Bible Study with Pastor Terry Gray via Summons Radio broadcast.
Matthew 24 is also known as the Olivet Discourse, a sermon given by Jesus on the Mount of Olives. It is a record of Jesus' own words in regards to the end of days.
Matthew 24:1-8
The disciples asked 2 questions:
1) When will the Temple be destroyed?
The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. There is not one temple rebuilt on that mount since then. In the end of days, the Temple will be rebuilt. This will be one of the most obvious sign of the end times. Right now, there is a mosque there. Something drastic will have to happen before the Temple would be built there. (I'm pretty certain the Muslims aren't just going to smile and welcome the rebuilding of the Temple...)
2) What will be the signs of Jesus' coming? What will be the signs of the end of the world?
Jesus said the following signs are just the beginning of the birth pains (Matthew 24:8). If we think these signs sound horrible, imagine the pain of the child birth itself!
1st sign: Massive deception
Being deceived is a frightening state of being because deceived people don't know they are deceived! They live their lives based on that deception, thinking they are right! And near the end of days, even more people would become deceived due to the rise in the number of false teachers, false prophets, and anti-Christs. "Anti" in Greek means against and in place of. Hence, in the end of days, there will be those who are not only against Christ but also offer themselves in place of Jesus. We need to be aware that just because people talk about Jesus, they may not be talking about the Biblical Jesus! The Jesus of Mormons is NOT the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of Jehovah's Witnesses is NOT the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of Islam is NOT the Jesus of the Bible! To ensure we are not deceived, KNOW THE TRUE JESUS. SEEK AND KNOW THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH. SHARE THE TRUE JESUS. SHARE THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH! It is indeed difficult to communicate through deception (because, as mentioned earlier, the deceived person is absolutely ignorant of his/her deception), and so we should pray for them. We should pray that God open their eyes and open their heart to the Word. We should also pray for ourselves, that our eyes be kept open, so that we do not lose our way.
2nd sign: Wars and rumors of wars
3rd sign: Famines and earthquakes
Nature is going to go berserk (Revelation 8, etc).
Matthew 24:9-13
Characteristics of society in the end of days
Deception: Increase in the number of false prophets and false teachers.
Many people in the last days will be utterly deceived, blind to moral and ethical issues. There will be rebellion against the Truth. There will be no absolute truth but relative truths. People will believe whatever they want to believe. The greatest deception will be that there is no absolute truth in this world. And this deception is great because 1) THERE IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH! and 2) since people think it's all relative, they would not ever realize the dire state they are in until it's too late!
Lawlessness
Apostasy: The falling away from Christianity
Bitter hatred
In the last days, society will be savage-like. Christians will become the focus of all that hatred (Matthew 8:9). Why? Because Satan will ramp up his pull for souls.
Near the end days, Satan will make sure it is nearly impossible to be a Christian. So why stick it out? As God's people, we need to realize that our time on Earth is limited. It's is but a stopping point in our eternal life with God. We are not here to glorify ourselves with worldly possessions. We are here to glorify God and to share the Good News with as many people as we can.
As Christians, we should therefore stand firm. We should always make sure our Armor of God is in mint condition, and we should don our Armor of God daily because Satan is always seeking opportunity to claim more souls for himself.
Should we be afraid? No. What is there to be afraid of? Death? What is death in the eyes of our Lord who has defeated death? We should certainly recognize Satan as a formidable enemy and not underestimate his power, but we should also fight with confidence because "the one who is in you (God) is greater than the one who is in the world (Satan)" (1 John 4:4).
If we die a physical death while fighting, ought we not be comforted? For such a physical death immediately returns us to God! Christians have no fear of death, because our Lord has conquered death. This spirit is shown best by Paul throughout the many letters that he's written.
The world is going to become more barbaric, but we are to stand strong in our faith. Let us be consistent witnesses of Jesus Christ.
Many people in the last days will be utterly deceived, blind to moral and ethical issues. There will be rebellion against the Truth. There will be no absolute truth but relative truths. People will believe whatever they want to believe. The greatest deception will be that there is no absolute truth in this world. And this deception is great because 1) THERE IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH! and 2) since people think it's all relative, they would not ever realize the dire state they are in until it's too late!
Lawlessness
Apostasy: The falling away from Christianity
Bitter hatred
In the last days, society will be savage-like. Christians will become the focus of all that hatred (Matthew 8:9). Why? Because Satan will ramp up his pull for souls.
Near the end days, Satan will make sure it is nearly impossible to be a Christian. So why stick it out? As God's people, we need to realize that our time on Earth is limited. It's is but a stopping point in our eternal life with God. We are not here to glorify ourselves with worldly possessions. We are here to glorify God and to share the Good News with as many people as we can.
As Christians, we should therefore stand firm. We should always make sure our Armor of God is in mint condition, and we should don our Armor of God daily because Satan is always seeking opportunity to claim more souls for himself.
Should we be afraid? No. What is there to be afraid of? Death? What is death in the eyes of our Lord who has defeated death? We should certainly recognize Satan as a formidable enemy and not underestimate his power, but we should also fight with confidence because "the one who is in you (God) is greater than the one who is in the world (Satan)" (1 John 4:4).
If we die a physical death while fighting, ought we not be comforted? For such a physical death immediately returns us to God! Christians have no fear of death, because our Lord has conquered death. This spirit is shown best by Paul throughout the many letters that he's written.
The world is going to become more barbaric, but we are to stand strong in our faith. Let us be consistent witnesses of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 24:14
In the last days, the Gospel goes global!
Now, more than ever, the Gospel message can be spread throughout the world due to technology that facilitates TV and radio programming, print media, the Internet, etc.
The Gospel will thus be preached throughout the world AND THEN the end will come.
Now, more than ever, the Gospel message can be spread throughout the world due to technology that facilitates TV and radio programming, print media, the Internet, etc.
The Gospel will thus be preached throughout the world AND THEN the end will come.
Throughout time, instances like this shows the grace of God. Before every severe judgment, God always gives everyone the chance to hear the Word and repent before He releases His wrath.
We need to understand that even today, God is doing everything He can to save everyone. God does not send anyone to Hell. People choose to go to Hell by actively rejecting Jesus.
In Hebrews 9, we learn that there's nothing more God can do for us if we reject Jesus!
Matthew 24:15-25
The most critical sign of last days: The abomination of desolation
The abomination of desolation is the ultimate blaspheme, the ultimate rejection of God, the ultimate rejection of Christ.
"Abomination" in Greek means loathsome, detestable, disgusting stench
Proverbs 6:16-19
There are 7 things that are detestable, that are an abomination to God:
- proud look
- lying tongue,
- hands that shed innocent blood
- heart that devises wicked plans
- feet that are swift in running to evil,
- false witness that speaks lies
- one who stirs up dissension among brothers
"Desolation" in Greek means destruction, depopulation
We will be able to SEE this abomination of desolation from the newly constructed Jewish Temple from the Temple mount. This sign marks a great transition. When this sign is revealed, Hell will literally break loose. It marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation, where 2/3 of the world's population would be killed in 3.5 years. Jesus said this would be worse than the things we have already witnessed--and we have witnessed some pretty horrible events.
The Anti-Christ is the greatest abomination and will be the one to reveal this last sign. At this point, he will finally show his true colors, and the judgement of God will begin to pour out as the consequence of the abomination of desolation.
Sounds horrible? It will be. But Christians, we will be raptured and be watching this all unfold in Heaven, protected from the Wrath of God during this Great Tribulation period (Revelation).
Daniel 9:24
Prophecy received 2500 years ago
"Your people" = Daniel's people = Jews Your city = Jerusalem
Daniel 9:25
The clock of 490 years for the Israelites to finish their transgression started clicking when the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was issued. This decree was issued in March 14, 445 BC (Nehemiah 2).
Daniel prophesied that 69 weeks of years later = 483 years later = 173880 days later = April 6, 32 AD, the messiah would come. This day was the first Palm Sunday, the Sunday that Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. This was the day that Jesus was formally presented to His nation as the messiah.
Daniel 9:26
Daniel also prophesied that after the first 62 weeks of sevens, Jesus would be put to death. When Jesus died, the time stopped, because the Jews did not receive their messiah! Jesus was crucified, and the Temple was destroyed!
The clock stops on Palm Sunday, which mean, THERE IS STILL A WEEK OF 7 YEARS LEFT TO FINISH THE TRANSGRESSION! It is still unfulfilled to this day! When will it be fulfilled? During the 7 years of the Tribulation! (Hence, the Tribulation is not for the Church, which is why the Church is raptured BEFORE the beginning of the Tribulation.)
Daniel 9:27
Daniel then prophesied about the week of seven that is left: The Anti-Christ's plans are revealed
At the beginning, the Anti-Christ will bring peace to the Middle East, allowing the Jews to rebuild their Temple (Remember, this is one of the most obvious signs of the end of times!)
Half way through, the Anti-Christ will break the peace, ushering in the Great Tribulation.
The past 2000 years since that very first Palm Sunday are known as the Church age, which basically is a huge parenthesis of God's Grace. Grace for what? Grace for the chance to repent and return to God instead of just receiving God's Wrath.
The next step is to remove the Church, i.e. to end this parenthesis and allow the time to move forward again.
Revelation 13:11
An image of the beast will be made and everyone would be REQUIRED to bow down before him. Those who don't will be martyred. We say "martyred" because those who don't bow down will be Christians who die up-holding their faith in Jesus. Those who bow down to the beast will also receive the mark of the beast. Once people are marked, their fates will be sealed and will join Satan in Hell.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
The abomination of desolation is the rise of the Anti-Christ who proclaims himself to be God, ENFORCING worship!
That's the true desire of the Satan: worshiped by all beings.
And so, if we were to boil down the state of the world today, it isn't about economic downturns or political debates, because these worldly issues are of no real consequence in the grandeur theme of things. The state of the world today is really about Satan's attempt to garner as many souls as he can for himself so that he may be worshiped as God. We need to be perfectly aware that we are amidst a great spiritual warfare.
With this realization, we will then understand the most important question of this lifetime is who do we worship? God who loves us or Satan who forces us? It's an either or choice. There is no in-between. Souls that do not belong to God will ultimately be absorbed by Satan. For those who think they can choose to do this and that without God, bear in mind that free will exists only because of God. Satan tolerates no such luxury.
An image of the beast will be made and everyone would be REQUIRED to bow down before him. Those who don't will be martyred. We say "martyred" because those who don't bow down will be Christians who die up-holding their faith in Jesus. Those who bow down to the beast will also receive the mark of the beast. Once people are marked, their fates will be sealed and will join Satan in Hell.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
The abomination of desolation is the rise of the Anti-Christ who proclaims himself to be God, ENFORCING worship!
That's the true desire of the Satan: worshiped by all beings.
And so, if we were to boil down the state of the world today, it isn't about economic downturns or political debates, because these worldly issues are of no real consequence in the grandeur theme of things. The state of the world today is really about Satan's attempt to garner as many souls as he can for himself so that he may be worshiped as God. We need to be perfectly aware that we are amidst a great spiritual warfare.
With this realization, we will then understand the most important question of this lifetime is who do we worship? God who loves us or Satan who forces us? It's an either or choice. There is no in-between. Souls that do not belong to God will ultimately be absorbed by Satan. For those who think they can choose to do this and that without God, bear in mind that free will exists only because of God. Satan tolerates no such luxury.
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