Studies in Matthew - Waiting On the Return of Christ

I cannot count the times I have been asked the question, “So, what is your eschatological theology?” Christians seem fascinated with the prophecies on the return of Christ, the timing of the rapture, and all the other events scripture has presented to us for the future of the Kingdom of God. I have read many of the great books on the topic and heard many good sermons. And yes, yes, I have my opinion on the topic and if pressed on the matter, could take upon myself one of the labels we Christians have come up with that separate us on the end times. But as I continue to study the scriptures, I have grown into a place in which I believe is of greater importance than taking on a specific label.

The last two mornings I have been studying in Matthew, chapters 24 and 25. This section of scripture finds Jesus addressing the future of the coming Kingdom. He responds to this question of the disciples, as found in Matthew 24:3 that says, As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Jesus responds to the question by explaining many things that will happen. He gives it to them as a warning not to be duped by the many false teachers that will come as seen in Matthew 24:4, And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.” Implied in this warning is the idea that we certainly ought to study the scriptures so we will not be misled.

Wars, famines, and earthquakes are signs of the nearing of the end, but Jesus compares them to the pains of an impending birth of a baby. Jesus warns us that there will be persecution. There will be hatred and betrayals. Lawlessness in increase. Love will grow cold. All things that seem to be happening right now in our land.

Jesus makes a statement that many misinterpret as meaning we can lose our salvation. He says in Matthew 24:13 that "The one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” That isn’t a suggestion that the saved might fall away, it is a statement that the true believers WILL come through the troubles of life and shall persevere.

As I study through Matthew 24 and 25, I realized I have become more concerned with what I will do as I wait upon His return, than I am about when He is coming.

Matthew 24:36
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

No one knows the day and hour of His return, yet we continue to see so-called prophets making predictions. The message of Jesus in this section of scripture is not to satisfy our curiosity of prophecy, but it is to tell us what to until He comes. Listen to what Jesus says.

Matthew 24:42
"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

 

Matthew 24:44
"For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Jesus proceeds in the end of chapter 24 and in 25 to explain what we need to be doing as we await His return.

Through several parables Jesus gives us our orders. The Parable of the Ten Virgins reminds us to be ready to meet our Bridegroom, Jesus, when the day of the wedding banquet comes. The Parable of the Talents teaches us to be faithful with what God has given us, whether we have a lot or a little, we must not squirrel it away. We are to live as investors of our lives, our money, talents, and time.

Jesus finishes up by making a stark comparison of two types of people. There are those who provide for the sick, the hungry, the naked, and the prisoners. There are those who do not. Listen to what He says to each of these two types of people.

Matthew 25:40
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

Matthew 25:45
"Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”

The way we treat people is the way we treat Jesus. Salvation is by faith alone, but true salvation will evidence itself in a new person, a person who seeks to meet the needs of others. This is what James means when he speaks of his works is how he shows his faith.

Jesus finishes up with a fearful warning that ought to wake us up to a life of service.

Matthew 25:41-43
"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;  for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;  I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.”

Matthew 25:46
"These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Wow. Those are the words of Jesus. They ought to change the priorities of our lives. I love theology. There is nothing wrong with studying scripture, but if all we study it for is to defend our eschatology and our other doctrinal positions, then we’ve missed the message.

We do not know when Jesus will return. Rather than worry about that, we should simply be busy doing what He said to do. We must be prepared for His coming. He tells us here how to do that. Read these two chapters of Matthew and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you. He’s coming back. What will He catch us doing when He comes?

Being A Prophet

Usually when we hear the word “prophet” we think of the Old Testament men who made predictions of things to come. It was serious business, Deuteronomy 18:20 has this to say about prophets, “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.” It is not good to be a false prophet.

Yet the entire history that unfolds in the Old Testament is in fact the prophecy of the coming Messiah. The true prophets were a very important aspect of God’s work and He used them in many ways.

There are many disagreements about the spiritual gifts; which ones there really are and if they are relevant today. But in the New Testament days I believe we have too oft misunderstood the gift of prophecy. I believe the Bible is complete, that in it God has spoken and thus given us everything we need to know as we live out our lives in anticipation of the return of Christ. I do not believe we need future prophecy to be given except what is already been prophesized in the Bible. We don’t even need to know what will specifically happen in our own lives day today because we are called to live and to walk by faith, not by sight. Jesus instructed to pray for “daily” bread. He told us not to worry about tomorrow in Matthew 6:34, but to focus on today. We are to watch and pray for His return.

Yet there is a need for prophecy, but the prophecy needed is for us “to proclaim the truth of scripture with God’s authority”, as the word prophet is defined in Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary. Paul had something very important to say about the value of the spiritual gift of prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14:1-3 saying this, “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.” He would go on to state that when we prophesize we “build up the church”.

Scripture is clear that love must be the primary focus of our Christian life. When we share the Word of God it builds up people. It restores them, it comforts them, it encourages them, and most of it gives us hope in the midst of a hard life on this earth. Above all things it brings glory to God for His Word is truth. This is the best expression of love we can give.

So let us boldly proclaim and share the Word of God. We don’t need the psychology of man; we need the truth of scripture. The church is filled with hurting people; the world even more so. So seek the gift of prophecy above all else. But even if we don’t have a particular gift that should not stop us from the work that is done by those who have these gifts. Not all have the gift of evangelism; yet we should all share the Gospel. Not all have the gift of giving; yet all should give. Not all have the gift of mercy; yet we must all show mercy. Those who have the various gifts will shine for God when they use their gift. But most of the gifts are supernatural additions to the things we should be practicing as Christians. We cannot use the excuse of not having a gift for not doing the things all of us should be doing.

Ask God for the gift of prophecy. But read the Word of God and study it to become proficient at sharing it to build up and encourage others. I promise you if you do you will find yourself growing and being encouraged by His Word. It is God’s Word. In it is all we need to know.

Finding Hope in the Midst of a Prophecy of Judgment

This morning I finished my study on the Book of Jeremiah. The amazing thing about our God is that He is a God of hope. As one reads through Jeremiah it is easy to get bogged down by its continual prophecies that speak of the judgment that a life of sinful rebellion against God will bring. Jeremiah himself is known as “a man of sorrows”. It is easy to see a parallel of America today and its blatant rejection of God and wonder just how much longer God will allow us to be so blessed when as a nation we have turned our back on Him.

Yet the final words of Jeremiah take an incredible turn.  I offer them here.

Jeremiah 52:31-34
And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him, and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king according to his daily need, until the day of his death as long as he lived.

God is a god of hope and in the final words of Jeremiah comes a picture of hope and that hope is Jesus Christ.  Though the name of this king of Babylon sounds ominous, Evil-merodach, the literal meaning of his name means servant of son of God. Go back over that passage and see the picture of Jesus in his actions toward Jehoiachin.

1. He lifted up the head of Jehoiachin. This first act of compassion we see reminds us that no matter how dark we fallen into the dungeon of sin, Jesus will lift us up.

2. Next we see he brought him out of prison. Jesus sets us free from the prison of sin. Jesus preached publically first from the Book of Isaiah as we read in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

3. Next we see that Evil-merodach “spoke kindly to him.” Jesus always comes to us with kind words, even when He calls attention to our sinfulness.

4. Next we see that Evil-merodach “gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon.” Jesus gives His children a place of prominence as well, having made us ambassadors and saints in His kingdom.

5. Because of the prominence given Jehoiachin, he “put off his prison garments.” Jesus has done the same for us. He has given us His robe of righteousness so that we can stand before our holy God. Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

6.  And finally we see that Jehoiachin “dined regularly at the king's table” and he was given “a regular allowance… by the king according to his daily need, until the day of his death as long as he lived.” Jesus feeds us continually and as Christians we are invited to the great feast of communion where we remember the great things He has done for us as our king.

God is a God of hope and that hope is available to all who will call on the King of Kings, Lord Jesus. Seek Him today and let Him lift your head and free you from the chains of sin as He speaks kindly to you. Let Jesus raise you up to sit with Him, the King of all and rejoice as you receive the robe of righteousness He longs to place upon you. Then come and dine with Him at the table He has prepared for those who accept the invitation for if you do you shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever and mercy and goodness shall follow you all the days of your life.