Hot Topics Series - The Promise of Jesus’ Soon Return - Matthew 24

The Burt (Not Ernie) Show

Well hello again, hey there. Hope you are doing well, growing in grace and knowledge and the love the Lord has for you and that you are abundantly blessed as you seek to follow Jesus. Today we are tackling the final subject in the Hot Topics series, and you don’t want to miss this one. We’re taking a look at the promise of the soon return of our Lord, Jesus. Let’s get started.

Summer 2023 Online Prayer Retreat

You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, part of the Spark Network, now playing in the Edifi app. This is episode number 148.

Welp, I guess I just couldn’t end this Hot Topics series without getting into the hottest topic of them all. How close are we to the return of Jesus? The Second Coming.

When? How soon? How long?

So of course, the very first verse I’m going to share is from Matthew 24, verse 36, which says that no man, not even the angels, knows the hour or the day of Jesus’ return.

That’s a true statement, spoken by Jesus. And I am not going to deny the complete truth of that verse. It’s true!

Nobody knows the hour or the day. And that is not a point that can be successfully argued - like, this is the truth that Jesus gave us. And there is no wiggle room or getting around it.

So, in this episode, Hot Topic though it may be, I am not going to talk about dates or times specifically. Nope. That’s unbiblical, and so it goes right out the window and has no place here because the Word of God is the standard (as it should be for any podcast that is talking about God’s promises. No brainer, right?)

Next verse I want to look at also from Matthew chapter 24.

Verse 3 has the disciples asking Jesus this: “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (This is from the NLT).

They are asking a very direct, super specific question. And we are going to take a look at exactly how Jesus answered this very direct, super specific question.

Since Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we can expect that He is telling the truth here in Matthew 24. So this is the truth, according to the King of kings, and we need to pay attention to His words.

Verses 4-8

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.”

So, as I think about these four verses, what things can we identify as having begun to take place? (Note that doing this is paying attention to the signs of the times, not trying to determine the exact day and hour of His return..two very different things, and we don’t want to neglect being among those who are watching and expecting His return just because we are afraid that somehow that makes us the same as those who say “On this exact day…”)

Many have come saying they are the messiah, and many are still doing that. And keeping our eyes on Israel, we know that there is one there right now that is being propped up as their possible messiah, so yes we can put a check mark next to false messiahs coming to deceive.

How about hearing of wars and rumors or threats of wars? Big check mark next to that!

And thank the Lord that he told us not to panic at the prospect of wars, because these things have to take place. He doesn’t want us afraid - that’s never the point of prophecy or end times information that is found in the Bible. He wants us anticipating, expecting, and excited about His return, hopeful and sharing that hope with others. Any sense of urgency we have is really here to help us share with others, ya know? Wake ourselves up and then wake others up. When the flood came, all those outside the ark (not among Noah and his family) suffered. Is there anybody you can encourage to get in the ark, so to speak, and maybe encourage them to give their life to Jesus (that’s our version of being in the ark, as Christ followers). Who knows that a right view of end times details, as Jesus gave to us here in Matthew 24, could be the wake up call somebody needs to bend the knee and receive eternal salvation. So, it shouldn’t be the scariest thing in the world to talk about His return. It should be hopeful for us, and also make us hyper-aware that many, many people are not living in the hope that Jesus offers.

These things must take place, said Jesus, but the end won’t follow immediately.

Okay, good to make note of. Those two things that we can put a check beside because we do see those things in the world today, they do not signify the end. More is to come.

He goes on to say nation will war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Check check.

There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.

Famines, sadly yes, in my lifetime I have seen via news sources more info about horrific famines than I would ever imagine possible. And I hate it, people starving to death. I really do mean it when I say I just hate it.

Earthquakes, big check next to this one. By looking at daily stats at earthquaketrack.com or earthquake.usgs.gov, we can see, in real time, the dramatic increase in earthquakes. In diverse places - all over the world. 25 over the course of the last day is the stat as I am recording this. Hawaii, the DR, Texas, Russia, Santa Cruz islands, Myanmar, Ecuador, Fiji, Puerto Rico, China, Turkmenistan, New Zealand to name a few. Yeah, we can put a check by this one. It’s happening just as Jesus said it would.

But all this, He said in verse 8, is only the first of birth pains. With more to come.

Women who’ve given birth, you understand what this means.

Birth pains get closer together, meaning they happen more frequently, last longer, and are more intense. That is the set-up Jesus gives for the end times before His return.

We meet the criteria for moving on to the next level of birth pains, you might say.

Verses 9-14

“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.”

I think we can honestly say that persecution of Christians has increased and in many countries being a Christian is punishable by death. A study of the history of Christian persecution shows that it is on the uptick and is happening as Jesus said it would. Bible prophecy is always proven true by history, and always will be.

Side note, in Israel there was a recent proposal to enforce the punishment, or persecution, of Christians who share about Jesus with the Jewish populace. Up to a year in prison re: adults, or two years for those under 18.

Are Christians hated all over the world for following Jesus? Yes.

Have many turned away from the Lord and betrayed Him and hate one another? Yes. We have seen how the great falling away is happening. It just is. It’s real, it’s very intense, and it is hard to see occurring.

False prophets on the prowl to deceive many? Yes. Check.

Sin rampant everywhere? Uh, yes. Like ten thousand checks next to this one.

The love of many growing cold?

Gotta be honest as I think about this one. And once you get honest, take a hard look at things around you, and the answer is yes. Are people more loving in your world, your sphere, your workplace, your neighborhood? Or less? We can put a check here.

The Good News will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it.

We all know that this is more possible now, and is happening at a far quicker rate than ever before since Jesus spoke these words, due to the great increase in knowledge which has led to the ability to share with such rapidity, even from a distance. Can’t put a check next to this one yet, since I don’t believe every nation has heard, but we’re getting there. (I used to ask people who would say they wanted Jesus to come again soon, I’d ask if they were giving toward missions that are translating the Bible into the world’s languages, going to the farthest reaches, using technology to reach the unreached…cuz that seemed like a way to put their money where their mouth was, ya know? Want Him to come sooner? Put some dollars toward the work Jesus said would happen, and do it joyfully. Just sayin’!)

I’m going to read verses 15-28 and I’d love for you to just listen as I read:

15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration[d] standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.

23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man[e] comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.[f]

So, will the Temple be rebuilt? Sure seems like it! This will be a truly terrible moment, when the tables turn and the one who seemed like he was going to take care of world peace and of the Jewish populace, demands to be worshiped himself and sets us the object of desecration in the Temple. The daily sacrifices will stop, and the time of the end of tribulation will be in high-gear. We know it’s that period Jesus is referring to when He says “there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began and it will never be so great again.” Unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. These will be very dark days. Now I am not going to hit on the rapture in this episode, but I will say this: I think the church should be ready to endure hard times, to endure to the end, whatever that end may be, to be committed to Jesus because He is so worth it. The rapture shouldn’t be a ticket out of here, it should be considered a glorious event and as long as we are still here, as His bride, as His church, let’s be willing to suffer for His sake.

False messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, even if possible God’s chosen ones. Okay, so if you read Revelation you find false prophets doing the miraculous and it will lead to great deception. And in the Bible, when it uses the words “God’s chosen ones” it is usually, if not always and I really think it is always, talking about Israel, His chosen ones. Gentile believers are grafted in, we are the church, we are part of the bride of Christ, Israel is His chosen possession.

And on that day when He returns, every eye will see Him and He will come like lightning flashes across the sky. This will not be a hidden event. It won’t happen in secret. So anybody saying it has already happened and you just don’t know about it is not being truthful. Jesus said it won’t be hidden, so it won’t be.

As the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.

It’s safe to say the end is near. It’s biblical, even. We need to know the signs of the times so we can do the work with some sense of urgency. People matter. They matter to Jesus and so they ought to matter to those of us who follow Jesus. With no sense of urgency, we just get in a drift and go through life and we aren’t praying and seeking the lost and sharing on our social media and so on. It’s not urgent, and for Americans at least, then it ain’t gettin’ done. Let this be your reminder to apply some urgency to your praying for the lost. Invite that person to church or to Bible study. Who has God put on your heart? What has He put on your heart to do in regard to that person, or persons? Will you now do it? Please?

I’m going to finish this episode by reading verses 29-51, but first I want to mention that I have an upcoming online event to invite you to be part of. It’s the Summer 2023 Prayer Retreat. 7 prayer sessions, looking at what the Bible says about prayer and then actual time spent praying, content you can download and use in your own prayer time, and some bonus content. And I am following the Lord’s leading to make my offers super affordable, even to the point of being like dirt cheap. God said do it, and so I am just obeying. It’s $7, like cup of coffee $7 and you can access all the content forever. If you are interested, I’ll put a link. The event won’t be happening until later this summer (I have some stuff coming up first, so it will going live probably the third week of July, but you can get signed up anytime between now and then and I’ll mention it again in the coming weeks. And thanks in advance to everyone who is interested. Prayer changes lives, and I am a firm believer that one of those lives should be yours. And the lives of those for whom you pray. So I really hope you will join me for the Summer 2023 Prayer Retreat).

Now, here’s the rest of this chapter, Matthew 24:

29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days,

the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.[g]

30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.[h] 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world[i]—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation[j] will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.[k] Only the Father knows.

37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This has been a heavy episode, but so important. Let’s be about our Father’s work in this current day and age, and let’s not forget that He is indeed coming very soon.

Let’s live well while bearing all these things in mind.

Lord bless you, I’ll see ya next time and don’t forget, God’s promises are true for you today.

Bye bye.