Signs of the Times
People have been looking for the signs of the times since Jesus first presented them, with many pinpointing a specific date. The earliest dating we know of was by Hippolytus. He said Jesus would come back in the year 500 based on the dimensions of Noah’s Ark. Things have escalated since 1900 with more predictions in the last 124 years than the previous 1400. It seems we have forgotten the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:36-39: Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son —except the Father only. As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be.” (Perhaps, ironically, this is where Hippolytus got his idea for the Noah’s ark dimensions.) From this, we can conclude that we will not know the day of Christ’s return, never-the-less, we should be aware of what is going on around us and always be ready. I know this; as this world gets crazier and crazier and evil seems to be more and more prevalent, there seems to be an anticipation of the end.
Vs 45-47 While all the people were listening, He said to His disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces, the front seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive greater punishment.”
Before we get to the signs of the times questions, we must first look one last time at the scribes. After all the questions from them and others, Jesus looks around and says “Beware of the scribes, who… go around in long robes, love greetings, love the front seats, love the places of honor, devour widows, and say long prayers for show. First, exactly who were the scribes? They were learned men whose task was to study, transcribe, and write an analysis on the Law. They served as copyist, editors, teachers and jurist. Jesus had several encounters with the scribes, warning them of God’s eventual judgment on their actions, or lack there of. Here we find Jesus warning the people who were listening of the scribes. He tells them they would rather be seen as something special rather than do what God has asked them to do. We are reminded in James 3:1-2 that teachers are judged more strictly: “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment, for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.” This scripture is backed up when Jesus says, “these will receive greater punishment.” The Greek word for punishment is krima, which means a judgment implying an adverse verdict of condemnation. Beware of those who call themselves teachers, and do not practice what they teach, expect accommodation for themselves, and take advantage of those who they are suppose to be taking care of. Their reward will be the praise of the people around them instead of a heavenly one.
21:1-4 He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins. “I tell you the truth,” He said. “This poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
While he was talking about the widows and others in need, he spots a poor widow coming to give her offering at the temple treasury. I find it interesting that Jesus had just confronted the religious establishment on their conduct. They had questioned Him and He had astounded them with His answers. He finally warns the people about them, saying they are more interested in being seen by the people than actually following the law they so meticulously write down. They are the rich who have dropped in exactly what the Law would require of them. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you,” Matthew 6:1-4. Jesus said, don’t sound a trumpet before you… It could be that He literally meant not to sound the shofar to announce your giving. But, Jesus could also have been alluding to the temple treasury, which was shaped like a trumpet. The more money you put in it, the louder it would be. People could tell how much you gave by the noise it made going into the treasury. This poor widows gift would not have made much of a sound. Two small coins not even worth a 1/4 of a penny in today’s money would not have been noticed by anyone, except that Jesus noticed her gift.
This brings up a very important point. God does notice our gifts, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. And, I believe, it was not the actual gift Jesus noticed, as much as it was the heart and faith of the woman who gave it. She has put in all she had to live on. Her heart was about giving all of herself to God, believing He would take care of her. Jesus knew her heart. He saw her faith put into practice. It so touched and amazed Him, He made sure His followers saw it too. She has given more than all the wealthy people put together, because she had really given. They have tithed out of their surplus, but she has emptied herself of everything. Do not follow the scribes and those who would flaunt their gifts and righteousness. Follow the one who quietly gives up everything to God whom she loves.
Vs 5-19 As some were talking about the temple complex, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, He said, “These things that you see—the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down!” “Teacher,” they asked Him, “so when will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” Then He said, “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He’, and, ‘The time is near.’ Don’t follow them. When you hear of wars and rebellions, don’t be alarmed. Indeed, these things must take place first, but the end won’t come right away.” Then He told them: “Nation will be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be violent earthquakes, and famines and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you. They will hand you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of My name. It will lead to an opportunity for you to witness. Therefore make up your minds not to prepare your defense ahead of time, for I will give you such words and a wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will even be betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will kill some of you. You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. By your endurance gain your lives.
The temple in Jerusalem was truly a sight to behold. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the temple was made of snow white marble with gold plates that sparkled when the sun shone on them. Originally built by Ezra and Zerubbabel and expanded by Herod, it took up 36 acres of space. The stones used to build the temple were massive and the structure so strong, Jesus’ prophecy that “not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down,” could have easily been dismissed. Yet, it took place in 70 AD when the Romans overran the city and tore the temple down leaving in it’s place rubble.
The rest of this passage deals with signs of the age. It is both a prophecy for that current generation and for us today. The destruction of Jerusalem is a precursor to what will take place at the end of the age. What happened then, will happen again on the global stage. We can look through history and the book of Acts and see how these predictions each came about. From the persecution of the apostles and Christians at the time, to the destruction of the temple. Each of these events took place. To get a complete picture of this passage, we can look at the account in Matthew 24. We find this was said as Jesus was leaving Jerusalem, heading to the Mount of Olives. When on the Mount of Olives, his disciples asked Him privately about when all this was going to take place. Jesus gives them an answer for their day, and a picture of what was to come at the end of the age. He describes the birth pains as nations rising up against nations, famines, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars… But then He says, “Then they will hand you over for persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come,” Matthew 24:9-14. There will be a time of great persecution for all who believe in Christ. There will be many who will be swayed by false prophets. Lawlessness will multiply and love will grow cold. We can see many of these things happening right now. Just yesterday, I was speaking to a pastor who was recounting the lawlessness taking place in his home country of South Africa. We see it all around us in our cities and even in our small communities. Mindless shootings and hate crimes. In fact, hate seems to have overshadowed love and insolence seems to have replaced grace. It’s so easy to get distracted by all of this, yet, I do not believe this is what we are to focus on.
The fact is, evil will always be in the world. It is a fact of life. But, if we only focus on the bad that will happen and the evil that will come to this earth, we will forget and neglect our true calling as disciples of Christ. We are called to be salt, light, grace and love, not focus on the hate, insolence, darkness and tribulation. Here is what Jesus tells us in Matthew “But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.” We are to endure to the end. We are to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. We are to be a testimony to the nations. We must remember that God is light, love and grace, therefore, darkness can never overcome the light, hate will never kill love and insolence cannot outlast grace. God will never be thwarted, no matter how bleak things may look. We serve the One who’s foundation is steadfast. The temple in Jerusalem was but a foreshadowing of the real temple. It needed the snow white marble and golden plating to shine on the hill. The temple of God will not need any of these things. It will shine because of the glory of God Himself. It will stand because God is on His throne and no one will cast Him down. The armies of Satan can surround us all they want, but, unlike Rome, they will not be able to overrun us and cast down the temple of God. It is so easy to focus on the doom and gloom rather than how God can use us in every situation to proclaim His glory throughout the earth. We can see the signs of the end of the world in every war, famine, earthquake, civil unrest…, but the end will not come until after the gospel is preached to all the world. The wars and evil are not the focus – the gospel is! Being aware and ready is different than being overly focused on the prophetic calamities going on around us. When we get into the book of Acts, we will find the disciples focusing on spreading the gospel as fast and far as they could. They did not worry about what was going on around them, they only wanted to see people come to Christ.
Vs 20-28 “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that its desolation has come near. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! Those inside the city must leave it, and those who are in the country must not enter it, because these are days of vengeance to fulfill all the things that are written. Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for there will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. “Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring sea and waves. People will faint from fear and expectation of the things that are coming on the world, because the celestial powers will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near!”
Can you see it? Jesus is warning of a time that was very near (70 AD was only 30 or 40 years away). He wants us to be aware of what is going on around us. He wants us to heed the signs and warnings He has given us. But, again, they are not to be our focus. There will be those who will faint from fear. Powers will be shaken and there will be anguish. “But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near!” This is the promise given us by God. We can stand in the midst of the calamity! When everything thing around us is shaking, we will not be shaken! There is a wonderful song by Tommy Walker and Jacob Park called “I Will Not Be Shaken”. The words read: He is my rock, my shield, my fortress. He’s my salvation and my strength. The cords of death, they were surrounding me, but He heard my cry for help. He is my refuge, my high tower. He’s my deliverer so strong. The snares of death they were confronting me, but He heard my cry for help. So I’ll stand and trust! I’ll stand in faith! I will not be shaken! Our God will not be moved! Our God will never change! Our God will reign forevermore! So I’ll stand and trust! I’ll stand in faith! I will not be shaken!
I do believe we are witnessing many of those birth pains as we see the world devolve around us. We need to pay attention – not to hide or shore up our defenses, but so we might be spurred on to quickly spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. So that we might be ready to do whatever we can to see the nations come to faith. We need to pay attention so we can stand firm and not be shaken by what is happening in the world around us. We do not have time to get involved in things that have no bearing on the spread of the glory of God. Over the years, I believe God has given us a couple of tests. The most recent would be the worldwide pandemic we just experienced. I have to wonder if we – the church as a whole that is – passed. I’m not so sure we did. I think there was too much emphasis on the “politics” of it all. Instead of being a blessing, many complained about not being able to meet in person or having to wear a mask. Instead of going to our knees in prayer, many became political and worried about our rights. Instead of being grace, some showed a lack of mercy to those around us who were truly fearful. We got caught up in the debates – to wear a mask or not to wear a mask, to get the vaccination or not to get the vaccination… and so on. How do I know this? All I had to do is go to social media and read what everyone was saying. I’ll get on my soap box here and say it – we are not called to worry about losing our rights, or making sure a particular party gets into office. We are called to be salt and light in this world and to spread the gospel across the world. We can’t afford to be diverted from this! Okay, there, I’m done and have climbed off the box now. The point is, I see the signs around me today as a reminder that God’s work is not done yet. He has mercifully told us what to look for so we can intensify our efforts to see as many people come to faith as possible. God is still at work and the Holy Spirit is just as mighty and miraculous. We have the promise of God. Yes, there will be persecution, but when we are persecuted because of His Name – It will lead to an opportunity for you to witness. Therefore make up your minds not to prepare your defense ahead of time, for I will give you such words and a wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. Isn’t that exciting!!!! God will provide us opportunities to witness – and, we don’t even have to prepare a defense ahead of time – He will give us the words we need. As we see and recognize those signs of the times He has given us, let us, as the people of God refocus our attention and see “this good news of the kingdom proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.”
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