SERMON: THE END IS NEAR?

22 May 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 24:3-8

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ 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.


-- I heard about these two men who were standing on the side of a road not far from here holding up a sign that said, “The end is near” --as they were standing there, a car came flying down the road -- the two men waved at the driver and raised their sign up and down to make sure he saw it
-- when the driver saw them, he honked his horn and put his fist in the air and yelled out to them, “You crazy religious nuts! Get out of here -- no one wants to hear your stupid stuff!” -- and he sped up and kept going down the road
-- All of a sudden, the men heard tires squealing and the sound of a large splash -- they looked at each other and one of the men said, “I told you we should have just written ‘Stop! The Bridge is Out!’”

-- as I’m sure everyone in here is aware, Harold Camping, a Christian radio host from California, predicted that the rapture would occur on March 21st, 2011 and that the end of the world would follow five months later -- with the world ending on October 21st, 2011
-- Camping based his assertion on a mathematical formula using numerology and the repetition of numbers in the Bible to come up with his prediction that the world would come to an end 7,000 years after the flood of Noah, which he dated at 4,990 B.C.
-- and while most Christian groups did not agree with Camping or his prediction of May 21st as the day of the Rapture, the media and the world took a profound interest in his assertion and waited to see if this latest prediction of the end of the world would come to pass -- in fact, earlier this week, Google reported that searches related to Camping’s prediction took up four of their top 10 search positions for the week
-- now that May 21st has come and gone, we can be sure that Christians are going to be faced with ridicule and mocking because of Camping’s failed prediction -- even though most Christian groups did not agree with Camping, the odds are that we will get lumped in with the “religious nuts” and you’ll see news story after news story and jokes from late night entertainers about Christians and the end of the world
-- and, more than likely, your friends and family who know you are a Christian may come up to you and ask you about Camping and his prediction and what the truth really is -- so I wanted to spend some time this morning discussing eschatology -- the fancy word for the study of the end of the world or end times theology
-- now, as we go through this today, I want you to keep in mind that there is probably no greater division or difference of opinion in the church than on end times theology -- understandings and beliefs about the end times vary greatly depending on the church and the denomination and the individual
-- some people regard the end times prophecies in the Bible as merely symbolic and do not believe that the world will come to a cataclysmic end with Christ’s return -- others believe in the return of Christ but not in the descriptions of tribulation that follow -- while others believe in a literal understanding of all of these prophecies, including those found in the Book of Revelation
-- so, keep in mind that in the Christian church, there are vast differences in beliefs and understandings about the end times -- you really need to read the scriptures on your own and look up what the various scholars have said about the end times and come to your own understanding of what you think the Bible is saying
-- the thing to remember is that eschatology is not a criteria for salvation -- it is one of those things that we can agree to disagree about in the church -- believing in the imminent return of Christ will not save you any more than believing that the prophecies are merely symbolic will save you -- salvation comes through putting your faith in the atoning death of Jesus on the cross and believing in the resurrection and the promise of eternal life that Jesus offers
-- let me go ahead and tell you up front which camp I belong to -- I tend to take a literal understanding of the Scriptures unless the meaning is clearly symbolic -- in school, I learned the principle of Occam’s Razor, which basically states, “the simplest explanation is most likely the correct one” -- and this is what I apply to Scripture
-- so, I believe in a literal understanding of end times theology -- including the rapture, the Tribulation Period, the second coming of Christ followed by the millennial kingdom when Christ rules for 1,000 years, and then the final judgment and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth -- this would be considered a very conservative view and very similar to the teachings of Tim LaHaye, one of the authors of the Left Behind series
-- so let’s look back at this passage in Matthew and see what we can learn about the end times from Jesus

II. Olivet Discourse
-- before we begin, let me give you a little background on this passage -- Matthew Chapter 24 is called “The Olivet Discourse” -- which is just a fancy way of saying that Jesus gave this message on the Mount of Olives -- “Olivet” -- to His disciples
-- The Olivet Discourse is Jesus’ message about the end times -- both the end of the nation of Israel and the end of the world in general -- it is found in all three synoptic gospels -- Matthew, Mark, and Luke -- but Matthew has the greatest amount of material on this discourse

-- look at verse 3

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

-- this message by Jesus comes in response to the same questions that drove Harold Camping to make his prediction -- when will the world end? -- when will Jesus come back?
-- right now, the world seems to be focused on these types of issues -- with the tremendous natural disasters that we have seen over the last decade -- tsunamis -- earthquakes -- floods -- hurricanes -- famine -- wildfires -- volcanoes -- the list goes on and on -- people are looking at all of this and saying, “Surely the world can’t survive” -- when will the end come? -- how will the end come?
-- and, so, right now, everyone is interested in end times -- we’ve seen Harold Camping’s prediction of the rapture and the end of the world this year -- the Mayan calendar prediction of the end of the world on December 21st, 2012 -- and, just yesterday, I was watching a program about the Georgia Guidestones near Elberton, which also warn of the end of the world based on ancient prophecies
-- Jesus’ disciples weren’t immune to this wondering -- so they came up to Jesus and asked Him, “When is this going to happen? -- when is the world going to end?”
-- let’s look at Jesus’ response

-- verse 4

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ 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.

-- basically, what Jesus is telling His disciples here is “Don’t worry” -- He is saying, “Don’t get all caught up in worrying about when the end is going to come or how it’s going to happen” -- don’t think that just because you see natural disasters or wars or famines that it means that the end has come
-- all of these things have happened throughout human history -- we’ve always had wars and rumors of wars -- we’ve always had earthquakes and natural disasters -- we’ve always had false messiahs and false religions -- Jesus says, “This is not cause for concern for those who know Me -- these things will always happen -- it’s not a reason to panic”
-- but, He tells us in verse 8, that these things are the beginning of the birth pains -- or, as the KJV puts it, the beginning of sorrows
-- I think it’s interesting that the NIV uses the term “birth pains” -- because this leads to an interesting analogy -- first, when you have a birth, that means a child is coming -- so, in this case, who is it that is coming? -- we would have to say that Jesus was talking about Himself and His second coming
-- secondly, what happens when a woman goes into labor? -- she begins by having contractions and pain that comes minutes or hours apart -- and then, as the time grows near, these contractions get closer and closer together until finally she gives birth
-- assuming that Jesus is making this same point about the false messiahs and wars and natural disasters, we can say that as the end of the age draws near, that we should see these things occurring more and more often and closer together than ever before

-- skip down to verse 32

32 “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[a] is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, 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 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[b] but only the Father.

-- now, contrary to what Harold Camping believes, we don’t know the exact day or hour when Jesus will come back -- we don’t know when the rapture will occur or when the end of the age will come -- but, according to Jesus, we can know when it is close at hand
-- Jesus uses the example of the fig tree to make the point that His followers should know when the times are getting close -- think about it -- we can tell when it’s about to be spring and summer, can’t we? -- we start seeing the trees get their leaves -- we start seeing the birds migrate back through -- the temperatures start rising -- we know when the season is near at hand
-- Jesus says we’ll know the same thing about the end of the age -- when we start to see all of these things that He has been talking about coming to pass more and more often we should recognize that the season of the end of the age is near -- that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen today or tomorrow -- it could -- but it could also happen 100 or 500 years from now -- near doesn’t mean immediate -- it means close
-- one other thing about Jesus’ use of the fig tree in His example -- in the Bible, the fig tree sometimes represents the nation of Israel -- so, Jesus could be saying here that when we see the nation of Israel restored -- when we see the Jews come back into their homeland again -- that it means that the end is near
-- 40 years after Jesus was crucified, in 70 AD, the nation of Israel was totally destroyed and the temple was torn down -- for 2000 years, there was no nation of Israel and the Jews were dispersed throughout the world, living in other countries -- but, on May 14th, 1948, the Jews came home and the modern nation of Israel was recognized -- is this what Jesus is talking about in His example of the fig tree? -- that’s quite likely -- and this may be yet another sign that the end of the age is near
-- one thing that we need to keep in mind that Harold Camping forgot was verse 36 -- "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” -- we can’t predict the day or the hour that Jesus will come back -- it’s not for us to do that -- only the Father knows the exact time that this will happen
-- we can know the season -- we can recognize the signs of the birth pains -- but the actual date and hour is not ours to know

-- verse 37

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 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. 43 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.

-- Jesus it makes clear here -- when the end of the world does come -- when Jesus does return -- the world is not going to be expecting Him -- it won’t be like this weekend when all of the media’s attention was on the prediction by Harold Camping that the world was coming to an end on Saturday
-- Jesus’ followers will know the time is at hand just as Noah knew the flood was coming -- Noah didn’t know the exact day or hour when the rain would start falling and we don’t know the exact day or hour when Jesus will come -- but we’ll know it’s soon -- however, the rest of the world will be clueless because they have chosen to turn away from the knowledge of the truth
-- and, so, Jesus tells us that when He does come back, one will be taken and the other left -- one will go to heaven to be with Jesus and the other left behind
-- the important thing to note here is that Jesus is definitely coming back -- Even though Camping got the date wrong, it doesn’t change the fact that Jesus is still coming back -- He tells us so right here in verse 42 and again in verse 44 -- that is a promise from God -- and we have to believe and trust in it and expect it to come to pass just as He said

III. Closing -- What Now?
-- so, what now? -- on the heels of the failed prediction by Harold Camping, what should we do as Christians and believers in the second coming of Christ? -- Jesus tells us right here in this passage
-- Jesus gives us the command to keep watch and be ready -- to watch and be ready means several different things
-- this means that we truly become disciples of Christ in our daily lives -- we live for Jesus everyday and not just on Sundays -- when we sin, we confess our sins and thank God for His forgiveness -- we maintain our relationship with Him by reading our Bibles and praying and worshiping Him every day
-- this also means that we are ready to share with others the hope that we have in Jesus and in His death and resurrection -- one good thing about Camping’s prediction is that people are talking about Jesus in the media and at the water cooler and in school -- we have an open door to share with people about Jesus and about our faith
-- we should use this opportunity to share with them the good news of salvation and let them know that they won’t have to worry about the end of the world if they would turn to Jesus in faith for the forgiveness of their sins -- it gives us the opportunity to let them know that through Jesus they would come to know a peace and a joy that surpasses all understanding and that removes all fear from their lives -- even the fear of the world coming to an end

-- Jesus goes on in this passage to talk about the faithful and wise servant who does what his Master has told him to do -- it is our calling as Christians to go and make disciples of the whole world, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit -- and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded
-- this is what a faithful and wise servant does -- and this is how we should occupy our time and bring glory out of this failed prediction by Harold Camping

-- so, let’s sum this up -- the message of this entire Olivet Discourse from Jesus is that, yes, the end of the age is coming -- it is ever closer -- and we will know the time when it is near
-- but, our focus shouldn’t be on the end -- our focus should be on our mission and our lives as Christ-followers -- we should concentrate our efforts on being ready -- both personally -- living lives of holiness and righteousness every day -- and missionally -- sharing the gospel of Christ with those around us so that they, too, might come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ

-- as we close in prayer today, I want to encourage you to take a moment and consider where you are with Jesus and make whatever changes you need to in order to restore and continue your relationship with Him -- and I want to encourage you to commit to sharing the good news of Jesus with those around you -- so that it won’t be your friends and your family who get left behind when the end does come
-- let us pray