his first coming, what did he say he was coming to do? He said in Matthew 1:21, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” That was his mission. He came to completely save his people from their sins; that is the mission. “I didn’t come to end all the wars, or end world hunger and suffering. In fact, he said these things will happen. I came to save my sheep.” He came to save his elect fully from sins. Will he succeed in that? That is what he will accomplish successfully. When he comes in glory, the first thing he does is gather all his elect. Why? To glorify them. What a glorious manifestation of the success of the mission of Jesus.

Think of what he will do to the likes of you and me, we whom he elected, called, justified, adopted, and sanctified, and now he will glorify us. We will have a deathless body and a sinless soul, and will be spotless as fallen snow. When he comes, we will be like him. Forget about sinning for all eternity. Christ will save you and me to the utmost, to an extent that we will not even have any slight inclination to sin. God will not be able to find one atom of sin in you and me. All stains of depravity will be eternally removed from me. We will have a body in which we can serve him without tiredness and sleep, day and night, forever. That is our blessed hope.

I won’t have to feel tired. I won’t need a vacation so I don’t burn out. I won’t have to push my body early in the morning and think, “Oh, it’s morning so soon.” What will it be like to have a glorified body, always fresh and energetic? Never any dullness in its love for Christ, never any indwelling sin hindering holiness, never making idols of its gifts, not even the slightest inclination to sin, but loving him with all heart, soul, and strength. A perfected spirit dwelling in a glorified body. What a hope! When it comes, it will be a vindication that he didn’t fail. You and I will be part of that Jesus success story.

Second Application: A Great Personal Concern

With reference to His Second Coming, there has to be one great personal concern for you and me: Will He gather me with His own, or banish me with the tares? What greater concern could there be?

Make this a personal thing. It is no use listening to this as a general story—”Oh, Jesus is coming and going…” Our Lord predicts and teaches you all this before it happens. This morning, were the sun to be darkened five minutes from now, were sudden darkness to cover this place, and the trumpet blast of God to sound, if He were to come—would He gather you or banish you? It will be one or the other.

Have you come under His salvation and put your faith fully in Christ and His work? Do you have the faith of the elect? Do you believe in the authority of the Scriptures, know how holy God is, understand the depravity of your condition, and trust what Christ has accomplished as the Mediator? Have you had the experience of regeneration, where He has changed your heart, justified you, adopted you, and is sanctifying you? Those are not just topics of a confession of faith; they should be your experience. Is your faith seen in the works of faith that glorify God? Only the elect will be gathered, not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord.”

Shouldn’t this be your greatest concern in life? Everything else will melt and perish. Even the darkened sun, this world held in a death grip, will melt. All that matters is: Do I have the signs of the elect? Peter says, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.” This is because it is the most important thing.

Someone may say, “You keep referring to the elect. How do I know if I am one of the elect?” Yes, election implies God’s choosing us in eternity. The immediate evidences of election are “repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). The elect respond to the gospel. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” declared our Lord (John 10:27). Do you hear His voice today?

Look for the evidences that your faith in Christ has truly taken root and is bearing fruit. What fruits? Making your calling sure, growing in assurance of grace and salvation. What hinders our assurance?

The eighteenth chapter on assurance in the Westminster Confession of Faith says: “True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit; God’s withdrawing the light of his countenance.” It is sin in our life that destroys our assurance. So, how do I make my election and calling sure? The faith of the elect will grow in assurance by “putting to death the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit” (Rom. 8:12–13). By killing sin.

Assurance grows through the right use of ordinary means, and we attain it this way. Therefore, it is the duty of everyone to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged with peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience—the proper fruits of this assurance. It is far from inclining men to looseness.

Look for the evidence of “sonship,” that you belong to the Lord so that you can rightly cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15). Look for the witness of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with your spirit that you are a child of God (Rom. 8:16).

The passage teaches that, in order to be prepared and watchful, we must do at least two things: We must long for His coming; we must truly anticipate His coming. It must be a significant event on our horizon and part of our daily consciousness. But we also see that we must trust completely in the truth of His word regarding His coming. Our thinking about His coming must be ruled by the authority of His word. As He has explained His coming, so we must think about His coming and be prepared for His coming.

2 Peter 3:10 says: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” Verse 11: “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.”

The Second Advent of Christ will be a glorious day for all true believers in Christ. But the Second Advent will be a day of gloom for those who do not know Christ as personal Lord and Savior. How sad that day will be for willful rejecters of Christ—2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8.

If He banishes you, it will be because you chose to remain an impenitent sinner, loving your sin and hating the God who extends mercy to you in Christ. This applies to any among us who have put off trusting in Jesus Christ and following Him because of a long list of reasons. None of those reasons will make sense when Christ returns “with power and great glory.” The sight of Christ “with power and great glory” will dispel your folly when you gaze at His glory, but it will be too late. Name your reason or excuse for not trusting Jesus Christ, and then put it next to the sight of Jesus Christ coming on the clouds with omnipotent power and full of all the glory of God. How does it stack up?

Today, I plead with you: God calls you; He has done everything He can do. It is a wonder—now my heart weeps when people, after hearing so much, still don’t get saved. But at that time, Scripture says we will be so God-focused that we will praise Him to see even our children, husbands, wives, and relatives go to hell because God’s justice will be glorified by them. He will so transform us at that time.

But today, it makes us so sad. While the door is open, while the Son still has not torn the sky and come out, while He still intercedes, while the sun still shines bright—this morning I got up and didn’t see the sun darkened. We should praise Him for that because He is still giving you another chance. He is calling sinners. Run to Christ! Run to this Son of Man who is coming on the clouds. Throw yourself upon His mercy. Go out today. Look out at the sky and remember that when that sun is dark and the moon is dark, these eyes will see Him coming: The Son of Man shall come.

Today you may hear about Him—His suffering, death, and resurrection, and what He did—and go your way without even twitching; it’s business as usual. But an hour is coming when He will stop the entire universe. The sun—see through the windows how bright it is; we don’t need lights—that will become dark. The moon will not give its light. When that darkness comes, what will illuminate the universe? It is His presence, His coming in clouds with great power and great glory. And you have to deal with Him.

Will you be gathered unto Him and be with Him forever in the new heaven and earth, or banished from Him forever in the Lake of Fire?

This is the foundation of the saints’ eternal happiness: that they are God’s elect. These verses teach us, in the second place, that when Christ returns to this world, He will first take care of His believing people. He shall “send his angels,” and “gather together his elect.” In the Day of Judgment, true Christians shall be perfectly safe. Not a hair of their heads shall fall to the ground. There was an ark for Noah in the day of the flood. There shall be a hiding-place for all believers in Jesus when the wrath of God at last bursts on this wicked world. That day no doubt will be an awful day, but believers may look forward to it without fear.

In the Day of Judgment, true Christians shall at length be gathered together. The saints of every age and every tongue shall be assembled out of every land. All shall be there, from righteous Abel down to the last soul that is converted to God, from the oldest patriarch. Let us think what a happy gathering that will be when all the family of God are at length together. If it has been pleasant to meet one or two saints occasionally on earth, how much more pleasant will it be to meet a “multitude that no man can number”!

It should teach us patience. The Second Personal Coming of Christ shall be as different as possible from the first. He came the first time as a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was born in the manger of Bethlehem, in lowliness and humiliation. He took on Him the form of a servant and was despised and rejected of men. He was betrayed into the hands of wicked men, condemned by an unjust judgment, mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, and at last crucified between two thieves. He shall come the second time as the King of all the earth, with all royal majesty. The princes and great men of this world shall themselves stand before His throne to receive an eternal sentence. Before Him every mouth shall be stopped, and every knee bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. May we all remember this. Whatever ungodly men may do now, there will be no scoffing, no jesting at Christ, no infidelity on the Last Day. The servants of Jesus may well wait patiently. Their Master shall one day be acknowledged King of kings by all the world.

When the Son of God came as man to accomplish that glorious salvation, with a glorious being of fully man and God, there was not even a twitch in the whole world system, apart from the angels and a few shepherds. The world didn’t even twitch. A big crowd was in Jerusalem; people were going to be enrolled in the census. People ate, drank, and lived—nothing changed when the God-Man was born in the manger. The God-Man was expelled, and the world goes on without a twitch. But at His Second Advent, not only will the world twitch, but the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give its light, and the powers shall be shaken. God is announcing to the entire universe the appearing of the Son of Man in glory and power.

He came as the Son of Man; He “sneaked in.” It was business as usual. Even through His suffering and resurrection, the world went on its way, and it goes on its way even today. You are also going on as business as usual. An hour is coming. The sun—see through the windows how bright it is, we don’t need lights—that will become dark. The moon will not give its light. When that darkness comes, what will illuminate the universe? It is His presence, His coming in clouds with great power and great glory. And you have to deal with Him.

Will you be gathered unto Him and to be with Him forever in the new heaven and earth, or banished from Him forever in the Lake of Fire?

24;1-14  Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. ² And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” ³ Now 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 and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows. ⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Man’s idea about the future has always been bright and optimistic. Many politicians and false preachers have always deceived people, promising a golden age. But the world has never seen that. In Matthew 24, the true final great prophet tells us what is going to come in the future. He said it 2,000 years ago, and every generation is a witness to how true His words are. This very chapter proves God alone could have spoken these things.

For the disciples who asked these questions, it was not a matter of intellectual curiosity. It was a very personal, emotional, and interesting subject. Suppose I were to tell you the whole of Bangalore will soon face a war and many earthquakes, and it will be so severe that not only will all tall buildings fall, but not one brick will be upon another in any house; all will become desolate. None of you would hear that news carelessly, but with great personal emotional concern. But here, the Lord doesn’t talk about just Bangalore, but the entire world. How much more we ought to listen to the Lord’s forecast of the future, not with curiosity but with attention.

This chapter, which Christ speaks just before His death, was intended to prepare them and all of His disciples for future things. It has very practical lessons. Sadly, it has become a chapter of so much debate and argument among Christians. We need the special help of the Holy Spirit to understand it in a way that leads to our edification, the strengthening of our faith, and life change.

We need to remember the context after His three-year ministry and final rejection. He leaves the temple, pronouncing judgment on that guilty generation: “Your house will be desolate.” When Christ leaves, that house is indeed left desolate, which is the New Testament Ichabod—the glory is departed, their defense is departed. Three days after this, the veil of the temple was torn; it would no longer be a sacred place.

When He left the temple, His disciples left it too, and followed Him. That is a true disciple of Christ. He will be where Christ is and where His words of eternal life are preached. Christ is not there where His word is not preached. There are people who call themselves Christ’s disciples but are just religious Pharisees who will stick to the building with a death grip, believing the building is everything to them: “grandfather, father, I, my son.” Even when Christ is not there, and His word is not preached, and Christ leaves, they will not leave that building and become desolate with it.

The disciples leave, but still we see their weakness and attachment to that great fine building. They point out the magnificence of the building and the massive stones with which the temple is built, in exclamation and wonder, hoping the Lord will reverse the sentence. Our Lord, in response to their exclamation, makes a shocking prophecy.

Christ, instead of reversing the decree, ratifies it: “Verily, I say unto you, there shall not be left one stone upon another.” (1.) He speaks of it as a certain ruin: “I say unto you. I, who know what I say and know how to make good what I say, take My word for it, it shall be so. I, the Amen, the true Witness, say it to you.” All judgment being committed to the Son, He speaks of it as an utter ruin. The temple shall not only be stripped, plundered, and defaced, but utterly demolished and laid waste, with not one stone left upon another.

As they move further, the Lord climbs the Mount of Olives and sits there as the sun is setting and the beauty of the temple is shining, facing a beautiful scene. The disciples are in deep thought, following Him. The disciples, not disputing either the truth or the equity of this sentence, nor doubting of the accomplishment of it, four disciples come to Him asking two questions: the time when it should come to pass, and the signs of its approach. We should explain this chapter in the context of these questions. The first question: “Tell us, when will these things be?” What things? The destruction of Jerusalem, where one stone will not be left upon another. The second: “And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

How can anyone say this doesn’t talk about the destruction of Jerusalem? This is the problem with the dispensationalists: to fit their scheme of charts, they completely take this chapter out of context. There the Lord is sitting on the Mount of Olives, directly facing the temple, and from thence He might have a full prospect of it at some distance. There He sat as a Judge upon the bench, the temple and city being before Him as at the bar, and thus He passed sentence on them.

In the disciples’ thinking, and so in their question, the end of Jerusalem and the end of the world are the same. They thought the destruction of the temple must needs be the end of the world. If that house be laid waste, the world cannot stand, for the Rabbis used to say that the house of the sanctuary was one of the seven things for the sake of which the world was made; and they think, if so, the world will not survive the temple. The Lord corrects that in His response.

Though it seems like He speaks of diverse events, it is prophetic language talking about two important future events in the history of redemption. One is the destruction of Jerusalem and the utter ruin of the Old Covenant Jewish church and nation. He then looks further, to Christ’s coming at the end of time and the consummation of all things, of which the destruction of Jerusalem is a type, a foretaste, and a figure. Why should the Holy Spirit write the destruction of Jerusalem to us, which is over? This prophecy is of standing, lasting use to the church and will be so to the end of time, for “the thing that hath been, is that which shall be” (Ecclesiastes 1:5–7, 9). The series, connection, and events preceding the fall of Jerusalem keep happening even now, so that upon the prophecy of this chapter, with the Holy Spirit’s help and wisdom, looking at the old destruction of a nation, we can have spiritual lessons. “An unprecedented deep amount of soul-searching, determination, foresight, with settled calm, knowing these things happened and will happen and prognostication,” may be made, and such constructions of the signs of the times as the wise spiritual man’s heart will know how to improve in various changing society, political, and world situations.

So, these events happen around the destruction of Jerusalem, but the prophecy also goes beyond the destruction of Jerusalem and describes conditions that will happen between the first coming and the second coming. The first coming was in His humiliation to suffer, die, and rise, and the second coming will be in all glory. That period is often called the inter-advent period. Whether you realize it or not, you and I are in that time, and it is written for us, to handle whatever comes in our lives in this time.

The Lord’s aim was not to give detailed pre-written history to satisfy our curiosity for knowledge, but He had very practical guidance for them and for us. His burning concern was to prepare His people practically for coming days, not to fill their heads with details. So He gives warnings, prophecies, and encouragements for the people of God living between the first and second coming.

In the first section, He talks about five signs in verses 4–14, and then He doesn’t leave it, but gives us a practical command on what we should do, in terms of warning and encouragement. So if you ask me what will mark the first and second coming, the first thing is:

First, Spiritual Deception (vv. 4–5)

“And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many.'” (Matthew 24:4–5)

The very first sign is spiritual deception. “Many will come in My name,” by claiming they represent Christ, or even have the arrogance to claim they are apostles, or even say that they are Christ themselves. The deceivers would pretend to divine revelation, an immediate calling from God, and a spirit of prophecy, when it was all a lie. The very first sign He highlights is that this inter-advent period will proliferate itself with false teachers and false Christs, and it will be an atmosphere of religious deception. How true this is for the last 2,000 years! Every generation had them. In the last 100 years, the very famous Rev. Sun Myung Moon, David Koresh, and Jim Jones called themselves the Messiah. Messiah-figures have sprung up in every generation to offer new revelations or new religious twists—all moving people away from the sufficiency that is found in Jesus Christ and the gospel. How many rise up in His name today, telling stories? God revealed to me when committing suicide, in jail, in disease about to die. How many in His name rise up? So foolish are some of their claims.

But you know what is tragic? The prophecy says “and will deceive many.” Mark says they shall lead many astray. Many will be duped. That is the tragedy of the warning. Our Lord saw with accurate prophetic insight the horrible gullibility (tendency to be easily persuaded that something is real or true) of men in things pertaining to religion. Man’s capacity for gullibility in religion seems almost infinite. Messages or claims that would cause people to look foolish and lunatic in worldly matters, in Christianity elevate them to prophets and prophetesses, apostles, and even Christ in great spiritual things.

As we approach the end of the age, spiritual deception will increase because spiritual gullibility will increase. Having turned away from the truth, people will follow anyone who speaks with authority and promises to help solve their problems and give meaning to daily life. Note carefully what I Timothy 4:1 says: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” Those “deceiving spirits” are in the world today, and their evident success rate seems to be very high.

He amplifies this, speaking with reference to the destruction of Jerusalem. Even before the destruction of Jerusalem, many will claim to be Christ. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” (Matthew 24:23–25)

This is true even before Jerusalem’s destruction. Now, Israel, rejecting the true Messiah, believed many false Messiahs after this, who came as political saviors. Josephus speaks of several such impostors between this time and the destruction of Jerusalem: one was Theudas, who was defeated by Cuspius Fadus; another by Felix; and Dositheus claimed he was the Christ foretold by Moses (Origen Adversus Celsum. See Acts 5:36; Acts 5:37). Simon Magus pretended to be “the great power of God” (Acts 8:10).

“They shall show great signs and wonders” (Matthew 24:24). These are not true miracles; those are a divine seal, and with those, the doctrine of Christ stands confirmed. But these were “lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9), wrought by Satan. It is not said, They shall work miracles, but, They shall show great signs; they are but a show. Either they impose upon men’s credulity by false narratives or deceive their senses by tricks of legerdemain, or arts of divination, as the magicians of Egypt did by their enchantments.

The success they should have in these attempts: They shall deceive many. Their deceptive influence will be so pervasive and persuasive that one would think even the elect of God are going to be drawn aside by the magnetism of their religious influence and by their miraculous powers. It talks about the strength of the delusion; it is such that many shall be carried away by it (so strong shall the stream be), even those who were thought to stand fast. Men’s knowledge, gifts, learning, eminent station, and long experience will not secure them; but, notwithstanding these, many will be deceived. The phrase, “If possible,” implies that it is not possible for the elect to be deceived, for they are “kept by the power of God,” so that “the purpose of God, according to the election, may stand.” They were given to Christ, and of all that were given to Him, He will lose none (John 10:28).

If this is going to be the atmosphere of the inter-advent time, what are we supposed to do? What is the application?

Notice the strong warning: “And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you'” (Matthew 24:4). Jesus uses the word in Mark to mean “lead you astray.” Lead you astray from what? Astray from the attachment to the only true Christ, from the attachment to the one true narrow way which leads unto life. Take heed, see to it, constantly be on the lookout that no one leads you astray. New deceptions will come; it will be a big temptation for you. You need to constantly take heed; you will be living in an atmosphere of deception between the first and second coming—so much deception that even, if possible, the elect could be deceived. If you don’t take heed seriously, you are already living in that deception. Be constantly watchful that no one leads you astray; many will be deceived.

What is the practical lesson the Lord wants us to learn, so we are not deceived? You and I must be passionately concerned to know and be deeply rooted in biblical theology and the deep truths of Scripture. Know the foundational truths of the Bible and stand fast in that; otherwise, you will be easily deceived. You need to put time and effort into knowing the identity of God’s only Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. We must be especially well-grounded and deeply understand the foundational truths of the authority of God’s word, who God is, His providence, the fall of man, and the identity of Christ as the only mediator, the glory of His salvation, and what salvation does to you—how you are saved—by effectual calling, justifying, adopting, sanctifying, saving faith, and repentance. These are all truths taught in our Confession of Faith (COF).

In other words, if you do not have a passionate concern for doctrinally intelligent faith in Christ, you will be led astray so easily. Some of you are so ignorant that you don’t even know the basics of faith, yet you are careless about putting in time and effort to learn and grow in the truth. We spend evenings trying to give you that theological foundation; how few make it a point to attend and learn! We have daily meetings in the week. I know how difficult it is with so much work, but some of you don’t make use of it; you just remain Sunday Christians with one sermon. The Lord is speaking to you. Take heed… be on your guard that no one leads you astray. You will be led astray unless you commit yourself to be thoroughly rooted and grounded in truth. That is why it is so important that in the membership classes, we take all the time in our busy schedule to help you learn the foundations. You shouldn’t stop with that, but do your own study after that. Others who are already members: how strongly are you growing in the truth—reading and developing? Take heed if you are not constantly growing in truth; you may be on the path of deception. You will be led astray. Your difficulties and temptations in life will lead you astray if you don’t read, hear messages, and upgrade yourself with the sermons. That is why we encourage you to re-listen to sermons, attend weekly meetings, read books, and read your Bibles. We live in deceptive times.

These deceptions will be present not only prior to the destruction of Jerusalem but during the entire inter-advent period. They will come with greater concentration in the unfolding of the history of the church and human history, but you and I must be on our guard. He says this deception will mark the inter-advent period.

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Second Sign: International Conflict (vv. 6–7a)

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:6–7)

“You will be hearing,” meaning that we live in an age of unending commotion and upheaval. This is so true. For 2,000 years, every generation has seen wars. This is what has happened. Just in the last 200 years, we’ve had the most terrible wars of WWI and WWII. We don’t realize that the last 50 years have included wars in Rwanda, Cambodia, Chechnya, Serbia, Kosovo, Lebanon, Iraq, Kashmir, Northern Ireland, Somalia, Kuwait, Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and dozens of lesser-known bloody conflicts around the world. Now we can add Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Korea, and Vietnam. Now, right in front of our eyes, this prophecy is fulfilled in Russia. One man, sitting with a nuclear button, whose mind is unstable, could press it and most of the world would be gone; he is threatening the world with that.

“Nation will rise against Nation”: Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea against all Western and European countries. The history of humanity is the history of wars. Even the quiet in the land and the least inquisitive after new things cannot but hear the rumors of war. “Nation shall rise up against nation,” there will be civil wars within our country. We’re heading toward civil war: one community against another, one province against another, one party or faction shall rise up against another. We feel so helpless when these things are happening. The big Prime Ministers and Presidents in their rooms make decisions that will affect the whole nation; masses will die. It is so frightening.

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Third Sign: Natural Disasters (v. 7b)

“And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.”

When men in their pride and arrogance plan war and destruction, there is a limit and some control. But who can control natural disasters and famines? Clouds that carry a certain amount of rainfall to a certain region, land that was full of lush green crop and suddenly made barren, with cracks. Countries suffer from basic food needs. Rates are going up; onion becomes 100–200 rupees, tomato 80–100, and it will get worse; we may not even get it. Even for basic needs like water, many are dying in famines with no food, no water.

Natural disasters over which we have no power are so frightening. Who can control earthquakes that cause such destruction of cities and places where lakhs die, and earthquakes in the ocean that send big Tsunamis over all the nations on borders, dragging millions into the ocean helplessly? Then, should I explain pestilence? We have seen with our own eyes this prophecy fulfilled just a few months ago: an outbreak of disease from one place, spreading to all nations, locking up and putting the entire globe to a stop, such as never seen in our lifetime. We saw how thousands died and bodies were floating in rivers, burning, and burying in heaps.

Famines, earthquakes, and outbreaks of disease. These were the three judgments which David was to choose one out of; and he was in a great strait, for he knew not which was the worst. But what dreadful desolations will they make when they all pour in together upon a people! But our Lord says these are for the entire inter-advent time: there will be famines, wars, more wars, international tensions and conflicts, natural disasters, and pestilences.

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Command and Encouragement: Do Not Be Troubled (v. 6)

Now what should we do when these happen? What is His command, His guidance? See verse 6: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled.”

Wow! When these things happen, I should not be troubled. How can anyone not be troubled! Small thunder is enough to trouble me. But He says when these things happen, do not be troubled! It’s a very strong word, found here and in Mark, meaning to be inwardly disturbed or frightened. For example, like little children during a thunderstorm, trembling, confused, inwardly troubled, and frightened, feeling very insecure, keeping a hand on their head, or throwing hands in the air, saying, “Oh, what else will happen?” in despair.

Lord, how can we not be troubled? Wars, nation rising against nation, war aircrafts flying over my home, who will throw a bomb and wipe out our whole city, Putin presses one button and we’re gone, famine, earthquakes, and the virus. War is brutal bloodshed, millions die; famine is a disruption of supply, not knowing what to eat, no water; an earthquake destroys a beautiful, hard-built house; pestilence means everyone is dying. How can I not be troubled? Are we to be stoic when these are happening? On what basis are we not to be frightened?

If you are My people and My disciples, you should guard yourselves so much from false teaching influence and these political influences, the love of this world, and know the reality of the future, and live for My kingdom. Then you can obey this. He gives two reasons why you should not be troubled.

How can anyone not be frightened when these appear?

1. These Things Must Come to Pass (Divine Decree)

Notice two things He says. Firstly, verse 6: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

“See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” It must be; in the plan and purpose of God, there is a fixed purpose, there is a fixed decree. There is a divine must. This is God’s decree. Know and realize deeply these must happen. Nothing happens without God’s purpose and decree; even these events are under God’s decree. Ruin must be brought upon this sinful, God-rejecting world, and by this, the justice of God and the honor of the Redeemer must be asserted. Therefore, “all those things must come to pass”; the word is gone out of God’s mouth, and it shall be accomplished in its season.

Note: The consideration of the unchangeableness of the divine counsels, which govern all events, should compose and quiet our spirits, whatever happens. God is but performing the thing that is appointed for us, and our inordinate trouble is an interpretive quarrel with that appointment. Let us therefore acquiesce (agree with settled faith) because “these things must come to pass”—not only as the product of the divine counsel, but as a means in order to a further end. If a new house is to be built, the old house, corrupted by sin, must be taken down (though it cannot be done without noise, dust, and danger) before the new structure can be erected. The things that are shaken (and ill shaken they were) “must be removed, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain” (Hebrews 12:27).

These events will make us realize this is a transient world. Let no one ever mistake this age for the age to come. This age will continue. These events should tell you all this is heading toward the destruction and demolition of this house, and a new heaven and new earth are coming, and you should be ready for that.

Is it possible to hear such sad news and not be troubled? Yet, where the heart is fixed, trusting in God, knowing God and His attributes and trusting His eternal decree, it is kept in peace and is not afraid, not even of the evil tidings of wars. Our Lord says behind these there is a divine “must be.” These must needs come to pass, but the end is not yet. In the language of Romans 8:22–25, the whole creation groans and travails until now. This present order will continue to be in a state of travail, waiting for the manifestation at the return of Jesus Christ. The period between the two comings will be marked with these.

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2. They Are Only the Beginning of Sorrows

The second thing the Lord says so we are encouraged and not troubled is that they don’t signify the end but the beginning: “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:8)

These are beginnings of birth pangs; more is coming on this world. More bowls of wrath will be poured. This is just the beginning. Therefore, do not be troubled, do not give way to fear and anxiety, and do not sink under the present burden, but rather gather all the strength and spirit you have to encounter what is yet before you. Be not troubled to hear of wars and rumors of wars; for then what will become of you when the famines and pestilences come? These things do not signify the end, but are the beginning of the end. They will continue until the end, until the Lord returns.

Application

We should be so grounded in truth and know and trust God and abide in Christ and trust in His decrees, that these things should not cause us trouble. Christ does not want our blood pressure to increase and heartbeat to increase at every rumbling outbreak of war or famine. A believer is not to be nervous or lose sleep when he hears about international tensions, or hears of war breaking forth, more wars breaking forth, earthquakes, famine, or plague. He is not to be disturbed. Why? Because to be disturbed is to be disobedient to his Lord who lovingly told him these things will happen. It is sin to be filled with inward agitation and fear because international tensions and natural calamities are part of God’s decree and purpose. The Christian, knowing that there is a divine “must” behind all this, does not meet these things with stoic indifference or heartlessness in the face of famine or the horrible tragedies that war brings. Our hearts melt over torn families; we do not look upon these things with indifference.

When Jesus with prophetic vision saw the destruction of Jerusalem, He wept: “O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem.” We also weep and pity, and have compassion, but our Lord’s word is “do not be inwardly unstrung.” Do not be as one who has lost his bearings. Be not put into confusion or commotion; not put into throes, as a woman with child by a fright. “See that you be not troubled.” Note: There is a need for constant care and watchfulness to keep trouble from the heart when there are wars abroad; and it is against the mind of Christ that His people should have troubled hearts even in troublous times.

Do you see how much we should grow in truth and faith? Forget about wars and famines; if there is a small trouble in our personal life, our heart is troubled so much, all because we don’t know about God as we should and don’t abide in Christ.

This passage should prevent us from ever pursuing a dream of a utopia ushered in by the combined action of world governments. I am amazed how naive people are; people actually think there will be peace among nations and that diplomacy and peace talks will solve all problems. They promise a golden age. I hope we are not caught up with all these things, or with politicians promising good days. This is a foolish dream that we will make this world better.

Our Lord says there shall be wars; nation will rise up against nation. No amount of development, education, and scientific research concerning when earthquakes may come, or how we can stop a Tsunami—none of those things will stop them from coming. There shall be famines and wars.

As people of God with this insight, we should not be drawn into every cause that comes in our way, claiming our time, energy, and money, to promote a utopian world, modeled on or aiming for a state in which everything is perfect—idealistic social development. They believe they can turn this world into heaven: solve world hunger by giving food to all the poor and eliminating famine, solve the war problem and bring peace to nations, solve world diseases and eliminate pestilence. No, that is not the biblical view.

The Lord has said there must be these things, and He encourages us not to be troubled. Embedded in that encouragement is the certainty of their presence.

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Fourth Sign: Fierce Persecution (v. 9)

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9)

This is a verse no one likes to read or memorize. I’ve never known anyone who chose it as a “life verse.” It’s too negative to be very popular, yet there it is, clear and easy to understand, right from the lips of our Lord. Jesus told His disciples to expect the worst. A time will come when the followers of Christ will be hated by all nations because of our relationship to Him.

Mark expands this, saying they will receive all unjust and abusive treatment at the hands of religious as well as civil authorities.

“But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.” (Mark 13:9)

They will deliver you to council and synagogue—Jewish religious places, places where Scripture is preached. There, you will be flogged by religious authorities. Not only religious, but even civil, before rulers and kings you will stand for My sake.

Verse 12 focuses on the unnatural hatred of family members. “Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.” (Mark 13:12)

Think of it: our children fight with each other, hit one another, pull, and fight, but here, brother not only plans but actually delivers brother to death, even a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

Unjust and abusive treatment will come not only from religious authorities but civil authorities, and even unnatural hatred and betrayal by family members. Jesus predicts universal hatred for us. That is not encouraging. Matthew 24:9 says, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.”

He says this is what will happen during the inter-advent time. We see that happening. But in many places, persecution and hatred of Christians are on the rise. That trend will continue in the days to come and will come to a fearful climax in the final days preceding the return of our Lord. More and more countries continue to tighten the rope on open displays of Christianity. We see that happening in our own country: attacks on churches and anti-conversion laws passed. Licenses are canceled, churches surveyed, and there are plans to take away our voting rights. Our Lord told us ahead of time not to be surprised by this. Christians, for 2,000 years, have been handed over to tribulation or trials or pressure situations. “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” The antipathy of the world toward the gospel and toward Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord has not abated.

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Finally, Fifth: Widespread Apostasy (vv. 10–12)

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10–12).

He says many will turn against the truth. When sticking to the truth begins to cost men dearly, “then shall many be offended,” shall first fall out, and then they will begin to pick quarrels with their religion, and at length revolt from it, hate one another, and become false prophets. When it is all good, everyone will want to follow Christ. When persecution comes, true and false believers will be revealed. Suffering and persecution times will show who are true preachers and believers. He says many will turn away from faith because of the suffering. Paul often complains of deserters who began well, but something hindered them. “They were with us, but went out from us, because they were never truly of us” (1 John 2:19). “They shall betray one another,” that is, “Those that have treacherously deserted their religion shall hate and betray those who adhere to it, for whom they have pretended friendship.” Apostates have commonly been the most bitter and violent persecutors.

Even some that professed to be Christian will turn against believers, betraying them to authorities out of hatred. Apostasy will mark the waves of church history.

These verses paint a picture of unprecedented religious apostasy in the last days. We see so much of that in our country—all widespread apostasy. Many millions of people don’t even realize that. Bible colleges and churches—churches have apostatized and gone away from the truth. They especially apply to so-called Christian leaders who depart from the Christian faith. These are the leaders who (in the name of ecumenism, saying all Catholics, CSI, all should be one) deny the inerrancy of the Bible, deny the necessity for the blood atonement, deny the virgin birth, deny the lostness of all people, deny the reality of eternal hell, and deny that those who die without Jesus Christ are lost forever. They turn away after fads and popular social causes and pander to the powers that be. They support the killing of unborn babies, support Gay Rights, and they do not preach the gospel because they do not even believe the gospel. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Truly those “terrible days” are upon us. So-called ministers of the gospel deny every tenet of the Christian faith and still remain in the pulpit. They can even justify gross immorality because they have rejected God’s Word. The worst is yet to come.

These terrible times of apostasy are seducing times; many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other. (3.) The general declining and cooling of most (Matthew 24:12). In seducing times, when false prophets arise, and in persecuting times, when the saints are hated, expect these two things: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)

[1.] The abounding of iniquity. Though the world always lies in wickedness, yet there are some times in which it may be said that “iniquity doth” in a special manner abound, as when it is more extensive than ordinary, as in the old world, when “all flesh had corrupted their way,” and when it is more excessive than ordinary, so that hell seems to be broken loose in blasphemies against God and enmities to the saints. The presence of God’s people living in faithfulness to Him offers restraints upon a society—salt and light affecting the community. But when people fail to pay attention to their doctrine and begin to follow the teaching of false prophets, then sin and unconcern for the law of God increase, love for God and man declines, and true believers face greater persecution.

[2.] The abating of love. This is the consequence of the former: “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Understand it in general of true serious godliness, which is all summed up in love. It is too common for professors of religion to grow cool in their profession when the wicked are hot in their wickedness, as the church of Ephesus in bad times “left her first love” (Revelation 2:2–4). Or, it may be understood more particularly of brotherly love. When iniquity abounds—seducing iniquity, persecuting iniquity—this grace commonly waxes cold. Christians begin to be shy and suspicious of one another, affections are alienated, distances created, parties made, and so love comes to nothing.

This gives a melancholy prospect of the times, that there shall be such a great decay of love. But, First, it is of the love of many, not of all.

So, rather than a rosy picture, Jesus painted a realistic picture for believers in every century. If you complain because you continue to meet with the world’s animosity due to your faith in Christ, pay attention. Jesus has foretold us that it will happen until He comes.

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This is reality; this will happen. But now notice the encouragements He gives in the face of these realities. He says the gospel will triumph over all this and spread to the entire world.

1. Persecution Will Be an Occasion for Testimony

First, He says such treatment will be an occasion for a testimony for the sake of Christ. Mark 13:9 says, “You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.” They think they are in control and are going to restrain the progress of the gospel by arresting people, but in the very effort, I create a marvelous sounding board even to the great ones of the earth through you.

See how that was literally fulfilled in Acts: you find Paul standing before King Agrippa, standing before Herod, standing before the very center of the Roman government at Rome, making his defense on more than one occasion when all the great ones of the earth gathered at Rome. In a sense, he preached the gospel to the whole world through this.

So our Lord encourages us that this unjust and abusive treatment, this unnatural hatred, and this universal hatred—such treatment will be a testimony for the sake of Jesus.

2. Persecution Will Not Stop the Spread of the Gospel

Secondly, such treatment will not stop the spread of the gospel. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

I hope we can sense the unshaken certainty of Jesus’ words. Later on, while concluding in this chapter, He will say, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” This is one of the words that will not pass away: this gospel must be preached. Why? Because Almighty God has set His love upon a vast multitude who no man can number, out of every tribe and language, and He will call them through the gospel. So God will order the events so that in the motion of wars, famine, earthquakes, nation against nation, hatred and opposition to the gospel, false Christs, and false prophets deceiving the majority of people—in the midst of all that—He encourages His people that the gospel will be preached unto all the nations. The gospel will triumph and spread.

The gospel will be preached “in the whole inhabited world as a witness to all of the peoples. ‘This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.'” What a triumphant statement this was to the disciples, especially as they considered the gospel going into the Gentile world! Yes, they would face many difficulties, but they were to persist in proclaiming the gospel. We’re not to grow slack because of persecution and opposition. We’re not to withdraw into some safe cocoon or retreat. We are to push forward with the gospel of Christ. “Proclaim the good news to every people group,” Christ tells us. That is the divine agenda as we wait for the end. Comfort, ease, and self-security are not our rights as Christians. We have a King to proclaim—let us be about that work to His glory!

3. Special Help Will Be Given by the Holy Spirit

Thirdly, He encourages special help given by the Holy Spirit in the midst of opposition.

Mark 13:11 says, “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

People abuse this, suggesting preachers do not have to study and prepare, or use hermeneutics, or preach orderly. They think they can just stand up and the Holy Spirit will speak. Listen to their preaching; their blabbering is a clear indication the Holy Spirit is not speaking to them.

This is a peculiar promise given for a peculiar situation: when the hatred against us is so tense that people are seized upon and brought before the great ones of the earth, led to judgment and delivered up. Our Lord does not want us anxiously sitting in our cell, wondering what we will say. We don’t even know what questions they will ask—”How shall I lay out my testimony?” Rather, when you are sitting in that jail, remember He will give you what needs to be said. In His plan, you are in jail; He is attached to you. When people come and drag you before men, it is mine to believe that in that hour, He will give me what to speak by the powerful enablement of the Holy Spirit.

Do you see these encouragements that the Lord gives in the face of terrible opposition against the gospel? Jesus encourages us: such treatment will be an occasion of testimony, such treatment will not stop the spread of the gospel, and special help will be given by the Holy Spirit in special times of need.

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What is Demanded: Unshakable Perseverance

What then is demanded of the true disciples in the midst of all this opposition, persecution, and apostasy?

“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

We are to pay attention to what is going on about us—to notice the changing religious climate so that we are not caught unaware. We are to face the facts of the world’s hatred, and even the reality of what it might cost us to live as Christians in an unchristian world. But Christ’s direction is not for us to hide or move to a commune. Knowing all this will happen and the gospel will triumph, we need unshakable perseverance. There is to be a tenacious, determined, unflinching attachment to Christ and the gospel.

Jesus Christ calls for endurance, perseverance, and continuing on as a Christian in spite of the circumstances. Perseverance gives evidence of genuine faith. Perseverance doesn’t save us; Christ saves us by His work. But if He has truly saved us, we will show it by perseverance—the perseverance of the saints, a chapter in our Confession of Faith (COF). To endure means that we bear up even in difficulties and times of suffering. The word literally means, “to abide under.” You continue to abide in Christ even when under the intensity of persecution. He calls us to be disciples, to be His followers through thick and thin. We can persevere because He preserves us and provides for us to continue on as Christians.

“End” doesn’t mean the end of time. He who endures to the end of the trial—the trial that has come in connection with confessing the gospel. We may be killed—for some, hanged, tied to stakes, or burned. The end for some means dying of starvation. Our Lord says what is required in the face of these warnings and encouragements is a tenacious, unflinching attachment to Christ and to the gospel.

Ensure to the end of our lives. The encouragement is that those who do thus endure to the end, and suffer for their constancy, shall be saved. Perseverance wins the crown, through free grace, and shall wear it. The crown of glory will make amends for all. All promises in Revelation made to the seven churches are made to the overcomers. They are promises of salvation. True salvation shows in our perseverance; he who is truly saved will endure to the end. Our High Priest secures our perseverance.

Remember what He said: “Whoever saves his life will lose it. Whoever is ashamed of the gospel in this adulterous generation, I will be ashamed.” In the light of these warnings and encouragements, what is demanded is tenacious, unflinching perseverance and attachment to Christ and to the gospel, even unto the end. That is our salvation.

Whatever your preconceived notions may be concerning the end-times, I hope that you will see that the greater priority must be on keeping first things first. Discern the times that we have been living in since Jesus ascended. We are in a world that continues to be eaten up by its sin. But Christ tells us, “See that you are not frightened.” We are in a world that views Christians with contempt and hatred. Christ tells us to endure to the end. And in that endurance, keep up the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom.

How foolish for the dispensationalists, or even those disciples sitting there, to take this chapter and say to them, “Don’t worry, all this will not affect you, because ‘before things get too bad, we’re out of here via a rapture.'” But that is not what our Lord is teaching. He prepares believers in every century to understand that being a Christian goes against the thinking of the world. That teaching came from the American false teachers who never knew what persecution means for Christ’s sake and can never think of Christians going through this.

Man’s idea about the future has always been bright, optimistic. Many politicians and false preachers have always deceived people, promising ache din (good days), amrit kaal (golden age), and a golden age. But the world has never seen that. In Matthew 24, the true final great Prophet tells us what is going to come in the future. He said it 2,000 years ago, and every generation is a witness to how true His words are. This very chapter proves God alone could have spoken these things.

For the disciples who asked these questions, it was not a matter of intellectual curiosity. It was a very personal, emotional, and interesting subject. Suppose I were to tell you the whole of Bangalore will soon face a war and many earthquakes; it will be so severe that not only all tall buildings will fall, but not one brick will be upon another in any house—all will become desolate. None of you would hear that news carelessly, but with great personal emotional concern. But here the Lord doesn’t talk about just Bangalore, but the entire world. How much more we ought to listen to the Lord’s forecast of the future not with curiosity but with attention.

This chapter, which Christ speaks just before His death, was intended to prepare them and all of His disciples for future things. It has very practical lessons. Sadly, it has become a chapter of so much debate and arguments among Christians. We need the special help of the Holy Spirit (HS) to understand it in a way that leads to our edification, the strengthening of our faith, and life change.

We need to remember the context after His three years of ministry and final rejection. He leaves the temple, pronouncing the judgment on that guilty generation: “Your house will be desolate.” When Christ leaves, that house is left desolate indeed; that is the New Testament Ichabod—the glory is departed, their defense is departed. Three days after this, the veil of the temple was torn; it will no longer be a sacred place.

When He left the temple, His disciples left it too, following Him. That is a true disciple of Christ. He will be where Christ is and where His words of eternal life are preached. Christ is not there where His Word is not preached. There are people who call themselves Christ’s disciples but are just religious Pharisees who will stick to the building with a death grip. The building is all for them: “grandfather, father, I, my son.” Even when Christ is not there, His Word is not preached, and Christ leaves, they will not leave that building and become desolate with it.

The disciples leave, but still we see their weakness and attachment to that great fine building. They point out the magnificence of the building and the massive stones with which the temple is built in exclamation and wonder, hoping the Lord will reverse the sentence. Our Lord, in response to their exclamation, makes a shocking prophecy.

Christ, instead of reversing the decree, ratifies it: “Assuredly, I say unto you, there shall not be left one stone upon another.” 1.) He speaks of it as a certain ruin: “I say unto you. I, that know what I say, and know how to make good what I say; take My word for it, it shall be so; I, the Amen, the true Witness, say it to you.” All judgment being committed to the Son, He speaks of it as an utter ruin. The temple shall not only be stripped, and plundered, and defaced, but utterly demolished and laid waste, not one stone upon another.

As they move further, the Lord climbs the Mount of Olives and sits there as the sun is setting, with the beauty of the temple shining and facing a beautiful scene, and the disciples are in deep thought following Him. The disciples, not disputing either the truth or the equity of this sentence, nor doubting of the accomplishment of it, four disciples come to Him asking the questions about the time when it should come to pass, and the signs of its approach. We should explain this chapter in the context of these questions.

1. First question: “Tell us, when will these things be?” (What things? One stone upon another: the destruction of Jerusalem.)
2. Second question: “And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

How can anyone say this doesn’t talk about the destruction of Jerusalem? This is the problem with the dispensationalists: to fit their scheme of charts, they completely take this chapter out of context. The Lord is sitting on the Mount of Olives directly facing the temple, and from thence He might have a full prospect of it at some distance. There He sat as a Judge upon the bench, the temple and city being before Him as at the bar, and thus He passed sentence on them.

In the disciples’ thinking, and so their question, the end of Jerusalem and the end of the world are the same. They thought the destruction of the temple must necessarily be the end of the world. “If that house be laid waste, the world cannot stand,” for the Rabbis used to say that the house of the sanctuary was one of the seven things for the sake of which the world was made; and they think, if so, the world will not survive the temple. The Lord corrects that in His response.

Though it seems like He speaks of diverse events, it is prophetic language talking about two important future events in the history of redemption: one, the destruction of Jerusalem and the utter ruin of the Old Covenant (OCov) Jewish church and nation, and then, looking further, to Christ’s coming at the end of time, and the consummation of all things, of which the destruction of Jerusalem is a type, foretaste, and figure. Why should the Holy Spirit write the destruction of Jerusalem to us, which is over? This prophecy is of standing, lasting use to the church, and will be so to the end of time, for “the thing that hath been, is that which shall be” (Ecclesiastes 1:5–7, 1:9), and the series, connection, and signs of events keep happening even now. So that upon the prophecy of this chapter, with the Holy Spirit’s help and wisdom, looking at the old destruction of the nation, we can have spiritual lessons—”an unprecedented deep amount of soul-searching, determination, foresight, with settled calm knowing these things happened and will happen and prognostication.” Such insights of the signs of the times the wise spiritual man’s heart will know how to improve in various changing society, political, and world situations.

So these events happen around the destruction of Jerusalem, but also it goes beyond the destruction of Jerusalem and describes conditions that will happen between the first coming and the second coming. The first coming was in His humiliation to suffer, die, and rise, and the second coming will be in all glory. That period is often called the inter-advent period (the time between the advents). Whether you realize it or not, you and I are in that time, and this is written for us, to handle whatever comes in our lives in this time.

The Lord’s aim was not to give detailed prewritten history to satisfy our knowledge curiosity, but He had very practical guidance for them and for us. His burning concern was to prepare His people practically for coming days, not to fill their heads with details. So He gives warnings, prophecies, and encouragements for the people of God living between the first and second coming.

In the first section, He talks about five signs in verses 4–14 and then doesn’t leave it, but gives us a practical command: what we should do, in terms of warning and encouragement. So if you ask me what will mark the time between the first and second coming, the first thing is:

1. Spiritual Deception (vv. 4–5)

Verse 4: “And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”

The very first sign is spiritual deception. Many will come in His name by claiming they represent Christ or even have the arrogance to claim they are apostles or even say that they are Christ themselves. The deceivers would pretend to divine revelation, an immediate calling from God, and a spirit of prophecy, when it was all a lie. The very first sign He highlights is that this inter-advent period will proliferate itself with false teachers and false Christs and will be an atmosphere of religious deception. How true this is for the last 2,000 years! Every generation had them. In the last 100 years, the very famous Rev. Sun Myung Moon and David Koresh and Jim Jones called themselves Messiah. Messiah-figures have sprung up in every generation to offer new revelations or new religious twists—all moving people away from the sufficiency that is found in Jesus Christ and the Gospel. How many rise up in our day telling stories: “God revealed to me when committing suicide, in jail, in disease about to die.” How many rise up in His name? So foolish some of their claims.

But you know what is tragic? The prophecy says “and will deceive many.” Mark says “they shall lead many astray.” Many will be duped. That is the tragedy of the warning. Our Lord saw with accurate prophetic insight the horrible gullibility (tendency to be easily persuaded that something is real or true) of men in things pertaining to religion. Man’s capacity for gullibility in religion seems almost infinite. Messages/claims that would cause people to look foolish and lunatic in worldly matters, but in Christianity elevate them to prophets and prophetesses, apostles, and even Christ in great spiritual things.

As we approach the end of the age, spiritual deception will increase because spiritual gullibility will increase. Having turned away from the truth, people will follow anyone who speaks with authority and promises to help solve their problems and give meaning to daily life. Note carefully what 1 Timothy 4:1 says: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” Those “deceiving spirits” are in the world today, and their evident success rate seems to be very high.

He amplifies this speaking with reference to the destruction of Jerusalem. Even before the destruction of Jerusalem, many will claim to be Christ.

This is true even before Jerusalem’s destruction. Now, Israel, rejecting the true Messiah, will believe many false Messiahs after this. Josephus speaks of several such impostors between this time and the destruction of Jerusalem: one was Theudas, who was defeated by Cuspius Fadus; another was defeated by Felix; and Dositheus claimed he was the Christ foretold by Moses (Origen Adversus Celsum. See Acts 5:36; Acts 5:37). Simon Magus pretended to be “the great power of God” (Acts 8:10).

“They shall show great signs and wonders” (Matthew 24:24). These are not true miracles; those are a divine seal, and with those, the doctrine of Christ stands confirmed. But these were “lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9), wrought by Satan. It is not said, They shall work miracles, but, They shall show great signs; they are but a show. Either they impose upon men’s credulity by false narratives or deceive their senses by tricks of legerdemain, or arts of divination, as the magicians of Egypt did by their enchantments.

The success they should have in these attempts: They shall deceive many. Their deceptive influence will be so pervasive and persuasive that one would think even the elect of God are going to be drawn aside by the magnetism of their religious influence and by their miraculous powers. It talks about the strength of the delusion; it is such that many shall be carried away by it (so strong shall the stream be), even those who were thought to stand fast. Men’s knowledge, gifts, learning, eminent station, and long experience will not secure them; but, notwithstanding these, many will be deceived. The phrase, “If possible,” implies that it is not possible for the elect to be deceived, for they are “kept by the power of God,” so that “the purpose of God, according to the election, may stand.” They were given to Christ, and of all that were given to him, he will lose none (John 10:28).

If this is going to be the atmosphere of the inter-advent time, what are we supposed to do? What is the application?

Notice the strong warning: “And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you‘” (Matthew 24:4). Jesus uses the word in Mark to mean “lead you astray.” Lead you astray from what? Astray from the attachment to the only true Christ, from the attachment to the one true narrow way which leads unto life. Take heed, see to it, constantly be on the lookout that no one leads you astray. New deceptions will come; it will be a big temptation for you. You need to constantly take heed; you will be living in an atmosphere of deception between the first and second coming—so much deception that even, if possible, the elect could be deceived. If you don’t take heed seriously, you are already living in that deception. Be constantly watchful that no one leads you astray; many will be deceived.

What is the practical lesson the Lord wants us to learn so we are not deceived? You and I must be passionately concerned to know and be deeply rooted in biblical theology and the deep truths of Scripture. Know the foundational truths of the Bible and stand fast in that; otherwise, you will be easily deceived. You need to put time and effort into knowing the identity of God’s only Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. We must be especially well-grounded and deeply understand the foundational truths of the authority of God’s word, who God is, His providence, the fall of man, and the identity of Christ as the only mediator, the glory of His salvation, and what salvation does to you—how you are saved—by effectual calling, justifying, adopting, sanctifying, saving faith, and repentance. These are all truths taught in our Confession of Faith (COF).

In other words, if you do not have a passionate concern for doctrinally intelligent faith in Christ, you will be led astray so easily. Some of you are so ignorant that you don’t even know the basics of faith, yet you are careless about putting in time and effort to learn and grow in the truth. We spend evenings trying to give you that theological foundation; how few make it a point to attend and learn! The Lord is speaking to you. Take heed… be on your guard that no one leads you astray. You will be led astray unless you commit yourself to be thoroughly rooted and grounded in truth. That is why it is so important that in the membership classes, we take all the time in our busy schedule to help you learn the foundations. You shouldn’t stop with that, but do your own study after that. Others who are already members: how strongly are you growing in the truth—reading and developing? Take heed if you are not constantly growing in truth; you may be on the path of deception. You will be led astray. Your difficulties and temptations in life will lead you astray if you don’t read, hear messages, and upgrade yourself with the sermons. That is why we encourage you to re-listen to sermons, read books, and read your Bibles. We live in deceptive times.

These deceptions will be present not only prior to the destruction of Jerusalem but during the entire inter-advent period. They will come with greater concentration in the unfolding of the history of the church and human history, but you and I must be on our guard. He says this deception will mark the inter-advent period.

The second sign is International Conflict (verses 6–7a): “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:6-7)

“You will be hearing” means that we live in an age of unending commotion and upheaval. This is so true. For 2,000 years, every generation has seen wars. This is what has happened. Just in the last 200 years, we’ve had the most terrible wars of WWI and WWII, and we don’t realize that the last 50 years have included wars in Rwanda, Cambodia, Chechnya, Serbia, Kosovo, Lebanon, Iraq, Kashmir, Northern Ireland, Somalia, Kuwait, Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and dozens of lesser-known bloody conflicts around the world. Now we can add Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Korea, and Vietnam. Now, right in front of our eyes, this prophecy is fulfilled in Russia. One man, sitting with a nuclear button, whose mind is spoiled, could press it and most of the world would be gone; he is threatening the world with that.

“Nation will rise against Nation”: Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea against all Western and European countries. The history of humanity is the history of wars. Even the quiet in the land and the least inquisitive after new things cannot but hear the rumors of war. “Nation shall rise up against nation”—there will be civil wars within our country. We’re heading toward civil war: one community against another, one province against another, one party or faction shall rise up against another. We feel so helpless when these things are happening. The big Prime Ministers and Presidents in their rooms make decisions that will affect the whole nation; masses will die. It is so frightening.

The third sign is verse 7b: “And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.”

When men in their pride and arrogance plan war and destruction, there is a limit and some control. But who can control natural disasters, famines, clouds that carry a certain amount of rainfall to a certain region, or land that was full of lush green crop and suddenly made barren, with cracks? Countries suffer from basic food needs; rates go up for basic needs, even for water; many die in famines with no food, no water.

Natural disasters, over which we have no power, are so frightening. Who can control earthquakes that cause such destruction of cities and places where lakhs die, and earthquakes in the ocean that send big Tsunamis over all the nations on the borders, dragging millions into the ocean helplessly? Then, should I explain pestilence? We have seen with our own eyes this prophecy fulfilled just a few months ago: an outbreak of disease from one place, spreading to all nations, locking up and putting the entire globe to a stop, such as never seen in our lifetime. We saw how thousands died and bodies were floating in rivers, burning, and burying in heaps.

Famines, earthquakes, and outbreaks of disease. These were the three judgments which David was to choose one out of; and he was in a great strait, for he knew not which was the worst. But what dreadful desolations will they make when they all pour in together upon a people! But our Lord says these will be present the entire inter-advent time: there will be famines, wars, more wars, international tensions and conflicts, natural disasters, and pestilences.

Now, what should we do when these happen? What is His command, His guidance? See verse 6: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled.”

Wow! When these things happen, I should not be troubled. How can anyone not be troubled? A small thunder is enough to trouble me! But He says when these things happen, do not be troubled! It’s a very strong word, found only here and in Mark, meaning to be inwardly disturbed or frightened. For example, like little children during a thunderstorm, trembling, confused, inwardly troubled, and frightened, feeling very insecure, keeping a hand on their head, or throwing hands in the air, saying, “Oh, what else will happen?” in despair.

Lord, how can we not be troubled? Wars, nation rising against nation, war aircrafts flying over my home, who will throw a bomb and wipe out our whole city, Putin presses one button and we’re gone, famine, earthquakes, and the virus. War is brutal bloodshed, millions die; famine is a disruption of supply, not knowing what to eat, no water; an earthquake destroys a beautiful, hard-built house; pestilence means everyone is dying. How can I not be troubled? Are we to be stoic when these are happening? On what basis are we not to be frightened?

If you are My people and My disciples, you should guard yourselves so much from false teaching influence and these political influences, the love of this world, and know the reality of the future, and live for My kingdom. Then you can obey this. He gives two reasons why you should not be troubled.

How can anyone not be frightened when these appear?

Notice two things He says. Firstly, verse 6: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

“See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” It must be; in the plan and purpose of God, there is a fixed purpose, there is a fixed decree. There is a divine must. These must happen. Ruin must be brought upon this sinful, God-rejecting world. By this, the justice of God and the honor of the Redeemer must be asserted; and therefore, all those things must come to pass; the word is gone out of God’s mouth, and it shall be accomplished in its season.

Note, The consideration of the unchangeableness of the divine counsels, which govern all events, should compose and quiet our spirits, whatever happens. God is but performing the thing that is appointed for us, and our inordinate trouble is an interpretive quarrel with that appointment. Let us therefore acquiesce, because “these things must come to pass”—not only necessitate decreti (as the product of the divine counsel), but necessitate medii (as a means in order to a further end). The old house must be taken down (though it cannot be done without noise, dust, and danger) before the new structure can be erected. The things that are shaken (and ill shaken they were) “must be removed, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain” (Hebrews 12:27).

Let no one ever mistake this age for the age to come. This age will continue; these events should tell you that all this is heading toward the destruction and demolition of this house, and a new heaven and a new earth are coming, and you should be ready for that.

Is it possible to hear such sad news and not be troubled? Yet, where the heart is fixed, trusting in God, it is kept in peace and is not afraid, not even of the evil tidings of wars. Our Lord says that behind these things there is a divine “must be.” These must needs come to pass, but the end is not yet. In the language of Romans 8:22–25, the whole creation groans and travails until now. This present order will continue to be in a state of travail, waiting for the manifestation at the return of Jesus Christ. The period between the two comings will be marked with these events.

The second thing the Lord says, so that we are encouraged and not troubled, is that these events do not signify the end but the beginning. “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). These are the beginnings of birth pangs; more is coming upon this world. More bowls of wrath will be poured out. This is just the beginning. Therefore, do not be troubled, do not give way to fear and anxiety, and do not sink under the present burden, but rather gather all the strength and spirit you have to encounter what is yet before you. Be not troubled to hear of wars and rumors of wars, for then what will become of you when the famines and pestilences come? These things do not signify the end, but are the beginning of the end. They will continue until the end, until the Lord returns.

Application

We should be so grounded in truth and Christ, and abide in Him and trust in His decrees, that these things should not cause us trouble. Christ does not want our blood pressure to increase and our heartbeat to increase with every rumbling outbreak of war or famine. A believer is not to be nervous and lose sleep when he hears about international tensions, or hears of war breaking forth, or more wars breaking forth, earthquakes, famine, or plague. He is not to be disturbed. Why? Because to be disturbed is to be disobedient to his Lord who lovingly told him these things will happen. It is sin to be filled with inward agitation and fear because international tensions and natural calamities are part of God’s decree and purpose. The Christian, knowing that there is a divine “must” behind all this, does not meet these things with stoic indifference or heartlessness in the face of famine or the horrible tragedies that war brings. Our hearts melt over torn families; we do not look upon these things with indifference.

When Jesus with prophetic vision saw the destruction of Jerusalem, “He wept, ‘O Jerusalem… O Jerusalem.'” We also weep and pity, and have compassion, but our Lord’s word is, “Do not be inwardly unstrung.” Do not be as one who has lost his bearings. Be not put into confusion or commotion; not put into throes, as a woman with child by a fright. “See that you be not troubled.” Note: There is a need for constant care and watchfulness to keep trouble from the heart when there are wars abroad; and it is against the mind of Christ that His people should have troubled hearts even in troublous times.

This passage should prevent us from ever pursuing a dream of a utopia ushered in by the combined action of world governments. I am amazed how naive people are; people actually think there will be peace among nations and that diplomacy and peace talks will solve all problems. I hope we are not caught up with all these things, or with politicians promising good days.

Our Lord says there shall be wars; nation will rise up against nation. No amount of development, education, or scientific research concerning when earthquakes may come, or how we can stop a Tsunami, none of those things will stop them from coming. There shall be famines and wars.

As people of God with this insight, we should not be drawn into every cause that comes in our way, claiming our time, energy, and money, to promote a utopian world, modeled on or aiming for a state in which everything is perfect; idealistic social development. They believe they can turn this world into heaven—solve world hunger and famine, solve the war problem and bring peace to nations, solve world diseases and pestilence. No, that is not the biblical view.

The Lord has said there must be these things, and He encourages us not to be troubled. Embedded in that encouragement is the certainty of their presence.

Fourth Sign is D. Fierce Persecution (v. 9)

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9)

This is a verse no one likes to read or memorize. I’ve never known anyone who chose it as a “life verse.” It’s too negative to be very popular, yet there it is, clear and easy to understand, right from the lips of our Lord. Jesus told his disciples to expect the worst. A time will come when the followers of Christ will be hated by all nations because of our relationship to Him.

Mark expands this, saying they will receive all unjust and abusive treatment at the hands of religious as well as civil authorities.

“But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.” (Mark 13:9)

They will deliver you to council and synagogue—Jewish religious places—where you will be flogged by religious authorities. Not only religious, but even civil, before rulers and kings you will stand for My sake: Roman authorities.

Verse 12 focuses on the unnatural hatred of family members. Think of it.

“Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.” (Mark 13:12)

Think of it: our children fight with each other, hit one another, pull, and fight, but here, brother not only plans but actually delivers brother to death, even a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

Unjust and abusive treatment will come not only from religious authorities, but civil authorities, and even unnatural hatred and betrayal by family members. Jesus predicts universal hatred for us. That is not encouraging. Matthew 24:9 says, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” He says this is what will happen during the inter-advent time. We see that happening, but in many places, persecution and hatred of Christians are on the rise. That trend will continue in the days to come and will come to a fearful climax in the final days preceding the return of our Lord.

More and more countries continue to tighten the rope on open displays of Christianity. We see that happening in our own country: attacks on churches and anti-conversion laws passed. Licenses are canceled, and there are plans to take away our voting rights. Our Lord told us ahead of time not to be surprised by this. Christians, for 2,000 years, have been handed over to tribulation or trials or pressure situations. Some are killed; all will be hated. The antipathy of the world toward the gospel and toward Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord has not abated.

Finally, Fifth – Widespread Apostasy (vv. 10–12)

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10–12).

He says many will turn against the truth. When sticking to the truth begins to cost men dearly, “then shall many be offended,” shall first fall out, and then they will begin to pick quarrels with their religion, and at length revolt from it, hate one another, and become false prophets. When it is all good, everyone will want to follow Christ; when persecution comes, true believers will be revealed. Suffering and persecution times will show who are true preachers and believers. He says many will turn away from faith because of the suffering. Paul often complains of deserters who began well, but something hindered them. “They were with us, but went out from us, because they were never truly of us” (1 John 2:19). “They shall betray one another,” that is, “Those who have treacherously deserted their religion shall hate and betray those who adhere to it, for whom they have pretended friendship.” Apostates have commonly been the most bitter and violent persecutors.

Even some that professed to be Christian will turn against believers, betraying them to authorities out of hatred. Apostasy will mark the waves of church history.

These verses paint a picture of unprecedented religious apostasy in the last days. They especially apply to so-called Christian leaders who depart from the Christian faith. These are the leaders who (in the name of ecumenism) deny the inerrancy of the Bible, deny the necessity for the blood atonement, deny the virgin birth, deny the lostness of all people, deny the reality of eternal hell, and deny that those who die without Jesus Christ are lost forever. They turn away after fads and popular social causes and pander to the powers that be. They support the killing of unborn babies, support Gay Rights, and support the right of pornographers to practice their evil trade. They do not preach the gospel because they do not even believe the gospel. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

II Timothy 3:1–9 tells us that in the last days “terrible times” will come as men become lovers of pleasure instead of lovers of God. They will turn away from the truth because their minds are depraved. False teachers who cleverly counterfeit the truth will lead many others astray. Truly those “terrible days” are upon us. So-called ministers of the gospel deny every tenet of the Christian faith and still remain in the pulpit. They can even justify gross immorality because they have rejected God’s Word. The worst is yet to come.

These terrible times of apostasy are seducing times; many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. (3.) The general declining and cooling of most (Matthew 24:12). In seducing times, when false prophets arise, and in persecuting times, when the saints are hated, expect these two things:

[1.] The abounding of iniquity. Though the world always lies in wickedness, yet there are some times in which it may be said that “iniquity doth” in a special manner abound, as when it is more extensive than ordinary, as in the old world, when “all flesh had corrupted their way,” and when it is more excessive than ordinary, so that hell seems to be broken loose in blasphemies against God and enmities to the saints. The presence of God’s people living in faithfulness to Him offers restraints upon a society—salt and light affecting the community. But when people fail to pay attention to their doctrine and begin to follow the teaching of false prophets, then sin and unconcern for the law of God increase, love for God and man declines, and true believers face greater persecution.

[2.] The abating of love. This is the consequence of the former: “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Understand it in general of true serious godliness, which is all summed up in love. It is too common for professors of religion to grow cool in their profession when the wicked are hot in their wickedness, as the church of Ephesus in bad times “left her first love” (Revelation 2:2–4). Or, it may be understood more particularly of brotherly love. When iniquity abounds—seducing iniquity, persecuting iniquity—this grace commonly waxes cold. Christians begin to be shy and suspicious of one another, affections are alienated, distances created, parties made, and so love comes to nothing.

This gives a melancholy prospect of the times, that there shall be such a great decay of love. But, First, it is of the love of many, not of all.

So, rather than a rosy picture, Jesus painted a realistic picture for believers in every century. If you complain because you continue to meet with the world’s animosity due to your faith in Christ, pay attention. Jesus has foretold us that it will happen until He comes.

This is reality; this will happen. But now notice the encouragements He gives in the face of these realities. He says the gospel will triumph over all this and spread to the entire world.

First, He says such treatment will be an occasion for a testimony for the sake of Christ. Mark 13:9 says, “You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.” They think they are in control and are going to restrain the progress of the gospel by arresting people, but in the very effort, I create a marvelous sounding board even to the great ones of the earth through you.

See how that was literally fulfilled in Acts, where you find Paul standing before King Agrippa, standing before Herod, and standing before the very center of the Roman government at Rome, making his defense on more than one occasion when all the great ones of the earth gathered at Rome. In a sense, he preached the gospel to the whole world through this.

So, our Lord encourages us that this unjust and abusive treatment, this unnatural hatred, and this universal hatred—such treatment will be a testimony for the sake of Jesus.

Secondly, such treatment will not stop the spread of the gospel: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

Oh, I hope we can sense the unshaken certainty of Jesus’ words. Later on, while concluding in this chapter, He will say, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” This is one of the words that will not pass away: this gospel must be preached. Why? Because Almighty God has set His love upon a vast multitude who no man can number, out of every tribe and language, and He will call them through the gospel. So God will order the events—in the motion of wars, famine, earthquakes, nation against nation, hatred and opposition to the gospel, false Christs, and false prophets deceiving the majority of people—in the midst of all that, He encourages His people that the gospel will be preached unto all the nations, in the whole inhabited world as a witness to all the peoples. “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” What a triumphant statement this was to the disciples, especially as they considered the gospel going into the Gentile world! Yes, they would face many difficulties, but they were to persist in proclaiming the gospel. We’re not to grow slack because of persecution and opposition. We’re not to withdraw into some safe cocoon or retreat. We are to push forward with the gospel of Christ. “Proclaim the good news to every people group,” Christ tells us. That is the divine agenda as we wait for the end. Comfort, ease, and self-security are not our rights as Christians. We have a King to proclaim—let us be about that work to His glory!

Thirdly, He encourages special help given by the Holy Spirit in the midst of opposition.

Mark 13:11 says, “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

People abuse this, suggesting preachers do not have to study and prepare, or use hermeneutics, or preach orderly. They think they can just stand up and the Holy Spirit will speak. Listen to their preaching; their blabbering is a clear indication the Holy Spirit is not speaking to them.

This is a peculiar promise given for a peculiar situation: when the hatred against us is so tense that people are seized upon and brought before the great ones of the earth, led to judgment and delivered up. Our Lord is anxious about us sitting in our cell, wondering what we will say. We don’t even know what questions they will ask. How shall I lay out my testimony? Rather, when you are sitting in that jail, remember He will give you what needs to be said. In His plan, you are in jail; He is attached to you. When people come and drag you before men, it is mine to believe that in that hour, He will give me what to speak by the powerful enablement of the Holy Spirit.

Oh, do you see these encouragements that the Lord gives in the face of terrible opposition against the gospel? Jesus encourages us: such treatment will be an occasion of testimony; such treatment will not stop the spread of the gospel; special help will be given by the Holy Spirit in special times of need.

What then is demanded of the true disciples in the midst of all this opposition, persecution, and apostasy?

“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

We are to pay attention to what is going on about us—to notice the changing religious climate so that we are not caught unaware. We are to face the facts of the world’s hatred, and even the reality of what it might cost us to live as Christians in an unchristian world. But Christ’s direction is not for us to hide or move to a commune. Knowing all this will happen and the gospel will triumph, we need unshakable perseverance. There is to be a tenacious, unflinching attachment to Christ and the gospel.

Jesus Christ calls for endurance, perseverance, and continuing on as a Christian in spite of the circumstances. Perseverance gives evidence of genuine faith. To endure means that we bear up even in difficulties and times of suffering. The word literally means, “to abide under.” You continue to abide in Christ even when under the intensity of persecution. He calls us to be disciples, to be His followers through thick and thin. We can persevere because He preserves us and provides for us to continue on as Christians. We must endure to the end of our lives, to the end of our present state of probation, or to the end of these suffering, trying times, to the last encounter, though they should be called to resist unto blood. (2.) It is comfortable to those who do thus endure to the end, and suffer for their constancy, that they shall be saved. Perseverance wins the crown, through free grace, and shall wear it. The crown of glory will make amends for all.

All promises in Revelation made to the seven churches are made to the overcomers. They are promises of salvation. True salvation shows in our perseverance; he who is truly saved will endure to the end. Our High Priest secures our perseverance.

“End” doesn’t mean the end of time; it means he who endures to the end of the trial—the trial that has come in connection with confessing the gospel. We may be killed—some hanged, tied to stakes, or burned. The end for some means dying of starvation. Our Lord says what is required in the face of these warnings and encouragements is a tenacious, unflinching attachment to Christ and to the gospel.

Remember what He said: “Whoever saves his life will lose it. Whoever is ashamed of the gospel in this adulterous generation, I will be ashamed of.”

In the light of these warnings and encouragements, what is demanded is calm, resolute trust in the faithfulness of God, and a tenacious, unflinching attachment to Christ and to the gospel, even unto the end. That is our salvation.

Whatever your preconceived notions may be concerning the end-times, I hope that you will see that the greater priority must be on keeping first things first. Discern the times that we have been living in since Jesus ascended. We are in a world that continues to be eaten up by its sin. But Christ tells us, “See that you are not frightened.” We are in a world that views Christians with contempt and hatred. Christ tells us to endure to the end. And in that endurance, keep up the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom.

How foolish for the dispensationalists, or even those disciples sitting there, to take this chapter and say to themselves, “Don’t worry, all this will not affect you because ‘before things get too bad, we’re out of here via a rapture.'” But that is not what our Lord is teaching. He prepares believers in every century to understand that being a Christian goes against the thinking of the world. That teaching came from the American false teachers who never knew what persecution means for Christ’s sake and can never think of Christians going through this.

We all love our country, and there is nationalism in all our blood. When we see our country going the wrong way, the kind of leaders it selects in ignorance, divisions, hatred, injustices happening, and when we think what terrible things will come in the future on this nation, it sometimes breaks our heart so much that we cannot even sleep. But we are just born in this nation and may leave this world after a few years. If we experience such pain when we see our nation perishing, can you imagine the profound depth of pain of God who, of all nations on earth, loved one with special love, gave birth to it, formed and protected that nation for thousands of years, made a covenant, gave His laws, blessed it with great privileges, put His name and presence on them, and after all those, that nation is going to utter destruction? That pain He must feel we cannot grasp. That is what is expressed in today’s verses.

We are shocked to see how Ukraine is attacked today and people suffered, but there is no nation which has been more attacked, destroyed, besieged, massacred, persecuted, and harassed like Israel. Jewish people have suffered like no other nation in history. Their utmost suffering started in A.D. 70 when the whole nation was destroyed and scattered, and since then, if you trace all history, they have been suffering, suffering. After Christianity spread and even became a national religion for many countries, there was an anti-Jewish, anti-Semitic feeling throughout the world in all centuries. In the Middle Ages, they were tortured, blamed for everything, often made to live outside the community in separate neighborhoods. During the time of the Crusades, the Roman Catholic Church wanted to conquer the Holy Land from Turks who were desecrating it, so they wanted to fight them, but they didn’t want Jews also fighting on one side in between. So they would go to Jewish towns in all Europe, tell them to convert to Christianity, or the whole town was killed and destroyed. Terrible, heartbreaking stories you hear of Jews killing themselves before the Crusaders came to them. Many children and women were destroyed and raped. Through the centuries, they were killed, burned, destroyed, chased from country to country. From Romans, the Western world, the Middle East Islamic, Russian, Germany, Nazi—all tortured and tried to exterminate Jews. In World War II, can you imagine how vast the number of people was? Hitler unbelievably, indescribably, exterminated nearly six million Jews in the Holocaust.

Now, all of that is to say this: Why? Why? And that is the question on the lips of Jews throughout their history. Why? Why is it this way with us? Why do we suffer so long? Generations after generations we suffer. Why? They cry out to a heaven that never answers. Why? They were God’s special people, given the covenants and the law. Why? Why have we suffered so and so long?

The answer is in our passage. Look at Matthew 23:37–39:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

It is this curse on them, this judgment of the Son of God. After 23 chapters of His birth, His ministry, His message, His miracles, and full revelation to Israel as their Messiah, this is the last public sermon of Lord Jesus Christ, and these verses are the final verdict. When they had the full revelation of the Messiah, they rejected it.

We saw it is a sermon against false spiritual leaders who have led the nation to this point of rejection. It doesn’t mean that the people weren’t as guilty—they followed these leaders. After pouring eight woes on them, in verse 32, He used terrible words as if removing His preventing grace: He said, “Fill up the cup of wrath,” because you have cumulatively rejected God’s revelation of all the past prophets. You had the Old Testament, the preaching of John the Baptist, and now the full revelation of the Son of God. The cup of your fathers that it took centuries to fill is going to take centuries equally to pour back out. On you will be imputed the guilt of all the blood of righteous men. “How can we be guilty of the sins of the past?” Because they knew the sins of the past and didn’t learn from them, they inherited their guilt. They accumulated the guilt of all of it because they followed in the sins of their fathers, never learning the lessons their fathers’ pain and God’s chastening and punishment should have taught them. So they had a cumulative guilt. They had rejected full light, full revelation. Therefore, they became the apostates of all apostates, rejecting the culmination of all revelation to them, which was summarized, epitomized, and maximized in the coming of Jesus Christ. So He says because of this, verse 36, “all these things are going to come on this generation.” This is the most guilty generation in the history of Israel because it rejected the light that had accumulated through thousands of years of divine revelation. And it’s all going to come on you.

These verses are the parting wail of rejected love. It is filled with emotion and tears. After the lightning flashes of the eight woes, they end in a rain of pity and tears. They will face terrible judgments because they reject Jesus Christ. May we listen to this with fear and trembling because Scripture says, “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be accursed” (anathema)—the worst curse will come upon him in this life and eternally.

We will see this with three headings: Intense Pity, Unfulfilled Desire, and Final Destruction.

1. Intense Pity

He says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem.” Now this passage is filled with so much emotion and compassion, I struggle to preach it and make you understand the depth of the emotion. Though all the while He poured woes on the leaders, now looking at the coming judgment of the city, He pities. There is a profound depth of divine compassion colliding with the reality of divine justice. Just like there was an outburst of wrath, now there is an outpouring of grief. Do you understand intense pity seeing great tragedy? In our culture, we express it by beating our breasts, putting mud on our head. Who can forget the images of grown men with gaping mouths and streams of tears, howling in anguish over devastation in an earthquake, or the tsunami, or the ravages of war? How can we explain the tearing of clothes, pulling out the beard, or falling in weakness to the ground apart from uncontrolled grief? Lamenting does more than simply express horror; it is the release of the soul that has considered a tragic plight and felt the depths of grief.

This is not only beyond all that, but all world grief combined will not be equal to this. Do you know how much pity and compassion there is in the heart of God? He has expressed that throughout the Old Testament. The most poignant/melting of laments can be seen in the prophets: Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Amos, Hosea. One entire book, notably named Lamentations. It was God who was expressing His profound grief over sin and the destruction through the prophets. It was just a drop of God’s burden and grief and pity, but that was unbearable to those prophets; they were weeping, weeping for years in pity and crying uncontrollably. But here comes the final prophet, the dear Son of God. He knows the heart of God more fully than anyone. If the whole care, compassion, and pity of God was put in a human body, can you imagine how unbearable it can be for Him as a man? Do you at least catch a glimpse of this in those words: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem”? It is the climax of great emotion and compassion. Those words are filled with sorrow.

If you look at Luke 19:41–42:

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”

He began to weep and weep and weep and say, “Oh, if you only knew, if you’d only known who was here, who was visiting you, this day, this opportunity, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” He sorrowed, He wept tears. The tears of lament over a people about to have the hand of God’s protection removed from them, to be turned over to Satan.

Verse 37: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem.” The repetition is an indication of great emotion. In 2 Samuel, the cry of anguish in the heart of David over his son. He says, “O my son, Absalom, my son, my son, Absalom, if only I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son.” And so that repetition is the repetition of grief, the repetition of emotion.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem”—meaning “foundation of peace.” He characterizes the city. Not as the city of peace, not as the holy city, but: “You who are killing the prophets and you who are stoning them who are sent to you,”—that’s the city you are. “You are the city that kills prophets and stones messengers.” What a characterization of the holy city!

If you were a Jew or understand anything about Jerusalem, you would be shocked, have a heart attack, or at least fall from your chair. The city God chose to put His name and presence, the city of peace, the faithful guardian of the Word of God, a teacher of heavenly wisdom, the light of the world, the fountain of sound doctrine, the seat of divine worship, a pattern of faith and obedience, the city that should teach who God is to the world, the joy of all the world, from where true prophets should go to all the world, learning about God—go to Jerusalem.

It is monstrous that the holy city of God should have arrived at such a pitch of madness, getting to this low level, not that it didn’t want to listen to God’s Word, teaching less of God’s Word, or stopped teaching God’s Word, but opposed and rejected God’s truth so much and so long, endeavoring to extinguish the saving truth/doctrine of God by shedding the blood of the prophets.

Christ does not reproach them with merely one or another murder, but says that this custom was so deeply rooted that the city killed every one of the prophets that were sent to it. The present participle, “killing the prophets,” implies a fixed, permanent state that it will continue to do that no matter how many prophets you send. Even the Son of God, they were about to kill Him, and He was the supreme Prophet. “Who are stoning those who were sent to you,” they would also very soon after they killed Him, kill Stephen, and they would stone him to death.

They may have sinned many ways, but this is a sin God doesn’t tolerate. This sin is especially charged upon Jerusalem. At Jerusalem, where the Gospel was first preached, it was first persecuted (Acts 8:1), and that place was the headquarters of the persecutors; thence warrants were issued out to other cities, and thither the saints were brought bound. “You stone them”: that was a capital punishment, in use only among the Jews. By the law, false prophets and seducers were to be stoned (Deuteronomy 13:10), under color of which law, they put the true prophets to death.

People who prided themselves on being the city of God, the city of purity, the city of peace, the city of God, is called the city of killers. “You have become murderers of prophets, who spoke the truth and represented God.” That has become a habit. O Jerusalem, how basely profaned is the sanctuary of God! There never certainly was a city in the world on which God bestowed such magnificent titles, or such distinguished honor; and yet we see how deeply it was sunk by its ingratitude.

See the intense pity. It is one thing to love someone that loves you in return. We can all easily love a friend who loves us. But the lament of Christ over Jerusalem came, not for those loving Him, but for those who gave every evidence of hating Him. They showed their hate by killing those whom He sent, and also will kill Him. Who were these prophets and messengers? They belonged to Christ—having been sent to prepare them for the Messiah. They foretold of the coming Messiah that God would send as their Redeemer. The verb “sent” means to be sent authoritatively for a particular purpose. It was a divine commission, going to the people to deliver the Word of the Lord. Yet those who were sent by the Lord continually met with violent death (continuous action implied by the present participles, “kills…stones”).

2. Unfulfilled Desire

To these who killed His prophets and who will kill Him, Verse 37b: “How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

We are familiar with Jesus being called both Lion and Lamb. But here He takes the most humble, the most lovely picture to express His compassion for them. No lion watching over the cubs, but a hen—a common hen. We will not pass one week without eating this. Yet these common birds have an uncommon love for their brood. The sight of a hawk circling causes the hen to spring to action, clucking out warnings to her chicks and gathering them to safety. We used to have this in our house; there would be eagles flying up trying to catch a chick. Immediately the hen would cluck, and all would come under the wings and cover it. They are very safe against any attack. Oh, it is a weak bird, but try going after her chick; you will know how strongly it will defend its brood.

There was a fire that quickly spread through a farm. As the farmer walked over the charred remains, he came to the sight of a hen, feathers blackened from the flames and lifelessly stiff as she was burned to a crisp. He gently pushed the dead hen over, when suddenly he was startled. From under the charred wings came running her chicks, having been sheltered from the blaze by her sacrificial care.

There’s a beautiful intimacy here. There’s a tenderness here, very warm. With such a motherly tenderness of affection as the hen does, which has, by instinct, a peculiar concern for her young ones.

How yearningly He says, “How often,” not just once, but that which was evident throughout the earthly ministry of our Lord and which preceded that time throughout Israel’s history. Very frequent: “How often!” Christ often came up to Jerusalem, preached, and performed miracles there; and the meaning of all this was, He would have gathered them. He keeps account how often His calls have been repeated. Here we find the desire of Jesus Christ: “how often I wanted to gather your children together.” The redoubled naming of the city is as if He might still win them, and how lingeringly unwilling He is to give up hope! How mournfully, rather than accusingly, He says, “How often,” how many times repeatedly I tried to do this.

It is no small wonder that our Lord used such a gentle picture to describe His own love and compassion. As the hen that devotes herself to her little chicks, our Lord passionately devoted Himself to securely embracing the people of Israel. Surely, His embrace will not only physically protect but give eternal protection for them. He gives eternal life. He desired to gather them together to Himself, under His wings where they would be safe from the wrath to come. That is Christ’s compassion and love, even for a people that killed His prophets and stoned His messengers, and were even planning to kill Him.

3. Unfulfilled Desire

Verse 37 end: “but you were not willing.” This is the important phrase. “I want, you are unwilling.” Yet, in spite of His compassion and desire, in spite of them killing His prophets, and often trying to gather them, they refused His approaches of love and life. The former was a sin without remedy; this is a sin against the remedy. The divine desire was for Israel to come to Him. Yet they spurned Him continually—this wicked nation, which had treated with disdain invitations so gentle, and proceeding from more than maternal kindness.

“How often I wanted,” Christ lamented, “but you were unwilling.” God had come among them and desired to gather these rebels to Himself in a loving, securing embrace of divine love. But they wanted nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Think of it: God the Creator and Sustainer of the universe walked among them, revealing Himself through His holy life, His miracles, His message of the Kingdom, and even the ironic testimony of demons. “But you were unwilling.” Though you saw so much and heard so much and even looked into the eyes of Jesus Christ, you were unwilling to come to Him.

“But you were unwilling” goes right to the heart, exposing a disposition that stands in defiance against God. It is a word revealing the human desire of unwillingness to receive Christ as Lord and to rely upon His death and resurrection for standing before God. The defiance is centered in the human will. Man’s will is enslaved to sin, in bondage to sin. He would not come in spite of the greatest invitation and expression of love of God. The will is wholly sold to sin. This is the state of human will in a depraved condition.

“I would, and you would not.” How emphatically is their obstinacy opposed to Christ’s mercy! He was willing to save them, but they were not willing to be saved by Him. Note, it is wholly owing to the wicked wills of sinners that they are not gathered under the wings of the Lord Jesus.

Our Lord exposed the problem of the hearts of the most spiritual men in Israel, and in so doing, He exposed every heart: “and you were unwilling.” “The great destroyer of man is the will of man,” wrote Spurgeon. “I do not believe that man’s free will has ever saved a soul; but man’s free will has been the ruin of multitudes.” Do not blame God for your lostness, if that is your condition. If you are there, you are following keenly after your own disposition of heart and mind. Spurgeon explained, “The human will is desperately set against God, and is the great devourer and destroyer of thousands of good intentions and emotions, which never come to anything permanent because the will is acting in opposition to that which is right and true.” It’s not that unconverted people among us consider themselves unwilling to come to Christ and be saved. They think that they are quite willing, but “not now.” Yet the fact is, they are not willing because they have no immediate disposition and inclination to flee to Christ, who warns of the wrath to come.

4. Final Destruction and Triumph

Verse 38: “See! Your house is left to you desolate.”

He pronounces Jerusalem’s doom. Both the city and the temple—God’s house and their own—all shall be laid waste. Their house shall be deserted. Christ was now departing from the temple, and never came into it again, but by this word abandoned it to ruin. When Christ went, Ichabod, the glory departed. Their city also was left to them, destitute of God’s presence and grace; He was no longer “a wall of fire about them,” nor “the glory in the midst of them.”

“It is left you.” You’re on your own. You’re a desert. “You want a temple without Me. Want to make it a den of thieves? It is left to you; take it, and make your best of it; I will never have anything more to do with it.” It shall be desolate; a wasteful wilderness. Christ’s departure makes the best furnished, best replenished place a wilderness, though it be the temple, the chief place of religion, for what comfort can there be where Christ is not? Though there may be a crowd, music, all drama going on, yet, if Christ’s special spiritual presence be withdrawn, that soul, that place, is become a wilderness, a land of darkness, as darkness itself. That is what many churches are today—dead churches, made desolate without His presence. Not long after, it was destroyed and ruined, and “not one stone left upon another.” When God goes out, all enemies break in.

Less than 40 years from that moment, Jerusalem would be leveled to the ground, its people dead from bludgeoning, burning, sword, and famine. Josephus, the ancient historian, had been a Jewish general and had been accepted to join Vespasian and Titus. He saw what was happening with his own eyes. His descriptions would defy belief had they not been an eyewitness account. He wrote, “To put it briefly, no other city ever endured such miseries, nor since the world began has there been a generation more prolific in crime.” Titus was sickened by the stench of rotting bodies thrown out by their own people. By the time that Titus entered the city, he found piles of corpses that his men had to walk on to access Jerusalem’s buildings. “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!”

What His hearers thought impossible came true to Jesus’ Word. The city was razed to the ground. Nothing was left but one prominent tower and a part of the Western Wall, and the city was so flattened and so leveled—not one stone upon another—that a visitor coming to the area would not know that it was ever inhabited. It’s the divine payoff for rejecting Christ and the cumulative sin of a nation killing prophets, stoning the messengers of God.

The nation which had murdered so many prophets would itself be wasted by famine, pestilence, and the sword. And even those that escaped would be scattered to the four winds, and become, like Cain the murderer, “fugitives and vagabonds upon earth.” We all know how literally these sayings were fulfilled. Well might our Lord say, “Verily all these things shall come upon this generation.” That temporal desolation only began a far worse eternal desolation. But that doesn’t destroy the plan or the glory of God.

Verse 39: “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

The lament ends in triumph. The time was at hand, when He should leave the world, to go to His Father, and be seen no more. Our Lord looked ahead to that time of His return in triumph, “till the time of the restitution of all things.” In that day, every eye will see Him and every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is Lord of all. The day will come when all will bless the Lord: some will do so gladly as followers of Christ; others will do so as defeated adversaries of Christ. Then every knee shall bow to Him. One way or the other, each of us will one day exalt the name of the Lord: some in the ultimate triumph of the Gospel, others in the despair of having rejected the Eternal King.

Those who rejected Him now: “You shall see Me no more.” You will not see the light of the truth concerning Me, nor the things that belong to your peace. 1.) Wilful blindness is often punished with judicial blindness. If they will not see, they shall not see. With this word He concludes His public preaching.

“till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh.” When the Lord comes with ten thousand of His saints, He will convince all, and will force acknowledgments from the proudest of His enemies, of His being the Messiah. They will never be convinced, till Christ’s second coming convinces them, when it will be too late to make an interest in Him, and nothing will remain but a fearful looking for of judgment.

Here is the hope that lines Christ’s confession of triumph. He is Lord of all, and His Kingdom endures forever. Whatever rejections we may be facing now, though you may face persecution and oppression for following Him now, the day will come when that will be long forgotten, and you will be swept up into the grand procession of His triumph. So, be encouraged, struggling saint! Even the enemies of the Gospel will have to acknowledge its truth and our King one day. Don’t be on the wrong side of His triumph. Bless His name as your Lord, even now!

“Hitherto I have lived among you in humility and kindness, and have discharged the office of a teacher; and now having finished the course of my calling, I shall depart, and it will not be possible for you any longer to enjoy my presence. But him whom you now despise as a Redeemer and a minister of salvation, you will find to be your Judge.” In this manner the passage agrees with the words of Zechariah, “They shall look on him whom they pierced” (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37). In short, He declares that He will not come to them until, trembling at the sight of His dreadful majesty, they shall exclaim—when it is too late—that truly He is the Son of God.

Applications

Theology Lesson

Verse 37: “How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” This is where a lot of debate goes on: about God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. No man has been able to tie both, but Scripture reveals both, and we believe both. It is only God who saves a man, but at the same time, when men go to hell, it is because of man’s sin. God is never the author of sin. Charles Haddon Spurgeon expressed it well: “We hold tenaciously that salvation is all of grace, but we also believe with equal firmness that the ruin of man is entirely the result of his own sin. It is the will of God that saves; it is the will of man that damns.”

Here He says, “I wanted to gather you, but you would not.” You may say, “But He is God. Could He not conquer their unwillingness and bring them to Himself?” Indeed, He does that for all that would come to Him when He effectually calls them. See here, He speaks not of His inviolable, unchangeable decree at this point but of His desire will. This is what people don’t understand and confuse.

Let me explain God in His complex attributes. He has mercy, and He also has justice. There are intermingling feelings He has within His being. Even at the human level, if a judge is judging his own son who has done something wrong, his love wants to forgive him with all his heart, but his sense of justice wouldn’t allow it. There is a conflict between his love and justice.

God has two wills. One is His preceptive will (or desire): a desire that all men should be saved. All should obey His commands. He doesn’t want any to perish. He wants all to repent. But in His justice, and decree, beyond all that, He has decreed some men to be saved. We should not mix that. This passage talks about His preceptive will or wish. He truly wants to save people. “The reference here is to the divine wish,” wrote John Broadus, “and not to the divine purpose. God’s will of purpose [decree] is always carried out; His preceptive will of desire does not.” He wants all to be saved as a wish, but all do not get saved. But His decree that the elect will be saved—they will be saved.

We see this worked out for us throughout Scripture. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” Those verses speak of what Broadus calls, “God’s will of decree/purpose.” It is that which always comes to pass; it is His decreed will. But in our text, we find “God’s preceptive will or desire,” which “does not yet always come to pass on earth as it does in heaven.”

So, what do we have in this passage, so full of both compassion and divine mystery? We discover that the eternal ruin of the lost is not due to a lack of divine compassion or even a lack of divine desire. It is due to the unwillingness of the human heart.

We must take the straight balance path Scripture teaches and not go to any extreme. On one side, we should be careful of Arminianism: “If he doesn’t want to come, everything depends on man’s will, God cannot do anything to save him.” And on the other side, the horrible influence of hyper-Calvinism: “Everything God will do, so no responsibility for man. Only the elect will come, so God has no desire or compassion for others.” Avoid both extremes. Go where Scripture takes you, and stop where Scripture stops. It is so important, like God says to Joshua: “meditate on my word day and night, don’t go to the right extreme or the left extreme.”

Spurgeon warned, “Any man may get himself into a terrible labyrinth (confusion) who thinks continually of the sovereignty of God alone, and he may equally get into the deeps that are likely to drown him if he meditates only on the free will of man.” Far too often we find brethren falling on one side or the other in this theological argument. Some even use the doctrine of God’s sovereignty in election as an excuse for their remaining in sin and unbelief. “Well, God has obviously not elected me, so it’s not my fault that I’m lost,” they say. But our text dispels such folly. Even with the most stubborn, we find the compassion of Christ desiring to gather them to Himself to protect them from the wrath to come. “And you were unwilling,” He explained. J. C. Ryle’s comments help us to see the emphasis that our Lord is making: “Let us understand that the ruin of those who are lost is not because Christ was not willing to save them, nor because they wanted to be saved but could not, but because they would not come to Christ…. Let it be a settled principle in our religion, that people’s ruin, if they are lost, is wholly their own.”

“I would, but you would not.” Man’s choice—don’t ever forget it—and anyone who goes to hell goes there because they would not.

Can anyone place the blame upon God for them being in hell? It is only a false, devilish-inspired understanding of God’s sovereignty that would come to such a conclusion. In the same way, it is equally a false, devilish-inspired understanding of man’s responsibility to repent and believe the good news of Christ, that would give himself even the slightest credit for making it to heaven.

As Believers, May We Learn to Have the Compassion of Christ for Sinners?

As believers, oh may we learn to have the compassion of Christ for sinners? Though He left His enemies in unbelief, He shows that He loved and pitied them to the last. Though they killed His prophets and were going to kill Him, how much He wanted to gather them with motherly love. In light of this, can we doubt the love and compassion of Jesus Christ for the mass of sinful men still living in darkness and rebellion? How He must feel compassion for our country, where millions of people are led astray. What He felt for Israel, does He not feel for the people groups where idolatry and superstition reign? When we speak of the patience of the Lord and the longsuffering of the Lord and the compassion of the Lord, it is not idle talk. We speak of Christ who felt compassion for the multitudes, who saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He still sees the shepherd-less multitudes and shows compassion by sending His messengers with the Gospel. Many of them have been killed and many more are yet to be killed for coming in love to sin-darkened people with the Gospel of Christ. Oh, may we learn to look at the world and our community with the eyes of Christ and weep for them? Only such weeping and burden God will use to prepare us for a ministry.

Yes, we pray for our country, for its blindness. How coldly we do it. Do we weep like Christ? “O Bangalore, Bangalore, O India, O India, how many times I have desired to gather you under My wings like a hen gathers her chicks.” May this weeping be part of our daily prayer, and may we learn to sympathize with Christ. He will use only such vessels with a burden to do something. Look at all the missionaries who have done anything for any nation still in darkness. It all started with weeping and a burden for that country, and many prayers for that place. May we start praying with tears for our community. The signs are there that our country may become desolate. May Christ not leave our country.

Now a Message for Those Who Haven’t Still Come to Christ

If you are here as a sinner who has not appropriated Christ’s work and person as your Savior, do you see the compassion of Christ for you? Will He not say to you: “O John, John, Rachel, Rachel, How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

He does not allow you to go on sinning without calling you to repentance. How many times He wanted to gather you through sermons, many prayers, and messages Christ has called you. He knocks at the door of your hearts by sicknesses and afflictions. He assails their consciences by sermons, or by the advice of friends. He summons them to consider their ways by opening the grave under their eyes, and taking away from them their idols. They often know not what it all means. They are often blind and deaf to all His gracious messages. There was a voice in every providence, “Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?” (Ezekiel 33:11). As often as we have heard the sound of the Gospel, as often as we have felt the strivings of the Spirit, so often Christ would have gathered us.

What a beautiful picture of salvation! You know what salvation is: coming under the wings of this almighty hen, under His safety, provision, blessings, and comfort. This hen really gave His life to protect you from the coming wrath; He was roasted by the wrath of God on the cross, so you can have life. Trust Him. Even today He is trying to gather you under His wings. How many times will you refuse Him?

Whenever the Word of God is preached, He opens His bosom to us with maternal kindness, and, not satisfied with this, condescends to the humble affection of a hen watching over her chickens. If we consider, on the one hand, the dreadful majesty of God, and, on the other, our mean and low, depraved condition, we cannot but be ashamed and astonished at such amazing goodness. For what object can God have in view in abasing Himself so low on our account? When He compares Himself to a mother, He descends very far below His glory; how much more when He takes the form of a hen, and deigns to treat us as His chickens? Besides, if this charge was justly brought against the ancient people, who lived under the Law, it is far more applicable to us. Our obstinacy is truly monstrous if we do not permit Him to gather us together in spite of so much light and so many invitations.

Think of the blessings of coming under His wings—a beautiful Old Testament picture. Converts to Judaism were said to come “under the wings of the Shechinah.” Boaz said to Ruth, “You have come under the shadow of the wings of the Almighty God.” It is only there you will find what you are seeking: comfort, belonging. He makes you His child, adopted into God’s family, God’s child, warm and embraced.

“Nobody seems to care about me.” Come to Christ; you will know infinite care under His wings. “No love, no satisfaction.” You will find infinite love and satisfaction. “Nobody loves me, I am pining, with an aching heart, for a love that can fill and satisfy it.” The love of Jesus fills to overflowing the heart of man, the fountain of love, and makes him well content under all circumstances. All that you seek is under His wings. He is the Giver of safety, the source of comfort. “It is a cold night, and they would be frozen if they remained outside, but she calls them in, and when they are under her wings, they derive warmth from their mother’s breast.” There is a deep, sweet comfort about hiding yourself away in God, for when troubles come, wave upon wave, blessed is the man who has a God to give him mercy upon mercy. When affliction comes, or bereavement comes, when loss of property comes, when sickness comes in your own body, there is nothing wanted but your God. Ten thousand things, apart from Him, cannot satisfy you, or give you comfort. There, let them all go, but if God be yours and you hide away under His wings, you are as happy in Him as the chickens are beneath the hen.

He will be an ever-present refuge when trouble comes; you can run to Him. All enjoy safety and rest who, by the obedience of faith, are gathered together to God, because under His wings they have an impregnable refuge.

Do you know what happens to chicks that don’t gather? They are eaten horribly by the eagles and destroyed. You don’t realize what warmth, comfort, and blessings you miss in this life. If you do not love Lord Jesus Christ and come under His care, Scripture says you are cursed with the worst curse.

He says, “How many times.” God keeps a count of how many times He called. You cannot keep playing with Him. Look what He did to His own people after repeated calls: He cursed by abandoning His own beloved people Israel. What do you think is going to happen to you if you continue to reject Jesus Christ? “See! Your house is left to you desolate.” A desolate waste will be our remaining life. “The Romans are coming, in very deed they are marching up towards the city!” How terrible will be your doom unless you repent! You will be subject to judicial blindness; things that give you peace will be hidden from you until you see God in judgment coming.

Don’t you feel ashamed to refuse such love? It is the crowning point of desperate and final depravity when men obstinately reject the goodness of God, and refuse to come under His wings. Don’t commit that sin.

II. Our Opportunities Despised Must Turn Into Divine Judgments. God’s dealings with us must have outcomes. We cannot play with them as we like. If God acts in mercy, He does not forego His claim. But it may be also shown that the treatment of our opportunities becomes a revelation of our character, and it reveals bad things. God’s judgments really come on character, and on acts only because they reveal character. Jerusalem sinners thoroughly needed and deserved their judgment. (R.T.)

Mat 23;27-36 ²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs whichindeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. ²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. ³³ Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? ³⁴ Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, ³⁵ that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

The Israelites were waiting for their Messiah for thousands of years. All their religious activities, rituals, sacrifices, temple, priests, history, and prophecies all gave them a Messianic hope. The Messiah was the hope of every Jew’s heart. The Messiah would arrive and establish His Kingdom, deliver them from their enemies, and blessedness for every Jew would come with that Kingdom.

The promised Messiah came to them, in David’s line, ministered among them for three years, and His works and words proved without a doubt that He is the promised One. He fulfilled their prophecies before their eyes; they were seeing Him right in front of their own eyes. Repeatedly, from their inmost being, they felt, “This is the coming one.” But sadly, most of the nation rejected Him, and not only rejected, but murdered Him. Why? The primary reason for their rejection is because of their false spiritual leaders who had captured the hearts and minds of the people, and they used their influence to turn people against Jesus Christ. So, in chapter 23, we see horrible woes being pronounced on them.

The saddest, most tragic story in history is this: the nation called out by God’s love and grace, given promises and covenants and hope and light, yet when all of that is to come to fruition in the arrival of the Messiah, they have gone so far in the other direction that rather than believe, they execute their own Messiah. And so this chapter pronounces judgment. This is the climax of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ to Israel.

It is also the last sermon Jesus ever preached publicly. It is not a loving, encouraging sermon message. It is just the opposite. He is standing face-to-face, very bold, very confrontive, a very electric, burning scene, a dramatic act in front of the whole crowd. Without any hesitation, not thinking of consequences, He pours eight woes on these leaders. Only He alone can speak with this boldness. It is a statement of damnation and cursing against these false spiritual leaders who have led the people astray, and the great blood guiltiness of the souls of that nation will fall on their head.

We are looking at a very solemn chapter, a very sad chapter filled with woes, and today, as we reach the final woes, it is going to be very shocking. I was very hesitant to preach; if I had a choice, I would have skipped it, but the job of the preacher is to teach not only comforting, easy things, but even shocking truths of God’s Word, the whole counsel of God. So very reluctantly I stand here. But let me give a disclaimer/warning: if you have a weak heart, don’t run away, but pray God may give you strength to hear His truth.

We have seen six woes:

• Woe 1: For hindering people from truly getting saved.
• Woe 2: For making themselves rich by robbing the poorest with a show of devotion.
• Woe 3: For making their false converts double children of hell.
• Woe 4: For developing a system filled with lies in the name of God. No consequences! Lying in God’s name? “Ah, that is nothing.” They train people to lie, train people to babble in the name of tongues. “Yes, yes, the Holy Spirit is talking,” while it is just gibberish. They train people to give false testimonies in the name of God. “Oh, no, we should lie in God’s name.” They tell them, “That is nothing; it will bring glory to God.”
• Woe 5: For being strict with small external duties and neglecting important spiritual duties.
• Woe 6: For maintaining clean externals but full of extortion inside.

Now we will look at the other two.

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Woe 7: For Deceiving People by Outwardly Appearing Righteous

Verse 27: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

“You are deceivers; you are deceiving people by outwardly appearing righteous.” He says, “You are like whitewashed tombs.” Numbers 19:16 says, “Whoever touches a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.” It is a ceremonially defiled thing. We also have some of it in Indian culture: you go to a funeral, we wash our legs and hands and even bathe. It was a ritual so we don’t get defiled. People say we should avoid bacteria spreading from a dead body, and it is good. So Jews would do everything to avoid touching a body or a grave.

We know they used to put the bodies in caves, but there were several caves in their place, so how would people know whether it is a tomb cave or a normal cave? So the Jews used to whitewash the caves with bright white limestone color, because as they were walking in the roads, hillsides, traveling, they feared that people might inadvertently touch a tomb and thus be defiled. And then, not just washing legs and hands and going into the house like us, no, there was a seven-day ceremonial cleansing process necessary, and especially they are defiled at Passover time, the whole festival is gone. Like when someone dies during festivals, how people don’t celebrate in our culture, like that, if you touch a tomb, the whole festival is gone. Especially during Passover time, the city was overflowing with population everywhere, the land covered with people, so people would not know which is a tomb or a normal cave. So to indicate a tomb, they would whitewash with limestone all the tombs in Jerusalem.

And so as you came into Jerusalem, you’d see these beautiful, clean, white tombs everywhere, dazzling in the sun, looking very beautiful like a new house. But they weren’t what they appeared to be. They were so beautiful and so pure and so white, but they were tombs. And anybody who touched them would be contaminated. And Jesus says, “That’s what you are.”

Outside they appear beautiful, white, and clean, their hairstyle neat, and their pious face filled with compassion, a calm demeanor, and outwardly appearing so pious. They say, “Don’t worry, Jesus calls, Jesus redeems, blesses, blessing,” and they speak with open arms and smooth words, and people flocking around them. But people don’t realize everyone that touches you is defiled in the sight of God. People think if you lay your hands on them, they will be blessed and God will hear their prayers, they will be purified, but the moment they touch you or hear your teaching, people become defiled in their mind and soul and body. A false teacher offers himself as one who will purify the impure, but all he does is contaminate everyone he touches. So you pollute, so you contaminate everybody who touches you.

Verse 27: “For you are like whitewashed tombs… which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, so nice and clean outside.” Can you realize the provocation of this statement? All your religion and show and righteousness is nothing but decoration of a dead body or tomb, “but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” How do you like to see what is inside the grave after three or four days? Nauseating! That is what is inside them.

Their top ambition was to appear righteous before men and they were admired for that. They set outward purity and decency above inward sanctification and purity of heart. They made it a religious duty to cleanse the “outside” of their cups and platters, but neglected their own inward man. Verse 28: “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Lawlessness: disregard for the law of God. Their heart is full of covetousness, adultery, lies, deception, idolatry, murderous angry thoughts. Their heart is full of lawlessness and hypocrisy.

So comes this Woe 7 for deceiving people by outwardly appearing righteous.

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Woe 8: For Terrible Guilt of Rejecting Full Revelation / For Honoring the Dead Prophets, but Plotting the Living Son of God

Verse 29: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’”

This is put as the last woe, and the Lord speaks a lot about this because this is the blackest sin. While God hates false prophets, He honors nothing more than His true prophets. He commands all His people to honor true prophets; we see that again and again in the Bible. He considers what is done to them as if done to Himself. When they touch them, they touch Him (Psalm 105:15: “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”). So when our Lord Jesus comes to this head, He speaks more fully than upon any of the others, for that touches His ministers, “touches his Anointed,” and touches the “apple of his eye.”

The eighth woe is on these people because while they build tombs/memorials for prophets, not just build and forget, but regularly during their death day and birthday adorn the monuments of the righteous, like we celebrate Gandhi Jayanti and Ambedkar birthday to honor them. Like today, ironically, those groups who killed Gandhi go and honor his memorials now. We have built the world’s tallest statue as a memorial, but live completely against their principles. We in the Catholic Church do the same thing: honor all these apostles and saints of old. “Oh, we honor Saint,” and build churches and memorials for so many saints, many of whom they would have killed.

The extravagant respect which the church of Rome pays to the memory of saints departed, especially the martyrs—dedicating days and places to their names, enshrining their relics, praying to them, and offering to their images—while they make themselves drunk with the blood of the saints of their own day, is a manifest proof that they not only succeed, but exceed, the scribes and Pharisees in a counterfeit, hypocritical religion, which builds the prophets’ tombs, but hates the prophets’ doctrine. Let there be saints, but let them not be living here.

So these leaders build memorials and decorate them, and honor them. In the memorial day speech, you know what they say. They protested against the murder of them, verse 30, and say, “If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.”

“Why, we would never have killed the prophets as our fathers have done. They were ignorant of the Scriptures and sinful, but we have grown in the knowledge of God’s Word and are so pious, not idolaters like them. We keep no idols, advanced in religion. We’re so much better than they are. You see, we’re so much holier than they. We’re so far beyond them.” They speak very passionately about great martyrs, how the holy great prophets were killed by their ignorant forefathers. “My blood boils to think that the great holy prophet Isaiah was sawn in two, Jeremiah who wept for our nation was stoned with blood flowing, how others were scourged, tortured. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. My blood boils to think what our fathers did to our prophets. Oh, we will never do such a thing. We would sooner have lost our right hands than have done any such thing.”

The irony is, Jesus had told them in the parable of the vineyard earlier in chapter 21 that the history of Israel is killing the servants of the vineyard owners (the prophets). Finally, when the owner sends his son, this generation will kill him. But they claim, “Oh, we’re better. We would never have done what our forefathers did to the prophets.”

In verse 31 is a direct hit: “Therefore, you are witnesses”—right now on the spot—“you give testimony against yourselves that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets.”

Why? Why does He say that? Well, what were they right there, right then, thinking and plotting to do? What? To kill Him? Kill Him? I mean, they were so consumed with their own lying deceit that they didn’t even see the reality of the fact that they were killing One greater than the prophets, the Son of God. The final prophet of whose coming all the other prophets prophesied. “You give testimony against yourselves.” By their own confession, you say, it was the great wickedness of their forefathers to kill the prophets; so that they knew the fault of it, and yet were themselves guilty by planning to kill the final prophet now. Their own tongues shall be made to fall upon them.

They are going to kill Him, but they, in deception, say, “We would not have killed prophets like our forefathers.” They were at this time plotting to murder Christ, to whom all the prophets bore witness. They think, if they had lived in the days of the prophets, they would have heard them gladly and obeyed; and yet they rebelled against the light that Christ brought into the world.

We are sometimes thinking, if we had lived when Christ was upon earth, how constantly we would have followed Him; we would not have despised and rejected Him, as they then did; and yet Christ in His Spirit, in His Word, in His ministers, is still no better treated.

The next verse is very scary. As He concludes this woe, He gives them up to unredeemable damnation.

Verse 32: “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.”

“Fill them up.” Terrible words. The worst judgment any parent can give to their children is to leave them to do whatever they want. The worst spiritual judgment God can give to anyone is described in Romans 1: God gives them up to the lust of their own hearts, to vile passions. If Ephraim be joined to idols, and hates to be changed, “let him alone.” Here Christ gives them over with these terrible words.

“Fill up” is a term used often in Scripture in connection with sin, judgment, and wrath. Very frequently in the Scripture, the image of a cup being filled to the brim is used in connection with God’s divine wrath. The book of Revelation talks about the cup of God’s wrath or the cup of His fury. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea talk about it. It is even indicated in Matthew later on when Jesus, in the garden, says, “Let this cup pass from me,” and sees it as the cup of divine judgment, the cup of fury.

The picture is that God allows some sinners to go on sinning to the extreme, and that is indicated in a cup. He allows them to sin more and more. He removes His restraining grace and control, so they fill the cup of His wrath without control. Once they fill it, He can pour His most horrible, maximum wrath and judgment on them, and through that, glorify His attribute of justice and wrath. So the universe can see how infinitely great His wrath and justice are. That is a terrible truth.

It is like a dam getting filled and filled. After a point, it bursts out with wrath, and a flood is poured on the heads of people. We may wonder why God keeps quiet when false teachers do so many horrible things in His name, why He allows so much injustice to happen in Ukraine, why He allows Russia to go on with this war, killing so many. In His providence, He has allotted a cup. “Okay, fill it, fill it, so when you fill it to the brim, I can pour My utter wrath on you and glorify My justice and wrath.” So you fill up a cup of sin, so the cup of wrath and judgment can become full.

So here our Lord, amazingly in a command, says to them, “fill it up, finish it off, do the rest of the evil that has to be done.” It’s amazing to think that the Lord Jesus Christ, as pure and holy as He is as God, could command anyone to do maximum evil. But He does, in effect, say, “fill it up.” It is a similar thing to the fact that He said to Judas in John 13:27, “What you do, do quickly.” Go do it. It isn’t that Jesus desired that evil be done, it is only that since evil was to be done, Jesus said, “get it over with.” It is a command where He removes His restraining grace on them, and now they will plunge full swing to do evil and be instruments in Satan’s hand to do history’s most heinous crime of killing God.

“Go ahead. You’re scheming to kill the greatest Prophet of all. That’ll fill up the full measure of the murderous attitude of your people against God’s messengers. Do it. You say you are better than your fathers who killed prophets; you are the worst. You are going to kill God. You are going to top off the accumulated cup of sin of the nation Israel, of the people whom God revealed His truth to. You’re going to fill it up. Get it over with. Get it done that judgment may come.”

Now notice what He calls this cup. He calls it the “measure of your fathers’ guilt.” Fill it up, the same cup your fathers were filling. It’s as if the history of Israel has been a history of filling up a cup with sin, a cup of wrath which will bring inevitable judgment, and they’ve been doing that. Starting from their forefathers when they set up the calf, tested God in the wilderness, grumbled again and again—God was patient, patient, long-suffering. All successive generations of the Jewish nation have been sinning and sinning and sinning, and He even chastised them through captivity, but then He brought them back, and they just kept filling and filling and filling the cup. And now by killing their own Messiah, they will fill it, and finally judgment comes.

It’s a cumulative thing that He speaks of. The wickedness of each succeeding generation contributes, then, to the final result, and the Lord is saying the limit of Israel’s evil is almost reached. God’s tolerance has its limits. You have it back in Genesis where God says in chapter 6, “My Spirit will not always strive with men.” And what does He do? He destroys the whole world in a flood, leaving only eight souls. And what God was saying is, “It’s full.” The cup of man’s wickedness is filled up. That’s it. There’s no more room for anything else. And He comes in judgment. In Revelation, we see when the world fills the cup of His wrath, a time comes, the filling up of the cup of wrath is done. God takes no more sin in the cup. That’s it. Then He comes to judge them. The Winepress of the Fierceness and Wrath of Almighty God. And there is a limit to what God will allow. There is only so much wickedness before judgment comes. And that is true in this case in the nation Israel.

They pride themselves, “Oh, we would have never killed the prophets like our forefathers,” so holier than them. And He says to them, “Who are you kidding? You are so worst that you actually be filling the cup of your fathers’ sins.”

He continues to say their ruin is inescapable and irrecoverable, how graphically He says this.

Verse 33: “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”

“Serpents” (ophis) are subtle as serpents, cleaving to the earth, feeding on dust. They had a specious outside, but were within malignant, had poison under their tongues, the seed of the old serpent. In their unregenerate state, they had the poison of the old serpent against God and His prophet, spitting venom. “Brood of vipers,” a generation of vipers: a terrible scene—their forefathers were before them, and they were a generation of envenomed, enraged, spiteful adversaries to God and His Kingdom. “Brood of vipers”—imagine a sight full of thousands of snakes one upon another, full of poison; chilling.

A viper is a small poisonous snake in Palestine that lives down in the desert area of Israel and looks like a stick. They would look like a small twig or a broken branch or a small stick, and maybe in gathering sticks for a fire, you would collect one in your hands, and the next thing you knew, those teeth would plunge their way into your arm or your hand and they would not be able to be torn loose, such as happened to the apostle Paul in the book of Acts, and God spared him miraculously. This is a poison snake that is impossible to detect in some situations—deceitful and deadly. Same poisonous, deadly, deceitful snakes: wicked, subtle, poisonous, deadly, deceitful creatures. It was no compliment to be called an echidna, and when Jesus called them that, everyone knew what He was saying.

Verse 33: “How can you escape the damnation of Gehenna?” Gehenna is the word that is the symbol of hell, the constantly burning trash pile and dump. “How can you escape it?” And the answer is: they can’t. No way. This fits the imagery. In a field in those days, even today, after harvest they would burn the remaining stubble. When the farmer burns the stubble off, these snakes hiding inside, these echidna, would come up out of their holes, and they would wiggle as fast as they could, racing ahead of the fire to escape it, but they never were fast enough to escape the fire, but burned. So He says, “How will you escape the judgment fire, brood of vipers? Do you think you can outrun the fire of God?” Not a chance, not a chance.

This doom, coming from Christ, was more terrible than coming from all the prophets and ministers that ever were, for He is the sole Mediator through whom we can escape the condemnation of hell. If He says, “How can you escape,” and is saying they were damned, they are truly damned. Of all sinners, if we have this spirit of the scribes and Pharisees, we will never escape this damnation.

If this is scaring, we have still not started. This is the beginning. Look at what He says. Very scary: as part of the final woe, as part of this terrible judgment of removing His restraining grace and allowing them to fill the cup of their fathers, He grants them a gift in verse 34.

Verse 34: “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city.”

“Therefore,” because of your hardness, hypocrisy, blindness, fools, as blind guides, brood of poisonous deceivers, you’ve rejected the truth of God, rejected the righteous spokesman of God, rejected even the Son of God. Because of that, “I”—that’s emphatic in the Greek, Christ is the One who is sending—“I am sending unto you prophets, wise men, and scribes.” Wait, aren’t these gifts Christ gives to the church? The connection is strange: “You are a generation of vipers, not likely to escape the damnation of hell.” One would think it should follow, “Therefore you shall never have a prophet sent to you anymore.” “I am sending unto you,” and you’d think He’d say judgment, wrath, vengeance. But no, “Therefore I will send unto you prophets, wise men and scribes.”

It says “therefore.” This is the consequence: “I’m sending unto you prophets, wise men, and scribes.” Well, why does He say that? What is He talking about? Why? Because this is what will make you fill up the cup of iniquity. Prophets, wise men, and scribes are all Jewish terms for God’s messengers. Prophets would be preachers. Wise men would be teachers. Scribes would be writers. Why?

“I am sending you these people, not so that you might have another chance to believe and be saved, but that you might have continued opportunities to hear God’s truth, harden your heart against it, and continue to reject so that you will pile upon yourself a greater weight of guilt, which deserves a severer judgment.” This will help you fill up the cup of iniquity. It’s a fearful thought, but that’s what He’s saying.

Verse 34 continued: “…some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.”

Do you see the point? It’s a heavy passage. And He’s saying, “I want you who are so guilty to be more guilty yet and to bear the full weight of your sin.”

“I’m going to send you these people, the best prophets, wise men, and scribes, the best ones, and I know what you’re going to do.” You’re not going to believe them as a nation as a whole, you leaders. Some will believe, as in Acts, but as a whole, you leaders, and as a whole, this nation will not receive them but rather will kill them and persecute them. And therefore, you will pile more guilt upon your head and be worthy of greater judgment. “You will bring on yourselves the filling up of the cup of wrath and the blood of all the righteous.” And then God will judge you with severity. And this way, the religious leaders would fill up the accumulated guilt from the history of the death of the righteous.

Now notice in verse 34 He says some of them you will kill and crucify. Kill probably refers to the Jewish method of stoning, and some crucify using the Roman method. They did that. They crucified Jesus using the Romans as the executioners; Peter was crucified upside down. They stoned Stephen; they killed James, and many others. We don’t know how we could count them all. History doesn’t reveal all of them to us. And then the ones they didn’t kill, they brought very near to death. Scourging: they scourged Peter and John.

Scourge them where? In the synagogue, in their place of worship, in the pretense of religion, as they did it as a service to the church and God: “Let the Lord be glorified.” Paul was repeatedly beaten with rods and whips by the Jews. And the ones they didn’t scourge, they pursued from city to city to city. We see that with the apostle Paul—the pursuing, the chasing them everywhere. As the apostles went from city to city to preach the Gospel, the Jews dodged them, and haunted them, and stirred up persecution against them (Acts 14:19; 17:13). They pursued Christians to punish them, to persecute them at Antioch, at Pisidia, at Iconium, at Lystra, at Thessalonica, at Berea, at Corinth, at Jerusalem, at Caesarea. It was a way of life for the early church, always running from the persecution of these false spiritual leaders of Israel who sought to stamp out the Gospel of Christ.

So He says, “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” To fill that up, “I will gift you.” “I’m going to send more preachers and more teachers and more writers, and you’re going to fill it up by killing them and persecuting them.” And then you’re going to fill that cup up so much that “upon you”—

That in verse 35 says: “that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth.” The whole thing is going to come apart. The dam is going to take only so much and it’s going to break on you. The cup of wrath will be filled.

The word “that on you” (hopōs) means purpose: “for the purpose that upon you may come the righteous blood.” God’s purpose is to let this generation fill up the final act of atrocity against the righteous by massacring the Savior Himself and His followers, and then God’s judgment will pour itself out.

And you’re going to be suffering the just punishment of all that blood from righteous martyrs, starting from Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom you slew between the temple and the altar. From A to Z, from the beginning of the Old Testament, Genesis chapter 4, the first murder of a righteous man (Cain killed Abel). And He sweeps them all the way through their history, all the way through to the conclusion of the Old Testament era and the last Old Testament martyr, Zechariah, son of Barachiah, and they murdered him between the temple and the altar. In the temple and in the name of God they did it.

Now, how will the guilt of what their fathers did also be piled on them? And listen carefully to me. The longer they have rejected the truth and refused to repent, and the more information they have that they have rejected, and the more lessons given them from which they have not learned and repented, the greater the guilt. Do you understand that? Judgment will be based on the amount of light you have; the more truth you know, when you don’t allow truth to change you, the greater the judgment. So that the people in Jesus’ time have greater guilt than anyone that ever lived before them. You say, “Well, their forefathers had the law of God.” Yes, but they had the law of God, the teaching of all the Old Testament prophets, and in addition, the forerunner John the Baptist and their Messiah Himself, the final prophet Himself, coming and giving them full revelation of truth and teaching Jesus in word and works, and sometime even His apostles.

And not only that, they should have learned of God’s judgment on past apostates and past murderers of the righteous. They should have learned from them not to do that. So they had accumulated revelation and they had accumulated lessons from history, all of which they rejected. Therefore, their accumulative guilt is surpassing that of any generation prior to them.

And so it all breaks on their heads. How can one generation be held responsible for all the righteous blood? Because of its constant rejection of full light, constant rejection of all the lessons of history.

One generation which duplicates the sins of past generations and rejects the lessons of past history and rejects the revelation of God that it has, brings upon itself a more profound judgment. So judgment is cumulative. And He says this to them, Verse 36: “Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”

All what things? All this guilt. All this guilt for righteous blood is going to break on your heads. It’s all going to break on you. This generation. The destruction shall be so dreadful, as if God had once for all arraigned them for all the righteous blood shed in the world. “It shall come upon this generation,” which intimates that it shall come quickly; some here shall live to see it. Note: The sorer and nearer the punishment of sin is, the louder is the call to repentance and reformation.

This nation at this time and this place in history, you fill the cup up when you kill the Savior and His apostles. You’ve filled it up, that’s it. It’s going to break on you. And it did, by the way. It did. The Lord was crucified as we shall see a few days later. And it wasn’t but a few years after that, in A.D. 70, that the judgment of God came, and that judgment physically that came in A.D. 70 against the nation Israel was only a symbol of the eternal damnation that came against those Christ rejecters.

Oh, there were some who believed in the midst, but as a whole, the nation rejected. And that judgment that fell on them in A.D. 70, He is going to talk about that in the next chapter, how their nation and temple will be destroyed, not one stone upon another.

Today we hear about what Ukraine is going through, but much, much worse the judgment came in A.D. 70, and it was a holocaust to end all holocausts. It is called by Luke, in chapter 21:22, “the days of vengeance.” If Christ was crucified in A.D. 33, in A.D. 66, the revolution broke out against Rome. They took as much as they could take of Roman oppression. It was about May of 66. And Rome struck back, and they started a bloody battle in Galilee and started slaughtering the Jews in the north in Galilee. And finally Titus came down to the city of Jerusalem with an army in excess of 80,000 men.

Josephus, the great Jewish historian, was there and has written the full record of it, so we know what happened. And Josephus fills in all kinds of information for us. The 80,000 men came in, they got all around the city. The Jews didn’t allow them to enter their capital, refused to surrender, and the siege broke out and the war broke out. It’s beyond description. Absolutely beyond description to tell what happened. The Romans who were outside the city had the Jews captive in the city. Any Jew outside was immediately killed. In fact, they put crosses up all around the city so Jews could look out of the city and see crucified Jews everywhere. When they caught a Jew, they crucified him outside the city.

They built a mound outside the city so that the Jews could not escape, and that’s a very common Roman technique. They would catapult 300-kg boulders over the walls and crush the buildings and the people inside. They built battering rams. They built weapons out of the wood, and what the Jews did was set all that on fire. And so every time the Jews burned that up, they took more trees and built more weapons. And so for months, they were stripping the forest as they built machines and the Jews burned them up because they were made of wood. And inside the city, there were all kinds of problems going on. In fact, there was even an internal revolution among the Jews and they were killing each other. The Romans sealed off the city eventually, and starvation and famine began to work its terrible work.

An unbearable stench began to rise from within the city because of the death. And they threw at least 100,000 bodies—according to Josephus, they threw 100,000 bodies out over the wall just to get rid of the decay and the stink, and so the outer part of Jerusalem was just covered with dead bodies decaying. It’s an unbelievable thing. Finally, the temple was destroyed by fire, and in August of A.D. 70, the Roman soldiers went into the temple location and lifted their own banners in the very holy place and sacrificed to their false Gods.

Caesar then ordered that the whole city of Jerusalem be razed to the ground, and it was completely leveled. All that was left was a small part of the Western Wall. There were, according to Josephus, 1,100,000 dead Jews, 100,000 were taken into prison as prisoners. Out of one city gate, they hauled over 115,000 corpses of Jews—out of one city gate. They obliterated them.

God said, “The cup is full,” that’s it. God’s Spirit does not always strive with man. And so the word of judgment was imminent condemnation and it came, and it came fast. That’s how God feels about sin. That’s how God feels about the rejection of His truth and His Son. That’s not the end of the story.

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Lessons from the Final Woes

We have seen the final two woes. Indeed they are terrible woes.

First Lesson: Hypocrisy (Woe 7)

Woe 7: For deceiving people by outwardly appearing righteous.

Hypocrisy. Let us look at our own heart. Are we hypocrites in heart?

Learn from this passage our Lord’s knowledge of and attitude towards religious hypocrisy. Where multitudes were duped, our Lord was not. “You outwardly appear, but inwardly you are.” There is a discrepancy of what you are and what you appear.

“Are you for real?” Outwardly you appear, when I look at you now, you appear hungry for the Word, interested in listening to His preaching, His truth. You appear. But my question is, what are you? Are you what you appear? Jesus said to the church in Sardis, “You have a name to be alive, but inside you are dead.”

Jesus is in the midst of His church with eyes of flame of fire. He knows what I am, what you are. He knows us through and through. All together, are we real? We know all too well, don’t we, what different people we are inside than we are outside; what a world we live in in our hearts; what an inner self, our true self, we hide from others. Full of nauseating things: hypocrisy and lawlessness, lust, covetousness, murderous anger.

That double man who lives—it is a spiritual disease, and God hates it. That can be cured only by Jesus. When we come broken-hearted to Him, realizing what hypocrites we are, “Lord, search me and know me, there is so much hypocrisy in me.” With a true sense of our guilt of hypocrisy, in a posture of faith and trust in Him, “Lord, heal me from this disease.” How much He warns, “You shall not use leaven in the Old Testament; all your offerings to Me should be without leaven.”

He teaches that the leaven that can spread unknowingly is the leaven of the Pharisees, and repeatedly warns, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,” which is hypocrisy. How much we should watch our hearts and prepare our hearts so our worship and prayer is not mixed with this leaven. We appear outside, but inside something else. Oh, may we take this warning, see how much Christ hates it.

Are we pursuing heart holiness? I didn’t say perfect, but reality, not advanced. Are you for real?

Oh, may we be very concerned with heart purity. Guard our heart with all diligence. My heart should be concerned for heart purity, when horrible things go on there. Full of nauseating things, like a graveyard: hypocrisy and lawlessness, lust, covetousness, murderous anger. When we have something going on in our heart, you are pained and ashamed as if the whole church with the pastor saw you doing that, and you feel ashamed and plead with Him. You know He looks at them as block letters.

Are we pursuing heart holiness? I didn’t say perfect, but reality, not advanced. Are you for real? If you are not, you may fool elders, brothers, and sisters, but listen to the words of Jesus, “You shall receive greater condemnation.” If you fooled us all, what good have you done on that Day? Before all men and all angels, He removes your mask and shows who you are, says, “Depart from Me, you cursed, woe to you.”

What is the point of fooling all of us? Jesus Christ knows what you are. If you are not real, go to Him, until He makes you real. He sees every detail of the soul. What does He see in you now? Any of us are capable of masquerading as Christians quite successfully before others, but none can do so before Jesus Christ.

Second Lesson: Cumulative Guilt and God’s Judgment (Woe 8)

Woe 8: For the terrible guilt of rejecting full revelation.

This lesson teaches that there is a measure of sin to be filled up, before utter ruin comes upon persons and families, churches, and nations. God allows every man to a measure. God will bear long, but the time will come when He can no longer forbear. We read, “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete,” (Genesis 15:16) that was to be filled before God destroys them. Today if you are sitting here, and not obeying His truth, and thinking God is not doing anything to you, Romans 2 says you are doing a wrong calculation. This is the riches of His forbearance and longsuffering. “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

Secondly, children fill up the measure of their fathers’ sins when they are gone, if they persist in the same or the like. That national guilt which brings national ruin is made up of the sin of many in several ages, and in the successions of societies there is a score going on; for God justly visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children that tread in the steps of it. If you continue to sin against God, He will bring the guilt of all your forefathers who rejected the Gospel upon you—both physical father and spiritual forefathers of hypocrites upon you—filling the cup of your fathers.

Thirdly, persecuting Christ, and His people and ministers, is a sin that fills the measure of a nation’s guilt sooner than any other. This was it that brought wrath without remedy upon the fathers (2 Chronicles 36:16), and wrath to the utmost upon the children too (1 Thessalonians 2:16). This was that fourth transgression, of which, when added to the other three, the Lord would not turn away the punishment (Amos 1:3; 1:6; 1:9; 1:11; 1:13).

Fourthly, it is just with God to give those up to their own heart’s lusts, who obstinately persist in the gratification of them. Who reject truth. Those who will run headlong to ruin, let the reins be laid on their neck, and it is the saddest condition a man can be in on this side hell.

Listen friends, that’s God talking in the person of Jesus Christ. God is a God of judgment and vengeance, and we must not forget that. This teaches us sometimes, the purpose of sending the preachers is not for grace, it’s for judgment. And may I suggest this to you: when you hear the message of Jesus Christ and you hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is a message unto salvation or it is a message unto judgment. And the more you hear it, the more it comes to you as a message of grace; and the more you reject it, the more it piles upon you the guilt of judgment. For the more you have, the more you’re responsible for. To whom much is given, much is required.

Better off only to have heard once than to have heard a multiplicity of times and continue to reject, you just pile on greater guilt. And ultimately, that’s what the Lord is saying here.

Not just here. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 14. In 2 Corinthians 2:14, he says, “Thanks be unto God.” And this is a most unusual passage: “Thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ and makes manifest the smell of His knowledge by us in every place.” Now I want you to listen to this. Paul says, “I’m thankful that no matter what I do, no matter where I preach, no matter what the response is, we triumph.” Every time a preacher preaches the Gospel, he’s victorious. Every time the Word goes forth, it accomplishes the purpose to which it was sent.

And listen to me, the purpose is not always salvation. The purpose sometimes is compounded guilt. Do you understand that? The purpose sometimes is to bring the grace of salvation to the heart, and God is glorified through His grace. The purpose other times is to compound guilt, to bring judgment, and God is equally glorified through His judgment because God is as much a God of judgment as He is a God of grace. I don’t know that we have understood that properly.

And so verse 15 says, “For”—here’s why we can thank God that we always triumph—“For we are unto God a sweet aroma of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish.”

Why? You say, “You mean it’s a sweet aroma in God’s presence when people perish? It’s a sweet smell to God when people perish?” It’s hard for us to understand that. But God is as much revealed in His glory in the devastation of judgment as He is in the expression of grace and salvation.

God is not lopsided. He’s not all love and grace and kindness and mercy. He’s a God of holiness and a God of justice and a God of judgment and a God of wrath and a God of vengeance against evil. And if men choose that, He will be glorified in their condemnation as much as He is glorified in the conversion of those who believe. God will be glorified either way. And so it is a sweet aroma to them that are saved and them that perish. To the ones who are saved, it is an aroma, says verse 16, “of life unto life.” To the ones who perish, it is an aroma “of death unto death.” What a statement!

So, Paul says we don’t corrupt the Word of God in verse 17. We don’t alter the message. We give it as straight as it can be given, and we know that we triumph every time we give it because God is glorified. When some believe, He’s glorified in His great grace. When some reject, He’s glorified in His holy judgment against their rejection and their sin. Do you see the point? And God has to be glorified as much in this end as He is in that end, else He is not revealing Himself fully as God.

You see, even in Isaiah’s time, God sends him for this purpose.

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

In Revelation 22:11, at the conclusion of all that God could possibly say, at the last chapter in the Bible, the message is all given. This is the last word: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. He that is filthy, let him be filthy still. He that is righteous, let him be righteous still. He that is holy, let him be holy still.” In other words, as it is at the end, so it’ll be forever. And if you are unjust and filthy, then let it be so forever. God will be glorified even in that act of judgment against your ungodliness. If you are righteous and godly, let it be that forever. God will be glorified through that as well.

We all know from Romans 9 that we are to ask Him: if God wants to display His wrath and His power against sin on vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, then so what? Doesn’t He have a right to do that? He’s God. And on the other hand, He will show the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy as well. God has to be seen in His wholeness, and God is as much glorified in His wrath against ungodliness as He is in His grace towards those who believe.

Oh, terrible as judgment, He says, “I will send more prophets, wise men, and more books will be given to you, so you may reject all that light and increase your condemnation.” Is Christ doing something like that to you? You keep hearing more and more, yet your heart is not changed. Why does He continue to give us more truth? So that truth can increase our guilt and our punishment? Oh, how terrible a thought!

Oh, may we take this warning to heart and ensure we hear His Word every time with diligence, prayer, preparedness of heart, in faith, accept, and ensure the Word changes us. And never be people hearing, hearing, hearing and accumulating guilt, and filling the cup.

May this cause us to shudder in repentance.

Mat 23;16-26 ¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ ¹⁷ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? ¹⁸ And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ ¹⁹ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? ²⁰ Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. ²¹ He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who ^[dwells in it. ²² And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. ²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! ²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and ^[l]self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Matthew chapter 23 stands as a peak above all other peaks in Scripture in condemning false teachers with verses 1–36. Its unmitigated, unhesitant condemnation is filled with weighty words. It is not easy to preach the passage of the eight woes. The term “woe” itself is so terrible—not actually a word, but a deep guttural sound coming from one who can measure and feel the infinite, awful, terrible wrath of God that will fall upon these people for all eternity. These woes are poured on the scribes and the Pharisees as they are the models of all other false spiritual leaders that existed before them and after them. It is very relevant to us, just like that day when Israel was spiritually dead, living in a decaying society with a terrible political scenario. We find in our nation that churches are filled with these scribes and Pharisees, and they are the greatest hindrance to the Gospel and the advancement of the Kingdom of God. They are a big hindrance for God to send any revival or reformation in our country.

We have to meditate on this and learn how to react to these men in our time. Peter, who was standing there and listening, learned the lesson well because we see him using the same tone with scathing rebukes when talking about false teachers in the New Testament church in 2 Peter 2. Now many are stumbled at this language, and even when we speak, people get offended. Why does the Lord use such stern language and unrelenting condemnation? See, we would have no problem if the Lord rebuked like this some criminal drug dealers who spoil thousands of young people’s lives, or child rapists who rape hundreds of children, or serial killers who destroy only the bodies of people in this world. But do we realize that false teachers do much more damage? They not only destroy bodies and their lives on this earth, but eternally destroy souls, damning eternal souls. We saw last week:

• Woe 1: For hindering people from truly getting saved. Neither will they go into the Kingdom, nor allow others. That is their definition: they exist, preach, set up organizations, and do everything with the goal of not allowing people to be truly saved.
• Woe 2: For making themselves rich by robbing the poorest with a show of devotion. They devour widows’ houses to gain people’s trust, making long prayers.
• Woe 3: For making their false converts double children of hell. They travel land and sea and convert people, and the influence of their teaching and conversion makes that person twice a child of hell. He will never be able to be saved, but slide into hell.

One side hinders people from getting saved, another side makes them twice children of hell, and in this great sacred profession, they devour the poorest people. What can be a greater crime? Aren’t they worse than child rapists or serial killers who can just harm the body?

The worst culprits, the worst people we should strongly expose and rebuke are the false teachers, much more than serial killers or child rapists. Until and unless we don’t see from the Lord’s perspective, we will continue to be spineless pacifists, talking in a wishy-washy way, showing no conviction for truth. So let’s deeply meditate, and may the Holy Spirit transform our minds and hearts. May He fill us with the zeal and burning with which the Lord opposed them, and may we learn from the Lord, just like Peter learned and preached in his epistle. They don’t stop with three woes. There are five more. We will look at three more terrible things they do.

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Woe 4: For Developing a System Filled with Lies in the Name of God

Verse 16: “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’”

Woe 4 is that they build a system full of lies in God’s name. They are always lying and teaching others to lie.

Notice how they did it, verse 16. “Woe unto you,” and while in the previous three woes He called them “hypocrites,” phonies, deceivers, now He graduates them and gives them another title. He calls them “blind guides,” because they lived under the illusion that they were the guides of the blind. All men are blind, but they are enlightened Rabbis who guide the blind to the path of light. He says, “You are nothing but blind guides.” Earlier, in a graphic way in Matthew 15:14, He said, “The blind are leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, both are going to fall in a ditch.” That’s a very blistering statement because they prided themselves on their spiritual sight and ability to guide people. He says here were the people blind, here were their leaders blind, and the blind leaders were trying to guide the blind people. How do these blind leaders lead the blind people?

This is what they teach: “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.” Now, what is this? Well, they were liars to start with, and all false spiritual leaders are liars. They also teach and encourage people how to lie in the name of God. I mean, that’s just part of it all. But in order to cover their tracks and to appear pious, they had developed a system by which they could lie without any consequences/punishment.

One expression of depravity is that we all have a tendency toward lying. The world is full of lies. When we were unbelievers, one of the sins we easily did was regularly lie. So people would not believe us. So what did we do? When we wanted people to believe what we said, we would say, “Mother promise,” “Father promise,” “Child promise.” I still remember one guy who openly lied like a waterfall and only spoke the truth once in a while. So he would keep saying for everything, “Mother promise I will do.” Then when we asked him, “Why didn’t you do that?” he would say, “Hey, I told you your mother promise I will do, not my mother promise. So I am not obligated to do it.” The world plays around with that kind of lying system. That is the system these people had.

The leaders and people were filled with unregenerate liars. It had come to the point where people lied constantly and there was no way that you could trust anyone, unless you designed some means of making a person verbally bound to keep their word. So they made people promise, and they gave in their traditional teaching opportunities to lie, and did it in an ingenious way of getting around their promises.

How? Oaths were a big thing during that era, with people swearing by this thing and that. See, a man comes to the temple, hears an emotional sermon preached by a Pharisee, is moved, just like you see in many churches. They should stand up and scream, “Hallelujah,” “Hosanna Lord,” “Amazing! Lord did a miracle for me!” and in a moment of emotional piety, they want to stand up in front of people and say, “Hallelujah! Lord spoke to me today through Pharisee Dhinakaran. I will give my life to God, like Zacchaeus. From today, I will give all my money, four times more, to the temple and the pastor. I surrender all to my God.”

But how can we trust him? So they made him swear. Oh, but when you swear in emotional feelings of “Hallelujah,” you may not be serious, right? Later you will realize you will need that money, you really cannot give. You were not serious. But they wanted people to stand up and scream “Hallelujah.” “I will give all my body, wealth, soul to God.” “Pharisee Pastor Thangiah, your preaching changed my heart. Hallelujah!” “When Pharisee Dinakaran prayed, God spoke to me; Jesus appeared to me; He laid His hand on me, kissed me, took me to heaven, showed me apostle Peter and Paul, and then took me to hell. My life is changed. I am all God’s.” All those lying testimonies they need, and they even made them swear by God that they will do that and this. So people are all impressed. “See how Pharisee preaching/praying changed his life. What a powerful ministry he is doing!” He is not just saying, but even swearing. Their whole religious show goes on based on these lying testimonies and swearing, right? But most of those testimonies are emotional lies. How can you promise and lie?

So they developed a system where they can give a testimony even by swearing, but don’t have to keep it. You see. So they teach: “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.”

When you feel that emotional feeling, don’t stop, don’t worry about whether you will keep any promises or not. Just get up, raise your hand, and praise God. Come to the stage and say, “I will give my whole wealth to God. Whatever I earn, 50% goes to God.” Say whatever you want, emotional. People should be amazed. But you can promise by the temple because “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.” You see.

They developed a system where people can lie in the name of God. “But we are lying.” “Ah, don’t worry, you are giving glory to God. Imagine how many people will believe this and know God. Your testimony we will share in our Pharisee magazines.” When people ask, “You said you promised to give your life to God, what happened?” “Oh, you see, Pharisee Scribes tradition section 22 says a promise by the temple is nothing. I didn’t promise by the gold of the temple.” So they would praise “Hallelujah” and sentimentally swear they would do such-and-such, but in the process found it to be inconvenient or too costly. Then they had a quick out. “If I had sworn by the gold of the temple, then you could catch me. But as it is, an oath made on the temple is nothing.” “I am not lying. I swear to glorify God.” They saw themselves as quite righteous in the way they did this. If you think this sounds like “double-speak,” you are exactly right.

The point is they had developed a system where they could lie. And so in verse 19, He doesn’t even deal with the injustice, lying. He deals with the stupidity of it. To convict them of folly, He appeals to themselves: “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?”

Which is greater: the gold, meaning vessels, ornaments, the treasury, or the temple that sanctifies (makes the gold sacred)? Any thinking person will realize that the sacredness of the gold comes because of the temple—it’s where God dwells. This gold is made holy because it is in the service of the holy temple. And therefore the temple cannot be less holy than the gold, but must be more so; for the gold is blessed and sanctified by the temple.

But these blind men, He calls them morons, blinded and eyes full of covetousness, don’t see any value in the holy temple of God’s presence, but value the shining gold. Today gold rate is high per gram! “Blind people, you say the temple is nothing and gold is important.” What a ridiculous method of cheating and violating your word. Their eyes are on the gold. One preacher said emotionally in the worship time, “Take your chain, earrings, give it to God now, now, now. You will be cursed if not.” So their eyes are on gold.

Then, they didn’t stop with that—another method to lie. Verse 18: “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’”

See their eyes are on gold and gifts, not on the temple or the altar. See this again, their greediness, to encourage people to bring gifts to the altar and gold to the treasures of the temple. So, gold without the temple or a gift without the altar is nothing.

So they teach, “If you promise by the altar it’s nothing, but whatever the gift is on the altar, whoever swears by the gift that’s on it, he’s bound.”

Verse 19: “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?”

“You morons,” What’s the gift if it isn’t on the altar? I mean, it’s ridiculous. It’s illogical. It doesn’t make sense. A gift standing alone is nothing. It’s only when it’s on an altar offered to God that it becomes holy. In other words, if you think by doing that, you’re touching something that’s not connected to God, you’re wrong. You’re wrong.

So He says, in verse 20: “Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.”

Everything you touch eventually is going back to God, right? You swear by anything that represents God—a gift, an altar, the gold of the temple, the temple, the heaven of heavens, the throne of God—and you’re going to touch the God who fills it all. In other words, “Have you forgotten that God is everywhere, as creator of all and Lord of all?”

He rectifies the mistake by showing the true intent of an oath. An oath is an appeal to God, to His omniscience and justice; and to make this appeal to any creature is to put that creature in the place of God. Whatever you promise by the temple, or the altar, or heaven, it is made on God. The temple is where He dwells, and you are calling Himself as witness for your oath. If you swore by His throne, you swear by Him that sits upon it. You should fulfill it with all seriousness, and never lie in anything related to God. Never ever speak lies to God. If you fail, the oath shall be construed most strongly against yourself, and it is an affront done to Him in the form of the oath, so He will certainly take revenge for the greater affront done to Him by the violation of it.

False teachers create a world of lies. Oh, are you able to see this today? Politicians lie because that is the way they can run politics; the world lies because it is controlled by the father of lies. We all lived as children of the father of lies. It is only regeneration that breaks down the lying tendencies of fallenness and replaces it with truth. And that is a redemptive work, a sanctifying work, a work of regeneration. God regenerates a soul by truth, and it is truth that God uses to sanctify a soul, and God is a God of truth, and He hates all lying.

The Old Testament clearly commands that when you make a vow to God, don’t do it foolishly or emotionally. When you make one, pay your vows. God hates lying. In Psalm 50, verse 14: “Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the Most High.” Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Promise to God; keep your promise. Psalm 66:13: “I will go into the house with burnt offerings. I will pay thee my vows.”

In the New Testament in the Sermon on the Mount 5, the Lord rebuked this system and said, “You are My people of truth, regenerated. You ought to swear not at all, right? But let your communication be—what?—Yes, No.” In other words, such a person of integrity, such a person of truth, that if I say to God, “Yes, God,” then that’s exactly what I mean. And if I say, “No,” that’s exactly what I mean, and I don’t have to say, “I swear on a stack of Bibles,” “mother promise,” or “father promise.” As God’s child, my word is my bond. God is very serious that this is how the world should know His people.

In order to show how serious He is about this, how much God hates wrong promises in His name, He gave a graphic illustration in the New Testament church, Ananias and Sapphira. They said, “We’re going to give all we receive from the sale of this property to God.” Boy, it sounded so religious, so pious, so dedicated, so spiritual. They got a lot of money, they looked at it and said, “We made a mistake. Look at all this. The church budget doesn’t even need it. They won’t know what to do with it. I’m not sure we can trust them down there. We can’t give all this. We’ll keep part of it.” And you know what God did? Killed them in front of the whole congregation. They dropped dead. I imagine it had a rather great effect on next week’s offering.

The passage ends by saying, “So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.” The lying world heard this, was scared, and knew these people are people of truth. Only truly saved people joined them. The Lord wanted us to be people of truth.

Oh, how it should break our heart! In the name of Christ, our country is filled with a lying system—lies, lies, lies. These churches will beat politicians and the world in lying. But these people are working for the devil, who is the father of all lies, but posing as if they are children of God. To develop a false system in the name of God is a lying system. Preachers giving false promises to people and cheating them. People giving false testimonies and growing their ministries. This is the norm. Even the world mocks at Christianity, how much it is trolled. The whole of Christianity has become a business, commercialized. How sad.

Whose eyes were on the gold and gifts of people, not on the temple or the altar, or the truth. They encouraged people to bring gifts to the altar and gold to the treasures of the temple, claiming gold without the temple or a gift without the altar was nothing. Oh, what drama, what screams of “Hallelujah!” When a preacher preaches, people come forward and commit and swear to give their lives emotionally. I have seen the same person getting saved after praying hundreds of times. All the testimonies were, “I saw Jesus,” “I was healed of this and that,” “I swear by God.” Many of them were lies. By a thousand artifices, they made religion yield to their worldly interests.

Corrupt church guides made things to be sin or not sin as it served their purposes, and laid a much greater stress on that which concerned their own gain than on that which was for God’s glory and the good of souls. The whole system operated in lies. And false spiritual leaders needed that because they lied all the time. So they had to cover themselves and appear pious and develop some kind of system where they could make their pious promises of what they’re going to do and still change their mind conveniently.

Do you see what damage these people are doing to the name of Christ and the Kingdom of God? Oh, how should we pray that God rebuke them and stop their work so that the name of God is not blasphemed among the Gentiles?

These people, with their lying system, had found a way to seemingly get around the ninth commandment, “You shall not bear false witness.” They not only broke the ninth commandment but also the third, since they took the Lord’s name in vain by their oaths.

They subverted the truth. False spiritual leaders don’t tell the truth, but they parade piety, trying to cover up for their lying pretense. We need to be careful of that. They subvert whole houses. They, by their great covetousness, as Peter says, use feigned words to make merchandise out of you. They lie. They say they need money when they don’t need money. They say God told them something when He never told them anything. They say Jesus led them into something when He never led them into anything. They lie. Beware of those liars who are false spiritual leaders.

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Woe 5: For Being Strict with Small External Duties and Neglecting Important Spiritual Duties

Verse 23: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

Woe 5 shows they are very strict and precise in the smaller matters of the law, but careless and loose in the weightier matters. Their priorities are completely reversed, reversing values. They pay tithes of what? Mint, anise, and cumin. Mint, dill seeds, and cumin—tiny spice items, all used for flavoring food.

Now, in the Old Testament law, God instructed His people to give one-tenth of all their crops to the temple, which was run by the government. That’s how the priests were supported because the government was a theocracy run by priests. The Old Testament said in Leviticus 27:30 and Deuteronomy 14:22 that this included, quote, “all the increase of thy seed.” Now, what that meant was, you plant your seed and whatever you get of the increase, you tithe that.

But these literalists had taken that to the absolute ridiculous extreme. In the house, they grew some kitchen items: mint and dill. The smallest kitchen spices. And when it came time to sort that out, they’d go, “Here are ten little tiny herbs, one for God, nine for me.” I mean, it was ridiculous.

It was absurd. The Old Testament law commanded tithes of grain, wine, oil, and the firstborn of the flock, but not herbs from the family plot. God wasn’t asking this at all, but to show how obedient they were, they would go beyond God’s Word in small, external things. But they were down to this minuscule level. You say, “Why were they doing that?” Because it made them feel so pious, so righteous—trivia, minutia before people. They would even carry that as tithes, even this small amount, probably producing quite a bouquet of fragrance, especially when it was carried to the local synagogue as a tithe. Oh, even on small things, they are so righteously keeping the law. Their exactness in tithing small things would not cost them much, but would be cried up, and they could buy a cheap reputation. The Pharisee boasted of this: “I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:12).

They were really good at that, really good at counting out seeds. It would not be bad if you are good at small things, but it was hypocrisy. See the remaining verse: “For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.”

“You’re really good at counting mint leaves, great fooling around with dill, but bad when it came to the important parts of the law, the spiritual duties of the law. Justice, mercy, and faith, you completely violate the law.” The weightier matters—that word is a rabbinical word; Rabbis believed there were light elements to the law and weighty elements. Here He says the weighty elements are justice, mercy, and faith. These are spiritual realities. The weightier things of the law relate to inward holiness in the heart: being just, merciful, denying ourselves, walking in faith—in which lies the life of religion.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah rebuked Israel: “You are fully focused on outward rituals and small things, but you don’t understand the important spiritual requirements of the law.” Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

What are the spiritual duties God requires, the weightier things of the law? This is again a summary of the whole law: Love your neighbor as yourself means you will live justly and be merciful with your neighbor, and love God by walking in faith humbly with God. With men, we have to do justly: not lie, not cheat, no religious drama. To be paying tithes properly, and yet to cheat people and earn, is unjust. Live justly, work justly, justly earn. Don’t do any injustice to anyone. They were liars, unjust, devouring widows’ houses, not living justly at all. Then He says, “show mercy.” And they were unmerciful, brutal, unforgiving, unkind, ungenerous. They abused the people, piling, as it says in verse 4 of this chapter, heavy burdens on them, grievous to be borne, and not even moving one finger to help lighten the load. And they had no faith. They walked by sight. They walked by works. They walked by law. They walked by their own efforts.

And so He says, “You’re really great at external things, going beyond what is written, counting out even the smallest seeds, and you’ve missed the whole point of what is really important—justice, mercy, and faith.” You are partial in the law, picking and choosing duty which is easy and helped you before people. They avoided lesser sins, but committed greater. Spiritual matters you’ve lost. At the end of verse 23, He says, “These ought you to have done and not to leave the other undone.”

Paying tithes was their duty, and what the law required; Christ tells them they ought not to leave it undone. All ought in their places to contribute to the support and maintenance of a standing ministry: withholding tithes is called “robbing God” (Malachi 2:8-10). Jesus declared that if they wanted to tithe their herbs, that was fine, but not to the neglect of more important things. In other words, they prioritized the trivial while neglecting justice toward others, mercy toward the downtrodden, and faithfulness to God.

Verse 24 describes them in a very graphic way: “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

In the Old Testament, the smallest unclean animal was a gnat (Leviticus 11:42). The largest unclean creature that was forbidden to a Jew was a camel (Leviticus 11:4).

So the Jew didn’t want to get involved with an unclean gnat or an unclean camel. So He says to them, “You know what you’re doing? You’re straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.” This is what happened: they would make wine, and as they’re crushing the grapes, if a little gnat flies around and lands in the grapes, the fastidious Pharisee would carefully filter his wine to ensure no unclean gnat, and after that, he drank his wine. Then he picked the gnats off his teeth, see. He didn’t even enjoy the stuff, sucking out the gnats so they wouldn’t be defiled.

So careful with small things, yet at the same time, what a graphic image: swallowing a camel, the biggest unclean animal of all. Ceremonially fastidious, sucking through your clenched teeth to filter out a gnat and then swallowing a camel. Your whole priority system is inverted. You’re just fooling around with stuff that doesn’t matter and blind to the enormous evil that you’re consuming. You’re afraid to eat the tenth mint leaf, and then you’re allowing into your life hypocrisy, dishonesty, cruelty, greed, self-worship. Incredible.

In their doctrine, they strained at gnats, warned people against every least violation of the tradition of the elders, but swallowed a camel by making void the Word of God, as when they quarreled with the disciples for eating with unwashed hands, and yet, through the tradition of Corban, taught people to break the fifth commandment. In their practice, they strained at gnats, showing they had a great abhorrence of sin and were afraid of it in the least instance; but they easily committed greater sins in comparison to a gnat, like swallowing a camel by devouring widows’ houses. They did indeed swallow a camel when they gave Judas the price of innocent blood, and yet straining out a gnat, when he returned and died, they didn’t want to put the blood money into the treasury (Matthew 27:6). They would not go into the judgment-hall of Pilate, standing outside for fear of being defiled, and yet they would stand at the door and cry out against the holy Jesus, murdering Him by the hands of Gentiles.

How much of this do we have today! False systems can get all wrapped up in the minutia of their structure, only outward rituals, but no spiritual reality in the heart. They are strict with small external duties and neglect important spiritual duties. They are very strict with external forms—in dressing, talking, outward acts of going to church, tithing—even going beyond God’s Word (e.g., wearing a white sari), but completely doing the opposite of God’s Word. They have no regard for spiritual realities: justice, mercy, and faith. All external religion is on display, so careful about going to church regularly, but no spiritual realities inside the heart.

Even some people are so careful about orthodox theology—they can clearly state the order of salvation, talk about the second coming with charts, all that—but they live in adultery. They think they are careful in theology. See, filtering out a gnat and swallowing a camel.

False religious leaders get wrapped up in inconsequential minutia and have no capacity to deal with the weightier matters. And it’s amazing how fastidious religious people can be and yet be so far from the reality of what God seeks. So many false spiritual leaders reverse divine priorities, substituting insignificant forms and outward acts of religion for the essential realities of the heart. See, that’s the point.

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Woe 6: For Maintaining Clean Externals But Being Full of Extortion Inside

Verse 25: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

The cup and dish—the cup holds wine, and the dish (platter) is used to serve delicacies. “You clean the outside of the cup and the platter, and within they are full of extortion and excess.”

It is like you go to a house, and they give you a cup and plate. The outside is so clean, shining, so impressed with the outside, but inside it is dirty, filthy. Outside you seem very clean, but inside you’re really big at extortion. You have a ministry that looks pious, pure, but the whole thing is based on taking advantage of other people. You use people. You make merchandise out of people.

It is like nice food on a cup and platter you eat in a house. You realize the cup, the platter, and the food were acquired with money robbed from the poorest people, through extortion, even killing people, and by their blood this was robbed. Oh, but it is ceremoniously cleaned. It all looks so religious, and everything in it and on it was gained by extortion. They were careful to eat their meat in clean cups and platters, but made no conscience of getting their meat by extortion.

How true today! The true, pure religion of heaven of Jesus Christ, which should be the only hope of any society, is filled by false teachers like this, who outside have a clean cup and platter, but are full of extortion. How many false religious leaders are there from one end of this world who are offering people their religious plate, and in that plate is nothing but the stuff they’ve stolen from those very people? Milked them for every coin they could get out of them. Extortionists.

Extortion, by the way, is the word harpagē. It means to plunder or seize—they are spiritual rapists. That’s why we should get so angry with false spiritual leaders, because they are spiritually raping people. You see them just plundering people, just making merchandise out of people for their own gain. And it says they are full of extortion, and notice this word excess. That means unrestrained desire for gain (akrasia), a lack of self-control.

They are given so much: “You came with a cycle, next a bike, car, bungalow, and a private jet.” No control, on and on and on. Excess robbing, living luxurious lifestyles by robbing people. For all that, they appear so clean outside—minister, pastor—so meticulous even in small things, appearing so pious in their system, and everything they serve you was gained with their filthy desires, gained by the abuse of people. They are greedy rapists and robbers who steal and plunder the souls and the money and the hearts and the minds and the goods of everybody they can touch. They set outward purity and decency above inward sanctification and purity of heart. They made it a religious duty to cleanse the “outside” of their cups and platters, but neglected their own inward man. People generally took them for very good men. But within, in the recesses of their hearts and the close retirements of their lives, they were “full of extortion and excess”—of violence and incontinence.

So He says in verse 26, “You blind Pharisee,” and He personalizes it, “cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

The rule is, “Cleanse first that which is within.” Note, the principal care of every one of us should be to wash our hearts from wickedness (Jeremiah 4:14). The main business of a Christian lies within: to get cleansed from the filthiness of the spirit. Corrupt affections and inclinations, the secret lusts that lurk in the soul, unseen and unobserved—these must first be mortified and subdued. Those sins must be conscientiously abstained from, which the eye of God only is a witness to, Who searches the heart. If the heart be well kept, all is well, for “out of it are the issues of life”; the eruptions will vanish of course.

You better have more than your form. You better be sure that what’s on your plate is as clean as your plate. And no dish is clean which holds unclean food gained dishonestly. So prevalent today, the false spiritual leaders become rich, they become fat, they become wealthy with their paraded piety, and they have the heart of a thief.

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Applications

We have seen three more woes of the Pharisees:

• Woe 4: For developing a system filled with lies in the name of God.
• Woe 5: For being strict with small external duties and neglecting important spiritual duties.
• Woe 6: For maintaining clean externals but full of extortion inside.

Yes, our country is filled with these men. The name of Christ is dishonored because of these men. While we identify these men, oppose them, and warn people against them, it is important to identify the Pharisee who lives in us and kill him, right?

See, it is all very easy for us to superficially handle these verses and accuse others and go. But when we run these verses again and again as a scanner upon our soul, oh, we see this man living in us. How much of preaching we do and don’t practice, how much is only external life without heart religion, how we rob God’s glory in our pride.

The word “hypocrite” has a broader range than we typically give to the word. It is not only conscious insincerity—living life as a pose—but also the failure to realize how hypocritically they were living. Some of the Pharisees were very sincere and didn’t realize they were hypocrites. They sincerely thought they were pleasing God with their lives by doing all this.

The Lord’s attack is upon their failure as the religious leaders of Israel, as interpreters of the Bible, and as teachers of the way of salvation. No doubt they were sincerely wrong. As Pascal reminds us, most of the real damage done in the world is done by sincere people. It is the sincere who persuade people to follow them, even over the cliff. It is sincere people who, through history, have succeeded in persuading people that evil was good and good was evil.

We will never really understand the Lord’s condemnations in this chapter if we allow ourselves to think only of those long-ago Pharisees, whether or not we see false teachers in our day.

We have to apply this to the Pharisee who lives in each one of us. In this, the Pharisee is every man. This is the man who lives in me, who is a hindrance to the Gospel. I had a great searching of my heart; it was ringing in my heart. We have to realize how evil this spirit is, how dangerous this attitude, how utterly contrary and hateful to Christ this is—the principle of selfishness, of pride. If we don’t realize and repent in us, how it will destroy us and others around us. We need to see it and feel it within ourselves!

Take the first woe… Woe 4 for swearing to God and not fulfilling. Do we live in a system of regularly swearing to God and lying before Him? We swear every week coming to Church. We swore when joining the church before God as a covenant: “I will be a faithful member, guarding my heart from the world through daily reading of God’s Word and prayer”—pretty basic swearing. How faithful are you? Pretty basic. Why are you not regularly reading God’s Word and praying? Isn’t that the reason for all failure in spiritual life? You swore to fulfill all other responsibilities. Think about your swearing in marriage before God. Your swearing every week, every time you repent: “Lord, I will repent and do…”

You know why you never take that seriously? Because you have learned to lie to God, living in a system of lying regularly to God. Swearing is such a serious thing in the Bible. Psalm 61, verse 8, and these are just samples: “So will I sing praise to thy name forever, that I may daily perform my vows.” Jephthah made a vow, though foolish, but how seriously they took it! And even his daughter was ready to die young. Will they both not rise up in judgment and accuse you for breaking your vows regularly to God?

What hypocritical Pharisee lives in our heart! An oath is an appeal to God, to His omniscience, and when done to Him, it is made on Him. If you fail, the oath shall be construed most strongly against yourself. You lied to God. It is an affront done to Him in the form of the oath, so He will certainly take revenge for the greater affront done to Him by the violation of it.

The reason our Christian life is filled with broken promises is because we live in a cycle of regularly lying to God and never taking our oath seriously. Only when we repent of those and take our vows very, very seriously can we see revival in our lives. May God help us to repent.

Secondly, the woe of tithing mint, dill, and cumin and neglecting the weightier matters of the law. We can be so precise about little things, comfort ourselves with our observance of many duties while largely forgetting how little we really love God or our neighbor. How polite and genial we can be in public and how harsh and cruel to our wives or husbands or children or someone outside on the road. How meticulous we can be in paying our tithe or going to church while keeping our mouths firmly shut about Christ and salvation in the presence of those who are heading to hell. How exercised we can be about what we take to be false doctrine or philosophy in the church or in the world around us while we ourselves are often given over to the crudest forms of lust or worldliness or pride. How orthodox about our beliefs, while our heart is full of sins.

We know how to keep our cups clean outside, but inside, what different people we are inside than we are outside! What a world we live in in our hearts! What an inner self, our true self, we hide from others. Inside full of self-indulgence! Think of it: how much self-indulgence—laziness, self-indulgence in entertainment, food, luxury, wasting time. Is there self-denial, self-control to glorify God in our secret life? Is there discipline? No, the outside cup is clean, but inside is full of self-indulgence. Oh, the Pharisee inside me, I see you! The more I run this scanner, the more Pharisee I see!

There is a man called Murali who preaches but doesn’t practice. How much is only external life without heart religion? How we rob God’s glory in our pride, who swears to God regularly, but lies before Him, never takes swearing seriously. “I will read today.” “I pray daily.” Daily living, lying to God. Very careful about small things, but the weightier matters of loving God and others fail. Outside clean, inside full of self-indulgence, uncontrolled self-indulgence.

If you honestly examine, so much of the Pharisee and pride lives in us. We will see most of the things we do are not to glorify God, but our self is the center of their universe. May God help us to run this scanner through our souls and repent.

The only way we can be honest is to have a heart religion and live in regular communion with Christ through a prayer life.

Mat 23;13-15 ¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. ¹⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  ¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

There is a country called Wales in the UK. After the reformation in the 18th century, Wales experienced great revivals, a national outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with many swept into God’s kingdom and communities deeply affected. But in the 19th century, churches in Wales had slipped into coldness and dead spiritual life. A country that once was noted for its fervent Christianity became lifeless; this had terrible effects on a society full of crimes, immorality, and sin. The primary reason for that state was that preachers stopped preaching the Gospel of grace, and the country was filled with false teachers.

About that time, a young Welsh physician felt the burning of God’s call to preach. He was asked to address some of his fellow countrymen on a big stage. His name was Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the young physician. His sermon, in a way, shook that nation. He preached about the blindness of his nation, and he said the terrible state of his nation was mainly because of blind spiritual leaders who had failed to preach the Gospel.

That sermon offended and alarmed many because of the shocking way he described the spiritual condition of his beloved Wales, how hypocritical the leaders were, and how Christians blindly and with apathy went along with an impotent spirituality. Welsh newspapers criticized the sermon, castigating Lloyd-Jones as unpatriotic and even questioning his Christianity. But the “Doctor” firmly stood his ground upon the truth of Scripture and the reality God’s Word had exposed.

Lloyd-Jones’s sermon made a lot of people uncomfortable in what they believed and how they practiced their version of Christianity. They were offended that he would even suggest that they were religious hypocrites in grave danger of Christ’s judgment. It shook and disturbed many in their nation from their comfort zone.

As we look at our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 23, none can remain comfortable who refuse to see life and eternity from Christ’s perspective. Matthew 23 is such a sermon that should wake us up from our comfort zone, make us examine ourselves, and drive us to seek God’s grace and power in our lives. That is what will bring revival in personal lives, in our church life, and even in our society. Looking at our lives, the churches around us, and our society, don’t we yearn in our own hearts that, more than anything, we need a mighty outpouring of God’s Spirit? Nothing else will save us from the downward slide.

We keep looking at politics in our country and get angry about so many things happening, and worried that secularism and democracy are at risk. But you know, our greatest threat for believers and churches is not what comes from an outside pagan government, but from inside—from false teachers who pose as Gospel preachers. The greatest danger to Christianity and society is false teachers. It is when the land is filled with these false teachers that we hardly see the true Gospel being preached, souls truly saved, and never see God sending revivals. It is because of these false preachers that Christianity becomes dead and is like salt without taste, having no influence on society. Society without a salt influence becomes putrefied, as we see today. False teachers are the main culprits for this state, and the greatest danger to the church and society. Hence, we see our Lord rebuking with such blistering words—not the proud and crafty Herod, nor the cruel Romans or Pilate who mixed Jews’ blood in sacrifices—but the Pharisees and scribes who claim to be the spiritual leaders of Israel, but are false.

We already saw in verses 1–12 the Lord warning the disciples about five things not to do what the Pharisees did: Don’t preach what you may not practice; Don’t live an external religious life without heart religion; Don’t use religion to gain fame and worldly benefits; Don’t rob God’s glory with pride; Don’t confuse hypocritical drama with true greatness that comes with humble service.

Now, in verse 13, He turns from the crowd to the Pharisees and Scribes (PS). He tells them the eternal danger that will come upon these men in the form of eight woes. The original manuscript in Matthew has seven woes in this passage; verse 14 was copied by some scribe from Mark 12 and Luke 20. But it is something Jesus said, which is why we have it in Mark and Luke, so we will examine eight. Each woe identifies eight crimes of these false teachers.

The word “woe” in Greek is not even a word, but a painful, guttural cry. It is as if Christ, the ultimate Judge, sees the terrible, inevitable condemnation and judgment that will come upon these false leaders and is filled with pity and anguish because it is so unspeakable how terribly they are going to be judged, crushed, ground, and punished for all eternity. It is so unspeakable in human language that He cries out from deep inside: “Woe!”

In English, a milder version is “alas”; a more accurate expression of the feeling is a cry of pain. Think about this: if the infinite Son of God Himself, seeing the “hell of hell” that will be poured upon these people, has no words to explain but to cry from the deep gut, “Woe,” how terrible it must be. How scary. A divine deep sigh. This is not a wish, or just a curse; this is the statement of a fact because He cannot be wrong, and He sees what is coming on their heads and cries out in anger, but mingled with pity. It is not just a dispassionate angry cry; it is a very passionate, sorrowful cry and pity, which will end in Him coming to Jerusalem and weeping over the city seeing its judgment.

What a scene it must be if you could only have reconstructed the drama of the moment in your mind! What an electrifying, burning scene, a very serious passage. The tone of it is revealed by the terms that He uses. Eight times He uses the solemn expression, “Woe unto you.” Seven times He calls them “hypocrites.” Twice He speaks of them as “blind guides,” twice as “fools and blind,” once as “serpents and a generation of vipers,” and once “children of hell.” Very strong, terrible language.

Imagine this: to feel this scene, you have to imagine how electric this scene must be. The temple is filled with masses at an important time. Can you imagine going to some traditional big churches today with all the priests robed in their vestments and screaming, “Woe to you bishop, priests, blind teachers, children of hell”? Or go to the Vatican during Christmas time, when millions are standing outside and the Pope in his great dress, and all the cardinals and bishops, with their big hats, red robes, and linen clothes, are standing and talking. Suddenly, someone screams and says, “Woe to you Pope, you are a child of hell, a hypocrite, you will go to the deepest pit in hell.” What a shocking and electrifying scene! These woes are like so many claps of thunder, or flashes of lightning from Mount Sinai, falling on them. These are terrible not only because of the authority of the one who pronounces this, but because it comes from the meek and gentle Jesus who has come in the form of a servant to save, and not judge. If at this time He pours out such woes, what will He do when He actually comes to judge? If the only one who can intercede and turn away God’s wrath from us pronounces these woes of wrath, who will save these people? A woe from Christ is a remediless woe. Scary. That is what is before us: absolute devastation and condemnation of all the religious leaders to their faces in front of the whole crowd. And out of His mouth comes the most fearful, the most terrible profusion of words that He ever uttered on this earth. May the Spirit of God help us to meditate on this with fear and trembling.

So, let us look at it one by one. We will attempt to see three of them today.

Sermon Title: Eight Woes of Christ on False Teachers – Part 1

• Woe 1: For hindering people from truly getting saved.
• Woe 2: For making themselves rich by robbing the poorest with a show of devotion.
• Woe 3: For making their false converts double children of hell.

Woe 1: For Hindering People from Truly Getting Saved

Verse 13: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

Following the eternal principle of His Kingdom (verse 12), Jesus turns to these leaders, looks them in the eye, and says, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees.” He rips off their mask and calls them “hypocrites,” meaning actors, pretending to be something they are not. “I know you, you know what you do. You shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.”

The Kingdom of God has come near with the Messiah. John the Baptist prepared people for it by calling them to repent, but even there, the scribes and Pharisees tried to put on a show, which John identified, calling them a “brood of vipers” and warning them to “bring forth the fruits of repentance.” They rejected his warning. Jesus Christ went about doing miracles and preaching, proving without a doubt that He is the Messiah and that only by believing in Him would they enter the Kingdom. Christ alone is the way to God’s Kingdom. The prophets had foretold the promise of the Messiah, facts that Matthew repeatedly records. God had revealed Himself to men through attesting miracles, His holy life, and the fulfilling of Old Testament prophecies.

Sinful man can only be saved by entering the Kingdom, coming under the redemptive reign of God by grace through faith. Why didn’t so many Jews believe and get saved in spite of such a glorious display of Christ’s ministry? It is primarily because of these leaders. The scribes and Pharisees rejected the revelation of God. If people believed the Gospel and truly repented and were saved, they would lose their religious business, so they shut people from entering the Kingdom. They refused to acknowledge Jesus, when He appeared among them, as the Messiah. They tried to keep back Jewish inquirers. They would not believe the Gospel themselves, and they did all in their power to prevent others from believing it. They kept people from getting saved. Their life, teaching, and actions ensured people didn’t get saved. This was a great sin—the greatest sin: to hinder men from entering the Kingdom. They systematically opposed the progress of the Gospel. They “shut up the kingdom of heaven.” They would neither go in themselves, nor—which is worse—suffer others to go in.

The phrase in verse 13, “against men,” is important. It is a very vivid picture. Eternal souls, after realizing their horrible sinfulness, seek answers, seek God, search for spiritual reality, and see what God has done through Christ and see Christ fulfilling prophecy. They come seeking Him. In their search, they even find the door. Matthew 7 says, “Enter through the narrow gate,” and that very few find the door to eternal life; it is so difficult. But after a lot of struggle, they find it, and just when they were about to enter, these men shut the door right in their faces. How terrible! They use their false teaching to shut the true door and lead souls astray. They do not allow those who are constantly trying to enter. They repeatedly slam the door. They don’t allow people to be saved.

They shut the door by preaching a false gospel, by giving a false assurance of salvation with their self-righteous, traditional system, denying the Word of God, misinterpreting the Word of God, denying that Jesus was the Messiah, denying His deity, denying salvation by grace, and denying the need for repentance. They shut it in the faces of the people with a works-righteousness system that had no place for Jesus Christ.

They did all they could to keep people from believing in Christ and entering the Kingdom. Christ came to open the kingdom of heaven, but they kept shutting the door. Sitting in Moses’ seat, if they interpreted the Scriptures, they should have helped people by opening the door and making them see the Messiah, how Moses and the prophets testified of Christ. They should have done great work and helped thousands to heaven. But they made it their business to create and nourish in the minds of the people prejudices against Christ and His doctrine.

1. They would not go in themselves: “Have any of the rulers, or of the Pharisees, believed on him?” (John 7:48). No. They were too proud to stoop to His lowliness. They did not like a religion which insisted so much on humility, self-denial, contempt of the world, and spiritual worship. Repentance was the door of admission into this Kingdom, and nothing could be more disagreeable to the self-righteous Pharisees, who justified and admired themselves, than to repent—that is, to accuse and abase and abhor themselves. Therefore, they went not in themselves. Their not going in themselves was a hindrance to many, for, they having so great an influence/interest in the people, multitudes rejected the Gospel only because their leaders did. But that was not all.
2. They would not suffer them that were entering to go in. It is bad to keep away from Christ ourselves, but it is worse to keep others from Him. Yet that is commonly the way of hypocrites; they do not love that any should go beyond them in religion, or be better than they. They perverted His doctrine, confronted His miracles, represented Him as performing the works of the devil, quarreled with His disciples, and represented Him and His teaching to the people in the most dishonest, dangerous manner imaginable. In John 9, we read they thundered out their excommunications against those that confessed Him. They made a rule in all synagogues that anyone who believed or confessed Christ (which is the only way to be saved) would be removed from the church, and they used all their wit and power to serve their malice against Him; and thus they shut up the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 11:52 says, “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” They claimed to have the key of God’s truth and perverted it; they did not use it to save themselves or allow others to be saved. A contrast comes in Matthew 16, where Jesus says to Peter, “I give you the keys to the kingdom.” You see the true teacher, Peter, the apostles, and all who follow in their doctrine, we have the keys. We open the door and let people in. These people shut the door in their faces by their lies and false religion.

We see them continuing this in Acts 4, when they see the apostles preaching and spreading the Gospel, and many were entering the Kingdom and getting saved. What do they do? They catch the apostles, beat them, threaten them, and command that “they should not speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.” In whose name alone there is salvation, they shut the door on people like this. In 1 Thessalonians 2:16, speaking of the Jews, Paul says they are “forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved.” They’re trying to keep people from getting saved, is what they’re doing. That is the role of a false teacher.

Think about it: they shut the door of the Kingdom. The point being made here is that false spiritual leaders damn people’s souls to hell. False religious leaders keep people from being saved. So you don’t deal with this lightly. It is very severe. The only Kingdom that will save people, the Kingdom which all Jewish forefathers yearned for, and for which all their religious rituals were a shadow—when the reality of that Kingdom came, they shut it so people could not enter. That is the definition of false religion. That is the primary job description of a false teacher. In all that they do, they do not allow people to be saved.

See all the false religion and priestcraft, whether in the Roman Catholic Church, CSI, or any traditional churches, or prosperity gospels. What is the purpose or work of all their activities? Starting from sprinkling a baby, confirmation, teaching them to observe outwardly regular self-righteous activities, praying, family prayer, reading the Bible in name only, going to church, communion in big traditional buildings, teaching all moral acts without preaching sin and the Gospel of Christ. On the other side, talking about baptism of the Holy Spirit, tongues, miracles, blessings, blessings—what is the ultimate purpose of these people? They shut the kingdom of God.

What a great crime is that! Can there be a greater sin? It does not help anybody. We can’t say, “Oh, they’re nice folks and they’re doing what they think is best and they’re helping some folks over their trouble and they’re giving them some moral standards to live by, and so forth.” They are false teachers and need to be terribly rebuked and exposed. Christ says “woe to them.” May we also join Him and say that.

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Woe 2: For Making Themselves Rich by Robbing the Poorest with a Show of Devotion

Verse 14: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”

The reason for the second woe, it says, is that they “devour widows’ houses.” Can anyone devour houses? This is a grotesque illustration of how someone suddenly, secretly, and completely swallows up, woof, what belongs to someone else. “I saved for so many years and kept it, but he took it and put it in his mouth in a minute.” Whose houses? The most helpless and poorest among them are widows.

These Pharisees and Scribes, as official judges of the community, would be called to settle matters of litigation, property, and the making of a will if a husband dies and the widow has property. In their position, they took advantage of the widow’s weakest condition when no one was there to guide her. These people, by gaining her trust as trustworthy, became trustees of her estates. They would probably say, “You can devote your life to God and make your property a gift to God. God will bless you.” They used their official position to manipulate and take advantage, thereby swallowing up and taking to themselves for personal wealth the goods of even widows. They devoured the most destitute of all. Widows and the fatherless are God’s object of deepest concern. What will they do with others?

They may also charge an offering for their services offered to help settle the land and meanwhile take more than was coming to them, took advantage of material support which widows gave freely, or by showing the helpless condition of widows, asking money from people, and using it for themselves. Also, in tithing, they asked widows to contribute more than what was expected of them, or pronounced a curse if they didn’t pay the tithes.

These heartless religious leaders even took financial advantage of the most helpless widows. Imagine what they would do with others. They made themselves rich.

Now, how did the widows believe them? How do people get deceived into giving them wealth and so much money? Look at what the verse says: “…you devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers.”

Oh, they put up such a devotional show as very devoted men. Lest anyone should suspect that they will take money and make themselves rich, and use that money for themselves, they put on a godly show before everyone. The Bible shows prayer, more than any other exercise, is the most immediate form of access to God, and as such, prayer is generally the most certain index of a man’s soul. Sitting here this morning, the most telling question I can ask all of you to find out where you are spiritually is this: Do you pray? If so, is there reality in your prayer? Is there communion with God in prayers? Is there engagement of heart in prayer? Is there delight in prayer? Tenacity in prayer?

These people knew all their leaders—Moses, Daniel, David—were all men of prayer. So, what did they do to gain trust and make people believe that they were not worldly, covetous men? They wanted to convince people that their main desire and goal 24/7 was to commune with God; they were not interested in enjoying anything in the world, not interested in having any wealth; they were very spiritual. So, they would take the symbol of the highest levels of spirituality and use that as a covering for the greediness of their heart and deceive people into thinking, “We are so devoted and spiritual.” So, even widows were so impressed with their long prayer that they would think, “We are godly and will use the money in a godly way.”

So they prayed lengthy prayers. They prayed on and on. Jewish writers tell us that they spent three hours at a time in the formalities of meditation and prayer, and did it three times every day, until people thought, “Oh, how spiritual they are! See how long they pray.” Maybe they prayed for the widows while they were swallowing their houses. What devastating incisiveness exposes this practice! No one can find this out except the One who knows the heart. Christ says they do it “for a pretense.” Who will pray for so long and make a conscious effort of being inward with God in the duty, daring to pretend ordinarily to do so? But to the Pharisees it was easy enough, who never made a serious effort of the duty, and always made a trade of the outside of it. By this craft they got their wealth and maintained their grandeur.

They imposed on the credulity (trust) of weak and unprotected women by an affectation of great devoutness, until they were regarded as their spiritual directors. By insinuating themselves into their affections, they got to be the trustees of their estates. Widows, so impressed, would come and ask them, “I have this house, what to do? I have this jewelry, money. As a spiritual Father, what is your advice?” They abused the influence thus unrighteously obtained to their own temporal advantage, and, in a word, to make money by their religion. This again was a great sin.

The thing they aimed at was to enrich themselves; and, this being their chief and highest end, all considerations of justice and equity were laid aside, and even widows’ houses were sacrificed to this. Widows are of the weaker sex in its weakest state, easily imposed upon; and therefore they fastened on them to make a prey of. They devoured those whom, by the law of God, they were particularly obliged to protect, patronize, and relieve. Yet these were they whose houses the Pharisees devoured by wholesale; so greedy were they to fill their bellies with the poorest and weakest.

Not only did they use religion for personal reputation earlier (for Rabbi, Father, best places, robbing God), but even for robbing people for personal financial gain.

And doubtless they did all this under color of law, for they did it so artfully that it passed uncensured and did not at all lessen the people’s veneration for them. The cloak must be very thick which was used to cover such wicked practices. By them they got the reputation of pious, devout men, that loved prayer, and were the favorites of Heaven. By this means people were made to believe it was not possible that such men as they should cheat them, and, therefore, happy the widow that could get a Pharisee for her trustee and guardian to her children! Thus, while they seemed to soar heaven-ward, upon the wings of prayer, their eye, like the kite’s, was all the while upon their prey on the earth, some widow’s house or other that lay convenient for them.

Oh, how many Pharisees and Scribes (PS) like this there are! Our land is full of prosperity preachers who do not even leave the poorest of the poor alone, and give false promises which God did not give. How many get deceived, and you see mostly those groups filled with lots of women. They use their tactics on weak and struggling women.

How do people make them believe? Do you realize how they have so much fasting and praying: 24 hours, 21 days, 40 days fasting? Long, long prayers. I wonder how any human being can pray for so long. 40 days fasting and prayer? We struggle to pray for 40 minutes! But these godly Pharisees today pray long. Jesus said when you fast and pray, don’t advertise, but they advertise to the whole city: “21 days fasting prayer.” They celebrate anniversaries on that. “100 fasting prayers.” All to enrich themselves.

Why do they do that? That is what impressed people. These are men who do not spare even the poorest and rob them, giving them false lies and making themselves rich, devouring poor people. You may say, “Yes, Pastor, that is called the majority of the ministry in our country.” Do you see why God never sends revival to our country? They are the greatest danger to our society. Today they may deceive people. See what Christ says:

“Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”

Oh, these people may cheat now and cheat the poorest, accumulating money from the poorest, promising them lies. Here Christ says, “Woe to them, therefore you will receive greater condemnation.” He is making a prophecy. He who pronounces this, even if heaven and earth pass away, His words will not pass away. He directly tells them, “You will receive greater condemnation,” meaning more abundant judgment. Condemnation and execution. The frightening judgment of Almighty God. Oh, may this should thunder into all the false preachers in our country.

It is amazing: they claim they are the safest guide to heaven; here He says they are a greased slide to the deepest hell. The worst condemnation will come upon them. There are degrees of damnation; there are some whose sin is more inexcusable, and whose ruin will therefore be more intolerable. The pretenses of religion, with which hypocrites disguise or excuse their sin now, will aggravate their condemnation shortly. Such is the deceitfulness of sin, that the very thing by which sinners hope to expiate and atone for their sins will come against them, and make their sins more exceedingly sinful. But it is sad for the criminal when his defense proves his offense, and his pleas (“We have prophesied in your name, and in your name made long prayers”) heighten the charge against him.

Frankly, sometimes I feel confused. I wonder, we struggle so much: five days full, hectic job, all sitting at a table and chair, back-breaking job, and then comes Saturday, more back-breaking work, sitting and preparing day and night. We preach God’s Word accurately, we do not take one rupee, we teach God’s Word accurately. Nobody gives anything to us for our ministry, but they are pouring money on these false teachers. But if there is any man we shouldn’t envy, it is these false teachers who make themselves rich through the poor. Think of it. Just for a few years with money and wealth, putting up a show and robbing from the poor, eternally their condemnation will be the greatest.

So the second woe is for making themselves rich by robbing the poorest with a show of devotion.

Woe 3: For Making Their False Converts Double Children of Hell / Corrupting People Who Follow You

Verse 15: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

While the Pharisees were such enemies to the conversion of souls to Christianity, they were very industrious in converting men to their own group. They shut up the kingdom of heaven against those who would turn to Christ, but at the same time, they “compassed sea and land to make proselytes” to themselves.

The Lord noticed their commendable industry in making proselytes to the Jewish religion, seeing they put a lot of effort into converting others to their sect.

There were two kinds of proselytes: the proselyte of the gate and the proselyte of righteousness. The proselyte of the gate was a Gentile who just attended the synagogue. He barely got in the gate. He stopped worshipping his pagan deities and started worshipping the true God. He is called, in the book of Acts, a worshipper of God (Acts 16:14 and Acts 18:7). But the other proselyte was the proselyte of righteousness. This was the one who took the whole thing. He became a self-righteous, legalistic, tradition-keeping, law-keeping, circumcised proselyte, a disciple of the Pharisee, and joined their group. This is what the Pharisees were after. Very few of them achieved this.

The goal was not just an ordinary Jew, but a fully discipled follower of the Pharisees following all their rituals. So, to win one proselyte, they “compass sea and land,” had many a cunning scheme, laid many a plot, rode and ran, and sent and wrote, and labored unweariedly. They would zealously go everywhere they could, making a great effort to get one convert to Phariseeism. Very aggressive evangelistic efforts, missions. “You’re compassing sea and land. You’re going everywhere. You’re just surrounding the whole part of the world you live in for one convert, for one proselyte,” which is to say they were busy trying to add to their numbers.

They didn’t do this with a burden for souls or to glorify God, but to increase the numbers of their sect. You know, when you’re in a false system it helps if other people join. It sort of gives you a feeling that you must be right because, “Look at the people that are joining.” I really believe that people flourish sometimes in the cults for no other reason than they think it must be right because of all the people who are in it. And so the Pharisees put a lot of effort into increasing numbers.

What happens when they get one? “You make him the disciple of a Pharisee presently, and he sucks in all a Pharisee’s notions, and so ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” You not only shut him out of the true Kingdom, but you turn him into a child of hell, double than you. These false teachers not only keep them from truly getting saved, but corrupt people by teaching them their false religion.

At least if the new convert were in their own previous religion, they might have been open to the Gospel and saved, but now, because they joined this group, they are against the Gospel. How can they be double children of hell than themselves? Because new converts are always more zealous than old ones, right? The disciples outdid their masters. They go beyond the Pharisees in keeping rituals and laws. They were not converting people to Judaism as followers of the Lord God, but converting them to Pharisaism as followers of Pharisaic teaching. The result was that their converts, as Don Carson aptly put it, “out-Phariseed the Pharisees.”

Have you ever noticed that a convert to a cult is more zealous and aggressive for the cult than somebody raised in it? That happens even in true Christianity. Very frequently people saved out of the world and brought into Christ from an ungodly, un-Christlike background are more zealous for their newfound faith than people that are raised up in it. The euphoria of coming into the movement gives you a great amount of zeal.

And so here this new convert is filled with more fanatical zeal for his newfound system than even the ones that brought him in. Naturally, there’s a euphoria about having discovered what he thinks is the truth and the newness, and he’s not been in long enough to find out all the problems with it. And he becomes a double son of hell in the sense that he is perverted even beyond his teachers, and more zealous even than they are. And so they make a spiritual convert who turns out to be perverted; instead of finding God, instead of finding heaven, he becomes a son of hell. What a statement! Twice as hypocritical, twice as damnable.

They become very zealous and very hardened against the Gospel, and it became doubly impossible to save them because they had become double children of hell. The Pharisees’ religion made them doubly and extremely hot against the truth. They are called “children of hell” because of their rooted enmity to the Kingdom of heaven. The most bitter enemies the apostles met with in all places were the Hellenist Jews, who were mostly proselytes (Acts 13:45; 14:2-19; 17:5; 18:6). Disciples become more against the truth even than the masters. Like Paul, a disciple of the Pharisees, was “exceedingly mad against the Christians” (Acts 26:11), when his master, Gamaliel, seems to have been more moderate.

You see, when false religions convert people, they’re making them double children of hell. Meaning, a child of hell would be doubly worthy of hell, doubly worthy of damnation, doubly difficult to be saved—very strong language. So when you make one of your converts, you make them twice a son of hell. Doubly qualify him for hell. Twice a hellish person than you yourselves are.

Oh, how true it is today. How much effort goes into conversion in all these false movements, and once they get someone, he becomes so zealous, it is almost impossible for us to preach the Gospel. If he were a sinner without these influences, he could probably hear the Gospel and repent. Now he is doubly difficult, a double child of hell. That is what false religions do. You see, these systems which are the real threat to the eternal souls of men must be confronted as what they are: hellish systems.

So we see:

• Woe 1: For hindering people from truly getting saved.
• Woe 2: For making themselves rich by robbing the poorest with a show of devotion.
• Woe 3: For making their false converts double children of hell.

Applications

What does God say to His followers today?

May this lesson teach us to see false teachers and false religion as Christ, our Shepherd, sees it. This is a warning from our Shepherd. We are all so much influenced by the world’s teaching and perspective rather than how to see false teachers. Where do we hear in churches this kind of exposure and rebuke of false teachers and religion? We seem to be resistant to that. It seems as though if you speak against any false system or any false religious leader or spiritual leader, people pounce on you as if you don’t know the meaning of graciousness and love and kindness and all of that. We judge them and they use the famous verse, “Judge not so you will not be judged.” But that is a very warped perspective. And this text ought to teach us how to view and warn others of false teachers as Christ did.

We have people who say, “Oh, Pastor, be positive. Just expound positive teaching of God’s Word, and people will be grounded in the Word of God; they will not be deceived by false teachers.” If that is so, such teaching makes the words of Jesus irrelevant and unnecessary, because no one can so positively teach the truths than the Son of God. He says, “Beware of the scribes.” Jesus Himself didn’t assume that His own immediate presence would immunize His people from the horrible influence of false teachers; He verbally warned them.

Look at the timing. Just before He goes to the cross, He seems to think it is so important to warn His sheep as a good Shepherd. He warns them about the identifiable traits of false shepherds. He warned them of their teaching; here, He is teaching them to beware of their person. Look at the Lord so direct. He didn’t say it is not polite to name call, so indirectly, “Beware of big spiritual leaders; think about who they are.” No, no. “Beware of Scribes and Pharisees,” a direct reference, a clearly identifiable group. He warns His people.

He specifically names the vices of these people, no general allusions. He didn’t say, “Beware of their pride,” but gave specific examples of their pride: how they abuse their power, what a hindrance they are to the Gospel, how they rob the poorest with a religious show, and make their converts worse, double children of hell. He even predicts their damnation.

A ministry comprised predominantly of warning and rebuking false teachers will not feed us. Some do it, always talking of false teaching. Some say, “You should keep warning, warning.” There is so much false teaching; all life, I can keep warning. But sheep not only need to be kept from the wolves and poisonous grass, but they need to be led to green pastures and feed. So, don’t grow weary of explicit warnings when balanced with teaching.

Paul said, “Night and day for the space of three years, I cease not to warn you” (Acts 20). And he said that to the Ephesian elders. What was he warning them about? He was warning them about grievous wolves who would enter in, not sparing the flock, and perverse men from among them rising up—false spiritual leaders.

Oh, may this teaching make you wake up and realize the danger of false teachers. The most dangerous people who need to be opposed for us should be false teachers. Never tolerate them. Never speak nicely to them. Why talk about them? “They keep doing what they know.” No, they hinder people from getting saved; that is their business. They convert somebody to their false religion and make him doubly impossible to save, and in all this, rob the poorest people and make themselves rich. How can we speak nicely about them?

When you face the false teacher, learn to confront them. The same kind of confrontiveness that Jesus confronted them with and warned the people, so do we need to confront them and warn the people today. Use this chapter, show them how Christ rebukes them, tell them they are liars and that greater condemnation awaits them. Learn to use the same strong language. Many times such confrontation may lead to repentance. We are wishy-washy, nicely, smooth-talking. Learn from our Lord how to deal with them. There needs to be a confrontation. And you have to be sensitive to the Spirit of God as to how you should do that, but we need to be calling people away. As Jude talks, we need to be snatching brands from the burning.

You see, men’s souls are at stake. And these people work for hell, the scribes and the Pharisees did. This is no small issue. False spiritual leaders damn people’s souls to hell. No small issue. So you don’t deal with this lightly. It is very severe. More than seeing what the government is doing, the threat to democracy, the threat coming from these false teachers is more dangerous. We are focused on fighting certain political battles over here on the other side, and completely fail to understand that there’s a more important battle. And the battle that I see that must be fought is the battle for the clear and popular articulation of the truth as opposed to the error that’s out there.

They damn men’s souls. Paul writes to Timothy and says they propagate damnable heresies and doctrines of demons. And we can’t treat that lightly. We can’t treat it with some kind of indifference. We can’t say, “Well, we don’t want to say anything harsh. We want to express love. We want to be kind.” If Jesus did it, we have a mandate from Him to act as He acted.

They’re in the business of sending people to hell. They’re in the business of damning the souls of people, and they will damn their souls by a denial of the Messiahship of Christ, the deity of Christ, the power of Christ, the work of Christ, the Gospel of grace. Whatever it takes to damn men’s souls, that’s exactly what they want to do—false spiritual leaders. That is the definition of false religion. That is the definition of false spiritual leadership. It does not help anybody. We can’t say, “Oh, they’re nice folks and they’re doing what they think is best and they’re helping some folks over their trouble and they’re giving them some moral standards to live by, and so forth.”

Secondly, Remember and Warn Everyone About Danger Signs of Unsaved Spiritual Leaders

When you find a leader itching to be seen with special dress and special titles, shouldering their way into positions of prominence in social and religious gatherings. When you see them shutting men from being saved by preaching a false gospel, converting them and making them children of hell, and robbing and becoming rich. They use their position to rob people in the pretense of godliness—long prayers. You see the marks of a false teacher.

There are men who wouldn’t preach without a robe, who never preach the Gospel, always a self-righteous false system. What is the work of many, many self-righteous traditional churches? At a small age itself, they baptize them as infants and teach them all outward activities, moral activities, fill them with habits of coming to church, tithing, outwardly moral, never preach the Gospel and make them see their hearts, and shut the kingdom of heaven. Then they make them double children of hell, and keep robbing them with this priestcraft. Isn’t all this religious activity? I see some of our relatives. They would soon hear the Gospel and be saved if they were not part of that church. All that church does is to hinder them from getting saved, and make them worse and hardened. How terrible the tragedy! People are hooked without realizing that.

See the clear signs of a false teacher: itching to be called Reverend, Doctor, and robbing people’s money, and in the midst of it all, seeming excessively pious. True piety is modest and excessive in secret, not before men. Long prayers, 24-hour prayer, 21 days, with a pretense of praying long prayers, and tears of compassion for people. They earn millions with big, grand dressing, cars, homes, expensive jets, making themselves rich, without ever preaching the Gospel, even taking money from the poorest, giving false promises. They live in luxury at the expense of widows’ mites. Their condemnation will be greater. May the prosperity preachers of our day—Dr. Dhinkarans, Reverend Paul Thangiahs, Pastor, Reverend Johnson—hear this warning.

Instead of being blessings, they are the curse of this land and never allow people to be saved and hinder revivals and the mighty movement of God’s Spirit. While we pray for God to raise up men, pray God should rebuke and stop these false teachers.

Our Responsibility to Truth

We have to praise God on the one hand that He didn’t allow us to be deceived by these false teachers, who could have closed the door of heaven, not allowed us to come to the Gospel truth, and shut the door, made us double children of hell. No, God brought us to preachers and a church where the door was opened for us. Now it is our responsibility, knowing the truth, that we should be door openers to lost souls. We have the keys to the Kingdom. We understand the truth of the Gospel. We know how people get saved. And it’s our tremendous responsibility to open that door to people and to call them out of those damning systems. Don’t be nicely talking about false teaching. Call it what it is. We of all people, if we say God is teaching truths millions in our country don’t know, with our reformed church and confession of faith, learning errors and learning truth, we have a responsibility to stand for that truth and confess what we believe and articulate it loudly and clearly and confront error with boldness and courage. That’s what we need. That is our responsibility to the truth. That should be our greatest burden and task we need to pursue with all energy: spread the truth as much as possible. Plan to do that through Gospel outreach, social media, digitally. That’s what the church needs. The church needs to know the Word of God and it needs to take its stand on the truth against false religious leaders. Each of you have a responsibility; none of you can stand as spectators. God has taught you. The harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. Each of you should be involved in spreading the truth.

Look at the efforts false teachers put forth to make someone a double child of hell, and we should be ashamed of how little effort we put forth to make someone a child of heaven. They cross sea and land to convert one man to their way. What do we do? We keep praying for the burden of the Gospel. If we value the worth of an infinite eternal soul, how much care and effort we should put forth. Nothing must be thought too much to do, to save a soul from death.

The industry of the Pharisees herein may show and shame the negligence of many who would be thought to act from better principles, but will be at no pains or cost to propagate the Gospel. To save a soul, we must be ready to cross sea and land; all ways and means must be tried; first one way, and then another, must be tried. If God is pleased to use our efforts, oh how worth it is! To gain one soul, even if we gain the whole world, we cannot buy a soul.

Learn from these Pharisees: for worldly motives, carnal hearts seldom shrink from the pains necessary to carry on their carnal purposes; when a proselyte is to be made to serve a turn for themselves, they will compass sea and land to make him, rather than be disappointed.