Matthew 24:48-51 “But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
 
THIS is the first of three judgment parables Jesus speaks in the Olivet Discourse. The other two follow consecutively in Matthew 25. Each parable echoes the judgment words “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. This grotesque picture of grief and punishment speaks of the Lord Jesus rejecting those who neglect his teachings and his people. He calls unbelievers “wicked, lazy and worthless.” Can you imagine the Lord Jesus speaking such words to you? How would you respond to such judgment? According to Jesus’ parables, there is no response. Once the Christ has come, there is no way to salvation. If he spoke this way to you on Judgment Day, you are on your way to Hell.
   This is the line between God’s love and his holiness. God loves the world because he created it in love to be a glorious place of joy for mankind. All people, then, are formed under his providence. The Bible repeatedly demonstrates his love as he desires to abundantly provide for his own. His love sends down his grace to save us from Hell. His love teaches us who he is and reveals to us the way to Heaven. God’s love is a foundational substance to the Kingdom of God.
   Holiness is another foundational Kingdom substance. Holiness is perfection. Sin is an enemy to the Holy God. Perfection cannot tolerate sin. God cannot allow any deviation from his perfection. Otherwise he would not be holy.
   That is the reason for the cross. We cannot be holy on our own. The Father needed to make us holy, so he could make a room for us in heaven. Jesus had to take our sins to the sacrificial altar, so we will be holy with him. Paul sums it well in Ephesians 1:4-5 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. And 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (from Leviticus 11:44-45)
   From the beginning of the law to the fulfilment of grace, God’s love and holiness is evident to all who listen and see what the Lord God is doing. There is no excuse to be away from God when he comes. Everything he requires is plain for all to know. Hearts that are alert to God’s love and holiness will be prepared for Jesus’ judgment. 

Matthew 24:43-47 “But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”
 
DEAR Christian, how do you prepare for your meeting with the Lord Jesus? Whether you see him come in the air as the Son of Man, or you die and meet him in Heaven, you will meet him.  
   One reason God has not revealed the date he will return is to keep us actively engaged with his work on earth. Imagine what might happen if you knew Jesus was coming on a particular day. Would  your Christian work stop because you might say, “What’s the point of ministry? The Lord will be here soon?” This attitude has been prevalent among cults when false teachers have given a date of Jesus’ return.
   It was common for many cultures to have a servant in charge of a household. We read of that in Joseph’s story: Genesis 39:4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. You are a Christian because God has found favor with you. But unlike Joseph, you did not have to prove your skills before God said, “You are mine.” That is when your servant responsibility began. Under the King’s favor you are responsible to care for his “household” – the Kingdom of God on earth – while he is away.
   Jesus tells you to be ready. Readiness comes in a servant’s life. Serve the King by telling his story where and whenever you have the opportunity. What role has he given you to help others come to faith?
   Serve the King with Kingdom power. Be willing to use your knowledge and gifts to help your community, region and nation – even the world if that is where he directs you. Help care for our church building, so people can worship in safety and peace. Welcome and encourage the uncertain heart to seek Jesus’ love and grace. Extend to the hungry a meal of physical strength and the bread of eternal peace.
   What are the ministries in your community? Choose one and trust God to strengthen your servant hands and feet. “This is what Jesus’ agenda. When he comes, we ought to be caught doing it.” (Life Application Commentary)
 

Matthew 24:38-42 “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
 
OUR Lord is very much to the point, isn’t it? First, if you doubt the Great Flood, know Jesus spoke of it as an historical event. It was one of God’s several nation judgments to cleanse sin. Jesus warned that many people will ignore the gospel’s saving warnings just as people ignored Noah’s warnings. One day, as suddenly as the flood came to engulf the earth, Jesus will come to “flood” the earth with the full knowledge of God. “Listen. Know the signs. Repent. Be ready!” urges the Lord.
   Verses 41-42 may seem to be a reference to a rapture – a theology that teaches the saved will be taken out of the world before a Great Tribulation. But Jesus is simply making a point that some will be ready for him and others will not. Yes, Christians who are alive at his coming will rise to meet Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Then Paul mirrored Jesus’ words as he continued in 1 Thessalonians 5:1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  
          Yes, it’s straightforward. Be ready for the Day of the Lord. You know he’s coming. “When?” is not important. “Who?” and “Why?” is what we must know, so we will be prepared in God’s time to join our Lord in Heaven. 

Matthew 24:32-37 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
 
ONE of the great debates from Jesus’ Olivet Discourse is the sentence, “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” As we have seen in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus’ reference to “all these things” include the gospel covering the earth, great distress in the world, and Jesus’ return in glory. The Lord taught his disciples to be urgent about their work. They would see the church expand. And they would see the distress of physical and spiritual warfare opposing the gospel. This included Jerusalem’s destruction and a great violence against Christians under the Jews and the Romans.
          But what about the Son of Man coming in glory? Did Jesus say he would come during that same generation to whom he ministered? One way to understand our Lord is that he spoke particularly of the distress to come. You could say that at Jesus’ ascension and then the Day of Pentecost when the church began, the world has been in this battle of Kingdom of God against kingdom of the world. Jerusalem’s destruction was a preview of world events attempting to destroy the church. The ongoing world warfare culminates in Jesus’ coming with the angels for the harvest.
Another way to understand Jesus is that “this generation” is the generation of the church, proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord. Jesus’ purpose is not to specify his return. Instead, his point is to tell us that each human generation will experience persecution, false teachers, signs in the Heavens and on earth, and the gospel preached until he returns. Jesus warns all disciples - those standing before him that day - as well as you to be aware of and find hope in God’s plan. Know that as the fig tree gains strength through the winter months to bloom at the right time in summer, we must gain strength through the persecution to be ready for the harvest. Jesus is imploring all of his disciples in history to be urgent and to be strong to preach the Good News amid great trouble.
 
Jesus Teaches: Prepare for Jesus with Jesus’ words.  
 

Matthew 24:29-31 “Immediately after the distress of those days, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the Heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the Heavens to the other.”
 
REMEMBER that time is a Kingdom characteristic. Jesus gives the time of the end – immediately after the distress of those days. That distress is not Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 AD, but it is the trials Jesus foretold in verses 26-28. The church will suffer in the world until his return. Men who despise God have been doing evil since Genesis 4. They will continue to reject God, kill his faithful, persecute the church and inflict chaos on God’s people until Jesus’ return.
   Yes, the distress often referred to as the tribulation of the church and the Christian’s life is very visible throughout the world from ancient past until today. Yet, Jesus gives us hope. Gloriously and thankfully, the Kingdom of God is also very visible in the world. The conflict between the two will continue until that day when the signs in the Heavens and the shaking of the earth declare that distress has ended. Jesus, the Son of Man, will be gloriously visible to all the world. “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the Heavens to the other.” His angels will reap the harvest of the elect, and his church will be forever with her Lord.
   Jesus wanted his disciples to know three things here: 1) My throne is a heavenly throne. 2) Be of hope and encouragement when you experience persecution. 3) Know you will never be too far away from me, and I will always draw you to myself.   
   The disciples could not grasp Jesus’ throne and power would be in Heaven. But as he described his return, he clearly taught the universe is his domain. He affirmed all who are saved in Christ will be gathered to him. They should not be concerned about their earthly lives because their eternal lives are in his hands. Even those who have died before his return will be gathered to him.  
   The disciples would need to know this in their hearts as they faced great trials. Acts and the history of their lives tell us they faithfully taught Jesus’ words under great distress. We must know it, too. Stand firmly for Christ. Trust he is always near you. Live for him. Nothing else matters. 

Matthew 24:26-28 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”
 
IN Judea there were often groups of people who separated themselves from society to escape Rome’s oppression. Some groups even tried to revolt against Rome and form new governments. 
   These types of things have happened throughout history. We all have heard of various groups who isolate themselves from society. Their leaders claim they have the new, true way to salvation or the way to escape government authority or focus on some ant-establishment cause.
   Jesus’ point during his Olivet Discourse is to declare that the Kingdom of God will come swiftly and spread quickly into the world for all to see. There are no special enclaves or hideaways in God’s rule. The gospel spreads everywhere. It is useless to look into the desert or into a hidden room for new leaders where many false movements begin.
   Jesus teaches his disciples their lives would change quickly, and they must be ready. Acts describes the beginning of this process as the Kingdom of God’ power became evident. The Holy Spirit even used persecution (Acts 8:1) to force his Kingdom rule out of Jerusalem and into Asia, Europe and Africa. Swiftly, spiritually God spread salvation, so the entire world would see him.
   In verse 28, Jesus is admonishing believers to be faithful. If vultures have enough wisdom to flock to a dead carcass from miles away, it would be a disgrace if believers did not assemble with the One who gives Life. He implores his disciples that when trouble comes to scatter the church, they must know he is their unifying Lord. Again, Jesus assures the Father is sovereign. The Father will use the Son, the Spirit and all events of world history to his glory.
 
Jesus Teaches: God’s power moves the church to Jesus.

Matthew 24:19-22 “How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
 
JESUS continued his urgent warnings to prepare the Jews and his disciples for the Father’s judgment to come on Jerusalem. His direct reference to pregnant women gives a personal sense of reality to his warnings. He had concern for those who would have more difficulty to flee. Winter would be a bad time because rivers were swollen. The Sabbath travel rules, too, prohibited one from traveling more than 1,000 yards! Also, the Jews barred the city’s gates on the Sabbath to prevent commerce. All are at risk of death if they are not prepared to flee when the signs point  to war. Practical in his warnings, Jesus urged them to pray for ease of escape. Notice their prayers were not to be that God would relent. Jerusalem’s judgment was set in Heaven’s time.
   And escape they must because great distress indicates awful things will occur in Jerusalem. Jesus warned it would be singular in its brutality, and the Romans fulfilled his words in their murderous rampage.
    Why did God destroy Jerusalem? He did so in 70 AD for the same reason He destroyed the city about 597 BC. God’s people rejected him. By 70 AD, they had not only killed his Son, but the Jews were the primary persecutors of his church. The Father judged his children’s unbelief just as he had done since the Garden of Eden and will do until the end time.
   And we rejoice the Father also graciously preserves his faithful. Jesus warned his disciples, so they would survive to be his church. Faithfully many believed him and fled when they saw Jesus’ words coming true. God acted to judge disbelief. He acted to save faithful believers.
 
Jesus Teaches: Believe Jesus and be saved. 

Matthew 24:15-18 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.”
 
JESUS warned his disciples and the Jerusalem Christians who would come to faith in the next generation. He wanted them to know how and when to escape the city’s upcoming destruction. One way he affirmed his prophecy is to point back to Daniel 9:26-27 The Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
   That’s what happened. Jesus, the Anointed One, was killed. His life seemed to mean nothing, but then the Holy Spirit began his work. The church started in Jerusalem under great persecution from the Jews. In response to the Jews denying Jesus as Lord, Rome became God’s sword of judgment on his city. In  70 AD the Romans entered the temple with military banners and ceremonial insignia that were elements of their pagan religion. They took away the temple’s sacred vessels, including the lampstand, and burned the temple. This Roman worship is the abomination of desolation. It remained in Jerusalem until Rome’s ruler Titus was deposed.
   History also records that Christians who listened to Jesus’ warning, “Don’t get your cloak. Don’t go home. Flee to the mountains.” did exactly that and survived the war. The unbelievers who remained in Jerusalem were killed or enslaved.
    Jesus was using Scripture’s prophetic Word to point to the future. The disciples knew many of Daniel’s visions had come true through many rulers over Israel. As God’s Word had come true regarding the past, Jesus urged them to trust God’s future Word. Believing prophecy allows us to be prepared for the future.  
   Be alert and know there are many ways the culture desecrates the worship of our Lord. We become immune to its abominations because the language and the ideology become the common voice. Everything we hear, see and speak must be measured against Scripture. As Jesus’ disciples, be alert to remove any abominations, any disgrace of sin, that will destroy your faith and your church.
   The Bible often tells us of God’s intense power against evil. He has repeatedly declared an end to various ages of disobedience with great violence in order to remove sin from his people and the world. Jesus’ prophecy of Jerusalem’s end is a picture of the end of time. That will be a worldwide cleansing from which no one can flee. Only Jesus’ disciples will be saved.
   The warnings become more specific as we continue. 

Matthew 24:9-14 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
 
YOU say to a friend, “You must trust Jesus for your eternal life. Without him, you will perish into eternal Hell. Confess your sins to him in prayer, and confess to the world Jesus is your risen Lord and Savior. Be saved out of eternal torment into eternal life.”
   “That sounds wonderful,” your friend replies. “But, I hear Christians are beaten, jailed, persecuted and killed. If Jesus is Savior, why would this happen? Is Jesus really Lord?”
   Faithfully you reply, “Yes, these troubles are hard to understand, but 2,000 years ago Jesus, the Savior, prophesied these persecutions would happen. The reason they occur is that God has allowed Satan to do evil against mankind for a time. We don’t understand all of God’s ways, but we do know the Bible repeatedly shows us God moves all things to his eternal purpose. In fact, the Bible says in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  
   “We know this is true because the Father even caused Jesus, his own Son, to come to earth as a man that he would be killed on a cross. In this way Jesus became the eternal sacrifice to save people from sin’s punishment. This is the gospel, the good news of salvation. Now, the Father awaits the gospel to be spoken in the entire world that all whom he has chosen will be saved. When his plan is complete, the Father will end all sin, and those saved in Jesus will live with him forever.
   “Now, my friend, aren’t you glad Jesus waited until I told you of his salvation? Are you ready to confess Jesus as your Lord?”
 
 

Matthew 24:4-8 “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
 
AS the disciples have asked Jesus, “When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3), Jesus did not answer “when” but his reply focused on the signs that will point the faithful to his coming.
   Jesus words here are a summary of world and church history until history’s end. First, he warns against false teachers. We know that from Jesus’ time to this very day false teachers have elevated man’s teachings over our Savior’s truth. Some have raised themselves to the level of Jesus and promised their followers could avoid Jesus’ prophesied trials and tribulations. Some have even set dates for Jesus’ return. 
   Amid these false Christs and teachers, true disciples will face trials. We know of the first disciples’ trials and persecutions. That was merely the beginning. Persecution today against Jesus’ church is at its highest level in history.
   Second, Jesus says war will essentially be constant until he comes again. This is a common warning in Revelation as well. The picture of mankind’s horrific destruction of one another is the great heartache of our story. History and current events certainly tells us this is true. Third, Jesus affirms natural disasters are also part of God’s plan. We sometimes wonder why they occur. One reason is to remind us the physical world needs Jesus’ redemption as much as we do. Jesus will come to end creation’s upheaval.
   The Olivet Discourse lesson here is this: In the midst of turmoil in our lives, the church and the world, we must faithfully be centered on Jesus. What is happening may look like chaos, but all is under God’s order to prepare us for Jesus’ coming.