The MP3 of My Last Message Preached in New Zealand
“Christ and Him Crucified // Fueling the Flame of Fervent Affection”
Matthew 24:14 Part Three // The Message
Behind the prophecy and at the heart of the mandate of Matthew 24:14 is a message—the Gospel of the Kingdom. Without the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Great Commission is like an empty shell with no pearl and the prophecy of global penetration is meaningless. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the focal point of the Olivet Discourse. It is the purpose and meaning of history.
In order to faithfully bear witness to the Gospel of the Kingdom, we need a revelation of the Kingdom, and we need to understand how the Bible describes the Gospel. Both the Gospel and the Kingdom deserve much study and contemplation. The Kingdom was Jesus’ primary message. And the Gospel was Paul’s. The Gospel of the Kingdom is to be ours. Consider what the following passages say about the Kingdom. Read more >>
Matthew 24:14 Part Two // The Mandate
There are two kinds of Christians—those who take Matthew 24:14 as a prophecy to affirm, and those who take the affirmed prophecy of Matthew 24:14 as a mandate to obey.
Jesus’ declaration concerning the Gospel of the Kingdom is a prophecy. But it is more than that. It is a prophecy that will come to pass as individuals embrace it as a personal mandate and obey it as a personal command.
If the Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed in all nations, then it is safe to say that the Gospel of the Kingdom should be and must be proclaimed in all nations. In light of Matthew 28:18-20, none can deny that we are commanded by Jesus to go into all the world to proclaim the Gospel so as to make disciples of all nations. But history and statistics show that few are willing to actually obey it and go. Read more >>
Matthew 24:14 Part One // The Prophecy
[ read the introduction to the series here ]
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 ESV)
We begin with the assumption that Matthew 24:14 is prophetic. Jesus said that, “the Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed through the whole world as a testimony to all nations.” He did not say, “must be” or “should be.” He said, “will be.” This means that Matthew 24:14 is first and foremost a prophetic decree. The penetration of every people group with the Gospel is an ironclad promise from the lips of the Godman Himself. Jesus said it will happen, and “heaven and earth will pass away” before His words fail (Mt. 24:35). Read more >>
The Most Important Verse in the Word of God for Our Generation // An Intro
Matthew 24-25 is Jesus’ famous sermon about His glorious second coming and the end of the age. Right in the middle of it we find what may be the most important prophetic statement in the entire Bible on a number of profound levels.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 ESV)
Within this monumentally important prophecy we identify a mandate, a message, and a motive, which–when rightly understood–force us to ask an ultimate question.
The answer to that question has the potential to dramatically alter the course of history and determine the eternal fate of innumerable multitudes from many nations, tribes, and tongues. This is why in his exceptional book The Gospel of the Kingdom, George Eldon Ladd called Matthew 24:14 “the most important single verse in the Word of God for God’s people today.” [1]
After wrestling through the implications of Jesus’ holy decree, I’m coming to agree with him.
In a series of subsequent articles I aim to explain why.
. . . to be continued
[1] George Eldon Ladd, Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God (Eerdmans Publishing Co) Kindle Edition, 123.
You Can Almost Hear Him Saying “It Was All Worth It”
Below is a piece from “The Martyrs Mirror” depicting the martyrdom of Matthew. He was nailed to the ground, and beheaded at Nad-Davar, under King Hytacus, about A. D. 70.
You can almost hear him saying, “Jesus, it was all worth it.”
Understanding the Future Age-Ending Time of Unequaled Tribulation and the Foolishness of Preterism
FOUR MONUMENTAL PROPHETIC EVENTS
In Matthew 24 Jesus explained “the signs” of both “the end of the age” and of His “return;” this came in response to His previous statement to the disciples that the Temple would be destroyed. To the Jew, the desolation of the Temple was synonymous with “the end of the age” and the coming of the Messiah (an hour of history referred to in the Hebrew Scripture as “the Day of the Lord”).
Jesus explained the precipitous trends and events that would signal the nearness of His return in 24:4-14. And then in 24:15-31 he describes a timeframe of horrendous upheaval that He called “a time of tribulation such has never been nor ever shall be.” He explained how this “time of tribulation” would commence (24:15-16) and how it would conclude (24:29-31). In this article I want to show how important the information contained in 24:29-31 is and why you should understand it – especially in light of the various perspectives on Biblical prophecy.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)
Jesus describes four events that we need to understand:
- The tribulation of those days – v. 29a
- Cosmic disturbance – v. 29b
- Jesus comes on the clouds in power and great glory visible by all the earth – v. 30
- Angels gather the elect with a loud trumpet – v. 31
These four events bring this present age to a close. They unfold chronologically (which decisively destroys the theory of a pre-tribulational rapture). They are intended to be understood as literally as 24:15-28. And they occur “after the tribulation.” But not just any tribulation; the tribulation of “those days.” The phrase “those days” is critical. Jesus is connecting these great climactic events in 24:29-31 with the “time of great tribulation” explained in 25:15-28. These events explained in 24:15-31 are inextricably linked to one another in their appointed hour of fulfillment. They constitute “the end of the age.” They comprise what the prophets referred to as “the Day of the Lord” and what the apostles would call “the Day of God.” This is the very climax and consummation of history before the inauguration of the next age; the time of which Peter called “the restoration of all things” in Acts 3:21.
WHY IS MATTHEW 24:29-31 IMPORTANT?
Many believe that Jesus’ sermon in Matthew 24 was intended to describe the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD (they’re called “Preterists”). They say the “birth pains” of 24:4-14 (including the false prophets, earthquakes and global Gospel proclamation) and the “abomination of desolation” that ignites the “time of great tribulation” of 24:15-28 were fulfilled in the generation of the apostles. They argue that Jesus’ description of His triumphal coming on the clouds was merely metaphorical. To say it succinctly: These are metaphors for events fulfilled in the first century AD. [1]
For example, world renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright argues that:
“When Jewish writers spoke of the sun and moon being darkened; when they spoke of angels gathering people from the four winds of heaven; when, in particular, they spoke of a Son of Man who would come on the clouds of heaven – in each of these cases they were using language in this metaphorical way. It is flagrantly absurd to think that Jesus, in saying that sort of thing, envisaged himself of anyone else literally flying around in mid-air on an actual cloud” (Who Was Jesus? pg. 55).
“…the ‘coming of the son of man’ does not refer to the [second coming] in the modern scholarly, and popular, sense of a human figure travelling downwards towards the earth on actual clouds…The ‘coming of the son of man’ is thus good first-century metaphorical language….” (Jesus and the Victory of God; pg. 359-60).
Theologian Sam Storms writes:
“Although this entire present age intervening between the first and second comings of Christ is one of tribulation, trial and distress, the so-called Great Tribulation mentioned in [Matthew 24] v. 21 (and described in vv. 15-28; and perhaps also in vv. 29-31) has already come and gone. It is to be identified with the siege on Jerusalem during the years 66-70 a.d., which culminated in the destruction of the city and its Temple by the armies of Rome (the latter being the “abomination of desolation” referred to in v. 15). Thus “The Great Tribulation” of Mt. 24:21 (called “days of vengeance” in Lk. 21:22 and “days of affliction” in Mk. 13:19) is not a future event but an established fact of past history.” (from, Matthew 24 and the Olivet Discourse Part 1)
“This “coming” [described in Matthew 24:29-31] is not a visible, physical appearance by which Jesus returns to earth (although that will most assuredly occur at the end of history). Rather, they [Israel] will “see” him in the sense that they will “understand”, i.e., spiritually perceive that he is the vindicated and enthroned King.” (from, Matthew 24 and the Olivet Discourse Part 3)
J.S. Russell, in his monumental book “Parousia” from which this perspective spawned wrote:
“We are compelled, therefore, by all these considerations, and chiefly by regard for the authority of Him whose word cannot be broken, to conclude that the Parousia, or second coming of Christ, with its connected and concomitant events, did take place, according to the Saviour’s own prediction, at the period when Jerusalem was destroyed, and before the passing away of ‘that generation’” (The Parousia, [2nd. ed. 1887], 549).
Theologian Kenneth Gentry writes:
“This [passages in Matthew 24:29-31] actually refers to Jesus’ ascension [not his second advent]. In the destruction of the temple, the rejected Christ is vindicated as the ascended Lord and shown to possess great power and glory.”
Brian MacLaren states that:
“…[viewing Matthew 24 as a timeframe in the future is an] eschatology of abandonment….[that] has disastrous social consequences….on issues like…ecology, poverty, sexuality, etc.” (from, Preterist Planet interview)
The problems with this perspective abound. Let me point out two: Read more >>
Seven Reasons Why We Should Read Matthew 24-25 as A Prophecy About the Future and Not a Description of the Past
[Download the article here in PDF format]
As one who teaches the subject of eschatology (‘the study of the end-times’) to young adults on a regular basis I treasure Matthew chapters 24-25. These two chapters contain Jesus’ personal teaching to twelve young people who were confused about the subject of “the end of the age” and His second coming. These chapters are one sermon aimed at answering this primary question: “Tell us, when will [the destruction of Jerusalem] be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)
Unfortunately, it has become quite popular these days to read these chapters as history and not as prophecy. Many argue that the events described in them have already taken place. They believe that the Roman-led destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD was the fulfillment of these chapters and that Jesus was speaking metaphorically when referring to unprecedented global and cosmic disturbance. As a result they don’t foresee a future hour of tribulation erupting from the ancient city of Jerusalem. Nor do they anticipate the future fulfillment of most of the trends and events contained within the chapter. They affirm the reality of the return of Jesus but challenge the legitimacy of extracting Biblical teaching about it from these two chapters.
One of the most prominent and articulate advocates of this approach to Matthew 24-25 (and Biblical eschatology in general) is N.T. Wright. He says that the apocalyptic language used by Jesus was merely “an elaborate metaphor-system” (Jesus and the Victory of God; pg. 96) arguing that those who anticipate an end-time fulfillment of these chapters “seem clearly to be looking for a let-out, a way of focusing not on what the passage refers to [history] but on something else [the end of the age]” (Jesus and the Restoration of Israel; pg 265-266).
In reference to Jesus’ description of His return in 24:29-31 Wright says:
“When Jewish writers spoke of the sun and moon being darkened; when they spoke of angels gathering people from the four winds of heaven; when, in particular, they spoke of a Son of Man who would come on the clouds of heaven – in each of these cases they were using language in this metaphorical way. It is flagrantly absurd to think that Jesus, in saying that sort of thing, envisaged himself of anyone else literally flying around in mid-air on an actual cloud” (Who Was Jesus? pg. 55).
“…the ‘coming of the son of man’ does not refer to the [second coming] in the modern scholarly, and popular, sense of a human figure travelling downwards towards the earth on actual clouds…The ‘coming of the son of man’ is thus good first-century metaphorical language….” (Jesus and the Victory of God; pg. 359-60).
Wright’s statements well represent the growing sentiment of many Christians in the West; which is nothing short of the distortion of Biblical truth and an erroneous worldview with serious consequences.
Below are seven reasons why we should read and proclaim Matthew 24-25 as prophecy about the future and not as a historical description about the past. Read more >>
The Return of Jesus: The Red Letters of Matthew 24
Download: Class Syllabus
Session 1: The Beginning Stage of the End-Time Drama – Birth Pains (24:1-14)
Session 2: The Commencement and Conclusion of the Great Tribulation (24:15-31)
Session 3: Four Parables About Preparedness (24:32-51)
