Signs of the Times (4)

We are ready to begin our discussion of the actual signs of which Jesus speaks in Matthew 24.  But, just one short word before we begin.  I may find it necessary to repeat what I am now going to say: I do not want you to read these letters and study Matthew 24 as a mere intellectual exercise in which you are able to have a clearer understanding of a chapter in a Dogmatics book.  That would defeat my purpose completely.  Jesus does not do this either.  From verse 32 – 51 and in the whole of chapter 25 Jesus applies His discussion of the signs of the times to our daily life in the world.  These signs must not simply be of intellectual interest to us; they must stir our hearts to do what Jesus tells us in the end of this chapter and in chapter 25.  To sum up all this material, Jesus tells us that a certain knowledge of the signs of His coming ought to make us watch! (Matt. 24:42, 25:13)

 

When Jesus commands us to watch, He means, among other things, what is happening in the world about us.  Christ at God’s right hand rules sovereignly over all the creation and over all history.  All Jesus’ signs are events that take place in creation and in history.

 

And we ought to “watch” ourselves to be sure that our lives are characterized by our longing for Christ to come again.  Our lives are governed by our eagerness to have Christ come again, aren’t they?  You must ask yourself this question or these signs will have no practical effect in your life.

 

The reason Jesus gives is that “ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”  And if you think that the Lord cannot come yet because many things have to happen before the end of the world, remember that the Lord “doth come” when you and I die.  And when we die that is in fact the end of the world for us. Everything that belongs to this world is gone; everything that belongs to heaven or hell begins at the moment we die.  The Lord literally says that He comes again when we die.  “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).

 

There is a saying that goes like this: “The old must die, but the young can die.”

 

But now to the first sign of which Jesus speaks.  We can find it in Matthew 24:4-5: “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”

 

This is an extremely important sign, for the Lord refers to it again in His sermon on the signs of his coming.  He speaks of this sign in verse 11, and then again in verses 23-28.  In this latter passage, He discusses in detail what He means by false prophets.  The fact that He mentions it three different times surely shows that this is an important sign.

 

It is interesting that false prophets are a sign of our Lord’s coming.  This is interesting because it has really been true that there were false prophets throughout history.  Already in the days of Ahab and Jehoshaphat’s wicked cooperation with Ahab, false prophets told these two kings to go up to battle because the Lord told them that they would have the victory (2 Chronicles 18 and 19:1-2).  The apostles warned the church in their letters about the need to be on their guard against false prophets, and John admonished the saints to try the spirits “whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (I John 4:1-2).

 

But these things are getting worse and becoming more frequent in our day.  There are the cults, as we all know, whose leaders literally claim to be the Messiah who has come to save them.  And they gather a host of followers who will do anything they say – sometimes, to our shame, with greater zeal and dedication than we have for our true Messiah.  Think of the host of followers of a cult leader of several years ago who all took poison to kill themselves because their leader told them to do so.

 

But there are others who, while not claiming literally to be the Messiah claim to have a personal relationship with him that gives them special knowledge of Christ and an inside track on what Christ will do.  Just within the last couple of years a Mr. Camping, who had his roots in the Christian Reformed Church, claimed that Christ had revealed to him the date of his coming.  He announced that date – not once, but twice.  He had thousands of followers who were often from conservative Reformed and Presbyterian churches all over the world.  These people sold all of their possessions, often giving their money to Mr. Camping, and then waited as Mr. Camping’s predicted date neared, only to be sadly disappointed.

 

And think also of the huge mega churches that attract thousands because they preach a gospel of an earthly kingdom of prosperity.

 

Nor is the gospel of these mega churches foreign to many in our day, such as the post-millennialists and the pre-millennialists who claim that Christ’s kingdom will be established in this world.  Thousands follow them.

 

The sign is very clear in history today.  And, while it was always a sign, the sign is growing in the number of false prophets and the number of those who follow them.

 

Watch!  For you do not know the hour when Christ is coming!

Prof. Hanko