Believe in Jesus - Part 2

I recently began reading the epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans. I have been reading Paul’s epistles in the order he wrote them, so I had no plans or agenda other than to read it and be edified by it. But right from the beginning I noticed something, which I then followed as I read on. That something is faith. We all talk about being saved by faith in Christ, but what does it mean to believe in Jesus? to have faith in Jesus? Specifically, What is it I must believe?

Yesterday I went through the first three chapters. That was Part 1. "What does it mean to believe in Jesus? It means we believe he is the Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins, was raised again, and is Lord. When I believe in Jesus God justifies me or declares me righteous."

Today I will look at chapters 4 and 10. That makes this Part 2!

In chapter 4 Paul uses Abraham to explain and illustrate faith. Actually, the entire chapter is about Abraham, faith, and justification. This is a great chapter! But since my point is simply what it is we are to believe in order to be justified and what this looks like I will only look at the part of the chapter that speaks to that.

4:3  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Abraham believed God. Faith is always a response. God makes a promise and we believe. The chapter is about God’s promise of a son to Abraham. Abraham believed that promise and his faith was counted unto him for righteousness.

4:16  Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
And here is the vital point, of the faith of Abraham. Abraham was justified by believing God, and we are justified when we are of the faith of Abraham. And just what does that look like? Paul tells us in 17-22:

4:17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Abraham believed God. But what did he believe? The promise.

4:18  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
God promised him he would become the father of many nations, and for that to happen he would have to have a son. God promised him a son and he believed God. 

against hope believed in hope – he was so old he had lost hope, but by believing the promise of God, hope was reborn. But this hope sprang from a faith which was completely in God, who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 

4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
Abraham knew it was impossible for him and Sarah to have a child. He had to choose to believe what he could see (can’t happen) or what God had said (you will have a son). He chose what God said. He believed God to do what he was unable to do on his own.

4:20   He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
staggered not at the promise – God had promised him something unbelievable, this just didn’t happen, but he had faith in God and what He could do.

at the promise of God – once again we are brought to the promise. Abraham did not initiate this. Faith is not me telling God what I think He should do, it is always me responding to what God has said. Has God spoken to me? Yes. Where? In the Word. The gospel tells me God sent his only begotten Son to die on the cross for me, that he rose again, and that he offers to save me (forgive my sins, give me eternal life, restore me to God). When I believe that he saves me!

4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Against hope believed in hope; being not weak in faith; staggered not at the promise. I would say he was fully persuaded! And of what was he persuaded? That what he had promised, he was able also to perform. That is faith.

4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
therefore - because he believed, he was justified.

4:23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
This is what it means to be of the faith of Abraham. We are also asked to believe some incredible things, things which in the natural don’t happen everyday, such as raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; and, righteousness will be imputed to us if we believe on Jesus. See, we are in the same boat as Abraham. You can see the slight shift here - we not only believe things about Jesus (he is the Christ, the Son of God, who died for us, rose again, is Lord), but we believe God’s promise through Jesus (justify us, forgive us, restore us, accept us).

When I look back to when I first believed in Jesus, I must admit, I didn’t understand much. I couldn’t have explained or defended anything, but you know what, I believed Jesus was Christ, the Son of God, that he was risen from the dead, and I believed his promise to take me to the true God. Yep, I was of the faith of Abraham!

Finally,
10:8  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
10:12  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This is awesome!

believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead - He only mentions raised, but it’s all here: Jesus Christ, Son of God, crucified, raised from the dead.

confess with your mouth Lord Jesus – once again it’s all here: spoken to him, Lord Jesus, owning him as Lord; spoken to others, confessing my faith, Jesus is Christ, Son of God, who died and was raised, and is now Lord.

whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved – Paul now provides the full picture of what it means to believe or have faith in Jesus: I hear the message that Jesus (who is the Christ, the Son of God, died for me on the cross, was raised from the dead, and is now Lord) promises to forgive my sins and restore me to God. I believe this and call on him to save me. Throughout the Bible, calling on the name of the Lord is the essence of true religion. It might look something like this: Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died for me and rose again from the dead. I ask you to save me.

It was exciting to see this as I was reading through Romans! I began with, What does it mean to believe in Jesus? Specifically, What is it I must believe? Well, this is what it means to believe in Jesus! Have you believed in Jesus?

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved

What does it mean to believe in Jesus?

I recently began reading the epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans. I have been reading Paul’s epistles in the order he wrote them, so I had no plans or agenda other than to read it and be edified by it. But right from the beginning I noticed something, which I then followed as I read on. That something is faith. We all talk about being saved by faith in Christ, but what does it mean to believe in Jesus? to have faith in Jesus? Specifically, What is it I must believe?

Faith in Christ is sort of a nebulous thing in our day, “Yeah, yeah, I believe in Jesus. He was a real cool dude.” People believe all sorts of things about Jesus. I was really blessed as I read through Romans and saw Paul telling us what the gospel message is and from that telling us what it is we must believe. That’s what I was noticing and what I want to share. Let’s do it!

1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2  (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3  Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4  And declared the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

He begins with the gospel of God. This is what we should be preaching, teaching, sharing with people. The gospel is about:
1) his Son Jesus - Jesus is the Son of God
2) Jesus Christ our Lord – Jesus is Lord
3) of the seed of David – this means he was the son of David, in other words Jesus is the Christ
4) resurrection from the dead – Jesus died and rose again

If this is the gospel, then this is also what we are called upon to believe. The gospel is: Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified, who was raised from the dead, and is now Lord. To believe in Jesus is to believe this. We don’t really need to go any further, he has presented what is preached and what must be believed, but we will go on because there’s more!


1:5  By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

for obedience to the faith – literally this is, unto obedience of faith (also in 16:26); I believe in being obedient to the faith, which would involve repentance, faith, baptism, but this is obedience of faith. Paul preaches the gospel and calls people to believe in Jesus.


1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

There is a lot about faith here.
1) the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes in Christ. When we believe what it says about Jesus we are saved.

2) from faith to faith – this is an interesting expression; it seems to emphasize that the righteousness of God is received solely by faith, which is why he adds…

3) the just shall by faith – this is even more interesting and telling when we translate this literally, the just by faith shall live. When you say the just shall live by faith you really haven’t answered the question of how a person is made just or righteous. But Paul has actually answered the how, the righteous by faith shall live. The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel and when we believe what the gospel says about Jesus we are justified or declared righteous.


3:22  Even the righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

through faith of Jesus Christ – this is almost synonymous with gospel. The gospel tells us Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, who died and rose again. The faith of Jesus Christ tells us how to be right with God.

unto all and upon all them that believe – I love this phrase! The righteousness of God, which is available to us through the faith of Christ, is offered to all (unto all) and actually given to all (upon all) them that believe in Jesus, that he is the Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified and raised from the dead.


3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
3:25  Whom God hath set forth a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

What a rich passage! But I will restrict myself to faith…

through faith in his blood - This tells us that Christ died for me, died for my sins is part of the gospel. The gospel then is Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for my sins, raised from the dead, and is now Lord. Faith in his blood means I believe he died for me and paid my sin debt.


3:26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

What does it mean to believe in Jesus? It means we believe he is the Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins, was raised again, and is Lord. When I believe in Jesus like that God justifies me or declares me righteous.


3:27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
3:28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
3:29  Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
3:30  Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
3:31  Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

This is a cool section! Did you know there is a law of faith? Actually, we all know that, just maybe not by that name. He states it in v 28, a man is justified by faith without the works of the law, that is, by believing in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, who died for our sins and was raised from the dead.

justify the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through the faith – It is interesting how he phrases this. While he obviously states this in slightly different ways, he is not saying the two are justified in different ways. The Jews, who already have the Law, are made right with God not by the works of the law, but by faith in Christ. The Gentiles, who are completely outside the pale, are made right with God through the faith of Christ, by believing the message of Christ crucified and raised from the dead. Both by faith. By the same faith.

This is really good! I don't mean my writing, I mean what Paul is saying. I realize there has been a lot of repetition, but that's on purpose. Today faith in Christ is so often spoken of in an indefinite or vague way, "Whatever that means to you." But for the apostle it is a most definite thing, a very clear thing. Do you have this faith in Christ Paul is writing about?


Next: Faith in chapters 4 and 10

The Springs of Springboro

June 21st we headed up to Ohio for Scarlett’s surgery on the 24th. Before that the Meester boys had a bunch of baseball games that weekend. In three different locations! My assignment on Saturday was to take Drew to his games in Xenia, 30 minutes or so from Springboro. After his first game we went into town for something to eat and then had to hang around for a few hours before his next game. We found Xenia fascinating so while we were waiting we Googled “Xenia”. That was interesting. Then we Googled several other towns, including Springboro. We learned that Springboro was so named because of the abundance of underground springs in the area. We decided we wanted to look into this, as in, see one of these springs. Meanwhile we had other adventures that are not part of this story.

Monday morning, the day of the surgery, while we awaited word from Cincinnati, we spent an hour doing further research on these springs. It was both interesting and frustrating. We learned that southwest Ohio is a plateau; that the two main river valleys in this area are the Ohio River valley and the Miami River Valley; Springboro was founded in 1815 as a Quaker Community by Jonathan Wright of Pennsylvania; the people wanted to call it Wrightstown but he declined and proposed “Springborough” in reference to the numerous underground springs found in the area. In fact, we found numerous references to the "abundant and fresh springs" in the area. We searched and searched for the source of this reference. That was frustrating, it was as if they were quoting each other. We decided to walk uptown and investigate.

Yes, walk to downtown Springboro. It’s only one and a half miles. We set off.

We headed straight to the Springboro Historical Society. They were closed! Only open Friday and Saturday. In fact, at least half of downtown Springboro was closed. So we headed to the Chamber of Commerce, hoping they were open. They were!

We went in. The man greeted us and asked, “What can I do for you?” So I explained, “We have been researching the underground springs they found around here when they founded Springboro. We want to see one. Can you tell us where we might find one?”

He started to answer, then hesitated, “I’m sorry, I thought you were asking about the underground railroad [the underground railroad is a big part of Springboro’s history]. Underground springs? Let me look.” He went to his computer and Googled it! We told him we had already done that but he persisted. Every site he found we said, “Yep, saw that.” It was clear he didn’t know much. He did remember that a recently renovated house across the street had a spring in it, but they had covered it over. He also told us about the Wright house [founder of the town] and where it was, so we thanked him and set off for the Wright House.

Meanwhile, I decided to stop at every open business along the way. Drew was taken aback a little by my plan, “Are you really going to ask everyone you meet?” “Sure!” But he thought it was exciting, saying something like, “I like it when you come to town.” Ha!

First place we came to (that was open) was Magnolias on Main. We went in and I approached the lady there, “Hello! I have probably the strangest question you’ve ever been asked…” and I proceeded to ask about the underground springs of Springboro. “You sure you don’t want to know about the Underground Railroad?” I said, Not now. Turns out she was a school teacher who was prepared to tell us about the railroad but not the springs. But she did recollect that there was a building just up the road that used to have a well inside it, McCarthy Wealth and Tax Advisors. Bingo! We thanked her and headed that way.

We got to McCarthy, told the receptionist we had a really odd question and asked her if they had a well in the building. She replied, “A well? No. We used to have a big hole in the ground, but they covered it.” So close and yet no cigar! We thanked her and made our way to the Wright House.

We got there, admired the house for a moment then knocked on the front door. “Hello, I’m Jeff and this is Drew…” and then explained that we were looking for just one of the famous springs of Springboro and did he know where we might find one.” This guy knew stuff! He told us the springs were water close to the surface, easily accessible, and all over the place. They had one in the back. Oh we were excited! “Can we see it?” He led us around to a side porch:

“Used to be right here. The servants would come to it and draw water. We covered it over a while back.” Yep, that porch is the site of a spring. So close only to be covered over. They used some kind of pump but gave it to the neighbor when they covered the spring. We knocked on the neighbor’s door, but no one was home. Oh so close only to thwarted once more.

We did enjoy our time though, and learned a lot about Springboro. They are really big on their part in the Underground Railroad, which made one discovery even more amazing.

Drew and I saw two of these statues on the property of the Wright House. We were flabbergasted. Here is a town that celebrates its history as a central part of the underground railroad, yet the town founder’s house has Black Sambo statues! (I did not take this photo. I admit I was too shocked to take it.) We wondered about the ‘servants’ he mentioned.

On the way back to the house I got the phone call – “Scarlett’s surgery went well. She is in recovery and about to go to her room.” Overall, a great morning!

The Son of man comes in his glory

25:31-46 The Son of man comes in his glory

This is the last section in the Olivet Discourse. What I find especially intriguing is what Jesus emphasizes. (Please see Note at the end for an explanation of this post.)

31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats:
33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

What a glorious scene: the Son of man coming in his glory, accompanied by all the holy angels, and sitting on the throne of his glory! What a day that will be!

When Jesus described his coming earlier (24:28-31), he said the angels would gather together his elect. Resurrection. Here he says all nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another. Judgment.

“Sheep, which have ever been considered as the emblems of mildness, simplicity, patience, and usefulness, represent here the genuine disciples of Christ. Goats, which are naturally quarrelsome, lascivious, and excessively ill-scented, were considered as the symbols of riotous, profane, and impure men.” (Adam Clarke)

34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38   When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39   Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Come ye blessed of my Father – There are a couple of clues to their blessedness: (1) they are sheep; (2) they are on his right hand – right hand is good, left hand is bad. All ye left handed people, please don’t be mad at me! this is simply how ancient people viewed it. “The right hand signifies, among the rabbis, approbation and eminence: the left hand, rejection, and disapprobation. The right and left were emblematical of endless beatitude and endless misery among the Romans.” (Adam Clarke)

inherit the kingdom prepared for you – the results of this judgment appear to be eternal. The difference between sheep and goats is the kingdom. When the King comes he will bring the kingdom in its fullness: righteousness, peace, and joy on the earth. This will be the answer to our prayer, Thy kingdom come. Amen.

For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

This is the point Jesus is making. The way these people lived marked them as sheep. Look how they cared for Jesus!

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

The sheep are now called the righteous. They are sheep, blessed of the Father, righteous.

Lord, when? – They are shocked! When did we take care of You?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Ah, they didn’t literally take care of Jesus, after all, he is in glory, they took care of his brethren, even the least of these my brethren and in this ye have done it unto me.

I believe my brethren refers to Christians. Jesus is emphasizing the care we should have one for another. He mentions six physical acts of mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, house the homeless, clothe the naked, visit the sick, visit the prisoner (why would the brethren of Jesus even be in prison? Because of their faith in Christ. To visit people in prison in those days involved being associated with them, comforting them, and actually caring for their needs). This is how we should care for one another in the church. In the early part of Acts we read:

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common... Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,  And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

neither was there any among them that lacked. Wow! We have to be intentional about this. Not living with one eye on the reward, but with both eyes looking for any in our fellowship that lack. Is there anyone in our fellowship that lacks? That is in need? Meet that need. I believe our eye and our works should radiate outward: our spiritual family, our natural family, our neighbors, people we encounter.

41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42  For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

The goats on his left hand receive terrible news: Depart from me, ye cursed. And why are they cursed? Because they did not do these physical acts of mercy unto his brethren.

Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels – As I said, the consequences of this judgment are eternal. Sheep are blessed of the Father, goats are cursed. Sheep inherit the kingdom, goats everlasting fire.

prepared for the devil and his angels – hell is real, but was not prepared for people. When you throw in with the one who rebelled against God at the beginning, you share his fate.

46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

There are many who say everlasting punishment is not everlasting, that it will cease after some period of time and all will be saved. There are those who believe the wicked will cease to exist. Jesus has here taught otherwise. And here is the key: everlasting and eternal are the same Greek word. The punishment of the wicked lasts as long as the bliss of the righteous. If punishment is temporary, so is the bliss. If the bliss is eternal, so is the punishment. Therefore, this is one of the most somber verses in the Bible. Throughout the entire Bible we are invited, urged, to come to Jesus that we might live and not die. Oh reader, have you believed in Jesus?


“From what our Lord has here said, we may see that God indispensably requires of every man to bring forth good fruit; and that a fruitless tree shall be inevitably cut down, and cast into the fire. Let it be also remarked that God does not here impute to his own children the good works which Jesus Christ did for them. No! Christ's feeding the multitudes in Judea will not be imputed to them, while persons in their own neighborhood are perishing through want, and they have wherewithal to relieve them. He gives them a power that they may glorify his name by it and have, in their own souls, the continued satisfaction which arises from succouring the distressed. Let it be farther remarked, that Christ does not say here that they have purchased the eternal life by these good deeds. No! for the power to work, and the means of working, came both from God. They first had redemption through his blood, and then his Spirit worked in them to will and to do. They were therefore only workers together with him, and could not be said, in any sense of the word, to purchase God's glory, with his own property. But though God works in them, and by them, he does not obey for them. The works of piety and mercy they perform, under the influence and by the aid of his grace. Thus God preserves the freedom of the human soul, and secures his own glory at the same time. Let it be remarked, farther, that the punishment inflicted on the foolish virgins, the slothful servant, and the cursed who are separated from God, was not because of their personal crimes; but because they were not good, and were not useful in the world. Their lives do not appear to have been stained with crimes, - but they were not adorned with virtues. They are sent to hell because they did no good. They were not renewed in the image of God; and hence did not bring forth fruit to his glory. If these harmless people are sent to perdition, what must the end be of the wicked and profligate!” (Adam Clarke)


Note at the end – There is room for a lot of discussion concerning things relative to this chapter that I am not covering in this post. For example: What is the relationship of this judgment to the Great White Throne judgment in Revelation 20? There are those who see this chapter as describing events that will take place before a one thousand year reign of Christ on the earth. In their view there are two judgments and two resurrections, separated by a thousand years.(Actually, some of them believe in three judgments and three resurrections!) Others believe this chapter speaks of what is called the ‘general judgment’ (the one and only final judgment). While all this can be helpful in developing an understanding of the eschaton, the overall picture of the last days, I have avoided that in this post. Why? I am limited in my space, so I decided to focus on what Jesus was emphasizing – judgment and what would commend or else condemn people in that day.

finis

Parable of the Talents

25:14-30 Parable of the Talents

This is somewhat embarrassing. In my first post, Jesus teaches on the end of the world I provided an outline of Matthew 24-25. But as I progressed, I noticed the timing wasn’t working out, it was going to take longer than planned. I went back to my outline and saw my mistake, I had forgotten to include the parable of the talents!! Oh well, at least I caught it before I was finished.

Which brings us to the parable of the talents. This is similar to the other stories he told, only a good bit longer and more detailed. I don’t mind telling you, this is a difficult passage. I’m thinking the best approach is to look at it as a whole and not get caught up in details. If there is a detail to notice it would be v 19, After a long time the lord of those servants cometh. I think the significance would be similar to v 5, Then, while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Of this Chrysostom said, “He shows that the time intervening will not be short, leading His disciples away from the expectation that His kingdom was quite immediately to appear. For this indeed they hoped, therefore He is continually holding them back from this hope.”

Here’s a summary of this parable:

A man traveling into a far country divides his goods among his servants. When he comes back he receives an accounting from them of how they did with his goods and rewards them accordingly. So what does this mean? Because I kept getting caught up in the details and hung up on money I wanted to present the thoughts of two brothers widely separated in time: Chrysostom (AD 349-407), Archbishop of Constantinople and Chuck Smith (1927-2013), founder of Calvary Chapel.

Chrysostom, in his homilies on Matthew, said, “Let us hearken then to these words. As we have opportunity, let us labor to add to our talent. For if we be backward, and spend our time in sloth here, no one will pity us any more hereafter, though we should wail ten thousand times. He also that had the one talent restored that which was committed to his charge, and yet was condemned.

Knowing then these things, let us contribute alike wealth, and diligence, and protection, and all things for our neighbor's advantage. For the talents here are each person's ability, whether in the way of protection, or in money, or in teaching, or in whatever thing of the kind. Let no man say, I have but one talent, and can do nothing; for you can even by one approve yourself. For you are not poorer than that widow; you are not more uninstructed than Peter and John, who were both unlearned and ignorant men. For nothing is so pleasing to God, as to live for the common advantage.

For this end God gave us speech, and hands, and feet, and strength of body, and mind, and understanding, that we might use all these things for our neighbor's advantage. For not for hymns only and thanksgivings is our speech serviceable to us, but it is profitable also for instruction and admonition. And if indeed we used it to this end, we should be imitating our Master; but if for the opposite ends, the devil.

Such things then let us speak, that of themselves they may be evidently the words of Christ. For not only if I should say, Arise, and walk; or if I should say, Tabitha, arise, do I speak Christ's words, but much more if being reviled I bless, if being despitefully used I pray for him that does despite to me. Our tongue is a tongue imitating the tongue of Christ if we speak those things which He wills. But what are the things which He wills us to speak? Words full of gentleness and meekness, even as also He Himself used to speak. If you also speak in this way; if you speak for your neighbor's amendment, you will obtain a tongue like that tongue. When therefore your tongue is as Christ's tongue, and your mouth has become the mouth of the Father, and you are a temple of the Holy Spirit, then what kind of honor could be equal to this? For what is more lovely than a mouth that knows not how to insult, but is used to bless and give good words?”


Chuck Smith, in his teaching through Matthew said, “Here obviously the Lord is telling us that He is wanting us to be productive with His things. Whatever God has entrusted into our care or keeping, God expects us to use it and to be productive with it. Not to bury, or to hide, not to try to just to preserve, but the Lord wants us to increase that which He has entrusted into our keeping. Now it is interesting to me that the amount that he gave to each one was according to that person's abilities. But the person who had the two was rewarded just as that one who had the five, in that in their doubling of what was given to them, they were each commended of the Lord as good and faithful servants, and were given their place into the kingdom.

This parable would seem to indicate that our position in the kingdom of God, when Jesus comes to establish that kingdom upon the earth, will be relative to the faithfulness now to the things of God that God has entrusted into our care. If God has placed things in my keeping then I am responsible to be using those things to increase the kingdom of God. And if I am faithful now in those things that God has entrusted to me, then according to that faithfulness will be my position in the coming kingdom. In one of the gospels it says He said to him, "be thou ruler over ten cities, enter into the joy of thy lord"(Luke 10:17).

Now God has entrusted to each one of His servants something. And to each one that was entrusted by God with whatever it was, it was his responsibility to use it, to bring an increase unto the Lord. It should cause each of us to seriously examine our own lives, and seek first of all to understand what is it that God has entrusted to me of His kingdom, of His kingdom's goods. And then what am I doing with what God has entrusted to me? Am I a faithful servant, or am I slothful in spiritual things, in the things of the kingdom? Do I have a very slothful attitude, just seeking to hang onto the status quo, rather than really seeking to use those things of God to their best advantage?”


Though they say it differently I think they are essentially saying the same thing: As you wait for the return of Christ, faithfully use what God has given you to serve Him and minister to others.

And then there are these words to the faithful servants, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. It would be wonderful to hear this on that Day!

On the other hand, there is the servant who lost his talent. "What then is this? He that has a gift of word and teaching to profit thereby, and uses it not, will lose the gift also; but he that gives diligence, will gain to himself the gift in more abundance; even as the other loses what he had received.” (Chrysostom)

Could it be Jesus is reinforcing what he said in the story of the two servants, Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. Amen. Let us strive to hear, Well done, good and faithful servant” in that Great Day!

Next: 25:31-46 The Son of man comes in glory


14  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21   His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22   He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26   His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Watch and Be Ready

24:36-25:13 Watch And Be Ready

In my first post on the Olivet Discourse, I said:

There are two surprising things Jesus stressed in this teaching. It would do us well to keep these in mind. We are prone to concentrate on the details of the last days, focusing on events and timing etc. While Jesus does give us events and details, he emphasizes:

(1) Take heed that no man deceive you
(2) Watch and be ready

We’ve seen take heed that no man deceive you, now we come to watch and be ready. Jesus spends a lot of time on this - he must consider this important. He offers four illustrations:

24:36-42 As the days of Noah
36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37  But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

But of that day and hour knoweth no man – this is a definitive statement, no man, no one, knows the day or the hour of his coming. Mark it down, no one knows. Whenever you hear someone claiming to know, at best they are mistaken (deceived), at worst they are lying. We can read the signs of the times and know that it is near, that’s the purpose of these stories, but we cannot know the day or hour.

As the days of Noah - The people in Noah’s day were unaware until the flood came. Wait, Noah knew. He wasn’t surprised. The people had heard the flood was coming, and saw Noah building the ark, but they dismissed it. They were surprised.

One taken and the other left – does this refer to a secret rapture? Y’know, one raptured and the other left? No. That’s a definite No. Verse 39 says, the flood took them all away, that is in judgment. That’s bad. So in 40 and 41, to be taken is bad.

Watch therefore – stay awake (spiritually), keep alert; we don’t know when our Lord will come, so we should watch lest we’re surprised.

24:43-44 Good man of the house
43  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Now it’s the goodman of the house. If he had known what hour the thief was coming he would have watched. I’m telling you, watching is something Jesus and the apostles stressed that is not talked much about these days. The Greek word is gregoreo and literally means to be or stay awake. It is used metaphorically: “give strict attention to, be cautious, active: -- to take heed lest through remissness and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one.” Thayer goes on to say, “employ the most punctilious care in a thing.” I love words that sort of give you the sense before you know the meaning. Punctilious. I have no idea what it means, but I’m guessing it is something along the lines of be very careful, pay close attention.

So how do we watch? Be ye also ready. Be alert. Be prepared. He is coming.

In such an hour as ye think not – there is always going to be an element of surprise!

24:45-51 the two servants
45  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49  And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51  And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Ok, watch and be ready. So how do we be ready? This story of the two servants explains that.

The faithful and wise servant does what his lord told him to do, and does it until his lord returns. It’s not glorious, not exciting, not adventurous, not romantic, it’s simple faithfulness.

The evil servant says, My lord delayeth his coming, and ceases to be faithful. He treats his fellow servants despicably and leads a dissolute life. To that servant the lord comes in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of. We don’t know the day or the hour, but the faithful are blessed when he comes because they watched and were ready; those who did not watch and prepare will be surprised and find their portion with the hypocrites.

And shall cut him asunder – Yep, just what it sounds like. Not everyone who names the name of Christ will be blessed when he comes. Therefore be ye also ready.

25:1-13 Parable of the 10 Virgins
1  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2  And five of them were wise, and five foolish.
3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 
9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

This is a parable. A parable is different than an allegory. In an allegory, every detail of the story is important. For example, go to them that sell and buy for yourselves oil for your lamps. Jesus is not saying you can buy readiness. It’s not an allegory. It’s a parable. A parable is a story taken from everyday life that illustrates a truth about the kingdom. Happily, Jesus tells them and us the point of the story – watch ye therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 

You see, five of the virgins were foolish because they were not ready, they were not prepared. The virgins experienced a delay – the bridegroom didn’t appear right away and they were not prepared for this delay. Jesus said, Watch. I said that watch means to stay awake. Well, all ten fell asleep, so did all ten fail? No. Who knows how long the virgins had been waiting, and the bridegroom didn’t come until midnight. It was natural that they fell asleep. The five wise virgins were ready – they brought oil for their lamps; come day or come night they were ready for the bridgroom. The foolish five were not prepared – they brought no oil. There is no significance in the virgins, ten virgins, fell asleep, or the oil. It is all in this: five were ready and five were not. 

We don’t know the day or hour of his return. Jesus said watch and we know that includes being ready. Jesus is coming. He is coming soon. But God’s ‘soon’ may not be our ‘soon’, so while we look for him to come soon, we need to be prepared for a wait.

“For this cause, I say, when He had told all things, both the times and the seasons, and had brought it to the very doors (for it is near, He says, even at the doors), He was silent as to the day. For if you seek after the day and hour, you shall not hear them of me, says He; but if of times and preludes, without hiding anything, I will tell you all exactly.” ~Chrysostom

Next: Parable of the Talents

The Parable of the Fig Tree

24:32-35 Parable of the Fig Tree

Jesus has answered the disciples’ questions and now he begins a series of parables and stories. This first one, the parable of the fig tree, speaks of certainty. The irony is that this parable designed to assure us of certainty contains some uncertain elements.

32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 

This is pretty clear. The first question we must ask is, What does it is near refer to? The destruction of Jerusalem or the second coming? Hopefully, when we answer the next question we will have answered this first one.

34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Now for the big question, What does he mean by this generation? Seems to me there are three main interpretations of this:

(1) “but it respects that present age, or generation of men then living in it; and the sense is, that all the men of that age should not die, but some should live” ~John Gill; he saw this entire chapter as referring only to the destruction of Jerusalem. When I say ‘entire chapter’, I mean, he did not think Jesus spoke of the second coming at all in the chapter.

(2) “The Parable of the Fig Tree seems to indicate that the generation which sees the beginning of these things will see them all.” ~Chuck Missler. He means a future generation, the last generation. This is often the view of those who believe in a secret, pre-tribulation rapture.

(3) “this race; i.e. the Jews shall not cease from being a distinct people, till all the counsels of God relative to them and the Gentiles be fulfilled. Some translate η γενεα αυτη, this generation, meaning the persons who were then living, that they should not die before these signs, etc., took place: but though this was true, as to the calamities that fell upon the Jews, and the destruction of their government, temple, etc., yet as our Lord mentions Jerusalem's continuing to be under the power of the Gentiles till the fullness of the Gentiles should come in, i.e. till all the nations of the world should receive the Gospel of Christ, after which the Jews themselves should be converted unto God, Rom 11:25, etc., I think it more proper not to restrain its meaning to the few years which preceded the destruction of Jerusalem; but to understand it of the care taken by Divine providence to preserve them as a distinct people... But still it is literally true in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem.” ~Adam Clarke. This is interesting because he also believed that all of chapter 24 refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, none of it to the second coming.

Isn’t this fun? The very parable which Jesus gave to assure us of the certainty of the events prophesied, is itself the subject of much uncertainty!

I went to John Chrysostom for some insight. He lived AD 349-407, so he’s pretty early in the history of the Church. He saw chapter 24 as referring to the destruction of Jerusalem until v 27, “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Now we’re talking the second coming and the final, great tribulation. This is what he said about this generation:

“After this, that they might not straightway return to it again, and say, When? he brings to their remembrance the things that had been said, saying, Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled! All these things. What things? I pray you. Those about Jerusalem, those about the wars, about the famines, about the pestilences, about the earthquakes, about the false Christs, about the false prophets, about the sowing of the gospel everywhere, the seditions, the tumults, all the other things, which we said were to occur until His coming. How then, one may ask, did He say, This generation? Speaking not of the generation then living, but of that of the believers. For He is known to distinguish a generation not by times only, but also by the mode of religious service, and practice; as when He says, This is the generation of them that seek the Lord.”

So, there are those who say this generation refers to the people alive when Jesus said this, which would mean it is near, even at the doors refers to the destruction of Jerusalem. There are others who say it means the final generation; they would tend to view Matthew 24 as mostly, if not entirely, speaking of the days immediately preceding the second coming; so it is near means He is near - the return of Christ. Then there are those who view this generation as not confined to time, ie 30-40 years, but to mean a group, either the Jews or believers; in their view it is near would be the second coming.

Since I am persuaded that from 24:28-25:46 Jesus is referring to the second coming, I am inclined to agree with Adam Clarke (#3 above) and John Chrysostom. I believe Luke 21:28-31 helps us here:

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.  
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;  
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.  
31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

Back to Matthew 24:

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.  
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

What Jesus said would happen is going to happen. Watch and be ready.


Next: 24:36-25:13 Watch and Be Ready

The Second Coming

24:29-31 The Second Coming

The disciples asked Jesus three questions:

1) When shall these things be?
2) What shall be the sign of thy coming?
3) (What shall be the sign) of the end of the world?

He has answered the first and third, now he answers the second.

29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 

Immediately after the tribulation of those days – Jesus actually tells us when this will happen. Oh I know it’s not the day or the hour, more on that later, but he gives it a historical setting.

they shall see the Son of man coming –  a few were there at his birth; his disciples saw him ascend to heaven; but everybody, friend and foe, will witness his return!

in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory - The second coming is personal, physical, visible; with power and great glory; accompanied by angels; with a great sound of a trumpet. This is no secret coming, there’s enough noise to wake the dead. And that’s exactly what happens...

and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other - gather together, Paul also uses this word in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him. He probably got it from Jesus. He explains this gathering together unto him in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. This gathering together spoken of by both Paul and the Lord Jesus is the resurrection. The Apostle Paul tells us there are two parts to this gathering together: the dead will be raised; then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them. Resurrection of the dead and rapture of the living (rapture is from the Latin word in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, rapiemur, "we shall be carried away," or "we shall be snatched"). This all takes place when Jesus comes in glory and power.

Jesus is quoting Daniel 7:13-14 (LXX)

13 I beheld in the night vision, and, lo, one coming with the clouds of heaven as the Son of man, and he came on to the Ancient of days, and was brought near to him.
14 And to him was given the dominion, and the honour, and the kingdom; and all nations, tribes, and languages, shall serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed.

From v 13 I see: the Son of man, coming, clouds, but where did Jesus get with power and great glory? From v 14 – and to him was given the dominion, and the honor, and the kingdom. With power and great glory indeed!

Jesus is coming again. When he comes there will be resurrection; there will be judgment; He will establish the kingdom. Best of all, he will be with us!

The prophets prophesied of this day:

Isaiah 25
6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.  
7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.  
8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.  
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

This is a particularly powerful passage: he will make unto all people a feast of fat things - this is the kingdom on the earth; he will swallow up death in victory - resurrection; wipe away tears from off all faces. Oh and v 9, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him! 

Amen! Maranatha! Even so, Come, Lord Jesus!

One night in our Life Group I shared the three greatest events in the history of the world:

1. Creation
2. The Incarnation of Christ
3. The Resurrection of Christ

Well, there is a fourth one, and that’s what Jesus is talking about:

4. The Second Coming of Christ


The tribes of the earth shall mourn when they see Jesus appear, because they are not ready, they are unprepared, they are in rebellion. They are described in Psalm 2 (LXX)

Wherefore did the heathen rage, and the nations imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers gathered themselves together, against the Lord, and against his Christ; saying, Let us break through their bonds, and cast away their yoke from us.

But those who believe in Jesus will cry

Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us


Come, Lord Jesus!


There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye
All is peace forever more on that happy golden shore
What a day, glorious day that will be

What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace
When He takes me by the hand and leads me through the Promise Land
What a day, glorious day that will be

There’ll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear
No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there
And forever I will be with the One who died for me
What a day, glorious day that will be

What A Day That Will Be, written by Jim Hill, © 1955


Next: The Parable of the Fig Tree



LXX is the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament

Behold, he comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see him.

Great Tribulation

Matthew 24:15-28 Great Tribulation

The disciples asked Jesus three questions:

1) When shall these things be?
2) What shall be the sign of thy coming?
3) (What shall be the sign) of the end of the world?

Jesus began by answering the last question, the end of the world. Now he answers their first question, When shall these things (destruction of the temple) be? He begins with the destruction of the temple, which took place in AD 70, but it seems that at some point he blends the tribulation of AD 70 with the greater tribulation of the days of antichrist and the end of the age. In other words, most of verses 15-28 deal with the destruction of the temple (and Jerusalem), which took place in AD 70.

15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

What does he mean, spoken of by Daniel?

Well, in Daniel 9:27 we read, And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

You may be saying, “That doesn’t look similar at all.” No, it doesn’t, but when you look at this verse in the Septuagint (LXX, the Greek translation of the OT †) you find:

And one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away: and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation.

There it is – the abomination of desolations. Jesus used the same phrase as Daniel. The only difference is it is plural in Daniel.

Now, abomination of desolation occurs two other times in Daniel

11:31 and arms from him will rise and will defile the sanctuary of fear. and they will remove the sacrifice and will give an abomination of desolation

12.11 from the time that the sacrifice was taken away and the abomination of desolation was prepared to be given, there are one thousand two hundred and ninety days 

In chapter 9 Daniel is referring to the destruction of the temple in AD 70 while in 11 and 12 he is referring referring to Antiochus Epiphanes who around 167 BC erected an altar to Zeus on the altar of Yahweh (1Macc. 1:54,59; 6:7; 2Macc. 6:1-5). Antiochus Epiphanes was a foreshadowing of a later event. Jesus is referring to the Roman army (Luke 21:20) in the temple, applying the words of Daniel to this dread event. “The verb bdelussomai (abomination) means to feel nausea because of stench, to abhor, to detest. The Roman army is called an abomination, for its ensigns and images, which were so to the Jews. Josephus says the Romans brought their ensigns into the temple, and placed them over against the eastern gate, and sacrificed to them there. The Roman army is therefore fitly called the abomination, and the abomination which maketh desolate, as it was to desolate and lay waste Jerusalem.” (Adam Clarke)

Whoso readeth let him understand – this is a significant event and portends great evil.

16  Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18   Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

Jesus instructs dwellers in Jerusalem what to do when they see the abomination of desolation – run, flee, waste no time, leave immediately! I doubt they were heeding the words of Christ, but Josephus remarks that after Cestius Gallus had raised the siege, "many of the principal Jewish people forsook the city, as men do a sinking ship."

However, all the Christians fled. “But the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded by a revelation, vouchsafed to approved men there before the war, to leave the city and to dwell in a certain town of Perea called Pella.” — Eusebius, Church History

21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

The destruction of Jerusalem was indeed a horrific event. Without going into details, it is enough to say Josephus computes the number of those who perished in the siege at eleven hundred thousand, besides those who were slain in other places. How do you even write eleven hundred thousand? I had to Google it - 1,100,000 !

I believe that it is at this point that Jesus, using the destruction of Jerusalem as the backdrop, speaks of events in the last days. Why? He said For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. The destruction of Jerusalem witnessed eleven hundred thousand perishing. But the Jews have actually suffered greater tribulation than that since then - six million perished under the Nazis. And Revelation 9 tells us of the great conflict of the end times: 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.  18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.  

What does this have to do with Jerusalem? Zechariah 12-14 makes it clear that Jerusalem is at the center of all this. This is the great tribulation which ends with the coming of the King Himself!

23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25  Behold, I have told you before.
26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

I'm not alone in thinking that at some point Jesus jumps from the destruction of Jerusalem to the last days. In my first post I quoted A.T Robertson, "Certainly in this discourse Jesus blends in apocalyptic language the background of his death on the cross, the coming destruction of Jerusalem, his own second coming and the end of the world. He now touches one, now the other. It is not easy for us to separate clearly the various items." And before him, John Chrysostom (349-407) taught that at least by v 27 Jesus was now speaking of his second coming, and the days preceding that, when antichrist shall make his stand.

Most importantly, Jesus again warns of deception: There will be false Christs, false prophets, great signs and wonders; there will be reports that Christ has returned secretly, and is in hiding. Don’t believe it. His coming will neither be a secret nor secretive. No. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. You thought a star and an angel choir announcing his birth was a big deal? There will be no missing the coming of the Son of man! Maranatha!


† Daniel 9:27 is from the Brenton translation of the LXX; 11:31 and 12:11 from the New English Translation of the Septuagint (NETS)

Next: The Second Coming

The End

Matthew 24:4-14 The End

In my first post, Jesus Teaches On The End Of The World, we saw that Jesus uttered a shocking prophecy, “This beautiful temple shall be utterly destroyed” and the disciples reacted with three questions:

1) When shall these things be?
2) What shall be the sign of thy coming?
3) (What shall be the sign) of the end of the world?

Jesus must have considered their third question the most significant because that’s the one he answered first.

4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

But look at this. The first thing Jesus says is, Take heed that no man deceive you. Then he immediately adds, Many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall deceive many. And shortly after adds, Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. Spiritual deception is a common enough possibility and problem - we should take heed and be careful to hold on to the Faith once delivered; but it seems to me that Jesus is suggesting there is a particular danger of being deceived in this matter of the end times. How do we avoid deception? Stick close to what Jesus said, avoiding speculation and sensationalism.

6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
You shall hear of wars and rumors of war, but don't be troubled, the end is not yet. The news is full of turmoil, trouble, conflict, but don't stress, the end is not yet.

7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.
War, famine, pestilence, earthquakes. This is bad, but these are not signs of the end. These are the beginning of sorrows, birth pangs or labor pains. This is “in reference to the dire calamities which the Jews supposed would precede the advent of the Messiah.” (Thayer’s Lexicon)

I remember my early days as a Christian. Every time there was a report of an earthquake we would say, “Another earthquake! That’s a sign! It’s the last days for sure!” But that’s not what Jesus said. He said these things were the beginning of sorrows. This is what will characterize the days between the first and second coming. It is not the end. It is not the sign of the end. But it is the labor pains of the end.

9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Oh my. There’s nothing romantic or attractive about this. Persecution for the name of Jesus will mark the life and career of the church. We've had a long run in the US where we were not harassed or vexed for the Faith. So long that we began to think that was the norm. No. The norm is we live for Jesus, stand for Jesus, proclaim the gospel of Jesus and they hate us for it. This hostility is once again rearing its head in the West. Our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are living these verses.

11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Again, deception. Take heed that no man deceive you. The Apostle Peter warns us:

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

How do we recognize and protect ourselves from these false prophets? Embrace and earnestly contend for the Faith once delivered unto the saints. When teachers/preachers come along whose teaching deviates from this faith they are false prophets and we should turn away from them.

12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Iniquity abounds where truth is neglected or denied, and where sin abounds love grows cold. “By reason of these trials and persecutions from without, and those apostasies and false prophets from within, the love of many to Christ and his doctrine, and to one another, shall grow cold. Some openly deserting the faith, as Mat 24:10; others corrupting it, as Mat 24:11; and others growing indifferent about it, Mat 24:12.” (Adam Clarke)  Take heed!

13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Endure unto the end. What end? Wherever you are, whatever you’re facing, endure all the way to the end. Hold on.
The same shall be saved. However you understand or explain this, the truth is, it’s not how you begin the race, but whether you finish. Don’t you dare quit. You. Keep. Holding on!

14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
And then shall the end come! When? When this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations. That’s when. Every believer, every family, every church should be concerned about and somehow actively involved in the gospel reaching every nation. Today we call it missions. We should be missions minded. At the very least praying for the unreached people groups. One good source is Joshua Project. You can received notifications of unreached people groups via their app or email.

It is really neat how Jesus spells this out for us: the end is not yet, these are the beginning of sorrows, then shall the end come. I believe he has outlined for us the general course of the intervening time between his ascension and return. So we shouldn't worry, panic, or despair. We know how the story goes and how it ends. We can be prepared for the suffering and participate in hastening the coming of the end. What? Apparently so. Peter wrote, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God. You can read here the story of the modern missions movement. By the early 1900s missions rallies often featured a banner, Bringing Back The King. Let's play our part in Bringing Back The King!

But underlying all this talk of the end is the sober warning: Take heed that no man deceive you.

Next: Great Tribulation

Jesus Teaches On The End Of The World

Last year I thought about looking at Matthew 24-25 during Advent. I decided to do Christ in Daniel instead, but Matthew has been on my mind all year. After a recent discussion with a friend about Matthew 24 I decided to go ahead with this. This is often called The Olivet Discourse because Jesus spoke this while sitting on the mount of Olives. In this discourse Jesus talked about the end times and his coming again in power and glory.

Jesus was actually answering some questions the disciples asked him. This is Tuesday in the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. After teaching in the temple in the preceding chapters, chapter 24 begins, And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
This seems to have shocked the disciples: And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? This teaching is Jesus answering these three questions.

But first let us consider the outline. Now, Jesus did not have notes before him, so he did not have an outline, this is merely mapping the flow of his thoughts. I mean, he didn’t just throw out random thoughts, there is a progression. This is my map:

24:4-14 The End
24:15-28 Great Tribulation
24:29-31 The Second Coming
24:32-35 Parable Of The Fig Tree
24:36-25:13 Watch And Be Ready
25:31-46 The Son Of Man Comes In His Glory

Second, There are two surprising things Jesus stressed in this teaching. It would do us well to keep these in mind. We are prone to concentrate on the details of the last days, focusing on events and timing etc. While Jesus does give us events and details, he emphasizes:

(1) Take heed that no man deceive you

(2) Watch and be ready


24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2  And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Jesus uttered a shocking prophecy, “This beautiful temple shall be utterly destroyed.” The disciples reacted with three questions:

1) When shall these things be?
2) What shall be the sign of thy coming?
3) (What shall be the sign) of the end of the world?

Wow! The first question seems to be sensible, but then they jump to “the end of the world” or the consummation of the age! Why would they link the destruction of the temple with the end of the world? Perhaps they had Zechariah 14:1-5 in mind:

1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.  
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.  
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 

In fact, Zechariah 14 continues on to describe the kingdom of God upon the earth, And the LORD shall be king over all the earth.

“Did they think that they were all to take place simultaneously? There is no way to answer. At any rate Jesus treats all three in this great eschatological discourse.” (A.T. Robertson+)

This immediately raises the question of how to interpret or understand these chapters. While it was all future for them then, the question is, Is it all still future for us? or, Was it all fulfilled in AD 70?

“It is sufficient for our purpose to think of Jesus as using the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem which did happen in that generation in A.D. 70, as also a symbol of his own second coming and of the end of the world or consummation of the age.  Certainly in this discourse Jesus blends in apocalyptic language the background of his death on the cross, the coming destruction of Jerusalem, his own second coming and the end of the world. He now touches one, now the other. It is not easy for us to separate clearly the various items. It is enough if we get the picture as a whole as it is here drawn with its lessons of warning to be ready for his coming and the end. The destruction of Jerusalem came as he foretold.” (A.T. Robertson)

This is how I understand this discourse. He is answering the question of the destruction of the temple and of the end of the world. Part of his answer refer to one, parts of it the other. As I go through these two chapters, I trust I will be able to make clear which is which.


Next: 24:4-14 The End


+ Archibald Thomas Robertson (1863 – 1934) was a Southern Baptist preacher and biblical scholar whose work focused on the New Testament and Koine Greek.