3. Many also struggle with the fears and frailty of human life
4. What then is our hope for the future?
a. The Second Coming of Christ!
b. The establishment of His Kingdom on earth
c. It is not just an end of this present age, but the climax to our entire human history
AN OVERVIEW MATTHEW 24 (THUS FAR)
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 24:3
1. A discourse specifically to train and equip the disciples
As a response to their question about the end times
2. Various purposes may be highlighted
a. To forewarn the disciples
For the events to come
i. Many will be deceived (Matthew 24:5, 24)
ii. Wars and natural disasters (Matthew 24:7)
iii. Sorrows (Matthew 24:8)
iv. Great tribulation (Matthew 24:9, 21)
v. Conflict (Matthew 24:10)
vi. A falling away (Matthew 24:12)
b. To prepare the disciples
i. To take heed that they are not deceived (Matthew 24:4)
ii. To not be troubled when these things come to pass (Matthew 24:6)
iii. To not believe the false christs and false prophets (Matthew 24:24, 26)
c. To encourage the disciples
i. To endure to the end (Matthew 24:13)
ii. There is an end to look forward to – the coming of the Son of Man
THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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 His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 24:29-31
1. The sign of the Son of Man
A reference to Daniel 7
13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14
a. The Son of Man – a title of the Lord Jesus Christ
b. This prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14 would be fulfilled in the Second Coming of Christ
c. Christ would be given:
i. Dominion
ii. Glory
iii. A Kingdom
d. All would serve Him
e. His Kingdom would be forever
f. This is the glorious end that God has promised to us in Christ
2. The Son of Man further described in Revelation 1
12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
Revelation 1:12-16
a. An image that displays Christ’s divine glory
i. Ageless wisdom
ii. All-seeing, all knowing
iii. Vast power and might
iv. Infinite glory
b. In contrast to Christ’s first coming as baby, in meekness
OUR RESPONSE TO THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
1. Hope
a. “For the elect’s sake” (Matthew 24:22)
i. Even in the setting of great tribulation
ii. We, as the elect, are not forgotten
iii. The Lord continues to care for us
b. “They will gather together His elect” (Matthew 24:31)
i. “His elect” – we belong to the Lord
ii. Christ will send His mighty angels and gather us to Himself when He comes again
2. Courage and Confidence
a. The words of Christ to the Apostle John in Revelation 1
17 But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
b. “Do not be afraid”
i. Christ is the One who lives
ii. He has given us life through His death and resurrection
iii. He comes for us, to usher us into a glorious everlasting life with Him in His Kingdom
CONCLUSION
1. The future may be filled with uncertainty, and even fears
2. But the Lord has given to us an uplifting truth
We are moving towards the climax of His Second Coming